Thursday, May 14, 2015


Fewer New Mothers Given Codeine After Warning of Overdose Risk From Breastfeeding
May 13th, 2015/


A health warning about the painkiller codeine being transmitted to babies through breast milk has led to a decline in the number of new mothers prescribed the drug, HealthDayreports. There is a rare but potential risk that breastfeeding babies can overdose from codeine if their mothers take the drug.

“The trend is going in the direction we want it,” said lead researcher Kate Smolina of the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. She noted a significant number of women continue to be prescribed codeine. “Prescriptions are still too high,” she said. “We’d like to see it closer to zero.”

The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In 2006, doctors reported an infant whose mother had been using codeine died of a morphine overdose. The body converts codeine to morphine to relieve pain, the article notes. The mother was found to have a gene variant that made her body metabolize codeine extremely quickly, which led to very high levels of morphine in her breast milk.

The gene variant is found in 1 to 10 percent of most ethnic groups. Since women are unlikely to know if they have this variant, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a health warning in 2007 advising doctors to prescribe codeine cautiously to breastfeeding women. Canadian health officials issued a similar warning a year later.

The new study looked at codeine prescriptions for all women who gave birth in British Columbia between 2002 and 2011. In the years before the FDA warning, 17 percent of new mothers filled a codeine prescription in the six months after they gave birth. By the end of 2011, that number declined to 9 percent.




Please join us “In The Rooms” on Thursday May 14 , 2015, at 7 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Thursdays Guest Expert: Matthew Ganem , Banyan Treatment Center 
Topic : "Recovery through Art Therapy"
Matthew Ganem, born May 1, 1985, has been clean for over 9 years. Born in the Greater Boston area he struggled with OxyContin and eventually progressed to IV heroin use which took him down a path of self-destruction, crime and homelessness. At the age of twenty-one he turned his life around going through the Hamilton House, a residential halfway House in the Dorchester area where he rediscovered a passion he had as a kid, poetry. Turning his struggles into poetry as strength and hope for others he published The Shadow of an Addict a collection of his poetry in 2012, winning Mass Poetry Awards Best Poetry book of 2013, as well as New Enlgand Urban Music Awards Spokenword Artist of the year in 2013. Combining his story with poetry he speaks at high schools, colleges and programs. He is The Northeast Regional Outreach Coordinator for Banyan Treatment Center.
I will be sharing my story as well as well as my poetry to offer a different perspective into the mind of an addict. I will offer hope, despair, strength, weakness and passion inside each poem the roller coaster of emotion that we deal with in active addiction and recovery and talk about how therapeutic the outlet of writing has helped in my recovery.
In The Rooms Meeting Thursday 7pm ET. Meetings cannot be accessed via phone or tablet. Must use Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser. Please join us! 








    
Mon. May 18, 6:30 pm: Advocacy Meeting

Want to make a difference? 
 
The NCADDNJ Advocacy Team needs you! 

The NCADDNJ Mercer/Hunterdon Counties Advocacy Team meets at COA once a month. Here volunteer advocates are given the resources and tools to make a difference in their respective communities about the way addiction is viewed and treated. Currently the Mercer/Hunterdon advocates are working on a video project called "Advocates Speak Out."

The next meeting is Monday, May 18 at 6:30 pm. Pizza will be provided.

For questions or comments, contact: cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com
Sat. May 30: Life ReScripted Workshop

Are painful memories holding you back? 

ReScript them at this workshop!






Life ReScripted is a (FREE!) experiential workshop that uncovers and clears unresolved issues that can undermine recovery. There are strong and compelling reasons why these issues persist. 

A rescripting identifies and transforms the root cause of our self-sabotaging choices & behavior.

Time: 2:00 to 6:00 pm, Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ).

For questions or comments, contact: cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com
Support COA Baseball! 

To kick off their 2015 season in the New Jersey Amatuer Baseball League, the City of Angels baseball team, the Angels, will host a fundraising event with the Trenton Thunder at Arm & Hammer Stadium in Trenton on Friday, June 5th, 2015.

 

As Rich Fisher, writer for the Trentonian, put it "If the story of the newly formed City of Angels adult amateur baseball team doesn't make you feel good, then you're either the crankiest person on earth or the emotionless Dr. Spock from Star Trek. This is a story of second chances, dedication and courage." Click here to read more.

