My first task in this response is to assert that I do not speak for the RSRC collectively, nor is there any one authority within the RSRC. So my responses will be buttressed with my own work, and by drawing from some lessons of history within various sciences as they emerged. Recovery science, is, after … Continue reading New Science, New Dangers; A Response to Concerns
Response to: Building a New Science of Recovery
Anyone who's followed my blogging knows I've been concerned about the destabilization of our understanding of recovery. And, if I'm being honest, the Recovery Science Research Collaborative's definition (which Austin blogged about yesterday) has been characteristic of the the kind of definition that concerns me. Well, I think I finally get what he's going for … Continue reading Response to: Building a New Science of Recovery
Building a New Science of Recovery
One question I often get from treatment providers and recovery organization is "What type of data should we be tracking on our populations?" Before we jump into this, we should take a look at why we need evidence of recovery. This is the RSRC consensus definition of recovery. It is purposefully broad, and casts a … Continue reading Building a New Science of Recovery
Unity or Alignment?
Michael King proposes that addiction and recovery advocacy movement give up on seeking unity. He suggests unity may be unrealistic. Take a moment and consider what goes into the process of assembling anything made up of separate parts into a single object. The pieces must fit perfectly together. Instead, he proposes we focus on alignment. … Continue reading Unity or Alignment?
Graphs to ponder
Keith Humphreys offers a break from the gloom and doom: More from Humphreys: Some people might argue that declining arrests doesn’t mean less crime (on the questionable theory that if there’s one thing police hate to do, it’s arrest people of color). Skeptics should note the many other positive indicators about this generation of adolescents: … Continue reading Graphs to ponder
Mutual Aid: Must Do Better
Influencers It’s no coincidence that my best subjects at school were the ones where my teachers taught enthusiastically, connected me up to useful resources, had high expectations of me and who gave affirmation and encouraged progress. From my experience of working in addiction treatment, while accepting teaching is not the same as treatment, I think … Continue reading Mutual Aid: Must Do Better
From Bias to Balance
Disagreements around the use of medication are symptomatic of larger ideological and philosophical views around substance use, SUD’s, addiction and recovery. From where I am sitting, it seems like we are becoming increasingly tribal and more entrenched. It also seems that conversations often veer into personal attacks. There are good motives and smart people doing … Continue reading From Bias to Balance
Planes, Car Repair Shops, and Dentists
One principle of innovation is to borrow and adapt ideas from outside one’s profession. “Addiction and the Stages of Healing” is a set of ideas I have developed, written and presented elsewhere. Portions of that work will likely be posted here from time to time. One central notion of that topic is below in the … Continue reading Planes, Car Repair Shops, and Dentists
Power statements for addiction treatment
I like this twitter thread a lot. I'd like it more if that last tweet was a little different. I like the desire to learn more about the desire to understand recovering people's views on addiction and recovery. What I like less is that it sounds like this understanding is not an end in itself. … Continue reading Power statements for addiction treatment
Defining recovery from addiction
To delve into an important and often discussed issue, we are talking today about the definition of recovery from addiction. Much has been written on this definition over the years since the working definition was developed by the Betty Ford Institute over a decade ago. We also have a shared definition from SAMHSA that encompasses … Continue reading Defining recovery from addiction
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