THE BRIDGE GROUP!

James Russell



The Bridge Group of Narcotics Anonymous provides a teleconference meeting seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, to carry the message of hope and the promise of freedom to addicts who are, for whatever reason, isolated from the message of recovery.


Members of our home group have included addicts who are hospitalized, home-bound due to ill-health or the failing health of a family member, new or expectant mothers, addicts who are prevented from regularly attending face-to-face Narcotics Anonymous meetings due to geographical distance, lack of transportation, or suspended driving privileges, shift workers and truckers who cannot make regular meeting times, addicts in hospice, and others who simply wish to participate in this lifesaving venture and benefit from our meetings as a supplement to their own personal recoveries.


It is not our intention or belief that The Bridge should or could replace face-to-face meetings (since nothing can replace the magic of the Narcotics Anonymous fellowship on such a personal level) but rather simply to reach those who would otherwise be unable to attend meetings. We are working, in our own small way, to ensure that no addict need ever be isolated from the message of Narcotics Anonymous and consequently die from the horrors of active addiction.


You are being contacted – in the hope that you will share this information, and keep it handy, in case you hear of someone in Narcotics Anonymous who is isolated from NA meetings for any reason. We are truly committed. We want to know about their problem and how we can help!


We are an autonomous home group of Narcotics Anonymous, registered with Narcotics Anonymous World Services, currently in our fourth year of successfully carrying the message through this new venue. Members and attendees have called in from all over the world to participate and benefit from our meetings.
In order to attend our meetings, an addict only needs a phone and the ability to dial long distance.

Our meeting schedule is available on our website –http://www.thebridgena.org/ . Please feel free to share our website address,, or meeting schedule in whatever Narcotics Anonymous gathering that seems appropriate to you, or to include this information on any area or regional website or meeting schedule.

We also maintain a presence on Facebook, and Twitter. For more information about accessing our information there, or any other questions you may have, please don’t hesitated to contact us



218 339-2626 (acess #387870)Our schedule all times eastern
Sun 8pm
Mon 9pm
Tues 3pm
Wed 9pm
Thur 10pm
Fri 11 pm
Sat 11 pm

The Bridge NAthebridgena.org

Opium Study Raises Questions About Opium-Derived Painkillers

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs,Prescription Drugs & Research


A new study that links opium use with serious health problems, including cancer, circulatory diseases and respiratory problems, has implications for opium-derived painkillers such as morphine and codeine, CNN reports.

The study of more than 50,000 people in Iran found an 86 percent increased likelihood of death from major causes among those who used opium, even at modest levels. The researchers took into account factors such as poverty and cigarette smoking, which could affect the outcome. The article notes the study does not prove opium causes the increased risk of death, since it did not randomly assign participants to use opium or not.

Most opium users in the study did not begin taking the drug because of a pre-existing illness, the researchers reported in the British Medical Journal.

In an accompanying editorial, Irfan Dhalla, of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, noted other research has supported the conclusion that there is an increased risk of death from opioids apart from the chance of an accidental overdose. “For the management of chronic non-cancer pain, a better prescription may be caution,” Dhalla wrote.

Some Doctors Object to Prescription Drug Monitoring Databases

By Join Together Staff | May 31, 2012 | 8 Comments | Filed in Healthcare,Legislation, Prescription Drugs & Prevention

As a growing number of states implement prescription drug monitoring databases to curb “doctor shopping” for painkillers, some physicians say they object to aspects of the programs.

The databases are designed to alert prescribers that a patient may be abusing drugs, or diverting them for illegal sale, according toReuters. Currently, 43 states have the databases, and another five states have passed laws to create them.

Pharmacists enter prescriptions for controlled substances, so doctors can see if a patient is attempting to obtain drugs from more than one location.

Sherry Green, CEO of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, told Reuters that some doctors are concerned that the database programs could breach patient confidentiality, and interfere with needed pain treatment. They also worry that the databases could be used against doctors who need to prescribe high amounts of painkillers.

Some doctors object to being required to consult the database every time they prescribe potentially addictive medication, and say it should be left to their discretion, according to Green. They also say using the database is time-consuming. States are trying to increase the speed of the database so that doctors can access information while patients are still in the office. Some states allow doctors to authorize another staff member to use the database on their behalf.

The article notes some doctors see laws requiring mandatory use of the databases as putting law enforcement above health care. The Kentucky Medical Association was able to fight a provision that would have moved the state’s database to the Attorney General’s office.

Many prescription monitoring databases allow doctors and pharmacists to access information from neighboring states, which helps cut down on people driving across state lines to find more prescriptions.

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Parents Find Talking With Kids About Drugs Complicated by Legalization Measures

By Join Together Staff | June 18, 2012 | 5 Comments | Filed in Drugs,Legislation, Parenting, Prevention & Youth

Parents are finding it more difficult to have discussions with their children about why they shouldn’t use drugs, as a growing number of states are allowing medical marijuana, or considering legalizing recreational use of the drug, the Associated Press reports.

Colorado and Washington state will vote on legalizing recreational use of marijuana for adults on November 6. Currently, 17 states have legalized medical marijuana. More than a dozen states, and many cities, no longer have criminal penalties for small-scale possession of marijuana, or have made it a low-priority crime for law enforcement.

