January 31 v 8 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB 

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves ,for the rights of all who are destitute .

STEP 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Sometimes we gotta fight for those who are still out there lost in addiction. Most families give up and the state writes folks off as incouragble and beyond help. Who are they too put a label on someone and write them off. For those of us who live step twelve everyday know where I am coming from . No one is beyond reach and anyone can get sober but if society gives up and we give up then they will have no one. Being a passionate twelve stepper takes patience ,courage , and love . When twelve stepping never ever forget where you came from and the hell you had to go through to find sobriety. My fellow twelve steppers the best recipe for our struggling brothers and sisters success is positive , sober , patient loving advice. LOVE TEARS DOWN ALL STRONGHOLDS !

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me!

CADCA 2014 National Leadership Forum Convenes Next Week

By Join Together Staff | January 30, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs, Prevention & Youth

Next week, more than 2,500 community leaders will gather in the Washington, D.C. area for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) 24th annual National Leadership Forum.

The forum, which will take place February 3-6, brings together federal and state officials and community leaders from across the country to find solutions to the nation’s substance abuse problems. It is the nation’s largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers. It will feature more than 80 training courses to help participants learn effective strategies to address drug-related issues in their communities.

Topics will range from preventing prescription drug abuse and marijuana use among youth, to how to reduce tobacco use and underage drinking.

Speakers will include Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Pamela Hyde, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator; Frances Harding, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; and leadership expert Brigadier General Barrye Price, Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army.

January 30, 2014

Join a NAADAC Committee

Share your expertise and chart the future of the nation's largest professional organization for addiction-focused professionals.

NAADAC has Standing Committees on the following topics: Bylaws, Clinical Issues, Ethics, Nominations and Elections, and Public Policy.

In addition, NAADAC has the following Ad Hoc Committees:

Awards Sub-Committee;

Adolescent Specialty Committee;

International Committee;

Membership Retention Committee;

Mentoring Committee;

National Addiction Studies and Standards Collaborative Committee;

Peer Assistance Committee; and

Student Committee.

[ More Information ] and [ Download the Committee Nomination Form]

Free NAADAC Webinar: 

What Does Science Say? Reviewing Recovery Research

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 @ 3-5pm EST 

(2 CST/1 MST/12 PST)

Produced by NAADAC Institute Webinar Series

In this free webinar, Bill White will review what is known about the resolution of severe alcohol and other drug problems from the standpoint of scientific and historical research. The review will include information on the prevalence of recovery as well as the pathways, styles, stages, degrees and durability of recovery. Don’t miss this important installment of the Recovery to Practice (RTP) Webinar Series, and learn about the latest recovery-oriented research from the addiction profession’s leading expert.

NAADAC members earn 2 free CE credits (Join Now) that are accepted by NAADAC, NBCC, OASAS, CAADE and the American Probation and Parole Association.

Never attended a webinar before? Get your questions answeredhere.

[ Register ] and [ More Information ]

New NIDA Resources for Treatment of Teens with SUDs

On January 23, 2014, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released two resources to help parents, health care providers, and substance use disorders treatment specialists treat teens struggling with drug abuse, as well as identify those who might be at risk.

A new online publication, Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research Based Guide, describes the treatment approaches.

To increase early screening of adolescent substance abuse, theSubstance Use Disorders in Adolescents: Screening and Engagement in Primary Care Settings educational module was created.

[ More Information ]

Become a Nationally Certified Adolescent Addictions Counselor (NCAAC)

Raise your professional stature by becoming a Nationally Certified Adolescent Addictions Counselor (NCAAC), a national credential that recognizes the clinical standard and the highest level of professional competencies for practitioners treating adolescents with substance use disorders (SUDs).

The National Certification Examination for Adolescent Addiction Counselors was developed to address the emerging need to:

Distinguish a set of skills indicating proficiency in demonstrated clinical practice when treating adolescents;

Identify a thorough awareness of adolescent development; and 

Differentiate issues related to co-occurring disorders that practitioners show expertise in understanding when working with adolescents. 

[ More Information ]

Apply for SAMHSA's Project LIFT

Are you an emerging behavioral health leader who provides direct services to predominantly African-Americans, Hispanic/Latino(a)s, American Indian/Alaska Natives, or rural populations?

