The risk of transmission is complex and multi-dimensional. It depends on many factors: contact pattern (duration, proximity, activity), individual factors, environment (i.e. outdoor, indoor) & socioeconomic factors (i.e. crowded housing, job insecurity).Tweeted by Muge Cevik on September 21, 2020 One argument against the disease model of addiction is that it advances a narrow medical model … Continue reading Thinking about “disease” as complex and multi-dimensional

A version of this post was originally published in September 2019. It speaks to some questions about yesterday's post. This NPR headline demonstrates the problem with the concept of "opioid recovery" rather than "addiction recovery." Fortunately, there's been growing concern that advocates, policymakers, and media have too narrowly focused on the opioid crisis. Up to … Continue reading What we miss when we focus on opioid treatment and recovery

If AOD problems could be solved by physically unraveling the person-drug relationship, only physicians and nurses trained in the mechanics of detoxification would be needed to address these problems. If AOD problems were simply a symptom of untreated psychiatric illness, more psychiatrists, not addiction counselors would be needed. If these problems were only a reflection … Continue reading The historical essence of addiction counseling

We saw a huge surge in alcohol misuse from the very earliest days of the COVID 19 pandemic. Americas most socially acceptable drug of misuse helped sooth a lot of rattled nerves. But, if one argument for normalizing drugs use stems from the belief that doing so will decease problematic use, we may not want … Continue reading Life, Death, and Recovery, Right Under Our Noses

Forward – I recently learned that Tom Hill was retiring from government work and concentrating on his art, another one of his many talents. My first reaction was a feeling of abandonment. We tend to see some people and the roles that they serve almost as permanent fixtures. Tom Hill has been that kind of … Continue reading Tom Hill – Interview on Recovery Values & Government Service February – 2022

"...legitimacy is based on three things. First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice--that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be … Continue reading Legitimacy, the Bedrock of Consensus Building

In the first part of this article, I’ll note one particular barrier I have heard expressed about the idea of changing an addiction treatment campus to “tobacco-free” or to the idea of a tobacco-free model of care.  And then I’ll discuss a few responses to that barrier.  In the second part of the article, I’ll … Continue reading Our Unconscious Relationship with Tobacco

Forward – Robin Horston Spencer, MHS, MS, MBA, OWDS, RCAT is in long term recovery since 1991. She has done so very much for her community. She is well known for her collaborative efforts with churches, agencies, 12 Step communities and even ballroom dancing! Presently, she sits on several advisory boards locally, statewide, and nationally. … Continue reading The First Step in Healing – Robin Spencer Horston of Message Carriers of Western PA