“The service commitment of recovering people can be exploited within rising or expanding systems of care in ways that undermine both role performance and the personal health/recovery of these workers. The modern system of addiction treatment was built on the backs of people in recovery, many of whom were then discarded through the professionalization and … Continue reading The Devolution of PRSS and the Lost Lessons of Earlier Eras

We admitted we were powerless over our client - and to the extent we try to control the client, our work becomes unmanageable. I'll never forget Tom telling me this in the hallway at White Oaks Center during my graduate internship in 1988. He expounded it so clearly and so well that it only took … Continue reading Sentences to Ponder (Thomas P. Murphy)

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 Bias Against Recovery in PA Cannabis Certification Program

A decade ago, there was a viral moment on social media called “the Dress,” millions of people saw the picture here and chimed in on what color that they perceived the dress to be. It has its own Wikipedia reference. Viewers either see a black and blue dress, or white and gold dress. One article … Continue reading The Recovery We See – Healing Across the Spectrum of SUDs  

I searched for a more recent research article in the area of pain/ostracism and came across this paper. It's open access with the full text freely available. And it's not a terribly difficult read. I've had a sustained interest in the areas of psychic pain and physical pain for a good number of years. I'm … Continue reading Research Article Review: “Acute Ostracism-Related Pain Sensitization in the Context of Accumulated Lifetime Experiences of Ostracism”

A sentence to ponder on a hot topic. “The trouble is, LSD attracts unstable therapists as much as it does the neurotic patient,” said Sidney Cohen, a leading psychedelic researcher and psychiatrist, in 1963. “It gives them an intoxicating sense of power to bestow such a fabulous experience on others.” Enders, C. (2024, August 23). … Continue reading Unstable therapists and an intoxicating sense of power

In the midst of growing pessimism in the American culture about the prospects of recovery, there is a growing call for a new, grassroots recovery advocacy. This movement is re-raising questions about the potentials and pitfalls in the interrelationship between recovering people, mutual aid organizations, treatment institutions, and public education and social advocacy agencies. White, … Continue reading A lost vision, community despair, professional contempt, and people who “suck”

Here is a link to Episode #68 of The RCORPodcast. I am posting the link to this episode due to the wonderful content. Here's an overview and table of contents of the episode, quoted from their site: Dr. Austin Brown is a recovery scientist currently living in Denmark. With a recovery journey that featured stops … Continue reading Podcast episode #68: “Recovery-Informed Research and Theory”