SAMHSA’s Project LIFT (Leadership Initiatives for Tomorrow) is presently recruiting behavioral health peers and professionals who serve any of the populations noted above. This free six-month leadership development program is designed to enhance emerging leaders’ leadership competencies and skills related to health reform.

Deadline for Applications: February 7, 2014

[ More Information ] and [ Application ]

Share Your Clients' Success Stories!

NAADAC is looking for stories from clients/patients on the positive impact of addiction-focused professionals on their recovery. These stories will be used in advocacy efforts and can be submitted anonymously (please include the state they are from). For more information or to submit your story, please contact our Communications Associate, Jessica Gleason.

New Extended Deadline: February 24, 2014

[ Contact Jessica ]

Is Your Practice Recovery-Oriented?

Do you use recovery-oriented principles and practices? What is your definition of recovery? SAMHSA describes the four major dimensions that support a life in recovery as:

Health: overcoming or managing one’s disease(s) as well as living in a physically and emotionally healthy way;

Home: a stable and safe place to live;

Purpose: meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school, volunteerism, family caretaking or creative endeavors and the independence, income and resources to participate in society; and

Community: relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love and hope,

[ Learn Other Recovery Definitions ]

Brush up on your recovery-oriented counseling skills and practices by participating in NAADAC's Recovery to Practice (RTP) Initiative. Watch free webinars, read free magazine articles, attend live events, and complete a recovery-oriented certificate program.

[ Download RTP Flyer ] or [ Learn More ]

Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow!

Early Bird Registration for NAADAC's 2014 Advocacy in Action Conference ends tomorrow, January 31st! Join addiction professionals from around the country from March 2–4 in Washington, D.C. to learn about public policy issues affecting your clients and your profession, and bring your day-to-day experiences and stories to decision-makers at all levels of government.

Don't forget to make your hotel reservations at the Holiday Inn & Suites Alexandria-Historic District by February 24, 2014 to receive a preferred rate of $129/night. Please mention NAADAC when making your reservation over the phone at 877-504-0047.

[ More Information ], [ Conference Brochure ], and [ Registration ]

Live IL Training with NAADAC ED

Presented by NAADAC and the Illinois Association of Addiction Professionals (IAAP)

Explore the long-term impact of behavioral learning on emotional development and maturity. Join Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, Executive Director of NAADAC, on March 17, 2014 at the Illinois Certification Board Spring Conference for her training, Romancing the Brain in Recovery: Conflict Resolution in Recovery & Relapse Prevention. 

This training will provide an effective, cost-efficient, feasible model for improving clients' conflict resolution knowledge, attitudes and skills and help reduce relapse and sustain recovery of adult and adolescent substance use, abuse and dependent clients.

[ Register ] and [ Event Flyer ]

Membership Benefit #1: Free Online Continuing Education

NAADAC Continuing Education (CE) credits are completely free for NAADAC members. Members have access to over 70 hours of free on-demand webinars, offered online to watch at your convenience. Simply watch the webinar/online course of your choice, complete the online CE quiz, and receive a free CE certificate to use towards your license or credential.

All continuing education provided by NAADAC has the following approval and acceptance:

National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)

American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)

New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)

California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators (CAADE)

[ Join Now ] and [ NAADAC Webinar Series ]

Archived Webinar: Defining Addiction Recovery

A component of the Recovery to Practice (RTP) Initiative

This free webinar highlights the emergence of recovery as an organizing paradigm for addiction treatment, outline the challenges in defining recovery and related concepts, review samples of work to date to define recovery, and discuss areas of emerging consensus and continued contention in defining recovery. Earn 1.5 CE credits!

[ Archived Recording ] and [ More Information ]

Update Your NAADAC Profile

Start the year off on the right foot! Log into NAADAC to verify your contact information and preferences to make sure you are taking advantage of everything NAADAC has to offer.

[ Update Profile ]

NAADAC Career Center

The NAADAC Career Center provides a variety of employment listings at no charge for addiction-focused professionals. If you are looking to find a new career, the NAADAC Career Center can help! Check out our latest listing:

Health Care Professional (HCP) Director at the Hazelden Foundation in Newberg, OR

[ Browse Full Listings ] 

January 30 v 5 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

" Every word of God is flawless ;

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him .

