A version of this post was originally published in April 2019. Recently proposed definitions of recovery could be characterized as defining it downward (or expanding the boundaries outward). I’ve expressed concern that these proposed boundaries are so broad that most people who currently self-identify as in recovery will not feel a shared identity with the … Continue reading “full recovery or amplified recovery” — toward typologies of recovery?

Austin posted yesterday about Jon Soske’s piece selecting an addiction/recovery element to keep, one to drop, and one to modify. The element Jon chose to modify is “medical mistrust.” A couple of sentences exploring this concept really grabbed me. The pandemic made even more visible the intensity of suspicion regarding health institutions and the medical … Continue reading Medical mistrust as a two-way street

I’ve avoided posting about Carl Hart’s new book. Mostly because it seems likely to generate more heat than light and it strikes me as more likely to devolve into a battle in the culture wars rather than a serious science and policy exploration. This morning I decided to listen to an interview with him. Most … Continue reading “That’s some stupid s#!t”

This clip of Hunter Biden has garnered a lot of attention in recovery advocacy circles. I have mixed feelings. Her characterization of him being “in and out of treatment 7, 8 times” frames his relapses as a personal failure in a way she wouldn’t frame relapses in other chronic illnesses, even where behavioral strategies are … Continue reading Marred legacies, saying it nicer, and changing hearts

We’ve got an interesting collection of ideas forming on this blog in recent months. What is recovery? In a post discussing recovery and harm reduction, I laid out a few competing definitions of recovery and discussed how these competing definitions may define recovery as a process, a direction, or an outcome. This post also explored … Continue reading Recovery? Stages of Healing? How to move forward?

Recently proposed definitions of recovery could be characterized as defining it downward (or expanding the boundaries outward). I’ve expressed concern that these proposed boundaries are so broad that most people who currently self-identify as in recovery will not feel a shared identity with the people that advocates are trying to expand the boundaries to include. … Continue reading “full recovery or amplified recovery” — toward typologies of recovery?

Something is amiss in recovery advocacy. Earlier this week, the Surgeon General’s office tweeted the following paraphrase of a speech given by the Surgeon General. (Later clarified to be incorrectly transcribed.) Addiction is not a moral failing and that it affects “good” families. Nice message, right? We need more influencers to say the same kind … Continue reading “shaming,” “stigmatizing,” and call-outs

If you spend much time following news about addiction treatment, you’ll start to notice a pattern. There’s a lot of skepticism about addiction as a disease and abstinence-based treatment. Somehow, addiction treatment has become a front in the culture wars and articles that attack 12 step recovery (this particular article earned he writer an award) or promote maintenance … Continue reading I really hope they are willing to listen to the evidence