Thursday, January 31, 2013
Commentary: Rx for Understanding: Free Online Tool to Teach Students
Medicine—whether over-the-counter or prescription—is an
important part of a modern health care system. Who would want a world
without penicillin or acetaminophen? But medicine is only effective when
it is used properly, and for young people moving to adulthood, learning
how to use medicine properly is a critical life skill.
Research shows that one in four teenagers report that they have taken
a prescription drug not prescribed to them by a doctor at least once in
their lives. Middle school is often when students start to make the
wrong choice.
Recognizing the scope of the problem, the NEA Health Information Network (NEA
HIN) set out to determine what we could do to help teachers and
families help students. After looking at what was available, NEA HIN
created Rx for Understanding
which includes 10 cross-curricular lessons for middle school students.
Aligned with the National Health Education Standards and Common Core State Standards,
the lessons aim to equip students with the understanding and
decision-making skills they need to recognize and avoid the dangers of
misusing and abusing prescription drugs.
By focusing on the three basic concepts of proper use, misuse and
abuse, the lessons help to build knowledge and skills that young people
need. These involve not only learning the facts about drugs, but include
activities that build skills such as information gathering, advocacy
for good health choices and making responsible health decisions.
Rx for Understanding was developed and pilot-tested with input from
educators around the country. Users report that the lessons are
“easy-to-use” and “accessible.” Because lessons are aligned to various
content areas, they can be included in various parts of the middle
school curriculum.
Nora L. Howley
Manager of Programs
NEA Health Information Network
Heroin Use Increasing in Minneapolis/St. Paul, While Opiate Painkiller Use Declines
Heroin use is growing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area,
while abuse of opiate painkillers, such as methadone and oxycodone, may
be decreasing, according to a new report.
Treatment centers in the area reported a small decrease in the number
of people admitted for opiate abuse in the first half of 2012,
according to Minnesota Public Radio.
“Heroin and other opiates are second only to the number of people
coming into treatment for alcohol,” said Carol Falkowski, who wrote the
new report. “That is a relatively new phenomena in the Twin Cities and
something that we should all be concerned about.”
The report follows national trends in heroin and opiate painkiller use, the article notes. A study published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine
found that as OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has
been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse, many people have
switched to heroin.
Dr. Gavin Bart, who directs the Division of Addiction Medicine at
Hennepin County Medical Center, said Minneapolis/St. Paul is seeing an
influx of the cheapest, purest heroin in the United States. “What is
probably happening is there’s a marketing battle between the dealers and
the people who peddle prescription opiates and the heroin traffickers,”
he said. “In order to get good customers you increase the quality and
decrease the price, which is what’s happened with heroin and it’s just
pulling market share from the prescription opiate addicts.”
Opiate painkillers are becoming more difficult to obtain, because the
state’s prescription monitoring program allows doctors to see if other
physicians have written opiate prescriptions for the same patient, Bart
noted. While doctors in the state are not required to use the database,
more health systems are incorporating it, he added.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
HELP RECOVERY CONNECTIONS REACH THE CHURCHES
Good Morning Recovery friends and Brother and sisters in CHRIST
Recovery Connections was birthed a year ago with one purpose in mind and that is to set the captives free in other words help those struggling with addiction find there way and empower them to maintain sanity and sobriety. A year or two ago the Council of Drug Alcohol of Pennsylvania put together a training designed just for Clergy and the response was overwhelming. Most families and individuals who struggle with addiction go to local churches for help and most churches have no idea on how they can help or where they can send these folks to get help .I have done some research and there are an estimated fourteen thousand churches in Pennsylvania. That is a lot of churches and it is my personal mission to equip and educate these churches and this is where I will need your help. I cannot afford fourteen thousand stamps fourteen thousand envelopes fourteen thousand sheets of paper and a couple dozen ink cartridges. I have been in contact with two great organizations who have sent me brochures with the info the churches are going to need. I could do one letter and make copies but I feel it needs to be more personal so I did more research and I have pastors names and addresses. My intro letter with the information will be made personal and hard to disregard or ignore.We have added a Donate button on the blog and we will send a receipt for your tax purposes. A church is only as good as the the tools it has in the LORDS tool box. PLEASE GIVE TO HELP SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF RECOVERY AND HOPE.
