Good human relationships and social connections are potent protections against both physical and mental ill health. In an analysis[1] involving hundreds of thousands of people researchers looked to see to what extent social relationships influenced the risk of death. They found that those who had stronger relationships were 50% less likely to die early. Loneliness and … Continue reading Peer recovery support: a bridge to hope and healing
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Comments on the Task of Interpreting
The major topic of this essay is “hermeneutics” as it applies to addiction counseling. Definition and aim What is “hermeneutics”? “Hermeneutics” can be defined as “the science of interpretation”. It’s the knowledge about and methods for the task of interpreting. Interpretive methods differ across different fields of thought. Different hermeneutical methods are used to understand … Continue reading Comments on the Task of Interpreting
To Move Forward, Our Institutions Must Take a Hard Look at Their Internalized Stigma Against Us
Recovery from addiction has two significant facets. For centuries, it is centered on a dynamic that is relatively unique in respect to medical conditions. The power of one person, as part of their own journey of healing helping another to also find their way into recovery. This dynamic has then been repeated over the eons … Continue reading To Move Forward, Our Institutions Must Take a Hard Look at Their Internalized Stigma Against Us
Double standards in addiction treatment?
Addiction to alcohol or other drugs is not always easy to recover from. However, there are many pathways to recovery, including through treatment. One group of patients does far better than most other groups. In fact, their results are so impressive that many commentators have urged us to learn from what’s different about their treatment … Continue reading Double standards in addiction treatment?
The Birthing of the Modern Recovery Movement & Marty Mann Recovery History Interview with Bev Haberle
Forward – I have been thinking for some time about the linkages across recovery history. We don’t always do the best job at recording and teaching our own history. It is vital to the future that we understand our own past and how it has shaped our current environment. We must understand where we came … Continue reading The Birthing of the Modern Recovery Movement & Marty Mann Recovery History Interview with Bev Haberle
Addiction: the whole family gets to play
Addiction isn't a spectator sport; eventually the whole family gets to play. Despite this, the impact of addiction on the wider family is seldom considered in studies. This is not okay.
Why what happens after rehab is vital
Recovery journeys are rarely linear, generally bumpy and often happen over many years. Treatment may or may not be part of the process. People can need several different treatment episodes over time, often re-presenting with different needs and goals. Despite a growing evidence base only a small percentage of treatment episodes take place in residential rehabilitation … Continue reading Why what happens after rehab is vital
Cannabis: Demon Drug or Miracle Medicinal Plant, the Dilemma of Binary Thinking
“Human beings have a strong dramatic instinct toward binary thinking, a basic urge to divide things into two distinct groups, with nothing but an empty gap in between. We love to dichotomize. Good versus bad. Heroes versus villains. My country versus the rest. Dividing the world into two distinct sides is simple and intuitive, and … Continue reading Cannabis: Demon Drug or Miracle Medicinal Plant, the Dilemma of Binary Thinking
A consumer’s guide to research on substance use disorders
Reading about addiction and recovery can be overwhelming and confusing. Media reports and experts often make strongly worded statements that are contradicted by statements from other media sources and experts. Other times, they seem to negate or minimize the lived experience of people with drug or alcohol problems and their families. For example, it’s very … Continue reading A consumer’s guide to research on substance use disorders
Sentences to ponder: stigma reduction
Demonstrated solutions to alcohol and drug problems will do more to reduce the stigma attached to these conditions than will endless debates about the source of such problems. White, W. (2000). Toward a new recovery advocacy movement. (Photo credit: beware of pity by shawnzrossi)
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