My Letter to the NY Times: He Didn't Have to Die (of an Overdose)...
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Andrew Tatarsky
Sep 20, 2025, 1:32:01 PMSep 20
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To the Editor:
Re “After Her Son’s Fentanyl Death, Seeking Solitude, Then Justice” (front page, Sept. 2):
This young man didn’t have to die; nor did more than a million others over the past 20 years. After his 10th rehab, he turned again to the drugs he used to cope with untreated mental health struggles — and overdosed. This was not his failure but the failure of a treatment system that refuses to evolve.
Abstinence-only rehab, rooted in the outdated disease model, still dominates despite decades of poor results. Harm reduction therapy offers another path: addressing mental health and substance use together, accepting that ongoing use is often part of recovery, and teaching safety practices to prevent overdose.
Real justice means transforming treatment to save lives.
Andrew Tatarsky
New York
The writer is a psychologist and the author of “Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems.
Re “After Her Son’s Fentanyl Death, Seeking Solitude, Then Justice” (front page, Sept. 2):
This young man didn’t have to die; nor did more than a million others over the past 20 years. After his 10th rehab, he turned again to the drugs he used to cope with untreated mental health struggles — and overdosed. This was not his failure but the failure of a treatment system that refuses to evolve.
Abstinence-only rehab, rooted in the outdated disease model, still dominates despite decades of poor results. Harm reduction therapy offers another path: addressing mental health and substance use together, accepting that ongoing use is often part of recovery, and teaching safety practices to prevent overdose.
Real justice means transforming treatment to save lives.
Andrew Tatarsky
New York
The writer is a psychologist and the author of “Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems.
Andrew Tatarsky, PhD
(he/him)
Director of Clinical Programming
Freedom Institute
515 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Short new video: Why Harm Reduction is Essential to Good Helping Relationships
Paper describing my therapy approach: Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A Case Of Substance Use, Multiple Trauma and Suicidality
Free Russian PDF of my book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems HERE
Recent Podcast with Dr. Andrew Tatarsky on Beond Ibogaine's Root Medicine with Amanda Siebert: Why Drug Abstinence-Only Doesn't Work
MY PIECE IN THE PSYCHOTHERAPY NETWORKER
Drew
Sep 20, 2025, 2:49:15 PMSep 20
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Excellent.
Andrew Tatarsky
Sep 20, 2025, 4:07:26 PMSep 20
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Thank you, Drew!
Paper describing my therapy approach: Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A Case Of Substance Use, Multiple Trauma and Suicidality
Free Russian PDF of my book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems HERE
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Adi Jaffe, Ph.D.
Sep 20, 2025, 5:20:47 PMSep 20
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❤️🙏
Sincerely,
Adi
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Andrew Tatarsky
Sep 20, 2025, 5:24:08 PMSep 20
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Thank you, Adi!!!
Paper describing my therapy approach: Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A Case Of Substance Use, Multiple Trauma and Suicidality
Free Russian PDF of my book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems HERE
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dee-dee stout
Sep 20, 2025, 5:47:23 PMSep 20
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This story is devastating. I am shocked at the harsh sentence this young man received for probably “dealing” enough to pay for his own use, something I did as did everyone I knew back when. It seems to also show that tx providers need to be held to some accountability: for not providing Naloxone upon discharge along with test strips and info on how tolerance levels will now be reduced. Finally every exit “kit” should also contain the number for Never Use Alone (NUA) or another OD prevention line staffed with peers. These convos could make a HUGE positive shift in OD esp post tx and/or incarceration but we seem hell bent on continuing with punishment first. Sigh.
Thanks for your efforts Andy!
DD
Dee-Dee Stout, MA
Member of MINT l Member of CAHRT
Adjunct Associate Professor, St. Mary’s College
Adjunct Associate Professor, St. Mary’s College
Owner/Director, Dee-Dee Stout Consulting
Author, Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking & Screaming
Author, Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking & Screaming
2ed available now!!!
Treat people as if they are who they can be and you help them become who they're capable of being. ....Goethe
On Sep 20, 2025, at 10:32 AM, Andrew Tatarsky <atat...@cfol.org> wrote:
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Adi Jaffe, Ph.D.
Sep 20, 2025, 5:49:23 PMSep 20
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Thank you for continuing to be a voice of reason
Sincerely,
Adi
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hamspro/CAB45tA4Chc2te-kqkj1WyBHrueYFX0h-0c-CHkjWaiAi9TAU_g%40mail.gmail.com.
Kenneth Anderson
Sep 20, 2025, 7:36:24 PMSep 20
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Cool!
Robert Schwebel
Sep 21, 2025, 7:25:29 PMSep 21
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Nicely done. Brief and to the point!!
Robert
Robert Schwebel, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Author and Program Developer
The Seven Challenges
From: ham...@googlegroups.com <ham...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Andrew Tatarsky <atat...@cfol.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2025 10:31 AM
To: ham...@googlegroups.com <ham...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: My Letter to the NY Times: He Didn't Have to Die (of an Overdose)...
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2025 10:31 AM
To: ham...@googlegroups.com <ham...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: My Letter to the NY Times: He Didn't Have to Die (of an Overdose)...
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dee-dee stout
Sep 21, 2025, 7:38:14 PMSep 21
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Congrats Andy!! And yes well done!
Cheers!
DD
Dee-Dee Stout, MA
Member of MINT l Member of CAHRT
Adjunct Associate Professor, St. Mary’s College
Adjunct Associate Professor, St. Mary’s College
Owner/Director, Dee-Dee Stout Consulting
Author, Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking & Screaming
Author, Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking & Screaming
2ed available now!!!
Treat people as if they are who they can be and you help them become who they're capable of being. ....Goethe
On Sep 21, 2025, at 4:25 PM, Robert Schwebel <rsch...@sevenchallenges.com> wrote:
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hamspro/SA1PR18MB4662581E4C10DDBDDD9C67A5BD13A%40SA1PR18MB4662.namprd18.prod.outlook.com.
Andrew Tatarsky
Sep 21, 2025, 8:09:19 PMSep 21
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Thanks to all my good friends for the kindness and the great work you all do.
Paper describing my therapy approach: Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A Case Of Substance Use, Multiple Trauma and Suicidality
Free Russian PDF of my book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems HERE
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hamspro/SA1PR18MB4662581E4C10DDBDDD9C67A5BD13A%40SA1PR18MB4662.namprd18.prod.outlook.com.
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