STEP 1
When I walk past a cemetery I gaze upon the motionless stones and look upon the names and wonder how many never reached step one. How many of those folks that lay in the cold earth died, never reaching there full potential. So many of us never find the courage to truly admit powerlessness! Even our final moments can be filled with resentment unforgiveness jealously and whatever wall we have built around ourselves a wall that we never seem to be able to get over. When your time comes will you be able to go in peace or will you leave here with unfinished business and way below your GOD given potential. Life happens in a flash, don't waste another moment. Surrender and realize you were made for so much more. Tear down the wall of self and rebuild a brand new you and then when your time comes you will truly rest in peace.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
PRO - ACT Recovery Walks ! 2012
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Sunday, March 4, 2012
A Prayer for Parents of Troubled Teens
Letting go, doing all that you can and nothing more; this is a trial for any parent watching a teen abuse drugs. Pray for understanding, for grace and for healing.
LORD, SOMETIMES I DON’T KNOW WHERE MY JOB AS A PARENT ENDS AND YOUR HEAVENLY GIFT AS SAVIOR BEGINS. GRANT ME UNDERSTANDING, SO THAT I MAY DO ALL THAT I CAN, AND NOTHING MORE.
LORD, KEEP MY FAITH BURNING BRIGHT. I BELIEVE IN YOU AND I BELIEVE IN YOUR POWER AND LOVE, BUT SOMETIMES I AM TEMPTED TO ACT IN YOUR STEAD. I HURT SO MUCH WATCHING MY SON DESTROY HIMSELF. GRANT ME FAITH, SO THAT I MAY RECEIVE YOUR GRACE AND ACT AS YOUR INSTRUMENT OF LOVE.
LORD, SAVE ME FROM DESPAIR. I GET OVERWHELMED SOMETIMES. MY WIFE AND MY KIDS NEED ATTENTION, LOVE AND SUPPORT, AND SO DO I. GRANT ME CLARITY SO THAT I MAY SERVE MY FAMILY, EVEN IN THIS DARK HOUR.
LORD, SHOW ME THE PATH I MUST WALK. SHOW ME WHAT GOOD WORKS I CAN DO TO SERVE YOU. I NEED YOUR GUIDANCE, AND ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES I FEEL RAGE, LORD, TRANSFORM MY ANGER INTO LOVE, AND USE ME AS AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PURPOSE.
LORD, LET MY SON FEEL YOUR LOVE. I BELIEVE THAT ONLY YOU CAN HEAL HIS WOUNDS. HE IS TROUBLED, HE HARMS HIMSELF, PLEASE; BRING HIM HOME.
AMEN
Read more: A Prayer for Parents of Troubled Teens
Anthrax-Killing Foam Proving Effective in Meth Lab Decontamination
Anthrax-Killing Foam Proving Effective in Meth Lab Decontamination
By Join Together Staff | February 21, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related & Drugs
A decontamination foam, previously used to clean up federal office buildings and mailrooms during anthrax attacks more than a decade ago, is now being used to decontaminate illegal methamphetamine (meth) labs Science Daily reports.
The foam renders all types of chemical and biological agents harmless, according to officials at Sandia’s Chemical & Biological Systems, the makers of the decontamination foam.
Sandia’s decontamination foam is comprised of a collection of mild, nontoxic and noncorrosive chemicals found in common household products, such as hair conditioner and toothpaste. It contains both surfactants, which lift agents off a surface, and mild oxidizers, which break down the agent’s molecules into nontoxic pieces that can be washed down a household drain like detergent or dish soap.
According to the Department of Justice, the chemicals used to cook meth and its byproducts produce toxic fumes, vapors and residues that have lasting effects to local neighborhoods and the environment. Anyone exposed to these byproducts, especially children, could suffer serious health problems and prolonged exposure to meth byproducts may cause cancer, damage the brain, the immune system and may result in birth defects.
Illegal meth labs are a growing problem in America and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Clandestine Meth Lab registry lists thousands of locations across the country where law enforcement agencies have found chemicals or paraphernalia linked to either clandestine drug laboratories or meth lab dumpsites.
Incidents related to meth production, including seizures of labs, dumpsites or chemical and glassware, increased to 11,239 in 2010, after falling to 6,095 in 2007, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Friday, March 2, 2012
LIVENGRIN PRESENTS RIDE FOR RECOVERY
Grab your chance to win a
Harley-Davidson Wide Glide
™
(or $7,500 cash option)
Each year Livengrin raises funds and enhances the public's awareness about how meaningful – and achievable – recovery from addiction can be. The Ride for Recovery poker run attracts individual registrants and a variety of motorcycle clubs, firefighters, "sober biker" groups and local chapters of national organizations.