Address joseph-recoveryconnections.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Communities Start to Organize Against Heroin
Communities across the country are beginning to organize
town hall meetings, support groups and campaigns to discourage the
growing use of heroin, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
Heroin, once mainly seen in poor urban areas, is now increasingly
used by young people in wealthy suburbs, small cities and rural towns,
according to the newspaper. “You would have to go pretty remote to find a
place that didn’t have this,” Kathleen Kane-Willis of Roosevelt
University in Chicago, who has tracked heroin use since 2004, told the
newspaper. “It’s just everywhere.”
A study published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine
found that as OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has
been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse, many people have
switched to heroin.
Parents say they are having a difficult time finding treatment for
their children’s heroin addiction. They are forming support groups to
help one another. Some are turning to the Internet to find support from
other parents.
Advocacy groups are trying to address heroin overdoses by pushing for
state laws that give people limited immunity on drug possession charges
if they seek medical help for someone suffering from an overdose. Most
of these Good Samaritan laws
protect people from prosecution if they have small quantities of drugs
and seek medical aid after an overdose. These laws are designed to limit
immunity to drug possession, so that large supplies of narcotics would
remain illegal. Advocates are also supporting rules that allow doctors
to prescribe the overdose antidote naloxone to families of people
addicted to opioids.
Many Parents Not Concerned About Children’s Misuse of Narcotic Pain Medicines
A survey of parents finds just one-third are very concerned
about the misuse of prescribed narcotic pain medicine by children and
teens in their community, according to HealthDay. Only one-fifth are very concerned about the misuse of these drugs in their own families.
The national survey
of more than 1,300 parents with children ages 15 to 17 was conducted by
the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital. According to the
findings, 38 percent of black parents, 26 percent of Hispanic parents,
and 13 percent of white parents are very concerned about the misuse of
narcotic painkillers in their own families. Misuse of these medicines
has been shown to be three times higher among white teens than black or
Hispanic teens, according to the researchers.
They found 41 percent of parents favor a policy that would require a
doctor’s visit to obtain refills on these medications. About half said
they do not support a requirement that unused pain medicines be returned
to a doctor or pharmacy.
According to the survey, 66 percent of respondents strongly support
requiring parents to show identification when they pick up narcotic
painkillers for their children, and 57 percent strongly support policies
that would ban obtaining prescriptions for the medicines from more than
one doctor.
“Recent estimates are that one in four high school seniors have ever
used a narcotic pain medicine. However, parents may downplay the risks
of narcotic pain medicine because they are prescribed by a doctor,”
Sarah Clark, Associate Director of the Child Health Evaluation and
Research Unit at the University of Michigan, said in a news release.
“However, people who misuse narcotic pain medicine are often using
drugs prescribed to themselves, a friend or a relative. That ‘safe’
prescription may serve as a readily accessible supply of potentially
lethal drugs for children or teens.”
FDA Panel Votes to Toughen Restrictions on Hydrocodone Combination Drugs
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted
Friday to strengthen restrictions on hydrocodone combination drugs, such
as Vicodin. The panel recommended that the FDA make the drugs more
difficult to prescribe.
Supporters of the panel’s recommendation say it could help reduce addiction to painkillers, The New York Times reports. The agency is likely to adopt the panel’s proposal, the article notes.
The panel made the recommendation in a 19-to-10 vote. Opponents were
skeptical the proposal would be effective against prescription drug
abuse. They also were concerned the changes would make it more difficult
for patients in chronic pain to obtain relief. At the two-day FDA hearing
about the proposal, opponents noted it would require frail nursing home
residents to make a trip to the doctor’s office to obtain pain
prescriptions.
The proposal forbids refills without a new prescription, as well as
faxed prescriptions and those called in by phone. Distributors of the
drugs would have to store the drugs in special vaults. Nurse
practitioners and physician assistants would be banned from prescribing
the drugs.
Some panelists said the proposal could have the unintended effect of increasing abuse of other drugs, such as heroin.
“Many of us are concerned that the more stringent controls will
eventually lead to different problems, which may be worse,” said Dr.
John Mendelson, a senior scientist at the Addiction and Pharmacology
Research Laboratory at the California Pacific Medical Center Research
Institute in San Francisco.
