The Fix has a provocative article on the growing use of buprenorphine maintenance. Over the last several years we've watched long-term maintenance become the norm and it has been a growing concern at Dawn Farm, particularly as we've had growing numbers of people misusing the drug and others seeking help getting detoxed from buprenorphine. She … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #1 – The Suboxone “Solution”
Category: Treatment
Towards a smarter drugs policy
The new issue of the Lancet focuses on drug policy. One piece offers key points for formulating policy: Drug policy should aim to promote the public good by improving individual and public health, neighbourhood safety, and community and family cohesion, and by reducing crime. The effectiveness of most drug supply control policies is unknown because … Continue reading Towards a smarter drugs policy
What Vietnam Taught Us
I've noticed an uptick in book, news and blog references to heroin addiction among returning Vietnam vets. (A Google news search suggests that this perception is accurate. I suspect it's because it offers a narrative that's consistent with the current monoculture.) It's claimed that this offers important lessons about addiction and behavior change. In May of … Continue reading What Vietnam Taught Us
Top Posts of 2011 #10 – How AA and NA work
Here is a summary of the knowledge presented at last year's conference on AA and NA: The preponderance of evidence supports the causal pathway that AA attendance leads to abstinence (Kaskutas, Zemore). 12-Step affiliation significantly enhances the odds of sustaining abstinence for multiple years among polysubstance-dependent individuals (Laudet). 12-Step involvement yields benefits above and beyond meeting attendance (Kaskutas, … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #10 – How AA and NA work
Top Posts of 2011 #11 – Rethinking confrontation
A repost from 4 years ago: I posted on this when it came out, but Bill White and Bill Miller recently published an article on confrontation that was just made available on the Counselor Magazine website. It makes a terrific point on confrontation as a therapeutic goal in contrast to confrontation as a therapeutic style: … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #11 – Rethinking confrontation
The confines of culture
I recently read a series of great posts that had no direct relationship to addiction or recovery but they got me thinking about the power of culture as a sustaining force in addiction. The series was sparked by a Forbes blogger who wrote a post entitled, If I Were A Poor Black Kid. It inspired … Continue reading The confines of culture
Sentences to ponder
An important truth for professional helpers: “Many times when we help we do not really serve. . . . Serving is also different from fixing. One of the pioneers of the Human Potential Movement, Abraham Maslow, said, "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' Seeing yourself as a fixer may … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
One way?
A few weeks ago, The Fix posted one of its typical confessional pieces by a guy who had been in recovery and relapsed while writing a memoir/investigative report on opiate addiction in America. He talks about his attempts to keep it real in his book led to relapse, he went to treatment, got kicked out … Continue reading One way?
Number one, community.
"... Number two, a safe place to be in recovery." Local U-M recovery advocate, Jennifer Cervi, is interviewed by Bill White. Very cool. U-M is lucky to have this program.
Transformation of the Culture of Recovery in America by William White
Bill White at the Dawn Farm Education Series:
Recovery Review 