The NYT recently published an article on allegations of ethics violations and fraud in Acadia Healthcare's methadone clinics. It's a big deal because Acadia is big, really big. "The for-profit chain of 165 methadone clinics — the country’s largest — has generated more than $1.3 billion in revenue since 2022." The allegations include not providing … Continue reading Opioid settlement funds will be “a really nice tailwind”
Tag: Mental Health
Occam’s Razor and the Industries of Addiction
Addiction is immensely profitable for purveyors of drugs and their related businesses, both in the illicit and legitimate markets. As I wrote about last year, in Portraying Abstinence Recovery as Puritanical Is in the Interest of Those Who Sell Addictive Drugs, industries selling addictive drugs have long targeted high-risk groups including youth and people in … Continue reading Occam’s Razor and the Industries of Addiction
An Interview with Maryanne Frangules of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
“Faces that are visible, voices who are vocal, will prove that recovery is valuable, and that is how we will be victorious!” - Maryanne Frangules of MOAR Maryanne Frangules has decades of experience as a recovery community advocate and community recovery capital builder. I have long thought about doing an interview with Maryanne Frangules. I … Continue reading An Interview with Maryanne Frangules of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
A War on Recovery?
STAT just ran another article in its "War on Recovery" series and continues its narrative of casting recovering people in Narcotics Anonymous and non-agonist recovery pathways as the villains. There's an important story undergirding this article (and the previous article attacking recovering people in NA) -- that there are important gaps in social support for … Continue reading A War on Recovery?
Societal Hikikomori and the Importance of Bridging Community Capital
“I know of a place, where you never get harmed. A magical place, with magical charms. Indoors! Indoors! Indoors!” —SpongeBob SquarePants Physical isolation is increasingly becoming a common way that people cope with challenges in our society. Hikikomori is a Japanese term that describes a condition where a person, typically a young adult is socially … Continue reading Societal Hikikomori and the Importance of Bridging Community Capital
Once Bitten Twice Shy – the Recovery Community and the False Promise of Harmless Drugs
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” ― Noel Langley, The Wizard of Oz Screenplay On March, 18th, 1898, Heroin was introduced to the world as a cough suppressant by its maker, Friedrich Bayer & Co, now known principally as a producer of Aspirin. Bayer marketed Heroin as a cough suppressant with weaker narcotic properties … Continue reading Once Bitten Twice Shy – the Recovery Community and the False Promise of Harmless Drugs
The Risks of Public Recovery Storytelling (Bill White, Bill Stauffer, and Danielle Tarino)
The first blog in this series explored the value and limitations of recovery storytelling as an anti-stigma strategy. We suggested that public storytelling is best wedded to larger recovery community inclusive strategies that move beyond the goal of changing personal attitudes to the larger goal of dismantling the institutional machinery that perpetuates stigma and discrimination. … Continue reading The Risks of Public Recovery Storytelling (Bill White, Bill Stauffer, and Danielle Tarino)
Is it harmful to frame addiction as a disease?
Yesterday's post discussed a response to a guide intended to facilitate the protection of people with lived experience when sharing their personal stories. Activism for the rights of people who use drugs and models of recovery that include ongoing AOD use increasingly destabilizes our understandings of the nature of addiction and its solutions, often seeking … Continue reading Is it harmful to frame addiction as a disease?
Guidelines for publicly sharing addiction recovery stories: protecting, paternalism, or gatekeeping?
Several months ago, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing (NCMW) posted their Protecting Individuals with Lived Experience in Public Disclosure Guide. They describe it as a tool for self-evaluation allowing individuals and organizations to assess the risks to people publicly sharing addiction and recovery stories. I've seen little attention to this topic, but I welcome … Continue reading Guidelines for publicly sharing addiction recovery stories: protecting, paternalism, or gatekeeping?
Constructive Feedback and thoughts on the SAMHSA Unified Client-Level Performance Reporting Tool (SUPRT)
As posted in the Federal Register in early September, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA is seeking approval for the new SAMHSA Unified Client-level Performance Reporting … Continue reading Constructive Feedback and thoughts on the SAMHSA Unified Client-Level Performance Reporting Tool (SUPRT)
Recovery Review 