A tragic end to an already tragic story: A few days before Christmas, in a Portland suburb, Audrey Conn committed suicide in her mother’s house. Her death, like her life, was immediately seen as something larger in a vituperative debate over whether all problem drinkers need to entirely abstain. Conn, 56, was a founder of … Continue reading Tragedy on top of tragedy
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.
Not good enough
This is good: The opiate-blocker naloxone is one of the year's most celebrated drugs, breaking into the mainstream as a magic-bullet antidote that yanks overdose victims from the brink of death with a shot of nasal spray or an intravenous injection. Police take it on patrols. Emergency medical technicians keep it in their ambulances. Ordinary … Continue reading Not good enough
Sentences to Ponder
From Parker Palmer, on effectiveness [emphasis mine]: We are in a society that is obsessed with effectiveness, with outcomes, with results. And efficiency is very much attached to that, which Courtney [Martin] wisely pointed to. I want to be clear that I'm not against effectiveness and getting results. I work hard on writing books, or … Continue reading Sentences to Ponder
2014’s top posts: #1
A terrible loss for Dawn Farm and the field (from 3.27.14) Last night (Wednesday), Pat Gibbons, Dawn Farm's Medical Director and psychiatrist died suddenly. We're stunned. He was just at Spera on Tuesday night seeing clients. It's a terrible loss for Dawn Farm and our community. Any words I can come up with feel entirely … Continue reading 2014’s top posts: #1
2014’s top posts: #2
"He'd still be alive" Much has been said this week about the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I've heard two recurring themes. First, that he might still be alive if he had been "treated with an evidence-based" treatment, like buprenorphine. Second, that he might still be alive if he hadn't been inculcated with the disease … Continue reading 2014’s top posts: #2
2014’s Top Posts: #3
Recovery MAINTENANCE There's a lot of commentary out there on Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. Some of it's good, some is bad and there's a lot in between. Much of it has focused overdose prevention and some of it has focused on a need for evidence-based treatments. Anna David puts her finger on something very important. … Continue reading 2014’s Top Posts: #3
2014’s top posts: #4
CVS is selling Narcan in Rhode Island Here's an interesting development in access to Narcan: CVS Pharmacy announced that it would offer the opiate antidote Narcan without a prescription at all of its 60 pharmacies in Rhode Island by the end of month. Narcan, also known as naloxone, offers immediate help for anyone overdosing from … Continue reading 2014’s top posts: #4
2014’s top posts: #5
He died from heroin (addiction) Phil Hoffman . . . did not die from an overdose of heroin — he died from heroin. We should stop implying that if he’d just taken the proper amount then everything would have been fine. via Aaron Sorkin: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Drug Addiction
Top posts of 2014: #6
Suboxone retained 9 of 103 A new study on office-based treatment of adolescents with Suboxone was just published by the Journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The good news, drug screens were done at clinic visits and 85% of drug screens were negative for heroin and marijuana. (It's not clear why they limited testing … Continue reading Top posts of 2014: #6
2014’s top posts: #7
The evidence-base for 12 step recovery There's a fresh round of attacks on AA as pseudo-science in need of sober debunking. All based on one book that is getting impressive publicity. The book may contain references to support its attacks, but the interviews and articles do not. The absolute language ("everyone" and "never") hint that this may not … Continue reading 2014’s top posts: #7
Recovery Review 