Point of View

Local voices chime in on a variety of topics.

Filtered (8)
Filters
Show (8)
Cancel

Letters: Relapse is Part of the Addiction, NOT Part of the Recovery 

read more…: Letters: Relapse is Part of the Addiction, NOT Part of the Recovery 

No, what really and truly galls and angers me is a single sentence, used as the headline for the piece: “What is critical for our community to understand is that relapse is part of the recovery process.” No, my friends, that is exactly what we in the recovery community know to be false, misleading, and potentially fatal for anyone who puts it into practice. 

Shipbuilders of Sunken Vessels: Quick dispatches from the belly of the Treatment Industrial System

read more…: Shipbuilders of Sunken Vessels: Quick dispatches from the belly of the Treatment Industrial System

Like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Farmer and Cowman, treatment and recovery folks should be friends, although that’s not often the case, with treatment folks relying on a clinical model and recovery people favoring peer-based supports. In short, and perhaps unfairly to both, treatment partisans believe letters after one’s name are important while recovery supporters see lived experience as key.

I heard the news today: HOPE stays vigilant fighting the good fight, despite lack of funding

read more…: I heard the news today: HOPE stays vigilant fighting the good fight, despite lack of funding

 
Never mind we are in the biggest health epidemic since the AIDS crisis, and have lost more people to addiction than to the Vietnam War. For the moment, we will just overlook that fact and take the lead from those who had no comment or solution to offer following HOPE’s announcement. What we heard was nothing but “crickets” from our political leaders on this matter. That is eye-opening to some, and validates what many of us in the recovery trenches have been saying for too long.

Beyond walls: Let’s solve addiction before we raise another generation of broken adults

read more…: Beyond walls: Let’s solve addiction before we raise another generation of broken adults

This is a problem that can’t be fixed overnight, and maybe not in the next presidency, but if a 24 year-old from New Hampshire can understand and explain some of the basic issues connected to this crisis, we need to expect the leaders of our country to do so also, instead of sticking to narrow-minded pipe dreams for their own political benefit. This isn’t a partisan issue. This is a common sense issue. And it is also an issue of life or death for the millions of Americans struggling with opioid dependence.

Header photo by Stonewall Photography