Author: Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
Drug money
From the Forbes list of the richest U.S. families: The richest newcomer to Forbes 2015 list of America’s Richest Families comes in at a stunning $14 billion. The Sackler family, which owns Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue Pharma, flew under the radar when Forbes launched its initial list of wealthiest families in July 2014, but this year … Continue reading Drug money
Why wasn’t my love enough?
This post was a followup to Seth Mnookin's review of Hari's book. It highlights one of the harms of misunderstanding addiction as a product of lack of connection, purpose and enriching environments. ================================================= Yesterday, I posted a link to Seth Mnookin's review of Chasing the Scream. Mnookin has been open about his addiction recovery for a … Continue reading Why wasn’t my love enough?
“unintentionally comical” – Johann Hari’s Chasing the Scream
Seth Mnookin reviews Chasing the Scream and finds its review of the science troubling. (Previous post on Hari here.) The first tip-off that Hari might be in over his head comes when he describes how “a small band of dissident scientists” had uncovered the answers he was looking for after working “almost unnoticed, for several decades.” Hari … Continue reading “unintentionally comical” – Johann Hari’s Chasing the Scream
We all wish love was enough
More on Johann Hari, a post from earlier this year. ==================================== This article, claiming to have discovered the long suppressed cause of addiction, has been making the rounds and has been recommended by a lot of people. Like a lot of things, it contains some truth but is not the Truth. People generally bring up rat … Continue reading We all wish love was enough
Hari and the truth
Johann Hari is getting a new wave of attention after a recent TED talk. I'm not surprised he's getting so much attention. He's a great story teller with a compelling narrative. However, while is narrative does contain some important truths, he's just plain wrong about the cause of addiction. Over the next few days I … Continue reading Hari and the truth
Naloxone rescues good. Naloxone + recovery better
From a new report on overdose reversals: Use of naloxone kits resulted in almost 27,000 drug overdose reversals between 1996 and 2014, according to a new government study. Naloxone is an opioid overdose antidote. That's an impressive number and something to be celebrated. It's cause for calls for expanded access to naloxone and I have … Continue reading Naloxone rescues good. Naloxone + recovery better
…let us work together
The last couple of days' posts, a recent conversation and some recent news (I'll let you guess which story.) reminded me of this post. It's from a couple of years ago and has a couple of minor updates. "If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time… But if … Continue reading …let us work together
An interesting take on activism
There's been an explosion of recovery activism over the last decade. Here's the perspective of another kind of activist. Sister Simone Campbell, a social justice activist, on the role of activism for individuals: SR. SIMONE: Whatever our part is. Just do one thing. That's all we have to do. But the guilt of the — … Continue reading An interesting take on activism
The “kinship of common suffering”
From Ernie Kurtz: Sometimes, ignorant people--especially ignorant professionals--say that "Alcoholics Anonymous teaches that only an alcoholic can help an alcoholic." Sister Ignatia is only one of many whose story overturns that canard. Look at all the non-alcoholics who were so significant in AA history: Sister Ignatia, Father Dowling, Willard Richardson, Frank Amos, Dr. Slikworth, and … Continue reading The “kinship of common suffering”
Recovery Review 