The complexity of addiction requires an equally complex notion of recovery. Holistically, recovery is generally conceptualized across three classes of variables- individual, social, and ecological. The biopsychosocial model of recovery fits well within this framework. Expanding recovery conceptually to include the environmental sphere of variables has allowed for new contextual and structural factors to be … Continue reading Understanding the Relational Dynamics of Recovery

How to gauge the benefits of bowling? Let's say I cannot bowl very well. I have a bowling problem. My father loved bowling and was usually good at it, but he was also plagued with times where he was not very good; he was very hard on himself during those times. In fact, every time … Continue reading Bowling; A Fictional Metaphor About Science and Advocacy

It has been an exciting week in the recovery space. Most notably, with Jon Soske's paper on what to keep, drop, and modify in the recovery world. Jon is a friend whom I met through Jason Schwartz. I was in Providence at the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference (APA Division 50), filling in for my … Continue reading The First Duty of the Revolutionary

My human geography classes have me thinking a lot about the connections between people, place, and the affective dimension or field that arises from communities with a shared purpose, location, and hope. When combined with ideas about develecology1 and the ways identity is shaped and formed through and across dimensions of various social roles, I … Continue reading Recovery Pipelines; A Personal Account

Science evolves through collaboration, debates, support, and refutations between scientists. This fact is no less true in the science of recovery. Recent discussions regarding new boundaries in the definition of "recovery" illuminate the mechanics of what scientists, clinicians, and people in recovery feel are essential characteristics of recovery. As one of the authors regarding the … Continue reading Reflections on Current Debates Regarding Recovery Definitions

On Las Meninas by Velasqez, Foucault writes, "In appearance, this locus is a simple one; a matter of pure reciprocity: we are looking at a picture in which the painter is in turn looking out at us. A mere confrontation, eyes catching one another’s glance, direct looks superimposing themselves upon one another as they cross. And yet … Continue reading A Time of Hope and Trepidation in the State of the Art

Recently, I have seen yet another wave of anti-12 step promotion via various digital formats and blogs. The various talking point involve, "AA is not evidence-based","AA has incredibly low success rates," and a variety of cultural criticisms and safety warnings. Time and time again I run across people who quite suddenly demand that I offer … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #1: 12-Step Skepticism and The Evidence

Considerations for the Study of Spiritual Recovery CommunitiesAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) is not without its critics. Some criticisms are quite valid; others are less so. Like all spiritual communities, be they the Freemasons or the Falun Gong, outsiders often attribute various ills and misunderstandings to AA. The more valid criticisms, however, have little to do with … Continue reading Anthropometry of the Spiritual Body

Last week I highlighted the recovery story as the chief substrate by which recovery scientists can define, operationalize, and create meaningful measures for the recovery process. We discussed the rationale for placing the recovery experience, as told by those who have recovered, as the primary source from which we can extract pertinent information that can … Continue reading Articulating Meaningful Measures of Recovery, Part II

Recently I was asked to give a presentation through the RICARES lecture series on Recovery Science. The topic was the measurement of recovery. I want to offer a bit more on the subject here, as I see a need for specific recommendations and rationale for those working in the field, particularly at the programming level. … Continue reading Capturing Meaningful Data in Recovery Science: Part 1.