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Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Meet the Addiction Predators
From handlers of addicted celebrities to garden-variety "sober coaches," the addiction treatment world can be a rat's nest of opportunists, charlatans—and worse.
Art: Danny Jock
“If you try to
get rid of me, she’ll be dead and I’ll piss on her grave… You’d better
learn that I control everything,” threatened Sam Lutfi, Britney Spears’
self-proclaimed former-manager, according to Through the Storm,
Lynne Spears’ memoir. Spears alleges that Lutfi acted as a jealous
predator and jeopardized her daughter’s health and safety by grinding up
and mixing her medication. Lutfi subsequently filed a lawsuit against
the pop star’s parents, claiming libel, breach-of-contract, and
defamation. He hoped to appeal to the jurors’ sympathetic side by
arguing that the release of the book left him depressed, suicidal, and
overwhelmed with death threats. The case was dismissed in early
November.
The extraordinary circumstances of
Britney’s life hardly represent the norm, but Lutfi’s behavior indicates
a disturbing trend in the lurid overlap between celebrity and
addiction. Whether we’re rapidly detoxing addicted patients on cable TV,
announcing Lindsay Lohan’s latest rehab-stint in the tabloids, or
awarding a book deal to Cat Marnell,
our popular culture has turned a particularly voyeuristic lens onto the
disease of addiction. Troubled celebrities are no longer heroes in the
vein of Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, or even gonzo journalist Hunter S.
Thompson. The public's interest in the escapades of Hollywood’s latest
party girl has grown into, for some, a lucrative obsession. And as a
consequence, the sensationalist behavior of damaged celebrities has
become a target—even an investment—for some. Call them the addiction
predators.
Take,
for instance, David Weintraub, a TV talent agent who has alchemized
troubled stars into skyrocketing ratings, spinoff shows, and a
multimillion dollar management/production company. For starters, he
channeled his addled clients—Guns n' Roses drummer Steven Adler, porn
star Mary Carey, fallen Miss Teen USA Keri Ann Peniche, and many more—onto Dr. Drew Pinsky's demented showcase for addiction in action, VH1’s Celebrity Rehab.
The series follows the treatment and transformation of a cast of famous
addicts, but as anyone in recovery knows, the sudden surge of income
and exposure that results from the appearances can seriously complicate
the recovery process.
“Very often, business overrides the treatment, and that’s where we've gone today. Treatment has lost some value because people want to make money instead of helping others get clean and sober."
“There’s
nothing quick f..... fixable about sobriety,” says Recovery Life
Skills Coach Lisa Neumann—who makes it clear that she has not worked
with celebrities. Treatment professionals at large have raised concerns
about the extreme transformations depicted on Celebrity Rehab
after just one month of treatment. For Derek Salazar, Maintenance
Counselor at Recovery Solutions of Santa Ana, the shortening of
treatment in general is concerning. “Very
often, business overrides the treatment and that’s where we have gone
today," she says. "It’s sad to say that treatment has lost some value
because people want to make money instead of helping others get clean
and sober. When I got sober I spent 22 months in Phoenix House and it
saved my life.”
New, controversial service roles
have emerged within recovery communities to complement acute care.
Along with hit dramas like CBS’ Elementary, celebrities like Owen Wilson
and Robert Downey Jr. have commercialized these peer recovery support
services by hiring sober companions to keep an eye on them for anywhere
between $750-1,500 per day. Because of the excessive costs some peer
recovery support specialists demand, these services have gained a
reputation as the newest accessory of the troubled elite. But Neumann
has a different take. “If you can
pay $100 per hour to have someone follow you around your house, do it,"
she says. "But if you’re considering giving up addiction, it’s not time
for a recovery coach. You need to be done considering giving up addiction for it to be cost and time effective.”
It’s not that Neumann, the author of Sober Identity: Tools for Reprogramming the Addicted Mind,
wants to leave perpetual relapsers at the door; she’s just not
interested in wasting anyone’s time: “I won’t work with someone until
they get sober. I’m here for a phone call, a meeting, an assignment, or
an e-mail. But I’m not going to charge you for that.”