STEP 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

There are millions that will agree with the Proverb including myself that Gods word (Bible) is just that and the book holds the instructions for everyday life. A few years back I met a man named Clark who was an addict, He spent thirty years of his life using. When he met me I invited him to church, at first he did not want to go so I kept asking . Then one day he said to me I have tried everything else in life, I might as well give God a try. Clark had hit the bottom, thirty years of using brought him to what he thought was the end but it actually turned out to be the beginning. His story was so similar to all of ours. His mom and dad died when he was very young, addiction killed them prematurely so he was raised by his older brothers who were both addicts also. When he was around ten he was kidnapped, beaten, raped and left for dead. He survived, but to cope with all the tragedies he began using to kill the pain. What Clark did not realize was he was dealing with life by what he saw growing up. No one ever taught him about God and there was a purpose for his life and that is found in Gods word. It took Clark thirty years to realize his way just wasn't working. Going to church He surrendered (Step 1), Believing and receiving Gods word was (Step 2 ) and finally on His knees sobbing uncontrollably he handed his life over to the care of God (Step 3 ) . Clark passed away a few years back but he died sober with dignity and I realized my brother and friend touched more people in his death than in his life.

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me!

DEA Joins Investigation Into Source of Deadly Heroin That Killed 22

By Join Together Staff | January 29, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related & Drugs


The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined an investigation into the source of a batch of heroin that killed 22 people in western Pennsylvania, The Wall Street Journal reports. The heroin involved in some of the deaths contained the synthetic opiate fentanyl, often used during surgery.

“We do have a good idea where it’s coming from,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane said of the drug mix. “We’re trying to find the source and get them off the street before there are any more deaths.”

Dr. Karl Williams, medical examiner for Allegheny County, said 15 overdose deaths in the county appeared to be linked to heroin and fentanyl. In an average week, there are five overdose deaths in the county. More nonfatal overdoses were also reported.

Officials found bags of heroin mixed with fentanyl at the scene of overdose deaths stamped with the names “Theraflu” and “Bud Ice,” the article notes. While most heroin is a tan color, these bags of powder were pure white, Williams said. “Clearly, someone has mixed up a big dose of it,” he said.

Some local law enforcement and health officials are concerned that warning drug users about the dangerous heroin mix will encourage them to seek it out for a more potent high. “A lot will chase it, and demand goes up,” Neil Capretto, Medical Director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center told the newspaper. “They will think those who died were just careless.”

Supreme Court: Heroin Dealer Can’t be Given Longer Sentence Because Client Died

By Join Together Staff | January 29, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs &Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled a heroin dealer cannot be held liable for a client’s death and given a longer sentence if heroin only contributed to the death, and was not necessarily the only cause.

The ruling is likely to result in a shorter sentence for Marcus Burrage, who received 20 extra years in prison because of his client’s death, according to USA Today. The decision is also likely to make it more difficult in the future for prosecutors to extend drug sentences, the article notes.

A 1986 federal drug law requires a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence when “death or serious bodily injury results from the use” of drugs from a dealer. Burrage received a 20-year sentence for the drug sale, and an additional 20 years as a result of Joshua Banka’s death. According to an expert in the case, Banka’s death would have been “very less likely” if he had not used the heroin. However, Banka also had other drugs in his system, making it unclear whether heroin caused his death.

“Is it sufficient that use of a drug made the victim’s death 50 percent more likely? Fifteen percent? Five? Who knows?” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the ruling. “Uncertainty of that kind cannot be squared with the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard applicable in criminal trials or with the need to express criminal laws in terms ordinary persons can comprehend.”

January 28 v 23 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

In the end, people appreciate honest criticism

far more than flattery.

STEP 10 : Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Sometimes I still respond with old behaviors without realizing it. Twenty years of running the streets become a part of me and its not like you can just shake it off. There are times when my wife will say your crazy and I will go on the defensive and say you don't understand ,and for the most part she doesn't but shes right when it comes to the way I react . I have to remember I am not on the streets and I just cant go ghetto every time something goes down. The Proverb teaches us that the ones that love us are the ones who have our best interest at heart and I have to realize she is not putting me down she is being honest and trying to help me realize I need to change my thinking and behaviors. Not everyone is out to get me and every time someone crosses me I don't have to try and get even . Most people prefer you give it to em straight especially those like myself cause most of us from the street can smell a pile of bull a mile away and we already know what your gonna say before you even say it . I call it respect and true love when you can tell a person anything . Know matter how much you think the truth will hurt say it anyway cause lying will cause a lot more damage in the long run and most still in active addiction already know the truth and some are waiting to hear the truth from you .