Parent-child conversations about marijuana “have become extraordinarily complicated,” said Stephen Pasierb, President of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, a national non-profit organization helping parents and families solve the problem of teen substance abuse. Legalization and medical use of marijuana have “created a perception among kids that this is no big deal,” Pasierb said. “You need a calm, rational conversation, not yelling and screaming, and you need the discipline to listen to your child.”

Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which promotes marijuana legalization, said that since today’s parents are more likely than in the past to have tried the drug themselves, they are finding conversations with their children “are becoming a lot more real.” He told the AP, “Parents know a lot more about what they’re talking about, and kids probably suspect that their parents did this when they were younger and didn’t get in trouble with drugs. There’s still hypocrisy, but the level of honesty and frankness in the parent-child dialogue about marijuana is increasing every year.”

A survey released last month by The Partnership at Drugfree.org suggests teen marijuana use has become a normalized behavior. Only 26 percent agree with the statement, “In my school, most teens don’t smoke marijuana,” down from 37 percent in 2008.

Judge Sides with DEA in Case Involving Oxycodone Sales at Two CVS Stores

By Join Together Staff | March 14, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Legal & Prescription Drugs

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) acted appropriately in suspending the controlled-substances licenses of two CVS stores in Florida. The DEA charged the stores had failed to closely monitor sales of oxycodone.

Judge Reggie Walton delayed his ruling until Wednesday morning, in order to give CVS time to appeal, The Wall Street Journal reports.

In February, the DEA moved to suspend the licenses of the stores because of what the agency called suspiciously high volumes of oxycodone sales. Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., then granted CVS a temporary restraining order, to allow the company to continue to sell controlled prescription drugs at the two pharmacies.

The DEA said the two pharmacies were “filling prescriptions far in excess of the legitimate needs of its customers.” While the averagepharmacy in the United States in 2011 ordered approximately 69,000 oxycodone dosage units, these two pharmacies, located about 5.5 miles apart, together ordered more than three million dosage units during the same year, according to the DEA.

CVS said it would suffer irreparable harm if it were forced to stop filling prescriptions at the pharmacies. The company has already agreed to stop selling oxycodone and other Schedule II drugs at these pharmacies while the case is under review. The DEA suspension would prevent the pharmacies from filling prescriptions for any controlled substance, including painkillers, stimulants and tranquilizers.

A CVS spokesperson said the company had taken steps, with the DEA’s knowledge, to stop filling prescriptions from physicians thought to be prescribing controlled narcotics improperly.

Earlier this month, Judge Walton ruled that drug distribution companies must “self-police” to track unusually big drug shipments that might be used improperly. The ruling allows the DEA to halt shipments of oxycodone and other controlled medications from a Cardinal Health distribution facility in Florida. Cardinal said it will appeal the decision.

Team Captain Meeting Kickoff!

PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2012

Penns Landing, Philadelphia

Saturday, September 22, 2012



Team Captain Kick-Off Meetings

Get personal direction on forming or leading a team!


        PRO-ACT has scheduled several Team Captain Meetings in various locations so that you can find one convenient to you. Register now to attend a meeting listed below and you will learn how to sign up your team online, raise funds effectively, receive tips on how to organize your team, order team t-shirts if you want to, and how to identify a meeting place for your team on September 22. We will have handouts of many tools we developed and refined over the years and will be available to answer your questions.

        In the meantime, continue to ask your associates, family members, and friends to join your team and to learn more about why we walk. Spread the word that recovery is real and alive! Do your part to fight the stigma! Recovery Walks! 2012 is the Pennsylvania area's largest National Recovery Month event with lots of support from New Jersey and other nearby areas. Show up and be counted because, as SAMHSA says,

It's Worth It!

Kick-Off Meetings

Philadelphia Recovery Training Center (PRTC)

Location: 444 N. 3rd Street, Suite 307, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Dates: June 19 from 12:00-1:30 pm or June 27 from 5:30-7:00 pm

To register: Call Kim Doughty (215-923-1661) or e-mail



Philadelphia Recovery Community Center (PRCC)

Location: 1701 W. Lehigh Avenue, #6, Philadelphia, PA 19132

Dates: July 21 from 10:00-11:30 am or July 24 from 6:00-8:00pm

To register: Call Sean Brinda (215-223-7700, x105) or e-mail OR

Cheryl Poccia (215-223-7700, x106) or e-mail



Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center (SBRCC)

Location: 1286 New Rogers Road (Veterans Highway), Unit D-6, Bristol, PA 19007

Dates: June 28 from 5:00-6:00 pm or July 24 from 12:00-1:00 pm

To register: Call Martin Woodward (215-788-3738, x110) or e-mail



Central Bucks Recovery Resource Center (CBRRC)

Location: 252 W. Swamp Road, Bailiwick Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901

Date: June 26 from 12:00-1:30 pm

To register: Call Jessica Schwartz (215-345-6644, x3122) or e-mail



Women's Recovery Community Center (WRCC)

Location: 25 Beulah Road, New Britain, PA 18901

Date: July 12 from 7:00-8:30 pm

To register: Call Jessica Schwartz (215-345-6644, x3122) or e-mail

Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners for their support!

We couldn't do it without you



                                                                                    www.councilsepa.org