Switching from doctor to patient was not an easy transition for me. My first attempt at recovery was medically assisted, but only got me so far. What I needed was something more profound: hope, healing and connection to other recovering people. In this podcast for the National Wellbeing Hub, Dr Claire Fyvie interviews me about … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #3 – The genesis of hope: a recovery story
Top ten of 2021 #4 – Growing older and more stigmatised on methadone
In a compelling study from Dublin, Paula Mayock and Shane Butler (Trinity College) make the point that little is known about the stigma experienced by individuals attending drug treatment services over prolonged periods. They explored this through the lived-experience narratives of 25 people prescribed long-term methadone. Their findings ‘reveal the intersection of stigma with age … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #4 – Growing older and more stigmatised on methadone
Top ten of 2021 #5 – Choice in addiction treatment
As a GP in inner-city Glasgow in the 1990s, I looked after patients with heroin addiction. I got to know many of them well, I knew their families, I immunised their children and, distressingly, I saw some of them die. Because of the nature of general practice, I saw the dreadful impact of those deaths … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #5 – Choice in addiction treatment
Top ten of 2021 #6 – Opioid replacement treatment. Great! What’s next?
In opioid use disorder treatment, there’s been a persistent (though not always acknowledged) tension between what’s good for public health and what individuals and their families want from treatment. I’ve written about it before. For public health, there’s plenty of evidence that MAT (medication assisted treatment) reduces illicit drug use, improves health and reduces crude mortality … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #6 – Opioid replacement treatment. Great! What’s next?
Top ten of 2021 #7 – What should be the gold standard for addiction treatment?
This was originally published in a 2019 National Association of Social Workers’ Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug specialty section newsletter. The most striking thing about substance abuse treatment is the mismatch between the duration of treatment and the duration of the illness.—Robert DuPont, MD DuPont R. (March, 2018) Interview with Brian Coon. Interview presented at the NC … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #7 – What should be the gold standard for addiction treatment?
Top ten of 2021 #8 – Take the Drug Addicts Out to the Hospital Parking Lot and Shoot Them
If the title does not repulse you, I think there may be something wrong with you. That is the point of this post. The headline is what a medical professional told former Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs Gary Tennis when he asked the person what should be done with people … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #8 – Take the Drug Addicts Out to the Hospital Parking Lot and Shoot Them
Top ten of 2021 #9 – Continuing “Very Heavy Drinking” and Also Meeting An Improved Definition of Recovery?
In their 2020 Commentary published in The Journal of Addiction Medicine (a journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine aka ASAM), Kelly and Bergman state that: “Individuals with regular and increasing very heavy alcohol consumption cannot be considered as maintaining ‘recovery’ due to toxicity and intoxication-related risks”. Why did they publish a commentary about … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #9 – Continuing “Very Heavy Drinking” and Also Meeting An Improved Definition of Recovery?
Top ten of 2021 #10 – You’re all going to hate the word ‘recovery’.
One of the problems with an aspirational and non-prescriptive definition of recovery is that it is hard to measure. The definitions most commonly featured in the literature share some elements including wellbeing or health, abstinence and citizenship. Clearly if you can’t define it precisely, then it’s hard to commission services to deliver on it. In … Continue reading Top ten of 2021 #10 – You’re all going to hate the word ‘recovery’.
The agony of opioid withdrawal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhpAYw9kCt8 Someone shared this video several weeks ago and it really resonated with me. I've been an addiction professional for 27 years, so I've learned a lot about the effects of opioids and the experience of opioid withdrawal from doctors, counselors, clients, recovering people with a history of opioid addiction, and other experts. However, there's … Continue reading The agony of opioid withdrawal
Creating a Broad & Inclusive Recovery Plank
America is facing a huge surge from the impact of increased substance misuse, in part due to COVID-19, but we have been moving in this direction for a long time. Some of the people who are overusing substances right now will end up with severe substance use disorders. This means more people needing help. Addiction … Continue reading Creating a Broad & Inclusive Recovery Plank
Recovery Review 