It's more than a great country ride and then stuffing yourself at an immense picnic (although that's fine with us). The Ride is an important opportunity to show the current patients in our residential program that there are many ways to enjoy life and express your individuality without alcohol and drugs! Help us achieve that!
New This Year!
The Ride for Recovery begins at Barb's Harley-Davidson on the Black Horse Pike, where Collingswood meets Mount Ephraim in NJ (just over the Walt Whitman bridge). A new Ride route through NJ & PA concludes at our Bensalem campus, minutes from I-95, Rt. 1, Street Road and the PA Turnpike.
Event Registration Open!
Enter the 2012
Ride for Recovery Raffle
and take home a
2012 Harley-Davidson Wide Glide
™
(or $7,500 cash option)
2 Runners-up Win Big Cash Prizes
Tickets $10 Available Now
Make the Ride for Recovery
Part of Your Wardrobe
and help spread the message about this great event!
RIDE SHIRTS & HOODIES
New Design All Sizes
Our ride shirts usually sell out at the event so order yours now!
This year, treat your riding buddies to the winter versions - a unique gift that also helps advance Livengrin's mission.
All proceeds from the Ride for Recovery benefit the patient care programs at Livengrin, for people working hard to recover their physical health, emotional strength and ability to make the right choices for their future.
Each year, the Ride and Raffle raise more than $30,000 to benefit patient programs. Help us do as well - or better - in 2012!
Raffle Drawing at the Ride for Recovery, June 3, 2012
* PA License #10-138 ~ Winner need not be present at drawing ~ Winners responsible for pickup of prizes and any taxes, licenses, dealer prep or freight
See complete Ride for Recovery Raffle Rules.
Livengrin Event & Ride Store Hotline: 215-638-5200, # 310
Thursday, March 1, 2012
12 STEPPING TO RECOVERY DAILY THOUGHT!!
STEP ONE
It's not whats on the outside that defiles us, it's what's already on the inside. My favorite book (Bible) teaches us that we come into this world wicked. For out of the heart comes drunkenness, lewdness, debauchery, sexual immorality, lying, murder and anything else our wicked hearts can devise. When our very insides are this wicked and out of control no wonder our lives become unmanageable. That's why step one is so important. Once we realize that the wickedness that lies within has taken complete control of us, we need a higher power to break us free from ourselves. Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
It's not whats on the outside that defiles us, it's what's already on the inside. My favorite book (Bible) teaches us that we come into this world wicked. For out of the heart comes drunkenness, lewdness, debauchery, sexual immorality, lying, murder and anything else our wicked hearts can devise. When our very insides are this wicked and out of control no wonder our lives become unmanageable. That's why step one is so important. Once we realize that the wickedness that lies within has taken complete control of us, we need a higher power to break us free from ourselves. Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Can you die from taking Molly?
Yes. You can die from an accidental overdose on Molly.
But what is in Molly and what are some of the other risks of taking Molly? Can you take Molly safely? More on Molly risks and safety here. Plus, we invite you to ask your questions about using this club drug at the end.
What Is Molly?
Molly is the street name for 1-3-Triflouromethylphenyl piperazine (TFMPP), an industrial chemical used as an intermediate in chemical synthesis in certain chemical industries. TFMPP became available in 2001 as a legal alternative to MDMA, or Ecstacy. Nicknamed “Molly”, TFMPP is most often used in combination with benzylpiperazine (BZP) and sold as “A2”, “legal E”, or “legal x”, in order to enhance its spectrum of effects. This enhancement is often powerful and can be extremely dangerous. Fatalities have been reported, as a result of overdose or suicide.
How Is Molly Used?
TFMPP has no known medical use in the United States but is used alone primarily for its hallucinogenic effects. More often, Molly is used in combination with other “club drugs” and/or alcohol.
The Effects Of Molly
Self- reported information indicates that Molly causes hallucinations. Some people describe Molly as a mild hallucinogenic, and report feeling mild, pleasant and mellow. Others say that taking BZP enhances the effects. Pharmacological effects of taking TFMPP (Molly) include:
anti-aggressive effects
anxiolytic
hyperthermia
hypophagia
interference with circadian system (distortions of time)
locomotor inhibition
respiratory depression
In sum, TFMPP interferes with heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature…and possibly worse.
