Living Free Everyday

Living Free Everyday

NAADAC Institute Education Update Don't miss these great opportunities to earn CEs, advance your professional life and enhance your practice through live seminars, independent study or online!

Nuts and Bolts of Interfacing with Managed Care Organizations for Addiction Professionals   Wednesday, January 16, 2013 3pm-4pm EST (12pm-1pm PST)  More Information & Registration The Addiction Professional’s Mini Guide to Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)   Wednesday, January 30, 2013 12pm-3pm EST (9am-12pm PST)  More Information & Registration

Become a member of NAADAC to earn free CE credit for all NAADAC webinars & online courses (over 85 CEs): www.naadac.org/join

Florida NAADAC Conference: Treating Co-Occurring Disorders Join us on January 17, 2013 for a conference in Brooksville, FL, featuring Mary Woods.  As clinicians in the field of addictions we strive to provide the best quality care possible for our clients. Understanding the issues impacting treatment of those with co-occurring disorders is essential. This workshop is a skill-based training program that will increase the ability to provide effective care to this population. More Details AAPNY Conference: Meeting the Challenge through Education of the Addiction Professional Join NAADAC and the Association for Addiction Professionals of New York (AAPNY) on March 8th and 9th, 2013 for a two-day, two-track education forum in Riverhead, NY.  Earn 6.5 continuing education credits per day.  Trainers are presenting skills based, five-hour tracks to learn evidence based skills. Clinical Supervision presented by Tom Durham, PhD Co-Occurring Disorders presented by Gerry Schmidt, MA, MAC, LPC SBIRT: Guide to Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment presented by Misti Storie, MS, NCC Relapse Prevention: Romancing the Brain in Recovery presented by Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, NCAC II, CCDC III , SAP Download the brochure Register online

NAADAC Master Calendar Find more addiction-related conferences, public policy events, regional meetings, and workshops in your area with the NAADAC Master Calendar.

25% Off Bookstore  NAADAC has many books, training manuals and independent study courses from which to choose, all 25% off! Hurry, sale ends January 15, 2013! Click here to browse store.

Supreme Court Hears Case About Forced Blood Alcohol Test for Drunk Driving

By Join Together Staff | January 9, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol & Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case Wednesday on the question of whether police must obtain a warrant before forcing suspected drunk drivers to submit to a blood alcohol test. State supreme courts are divided on whether these forced tests violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects again unreasonable searches and seizures, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

The case centers on Tyler McNeely, who was pulled over for speeding by a Missouri highway patrolman, and was taken to a hospital. About 25 minutes after McNeely was pulled over, a technician measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.154 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

The Missouri police in the case argued they should not have to wait for approval to give a blood test, because alcohol dissipates quickly in the bloodstream. Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that argument. It ruled the blood test violated the Fourth Amendment. The court found there were no special circumstances to justify obtaining the blood test so quickly. State high courts in Iowa and Utah also have made similar rulings.

The Supreme Courts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Oregon have all ruled in favor of warrantless blood tests, the article notes. The Obama Administration and attorneys general from 32 states are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that warrantless blood tests are not in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Love One Another   JANUARY  9 ,2013

Today's Scripture
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35 NIV
Thoughts for Today
The Scriptures offer a multitude of "one another" commands concerning relationships among believers … encourage one another, be devoted to one another, honor one another, live in harmony with one another, accept one another, instruct one another, serve one another, forgive one another … and on and on. "Love one another" is at the core of all of them.
In today's scripture, Jesus tells us to love one another as he has loved us. Of course, Jesus' love is greater than we can even imagine … but he is telling us to follow his example. Jesus loves us unconditionally. He wants us to love others unconditionally—not based on personality or looks or behavior or even our feelings. Unconditionally.
Jesus loved with his actions. He humbled himself, coming to earth as a baby and growing and living among us. Suffering the indignities and torture of the cross. His actions demonstrate the depth of his love in ways words could not begin to explain.
Consider this … 
We tend to view love as a feeling, but sometimes the action must come first. Is there someone in your family … your church … your workplace … who just rubs you the wrong way? You know you should love this person, but it would be so much easier if their attitude would change.
Jesus wants us to love unconditionally. To demonstrate love through action—even when we don't "feel" like it.
Ask him to help you see this person through his eyes. Ask him to help you love this person even if he or she doesn't "deserve" it. And then step out in faith and love through your actions. As we in the family of God demonstrate our love for each other, even as Jesus demonstrated his love for us, others will "know we are his disciples." Our love for one another can help draw them to the perfect love of Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, help me to love others in the way you love me. Help me to love unconditionally. Help me to demonstrate my love with action—even when I don't feel like it. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for demonstrating your love in such marvelous ways. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Understanding Depression: Overcoming Despair through Christ by Donald G. Miles, Ed.D. This study deals with depression, a condition common throughout the world, and is suggested for use in support groups and Christian counseling.

