From the recently updated NIAAA fact sheet on alcohol and health: An estimated 95,000 people (approximately 68,000 men and 27,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The first is tobacco, and the second is poor diet and physical inactivity. Of course, there are … Continue reading Legal drugs the #1 and #3 causes of preventable death

Recovery: a lived experience of improved life quality and a sense of empowermentBest & Laudet When it comes to drinking problems, men and women have differences. Women tend to binge, have higher pre-existing trauma levels and can suffer more (or different) kinds of stigma and discrimination. They are also more vulnerable to physical complications and … Continue reading Women: drinking and recovery

Austin posted yesterday about Jon Soske's piece selecting an addiction/recovery element to keep, one to drop, and one to modify. The element Jon chose to modify is "medical mistrust." A couple of sentences exploring this concept really grabbed me. The pandemic made even more visible the intensity of suspicion regarding health institutions and the medical … Continue reading Medical mistrust as a two-way street

It has been an exciting week in the recovery space. Most notably, with Jon Soske's paper on what to keep, drop, and modify in the recovery world. Jon is a friend whom I met through Jason Schwartz. I was in Providence at the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference (APA Division 50), filling in for my … Continue reading The First Duty of the Revolutionary

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 Take the Drug Addicts Out to the Hospital Parking Lot and Shoot Them

One of my favorite resources pertaining to the 12 Traditions is the simple list of the "Spiritual Principles in the Twelve Traditions" provided by OA. That simple list can be found here. Many are familiar with the spiritual principles of the Steps, but are not aware that there are spiritual principles identified for the Traditions. … Continue reading My favorite resources on the Twelve Traditions

Yesterday I was sent a report of a “preprint article” about some interesting research results.  (The report states a preprint article is one that has not yet been peer-reviewed or evaluated and should not be used to guide clinical practice).  The article reported on a study that asks and answers if there is a “safe … Continue reading No Safe Level of Alcohol Use for Brain Health?

The Dress visual illusion There was this thing going around the internet a few years called “the Dress,” millions of people around the world saw it  and chimed in on what color that they perceived the dress to be. It has its own Wikipedia reference. People either see a black and blue dress, or white … Continue reading The Recovery We See