Is Molly Safe?
Recently, there has been an escalation in Molly abuse. But is Molly safe to use?
The short answer is: It depends on the user, dosage, and whether or not you take Molly with other drugs. Molly has properties similar to the stimulant effects of Ecstasy. But when taken in larger doses, Molly promotes hallucinogenic reactions. This poses an even greater risk to people who have taken Ecstasy before and accidentally overdose by trying to achieve similar hallucinogenic effects using Molly.
Still, the DEA is currently conducting “Operation X-Out”, a nationwide initiative to increase education and enforcement operations involving club and predatory drugs. Drug distributors claim that club and “date rape” drugs are safe. But the truth is that club drugs such as GHB, Ecstasy, Ketamine and TFMPP can be deadly. In 2002, Molly was given emergency controlled substance scheduling by the DEA. TFMPP was given Schedule I status, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no known medical use. However, this status was reduced in 2004 reverting TFMPP to non-control status. Still, the states of Georgia and Louisiana have enacted legislation to control TFMPP.
Death Risk On Molly
Molly has effects similar to Ecstasy, but taken in larger doses it promotes hallucinogenic reactions. This poses an even greater risk to young people who have taken Ecstasy and accidentally overdose by trying to achieve the hallucinogenic effects. Perhaps the biggest danger lies in the uncertainty of what substances and in what quantities are being ingested. It is difficult for emergency room personnel to know what a person in respiratory arrest has actually taken when they report “Ecstasy”, which can be a combination of a illicit drugs. How long does XTC last in your system? About 2-3 hours, although the drug can be detected in urine up to 3-4 days after use.
Much like LSD, accidental overdose is often the cause of injury or death. Sensory and time distortions make driving impossible, particularly in combination with alcohol. However, and evidence links them, the current popular “club drug” is Molly and BZP. This is where the biggest threat lies, a deadly combination. The risks associated with BZP abuse are similar to those associated with amphetamine abuse. Stimulants, including BZP and amphetamine, decrease appetite, dilate pupils, and increase blood pressure and heart and respiration rates. Other effects include anxiety, blurred vision, dizziness, and insomnia. Chronic abuse of stimulants can cause irregular heartbeat and can lead to delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia.
Can You Die From Taking Molly?
Yes, it is possible to overdose while on Molly. However, since Molly as a drug is seldom isolated and taken alone, it is difficult to put a number on the fatalities and overdoses exclusively “hers”. However, it is well documented that while promoters may stress the innocence of such rave drugs, they can be deadly.
Questions About Using Molly
Do you have more questions about using Molly? Do you want to stop? If you or someone you love is abusing these drugs, seek help, talk to someone. Get the facts. And ask questions here. We try to respond to all legitimate concerns with a personal and prompt response.
Reference Sources: Civil Air Patrol safety advisory for Molly
US Department of Justice drug information on TFMPP
http://drug.addictionblog.org STORY COURTEOUS OF ADDICTION BLOG
Family Support For Drug Addicts In Recovery
Family Support For Drug Addicts In Recovery
1. Be encouraging.
How to support a drug addict in recovery? The best support you can give is to simply be encouraging. Encourage your recovering addict to share their feelings with you and make the environment safe enough that the addict can trust you and be open and honest. Encourage your loved one coping with urges and cravings to hang in there. Encourage your family member with kind words and kind treatment.
2. Go to meetings.
If they are attending 12 step or self help meetings and ask you to go along, feel free to do so. It is nice to have someone you care about attend an open 12 step meeting with you to learn and meet fellows in recovery and learn about addiction recovery spirituality.
3. Keep drugs or alcohol out of reach.
Preventing relapse in substance abuse is key to continued sobriety. As much as possible, keep the addict’s drug of choice out of site if you have it in the home, and try to abstain from personally using when in contact.
4. Encourage routines.
Encourage your addict to eat properly, sleep properly, exercise, take meds exactly as prescribed, keep all recovery appointments and meeting commitments, live a healthy lifestyle keep their recovery the top priority in their lives. As the new behaviour becomes ingrained in the user, they will ease into mainstream living.
5. Have realistic expectations.
Recovery for the addict will take time. Patience is required. Think how long it took your addict to hit bottom and get into recovery. Behaviour changes will not happen overnight.