Unlike
much of the substance abuse treatment industry, recovery coaching is a
non-clinical, non-professional service provided by people who are
experientially credentialed. While many coaches receive some kind of
formal training, it's their first hand knowledge that provides the
foundation for their expertise. With other service providers like
recovery residence managers and sober companions, recovery coaches
constitute a growing niche within the treatment industry known as peer
recovery support specialists, or peer workers. But the peculiar nature
of the professional non-professional is raising some concerns—and plenty
of confusion.
For Bill White, Senior Research Consultant at The Lighthouse Institute, a division of Chestnut Health Systems, “There
are numerous misconceptions of the recovery coach role, mostly due to
the wide variations in role responsibilities to which the title is being
applied, whether it's peer/professional, paid/volunteer, full/part
time. And there's a wide variety of organizational settings in which
coaches and other recovery support specialists are now working. It'll
take several more years before this role is clearly defined and
evaluated in terms of its influence on long-term recovery outcomes.”
White,
who has served in the addictions field for 40 years, adds that this
ambiguity parallels that present during the early history of the
addiction counselor. But for now, with no accreditation system, recovery
coaches have little to distinguish themselves from one another besides
their sobriety date—and their social media presence.
Recovery
coaching may have emerged as a form of service work done between close
members of indigenous recovery communities, but today, private coaches
need effective marketing and outreach strategies to compete with larger
companies. For Neumann, the importance of online marketing was
unexpected. “If McDonalds cut their advertising budget,” she says, “they
wouldn’t have any customers left—but not me. I don’t want to spend
money on advertising. My work should speak for itself.”
Her marketing scheme is completely against the traditional approach of the 21st century:
fewer advertising dollars are necessary to keep an existing client than
to find a new one. “I don’t want you to be here if you’re not catching
on,” she explains. “I’m not doing my job if you still need me every week
after a year.”
With companies advertising
recovering coaching as a sort of “catch-all” solution for all of the
addicts who hate AA and prefer not to take time away from work to check
back into treatment after they have been kicked out, Neumann’s message
of hard work and personal integrity is not a very competitive one.
Companies like Sober Champion aren’t afraid to play up the job’s
celebrity reputation, using references to filming schedules and
socioeconomic status to lure clients in: “For those who can afford one, a
Sober Coach or a Sober Companion is an outstanding addition to any
post-acute treatment program.”
While
the research of peer-based work is highly limited, studies of the
essential services provided by recovery coaches suggest that it is a
potentially promising practice as an adjunct to treatment. Leaders in
the field also acknowledge the significance of the peer-relationship.
According to Michael Walsh, the President and CEO of the National
Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), “Done
well, I believe sober coaching can be the difference between compliance
with an aftercare plan and non-compliance and the longer someone is
engaged in aftercare the better their chance at sustaining recovery.”
But without a uniform accreditation system, there is little
accountability to quality assurance, ethical practice, or peer
integrity.
In
2010, the need for greater organizational hierarchy came to a head, so
Faces and Voices of Recovery began to establish a national accreditation
system.
“Accreditation,
not certification,” clarifies Tom Hill, Director of Programs at Faces
and Voices. “Most people use the two interchangeably.” The distinction
is important, he explains, because accrediting recovery communities,
organizations, and programs will allow Faces and Voices to take a
comprehensive approach to a range of issues rather than attempting a
piecemeal solution by credentialing or licensing individual people. By
providing a framework for effective oversight, management, and
accountability, the system will work in tandem with current efforts to
license individual workers.
A
large part of the initiative’s value, which is scheduled to be ready in
time for 2014’s Affordable Care Act, is its research potential, which
could allow the peer recovery support services industry to achieve
higher quality assurance and increased confidence from both the public
and the field. But prior to tackling large-scale issues of access,
accountability, infrastructure, and public confidence, Faces and Voices
must address one of the most fundamental and controversial issues facing
peer workers today: role definition and clarification.
While
providing coaching services as a part of his career as an
interventionist, Walsh encountered perhaps the most common ethical
concern with peer workers: whether recovery coaches are getting paid to
sponsor newcomers. “I had a
sponsor say that [recovery coaches and other peer workers are just paid
sponsors] to me,” he says. “After a few months of watching me work with
families who might not have otherwise continued to engage a
professional, he told me he understood.”