The FDA convened the panel at the request of the Drug Enforcement
Administration. If the FDA accepts the panel’s recommendation, it will
be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, which will make
the final decision.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Ruled by Rage
Today's Scripture
"Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin." - Proverbs 19:18
Thoughts for Today
This week we are looking at five types of dysfunctional families (described in The Thin Disguise by Pam Vredevelt) that can lead to the development of eating disorders. Perhaps you or someone you know has a loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Or perhaps you will identify some potentially harmful characteristic that needs to be addressed in your family.
In the "Rageaholic Family" only the parents (one or both) are allowed to express feelings. The predominant feeling is rage or anger. Unfortunately, the children are taught to believe that they are responsible for that anger. Mothers in rageaholic families may have anger and rage from their family of origin, and in some cases the daughter becomes an "emotional receptacle" for that rage. Although the mother is in actuality angry with herself and her parents, she pushes that anger onto her daughter.
Children in rageaholic families learn to repress their anger completely. This repressed anger can cause stress, bitterness and depression, leading to many types of inappropriate behavior.
(Note: We are grateful to Pam Vredevelt for her keen insights.)
Consider this …
Although there are appropriate times to discipline our children—always in love—we are not to be controlled by anger. And sometimes anger vented on children does not even relate to their behavior—it comes from a parent struggling with rage or bitterness caused by something else altogether. Today's scripture makes it clear that angry resentments and undue chastisements can lead to our child's ruin.
Prayer
Father, forgive me for sometimes taking out my anger on my children. Help me to admit when I've been wrong and allow my children to see that they are not at fault for my unfair words and actions. Help me to be sensitive to my children's honest feelings and to allow them to feel safe in expressing them. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Seeing Yourself in God's Image: Overcoming Anorexia and Bulimia by Martha Homme, MA, LPC. Written by a counselor with experience helping those with eating disorders, this study is born from her own struggles in adolescence. The group challenges members to find their identity in Christ as they overcome this difficult struggle. This guide offers understanding of distorted body image, denial, and the family systems influence. It also explains how to break free of social pressures and how to restore the temple and tie the recovery process together. A companion booklet Seeing Your Loved One in God's Image, can be used as a quick reference guide dealing with issues associated with eating disorders. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
Would you like to have these devotions appear daily on your church or ministry website? Learn More
"Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin." - Proverbs 19:18
Thoughts for Today
This week we are looking at five types of dysfunctional families (described in The Thin Disguise by Pam Vredevelt) that can lead to the development of eating disorders. Perhaps you or someone you know has a loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Or perhaps you will identify some potentially harmful characteristic that needs to be addressed in your family.
In the "Rageaholic Family" only the parents (one or both) are allowed to express feelings. The predominant feeling is rage or anger. Unfortunately, the children are taught to believe that they are responsible for that anger. Mothers in rageaholic families may have anger and rage from their family of origin, and in some cases the daughter becomes an "emotional receptacle" for that rage. Although the mother is in actuality angry with herself and her parents, she pushes that anger onto her daughter.
Children in rageaholic families learn to repress their anger completely. This repressed anger can cause stress, bitterness and depression, leading to many types of inappropriate behavior.
(Note: We are grateful to Pam Vredevelt for her keen insights.)
Consider this …
Although there are appropriate times to discipline our children—always in love—we are not to be controlled by anger. And sometimes anger vented on children does not even relate to their behavior—it comes from a parent struggling with rage or bitterness caused by something else altogether. Today's scripture makes it clear that angry resentments and undue chastisements can lead to our child's ruin.
Prayer
Father, forgive me for sometimes taking out my anger on my children. Help me to admit when I've been wrong and allow my children to see that they are not at fault for my unfair words and actions. Help me to be sensitive to my children's honest feelings and to allow them to feel safe in expressing them. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Seeing Yourself in God's Image: Overcoming Anorexia and Bulimia by Martha Homme, MA, LPC. Written by a counselor with experience helping those with eating disorders, this study is born from her own struggles in adolescence. The group challenges members to find their identity in Christ as they overcome this difficult struggle. This guide offers understanding of distorted body image, denial, and the family systems influence. It also explains how to break free of social pressures and how to restore the temple and tie the recovery process together. A companion booklet Seeing Your Loved One in God's Image, can be used as a quick reference guide dealing with issues associated with eating disorders. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
Would you like to have these devotions appear daily on your church or ministry website? Learn More
PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.