6. Forgive and forget.
Yelling, screaming and throwing up the past constantly will not help!
In sum, openly caring about your addict and their recovery will support someone new to addiction recovery. Simply being there, learning to understand the issues, encouraging new positive behaviour; these are things you can do.
Family Support For Drug Addiction Questions
Still have questions about how to support a loved one who is a drug addict? You are not alone! Please leave your questions, comments and share your experiences here. We will try our best to respond to your questions with a personal reply…within a day, or two!
Tags addiction prevention, counseling psychotherapy, drug addiction prevention, preventing addiction, relapse prevention, relationships in recovery
INTERVENTION SERVICES
Intervention Services
You have the power to help and to heal your loved one with just one call.
When your loved one is suffering from an addiction, it’s hard to know who to turn to for help and support. But you and other family members and friends can make a difference in your loved one’s life and help them recover by arranging for intervention services.
An intervention set up through intervention services, performed properly by trained and proficient experts, will help your loved one recognize and admit that they have a problem. When an individual is suffering from an addiction, whether to a substance, a bad habit, or unhealthy activities, it rules their life, influencing all decisions they make, without allowing them to clearly see the effects of their actions. A professional intervention is a catalyst for change, showing the person suffering from addiction that they have a problem, one that they cannot tackle on their own, and that they need professional help, and finally providing them with the support they need to take the next step in their road to recovery.
Prior to the professional intervention, intervention services will have the professional interventionist instruct any family or friends on what to say and what to do, in order to ensure a successful intervention for your loved one. The ultimate goal of any intervention is to guide your loved one to seek to professional rehabilitation treatment. Although you may want to keep your loved one close to home during their rehabilitation treatment (and sometimes there is no other choice) studies have shown the best chance for a lasting recovery i when your loved goes out side of their local environment and familiar surroundings and temptations and regular routine and daily influences.
Your loved one is suffering, and you no longer need to stand by, helplessly watching them destroy their lives and potentially the lives of those around them who are also the ones who love them most.
Take the first crucial step right now by contacting us for our intervention services so we can schedule an intervention for your loved one today!
Call the National Intervention for Drugs and Alcohol right now Toll-Free 24/7 at (800) 567-5986 to start the process of getting your loved one back and finally freeing them from the chains of their addiction before it's too late!
Toll-Free 24/7 at (800) 567-5986
Keeping Teens Safe from Incredibly Destructive and Addictive Crystal Meth
Incredibly addictive, and also one of the most destructive substances a person can put into their body, even recreational users of crystal meth are at great risk for dependency and personal tragedy. The long term health effects of crystal meth abuse are an extremely accelerated aging of the body and mind, a ruined appearance, and a severe and lasting period of psychological depression and despair. Of all the drugs out there, crystal meth is arguably the most dangerous and destructive, and it's also increasingly used by American teens today.
A recent commissioned study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) puts the number of teens experimenting with the drug at about 3%, which is significantly higher than previous studies had indicated. Because the drug is so addictive and so incredibly destructive, the key to successful treatment and abstinence is early intervention; and parents need to be aware of the dangers presented by meth use, and on the lookout for characteristic signs of abuse.
Meth use and abuse cannot be tolerated, and parents who have any suspicions of use need to get immediate professional help and intervention.
Some Signs of Meth Use
The following signs do not necessarily indicate meth use, but they may be considered strong evidence of experimentation or abuse. Parents cannot ignore warning signs of abuse, and teens need immediate intervention should they be experimenting with crystal meth.
Parents should be concerned if they observe:
Very unusual sleeping patterns. Kids using meth may stay awake for days straight and then sleep for days on end…this is not normal adolescent behavior. Teens that seem incredibly alert and energized even after having been up all night may well be using meth.
Nervous tics or behaviors. Scratching at the skin or twitching are warning signs of meth usage.
Loss of appetite and extreme weight loss. Meth users often avoid food, and as a result become emaciated.
Burns on the lips or fingers. Kids using meth often smoke it out of a pipe than get very hot.
Lying and withdrawal. If your teen is suddenly always lying or secretive about behaviors and no longer wants to spend any time with family or old friends, this can be as a result of meth usage.
Sudden carelessness about appearance. Teens always care about how they look, even if their choices of dress seem odd to you. If your teen is no longer concerned about personal hygiene or dress, they may be experimenting with meth.
Aggressive or violent behaviors. Meth can induce uncharacteristic behaviors of aggression or violence, even in previously peaceful kids. This is also not a normal behavior of adolescence.