City of Angels will have a 400 stadium tickets to the Thunder's Friday night 7:00pm June 5th, game against the Harrisburg Senators (a Washington National affiliate) at Thunder's Arm & Hammer Stadium. Tickets are $11 and it's "Pink-Hat" give-away night. The game will be dedicated to the memory of the Angels star pitcher, Sage Ferraro, who lost his battle with addictions on July 14, 2014. City of Angels is a non-profit, 501c.3 and proceeds will go to support COA's community outreach efforts with the AngelsTo buy tickets, click here.


In addition, on Saturday, June 20 at 10:00am, the Angels will play our annual Sage Ferraro Memorial Game at Thunder Stadium against the NJ Spartans in a regular season NJABL game. There will be no charge for admission, though donations will be accepted and we encourage everyone to come out for this game, too!
 
On COARR 
Let's Talk About Recovery!

With 10 original shows, COARR plays Recovery Talk 24/7/365....past shows are available online atwww.coaradio.com/pastshows.html and in each show's online archive. 

Tune in thru the smartphone app (free in the iphone/droid stores) or on www.coaradio.com to hear what's playing now.....

Watch for new Season 3 shows coming soon! 
"Apparently I am on my path," says "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery host Kathy Moser. "Yesterday I took the signed photo of Stephen Tyler that I got when I played at Recovery Unplugged out of my tour folder, propped it up in my office and reloaded my tour folder with details for this Nashville trip. Today I run into him in Nashville. Thank you universe!"

Listen to past "Wings Over Water" shows anytime atwww.coaradio.com/wingsoverwater


Listen to past COARR shows any time: 

For "Families and Recovery" with Cathy & Bill, click here.

For "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas, click here. 

For "Wellness in Recovery" with life coach Nancy Tilelli, click here. 

For "Journey Thru the 12 Steps with the Life Recovery Bible," click here. 

For "Share Your Scars" with Vicki, click here.

For "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery" with recovery musician Kathy Moser, click here.

For "Laughter & Recovery" with stand up comic Wil B. Kleen, click here. 

For "Relationships in Recovery" with Alexa, click here. 

For "Saving Lives" with COA Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark, click here.

New Website!

Check out the new COA website! Thanks to our new webmaster, Art Ackerman, COA's home on the web is better than ever - it's now easier to find the info you need, especially about COA's services for people in crisis, and COA's recovery support programs & activities - like Baseball! Check it out at www.cityofangelsnj.org. 

You can also buy tickets online for the June 5Baseball game at Trenton Thunder stadium and share your thoughts on the new COA Blog.

 
***We are looking for people to help with the new website. Training will be provided and recoverees are preferred. Interested? Contact Art at aja1256@verizon.net.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015


Controversial Bud Light Label Went Through Many Layers of Approval
April 30th, 2015/


A Bud Light label that was withdrawn this week after being criticized for encouraging date rape went through at least five layers of approval before being produced, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The label described Bud Light as “The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.” The label conflicted with current efforts on college campuses to raise awareness of sexual assault. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities is sponsoring a “No Means No” campaign.

The company is not recalling the bottles because the label does not pose a health or public safety concern, a spokesman told the newspaper. Less than 1 percent of Bud Light bottles in circulation have the label, the company said. It is part of a campaign called “Up for Whatever,” which includes about 140 labels.

The company that makes Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, said its advertising agency, BBDO, wrote the label. The company said the labels passed through the U.S. Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which confirms that labels provide correct information to consumers about a beer’s identity.

The labels are reviewed by Bud Light’s marketing team, members of the company’s legal team, corporate responsibility division and an advertising code committee, the company said. Bud Light Vice President Alexander Lambrecht said the label’s “message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior.”

“I have no idea what broke down in their internal review, but certainly there was a serious breakdown,” said Scott Berkowitz of the anti-sexual-assault non-profit Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. He said while alcohol does not cause incidents of sexual assault, “it’s common that participants have been drinking and some rapes happen against incapacitated victims.”

Number of Infants Treated for Drug Withdrawal Symptoms Shot Up in Last Decade
April 30th, 2015/


The number of babies treated for the drug-withdrawal syndrome known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has almost quadrupled in the last decade, according to a new study.

