Editorial Comment:   More on alternate choices

In the interval since last week's editorial, I received a number of suggested community recovery options. I'm a little cautious about opening this up to a listing or inventory of all programs, community and otherwise. But whether such an inventory belongs in the pages of ASAM Weekly is less relevant than whether there should be such an inventory, somewhere. ASAM makes no endorsement, direct or inferred, of any of the programs, and particularly not of those that have some commercial underpinnings (with reference to the Therapeutic Communities examples provided last week; which, just as TCs generally, may have no-cost or externally-supported components).

• The Buddhist Recovery Network:  https://www.buddhistrecovery.org/  Not explicitly ethnically or religiously limited, groups of this sort have a philosophic focus that adds to the inventory of choices, and  provide an emphasis on spiritual development. 
• Similarly, the site www.Chabad.org  hosts a replete page on Jewish Recovery, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/714274/jewish/Jewish-Recovery.htm.  Much of the linked material describes bridging Judaism with 12-Step recovery principles.
• There are specific professional groups which take advantage of professional identification (airline pilots, attorneys, physicians, substance use disorder counselors) to enhance group cohesion, in pursuit of the recovery goal. While most of these are 12-step centered, not all are. What they do generally share is a higher level of confidentiality and more limited access; consequently none are listed here.  Those seeking information or connection are generally directed to find someone in recovery who shares their profession.
• What is arguably the most singular omission is a reference to any of the many web-based recovery real-time forums (sic).   In the Rooms:  https://www.intherooms.com/ is one such that provides a wide array of recovery programs, from process addictions as well as from substance-based addictions.  The utility is obvious for for those who travel, who are in the military, or who are immobilized (hospitals, penitentiaries).  This species represents an interactive next-step from the original Alcoholics Anonymous "meeting in print," Grapevine, first published during WW-II (http://www.aagrapevine.org/ ).

- Bill Haning, MD, DFASAM