White Papers Week 1
The Criminalization of Addiction
Privilege and Addiction
Introduction
Attaining abstinence and sustaining long-term recovery is vastly more difficult for people who lack financial security, education, health insurance, and a strong support system of family, friends, and colleagues. These resources make up key aspects of a person’s
“recovery capital,” or the amount of internal and external assets that can be utilized to attain and sustain recovery. Access to 1 medical detoxification, treatment, and peer support services differs based on the presence or absence of these factors. Those in a
position of privilege are better positioned to access treatment and recovery support services.
Download the full white paper at Privilege and Recovery
Biography
Christopher Poulos is the executive director of Life of Purpose Treatment at the University of North Texas. He has served at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and The Sentencing Project. Poulos has advised United States Senator Angus King(I-Maine) on addiction and justice policy and has served on several task forces related to criminal justice policy. He is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, where he was president of the American Constitution Society and represented children facing criminal charges as a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic.