Tag: United States

The Morphine Maintenance Movement

~ Justin Bell ~ Leave a comment

Men line up outside the doors of the New York Narcotic Clinic in 1919 Between 1919 and 1923, clinics provided legal access to narcotics to treat addiction In 1923, Oscar Dowling brought a serious charge against a doctor in Shreveport, Louisiana. Like a headline we'd recognize today, he claimed the doctor prescribed, “indiscriminately … of … Continue reading The Morphine Maintenance Movement

We Lack a United Voice in the Recovery Movement

~ Justin Bell

"With the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back” – Hunter S. Thompson" Collection of 2000s recovery advocacy ephemera. (Credit: Illinois Addiction Studies Archive) This week I am attending the annual conference of the National Alliance on Recovery Residences (NARR). NARR is … Continue reading We Lack a United Voice in the Recovery Movement

Time to retire “deaths of despair”?

~ Jason Schwartz

Source: Data Behind Americans’ Waning Trust in Institutions. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Addiction recently posted an editorial suggesting that professionals and media stop using the term "deaths of despair" because it's inaccurate, it conflates different problems, and it contributes to misunderstandings about the causes and solutions. The term ‘deaths of despair’ collates deaths caused by substance poisoning, suicide … Continue reading Time to retire “deaths of despair”?

From the Sidelines to Center Stage: Harm Reduction’s Entry into the Continuum of Care

~ Alexandra Plante

There is a private club, known only as the “Substance Use Continuum of Care.” Membership in the club is by invitation only, and all addiction interventions in the club are legal and have federal funding. You want to be in the club, but like with any exclusive club, there are rules for members and strings … Continue reading From the Sidelines to Center Stage: Harm Reduction’s Entry into the Continuum of Care

The Unintended Consequences Of Medical “Maximalism”

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

The Health Affairs blog questions the American Heart Association's maximalist approach with the use of statins. The issues sound familiar. The policy implications of these guidelines are staggering. Estimates show that if these recommendations are fully implemented, close to a third of all Americans will be placed on a statin. But these developments beg the … Continue reading The Unintended Consequences Of Medical “Maximalism”

Drug Overdose Deaths Are Increasing Pretty Much Everywhere

~ Jason Schwartz

These images speak for themselves. Here are a couple of important sentences: Between 1999 and 2009, drug poisoning deaths grew by 394 percent in rural areas and 279 percent for large metropolitan areas, according to the CDC’s county-level look at the data. According to the CDC, roughly 60 percent of all OD deaths in 2010 … Continue reading Drug Overdose Deaths Are Increasing Pretty Much Everywhere

Addiction Treatment With a Dark Side

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 10 Comments

The NY Times has a new piece on Suboxone. First, on its blockbuster status: Suboxone is the blockbuster drug most people have never heard of. Surpassing well-known medications like Viagra and Adderall, it generated $1.55 billion in United States sales last year, its success fueled by an exploding opioid abuse epidemic and the embrace of federal officials … Continue reading Addiction Treatment With a Dark Side