How can we protect the SUD workforce from moral, social & psychological hazards?

~ Jason Schwartz

This was originally published in a 2018 National Association of Social Workers' Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug specialty section newsletter. Bill's recent post on moral injury got me thinking about Sandra Bloom's concept of moral safety, which got me thinking about this article. Before the pandemic began, we frequently talked about the workforce experiencing moral, … Continue reading How can we protect the SUD workforce from moral, social & psychological hazards?

Recovery: not dead but real, resilient and very relevant

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 2 Comments

It's alive, it's moving! It's alive...it's alive! The term ‘recovery’ has come under a harsh microscope recently in academic and clinical settings. It has been interrogated, scrutinised, criticised, bloated and dissected. Reconstructed like Frankenstein’s monster, recovery is now seen to be a floating signifier, made of disparate bits that don’t necessarily fit comfortably together - … Continue reading Recovery: not dead but real, resilient and very relevant

Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Andre Johnson

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

I just came across this recent interview with Andre Johnson and I thought I share it with you, along with my interview with him about maintaining services through the pandemic. https://youtu.be/8_ScBktNreI Who are you? My name is Andre Johnson. I'm a person in long-term recovery. And what that means is, I have not used drugs … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Andre Johnson

“Really… You think you’re the only one who had a hard time?”

~ Jason Schwartz

There's a lot of academic and advocacy energy around harm reduction, legalization, and assertions that drugs and drug use carry relatively few innate harms--the real problems are puritanical and often racist attempts at social control. These discussions give the impression that people with addiction and society would be ok if we assured a legal, unadulterated … Continue reading “Really… You think you’re the only one who had a hard time?”

Does naloxone prescribing result in discrimination?

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

I keep hearing anecdotal reports of people being prescribed naloxone, filling the prescription, and later experiencing discrimination (refusing to write a policy) from an insurance company, typically a life insurance company. I have not been able to have direct contact with anyone who experienced this or get the name of an insurance company engaging in … Continue reading Does naloxone prescribing result in discrimination?

Attempting to Strengthen Recovery Capital Against a Tide of Disenfranchisement

~ billstaufferpa

My organization, PRO-A recently joined 36 other state and regional recovery community organizations across America and sent this letter to Congress to educate them on the woefully inadequate funding for grassroots recovery community organizations. Disparate funding is the norm even as Billions of supplemental dollars flow out to the states. Even when these allocations specifically … Continue reading Attempting to Strengthen Recovery Capital Against a Tide of Disenfranchisement

Young people and mutual aid – what’s not to like?

~ Dr David McCartney

Getting connected to others is good for us. Finding new social networks is an important part of many recovery journeys. Mutual aid recovery organisations are key to this process. In the UK, referring to mutual aid is embodied in our National Clinical Guidelines, National Drugs Policies and is endorsed by the National Institute for Health … Continue reading Young people and mutual aid – what’s not to like?