Ivy League Universities Unveil New Programs to Combat Drinking
This fall, seven of the eight Ivy League universities
introduced new alcohol policies in an effort to combat high-risk
drinking, the Yale Daily News reports.
The new policies at Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton,
University of Pennsylvania and Harvard emphasize educational programming
over direct disciplinary approaches, the article notes.
“We are in a wave where many universities are trying to curb
high-risk drinking,” Yale Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Affairs
Melanie Boyd told the newspaper. “There is a lot of research that
high-risk drinking has risen in recent years.”
Close to 40 percent of college students in the United States engage in binge drinking,
and that number has remained virtually unchanged for decades. Almost
2,000 college students in the U.S. die each year from alcohol-related
injuries. An estimated 600,000 students are injured while under the
influence, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism.
Administrators from Dartmouth launched the National College Health
Improvement Project in 2010. This project includes 32 colleges and
universities that are collecting data on the effectiveness of alcohol
regulation policies on campus.
At Yale, all off-campus parties must now be registered with the
Dean’s Office. Two new committees have been formed to address alcohol
and drug use among students. Students at several Ivy League institutions
said a number of new alcohol-related policies are aimed at fraternities
and sororities. Dartmouth has instituted a ban on punch at parties held
by fraternity and sorority houses, and conducts random walkthroughs at
the houses by safety and security officers.
Emergency Room Visits for ADHD Drugs More Than Doubled from 2005 to 2010
Emergency room visits involving attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs more than doubled from 2005
to 2010, according to a new government report. The number of visits
involving ADHD medications that were used non-medically almost tripled
during this period.
The report
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) found in 2005, there were 13,379 emergency room visits related
to ADHD drugs. Such visits jumped to 31,244 in 2010, Newswise reports.
Non-medical use of ADHD medications rose from 5,212 in 2005, to
15,585 in 2010. Other pharmaceutical drugs were involved in nearly half
(45 percent) of emergency room visits involving ADHD stimulant
medications and about one fifth involved illicit drugs (21 percent) or
alcohol (19 percent).
The report found emergency room visits for nonmedical use have not
increased among children and adolescents, but they have increased among
adults aged 18 or older.
“ADHD medications, when properly prescribed and used can be of
enormous benefit to those suffering from ADHD, but like any other
medication they can pose serious risks – particularly when they are
misused,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a news release.
“This study indicates that a better job has to be done alerting all
segments of society – not just the young – that misuse of these
medications is extremely dangerous.”
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Siberian Psychologists Whip Addicts Clean
The bizarre beating "treatment" doesn't enjoy mainstream support—but some recipients swear by it.
01/07/13
Siberian psychologists are taking a hardline approach
to helping people with addiction: literally beating it out of them. The
practitioners claim that lashing addicts on the buttocks with a willow
cane can help those for whom more conventional methods have failed.
Practitioners Dr. German Pilipenko and Professor Marina Chukhrova say that their
treatment is grounded in science: "We cane the patients on the buttocks
with a clear and definite medical purpose—it is not some warped
sado-masochistic activity," insists Professor Chukhrova. The pair say
that addicts suffer from a lack of endorphins, and that pain can
stimulate the brain to release the feel-good chemicals, "making patients
feel happier in their own skins." Mainstream doctors dismiss the
practice, saying that exercise, acupuncture, massage, chocolate or sex
are all better at stimulating endorphin secretion. Dr. Pilipenko admits,
"we get a lot of skepticism...but so do all pioneers." The Siberian Times reports
that "the reaction of most people is predictable: to snigger, scoff or
make jokes loaded with sexual innuendo." And one recipient of the
treatment, 41-year-old recovering alcoholic Yuri, says
his girlfriend accused him of simply visiting a dominatrix. But he adds
that although "the first strike was sickening...Somehow I got through
all 30 lashes. The next day I got up with a stinging backside but no
desire at all to touch the vodka in the fridge. The bottle has stayed
there now for a year."