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me !

it.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Our Crackhead Mayor as a Drunken Uncle

It might seem ridiculous from afar, but Mayor Ford's antics to his fellow Toronto residents feel more like a family meltdown.


By Jowita Bydlowska

01/24/14

Thanks to the Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, for the first time in my life, I’m getting a taste of what it might be like to live with an unpredictable, defiant addict. Let’s say, a drunken uncle. Like many people who live with addicts, in the past few months, I’d gone through a spin-cycle of feelings – disgust, outrage, compassion, frustration—because of this particular addict uncle’s behavior.

Ford has always been a sloppy politician. He has a less than impressive council attendance record, he is ignorant of some of the most important procedures of city council, he gets himself all confused about public transit in his own city, just to name a few blunders. But it is his public bottoming out that has brought him most notoriety.

Not that he came to notoriety suddenly. Before he became a mayor, he was known as that wacky councilor who’d say ridiculously offensive things such as when he compared Asian people to “dogs” or when he said that you probably won’t get AIDS unless you’re gay and/or are using needles. But it was only in his incarnation as a mayor that he became world famous—you’ve heard of him, haven’t you?—and all because of his addictive antics. Consider his most famous quote of 2013: When asked about having ever smoked crack, Ford replied, “I don’t even remember. Probably in one of my drunken stupors.”




Now, there was cautious hope among the citizens of our Al-Anonish city that perhaps things were going to get better with uncle Ford.

In November, when Ford was stripped of most of his mayoral duties I’ve felt relief akin, I’m sure, to what one might feel when the drunk-driving uncle gets his driver’s license suspended. All of a sudden, there was the hope that he would just go away for good—surely after such a public reprimand most people would lie low.

My wanting him to go away had nothing to do with the confusing compassion I’d felt for him as well.Even though he’s in denial, he’s defiant and he’s hardly asking for anyone’s sympathy, I do wish him well. Most of all, I really feel for his immediate family. Like most addicts I’ve put my own family through hell and I’ve been told what that was like, and, seriously, screw me then.

As for being on the other side of the fence of addiction, growing up, there were no addicts in my family. My father had never not come home because of a bender; I had never found my mother passed out on the floor. There were no publicly embarrassing episodes. Actually, there was one time—my father went to a party (he was 34 at the time) and came home tipsy. I was horrified because a friend was sleeping over and my father woke us up by shouting happily at my mother who shouted not so happily back at him. I didn’t want my friend to think we were that kind of family.

Years later, sitting in recovery meetings I’d listen to horror stories about drunken parents, uncles, siblings. The life with an active addict seemed to be full of crushed hopes and frustrations and then more hopes, and more crushing of them. And often there was resentment toward the addicted family member, no matter how deep of a compassion for the same addict. I remember a man sharing how he wouldn’t be able to breathe on hearing his step-father come home—his throat seemed to close in on itself from anxiety.

Ford’s trajectory has been marked by controversy after controversy: from the denials about the infamous crack tape where Ford was said to have been filmed lighting up the pipe, to the revelation that the tape does indeed exist, to Ford’s fabulously enabling family members, such as his brother, Doug Ford, or his mother and sister who on crack revelations, insisted on live television that Ford’s problem is his weight, not drinking.

There are more Ford gaffes that are becoming the stuff of future legends, such as him saying “I have enough to eat at home” when referring to cunnilingus and his wife; or pushing an elderly councilorduring a council city meeting. His behavior is erratic, bizarre. His denial is baroque.



Whenever I hear the man deny and lie and then deny some more, I feel like one of those prehistoric know-it-all AA guys with fifty years of sobriety and I think: I’m going to save you a seat, son. For those of you who are not versed in 12 steps, what I’m implying is that Ford is indeed an addict and that one day he’ll screw up enough that he will make it to an AA meeting (here I will be saving him a seat). (Not really.)