Missing valuables or money from the home. Although meth is priced at a level conducive to experimentation and recreational use, heavy meth use can get very expensive, especially as a teen develops a tolerance or dependency. Missing valuables may be sold to fund an increasing need for drugs.
The Risks of Crystal Meth for Teens
Few drugs can derail a promising future faster than crystal meth. Heavy crystal meth use destroys the appearance and the teeth, and a few years of meth use can add decades to a person's face. The lasting psychological despair and depression induced by a meth addiction can endure for years even after meth use has stopped, and some people can never recover completely from their meth addiction.
Meth is extremely addictive, even occasional recreational users are at great risk for dependency and addiction.
Meth use damages the organs and the heart, and greatly increases the risk for heart attack and stroke. Additionally, cognitive functions, including memory are extremely distorted by meth use, and a few years of meth use can induce severe cognitive and memory impairments.
Meth use also puts addicts at a greatly increased risk for HIV and other STDs, for involvement in the criminal justice system, and for exposure to violent assaults.
Meth destroys the body, the mind and the soul; and does it faster than any other drug of abuse.
Intervention and Treatment
The earlier intervention and treatment ensues, the better the eventual probability of success and sobriety. Because of the dangers, parents who suspect meth use or abuse cannot wait before acting, and need to get their teen into treatment as soon as possible.
Teens do best in treatment specific to teens, and with age appropriate therapy and true peer support groups. Teenage meth treatment needs to be intensive and long lasting, and needs to occur on an inpatient basis, away from access to meth.
Teens do not need to consent to treatment or even to a need for treatment for it to be effective, and many reluctant participants in therapy come to see the value of drug treatment only after achieving sobriety and through intensive therapeutic participation.
The single greatest predictor for success in teen drug treatment is extensive family support and involvement, and parents and siblings need to participate fully in all offered family counseling and educational seminars.
Meth is very scary, very destructive and even a short period of abuse can have health repercussions for life. Meth addiction can also be beaten, and people are overcoming meth addictions everyday. There is always hope for a better future, and parents need to make sure they stay involved, stay alert, and get their kids any needed treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.
Read more: Keeping Teens Safe from Incredibly Destructive and Addictive Crystal Meth
For Parents: The Dangers Of Prescription Medications
by ChooseHelp
Email Google+ Twitter Facebook
© ThomasThomas
A recent survey by The Partnership For a Drug Free America, has found that not only are parents talking to their kids less than before (Currently 49% of parents engage their kids in discussions about the dangers of drugs which is down 6% from a year ago) they also seem uneducated as to the true dangers lurking for their children.
Only 36% of parents had spoken to their children about the dangers of pharmaceutical medications, and a mere 33% had talked about the risks of abusing over the counter medications such as DMX containing cough syrup. The study reported that there was a common misconception among parents that prescription or over the counter medications were safer than illicit or street drugs.
Another recently released study indicates that one in five high school seniors in America have abused prescription medications to get high.
The fact is that after alcohol abuse, the most commonly abused drugs in America are prescription opiate type pain pills, and a whopping 6 million or more Americans are currently abusing and dependent on these serious drugs.
While an opiate from a laboratory is at least free from contaminants, any opiate once inside the body is largely indistinguishable from any other opiate, and hence the difference between abusing vicodin from the medicine cabinet and snorting a line of heroin is slim.
Today's prescription medications are incredibly addictive, available and destructive; and savvy kids know just how easy it is to source their next high. When parents are so woefully uniformed as to the true dangers of abuse, it's hard to be optimistic about a reduction in the numbers suffering addictions to pharmaceutical opiates any time soon.
That more than half of all parents never speak with their children about the dangers of drugs is in my opinion shocking and irresponsible, but I'm not sure who is really to blame for the misperception of the real risk surrounding easily available pharmaceutical medications. When we are bombarded with advertisements that seem to indicate the safety and efficacy of drugs of all shapes and sizes, maybe it's not surprising that parents, and their kids, think that these drugs are a lot safer than they really are.
Maybe pharmaceutical companies marketing these drugs owe some responsibility for the fates of the many millions of Americans suffering with addictions to these same drugs, and maybe a small portion of the profits made off of the suffering of millions needs should be mandated back to advertising revealing the true dangers of the misuse of these pills.
