Regardless of the reason one has for ending replacement therapy, making the choice presents a whole new set of challenges. Suboxone is a hard drug to kick. The medication's long half-life combined with its tight adhesion to opiate receptors makes tapering particularly difficult. From anecdotal reports, the least disruptive way to achieve a Suboxone-free life … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
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.
Stigma and the other
This article has been on my mind, but I haven't gotten around to posting anything on it. So, for today's throw back Sunday post, I decided to use a related post. ================== Dirk Hansen included this quote in a post on stigma: “Psychological theories of illness are a powerful means of placing the blame on … Continue reading Stigma and the other
Sentences to ponder
"According to RBP's 2013 annual report, Suboxone had sales of $1.2 billion. It is ranked at #39 of the top 100 drugs prescribed in the U.S., placing it above Viagra, Adderall and (generic) hydrocodone. To give this some context, Suboxone revenue is three times that of Super Bowl advertiser/provocateur Go Daddy, and dwarfs brands including … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Students shouldn’t have to sacrifice school for recovery, or recovery for school
This story of a recent University of Michigan student who died while combining Adderall and alcohol touches upon a recent theme in this blog.Six weeks ago, her son collapsed after snorting ground-up Adderall and chasing it with enough alcohol to stop his heart.Adderall, if you don’t know, is a prescription drug used to combat attention deficit … Continue reading Students shouldn’t have to sacrifice school for recovery, or recovery for school
The power of recovery
The Washington Post recently ran a story about the acting drug czar, who happens to be one of us. The nation’s acting drug czar has a substance-abuse problem. Botticelli, 56, is an alcoholic who has been sober for a quarter-century. He quit drinking after a series of events, including waking up handcuffed to a hospital … Continue reading The power of recovery
Power and responsibility in all the wrong places
Peter Sheath did a guest post a while back at Memoirs of an Addicted Brain that took the treatment field's inventory: Unfortunately many of the people working in treatment do not see any need for self-reflection and continued self-development. They have come to believe that they simply don’t have time. I’ve travelled all across the … Continue reading Power and responsibility in all the wrong places
Home at Last
Getting back to the Throw Back Sunday posts after a little break. This one was originally posted in February 2007. ===================== PBS's series NOW had a segment on a housing first approach with a man named Footie who is chronically homeless and an alcoholic. He's clearly a late stage alcoholic, frequently has seizures and may … Continue reading Home at Last
OD Awareness and both/and approaches
Yesterday was International Overdose Awareness Day. Where do we stand? Last year, the CDC reported on a 5 fold increase in female opioid overdose deaths over a 10 year period. Heroin use may not be as prevelant as the media suggests, but the number of users is up by 53% over 10 years. Overall overdose rates are … Continue reading OD Awareness and both/and approaches
Are “recovery ghettos” really a concern?
Cassie Rodenberg's blog has had a couple of heartbreaking posts recently. They look at the lives of women in the culture of addiction--prostitution, pimp boyfriend, sexual assault, having to provide sex for a place to stay, etc.It brought back Bill White's book, Pathways and his discussion of sex within the culture of addiction. Not only … Continue reading Are “recovery ghettos” really a concern?
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 an opiate such as heroin or a prescription painkiller … Continue reading CVS is selling Narcan in Rhode Island
Recovery Review 