PRO-ACT Family Addiction Education Program helps families address drug and alcohol addiction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:

Noni West, strategic marketing coordinator Cathie Cush

PRO-ACT C2 Communications

215-345-6644, ext. 3111 215-579-2076

nwest@councilsepa.org CathieCush@comcast.net



Beverly J. Haberle, executive director

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

215-345-6644

bhaberle@councilsepa.org

PRO-ACT Family Addiction Education Program helps families address drug and alcohol addiction

Next free sessions start week of Dec. 4 at various locations in five counties

Each month PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization–Achieving Community Together) hosts a free Family Addiction Education Program to help individuals and families recognize and address an addiction problem in a spouse, parent, child or other loved one. Led by trained volunteers who have been in the same situation, these information and support programs begin the first week of each month and run one evening a week for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts two hours.



Programs are offered at several locations throughout the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region:

· Tuesdays—From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Media and Northeast Philadelphia.

· Wednesdays—From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Pottstown; from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in North Philadelphia; and from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m. in West Chester.

· Thursdays—From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Northern Liberties; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Bristol and Colmar



Sessions are free and confidential—first names only. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-221-6333, weekdays 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., or visit www.proact.org and click the Family Addiction Education Program link.

Alcohol Can Distort Men’s Feelings of Empathy and Understanding of Irony

By Join Together Staff | November 9, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inAlcohol, Mental Health & Research

A new study suggests drinking too much alcohol can interfere with men’s feelings of empathy and understanding of irony. Chronic heavy drinking may damage parts of the brain involved in deciphering emotions and processing humor, the researchers say.

The study included 22 men in their third week of an alcohol treatment program, and 22 men who were not alcoholics. The men were asked to read a series of stories that ended with a straightforward sentence or an ironic one. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire aimed at determining the characters’ emotional state and whether they were speaking ironically, the researchers report in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Men in the alcohol treatment program identified ironic sentences correctly 63 percent of the time, compared with 90 percent for men without a drinking problem. The results suggest that people with drinking problems can misinterpret what they see and hear, NBC News reports.

“This result confirms that alcoholic subjects tend to underestimate negative emotions; it also suggests that the same situation might be read in a totally different way by an alcoholic individual and another person,” lead researcher Simona Amenta said in a news release.

She added, “While a lot has been said on emotion recognition in faces, body postures and gestures, only a few studies have explored the recognition of emotion in verbal language. We believe this topic should be investigated more, especially since problems in social interaction are considered a relevant outcome, but also one possible cause, of alcohol dependence.”

For our Recovery friends in the United Kingdom

Mark Dempster Counselling
Founder and Counsellor
MDC provides individual and group counselling, primarily specialising in addictions. At our Harley Street Practice we are running affordable group counselling in addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling - and other group therapies. We also provide training and consultancy services to drug and alcohol treatment services.


About Mark
I am founder and counsellor at Mark Dempster Counselling: www.markdempstercounselling.com

I am author of a book about my journey through addictions to drugs and alcohol and the road to recovery (due to be published Sept 2012).

Please get in touch if you are interested in my work at Mark Demspter Counselling or my book.


Mobile Phones

+44 7971 467305

Other Phones

+44 20 3239 7061 Work

Address
7 Harley Street
W1B 8BJ London, United Kingdom
Screen Name
mdcounselling (Twitter)
Website
http://www.markdempstercounselling.com
Email
mark.dempster.77@facebook.com

LIVINGRINS DAY OF THANKS

Truly a Day for Sharing & Appreciation - and to help brighten the holidays for families of veterans

GRATITUDE DAY Thursday, November 22 10-11AM Hansell Hall, Bensalem While the nation revisits its humble beginnings with the annual Thanksgiving Day, the meaning of the holiday rings most true for those who have almost lost it all and managed to earn it back. Gratitude Day is Livengrin's traditional forum for people in recovery from alcohol or drugs to express their feelings about what it's like to have taken back management of their lives. Hundreds come from all over the region to meet old friends and counselors, and line up at the "open mic" to share a few minutes of their story. It is truly the most meaningful and heart-rending morning of our year. You can share or just listen and reflect. The free event (no RSVP necessary) is on Thursday, November 22, in Hansell Hall on the Bensalem campus. (Please - no smoking, no pets on campus!) Livengrin teams with veterans' group for Food Drive Bring a non-perishable food item to Livengrin when you attend Gratitude Day, November 22. (You can also drop off a donation at any Livengrin location anytime before December 12 - inquire at the Reception or Admissions windows.) These donations from alumni, friends and employees brighten the holiday outlook for more than 350 veterans' families. Our partner in this effort is Veterans Affairs of Bucks County, who will add our contributions to many others to help make the December holidays a bit more merry - especially during the recent economic crunch - for vets and their families.  Add something to the food box - it's a small thing we can all do to show our support.