The
road to mutual understanding and role clarification may not be an easy
one, as the debate between experiential authority and formal education
has a long history in the field of addiction medicine. But for many
addicts looking for peer recovery support services like overeater Erika
Alvarez, empathy is a priority: “I was looking for someone I could
trust, someone I admired and someone who could understand me fully
(someone who had lived an addiction and overcame it). Basically someone
who could really guide me effectively.”
Because
addicts sometimes feel vulnerable to the power differential between
themselves and addiction professionals, and the external accountability
that controls the relationship, peer workers are often in the unique
position to receive sensitive information from addicts in a way that
professional, clinical treatment providers may not. But for Neumann,
recovery coaches should work in collaboration, rather than in conflict,
with the medical community. “I’m not trying to take anything away from
the medical or the research community,” she explains. “That’s not my
platform. My platform is about doing the work, and if you need
medication or AA to do the work then go get it.”
Salazar,
who has been working with addicts since 1995, agrees that there is a
place for everybody in the field of addiction, as long as they are
licensed and certified. But he has some concerns about the language we
have attached to certain peer recovery support services: “I
do believe this term ‘coaching’ is terminology used in a different
manner so that there’s no need to get licensed and certified," he says.
"If you’re just coaching and not treating or counseling, there’s less of
a need to get licensing. It’s a manipulation of words.”
When
your troubled past is the leading credential for your current career,
it's hard not to see the need for an organizational hierarchy with
national standards. Both Walsh and Salazar mentioned hearsay concerning
inappropriate coach/client relationships. Just a few days before I saw
her, Neumann encountered a recovery coach who was still drinking.
Without more structure, peer workers who work in private practice in
states without certification have little accountability to anything but
the law. Efforts to accredit and systematize a service that developed
from a mentor-mentee-like relationship must be approached cautiously,
though.
“With
opportunities also come challenges,” says Hill, expressing his concerns
about the potential over-professionalization of the practice. “We’re
trying to build systems that will ensure that the ‘peerness’ will stay
in tact.” White echoed his sentiments, adding, “Professionalization
efforts to date are mimicking other roles whose knowledge sets are based
on pathology and intervention paradigms rather than a recovery
program.”
White’s
work suggests that we take great care in order to avoid
over-commercializing the role of peer recovery support specialists.
Professionalization efforts can inadvertently undermine the very essence
of these services because people tend to detach from their communities
when they learn to view themselves and their professional organizations
as the source of their authority. Without the support of their recovery
communities, and without the full acceptance of the interdisciplinary
teams they work with, peer workers can encounter a lack of support for
their own recovery.
While
the public’s infatuation with the peer recovery support specialist has
almost exclusively centered on the extreme cost of celebrity recovery,
Hill does not want us to forget that anyone can be taken advantage of.
In fact, treatment centers have a history of financially exploiting
those in recovery. “We don’t want peers to become exploited,” he
explains. “We want them to be valued for their life experiences and what
they bring to the table.”
This isn’t lost on Bill McAdam, an alcoholic who lost 17 years of sobriety with a shocking suicide attempt. “I
had always been somewhat skeptical about paying someone to give me
information I already knew," he says. "But there was this feeling that I
got from Lisa [Neumann] that as much as she was in the coaching
business she explained the Universal Law [of Compensation] about what
she did and the value I had to apply to it,” he concluded, “Without a
shadow of a doubt it’s the best money I have ever spent.”
For
Neumann, who is trained and certified through the International
Coaching Academy (ICA), experience will always be the greatest teacher;
but with all the horror stories, hearsay, and confusion surrounding her
profession, she’s looking forward to the clarity and legitimacy the
Faces and Voices accreditation system will provide.
“I’m
not here to dazzle you or convince you that sobriety is awesome,” she
explains, “I’m here to walk you through whatever it is you say you want
in your life, and if it doesn’t work I’ll give you your money back.”
Still,
for the famous, the busy, and the wealthy, there are plenty of
expensive “Motivators and Cheerleaders” available to follow you around
and search your belongings.
Chelsea Carmona is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in The Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Guardian. She works for The OpEd Project, a social venture founded to increase the range of voices and ideas we hear in the world. Follow her on Twitter: @CarmonaChelsea
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
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Overdose Prevention and Treatment Program Can Save Lives, Study Suggests
A program that teaches people to recognize and respond to
overdoses of opioids can significantly decrease the number of overdose
deaths, researchers at Boston Medical Center have found.
