November 27, 2024
Dear Hossein,
This week is the time each year in the United States that families gather to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday, with the usual feasting of turkey and all the dishes that go with it. It is a time we express gratitude for all that we have been blessed with, and it is also the time each year that I offer a special thanks for you for our prolonged friendship and professional collaboration. My life has been deeply enriched by all that we have shared. My only regret is that we have not been able to spend more time together in person, but so much has come out of that brief time we met in London so many years ago, I am also grateful to Ehsan for serving as our faithful translator for so many years.
I was pleased to receive the latest published paper and certificate from your latest conference presentation. Both have now been added to the rapidly growing Congress 60 bibliography. I regret that advancing age and health challenges prevent me from spreading information about Congress 60 through such presentations but hope my continued writing will serve that goal well.
Progress is continuing on our latest study. Casey and Candace are continuing to analyze data from the U.S. sample we will use for comparison and they are following up with questions on the last information we have received from you.
As I reviewed my draft of the Congress 60 profile I have written as an introduction to the study, a few questions arose. First, there is a growing body of literature on the special needs of women, younger people, older people, and people with co-occurring medical or psychiatric disorders who enter addiction treatment. Are there any special groups or accommodations for such groups made within Congress 60? Second, could you describe in more detail the procedures used in Congress 60 when a member uses illicit drugs while in treatment or returns requesting treatment after returning to drug use? Third, could you describe how drug test results after completion of the DST method are conveyed to Congress 60 for evaluation purposes? Are these summarized in any kind of report for review by Congress 60 leaders? I may not include all of the information you provide in the paper, but it would be good for me to know this information when questions arise about my description of Congress 60 to others.
Correcting all of the Guide and Co-Guide exams must be quite taxing. I am delighted to hear all of this is progressing as planned. I think the description of Guide roles in our many papers inspire the introduction of recovery coaches and other peer recovery support roles in the U.S. and other countries. There are now many studies underway on these roles and they are being implemented in many settings beyond addiction treatment, including in hospital emergency rooms, physician offices, and in criminal justice and child welfare organizations. How Congress 60 screens, selects, trains, and supervises the various Guide roles has had a profound effect of the spread of peer-based recovery support roles internationally. You were years ahead of your time in this innovation.
Please extend my warmest regards to your family and to all members of Congress 60.
Friends and Brothers Forever