Five and a Half Things I Love About This Job Wait– three posts in three weeks? Are we back to curing addiction every Saturday? Let's say mostly, or hopefully. Thanks for rolling with it. I recognize that this newsletter, along with most of my w...

What’s good about working in #addiction treatment?

#drugsky #therapistsky #addictionmed

Body Brokering: Less Outrageous Than It Should Be 🙏This topic was suggested by Laura. Do you have a topic to suggest? Post to the Comments or use the Contact button above. The addiction treatment industry is known for a number of unethical and illeg...

Have you heard of "patient brokering" or "body brokering" by fraudsters offering #addiction treatment?

Why this inhumane scam is on the rise--and how it reflects structural problems also found on the legal, respectable side of the treatment industry.

#harmreduction #addictionmed #Maine

🍄 ➡️ 🚭 ? The future of addiction medicine is so much more than just receptor blockade and suppression of cravings…but rather attention to disruption of rigid neural loops, increasing neuroplasticity, and reprocessing of trauma and behavior in a therapeutic setting #addictionmed #medsky #psychedelics

Abolition and Addiction Treatment: From Moral Injury to Moral Rebellion | Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work

New article out in Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work!

#moralinjury #harmreduction #addictionmed #socialworkispolitical

Diagnosis Just Got Even Less Rigorous Last week's post discussed problems that arise when one particular experience of addiction is universalized to stand for all– a common problem in policy arguments. Public policy deals in population-sc...

"Not only do people have widely varying experiences of #addiction; we do not even have a reliable way to determine who is addicted."

But it gets worse...
#harmreduction #addictionmed #therapistsky #dsm

January 10 is #QuittersDay. Nearly 38M Americans still smoke—and quitting takes more than willpower. Support2Quit meets people where they are with evidence-based tools + social support. Every quit attempt counts. 💙 #QuitSmoking #DigitalHealth #publichealth #behsci #addictionmed #NoVape #peersupport

Review of "Crooked Smile: What It Took to Escape a Decade of Homelessness, Addiction, & Crime" 🙏This topic was suggested by Emily Birnbaum, FNP, PMHNP. Do you have a question or topic to suggest? Use the Contact button above. Crooked Smile: What It Took to Escape a Decade of Homelessness, Addi...

New book review! Looking at some common arguments that pit #harmreduction against #recovery

#addictionmed #therapistsky

2025 DSM updates for diagnosing #substanceuse disorders: a step in the WRONG direction.

I find it's very important to go by what criteria (i.e. symptoms) the patient identifies for themselves. The revised text explicitly removes that qualification (p 10)

#addictionmed #therapistsky #harmreduction

✨ Have some downtime as the year wraps up? Stream ACAAM’s Didactic Curriculum recordings anytime and boost your #AddictionMed knowledge. Members can revisit complex topics for free through June 30, 2026. Live session coming in January!

Get yours today: buff.ly/rQlU1VO

#SUDs #PatientCare

Behind Minnesota's Fraud Scandal: The Problem of Coercion Criminal exploitation is easy when mental health system clients' own wishes don't matter much to providers or governments

Great points as always. In coercive treatment in which patient/client feedback doesn't matter and is never collected, exploitation and fraud are sure to follow. #Substanceuse treatment is infamous for this as well.

#mentalhealth #addictionmed #drugsky

The Factor of Trauma + Some Good News Scroll down some good news in treatment access. First, our weekly topic post. Discussions about substance use often turn toward trauma as a precursor to dependence and addiction. Both research and ac...

New post on trauma as a factor in #addiction, plus some good news for treatment access...

#drugsky #therapistsky #addictionmed #traumarecovery

Wrap up the year by investing in your professional growth. Access ADePT for core #AddictionMed topics, our updated Question Bank for lifelong learning, expert-led Didactic Curriculum, and SAMs with up to 89 CME credits. Start 2026 prepared!

Learn more: buff.ly/ZtYYx8g

How Treatment Coopts 12-Step Practices Last week's review of Rehab: An American Scandal brought us to a topic I was already considering for a post: the relationship between 12-step groups and substance use treatment. As I wrote, the 12-st...

How substance use treatment coopts practices from the #12step #recovery community

#drugsky #addictionmed #therapistsky

Review of Rehab: An American Scandal Rehab: An American Scandal by Shoshana Walter, Simon & Schuster 2025 ✅Bottom Line On Top: YES, I recommend this book. This book caught my attention because Walter is an investigative reporter focuse...

