…most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity makes them not false in a few particulars, authors of a few lies, but false in all particulars. Their every truth is not quite true. Their two is not the real … Continue reading Their every truth . . .
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.
The treatment system is failing opiate addicts
Stories like this are getting a lot of attention lately: State Sen. Chris Eaton is planning to introduce legislation to encourage opiate treatment providers and doctors to break with an abstinence-based model and embrace evidence-based practices for treating addiction, the Minnesota Democrat told The Huffington Post. I want to make it clear that I know nothing … Continue reading The treatment system is failing opiate addicts
Legalization + regulation + capitalism = ?
For all that argue, "Let's just legalize and regulate. Look at tobacco and alcohol.", John Oliver illuminates just how difficult it is to regulate tobacco. (NSFW) BTW - I've made it clear on this blog that I oppose incarceration for possession, so this is not an argument for the drug war.
Why wasn’t my love enough?
Yesterday, I posted a link to Seth Mnookin's review of Chasing the Scream. Mnookin has been open about his addiction recovery for a long time. In 1999, his mother wrote a piece about her experiences during his years of using. She does a great job illuminating the secret suffering of many loved ones. It's actually a powerful rebuttal … 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
it will not always be so
"The chronicity of addiction is really a kind of fatalism writ large. If an addict knows in his heart he is going to use someday, why not today? But if a thin reed of hope appears, the possibility that it will not always be so, things change. You live another day and then get up … Continue reading it will not always be so
12 step groups and meds
From Melissa Petro on After Party Chat: I’m hardly an AA advocate; I don’t even do the program anymore. But what Cherkis claims simply wasn’t my experience. Sure, there are individual members who have their own beliefs and experiences about prescription medication—and, yes, some of them have gone on to establish facilities in the name of 12 … Continue reading 12 step groups and meds
Drug courts and the “wonder drug”
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that the evidence for Suboxone has been oversold and that it often does not address the real-world goals of most addicts or families. They want recovery--a restoration to wholeness and full participation in all spheres of life over the rest of their lifespan. The evidence base for maintenance … Continue reading Drug courts and the “wonder drug”
Sentences to ponder
"Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naïveté." Maria Popova
Addiction, recovery and problem ownership
I had a brief but good conversation with a colleague today that reminded me of what's at stake in the way we define addiction. How we define addiction determines which helpers and which systems own the problem. Addiction is most frequently being rolled into mental health, but also into criminal justice, public health, traditional medicine, … Continue reading Addiction, recovery and problem ownership
Recovery Review 