Babies born with NAS undergo withdrawal from the addictive drugs their mothers took during pregnancy, such as oxycodone, morphine or hydrocodone. NAS affected seven babies for every 1,000 admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 2004. That number jumped to 27 infants per 1,000 by 2013, HealthDay reports.

The percentage of days spent in a NICU because of drug withdrawal rose from 0.6 percent to 4 percent during that time, the researchers reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. Eight centers reported that more than 20 percent of NICU days were spent caring for babies with the syndrome in 2013.

Another recent study found a woman’s use of prescription opioids during pregnancy increases the risk her baby will be born small or early. Such use also raises the chance the baby will go through NAS.

The study of more than 112,000 pregnant women in Tennessee found almost 28 percent used at least one prescription opioid, such as hydrocodone or oxycodone. The risks to the baby increased if a woman also smoked or took antidepressants, the researchers reported.

Of the babies with NAS, 65 percent had mothers that legally filled prescriptions for opioid pain relievers.

The study found 42 percent of the women prescribed opioids smoked during pregnancy, compared with 26 percent of the women not prescribed opioids. The more cigarettes a woman smoked each day, the more likely she was to give birth to a baby with NAS.
The New Drugstore Cowboys
OPENING Friday, MAY 15    
ANIMALS, by director Collin Schiffli and writer David Dastmalchian. The film follows a couple, living out of their car in Chicago, who are both madly in love and madly addicted to heroin. They must confront their grim reality when of them is hospitalized.  
UPCOMING EVENTS
LAUGH FOR RECOVERY
Saturday, May 16, 2015  
The 2nd Annual Comedy Benefit, "Laugh for Recovery" which is YPR-NJ's major fundraiser is slated for6:30PM May 16, at the Old Bridge Knights of Columbus (61 Pine Street, Old Bridge, NJ). Last year's event was a great success, and this year's Comedy Benefit will be even better.
Old Bridge Knights of Columbus
61 Pine Street, Old Bridge, NJ  
FOR MORE INFORMATION  

REEL RECOVERY FILM FESTIVAL
DENVER EDITION

May 29-31, 2015  
The 1st Denver Edition 2015
With CeDAR and Writers In Treatment
Denver Film Society
SIE Film Center
2510 E. Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
Call for more information:
818-762-0461  
FOR MORE INFORMATION
  
REEL RECOVERY FILM FESTIVAL 
2nd ANNUAL BAY AREA EDITION
June 11-14, 2015 
VIZ Theater, 1746 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Smith Rafael Film Center
1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 
Call for more information:
415-548-0492   
FOR MORE INFORMATION  

Tuesday, May 12, 2015



May 12 CHP 73 v 21 v 22 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS


 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
 I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute and did not understand I was a beast before you.

(GODS BIG BOOK)

STEP 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

I wish I had found this verse twenty years ago ! Fear , insecurity , and being ignorant to my pain kept me trapped in my self medicating ways far longer than I needed to be . Society kept trying to tell me I had some sort of mental problem and the doctors kept trying to convince me I inherited my self medicating ways from previous family generations. For a very long time I believed all of it and though at times I had glimmers of hope and sobriety , I was still broken , angry , ignorant , and hurt. Accepting the labels that society and doctors placed on me only took away my sense of worth and if I had this horrible disease and mental problems what was the point of getting better. If this verse had been read to me years ago, I probably would not have understood just like it states. Beast is a good way to explain my years in active addiction ! Picture one they are mindless and senseless like robots , they just do according too nature , they run wild with that kill or be killed mentality , you cant even get close and if you do and are spotted you will be torn to shreds. Many people in my life stayed senseless and addicted until their bitter end.Gone too soon taking with them unseen gifts and talents buried in pain deep in their hearts. Society and doctors can tell me over and over their theories all they want but as far as I am concerned and from many years of personal painful experience , ADDICTION IS THE BY PRODUCT OF A BROKEN HEART .If you study the steps and GODS BIG BOOK carefully you will discover the keys too removing the labels eliminating the pain and living life in a freedom you never thought possible. Fix the Heart and the Head will Follow !


Proverb 4;23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
(GODS BIG BOOK) By Joseph Dickerson

Gloucester, Mass. Will Provide Treatment, Not Jail, for Those Surrendering Illegal Drugs
May 6th, 2015/



The Police Chief of Gloucester, Massachusetts has announced the town will provide treatment for people who come to the police station with illegal drugs and paraphernalia, instead of arresting them.

