Who are you? My name is David McCartney and I am a Scot. I live in the southern uplands of Scotland, but I work in the Central Lowlands, which is the middle part of the country. What do you do professionally? I'm a doctor who specializes in addictions, and I work for the National Health … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – David McCartney
Scumbag: the stigma of overdose
The mention of Philip Seymour Hoffman in Jason Schwartz's blog post yesterday provoked a memory. Thomas McLellan, a prominent US addiction researcher and policy advisor, lost his son to an overdose in 2008. He wrote a piece in the Huffington Post a few years ago which has stuck with me. A journalist who had interviewed him referred … Continue reading Scumbag: the stigma of overdose
Recovery MAINTENANCE
This post was originally published in 2014. There's a lot of commentary out there on Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. Some of it's good, some is bad and there's a lot in between. Much of it has focused overdose prevention and some of it has focused on a need for evidence-based treatments. Anna David puts her … Continue reading Recovery MAINTENANCE
Addiction Professionals In the Pandemic – Terrence Walton
Who are you? I’m Terrence Walton. I am a husband that just celebrated his 20th anniversary, a father of two small children, and a man who has dedicated his life to two big things. One is the well-being, in every sense of the word, of my family, and then secondly is to help free men … Continue reading Addiction Professionals In the Pandemic – Terrence Walton
Notes on the future of the field
I was recently on a panel about the future of the field for an APNC event and thought a couple of questions and the notes I prepared might be worth sharing in a post. What and how has the COVID-19 pandemic shown us about the importance of a multi-year perspective with individuals and inclusion of … Continue reading Notes on the future of the field
Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame
Graphic from European Drug Report 2020: Trends and Developments It's not often graphs elicit an emotional response, but this one did for me. It's from the EMCDDA's recent report on drugs in Europe. The map shows that the UK has high levels of drug-induced mortality compared to most of Europe. But look at the dotted … Continue reading Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame
Should We Include a Moral Dimension? The Aesthetics and Anesthetics of Addiction
The True, The Good, and the Beautiful In his lecture titled, “The True, The Good, and The Beautiful” Roger Scruton asks what those three things embrace and what they have to do with each other. Overall, the subject matter of that lecture is aesthetics: the philosophy of art and beauty. Scruton states that pleasure says, … Continue reading Should We Include a Moral Dimension? The Aesthetics and Anesthetics of Addiction
Addiction stigma: the deep irony
Stigma is commanded by a deep irony: where peer pressure is what likely keeps us quiet, peer support is what enables us to speak up.Paul E Terry One of the ways to counter stigma is for people with lived experience of addiction and recovery to share their stories. Indeed, Pat Corrigan, a respected stigma researcher, says … Continue reading Addiction stigma: the deep irony
Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Kristal Reyes
Who are you? That is a loaded question! My name is Kristal Reyes, and I am a person in long-term recovery. I am also a wife, I'm a mother, I'm the Director of Crisis Services for Neighborhood Services Organization [NSO] in Detroit. I'm also the Clinical Director for First Step Referral Services, and I'm a … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Kristal Reyes
Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Chrissy Smith
Who are you? I’m Chrissy Smith. I’m a licensed clinical social worker, and I’m a mom, and a wife, and that about sums it up. I have a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Bradley University with a minor in Psychology. I have a Master’s in Social Work with a focus on Community Behavioral Health from … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Chrissy Smith
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