My intent in this writing is to provide a fresh (if not unusual) perspective and provoke thought experiments for the reader. My hope is that the reader will look for hints of relevance to our work, opportunities for improvement, and perhaps some more direct challenges. First, I will provide a quotation from Bill Evans that … Continue reading Reflections on “The Universal Mind of Bill Evans”
Mutual aid – steaming ahead
I liked my fellow blogger – Austin McNeil Brown’s reflections on the role of the clinician in recovery: “Most recovery occurs through social relationships that have nothing to do with clinical technique” And his observation from lived experience: “So where did the majority of the momentum for my recovery come from if not through professional … Continue reading Mutual aid – steaming ahead
“People need the support of the recovery community AND the purpose of a job”
Thank goodness for Rob and Diane Perez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSf9cDXpVTY DV8 Kitchen was developed and operates as a second chance employment opportunity for people who are trying to redirect their lives. It's one thing to initiate recovery. A good treatment program can be pretty helpful with that, and a lot of people are able to do it … Continue reading “People need the support of the recovery community AND the purpose of a job”
Recovery Requires a Culture
By AM Brown - Courtesy: Hall While working on a publication, I wrote a paragraph about recovery culture that brought forth a couple key ideas I think are important to consider. William White wrote this about recovery culture: "In an era that continues to be dominated by acute care models of addiction treatment, treatment that … Continue reading Recovery Requires a Culture
Houston, we have a problem – narrowly focused care is not the bridge to recovery we need
Reflecting on articles on addiction and recovery that has come my way over the last week. Some encouraging, some more than a bit worrisome. In this post, I will try to weave them together in the context of long-term recovery. History shows us that framing addiction in narrow, single drug strategies sets us up time … Continue reading Houston, we have a problem – narrowly focused care is not the bridge to recovery we need
Vaping and Gaslighting
The Washington Post recently published an editorial expressing concern about vaping. The original promise of vaping, that it could help adults ease off combustible tobacco, is being eclipsed by the damage being inflicted on young people. The status quo is unacceptable.Nicotine, highly addictive, has a deleterious effect on young people’s developing brains — exposure can reduce attention, … Continue reading Vaping and Gaslighting
The neurology of addiction – never enough and no easy pathway of quick fixes
I wanted to post this February 2019 NPR interview with Neuroscientist Dr Judith Grisel. She is a scientist studying addiction and also a person in long term recovery. She confesses that after she got into recovery that she pursued studying the neuroscience of addiction in the hopes she could figure it all out and use … Continue reading The neurology of addiction – never enough and no easy pathway of quick fixes
Recovery? Stages of Healing? How to move forward?
We've got an interesting collection of ideas forming on this blog in recent months. What is recovery? In a post discussing recovery and harm reduction, I laid out a few competing definitions of recovery and discussed how these competing definitions may define recovery as a process, a direction, or an outcome. This post also explored … Continue reading Recovery? Stages of Healing? How to move forward?
FDA issues warning letter to Vivitrol manufacturer
The FDA issued a warning letter today to the manufacturer of Vivitrol for "for misbranding the drug Vivitrol (an extended-release injection formulation of naltrexone) by omitting warnings about the most serious risks associated with the drug from promotional materials." Here's the salient portion of the letter. . . . the print ad fails to communicate … Continue reading FDA issues warning letter to Vivitrol manufacturer
Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 11: “BUT THAT COULD NEVER HAPPEN”
After I developed the ideas presented in this series, I began to talk about them with people in our field, and started to deliver this as a continuing education presentation. The general response would be validation accompanied with some version of, “But that could never happen.” The three efforts listed below are my reply to … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 11: “BUT THAT COULD NEVER HAPPEN”
Recovery Review 