Interview #14 Cathy Nugent – Reflections on the Historic 2001 Recovery Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Start of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement

~ billstaufferpa

Forward:  As I was doing interviews for this series, a number of people I spoke with referenced how integral Cathy Nugent was to the process. Not only for her being involved in the historic summit, but also for her role as the first grant officer for the Recovery Community Service Program (RCSP), funded through SAMHSA. … Continue reading Interview #14 Cathy Nugent – Reflections on the Historic 2001 Recovery Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Start of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement

Reflections in the New Recovery Advocacy Movement – An Interview with Mark Sanders On the Development of African American Recovery Communities

~ billstaufferpa ~ 1 Comment

Mark Sanders  LCSW, CADC Forward - The first time I had heard about Mark Sanders was when I was preparing for Black History month in early 2013. I wanted to highlight the history of recovery within African American communities in our quarterly recovery newsletter. After initiating an internet search, I quickly found the Online Museum … Continue reading Reflections in the New Recovery Advocacy Movement – An Interview with Mark Sanders On the Development of African American Recovery Communities

Study Betel Nut Before You Finalize Your Public Health or Harm Reduction Policy

~ Brian Coon ~ 2 Comments

In the most recent 10 years especially, I’ve been noticing some activity in our field concerning advancement of public health measures (e.g. cigarettes) and harm reduction strategies (e.g. opioids).  Some of these efforts seem to include the notion that widespread harms would be reduced, and widespread health would be advanced, if use of drugs was: … Continue reading Study Betel Nut Before You Finalize Your Public Health or Harm Reduction Policy

What Biases Do You Observe Among Many of the Scientific and Medical Experts in the Field?

~ Brian Coon

In a recent conversation, a colleague in the field told me they are attempting to “Catalog the biases at work among many of the scientific and medical experts in the field.” And they said to me, “I'd like to hear what biases you observe.” This blog post serves as my attempt to respond to that … Continue reading What Biases Do You Observe Among Many of the Scientific and Medical Experts in the Field?

Did a recovery strategy cause drug deaths?

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 4 Comments

There’s a narrative that’s been around for a while, but it’s been gaining ground in the last few months. This last couple of months alone, it’s been in the ether, permeating social media conversations and even appeared in an academic paper. The issue relates to recovery-oriented drug policies and the tone is negative.  The thrust … Continue reading Did a recovery strategy cause drug deaths?

Gathering Ideas From Outside the Field:  Lessons from Jackson Pollock 

~ Brian Coon

Note:  nothing in this post should be considered clinically instructive or supervisory.  Rather, I wanted to simply share an inspiration and my thoughts about it with others in our field. Back in the early 2000’s, the organization where I worked joined the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx).  For those that might not … Continue reading Gathering Ideas From Outside the Field:  Lessons from Jackson Pollock 

The Concepts of Psychological Dependence and Physical Dependence Are Being Lost

~ Brian Coon

I have been thinking about “psychological dependence” and "physical dependence” a lot lately. It seems to me our field is losing these concepts. Psychological Dependence Back in the late 1980’s counselors and patients alike would bring up “psychological dependence” from time to time.  But over the last 20 years this concept seems to have slowly … Continue reading The Concepts of Psychological Dependence and Physical Dependence Are Being Lost

It Is Painfully Obvious That Discrimination Remains Our Greatest Challenge

~ billstaufferpa ~ 2 Comments

Purdue Pharma funded drug abuse campaign media Painfully Obvious was the propaganda campaign that Purdue Pharma deployed to teach school children in America that addicted people are bad people. What is also painfully obvious is it is far too easy to influence Americans discriminatory and stigmatizing ideas that affirm existing biases. The graphic here is … Continue reading It Is Painfully Obvious That Discrimination Remains Our Greatest Challenge