"For every complex problem, there's a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." - H.L. Mencken A recent article, The addiction crisis is even worse than headlines can convey highlights how Americans are dying in a myriad of ways beyond overdose. Embracing overdoses as the primary metric has myopically focused us on what is one … Continue reading We Keep Pressing the Easy Button and It Still Is Not Working
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Building a Recovery Community of Barn Raisers
Establishing and sustaining recovery can be a complex process requiring multiple components to withstand the environmental challenges. It has a foundation that it is built on load bearing beams and columns to sustain it, and an outer shell and a roof to provide support and safety from the elements. A great deal depends on a … Continue reading Building a Recovery Community of Barn Raisers
The war against ‘pathology porn’: How can we make recovery research strengths-based and generative
by David Best, Sharynne Hamilton, Noreen Demeria, Tom Karl The problem Assessments for drug and alcohol treatment are generally miserable affairs. For both parties. As a result of worries about governance, risk, safety, funding etc, the person seeking help is often confronted by a ‘professional’ armed with a questionnaire that is made up of standardised … Continue reading The war against ‘pathology porn’: How can we make recovery research strengths-based and generative
Am I in recovery?
A recent paper on collegiate recovery experiences highlights an important dynamic in recovery advocacy, recovery science, and recovery policy. I've commented a lot on the conceptual boundaries of recovery in the blog -- the relationship between addiction (or SUD or other compulsive behaviors) and recovery; whether recovery is a process, a direction, or an outcome; … Continue reading Am I in recovery?
Partnering in pursuit of truth and recovery
Bill Stauffer recently shared Bill White's keynote from this week's Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science. It's a great speech and there's a lot to absorb. I'm sure more will be said about it on this blog. White frames recovery research as emerging from a gaping hole in professional/clinical and scientific/research knowledge related to recovery. To … Continue reading Partnering in pursuit of truth and recovery
The Keel of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement: Our Steering Concepts
Just over four years ago, in the first weeks of the great pandemic isolation of March, 2020, I wrote Let’s focus the recovery community on hope, connection, and purpose. In those first days, it was clear that recovery community could do a great deal to save lives and build community resilience in that most uncertain … Continue reading The Keel of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement: Our Steering Concepts
“The patient’s unknown goal”
Recently, while doing some reading, I came across the phrase, “…the patient’s unknown goal…” To me, that phrase is splendid for a number of reasons. And it’s sent me reeling in my thinking across a variety of topics. Noah Grossenbbacher, Unsplash In this post I’ll list a couple of those topics, and some of my … Continue reading “The patient’s unknown goal”
William White’s Opening Keynote to the Inaugural National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science:
Presenting the words of one of our most respected recovery thought leaders at this historic gathering One morning in mid-February, William White called me. We have had a number of such conversations in recent years. They are always deeply meaningful to me. He noted over the course of the dialogue that he has fully stepped … Continue reading William White’s Opening Keynote to the Inaugural National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science:
Loss of Institutional Knowledge – a Critical Tipping Point in the SUD Workforce Crisis
Repost from May 2022. Two years later, where are we in respect to the critical tipping point? Our substance use care system workforce has long faced very high turnover rates. One of the studies from years ago that always stuck with me as framing out the challenges and value of working in our field, was … Continue reading Loss of Institutional Knowledge – a Critical Tipping Point in the SUD Workforce Crisis
Addiction & Recovery Capitalist – Hustlers Hawking Drugs, Hucksters Selling Recovery
“I know of no class of people who have been so victimized by the quack as the inebriate” – Quote from Slaying the Dragon, William White William White over the course of decades has documented some of our most noble efforts to expand recovery across America and our lowest lows in how people with substance … Continue reading Addiction & Recovery Capitalist – Hustlers Hawking Drugs, Hucksters Selling Recovery
Recovery Review 