Over the next several days, we'll be sharing 2025's posts with the most views. Today is #9. “The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence” ― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets The New Recovery Advocacy Movement got off the ground in America roughly three decades ago, … Continue reading 2025’s Top Posts – #9 – History Repeating – the “Opioid” Epidemic Supplanting the Recovery Movement: Pathology Over Resiliency and Healing
Tag: Mental Health
Spread the cheer
2025 has been a very challenging year for many organizations serving people with addiction and other vulnerable people. If you're the kind of person looking to share your blessings this time of year, I'd like to offer some worthy organizations I'm connected to as options. National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA) - Their mission … Continue reading Spread the cheer
The addiction must go; the person must stay.
I have no interest in commenting on the Reiner family tragedy. Nick Reiner has only been charged and is presumed innocent at this point. I know next to nothing about him. I don't know much about his addiction, whether he has had known mental health issues, or other problems that are likely to be discussed … Continue reading The addiction must go; the person must stay.
Beyond the Rat Race – Resilient Society in the Age of Alienation
On the 28th of April, 1972, Jimmy Reid, a blue-collar shop steward at the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in Glasgow Scotland gave his inaugural address as the Rector of the University of Glasgow. The Rector is a senior official of the University, elected every three years to represent the interests of the students. It was a … Continue reading Beyond the Rat Race – Resilient Society in the Age of Alienation
Involuntary compassionate intervention?
Source: wikipedia This blog has had several posts on drug use, addiction, liberty, and involuntary treatment. I've used the expression, borrowed from Keith Humphreys, of choosing between "hands on" and "hands off" approaches. A recent article focuses on the use of involuntary Substance Use Disorder treatment under limited circumstances. This is toward the far end … Continue reading Involuntary compassionate intervention?
Fostering Recovery Community: Mutual Support with Broad Societal Benefit
“People are social creatures who need human interaction to drive and sustain their physical, intellectual and emotional development. The determination of who they interact with from the time of birth throughout their lifetimes is critical to who they become, how they behave, and how they are perceived (or misperceived) by others outside their immediate social … Continue reading Fostering Recovery Community: Mutual Support with Broad Societal Benefit
Shattering Stigma and Narcotics Anonymous
Why do professionals insist that NA change to meet the needs of their patients? Why not help create something else to meet the needs of their patients?
How important are conceptual boundaries?
Recently, a couple of interesting items about autism were posted. One was a NYT podcast, and the other was an opinion piece in STAT. Specifically, the unintended consequences of the movement from a categorical diagnostic model (Autistic Disorder and Asperger's Disorder) to a spectrum model (Autism Spectrum Disorder, aka ASD). https://youtu.be/eSwJmsHGrns?si=osfA8RHxkJ38lf2X In the NY Times … Continue reading How important are conceptual boundaries?
Nonabstinence in recovery(?) from what?
Several months ago, The Journal of Addiction Medicine published an article on the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among adults "in recovery." It drew from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and looked at the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among people who answered yes to the following … Continue reading Nonabstinence in recovery(?) from what?
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
Recovery Review 