Drug makers and doctors claim that these medications are safe when taken as directed, and that only through the misuse of these pills is addiction probable. Essentially, "we are not responsible for people trying to get high off of our legitimate drugs". They have a point in some ways, and we do need to maintain some standards of personal accountability; but when companies promote their products in such a way as to cause the massive mis perception of their dangers, can they not be on some level faulted when patients fail to follow the small print directions?
Parents…talk to your kids about the dangers of both over the counter and prescription medications; they are arguably the greatest danger to abuse in our high schools today.
Government…take action to better the current desperate situation of dependency, and hold the companies raking in record profits off of these drugs (6 million addicts makes for a good return!) somewhat accountable, and require a better presentation of the real risks involved with pharmaceuticals as addictive as heroin.
Read more: For Parents: The Dangers Of Prescription Medications
Email Google+ Twitter Facebook
© ThomasThomasA recent survey by The Partnership For a Drug Free America, has found that not only are parents talking to their kids less than before (Currently 49% of parents engage their kids in discussions about the dangers of drugs which is down 6% from a year ago) they also seem uneducated as to the true dangers lurking for their children.
Only 36% of parents had spoken to their children about the dangers of pharmaceutical medications, and a mere 33% had talked about the risks of abusing over the counter medications such as DMX containing cough syrup. The study reported that there was a common misconception among parents that prescription or over the counter medications were safer than illicit or street drugs.
Another recently released study indicates that one in five high school seniors in America have abused prescription medications to get high.
The fact is that after alcohol abuse, the most commonly abused drugs in America are prescription opiate type pain pills, and a whopping 6 million or more Americans are currently abusing and dependent on these serious drugs.
While an opiate from a laboratory is at least free from contaminants, any opiate once inside the body is largely indistinguishable from any other opiate, and hence the difference between abusing vicodin from the medicine cabinet and snorting a line of heroin is slim.
Today's prescription medications are incredibly addictive, available and destructive; and savvy kids know just how easy it is to source their next high. When parents are so woefully uniformed as to the true dangers of abuse, it's hard to be optimistic about a reduction in the numbers suffering addictions to pharmaceutical opiates any time soon.
That more than half of all parents never speak with their children about the dangers of drugs is in my opinion shocking and irresponsible, but I'm not sure who is really to blame for the misperception of the real risk surrounding easily available pharmaceutical medications. When we are bombarded with advertisements that seem to indicate the safety and efficacy of drugs of all shapes and sizes, maybe it's not surprising that parents, and their kids, think that these drugs are a lot safer than they really are.
Maybe pharmaceutical companies marketing these drugs owe some responsibility for the fates of the many millions of Americans suffering with addictions to these same drugs, and maybe a small portion of the profits made off of the suffering of millions needs should be mandated back to advertising revealing the true dangers of the misuse of these pills.
Drug makers and doctors claim that these medications are safe when taken as directed, and that only through the misuse of these pills is addiction probable. Essentially, "we are not responsible for people trying to get high off of our legitimate drugs". They have a point in some ways, and we do need to maintain some standards of personal accountability; but when companies promote their products in such a way as to cause the massive mis perception of their dangers, can they not be on some level faulted when patients fail to follow the small print directions?
Parents…talk to your kids about the dangers of both over the counter and prescription medications; they are arguably the greatest danger to abuse in our high schools today.
Government…take action to better the current desperate situation of dependency, and hold the companies raking in record profits off of these drugs (6 million addicts makes for a good return!) somewhat accountable, and require a better presentation of the real risks involved with pharmaceuticals as addictive as heroin.
Read more: For Parents: The Dangers Of Prescription Medications
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
12 STEPPING TO RECOVERY DAILY THOUGHT!!
STEP 1
Getting to step one can and will take many years of pain sorrow and hardship. Taking a look at one self in the mirror of life and reviewing how you look at you can and be painful. Thirty two years I spent living life the way I wanted and when anyone tried to tell me I was wrong it was look out. Pride is one of the biggest and most blinding hurdles we will have to get over getting to step one. We live life one way for so long it becomes who we are. Our hearts become hardened because of hurts, people letting us down, parents not being there, etc. We have to come to a point in our life where we are not going to let circumstances of life determine who we are. Step one, once reached will bring humility and that will lead to teach ability and finally responsibility.
