The American Society of Addiction Nursing is proud and excited to announce nominations are now open for this coming year, 2023.

ASAN is seeking nominations for the following positions:

• President Elect* - 4 year commitment (2 as President Elect; 2 as President)
  
• Secretary - 2 year commitment
  
• Director at Large (2 vacancies) - 2 year commitment
• LPN Director at Large (1 vacancy) - 2 year commitment
• Nominating Committee (1 vacancy for a 1 year commitment; 2 vacancies for a 2 year commitment)

All positions will begin 1-Jan-2023

We encourage nominations of colleagues, mentors, mentees and of course, welcome and encourage self-nominations. Nominees will be asked to submit an election statement describing the reasons for seeking this position. Nominees will be asked complete a conflict of interest form. 

Submit your Nomination

Thank you to our new members. There have been additions to our regular membership, student membership, retired membership and charter membership from all corners of the United States. ASAN has doubled its' membership in the last thirty days. New members will drive and (hopefully) steer this society. 

And thank you to everyone registering for the free Webinar Series. Remember, you can attend one Webinar or all eight Webinars. ASAN has over 40 registrants for the Webinars and we welcome many more.  

Your response to membership and your registrations for our Webinar Series confirm our belief that a void existed in the advocacy for addiction nursing. Thank you for your support and we look forward to your feedback on our webinar offerings. 

Bill Carrick RN

ASAN President 

Positive Human Connections that support a person's recovery is, in my opinion, the most important component in a successful early recovery from substance use.  

Positive Human Connections can take many forms; Family, Friends, Members sharing a place of worship, Workplace colleagues. The use of self help groups are, in some ways, a built in support system of 'Positive Human Connections that Support Recovery.  

Much in the same way, ASAN benefits from positive human connections that support its' mission, that support its' values.  ASAN is a group of nurses that seek to move the patient, the client, the community and each other toward health. 

Just as a person in early recovery benefits from positive human connections, so too does ASAN.  

Bill Carrick

One of the toughest challenges for those working with individuals who have substance use disorders occurs when the individual also has a mental health diagnosis.  The term “dual diagnosis” describes this condition. Long ago it was common for individuals to be treated for one diagnosis in one setting and discharged to another setting to have the other concurrent diagnosis addressed. Gladly, we have made a lot of progress. Most settings for treatment can address both addiction and mental health issues. Many substance abuse rehabs, for example, have a psychiatrist on staff to help identify mental health diagnoses and begin some treatment, such as prescribing antidepressants etc.

In working with individuals with dual diagnoses, I have found that some clients report their initial use of a substance like alcohol to medicate their mood or an emotional situation. They describe “having a couple of drinks to help with sleep.” It may start with one drink but eventually leads to more. One client told me that “there is nothing better than a couple of shots of liquor to relieve his anxiety.” This is also mentioned in the AA Big Book, which describes individuals who have a bit of social anxiety, having a couple of drinks before they can go out to a party, where they will be drinking more, but they cannot face the crowd at a party without this help. Is this the early behavior of someone developing a dual diagnosis? Or treating a mental health issue with an eventual drug or alcohol dependency?  I think it could be.

I like to use the saying “people do what they do because it works!” I use this to address the guilt that sometimes comes with admitting to an addiction problem.  And, the expression that “nothing happens in a vacuum” refers to the need for us to help the individual identify what is going on in his/her world that influences their behavior.

Fran Campbell  MSN, RN, MEd, PMHCNS-BC, CARN, FIAAN