Book Review! "Rehab: An American Scandal" by @sho-walter.bsky.social 👍

#addictionmed #therapistsky #drugsky #recovery

Exciting news! Today is the #NRMP Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match—a pivotal step in shaping careers in #AddictionMed and beyond! Looking for guidance? We’ve compiled essential requirements and resources to help ensure a smooth and successful Match experience.

Learn more: buff.ly/LQy2b6k

#Normie I love that every subculture, no matter how small, seems to have its own special term for outsiders. In 12-step recovery culture, members typically self-identify as alcoholics and/or addicts. Other p...

New post on doing #substanceuse treatment and advocacy WITHOUT lived experience.

#therapistsky #harmreduction #addictionmed

#AddictionMed is evolving fast—are you keeping up? 📈 The ACAAM Didactic Curriculum offers 39 expert-led sessions aligned with ABPM and ACGME standards. Stream anytime through June 30, 2026 and build confidence in evidence-based care.

Learn more 👉 buff.ly/BcjM8od

#PatientCare #MedEd

Right Arguments, Wrong Audience The addiction treatment industry just can't quit coercion. Mandated (forced) treatment is a staple topic here because the industry relies on it, both financially (guaranteed revenue) and politically (...

New post on arguments against forced #addiction treatment--and why it's such an uphill battle.

#harmreduction #addictionmed #therapistsky #socialworkispolitical

ACAAM Members: Join us next Friday, Nov. 14 at #AMERSA2025 for an informal meet-up! We're meeting at the Hyatt Regency Portland, Willamette 9 Room at 12:45 pm PT. Stop by to connect and catch up with colleagues!

Explore upcoming events: buff.ly/3NNfIMX

@amersa.org

#AddictionMed #Networking

Like so many #addiction treatment providers, I once saw mandated (i.e. forced) treatment as a "necessary evil."

I don't know when I first internalized the idea that evil is ever "necessary," but I'm working to unlearn it now.

#harmreduction #therapistsky #addictionmed

#therapistsky #addictionmed

We need to get comfortable with being wrong and also support colleagues as they realize they are wrong. If we're really here for our patients/clients/participants/people, rather than status or ego, we are willing to change our minds and approaches.

#addictionmed #therapistsky #harmreduction

Standardized treatment for #substanceuse is always doomed to fail. Standardized treatment for anything is always doomed to fail!

Real care does not scale. As long as we keep focusing on "efficiency" or "streamlining" we are not providing real care.

#therapistsky #addictionmed #harmreduction

People Enjoy Using Drugs Have you heard? Maybe not, especially if you work in abstinence-based substance use treatment. In a September post about the false distinction between recreational and therapeutic drug use, I said I'd...

New post on the underappreciated role of pleasure in #substanceuse and #addiction treatment.

#therapistsky #harmreduction #addictionmed

Substance Use and Autonomy in Word and Deed — IDHA It’s like a series of riddles. What experience has universal meaning but no agreed-upon name? What “deadly disease” do some people not mind having – or might not even exist? What service is out of rea...

I have a long-form essay on the #IDHA blog! On prioritizing people's autonomy in #substanceuse, from language to service options.

#therapistsky #drugsky #addictionmed #socialworkispolitical

Reader Request: Motivational Interviewing "It was as if they were trying to use the techniques on clients, trying to hoodwink them into changing. The words were there, but the music was wrong." -William R. Miller, 2023 William Miller origin...

Motivational interviewing is a staple of #addiction treatment. Review of its limitations by a longtime practitioner:

#therapistsky #addictionmed #harmreduction #socialworkispolitical #m4a

If we educate treatment workers on real #harmreduction, I expect most will get on board (like I did!) And we'll find out how much opposition has been manufactured by the treatment industry.

#therapistsconnect #addictionmed

Head over to the #AddictionMed feed to see the latest news from harm reduction experts!

Hit the "Like" and "Pin" buttons and join the conversation!

One Day I'll Be A Medicaid Provider "I have tried so many times..." I feel really bad about the fact that I don't take Medicaid. (Here we call it MaineCare.) Providers and facilities not accepting Medicaid has created an artificial s...

New post on barriers to #Medicaid enrollment for mental health providers. Ultimately it's a patient access issue!

#addictionmed #harmreduction #m4a #socialworkispolitical #maine #therapistsky

If #substanceuse treatment wasn't helpful to you, the standard recommendation is...to do it again. The "chronic disease" model and findings on people getting sober after multiple treatments are used to support this recommendation.

#harmreduction #therapistsky #addictionmed