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 to these drugs.) The bad … Continue reading Suboxone retained 9 of 103
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.
Chronic care and recovery management
DJ Mac posted a review of an article about applying a chronic care model to addiction treatment. The 6 elements identified in the article are: Changing from acute and reactive care to preventative, continuing and patient-oriented practice. Improving healthcare organisation support through investment in teams, information systems and outcome monitoring. Expert-informed decision support for providers, given through … Continue reading Chronic care and recovery management
Why so much?
The NYT covers drug pricing issues related to addiction: But there was one question that Evzio’s manufacturer has so far declined to answer and that the F.D.A. does not consider in its approval deliberations: How much is it going to cost? It’s a simple question that goes unuttered throughout the American health care system. It’s … Continue reading Why so much?
Detox drug is Georgia’s new habit
Sundays will be deja vu day for a while. I'm going back to the beginning of the blog and reposting old posts. This post was originally posted on 6/15/2006. In 2006, buprenorphine was pretty new in the U.S. and we were big fans of it for detox. This was one of the first signs of … Continue reading Detox drug is Georgia’s new habit
Recovery is good for business
A cool story from Fast Company: Today, Michael Dadashi is the CEO of MHD Enterprises, a multi-million dollar e-waste recycling company based in Austin. But five years ago he was a heroin addict who couldn't keep a job and nearly lost his life to an overdose--and that was his turning point. "I've been given a … Continue reading Recovery is good for business
Ohio action on drug problems
I'm traveling in Ohio today and recently noticed that Ohio is attempting considerable legislative action to address drug problems in the state. From the Toledo Blade: Ohio now provides drug treatment for only 1 in 10 people who need it, and the bills do little to close the gap. Only House Bill 369, sponsored by … Continue reading Ohio action on drug problems
sociopathic blackguards or innocent lost lambs?
the mark of maturity and courage is not to let one feeling cancel out the other, to give people their humanity --Ta-Nehisi Coates Keith Humphreys has a new post on the human tendency toward "affective consistency", our tendency to avoid conflicting feelings by choosing one and eliminating the other. He argues that this tendency dominates … Continue reading sociopathic blackguards or innocent lost lambs?
Urban myths exposed
Points blog is back with a great interview with George Vaillant. Here's one of the questions and his response: 2. What do you think a bunch of alcohol and drug historians might find particularly interesting about your book? The value of the Grant study to the history of alcoholism is the number of urban myths that … Continue reading Urban myths exposed
Does it matter whether it’s viewed as a disease?
The maker on The Anonymous People recently wrote: “Is addiction a disorder, a matter of human frailty or something else?” This debate about whether addiction is a disease or a matter of choice continues to garner headlines and direct our collective discussion away from the only thing that really matters: “How do people enter recovery … Continue reading Does it matter whether it’s viewed as a disease?
Cannabis Sense
A study finding brain changes in casual users of marijuana got a lot of press last week. There were people seizing upon it as proof of marijuana's danger and other attacking or debunking the study. Those who attacked the study seemed to react to the inferences people were drawing from the study's findings, rather than … Continue reading Cannabis Sense
Recovery Review 