Natasha, a 22-year-old
recovering heroin addict with several months clean, says, "I am the
proof that this controversial treatment works, and I recommend it to
anyone suffering from an addiction or depression. It hurts like
crazy—but it's given me back my life." She receives 60 strokes of the
cane per session (drug addicts get double the dose of alcoholics), at a
cost of about $100. Her "therapy" is hardly for the faint-hearted: "With
each lash," says Natasha, "I scream and grip tight to the end of the
surgical table. It's a stinging pain, real agony, and my whole body
jolts." But she also insists, "I'm not a masochist. My parents never
beat me or even slapped me, so this was my first real physical pain and
it was truly shocking. If people think there's anything sexual about it,
then it's nonsense." Professor Chukhrova stresses that care is taken to
ensure clients' safety: "The beating is really the end of the
treatment. We do a lot of psychological counseling first, and also use
detox. It is only after all the counseling, and heart and pain
resistance checks, that we start with the beating." The doctor adds that
the willow branches used are "flexible and can't be broken nor cause
bleeding." And the practitioners are also at pains to deny any ulterior
motives: "If any patients get sexual pleasure from the beatings, we stop
immediately," says Professor Chukhrova. "This is not what our treatment
is about. If they're looking for that, there are plenty of other places
to go."
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Addiction Recovery - "The Most Excellent Way"
Since
1986, "The Most Excellent Way" has been providing the Christian
solution to chemical dependency and life-controlling problems: Jesus!
"The
Most Excellent Way" is LOVE according to the Bible, 1 Corinthians
12:31, 13:3-8. God Himself demonstrated His love for us by freely giving
us the gift of Life, abundant Life, His Son. And, we love because He
first loved us!
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived
and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that, having been justified by his grace,
we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
Titus 3:3-7 NIV
"The
Most Excellent Way" is a loving group of men and women affected
directly or indirectly by drugs or alcohol or any addictive behavior as
pornography or any anti-Biblical behavior. In the Support Meetings, we
grow in our faith in Christ with the encouragement of God's Word and
prayers. Thousands worldwide have been helped through attending these
weekly meetings.
A person can be totally free from addiction and
compulsive behavior only by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ
Jesus. Your Creator has created you and knows everything about you
(everything!) and if you are one of His, He still loves you. And…there
is a good purpose and a plan for your life.
Please join us on Wednesday evenings for this loving, caring support group meeting! We are here for YOU!
First Baptist Church Markham Woods contact person: Ernie Rudisill
Visit the national headquarters website at www.mostexcellentway.org
Addiction Support Group Meeting
Weekly: Wednesdays – 8:15PM
First Baptist Church Markham Woods
5400 Markham Woods Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746
407.333.2085
Friday, January 25, 2013
Teaching Teens to Manage Personality Traits May Reduce Problem Drinking
High school programs that teach teens to better manage
their personality traits can help reduce and postpone problem drinking, a
new study suggests.
“Two factors determine problem drinking: personality and peer
pressure,” said study author Dr. Patricia Conrod of King’s College
London’s Institute of Psychiatry. “Teaching young people how to better
manage their personality traits or vulnerabilities helps them make the
right decisions in given situations, whether it is a matter of
overcoming their fears, managing thoughts that make them very emotional,
controlling their compulsions, analyzing objectively the intentions of
others or improving their self-perception.”
In the two-year study, high school staff in London worked with
ninth-grade students, who were divided into two groups. One group
participated in a personality-based intervention program run by school
staff, while the second group received the standard United Kingdom drug
and alcohol curriculum. All of the students’ drinking patterns were
examined.
Students filled out a personality questionnaire to determine their
risk of developing future alcohol dependence. Personality traits
identified with a greater risk of alcohol dependence included
impulsivity, hopelessness, sensation-seeking, or anxiety, Newswise reports.
School staff members trained in the personality-based program
delivered group workshops targeting the different personality profiles.
The workshops taught the teens to better manage their personality
traits. “Our study shows that this mental health approach to alcohol
prevention is much more successful in reducing drinking behavior than
giving teenagers general information on the dangers of alcohol,” Dr.
Conrod said in a news release.
After two years, the study found high-risk students in the
intervention group had a 29 percent reduced risk of drinking, a 43
percent reduced risk of binge drinking, and a 29 percent reduced risk of
problem drinking, compared with high-risk students in the standard drug
and alcohol education programs. The intervention also significantly
slowed the progression to more risky drinking behavior in the high-risk
students over the two years.
