39 Quotes by Patrick J. Kennedy

I am a recovering alcoholic.

My mother is still battling alcoholism.

Procrastination is a sign of a perfectionist.

People are going to keep getting prescribed medication that is counter to what their real disease state is, which is addiction.

You don't fight cancer with grants, or heart disease with grants.

Our contention is not that medication alone is the answer. We really need to have it in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy and with peer support. And that needs to be reimbursed [by health insurers], because it shows huge reductions in overall spending.

Opioid replacement therapy is the standard evidence-based model to treat people with acute opioid addiction, and that is unassailable according to every research study that's been done. If that is the evidence-based model, then why can't we meet the large-scale need that's out there? We can't because one, there aren't enough doctors who can prescribe [drugs like methadone], and two, there are these artificial limits [by insurers] on who doctors can prescribe to.

We believe in some basic human principles – everyone should have the opportunities not just to survive, but to excel with their God-given talents and abilities. Those are the values that should be reflected in our budgets.

As the bill requires, any terror alert system must give people and organizations some indication about what steps they must take to improve their own security and assist in the Nation’s security.