I am sitting here in my office at the University of Michigan and reflecting and it seems like a good time to blog. This is going to be a free form ramble. Forgive me if it falls short in some ways. Today marks 18 years and one day since the last time I used any … Continue reading 18 Chai. Life. 18 and life to go
Author: mattstatman
From Bias to Balance
Disagreements around the use of medication are symptomatic of larger ideological and philosophical views around substance use, SUD’s, addiction and recovery. From where I am sitting, it seems like we are becoming increasingly tribal and more entrenched. It also seems that conversations often veer into personal attacks. There are good motives and smart people doing … Continue reading From Bias to Balance
Jason Schwartz… Binge inking interview Part 2
Here is part two of Pea Pod's interview with Jason Schwartz on the Binge inking blog. Also, I’ve learned that, even after 20 years or recovery, I am incapable of reliably picking out who will stay sober and who won’t. I’m left having to treat everyone like they’re going to make it.
In conversation with…Jason Schwartz: Part 1
Our own Jason Schwartz is interviewed by Pea Pod on Binge inking. I discovered the Addiction & Recovery News blog fairly early in my own recovery and got hooked quickly. I’ve built up respect for Jason Schwartz (JS) and his team and the work they do at Dawn Farm. We’ve corresponded by email from time … Continue reading In conversation with…Jason Schwartz: Part 1
Behavior Change
Behavior change and motivation to change are interesting to me. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to maximize the likelihood that someone "gets it" (hope) while they are in treatment or detox and starts to take action. When all of the stars line up it is a beautiful and rewarding thing to witness … Continue reading Behavior Change
Journal articles
Neuron has a special issue on addiction. Content is temporarily free. To check it out it click on the article and then click on the PDF link under Article Information.
A.A. Journal Articles
Two articles on mechanisms of change in AA. The first looks at spirituality and concludes: "Findings suggest that AA leads to better alcohol use outcomes, in part, by enhancing individuals' spiritual practices and provides support for AA's own emphasis on increasing spiritual practices to facilitate recovery from alcohol use disorder." The second at A.A. related … Continue reading A.A. Journal Articles
Monitoring the Future 2010
Monitoring the Future 2010 Among the findings: Marijuana use is rising; ecstasy use is beginning to rise; and alcohol use is declining among U.S. teens Smoking stops declining and shows signs of increasing among younger teens ONDCP reponse "The increases in youth drug use reflected in the Monitoring the Future Study are disappointing. And mixed … Continue reading Monitoring the Future 2010
Iranian Harm Reduction
A couple of articles in the NYT recently on harm reduction in Iran. I could write a lot about this, but I won’t. A few points: The Iranian H.I. V. problem, unlike the one in the U.S., is largely driven by intravenous drug use (IDU). The author notes: “By recent measures, 62 percent of H.I.V. infections in Russia … Continue reading Iranian Harm Reduction
Propranolol Shows Early Promise for PTSD
When I saw the post on disrupting memory retrieval to prevent relapse it brought to mind this from a couple weeks ago. Similarities between addiction cues and PTSD are interesting. Both articles discuss the relative ineffectiveness of exposure therapy and the promise of propranolol in mediating the super charged memories. Here is a paragraph from the addiction … Continue reading Propranolol Shows Early Promise for PTSD
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