• Understanding what depression is and how it affects relationships
• Understanding the relationship between depression and spiritual warfare
• Ways to fight depression with scripture, prayer and mutual support
• Understanding the special prayer needs of depressed persons
• How to pray for healing and what to expect
• Serves as a powerful evangelistic tool by providing a way to minister to people's felt needs and then lead them to Christ

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
Would you like to have these devotions appear daily on your church or ministry website? Learn More
 

 

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Commentary: Learning As We Go: Critical Assessment of Addiction Research and Practice

By Phyllis A. Gardner, PhD | January 8, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Recovery & Treatment

A recent Join Together article, entitled “Half of Addiction Counselors Say It’s OK for Some Patients to Drink Occasionally,” drew attention to the fact that some substance abuse counselors believe moderate drinking is an option for individuals with substance use disorders. As a researcher and an advocate in our field, I reacted with mixed feelings to this news.

While I applaud new research by anyone into any area of our profession, I am also aware that not all research is created equal. Does a survey of professionals’ opinions reflect research or the content of counselor education for our professionals? Both? Neither? An approach that allows an individual to continue to drink is a risk about which many of us remain most skeptical.

For decades the belief in the United States has been that abstinence is the only real solution for such individuals. This was largely due to the influence of Alcoholics Anonymous and similar philosophies. Over the years, our profession has grown and the attention to evidence-based practice has come into clear focus. That said, we have tried to consider what seems to work in other parts of the world as well.

I have clear memories of the debate over the inclusion in our exams of harm-reduction strategies and Therapeutic Community model treatment programs. In the end, subject matter experts agreed that IC&RC exams should reflect all treatment modalities, not just our personal preferences, so the exams were infused with a broader range of treatment strategies and were weighted according to our research into what was being used the most and under what circumstances.

One place we looked for guidance was the United Kingdom, whose approach was heavily weighted toward harm reduction, seeing abstinence as a last resort. So what is harm reduction? It includes everything from “controlled” drinking to methadone maintenance programs and needle exchanges. I can make a case both for and against each of these under the right circumstances and so can most readers here, I suspect.

Interestingly, in the UK, there is currently a backlash building against methadone – with some professionals referring to it as “harm maintenance” programs. It seems that abstinence is starting to catch on as they debate the real definition of recovery and consider the vast numbers of clients who live for decades on methadone and claim “recovery.” Proponents of abstinence-based treatment in the UK commonly refer to “real” or “whole” or “true” recovery.

Another gray area concerns medication-assisted treatment. Again, there is a case to be made in either direction. If medication is involved in detox, the need is clear. If medication is involved in a transition period, it can be helpful, as well. But substituting medication for a holistic approach to the individual –that includes counseling and education– is a one-size-fits-all approach that opens the door to the exact same criticism some have directed at total abstinence for all.

In the case of medication-assisted treatment, we, as professionals, must consider the source of our education about this strategy. Many of the research and educational efforts around “MAT” are funded by the pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs. It makes sense that they want us to know about what they have developed. On the other hand, “research evaluation 101” tells us to always look at who funds a study and “follow the money” before we give too much weight to the research conclusions.

So my goal is to sound a note of caution against pushing too hard, too quickly for any new approach to treating a very fragile client population. We study. We learn. We jump the gun. Let’s be mindful of that last one.

Phyllis Abel Gardner, PhD
President of IC&RC

Study Shows Racial Disparities in Completion of Substance Abuse Treatment

By Join Together Staff | January 8, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs, Ethnicity, Healthcare & Treatment

Black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol and drug treatment programs are less likely to complete treatment, compared with white patients, a new study finds. The disparities are likely related to greater unemployment rates and housing instability for black and Hispanic patients, according to the researchers.

The study found about half of all black and Hispanic patients who entered publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared with 62 percent of white patients. Similar disparities were found for drug treatment programs, ScienceDaily reports. The researchers analyzed data from more than one million discharges from substance abuse treatment programs.

The researchers write in Health Affairs that funding for integrated services and increased Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act could help improve minorities’ access to treatment programs.

“Our findings show troubling racial disparities in the completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs, and they point specifically to socioeconomic barriers that make it difficult for minority groups to access and sustain treatment,” researcher Brendan Saloner, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, said in a news release. “For example, in both alcohol and drug treatment groups, black and Hispanic patients were more likely than white patients to be homeless. But, disparities among the groups were found to be lower in residential treatment settings, indicating that access to residential treatment could be particularly valuable for these patients.”