From hearing other people’s stories about living with addicted relatives, I know that hope heals as well as destroys. It destroys, maybe because it never seems to die no matter how many times it gets killed. Over time, hope becomes cruel. A thing that eventually just seems to mock you, not the thing that helps you cope with the chaos around you.

The recent ice storm and Ford’s response was sober (pun intended and not) and although not free of drama, it showcased him as the leader that he's supposed to be. He addressed the ongoing concerns and he had only once missed a public address. During the crisis, he had not driven drunk and he had not been filmed smoking crack cocaine. It seemed like that was the perfect opportunity for him to start repairing his public image. Now, there was cautious hope among the citizens of our Al-Anonish city that perhaps things were going to get better with uncle Ford. Despite wishing him well on the personal front, many of us got scared he might get so much better that he will win back the support of those who have lost their faith in him. He is running for re-election in October.

Then, on January 21st, two new videos of Ford being drunk in public have surfaced online. He has referred to the incident as “minor setback.” A setback because he had publicly announced he’s quit drinking in November 2013 (and found Jesus at the same time). The immediate admission of the January 21st drunkenness might be the only good part about the latest development in the Ford saga; the fact that he spoke in Jamaican patois in the video is a facepalm.

For now, the aftermath of the latest video scandal is causing more eye-rolling and criticism in media,the addiction experts get interviewed again and the public meltdown continues to provide fodder forheated editorials (and, most will supply great material for late-night shows in the near future). The uncle keeps on drinking.

A sober friend once told me about her alcoholic father moving back in with her in order to “dry out.” He lasted for a few weeks before going on a bender. After she kicked him out, she herself relapsed. She has not seen her father since then and has cut him completely out of her life. Sadly, in Toronto, we have no mechanism to prevent Rob Ford from running for the mayor in October. When I think about him winning the election, I see a passed out drunk uncle I’ve never had, right here on a couch in my living room.

Jowita Bydlowska is a Canadian author whose bestselling book Drunk Mom will be published in May in the US. She last wrote about the children of addicts.

January 27 v 19 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

As in water face reflects face,

So a man’s heart reveals the man.

STEP 5 ; Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs

Not that long ago , I met with a Pastor and he wanted to no a little bit about my background. After a long discussion he said from out of the heart the mouth speaks. In my confusion I said what is that supposed to mean. He smiled and brought up something I had mentioned about not attending a particular church anymore .What he helped me discover was a resentment I had been holding onto that I thought I had handled but obviously had not. Leaving the Pastor that day all I could think about was how I been wronged and hurt by this church and how I kept saying to myself God will take care of it. What puzzled me was how did the Pastor know I was carrying this resentment . After a lot of soul searching I realized this had to be dealt with and it was and I felt like a weight had been lifted from me. What ever it is deep down in your heart will come out no matter how hard you try to hide it. From out of the heart the mouth speaks and sometimes we will discover that no matter how many times we try to rehearse and twist our words the true you will always come through . 

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me !

January 25 v 28 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Like a city whose walls are broken through
    is a person who lacks self-control.

STEP 3  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God .

Way ,way , way back in the old days large cities built massive walls to offer protection to those who lived inside the city. The proverb is comparing that to self control.I was always taught building a wall around ourselves was a bad thing. Well lets think about that for a minute.I think what the Proverb along with the step is trying to tell us is , self control is the foundation on which we are to build a wall of self protection not isolation.If you are at step seven then you already have the foundation ,  and have started to lay the bricks of knowledge and sound sober advice and experience.My life lacked all self control and I left myself open for all the attacks of my poor choices. Warrants , poor health , depression , fear , anger , guilt  , resentment , and the list of  attacks goes on and on. Learning to control our compulsiveness will keep us safe behind the walls we are trying to build.First we must tear down the walls that isolate us and build new walls with windows and doors we must be careful and watchful on what or who we let in and out . Walls built for isolation do not have windows or doors keeping us trapped with no ability of letting anyone in or out and if you stay behind those walls you will certainly die alone in addiction. It is impossible for us to build new massive walls by ourselves so it is of the utmost importance we have the great architect and creator of the world on our side and that is GOD you found HIM at step one. 

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me !