Getting to step one can and will take many years of pain sorrow and hardship. Taking a look at one self in the mirror of life and reviewing how you look at you can and be painful. Thirty two years I spent living life the way I wanted and when anyone tried to tell me I was wrong it was look out. Pride is one of the biggest and most blinding hurdles we will have to get over getting to step one. We live life one way for so long it becomes who we are. Our hearts become hardened because of hurts, people letting us down, parents not being there, etc. We have to come to a point in our life where we are not going to let circumstances of life determine who we are. Step one, once reached will bring humility and that will lead to teach ability and finally responsibility.
Teens Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana
By Join Together Staff | February 23, 2012 | 6 Comments | Filed in Drugs &Youth
According to a recent study, nearly one in five (19 percent) of teens say they have gotten behind the wheel after smoking marijuana.
As reported in USA Today, the national study of nearly 2,300 11th- and 12th-graders was commissioned by Liberty Mutual Insurance andStudents Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). It showed that a growing percentage of teens do not see marijuana use as a distraction while driving, with 70 percent of teens saying it is “very” or “extremely” distracting, down from 78 percent in 2009.
Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for Policy, Research and Education at SADD, said the findings reflect a “dangerous trend toward the acceptance of marijuana and other substances compared to our study of teens conducted just two years ago…both in terms of the increased use of marijuana and from the perspective that many think this is not a danger.”
Other studies, like the University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” of 47,000 eighth-, 10th and 12th-graders, reflect this trend. That study revealed marijuana use rose in 2011 for the fourth straight year, with daily use at a 30-year peak level among high school seniors.
Of those teens who have driven after smoking pot, 36 percent say it presents no distraction when operating a vehicle. Nineteen percent say alcohol is no distraction, and 13 percent of teens report driving under the influence of alcohol.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Suspicious Death of a Toddler, Meth Lab Found in the Home
Suspicious Death of a Toddler, Meth Lab Found in the Home
A 17-month-old boy was found unresponsive in Akron on Sunday. When police arrived on the scene, the toddler was dead in his crib. They found a working meth lab in the basement. The toddlers mother, along with 3 others, were arrested. Other children also lived in the home. Neighbors were not surprised they had a meth lab, and one neighbor describes them as “shifty.” The 4 people face multiple charges involving methamphetamine, as well as child endangering charges.Read the full story here.
Image courtesy of Ohio.com.
Short URL: http://recoverynowtv.com/news/?p=1558
Monday, February 27, 2012
Many States Considering Measures to Require Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients
By Join Together Staff | February 27, 2012 | 4 Comments | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Government, Legislation & Prevention
Almost two dozen states are considering measures that would require welfare recipients to undergo drug testing, the Associated Press reports.
Although the measures are popular because of a perception that people on public assistance are using state funds to buy drugs, statistics have largely shown that to be untrue, the AP notes.
Critics of the bills point out that courts have struck down similar programs on the grounds they amount to an unconstitutional search.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he supports drug testing of welfare recipients. Fellow candidate Newt Gingrich has said he considers testing as a way to curb drug use and lower related costs to public programs.
The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found an estimated 22.6 million Americans aged 12 or older—8.9 percent of the population—were current illicit drug users. A random drug testing program in Michigan showed a similar percentage of its public assistance applicants tested positive.
In September 2011, Florida found its welfare applicants were less likely than Americans in general to use drugs. The state compiled the figures as part of a state law that required drug tests for welfare applicants. In October, a federal judge halted the Florida law, ruling it may violate the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.
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PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER SIGNING
Linda Clarkson Pressman
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Autism-and-other-medical-disorders-dsm/
Autism and other mental disorders. Don't change the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diso
www.thepetitionsite.com
our mentally challenged need us to be their voice my children are diagnosed with autism (358 signatures on petition)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
REEL Recovery Film Festival~New York City Edition Public Event · By Leonard Lee Buschel
Friday, September 28, 2012 at 1:00pm until Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 11:30pm
The New York City REEL Recovery Film Festival is a 7-day multi-media event showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals who make films about addiction, treatment, recovery and sobriety. Also presenting live comedy and panel discussions.
Our audience is treatment professionals, people in recovery, members of the entertainment industry, media representatives, educated moviegoers, and the general public. Certain television shows have brought individuals’ incomprehensible demoralizing moments (i.e., “bottoms”) to viewers everywhere. We honor the men and women who have passed through the eye of the needle and exemplify the gifts of a valuable and productive sobriety.
This yearly international festival is unique in its focus on drug addiction, alcoholism and recovery. The realistic portrayal of these issues in cinema can be a catalyst for honest conversation and personal transformation
URGENT MESSAGE!!