Police Chief Leonard Campanello posted on Facebook, “We will walk them through the system toward detox and recovery. We will assign them an ‘angel’ who will be their guide through the process. Not in hours or days, but on the spot.”

Two area hospitals will provide quick treatment to people addicted to heroin or other opioids who come into the station, beginning June 1, The Christian Science Monitor reports. At least one local store will make the opioid overdose antidote naloxone available for little or no money, the article notes. The police department will cover the cost for those without health insurance, with funds seized from drug dealers during investigations.

Chief Campanello is planning on travelling to Washington, D.C. next week to discuss Gloucester’s plan with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton, all of Massachusetts. “I will bring what Gloucester is accomplishing and challenge them to change, at the federal level, how we receive aid, support and assistance. I will bring the idea of how far Gloucester is willing to go to fight this disease and will ask them to hold federal agencies, insurance companies and big business accountable for building a support system that can eradicate opiate addiction and provide long term, sustainable support to reduce recidivism,” he wrote.

This year so far, three fatal overdoses have been reported in Gloucester, a town of 30,000. Seattle launched a similar “treatment, not jail” program in 2011. Last month, the state’s attorney for Cook County said many nonviolent felony drug cases in the Chicago area would be steered to treatment instead of prison.
Too Soon?
How allowing early sips of alcohol can influence a child's mind and future    
In a three-year study - kids who were allowed to sip wine or beer from their parents' glasses "now and then" before the age of 11 - were four times more likely to binge drink in high school. The link remained even after researchers accounted for parents' drinking habits, family history of alcoholism and poor impulse control in students. Letting young children take a sip on special occasions may send a "mixed message."
Bouncing Back          VIDEO
10 Hollywood actors who battled addictions and came out clean  VIDEO    
Fame usually come at a price. And a lot of pressures. And not everyone is equipped to deal with it. These celebrities took the wrong turn and decided that alcohol and narcotics were the way to go. They drank, shot up and smoked their way through decades but surprisingly did not die of it. Maybe then they decided to come clean. And they have since done a fine job of it.
Different Paths
Brad Pitt's pal dies of overdose    
Nicholas Kallsen, a Manhattan preppie who became Brad Pitt's co-star and roommate, has died of an overdose in Thailand at the age of 48, friends report. The handsome actor went to Browning, the exclusive boys school whose alumni include John D. Rockefeller Jr., Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Howard Dean and Jamie Dimon.
 May 11, 2015
Council staff Bev Haberle (left),
 Concella Bell and Fred Martin,
with volunteers
Joan Vieldhouse (2nd from left) and Sabrina Washington.



Honoring Hundreds of Volunteers
 
Never underestimate the power of a smalll group of committed
people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has. 
-Margaret Mead
 
Forty years ago our agency was borne out of adversity and heartache by volunteers who wanted to correct the failures of a community to appropriately respond to the needs of an individual suffering from the disease of addiction.

"Ignorance, stigma and the lack of adequate treatment led this handful of volunteers to create an organization that changed howwe address addiction for individuals, their families and our communities," according to Bev Haberle, executive director ofThe Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. Like so many of our staff, Bev first got involved with The Council as a volunteer, and served in many roles over the last three decades before taking the helm. 

Traveling from Philadelphia to Bristol to Doylestown recently, to honor volunteers at three of our Recovery Community Centers' celebrations, Bev shared our organization's genesis, growing from Bucks County to 10 locations throughout our five-county area. She offered her gratitude and encouragement, thanking the volunteers for "continuing the legacy of that small group that set in motion opportunities for thousands of individuals and families to dramatically change their lives -  to survive, to thrive, and to embrace the benefits of recovery with dignity and respect." 

Click each site to see more photos and video clips from our Volunteer Appreciation Day festivities for our ProAct volunteers at Central BucksSouthern Bucks and Philadelphia
Introduction to Peer Recovery Coaching for Young People, May 16
 
Roland Lamb, director of the City of Philadelphia's Office of Addiction Services,Department of Behavioral Heath and Intellectual disAbilities Services (DBHIDS),will be the keynote speaker at a one-day introduction to peer recovery coaching for young people. The program is approved for 4.5 PCB credit hours.