Massachusetts instituted the program to combat the problem of
opioid-related overdose deaths. The program trains people who use
opioids, as well as their families and friends, to prevent, recognize
and respond to drug overdoses. Participants learn to recognize the signs
of overdose, to seek help, to stay with the victims, and to use the
opioid overdose antidote naloxone.
The new study included 19 communities with high opioid overdose
levels. Those communities that implemented the Overdose Education and
Nasal Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program had a larger reduction in
overdose deaths, compared with those without such programs, HealthDay reports. The more people enrolled in the program, the greater the decrease in death rates.
In the British Medical Journal, the researchers conclude that OEND is an effective intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths.
In February 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that naloxone has successfully reversed more than 10,000 opioid overdoses since 1996.
Conquering
Grounds Café
This Saturday Night
February 9, 2013
At Christian Life
Center, 3100 Galloway Rd Bensalem, Pa 19020
In The Edge Building
Doors open at 6:30
Event starts at 7pm
Appearing: Jazz, Blues, Gospel Band
“Seventh time Around”
Plus Special Guests Kris and Ed Vincent
This is a FREE event
and open to everyone. There will be hot and cold beverages and goodies to eat,
all free of charge. Come out and join us for a great night of music and
fellowship.
We Will Be Collecting Old Working Cell Phones.
Bob Sofronski, Chairman/Director
Christian Life Prison and Recovery Ministries, Inc.
PO BOX 1624
Southampton, PA 18966
Fax # 267-988-4629
Monday, February 4, 2013
Commentary: Addressing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment professionals can play a vital role in
preventing the leading known cause of intellectual disabilities, birth
defects and neurobehavioral disorders in the world, Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
Each year 125,000 American newborns are prenatally exposed to heavy
or binge alcohol consumption, 20 times the number exposed to
methamphetamine and inhalants. Alcohol is a teratogen—a substance known
to be toxic to developing babies. Of the most common substances of
abuse, including marijuana, cocaine and heroin, alcohol produces by far
the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the offspring of
substance-using women.
FASD is not typically included in addiction treatment curriculum. One
problem is that there is not a code for it in the DSM manual of mental
health disorders, and as a result, psychiatrists and psychologists are
not informed about FASD.
FASD may also be an unexamined cause for high recidivism in addiction treatment. There are several reasons why this may be:
• Women may have used alcohol and drugs while pregnant and be afraid to discuss in group;
• Women may have children with undiagnosed FASD, and may not be educated on appropriate parenting techniques; and
• Clients themselves may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol and have unidentified learning and behavioral disorders as a result.
• Women may have used alcohol and drugs while pregnant and be afraid to discuss in group;
• Women may have children with undiagnosed FASD, and may not be educated on appropriate parenting techniques; and
• Clients themselves may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol and have unidentified learning and behavioral disorders as a result.
Preventing FASD in Addiction Treatment
If a woman drinks while she is pregnant, there is a risk for having a child with FASD regardless of ethnicity, education or socio-economic status. A woman does not have to be an alcoholic to have a child with effects; however, women that suffer with alcoholism are at the highest risk. Women who use other drugs are also at high risk for having a child with FASD, since many use alcohol as well. Women who drink should be counseled about using effective contraception to avoid pregnancy.
If a woman drinks while she is pregnant, there is a risk for having a child with FASD regardless of ethnicity, education or socio-economic status. A woman does not have to be an alcoholic to have a child with effects; however, women that suffer with alcoholism are at the highest risk. Women who use other drugs are also at high risk for having a child with FASD, since many use alcohol as well. Women who drink should be counseled about using effective contraception to avoid pregnancy.
Since FASD is preventable, all clients and their families receiving
addiction treatment should be educated on the hazards of drinking while
pregnant. Men may not cause FASD directly, but they have a very
important role in prevention. They can encourage and support women not
to drink while pregnant, or at risk for pregnancy.
Treatment is an appropriate time to learn about FASD. If clients
realize that some of their children may have effects from prenatal
alcohol exposure, a counselor is there to provide them with support and
resources. Treatment professionals should provide opportunities for
women to discuss many of the difficult issues around mothering and
parenting. They can provide women with language to talk to their
pediatricians and other health care providers about possible exposures
to ensure that the children are receiving assessments and appropriate
services.
