Will We Ever Move Beyond an Acute Crisis Orientation? The Absence of Recovery Research and Emerging Drugs

“What remains in diseases after the crisis is apt to produce relapses.” ― Hippocrates Our SUD evidence base tends to be myopic and crisis oriented. It is focused on first aid and short-term stabilization rather than on developing sustained recovery over time. Nowhere is this more evident than in our response to emerging drug combinations … Continue reading Will We Ever Move Beyond an Acute Crisis Orientation? The Absence of Recovery Research and Emerging Drugs

2025’s Top Posts – #6 – Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer

Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing 2025’s posts with the most views. Today is #6. "So what does one take from this interesting historical footnote? History promises us important lessons if we sit at her feet and listen carefully to her stories.” – William White, Can Recovering People Drink?  I recently ran across … Continue reading 2025’s Top Posts – #6 – Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer

Gratitude and Addiction Recovery: Validating Experiential Ways of Knowing – William Stauffer

Gratitude is an example of a recovery tool that is grounded in experiential knowledge. A tool used across history in a myriad of mutual support communities. It evolved from indigenous recovery community trial and error practices. That is to say that people in recovery for a very long time have been practicing gratitude as a … Continue reading Gratitude and Addiction Recovery: Validating Experiential Ways of Knowing – William Stauffer

Long Term Recovery – the Policy Opportunities of Demand Reduction to Strengthen Our Nation

Many years ago, I met with a conservative member of Congress from my home state of Pennsylvania who eventually went on to the US Senate. I was relatively new to legislative meetings but quite passionate about recovery, even in those days. His background before serving politically was in international economics. When I got done explaining … Continue reading Long Term Recovery – the Policy Opportunities of Demand Reduction to Strengthen Our Nation

Social Transmission of Recovery as a Helix of Connectivity, not a Service Checklist: A Conversation with Dr David Best

The Frontiers of Recovery Research Interview Series – William Stauffer What is this series of interviews? In April of 2024, I had the distinct honor of being asked by William White author and thought leader of the new recovery advocacy movement to present his words as the keynote to open up the first annual NIDA … Continue reading Social Transmission of Recovery as a Helix of Connectivity, not a Service Checklist: A Conversation with Dr David Best

Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer

"So what does one take from this interesting historical footnote? History promises us important lessons if we sit at her feet and listen carefully to her stories.” – William White, Can Recovering People Drink?  I recently ran across a 2007 Paper by William White, Can Recovering People Drink? A Historical Footnote. He documents facets of … Continue reading Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer

Macro Level Moral Injury Within the SUD Care System – Our Unaddressed Imperative

Authors note - I first wrote on this topic in Recovery Review in 2021. It was also picked up by Treatment Magazine. Since then, overall overdose mortality rates have decreased slightly which is being reported quite broadly despite the fact that they are dramatically increasing in African American communities. Alcohol death rates have increased at … Continue reading Macro Level Moral Injury Within the SUD Care System – Our Unaddressed Imperative

Recovery Redefined: Shifts Across Domains and Contexts

I've posted several times about the changing boundaries of recovery. A recovery science pioneer's thoughts on the boundaries of recovery. On typologies for recovery. On questions about the boundaries of recovery-oriented models of care. On the changing definitions. On research regarding some college students being assigned a recovery label and questioning whether it's appropriate for … Continue reading Recovery Redefined: Shifts Across Domains and Contexts

Addiction Treatment and the Multiple Echoes of History – Lessons to Heed

“If you want a new idea, read an old book” - Ivan Pavlov In respect to efforts to expand addiction recovery in America, our new challenges often have historic parallels. It is also true that some of the very best ideas we may be able to harness to move our endeavors forward have roots in … Continue reading Addiction Treatment and the Multiple Echoes of History – Lessons to Heed

2024’s Top Posts – #3 – The allegory of the lake: The implications of an Inclusive Recovery Cities model for prevention and early intervention

Position Paper: Centre for Addiction Recovery Research (by David Best) Rationale and background: The inclusive cities model was originally conceptualised by Best and Colman (2018) based on the idea that recovery is an achievement that should be celebrated in order to: Challenge stigma and exclusion Increase visibility of recovery and access to community resources In … Continue reading 2024’s Top Posts – #3 – The allegory of the lake: The implications of an Inclusive Recovery Cities model for prevention and early intervention