Over the course of my decades of work in the SUD field and as a person in recovery, I can honestly say that I have tried as hard as I can to do my very best to serve people in need of help with a substance use condition. I suspect most others in this field … Continue reading Building a Recovery Affirming Care System on a Foundation More Solid than Stigma
Using Recovery Management Practices and Principles to Improve Your SUD Outcome Call Purpose and Method
by Nena Butterfield, PhD, RN, BSN and Brian Coon, MA, LCAS, CCS, MAC This post was originally published at the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) website Resources/Blog section on 01/12/2023. It is reposted here with permission. Initiating and cultivating a participant registry with maximized participation of the persons served requires intentional methodology and … Continue reading Using Recovery Management Practices and Principles to Improve Your SUD Outcome Call Purpose and Method
Hot topics in addiction and recovery
What were the hot topics, burning themes and searing subjects in addiction recovery in 2022? I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the talking points on Recovery Review in 2022. Although the writers are very different people and we span the Atlantic, all of the contributors to Recovery Review have a … Continue reading Hot topics in addiction and recovery
Nora Volkow on More Realistic And Pragmatic Addiction Treatment
(This post was originally published on 2/6/2022) Source: NIDA There is and can be no ultimate solution for us to discover, but instead a permanent need for balancing contradictory claims, for careful trade-offs between conflicting values, toleration of difference, consideration of the specific factors at play when a choice is needed, not reliance on an … Continue reading Nora Volkow on More Realistic And Pragmatic Addiction Treatment
What to make of the 2021 National Survey on Substance Use and Health report?
Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were released this week. Here are a few of the highlights. Substance Use Disorder Prevalence 46.3 million people aged 12 or older (or 16.5 percent of the population) met the applicable DSM-5 criteria for having a substance use disorder in the past year, including … Continue reading What to make of the 2021 National Survey on Substance Use and Health report?
2022’s #1 post: Is rehab effective? The results are in.
This summary of the research evidence provides verification that “that residential rehabilitation is associated with improvements across a variety of outcomes relating to substance use, health and quality of life”. Rehab is linked to improvements in mental health, offending, social engagement, employment, reduction in substance use and abstinence. There is little research that compares rehab with other treatments delivered in the community, but where there is, the evidence suggests that “residential treatment produces more positive outcomes in relation to substance use than other treatment modalities.” The review also suggests that rehab can be more cost-effective over time than other treatments
2022’s #2 post: Coast Guard Search and Rescue: Lessons and Inspiration
I watched an informational video about search patterns used by the Coast Guard and gained some thoughts I decided to share. The video was just under 30 minutes long and you can find it right here if you’re interested. As you read this article, see what you notice from outside our field that could serve … Continue reading 2022’s #2 post: Coast Guard Search and Rescue: Lessons and Inspiration
Developing Broad Consensus on How We Conceptualize the Resolution of Substance Misuse
The first major effort to define recovery in America was in 2007, when the Betty Ford Foundation, now the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation published What is recovery? A working definition from the Betty Ford Institute. The paper noted that “recovery is a voluntarily maintained lifestyle composed characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship.” Our understanding … Continue reading Developing Broad Consensus on How We Conceptualize the Resolution of Substance Misuse
2022’s #3 post: Is it misleading to call addiction a disease?
The New York Times published a guest essay this weekend challenging the disease model of addiction. I've read several similar pieces over the years and frequently have the same experience. I agree with most of the writer's points, but disagree with his conclusions. Let's walk through it. Annual U.S. overdose deaths recently topped 100,000, a record … Continue reading 2022’s #3 post: Is it misleading to call addiction a disease?
2022’s #4 post: Polarisation, tension and hostility: just another day in the field of addictions.
Someone relatively new to the substance use disorder area asked me recently why I thought there was so much division and hostility in the addiction and recovery field, compared to other parts of health and social care. Do we really have more conflict than in some other healthcare areas? There are strongly held positions which … Continue reading 2022’s #4 post: Polarisation, tension and hostility: just another day in the field of addictions.
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