Lighthouse Network Offers Emotional Guidance, Support in the Aftermath of Sandy

Through the Storms of Life – and Nature – Lighthouse Offers Personalized Counseling and Referral Options for Those Seeking “The New Normal” SOURCE LIGHTHOUSE NETWORK

Key Facts:

Hurricane Sandy devastated the eastern United States last week, leaving entire communities destroyed.
Those most greatly impacted may have difficulty in the days, weeks, and months to come in processing their “new normal” and moving forward emotionally in healthy ways.
Lighthouse Network, the country’s premier Christian counseling and addiction referral service, offers hope, resources, and even customized treatment plans if needed, for victims struggling to make sense of the devastation from this latest storm or from other issues and circumstances from which they suffer.
PHILADELPHIA – The entire Eastern seaboard of the United States was ravaged last week as Hurricane Sandy barreled up the coast, making landfall in New Jersey and destroying towns in her wake throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. Citizens in the entire Mid-Atlantic region are struggling to return to a sense of normalcy, though many remain without power for basic needs. Estimated damages range from $20 to $50 billion dollars, making this storm one of the most destructive in our nation’s history.

Though repairs and restoration of homes and towns begins, restoration of battered spirits can take more time and assistance.

“People generally have a limit to the emotional burdens they can bear and once that limit is breached, people can explode, implode, or just melt down depending on their own coping mechanism,” said Karl Benzio, M.D., Founder and Executive Director of the Lighthouse Network. “Though this may seem a time when folks bearing the majority of the burden just have to keep going to restore a sense of normalcy to life after the storm, there is great need to proactively process what has happened, grieve any losses, and move forward effectively. Professional help can aid in that process when an event of this magnitude occurs.”

Lighthouse Network can help storm victims by providing compassionate, Christ-centered counseling and therapy or referrals to Christian counseling professionals that can help people affected by Hurricane Sandy to cope with their new realities and move on with the practical side of rebuilding. The organization promotes Christian counseling and therapy programs, recognizing that God has the ultimate power and ability to completely heal the whole person, no matter what storms life may bring.

“No matter what the storm in life, whether it’s a sudden natural disaster like this hurricane, something that builds over time like financial woes, or destructive habits, Lighthouse Network can offer a light in the storm to guide people to hope and healing,” said Benzio. “We offer all levels of assistance, from simple web resources like daily devotionals or articles to faith-based counseling or referrals through our Addiction and Counseling Helpline, all the way to customized curriculum development to help people or groups that can’t find the support they need through other programs.”

Through their free, 24-hour Lighthouse Network Addiction and Counseling Helpline at 877-562-2565, Lighthouse Network Care Guides talk with callers and can help determine the next best course of action for the caller’s needs, based on their current situation.

Lighthouse Network provides guidance through life’s storms for people who have a hard time defining their particular problem or have difficulty finding the right answers from other often-confusing sources. Care Guides will link patients or loved ones to a counseling, addiction, or psychiatric care facility through Lighthouse Network’s national database of treatment centers, counselors, and therapists. They successfully manage complicated cases, especially of acute addiction, and provide help from a holistic (spirit, mind, and body) perspective. Helping people of all faiths, our approach integrates cutting-edge science and spiritual truths as this approach produces the best chance of successful change in a person’s life. Being a faith-based organization has opened the doors to many hard-to-find Christian options producing powerful and lasting transformational experiences. Read stories of changed lives that have resulted from Lighthouse Network’s assistance.

