A colleague spoke these 10 words during group supervision the other day. Ten words that encompass decades.  Ten words that could fill a book or a semester.  Ten words that describe addiction, trauma, loss of hope, resignation, preparation, change, belief, and somewhere new.  Ten words about two actions – the purchase of a suit and … Continue reading 2023’s #3 Post: “His mom sold the suit she bought for his funeral.”

(Screen captured from  https://ophelia.com/rehab-relapse on 01/21/2023) Ok... let's talk. A company called Ophelia Health has launched a new marketing campaign focusing on the message "F*CK REHAB". On the one hand, there's A LOT to criticize in the addiction treatment world. At the provider level, there is a long history of really bad, predatory, poor quality, … Continue reading 2023’s #4 Post: Zero Sum, Destructive Treatment Marketing

Across our nation, far too often patients are treated rudely or provided inferior care when their healthcare provider learns that they use drugs, have a history of using drugs or are in recovery. Stigma is often the primary barrier for people seeking help. To shift these negative perceptions and improve care within our healthcare systems, … Continue reading 2023’s #6 Post: It Is Time We Seize the Opportunity to Address SUD Stigma in the U.S. Healthcare System

An oft quoted observation by Desmond Tutu: “there comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” We seem to be stumbling on even the first measure, pulling people out of the river. We simply toss in … Continue reading 2023’s #7 Post: Effective Drug Policy Must Look Beyond Life Preservers!

Over the last decade, as faith in the effectiveness of drug policy, addiction treatment, and drug enforcement diminished, interest and hope in harm reduction grew. Harm reduction was once a last resort response to drug problems and in recent years has become the first line response to drug problems. Harm reduction is now receiving the … Continue reading 2023’s #8 Post: Every response is incomplete

Addiction is a vexing challenge in our society. One it is prudent to look at what is not being spoken about, perhaps with as much or more focus than what is getting attention. Where are the proverbial elephants in the room?  Cerebral Hypoxia and related brain injury associated with overdoses is one of those elephants … Continue reading 2023’s #10 Post: Cerebral Hypoxia & the “Opioid Epidemic” – An Elephant in the Room

Disclaimer:  nothing in this post should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care.  In Part 1 of this topic from the field I addressed the problem of treatment plans that seem to reflect the counselor more than the patient.  In doing so, I described some ways to assess … Continue reading Topic from the field:  A problem with treatment plans. Part 2 – Some considerations toward improved treatment planning

Disclaimer:  nothing in this post should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care.  A colleague in the field submitted a specific problem related to treatment plans for me to comment on here at Recovery Review. “What's the specific issue?”, I asked.  They replied, “When treatment plans are individualized … Continue reading Topic from the field:  A problem with treatment plans