The program offers education and collaborations for young people interested in supporting peer recovery, and is especially focused on empowering young men of color who have had experience with the Juvenile Justice System.

Known as The Brotherly Initiative, the program is offered free by Young People in Recovery (YPR),in affiliation with President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Initiative, and supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Other featured speakers: Devin Reaves, MSW, CRS, and Nathniel D. Ellison, M.A.

The event will be hosted by ProAct's Philadelphia Recovery Community Center at 1701 W. Lehigh Avenue, #6, on Saturday, May 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Registration is required. Space is limited and nearly full. For more information or to register, visitYoungPeopleInRecovery.org/registrationor call 215-345-6644 by Wednesday, May 13Click for flyer
Holistic Acupuncture Series at ProAct Philadelphia
   
Many benefits are associated with acupuncture as an holistic recovery support that helps decrease anxiety, mood swings, insomnia, cravings and withdrawal symptoms. You are invited to learn more, observe or receive acupuncture treatments at one or all of the following sessions offered from 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. at ProAct's Philadelphia Recovery Community Center, 1701 W. Lehigh Street, #6, Philadelphia on Thursdays, 5/14, 5/21 and 6/11; and Fridays, 5/29 and 6/5.

The program is free but donations are welcome. Sessions are provided by students supervised by clinical instructors from the Won Institute of Graduate Studies, the only accredited acupuncture school in Pennsylvania. Registrations are requested. Please call Philadelphia Recovery Community Center at 215-223-7700. For additional information, email Karima.Williams@woninstitute.edu
  
Expungement Workshop: Can Your Criminal Record be Erased? 

A criminal record can be one of the biggest obstacles to getting a job, but
some records can be expunged. Join Erica Briant, legal fellow at Legal Aid of Southeast Pennsylvania, to learn more about how her organization can help
clear criminal records for people looking for employment.

The program will provide information and support so you can find out if you can get an expungement or pardon for a past criminal record and to find out about employment protection options when you are applying for a job. Come prepared with questions related to your situation.

The workshop will be held at ProAct's Southern Bucks Recovery Communty Center, 1286 Veterans Highway, #D6, Bristol, on Thursday, May 14, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to register, contact Karen at 215-788-3738 or by email at kburke@councilsepa.org

Legal Aid of Southeast Pennsylvania provides quality legal representation to low-income and vulnerable people in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery County, to empower them to solve problems without legal representation through legal education and increased access to the courts, and to change community practices and systems that cause or aggravate poverty. 
Advancing in Recovery Annual Conference, Friday, 5/22 
  
Motivational speaker Jenn Friedman, is an author, musician and recovery advocate who knows that freedom from addiction and illness is possible.

Eating Disorders on a Wire: Music and Metaphor as Pathways, is a book and music compilation project that allows Jenn to share her message of strength, hope and connection and encourage others to cultivate their own voice and process.

Clinicians and people in recovery are welcome to attend this free conference, sponsored by Magellan Healthcare and the Board of Bucks County Commissioners,
on Friday, May 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Delaware Valley University.

Breakout sessions will be focused on a variety of holistic topics such as art therapy, yoga, music, storytelling through writing, healthy eating, gardening and volunteering with animals. Council staffFred Martin and Rick Petrolawicz will lead sessions on "Our Voices Have Power" (positive ways to share your lived experience) and "Gateway to Work" (addressing gaps in employment, resume writing and interviewing), respectively. This conference is approved for 6 CU credits.

Bucks County Transport, Inc. will provide transportation assistance at four locations: Bristol, Doylestown, Langhorne and Sellersville. For more information on breakout sessions, transportation, or to register, click here or call 215-444-2707. Click for more about Jenn Friedman
 Save the Date!
   
ProAct Recovery Walks! 2015
 Penn's Landing, Philadelphia
Saturday, September 19

Register Free. Form a Team. Join the Honor Guard. Volunteer. Donate. Sponsor.
click here recoverywalks.org  
  
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  • Go to www.smile.amazon.com 
  • Log in with Amazon account info or register if you are a new member
  • Type in The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. and click SEARCH
  • We will come up, hit SELECT
  • Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to The Council.
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   Our Mission is to provide resources and opportunities
 to reduce the impact of addiction, trauma and other related health issues.
 We offer prevention, intervention, assessment, counseling, 
education, advocacy, and recovery support services.
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