Back for 2010

After a much-needed two-month writing sabbatical (due to work reasons, writers block, etc.), it's good to be back in 2010. Lots of stories to cover this year. First and foremost, thanks so much to AllTreatment.com for naming my blog one of the best of 2009! (Congrats as well to my friend Adi Jaffe at All About Addiction who also had his blog listed as one of the best). Had a great end to 2009, helping a number of people find their way to treatment and start the journey of getting well, and spent much needed time with family and friends over the holidays. One can only hope the holiday experience was as relaxing for everyone else. As we know, the holidays can be a difficult time for families that have been ravaged by addiction; for those of you who need help, please ask for it! Asking for helping is the only way to get it.

One of my new favorite reads during the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 is Joe Schrank's Core Company blog, covering lots of different topics around addiction. Schrank isn't afraid to share his opinion, which can seem grating to some but we at Addiction Tomorrow find it fairly refreshing to see someone speak their mind. His 2009 recap column brought up a number of different issues, mostly documenting the numerous "celebrity" drug and alcohol deaths, which seemed to be higher this year than in years past. Although, it may just be that the 24/7 news/gossip channels and blogs have been paying more attention this year. Obviously, Michael Jackson's death in June sparked the greatest awareness (We blogged about it numerous times, starting here.) Jackson's overdose brought to light the abusive natures of overprescribing doctors, enabling family members, and what fame can do when left unchecked. A tragic end for one of the most interesting figures of my lifetime.

For current events, the healthcare debate has been raging all year and preliminary voting looks like things are in for a change. But we will see; as with all things government, time will tell how much reform is actually put in play.

A very interesting article on the Americanization of mental illness was in the New York Times this weekend. Check it out; some interesting perspectives on how mental illness is diagnosed around the world. One of the most interesting segments of the article spoke about a specific form of anorexia that occurred in Hong Kong; Dr. Sing Lee, a psychiatrist in Hong Kong saw a few patients who simply expressed that their stomachs always felt bloated, instead of the usual Western diagnosis of fat phobia. What Lee saw after the death of one of his patients was what made it very interesting- it seemed that his patients who suffered from disordered eating patterns turned their OWN SYMPTOMS into the more widely-accepted Western views. “Culture shapes the way general psychopathology is going to be translated partially or completely into specific psychopathology,” Lee says. “When there is a cultural atmosphere in which professionals, the media, schools, doctors, psychologists all recognize and endorse and talk about and publicize eating disorders, then people can be triggered to consciously or unconsciously pick eating-disorder pathology as a way to express that conflict.” This is definitely worth a read.

Here's one of my favorite videos, from Dr. Kevin McCauley:



Here's a great video on healthcare reform from Robert Reich, professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and former Labor Secretary under the Clinton administration:




Here's something funny.

As always, connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Twitter. Become a fan of the blog on Facebook. And see you later this week (I promise!)

The Wire- a unique viewpoint on the war on drugs

I've been wanting to write about this for a couple of months now, but with all the addiction in the news I just haven't gotten around to it. The Wire, the recently-ended HBO series, is one of the best shows ever to make it on TV (in my humble opinion). If you haven't watched it, you can rent it or buy it on Amazon here. The show is infinitely rewatchable, so definitely a good investment.

David Simon, the creator of the show, worked for the Baltimore Sun (newspaper politics and policies are featured in-depth in the show's final season) for a time before writing a couple of books and eventually Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire. There's a great article talking about Simon's background in The Atlantic; I'll touch on some of the points there, but the article is definitely worth a read. What's great about the show is the humanizing aspect- that both cops and drug dealers have their flaws-- and their good parts. I haven't ever felt a lot of empathy for drug dealers, at least until I saw The Wire.

Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics, talks quite a bit about the dichotomy of drug dealing, and why many of the dealers on the street stay poor. Since drug dealing is like a pyramid scheme (those on top make a ton of money, but those on the low outposts can barely make as much as working at a McDonald's), it's difficult to break the poverty cycle in a drug-centered community. The Wire covers all of this throughout their various seasons, portraying all sides of the drug trade.

I love this show for a variety of reasons- a) it shows the ins and outs of battling drugs on the ground level from a police perspective; b) it talks directly about the effects of drug use and dealing on individual families; c) it shows an honest portrayal of people trying to make it out of the ghetto via the drug trade; d) the character Bugs is a great example of an addict trying to get well; and e) takes risks in dealing with the relationship of drugs and the police force. Many different opinions are expressed here, and David Simon's voice is a clear bell against the war.

If you want an inside scoop on the war on drugs, definitely check out The Wire- my favorite show ever. Never got great ratings, so I'll excuse you if you have yet to see it. But make sure you do.


Here's a great clip:



Oh and a quick note on the ongoing healthcare debate (I'll write a separate blog on this on a later date), we here at Addiction Tomorrow are in favor of an optional government sponsored healthcare plan- after all, having an option is better than not having one, and will be beneficial for the greater good. We need to make sure the private sector will be held accountable to standards of practice, but not snuffed out by a government healthcare plan. Ok, I'm off my soapbox for the day.

Here's something funny.

As always, follow me on Twitter and connect with me on LinkedIn. Become a fan of the blog on Facebook. And see you this week.

Layoffs?

Coming into 2007 and 2008, healthcare looked like a great industry with good growth potential. Now, early in 2009, we keep hearing about layoffs coming in every industry, and even some of the treatment centers closing their doors. How does everyone cope with this? I'm pushing myself to develop a better referral network, be more connected, and continue to grow my resource base.

We'll see what unfolds in 2009. We've seen progress with the Mental Health Parity Act passing at the end of last year, but we still have a battle to fight.

Here's Obama's take on healthcare:



Also, check us out some folks doing good work at C4 Recovery Solutions.