The study appears in JAMA Psychiatry.
Moving On
"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." - Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
Thoughts for Today
As we come to Jesus and begin to understand who we are in him, it is time to learn from the past, put it behind and move on ahead. Paul makes it clear in today's scripture that he is on a journey. He knows he is not perfect, but he determines to forget the past and reach forward—to become all Jesus wants him to be. He is moving the right direction—toward Jesus—and he is not turning back.
As we come to Jesus and begin to understand who we are in him, it is time to learn from the past, put it behind and move on ahead. Paul makes it clear in today's scripture that he is on a journey. He knows he is not perfect, but he determines to forget the past and reach forward—to become all Jesus wants him to be. He is moving the right direction—toward Jesus—and he is not turning back.
That's where we need to be too. On a journey to Jesus, to accomplishing
his purpose for us. If we try to drag the hurts and mistakes of the
past along with us on the journey, our progress will be slowed … or come
to a stop altogether. We need to give all that baggage to Jesus and
receive his healing and forgiveness. We need to keep our eyes on him and
run forward.
Consider this …
Are you dragging baggage along as you try to move ahead with Jesus? Painful memories of abuse or other hurts. Unforgiveness. Condemnation. If you have made Jesus Lord of your life, it is time to put all those things behind. You have been made right in God's sight. You are his child. You are his masterpiece, designed for a purpose.
Are you dragging baggage along as you try to move ahead with Jesus? Painful memories of abuse or other hurts. Unforgiveness. Condemnation. If you have made Jesus Lord of your life, it is time to put all those things behind. You have been made right in God's sight. You are his child. You are his masterpiece, designed for a purpose.
Join the apostle Paul in putting the past behind and moving forward
along the marvelous path God has set before you. He has a good plan for
you. Press on!
Prayer
Father, thank you for your healing and forgiveness. Help me to truly leave my hurts and failures in the past and keep my eyes on Jesus as I move forward along the path you have for me. In Jesus' name …
Father, thank you for your healing and forgiveness. Help me to truly leave my hurts and failures in the past and keep my eyes on Jesus as I move forward along the path you have for me. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Restoring Families: Overcoming Abusive Relationships through Christ by
Janet M. Lerner, D.S.W. This study helps to minister to families caught
in the cycle of abusive relationships. The curriculum deals with
overcoming these abusive relationships through Christ and is recommended
for use in support groups and Christian counseling.
- Ministers to families from abusive relationships
- Ministers to victims of family violence
- Deals with wounded emotions
- Deals with control and intimacy issues
- Presents a strong message of Christ as healer of abusive relationships
Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we
encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used
effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
Would you like to have these devotions appear daily on your church or ministry website? Learn More
PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.
Navy Blood-Alcohol Tests to Start in February
The U.S. Navy will begin conducting random blood-alcohol tests on sailors in the United States in February, the Associated Press reports. The Navy will use the tests, which were announced earlier this year, to determine whether a sailor is fit for duty, or may need counseling.
Sailors whose blood-alcohol level is .04 or higher when they report
for duty will not be allowed to work. A reading of .02 or higher will
not be used to punish sailors, but could be used to refer them to a
substance abuse treatment program.
The Navy will begin distributing hand-held alcohol detection devices
(ADD) to Navy commands in February. The devices should distributed
throughout the Navy by the end of May.
“Deterring irresponsible use of alcohol is essential to the readiness
of our fleet and ensuring the health and safety of our service members
and units,” Admiral Bill Gortney, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, said
in a statement.
“Fleet Forces, in partnership with Pacific Fleet, will remain engaged
in providing service members the tools and resources to make these
responsible choices. The ADD is one of many tools commanders have to
educate service members.”
The Marines will carry out their own random alcohol screening, according to the AP.
Missouri a National Leader in Drug Courts: State’s Top Judge
Missouri’s drug courts have more than 12,000 graduates who
have successfully completed treatment court programs, according to the
state’s top judge. “Missouri has become a national leader in drug
courts,” Chief Justice Richard Teitelman said in an address to the state legislature this week.
The courts were established in Missouri two decades ago, according to the Associated Press.
