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.
2022’s #5 post: “None of them will ever get better”
Therapeutic nihilism “None of them will ever get better”, the addiction doctor said to me of her patients, “As soon as you accept that, this job gets easier.” This caution was given to me in a packed MAT (medication assisted treatment) clinic during my visit to a different city from the one I work in … Continue reading 2022’s #5 post: “None of them will ever get better”
How do patients and prescribers define “success”?
The Recovery Research Institute recently posted a review of a study examining patient and physician definitions of success for opioid treatment beyond treatment retention. The Study The researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with prescribers and patients from 2 family medicine clinics. Interviews were conducted by phone and lasted 20-30 minutes. Physicians 14 physicians All waivered … Continue reading How do patients and prescribers define “success”?
The experience of addiction relapse
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f5ncBsokkw9d7bqVX10pJ?si=MfWgOaXWRLeq2L-ATkgTYg I recently listened to this interview with Maike Klein discussing her qualitative research on the experience of relapse in people with addiction who have experienced repeated relapses. Here are a few take-aways: Klein, M., Dixon, J., & Butler, C. (2022). Multiple relapses into opiate and crack misuse among people in recovery: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Addictions & … Continue reading The experience of addiction relapse
2022’s #6 post: Three things about recovery that are really worth knowing
1. Hope matters in recovery I’ve been musing a bit recently on the place of hope in addiction treatment and in recovery journeys. Researchers from the USA[1] identified that hope, although recognised as essential for recovery, was not well researched in terms of how it helps recovery progress. They used validated tools (questionnaires) to assess hope … Continue reading 2022’s #6 post: Three things about recovery that are really worth knowing
Liberalism? Or, libertarianism?
I've often felt very confused about the direction of US drug policy debates have taken over the last decade. I've worked in addictions and recovery since 1994 and have consistently sought to change social responses to alcohol and drug problems from punitive and stigmatizing to therapeutic and recovery-oriented. This happened to put me in alignment … Continue reading Liberalism? Or, libertarianism?
2022’s #7 post: Addiction: the whole family gets to play
Addiction isn't a spectator sport; eventually the whole family gets to play. Despite this, the impact of addiction on the wider family is seldom considered in studies. This is not okay.
2022’s #8 post: Headwinds for Recovery Community Self Agency
“. . . the individual, family and community are not separate; they are one. To injure one is to injure all; to heal one is to heal all. – from The Red Road to Wellbriety, 2002” – as quoted by William White, Recovery Rising Perhaps the most important insight in recent recovery history is that … Continue reading 2022’s #8 post: Headwinds for Recovery Community Self Agency
2022’s #9 post: Is it harmful to frame addiction as a disease?
The question of how to describe and categorize addiction has been the subject of several of my recent posts. Some people scratch their heads about why I care so much about whether we think of it as a disease. Bill White summarized the stakes well here: If AOD problems could be solved by physically unraveling … Continue reading 2022’s #9 post: Is it harmful to frame addiction as a disease?
2022’s #10 post: Addiction, Stigma, and Liberation
I recently stumbled on this educational page about stigma from the National Harm Reduction Coalition. It's well done and illuminates the assumptions and goals for their stigma reduction efforts. They frame responding to drug use as a choice between liberation and stigma, with harm reduction as the path to liberation. While it may work for … Continue reading 2022’s #10 post: Addiction, Stigma, and Liberation
Recovery Review 