February 3, 2026
Dear Hossein,
Thank you for your most recent communication. I am pleased that you are well and to hear that the experiments with Dr. Arvin on opium, heroin, alcohol, amphetamines, and fentanyl are progressing. The preliminary findings you note are important and will be a significant addition to the addictions’ literature, particularly if they are confirmed by the subsequent studies on alcohol and heroin. The shared effects across these substances does lend credence to the proposition that a singular approach to treatment may be effective across all of these types of addiction.
Congratulations on the early success of your book Weight Loss and the Structure of the Body. There is growing interest recently in the U.S. on integrating primary medicine and addiction medicine into what is sometimes called lifestyle medicine or lifestyle psychiatry. This is seen as quite an innovation. It is thus interesting the Congress 60 has been practicing this since its inception—with its focus on whole person health and its work on sport/exercise, smoking cessation, nutrition, and its mind/body/spirit focus. Congress 60 deserved credit for such innovations but more importantly the global addictions field needs to capitalize on Congress 60’s experience over these many years. That’s what I hope our collaborations will help achieve.
My work on the monograph on growth and flourishing as a potential outcome of addiction recovery is nearing completion. My plan is to post it for free download to make it widely accessible and then do some shorter articles related to this subject for publication. I think it will be one of my more important works that will help raise the bar of expectations and possibilities for individuals and families seeking recovery and to also counter the pessimism among many professional helpers about the prospects of long-term addiction recovery.
Rita has asked me to again thank you for your recent gifts. Visitors to our home continue to remark on their beauty and craftsmanship.
I will sign off for now but know that I look forward to our continued communications. Please extend my warmest regards to your family and to all members of Congress 60.
Friends and Brothers Forever,
Bill