Letters, and the new normal

Abstract

A good friend and leader of a great treatment program did something this week that we do not do often enough. He sent a group of us a copy of a letter he received from someone who received treatment in his program many years ago. In the letter “Joe” talked about how receiving a scholarship for treatment at my friend's program helped him find recovery which led to him finding recovery, the love of his life, a steady, meaningful job, and a life maybe he did not think was possible! Seeing my friend's pride in a job well done made me proud of him and it also made me think about a few other things. First, we seem to agonize over our problems before we celebrate our successes! Second, too many drug policy “experts” continue to attack treatment!