I would like to apologize to my fellow Americans and especially those of you on Facebook! I know I am bombarding you with my message of recovery and addiction but I can't seem to help myself. Many of my close friends have been buried due to addiction and some are rotting away in prison cells. Addiction is the number one disease in our nation and around the world. Everywhere I look someone is burying someone or bailing them out of jail for the tenth time. No longer can I remain silent. It is my duty and a passion of mine to educate and liberate those who find themselves in the chains of addiction. My hope and prayer is that my message finds those who are getting close to falling off the cliff of no return, and for those who are wondering if there is anyone out there who cares about them and there struggle. Unfortunately addiction has became a way of life, and recovery is the answer, we as a nation must come together to overcome this evil force before it annihilates us.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Missouri Leads Nation in Methamphetamine Lab Busts
By Join Together Staff | February 24, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inAddiction, Community Related & Drugs
The number of methamphetamine lab seizures in the United States rose again last year, according to an Associated Press survey of the nation’s top meth-producing states.
Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive and dangerous drug that maintained a tight grip in states like Missouri, with 2,096 lab seizures in 2011, followed by Tennessee with 1,687, Indiana with 1,437, Kentucky with 1,188 and Oklahoma with 902.
For all but Missouri, the AP survey shows that numbers are higher than the federal data. The Drug Enforcement Administration numbers say that meth lab seizures remained about even during the past two years.
The combined data suggest that nationwide meth lab seizures were up at least 8.3 percent in 2011 compared with 2010.
Some attribute the continued increase on the addictiveness of methamphetamine and the growing popularity of “shake-and-bake,” a meth-making shortcut where the drug is created quickly in a soda bottle. The result is smaller labs, but more of them.
Enabling Interstate Sharing of Prescription Data to Help Prevent Abuse
By Carmen A. Catizone | February 24, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Healthcare & Prescription Drugs
Addressing the national prescription drug abuse epidemic, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) PMP InterConnectSM enhances the ability of prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) to prevent the diversion of controlled substance drugs by facilitating the transfer of PMP data across state lines to authorized PMP users in participating states.
With an estimated seven million Americans abusing prescription drugs, and 1.2 million emergency department visits related to misuse or abuse of prescription drugs in 2009 alone, the implementation of state PMPs, by targeting doctor shopping and pill mills, is one of many strategies to help fight this public health threat.
Doctor shopping, moving from doctor to doctor in an effort to obtain multiple prescriptions for a drug, is one means to obtain drugs used by those misusing prescription drugs or suffering from pill addiction. Illegally operating pain clinics, commonly known as “pill mills,” exacerbate this situation by issuing invalid prescriptions that are often filled on site, or by referring customers to a pharmacy operating in cooperation with the clinic. Further, many doctor shoppers will travel hundreds of miles, often across state lines, in attempts to obtain prescription drugs.
Many states have implemented a PMP, a secure database maintained by a state agency that stores information on prescriptions for controlled substance medications or drugs of concern.
Depending upon state laws, certain authorized users, such as doctors and pharmacists, may view PMP data so that they have complete information on a patient’s controlled substance medication history. Thus, PMPs can help prescribers make better informed treatment decisions and help pharmacists make appropriate dispensing decisions. PMPs can also assist both prescribers and pharmacists in identifying patients who may be doctor shopping and in need of treatment for addiction.
In response to a need expressed by state PMP administrators and regulators, the NABP InterConnect was developed and now provides a way for state PMPs to share data. Authorized PMP users can potentially access complete controlled substance patient data from all states where the patient has had these prescriptions filled. For example, if a patient in Ohio travels to Indiana and needs to have a prescription for a controlled substance medication filled, the pharmacist in Indiana can see records from both states by using the NABP InterConnect. The information reported back from both states can help that pharmacist make decisions about dispensing that are in the best interest of the patient’s health and safety. The NABP InterConnect is a highly secure communications exchange platform that conforms to all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations.
NABP InterConnect enhances the ability of state PMPs to prevent the illegal obtainment of controlled substance prescription drugs via doctor shopping, and to alert health care providers to patients in need of addiction treatment.
PMPs in five states have deployed NABP InterConnect and 10 additional states have signed memorandums of understanding to participate. Additional information about NABP InterConnect and state PMP participation is available in the Programs section of the NABP website.
Carmen A. Catizone, MS, RPh, DPh
Executive Director/Secretary, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
www.nabp.net
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