“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 2024’s Top Posts #5 – Addiction & Recovery Capitalist – Hustlers Hawking Drugs, Hucksters Selling Recovery
Drug Use, Human – #6 – Freedom, and the Question of Harm to Society
“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. The quote above has been attributed to historical figures including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Abraham Lincoln. While its origins are uncertain, it has links to prohibition. While in a contemporary lens, prohibition is viewed as an infringement … Continue reading Drug Use, Human – #6 – Freedom, and the Question of Harm to Society
2024’s Top Posts – #7 – Bias Against Recovery in PA Cannabis Certification Program
There is a recent story that originated out of Spotlight PA by reporter Ed Mahon that keeps intruding in my thoughts as quite disturbing, Prior misconduct rarely an obstacle for doctors in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program. Before delving into the details and why it is one that I find so troubling, first I would note … Continue reading 2024’s Top Posts – #7 – Bias Against Recovery in PA Cannabis Certification Program
2024’s Top Posts – #8 – What is Addiction Counseling?
At this stage of my career, it seems to me that “Addiction Counseling” is one thing made from the following four essential ingredients: listening with the “third ear”; those unique competencies and skills that are particular to the professional addiction counselor; the competencies and skills particular to the recovery coach; and finally, the qualities of … Continue reading 2024’s Top Posts – #8 – What is Addiction Counseling?
2024’s Top Posts – #9 – A War on Recovery?
STAT just ran another article in its "War on Recovery" series and continues its narrative of casting recovering people in Narcotics Anonymous and non-agonist recovery pathways as the villains. There's an important story undergirding this article (and the previous article attacking recovering people in NA) -- that there are important gaps in social support for … Continue reading 2024’s Top Posts – #9 – A War on Recovery?
2024’s Top Posts – #10 – Coopted and Colonized – Lessons from the Washingtonian Movement
History is not linear. Our movement, the New Recovery Advocacy Movement, like many social movements in the course of history develop and are then subject to decay. This history is important. The past is the pathway that has led to every door available to us in our current era. We can learn from history to … Continue reading 2024’s Top Posts – #10 – Coopted and Colonized – Lessons from the Washingtonian Movement
Hats Off to Those Who Do the Toughest Job They Will Ever Love
This is my last of 31 posts for the year. At the beginning of 2024, I set a goal of posting roughly one piece every two weeks, which would be 26. The 26th post was Once Bitten Twice Shy - the Recovery Community and the False Promise of Harmless Drugs which I completed October 23rd. … Continue reading Hats Off to Those Who Do the Toughest Job They Will Ever Love
When Evidence-Based Methods Don’t Seem to Fit: An Example During Cognitive Restructuring
Disclaimer: Nothing in this document should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care. I attended an introductory training focused on cognitive restructuring. Attending was nostalgic, humorous and odd for me because I received such focused and intense education and training on cognitive restructuring during graduate school within a department grounded … Continue reading When Evidence-Based Methods Don’t Seem to Fit: An Example During Cognitive Restructuring
Opioid settlement funds will be “a really nice tailwind”
The NYT recently published an article on allegations of ethics violations and fraud in Acadia Healthcare's methadone clinics. It's a big deal because Acadia is big, really big. "The for-profit chain of 165 methadone clinics — the country’s largest — has generated more than $1.3 billion in revenue since 2022." The allegations include not providing … Continue reading Opioid settlement funds will be “a really nice tailwind”
Research article review: prevalence of ADHD medication treatment and prescription stimulant misuse
Summit AG, Moseley MC, Chaku N, Elam KK, Jacobs W, Lederer AM, et al. Prevalence of pharmacotherapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and prescription stimulant misuse: A national study of US college students. Addiction. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16716 The authors of this study examined 224,469 college students aged 18-25 from 395 universities between the Fall of 2019 and the Fall of 2022. Measures were lifetime ADHD diagnosis, past-year ADHD medication treatment, and past-3-mont prescription … Continue reading Research article review: prevalence of ADHD medication treatment and prescription stimulant misuse
Recovery Review 