Recovered or Not Recovered? A First Person Narrative Case for Non-Abstinent Recovery.
Peter Tomlinson
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing September 30, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/jpm.13122 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that drug use cannot be understood through overly medical or simplistic explanations alone, because drugs can have positive effects that matter for understanding persistent use. Proposes that crisis residential mental health settings should treat "non-abstinent recovery" as a valid and positive recovery pathway and should reconsider uniform rules applied to diverse groups. |
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to explore interlocking questions relating to how we deal with drugs and medication in crisis residential mental health settings. In particular, it examines issues related to overly medical and simplistic explanations of the relationship between cannabis and psychosis, the positive effects of drugs, the effects of having standard rules for diverse groups of people and the concept of non-abstinent recovery.
Background: I have used mental health and addiction services for 25 years and I have 6 years' experience as a peer worker, working with many people who use drugs.
Method: This is an opinion piece built around a first-person narrative. KEYPOINTS Drugs can have positive effects and an appreciation and understanding of these effects is essential to understanding persistent drug use. How can we integrate non-abstinent recovery as a valid and positive choice of recovery pathway?