"Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naïveté." Maria Popova
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.
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
Schools giving Scientology a platform with students
This is not new, but it's good that it's getting attention again. A Church of Scientology-backed anti-drug program is spreading its message to students in dozens of city public schools, DNAinfo New York has learned. The Foundation for a Drug Free World, which was founded in 2006 by the controversial church, visited 30 city public schools … Continue reading Schools giving Scientology a platform with students
The collegiate recovery movement is alive and well
In an open letter to NIDA, a group that enjoys great success with an abstinence based approach is concerned that their recovery path is being discounted and ignored in the attempt to build an evidence-base. (emphasis mine) The collegiate recovery movement is alive and well across the nation. We are on the cusp of a … Continue reading The collegiate recovery movement is alive and well
Drugs as genocide
Points has an interesting post on Michael Tabor, a former Black Panther who warned that capitalism and drugs would result in tragic consequences for blacks. What's especially interesting is the way he defies categorization. He talked like a drug warrior, but warned against criminalization of blacks and called for community organization as essential for prevention and … Continue reading Drugs as genocide
The medical establishment’s “best hope for addicts”
I'm sure this piece is going to get a lot of attention. "A treatment that actually works" is the subtitle for the article. I'm not going to write a lengthy response, but I have written a lot on the subject. First, how effective is it for someone like the subject of the article? Well, two … Continue reading The medical establishment’s “best hope for addicts”
More on Ernest Kurtz
Bill White shares a personal tribute to Ernie: Ernie knew stuff, and he knew people. What he did for me and so many others, including legions of M.A. and Ph.D. students, was connect us to information and sources that escaped the usual search methods. He was a walking encyclopedia of the subjects he held most … Continue reading More on Ernest Kurtz
Let it begin with me
Points blog has a nice, personal post about Ernie Kurtz and some of the lesser known parts of his legacy. “Let it begin with me” is not an AA but an Al-Anon slogan, but it’s a fitting way to close. Scholarly history of AA began with Ernie Kurtz. His willingness to engage and share, to … Continue reading Let it begin with me
Bill White on “Symbolic Firsts”
Bill White had a very interesting post a while back on the concept of "symbolic firsts" and how it relates to recovery advocacy and recovery initiation. The concept is based on the idea that: . . . the pioneering achievement of a single individual from a historically marginalized group affects the self-identity, aspirations, and performance … Continue reading Bill White on “Symbolic Firsts”
Hope
"Hope" by Victoria Safford Our mission is to plant ourselves at the gates of Hope — not the prudent gates of Optimism, which are somewhat narrower; nor the stalwart, boring gates of Common Sense; nor the strident gates of Self-Righteousness, which creak on shrill and angry hinges (people cannot hear us there; they cannot pass … Continue reading Hope
Recovery Review 