Recognizing FASD in Clients
People with FASD often go unnoticed as having a brain disorder because the majority of individuals have borderline intelligence or above. This is a lifelong disability and the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social difficulties can each appear across a continuum of severity, from mild to profound. They may experience a daily fluctuation of attention and focus. Many will struggle with understanding cause and effect relationships or the ability to predict future behaviors. Individuals are typically naïve and are easily led into situations. They may have problems in judgment, memory and social skills, but because they have strong expressive language skills they appear higher functioning than they are. It is not uncommon for a client with FASD to be unsuccessful and sometimes terminated from treatment. These individuals need structure, support and understanding. If counselors better understood the typical behavioral profile of a client with FASD, and how to modify treatment, treatment outcomes could improve.
People with FASD often go unnoticed as having a brain disorder because the majority of individuals have borderline intelligence or above. This is a lifelong disability and the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social difficulties can each appear across a continuum of severity, from mild to profound. They may experience a daily fluctuation of attention and focus. Many will struggle with understanding cause and effect relationships or the ability to predict future behaviors. Individuals are typically naïve and are easily led into situations. They may have problems in judgment, memory and social skills, but because they have strong expressive language skills they appear higher functioning than they are. It is not uncommon for a client with FASD to be unsuccessful and sometimes terminated from treatment. These individuals need structure, support and understanding. If counselors better understood the typical behavioral profile of a client with FASD, and how to modify treatment, treatment outcomes could improve.
Recognizing that a person “can’t” perform, rather than “won’t”
perform, immediately changes the dynamic in a service relationship. By
recognizing the disability of FASD and modifying systems of care, we can
improve outcomes for clients. Adults often need lifelong transitional
and behavioral support.
Below are suggestions for improving treatment for individuals with FASD:
• Train staff to modify treatment plans and treatment;
• Plan for long-term treatment and aftercare options;
• Include the entire family in treatment;
• Assist clients with housing, vocational, educational, day-care, respite, recreational and other services;
• Assist clients with Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare and other disability programs;
• Counselors should consider the possibility of past victimization in these clients;
• Counselors should know best treatment practices and recommendations for clients with FASD; and
• Addiction treatment agencies should pursue assessments and diagnosis for clients (and/or children of clients) when they suspect a person has FASD.
• Train staff to modify treatment plans and treatment;
• Plan for long-term treatment and aftercare options;
• Include the entire family in treatment;
• Assist clients with housing, vocational, educational, day-care, respite, recreational and other services;
• Assist clients with Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare and other disability programs;
• Counselors should consider the possibility of past victimization in these clients;
• Counselors should know best treatment practices and recommendations for clients with FASD; and
• Addiction treatment agencies should pursue assessments and diagnosis for clients (and/or children of clients) when they suspect a person has FASD.
There is much that can be done to address FASD in addiction
treatment. The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS),
founded in 1990 as a voice for individuals, families and caregivers
living with FASD, disseminates information and resources, provides
referrals to specialists, and offers a 22-unit certification program for
addiction professionals (www.nofas.org).
Kathleen Tavenner Mitchell, MHS, LCADC
Kathleen T. Mitchell is currently the Vice President and
International Spokesperson for the National Organization on Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome and a noted speaker/author on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders (FASD) and Women and Addictions. She founded the Circle of Hope (COH), an international peer mentoring network for women who have used substances while pregnant.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Injection Drug Users With Hepatitis C Are “Super-Spreaders” of the Virus
People who inject drugs and have hepatitis C are
“super-spreaders” of the virus, who are likely to infect 20 other
people, a new study finds. Half of hepatitis C virus transmissions take
place in the first two years after a person is initially infected.
Researchers from the University of Oxford in England say early
diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs could
help prevent the spread of the virus, HealthDay reports.
Hepatitis C, which can be spread through contact with infected blood,
may lead to scarring of the liver, or liver cancer. There is no vaccine
for the disease, the article notes. Many people with hepatitis C are
unaware they have the disease, and go undiagnosed for more than a
decade.
“For the first time we show that super-spreading in hepatitis C is
led by intravenous drug users early in their infection,” study author
Gkikas Magiorkinis said in a university news release.
