A central strategy of the new recovery movement is sharing our stories in public and professional venues to change public perceptions and public policies related to addiction and recovery. Drawing from earlier social movements, we learned that “contact strategies”—increasing personal contact between marginalized and mainstream populations—is one of the most effective means of reducing stigma … Continue reading PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY ADVOCACY (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)
Portugal – “Is there really always a spot in a drug treatment facility?”
The quote below is from a piece that compares San Francisco's drug plan to Portugal. The author appears to be an advocate of a comprehensive response to San Francisco's drug problem -- criminal justice reform, harm reduction, treatment, etc. -- so she definitely is not making an argument against harm reduction. She refers to an … Continue reading Portugal – “Is there really always a spot in a drug treatment facility?”
Vaccinating against drug and alcohol deaths
There are 200 deaths a day related to the opiate crisis in the USA. In Scotland we have the highest number of drug-related deaths in Europe, perhaps in the world. A task force set up by the Scottish Government has recommended six interventions to tackle our crisis which we hope will make a difference. I … Continue reading Vaccinating against drug and alcohol deaths
Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence (however we define it)?
The is a post was initially published in 2018. Please note that abstinence can mean abstinence from illicit drugs, or abstinence from all drugs that produce euphoria or are commonly misused (including agonist medications, benzodiazepines, etc.). For the purposes of this post, this distinction is irrelevant because the arguments in the second article really apply … Continue reading Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence (however we define it)?
What to make of nicotine addiction?
Background David McCartney wrote a great post about the PHP model of care that addicted physicians receive and its outstanding outcomes. David framed the PHP model as the gold standard treatment. I also frequently call PHPs the gold standard. I recently shared an interview with Robert DuPont discussing his discovery that his methadone patients were … Continue reading What to make of nicotine addiction?
One, Two, or None?
Opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), also called medication-assisted treatment (MAT), is known as a Gold Standard addiction treatment. That’s one Gold Standard if you are keeping count. The model of care used by Physician Health Programs (PHP’s) is known as a Gold Standard addiction treatment. That’s two Gold Standards if you are keeping count. But what … Continue reading One, Two, or None?
Stuck on Methadone
Berlin, like many big cities has a heroin problem. People presenting for help are being prescribed opioid replacement therapy (ORT) - a form of medication assisted treatment (MAT) in greater numbers. That’s a good thing isn’t it? Yes, but it's not completely straightforward. A lot depends on what the professional and their patient think is … Continue reading Stuck on Methadone
Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Josh Meisler
Who are you? My name is Josh Meisler. I am a social worker and father of two school-aged daughters. What do you do professionally? I manage Recovery Support Services programming for Growth Works Inc. We are a non-profit agency based in Wayne County, Michigan. Do you have any personal interest in addiction and recovery that … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Josh Meisler
Families: forgotten in addiction treatment?
Addiction is an equal opportunity condition. Families get to suffer alongside the person with the problem. But as Alex Copello and Jim Orford noted in a past Addiction editorial, there’s a paradox here that needs attention. Firstly, evidence suggests that when families are involved by treatment services, retention in treatment is better. Retention in treatment is … Continue reading Families: forgotten in addiction treatment?
What IS Addiction?
Lately, I’ve been preparing some updates of training materials. In doing so, I’ve gone back and re-gathered old information from original sources once again, as I have done before. This time, it's been especially interesting. See what you notice in comparing the definition of addiction from ASAM in 2011, the DSM-5 in 2013, and from … Continue reading What IS Addiction?
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