They are designed to divert nonviolent offenders who struggle with
substance abuse to judicially supervised treatment programs, instead of
prisons, the article notes. Missouri has drug courts in all but two of
its 45 judicial circuits.
Almost 600 drug-free babies have been born to treatment court
participants, Justice Teitelman said. More than half of participants
successfully complete the program.
The report states that 7.1 percent of adults who complete drug court
programs commit additional crimes within the next 30 months, compared
with 15 percent for those who do not go through the programs.
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
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We’re proliferating a world-class, research-based awareness and education program to shatter the stigma and shame around substance use disorder to empower more people to enter recovery.
2. Transformation.
We’re facilitating system transformation to reach more people and provide greatly improved recovery care. This includes helping communities:
Mobilize all community sectors—public and private—in system transformation;
Extend the community of recovery into the workplace through strategic employer partnerships;
Engage the private sector to create a financially sustainable recovery model; and
Foster the development of a holistic service network that reflects the chronic nature of substance use disorder.
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Proposal to Increase Restrictions on Opioid Prescribing Prompts Debate
A proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to
more tightly control prescriptions of drugs containing hydrocodone is
prompting debate among doctors, according to NPR. A committee of the FDA will meet January 24 and 25 to consider the DEA’s request.
Emergency room visits related to hydrocodone, the key ingredient in
Vicodin and other painkillers, have soared since 2000. Vicodin, which
also contains acetaminophen, is subject to fewer regulations than pure
hydrocodone.
For almost a decade, the DEA has called for stricter regulation of
Vicodin, in order to reduce abuse of the drug. The DEA wants to change
the way drugs that combine hydrocodone with other products are
classified, to require patients to have more interaction with doctors in
order to obtain prescriptions for them.
Andrew Kolodney, who leads Physicians for Responsible Opioid
Prescribing, wants opioids to be used only for patients who really need
them, such as cancer patients. “This epidemic has been fueled by
overprescribing of opioids, particularly for chronic noncancer pain,
whether it’s low back pain, headaches,” he told NPR. “I think that’s
really created a public health crisis.”
His group wants the Food and Drug Administration to rewrite labels on
opioids to state that physicians should write prescriptions only for
severe pain, and at much lower doses. The group wants prescriptions for
the drugs to be written for a maximum of 90 days at a time. “The way to
begin to turn the epidemic around is by getting doctors to prescribe
more cautiously,” Kolodney said.
Lynn Webster, President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, is
concerned these changes may prevent many patients from obtaining drugs
they need. “We have millions of people who are totally disabled because
of their pain,” he said. “Many people who do not have access to
aggressive pain management may simply not be able to survive.”
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
National Rx Drug Abuse Summit
About
Operation
UNITE will host the second annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in
Orlando April 2-4. We hope you will join us! Last year we had 750
people from 47 states!
Company Overview
This
must-attend National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, April 2-4, 2013, is unlike
any other national conference, bringing all impacted parties together to
address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Conference programming is
designed to convey a synergistic approach to include: prevention,
education, treatment, law enforcement, health care providers,
pharmacists, advocates, and third-party payers – among other impacted
parties.Contact Info
| Phone | +60 6-657 3218 |
|---|---|
| erice@centertech.com | |
| Website | http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org/ |
Commentary: Time to “Make An Impact” on Rx Epidemic
Every month approximately 1,200 calls are received from
individuals in southern and eastern Kentucky seeking help with an
addiction issue. Multiply this by the hundreds of regions across America
and it’s easy to understand why the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention consider prescription drug abuse a public health “epidemic.”
One accidental overdose death every 19 minutes; more than the number of deaths from car crashes. That’s a sobering statistic.
Families and communities are being torn apart, and our children are not immune to addiction’s deadly consequences.
In 2009, an estimated 28,068 visits to the emergency department
misuse or abuse of drugs by children aged 12-14, according to a report
by the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Half of these visits involved
prescription and over-the-counter medications.
As the tide of prescription drug abuse rolled across the country,
communities found themselves unprepared for the impending flood of
problems and now struggle to react against the tsunami of addiction.
Recognizing that no single organization or agency could fend off this storm, UNITE launched the inaugural National Rx Drug Abuse Summit
in 2012. Impacted parties came together for a holistic examination of
what is being done to help solve the prescription drug problem, what
could be done or done better, and to forge lasting partnerships and
strategic alliances.