“Using this information, we can hopefully soon make a solid argument to
support the scaling-up of early diagnosis and antiviral treatment in
drug users. Helping these people and stopping the spread of hepatitis C
is our ultimate target.”
The study appears in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Thieves Steal Prescription Drugs From Medicine Cabinets in Open Houses
Prescription drug thieves are stealing from medicine cabinets during open houses, ABC News reports.
Home sellers usually lock up valuables such as jewelry, electronics
and personal information, but often don’t think of securing their
medicine cabinets. A San Diego realtors’ group is warning homeowners
about these thefts. “The take away here is common sense,” Anthony
Manolatos of the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors told ABC
News. “When an agent is showing your home and you’re not there, take
your valuables with you or lock them in a safe.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has observed this trend.
“Stealing drugs from open houses is indeed a technique drug thieves use
to obtain controlled substance prescription drugs,” said the DEA’s
Barbara Carreno. She said drugs stolen during open houses include opioid
painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, ADHD drugs, Xanax and Valium.
DEA enforcement groups, called tactical diversion squads, have found
drugs on the black market that have been stolen during open houses,
Carreno added.
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Hope Share: A Live Storytelling Event
85 million people in the U.S. have been affected by addiction and
over 20 million are in long-term recovery. Imagine if each of them came
forward to share a story of recovery or a message of support.
The Hope Share, a new
story-sharing portal created by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, is
designed to elevate stories of recovery and inspire others to speak out
and help break the stigma and discrimination surrounding addiction.
We’ve teamed up with proud partners of this project, InTheRooms.com and Faces & Voices of Recovery, to host a unique upcoming virtual experience – The Hope Share: A Live Storytelling Event.
Taking place on Wednesday, February 6th at 9 p.m. EST, participants
are encouraged to share their video stories of hope using their webcam
during this 90-minute LIVE event to help inspire others and spark
meaningful conversation around alcohol and other drug problems and
addiction.
To participate in this event, visit Meeting Room 1 here at 9:00 p.m. EST on February 6th.
The event will be moderated by InTheRooms.com and will feature Pat
Taylor, Executive Director, Faces and Voices of Recovery, and Jerry Otero, a Parent Support Specialist and clinical social worker from The Partnership at Drugfee.org.
Share your powerful story and help encourage families who are
struggling with a young person’s addiction, and let them know that there
is hope, and that recovery is possible.
To participate in this event, visit Meeting Room 1 here at 9:00 p.m. EST on February 6th.
Gene Mutations Linked With Increased Risk of Dying From Cocaine Abuse
New research suggests people with common genetic mutations
have an almost eightfold increased risk of dying from cocaine abuse. The
mutations affect the chemical messenger dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine is vital to the functioning of the central nervous system.
Cocaine blocks transporters in the brain from absorbing dopamine, HealthDay reports.
The mutations are found on two genes. The Ohio State University
researchers found about one in three white people who died of cocaine
abuse had these genetic mutations. A different combination of mutations
affects the risk of dying from cocaine abuse in black people, the
researchers noted in a news release.
The study appears in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
Prepaid Card Designed to Help Those in Recovery From Addiction Manage Money
Three men who met while in recovery have developed a
prepaid card designed to help others who are recovering from addiction
manage their money, the New York Daily News reports.
They have launched the Next Step
Prepaid MasterCard, a reloadable card designed for people in recovery,
and for those who are financially supporting them. The card gives family
members and guardians control over funds, while teaching people in
recovery how to manage their money, the article notes.
“When I left treatment, I spent hundreds of dollars on stupid things
like Starbucks, just to fill a void,” said company co-founder Eric
Dresdale, who started drinking in high school.
The primary account holder of the Next Step card is the parent or
caregiver. The person in recovery receives a companion card, which can
be used to make purchases. The card cannot be used at an ATM machine, or
to get cash back at a store. It is not accepted at bars, casinos or
liquor stores. “The truth is, if someone wants to buy drugs they will
find a way,” Dresdale told the newspaper. “But we act as a hurdle from
achieving that goal.”
Addiction specialist Dr. Paul Hokemeyer thinks the card can be a
useful tool in recovery. “I think it’s a great tool to teach patients
boundaries and limits,” he said.
The card’s activation fee is $9.95, and has a monthly maintenance fee
of $14.95, compared with $3 to $5 for many other prepaid cards.
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.
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