Philip Seymour Hoffman It's nice to see a victim of addiction be remembered not just for their talent, accomplishments, personal drama or whatever else, and instead be remembered for his goodness. It’s being widely reported that Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a drug overdose. He was found in a West Village apartment with the syringe … Continue reading 2014’s top posts: #11
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.
Top posts of 2014: #12
Abstinence—The Only Way to Beat Addiction? What killed Philip Seymour Hoffman? According to Anne Fletcher, it wasn't the doctor who prescribed him the pain medication that began his relapse, it wasn't the prescribers of the combination of meds found in his body, it wasn't his discontinuing the behaviors that maintained his recovery for 23 years, … Continue reading Top posts of 2014: #12
Opioid addicted brains recover and residential more effective than medication for young opioid addicts
Several years back, Bill White pointed out that we've learned an enormous amount about the neurobiology of addiction but know nothing about the neurobiology of recovery. This week, a small study focused on just that: The researchers performed several tests to assess changes in the "brain reward system" during early recovery. After drug withdrawal, many … Continue reading Opioid addicted brains recover and residential more effective than medication for young opioid addicts
Dry bar!
I'm so grateful to be doing recovery work in this community. Below is a teaser from a BuzzFeed story. Read the whole thing here. Brillig Dry Bar is a new pop-up bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that doesn’t serve alcohol. Courtesy of Nic Sims The bar’s name is a reference to Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky. Brillig is … Continue reading Dry bar!
The soul of addiction treatment
I've never met Scott Kellogg, but I appreciate his presence in the field. He's struck me as a pragmatist who tries to find third ways and has a conservative temperament. There are too few people who fit that description. His recent piece for Substance and Pacific Standard is on "A Struggle for the Soul of Addiction Treatment." … Continue reading The soul of addiction treatment
Book Review: It Takes a Family
I just finished Debra Jay's new book, It Takes a Family: A Cooperative Approach to Lasting Sobriety and wanted to share a few thoughts with you. Bill White was one of the first people I heard challenge our failure to distinguish between treatment and recovery. Jay picks up this theme and details the limitations of treatment--that treatment is good … Continue reading Book Review: It Takes a Family
Sentences to ponder
Hope is not wishful thinking; it is risk and action and the courage to undertake both. - Debra Dean Murphy
Apples and oranges
Yes! It has become fashionable by commentators in the addictions arena to point to research studies confirming three linked findings: 1) the course of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems are highly variable rather than inevitably progressive, 2) the majority of people experiencing substance use disorders and broader patterns of AOD-related problems resolve these challenges … Continue reading Apples and oranges
The boundaries of recovery
In response to recent discussions about reclaiming recovery, Bill White has a thoughtful post on the conceptual boundaries of recovery. I encourage you to read the whole thing. He highlighted a few things. First, a survey of people who identify themselves as in recovery about how they define recovery. . . . a landmark survey of … Continue reading The boundaries of recovery
“Moral injury” and those darn peer approaches
On Being picks up on a fascinating framing of PTSD from an episode of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly: I really don't like the term 'PTSD,’” Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Shay told PBS' "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" in 2010. "He says the diagnostic definition of "post-traumatic stress disorder" is a fine description of … Continue reading “Moral injury” and those darn peer approaches
Recovery Review 