Through its website, www.lighthousenetwork.org, Lighthouse Network offers several resources for those struggling with addiction, as well as for their families, including Stepping Stones, a free daily devotional for managing life’s stressors and storms and equipping readers with healthy decision-making skills, and Not Alone radio short features that help parents or grandparents of addicts cope with their situation and help their loved one. Visit http://lighthousenetwork.org/stepping-stones/ to read the devotionals and sign up to receive them daily via email. To listen to the radio short features, visit http://lighthousenetwork.org/ln-radio-short-features/. For more information on Lighthouse Network, visit www.LighthouseNetwork.org or call the Lighthouse Network Addiction and Counseling Helpline toll-free at 877-562-2565.

Commentary: What Foundations Can Do to Fight the Opiate Epidemic

By Ann Barnum | November 6, 2012 | 1 Comment | Filed in Community Related,Funding, Healthcare & Prescription Drugs


Foundations can play a vital role in battling the epidemic of opiate overdoses. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, while heroin use is also on the rise in communities around the country. In addition to funding, some foundations have the expertise to provide technical assistance and can bring together communities and policymakers to devise solutions to this devastating public health problem.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the increase in unintentional drug overdose death rates in recent years has been driven by increased use of opioid analgesics. Since 2003, more overdose deaths have involved opioid analgesics than heroin and cocaine combined. For every unintentional overdose death related to an opioid analgesic, nine persons are admitted for substance abuse treatment, 35 visit emergency departments, 161 report drug abuse or dependence, and 461 report nonmedical uses of opioid analgesics.

One of the major roles foundations can play in the opiate epidemic is to support grassroots prevention efforts. We can fund drug take-back programs, providing money for disposal units for hospitals and police stations and anywhere else communities feel they need such units. We can also sponsor education for patients about what do with unused medicines.

We can encourage prescribers to use their state’s prescription monitoring program, which are designed to prevent “doctor shopping” for opiates. These databases are used to monitor the prescription and disbursement of prescription drugs designated as controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The program allows physicians and pharmacists to log each filled prescription into a state database to help medical professionals prevent abusers from obtaining prescriptions from multiple doctors.

In addition, we can promote screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) programs. While basic SBIRT services may be funded by insurance, foundations can provide technical assistance, by educating physicians, medical staff and counselors about how to work together to implement these programs in a medical practice or a hospital.

Needle exchange programs are another area where foundations can have a large impact on opiate abuse. These programs are a powerful, yet relatively inexpensive, way to reduce harm from injection drug use. One of the most common health consequences of injection drug use is endocarditis, or inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers. One heart valve replacement costs at least $250,000, while an entire needle exchange program generally costs between $50,000 and $60,000 per year.

Foundations can also advocate for the wider use of naloxone (Narcan). Naloxone is carried by ambulances to reverse overdoses. It saves lives. In some states it is available to be administered by trained members of the general public who might be present when an overdose occurs. We can fund community-based distribution programs and the advocacy and education efforts needed to change laws so that naloxone is more widely available.

In addition to backing new initiatives, foundations can foster effective implementation of laws such as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). This federal law requires insurance companies to treat mental illness and substance use disorders no differently than other medical conditions. The law applies to employer-sponsored health plans with 50 or more employees and Medicaid managed care plans.

Under the law, plans are not mandated to offer addiction and mental health benefits, but if they offer such benefits, they must do so in a non-discriminatory manner. That means a plan must have the same co-pays, deductibles and annual and lifetime caps on medical/surgical benefits and mental health/addiction benefits covered by the plan. We can fund monitoring, public education and evaluation efforts to make sure this act is implemented in our states.

Finally, foundations are in a perfect position to assist existing treatment programs in implementing evidence-based treatment practices and to build their capacity. Many programs are interested in adding medication-assisted therapies to their current programs but do not have the processes, policies, or staff to do this work. Foundations can provide the needed start-up funds and sustainability technical assistance that these agencies need to embrace new practices and more clients.

With everyone focused on the economy, foundations have a powerful argument for focusing on substance use disorders. If we can prevent and treat substance use disorders, we help can get extraordinarily high substance-abuse related costs in the criminal justice, medical and foster care systems under control. Foundations cannot supplant government funding for these programs, but we can help our communities figure out the smartest ways to address these problems. We can bring issues into sharper focus and help our communities find new and different ways to fight the opiate abuse epidemic.

Ann Barnum is Senior Program Officer, Substance Use Disorders at The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. She works with organizations throughout the Foundation’s 20-county service area to develop innovative programs that deal with substance use disorders.