The Complex World of Treating Heroin Addiction in Norway
Becoming a patient and becoming a subject of medical intervention doesn't mean that all the other contexts like criminalization disappear.
Imagine navigating the maze of addiction treatment in a Scandinavian welfare state. In this episode of 'New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery', Marshall Poe sits down with Aleksandra Bartoszko to discuss her eye-opening book, *Treating Heroin Addiction in Norway: The Pharmaceutical Other*. This conversation sheds light on the intricate dance between medicine and law in Norwegian Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) programs, especially after major reforms.
Bartoszko's ethnographic research is a deep dive into the real-life experiences of patients, clinicians, and bureaucrats entangled in the web of addiction treatment. One story stands out—Siv's journey through complex clinical and legal battles to improve her quality of life. Bartoszko's work challenges the conventional notions of 'individual choice' and 'patient involvement', revealing how these concepts play out in practice.
If you're curious about how addiction treatment intersects with legal frameworks and personal struggles, this episode offers a compelling narrative that will leave you thinking.