“Operation UNITE’s inaugural National Summit on Rx Drug Abuse was one
of the most professional and well organized conferences I have ever
been to,” stated Carla Saunders, NNP-BC, advance practice coordinator
with Pediatrix Medical Group at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
“Power packed with excellent keynote speakers, the Summit brought hope
to our team that has treated more than 400 prescription drug-exposed
newborns suffering from withdrawal in the past two years.”
“We learned so much about the problem of prescription substance abuse
and what can, and is, being done to combat the problem,” Saunders said.
“We had incredible opportunities to ‘unite’ with others and see that
there is hope. In hope there is strength, and in strength there is the
power to make a difference.”
Last
year’s conference sparked many on-going collaborations among
stakeholders in this on-going battle. Feedback from the more than 700
participants has been used to shape discussion at the second Summit,
to be held April 2-4, 2013, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate
in Florida. Breakout and general session programs will focus on ways
participants can “Make An Impact” in the fight against prescription drug
abuse.
With youth experimenting with drugs at an earlier and earlier age, it
is incumbent on all stakeholders to identify and collaborate on
successful educational strategies that will help change behaviors.
No single entity or initiative can solve our nation’s problems alone.
In addition to grassroots educational efforts, law enforcement
strategies and providing appropriate treatment/recovery programs for
addicts, we must look at long-term cures – and that involves effective
legislation at local, state and federal levels. The Summit brought
recognition to work of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug
Abuse and collaboration continues on strong Prescription Drug Monitoring
Programs.
“This may be the biggest challenge of our society, and the only way
this destructive trend can be reversed is if everyone — I mean, everyone
– gets involved,” stated U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-3rd), a keynote
speaker at the first Summit. “Our nation’s future – our children’s and
grandchildren’s future – hangs in the balance.”
We cannot let this problem go unchecked. Prescription drug abuse is
growing out-of-control, draining limited resources and devastating
families. Please join this important national conversation on April 2-4, 2013, and Make An Impact! Our future is at stake.
Karen Kelly, President/CEO, Operation United
Military Deployment Increases Risk of Substance Abuse in Young Family Members
Having a parent or sibling who has been deployed in the
military increases the risk of drug and alcohol use among middle and
high school students, a new study finds.
The study found multiple deployments by a parent or sibling was
linked with an increased risk of lifetime and recent use of drugs and
alcohol, MedicalXpress
reports. The study found a high number of deployments was linked with a
14 percent increase in the likelihood of lifetime drug use, and an 18
percent increased risk of recent use.
The researchers at the University of Southern California School of
Social Work found youth in grades 5 to 11 with a sibling in the military
were more likely to use drugs than those with a parent in the military.
The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“The potential for strain and the trauma associated with multiple
deployments in the past 10 years of war seem to be driving this. People
need to be aware that these experiences have an impact,” lead author
Tamika Gilreath said in a news release.
She added, “Everyone talks about the impact of parents, but no one
talks about the impact of other close family members, such as siblings.
There is research to suggest that the deployment of a sibling is
similarly disruptive as parental deployment. Parental concern may
influence their interactions with the younger sibling who is left to
cope with their own sense of loss as well as their parents’.”
The researchers suggest schools with a high density of students with
deployed family members should consider providing education about
substance use. They also recommend that community medical providers
increase substance abuse screening in these children.
Phone App Shows Effects of Drinking On Facial Appearance
A new phone app shows the effect of drinking alcohol on a person’s facial appearance. The “Drinking Mirror” is designed to make people aware of the physical toll of heavy alcohol consumption.
The app, which is free until March, is available for Android and
iPhone users. People can upload or take a photo of themselves, and enter
information about their drinking habits, The Washington Post
reports. The app shows them how their face might age if they continue
to consume alcohol at their current rate, by adding weight gain, dull
skin, wrinkles and red cheeks.
The app is part of the Scottish government’s “Drop a Glass Size”
campaign, launched by Health Secretary Alex Neil this month. “Evidence
shows us that most people who drink alcohol, particularly at home, have
no idea of how much they are actually consuming. This campaign will show
people how small changes to their drinking habits can have a
significant impact on their health and wellbeing,” he said in a news release.
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