New on COA Recovery Radio Let's Talk About Recovery!   COARR plays recovery talk 24/7/365.....Find your favorite COARR recovery shows on demand in the online archive at www.coaradio.com/pastshows.html or tune in to www.coaradio.com to hear what's playing now.... COARR can be accessed via any Internet-enabled device - for the free smartphone app, visit your iphone or android store.    To keep current on upcoming radio shows, radio videos and show news, click here to join the COARR Facebook group.     Tune in this Thursday at 7:30 pm EST for the debut of Relationships in Recovery with Alexa....or come into the station to be part of the audience! Listen at www.coaradio.com or on your smartphone. New COARR recovery show episodes:    Wednesdays 8:30 - 9:30 pm: "Laughter & Recovery" with stand up comic Wil B. Kleen. Tomorrow night's show will be brand new, with lots of laughs and new on-air personalities.The station will be open and welcomes any & all to join the audience. Come in and share some laughs! Thursdays, 7:30 - 8:30 pm Debut show this week!   Thursdays, 9 - 10 pm: "Saving Lives" with COA Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark.    Fridays, 8:30 - 9:30 pm: "Nar-Anon Families of Addiction Information Line" with Nar-Anon Family Groups ...this week's show features special guest host Dave H. of GRASP talking about losing a loved one to addiction. Click here to listen to Dave's first show about grief.    Saturdays, 7 - 8 pm: "Hope Fiend" with Rich Mollica. In last Saturday's powerful episode Rich talked with Sophia Foutres, a missionary who rescues addicted prostitutes.  If you missed this outstanding show, click here to listen to the re-play. Saturdays, 8 - 9 pm: "Emotional Sobriety" with Andrew Finley, MFT.    Sundays, 5 - 6 pm: "Conquering Addiction" with Christian Life Prison & Recovery Ministries Sundays, 8 - 9 pm: "Share Your Scars" with Vicki Duffy. Last Sunday's show was "Putting Words In Motion", in which Vicki talked about how to convert positive thoughts into positive actions. Click here to listen to the re-play.       Mondays, 8 - 8:30 pm: "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery" with recovery musician Kathy Moser. In yesterday's show, Kathy discussed how meditation can help the recovery process.Click here to listen to the re-play.       Tuesdays, 8:30 - 9:30 pm: "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas.     Rosary Prayer Group at The Dwier Center   There will be a meeting of the new Tuesday night Rosary intercessory prayer group at 6:00 pm tonight at the Dwier Center. The Rosary group meets weekly to pray the Rosary for the entire COA family, including those in recovery and those not yet. Like other forms of meditation/spiritual connection, praying the Rosary has been shown to produce profound benefits... to learn more about how this practice can help you, click here.   RED Forum at Rider University How Lacey Township New Jersey Is Fighting Skyrocketing Heroin Overdoses   F or more videos from the Forum, click here. To learn more about bringing RED to your town, or to receive a summary of the Forum that you can send to your local officials, contact CityofAngelsNJ@hotmail.com. More than 100 officials, policymakers and community leaders from Princeton, Lawrenceville, Robbinsville and other towns attended COA's first RED Forum last month to learn more about drug addiction & recovery. RED - "Raising & Educating a Drug-Free Community" - was held at Rider University and featured keynote speaker Dickie Noles a recoveree and the pitcher who led the Phillies to their 1980 World Series win, Dickie is a successful recoveree who now uses his fame to advocate for recovery and support organizations that assist children. Attendees also heard from Robbinsville police officer Scott Kivet, Executive Director of the NJ State Commission of Investigation Phil Degnan (shown in the video at left), clinician & counselor Jennifer Howell, noted lecturer Carmen Ambrosino, Lacey Township Municipal Alliance Coordinator Heather Scanlon, and COA's Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark.

If You Tweet, Tumbl or Pin....   ...Follow COA on our new social media! For Twitter, click here.   For Tumblr, click here. For Pinterest, click here.   Tidbits COA hosts support group meetings for both recoverees and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, Men's and Women's Recovery groups,  Relapse Prevention Group, Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.   For directions to the Dwier Center, click here.  The COA website offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, news and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  More than 28,000 viewers around the world have watched original videos on the  COA YouTube channel. To tune in, click here.       Check out COARR's new Tumblr page!     For COA's Twitter page, click here.     Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.       Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.    City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.