During my first two and a half decades working in addiction treatment, I was surrounded by the term mental relapse. Let’s talk about that term. What is mental relapse? How is it defined? For starters, mental relapse frames relapse as a process, not an event. It’s the process that begins before using resumes. To be clear, mental … Continue reading The Concept of “Mental Relapse” Is Being Lost
Understanding Before Language
I did not grow up knowing what anything meant. I don’t mean that in a poetic or existential way. I mean it literally. I spent most of my childhood in Hong Kong in the 1970s. I was in the most densely populated place on earth, surrounded by a language that had no alphabet, no phonetic … Continue reading Understanding Before Language
You may have heard of “urge surfing”. Let’s add “recovery surfing”.
Some years ago, it dawned on me that we lacked a concept that seemed important. And that we also lacked a term for it. Or we at least lacked a concrete awareness of this idea with a shared language for it. My solution was to coin the term "recovery surfing" as the name for the … Continue reading You may have heard of “urge surfing”. Let’s add “recovery surfing”.
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
The Behavioral Health Recovery Management Statement of Principles
As the years go on the importance of this document looms larger and larger to me. I urge everyone to read it. It's only a couple of pages long. BHRM Statement of PrinciplesDownload We used these principles in a very focused way during the ten-year BHRM project. We would look at and study a program … Continue reading The Behavioral Health Recovery Management Statement of Principles
A brief overview of quality-related methodologies
Clinicians in our work are seldom, if ever, provided high-quality education or training by their own organizations on topics related to organizational leadership or administrative management. And most organizations also fail to provide training about how to lead or manage organizational change, even during or in preparation for a change project. So that's two problems … Continue reading A brief overview of quality-related methodologies
2025’s Top Posts – #1 – The AI Mirror: “take that small hit, and you’ll be fine”
Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing 2025’s posts with the most views. Today is #1. I published the post below last month, which resulted in an invitation to speak with DeAnn and Craig Knighton on their podcast, Recovery Discovery. It was a fun conversation and I thought I'd share that with you here. … Continue reading 2025’s Top Posts – #1 – The AI Mirror: “take that small hit, and you’ll be fine”
Drugs, synthetic analogs, and regulation
Earlier today, we posted the #2 post of 2025, which was about the emergence of a synthetic analog to nicotine. it’s interesting to me that we start with tobacco, move to nicotine vape, then on to the nicotine pouch, and eventually drift to synthetic nicotine analogs. And all along we see a consistent theme of: harmful … Continue reading Drugs, synthetic analogs, and regulation
2025’s Top Posts – #2 – 6-methyl nicotine is here
Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing 2025’s posts with the most views. Today is #2. Did you know that a synthetic analog of nicotine has been developed and is on the market? It’s called 6-methyl nicotine (6-MN). Before we get into some of the more recent findings about 6-MN, it’s important to understand … Continue reading 2025’s Top Posts – #2 – 6-methyl nicotine is here
2025’s Top Posts – #3 – Abolish SAMHSA? On advocacy and criticism
Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing 2025’s posts with the most views. Today is #3. I've seen this article shared several times recently. Here's the premise: The incoming Trump administration wants to improve public safety, push back on progressive cultural politics, and cut wasteful federal spending. One way to do all three? Abolish … Continue reading 2025’s Top Posts – #3 – Abolish SAMHSA? On advocacy and criticism
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