Tuesday, June 4, 2013

More Children Being Accidentally Poisoned by Opioids and Other Adult Medications

A growing number of children and teenagers are being accidentally poisoned by opioids and medications for adult chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, according to a new study.
More than 70,000 children under 18 go to the emergency room because of accidental medication exposures and poisonings each year, according to researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital. They report in Pediatrics the rate of such visits rose 30 percent between 2001 and 2008. Hospitalization rates for accidental poisonings in children rose 36 percent, USA Today reports.
Serious injuries and hospitalizations occurred most frequently with opioids and diabetes medications. “Increasing adult drug prescriptions are strongly associated with rising pediatric exposures and poisonings, particularly for opioids and among children 0 to 5 years old,” the researchers wrote. “These associations have sizable impacts, including high rates of serious injury and health care use.”
The study excluded antidepressants, because they are increasingly prescribed for young people. The researchers wanted to look at drugs that generally are prescribed for adults. The researchers found children under age 5 were most at risk for poisoning, followed by teens ages 13 to 19.
Study co-author Florence Bourgeois said young children generally are accidentally poisoned when they swallow drugs they find while exploring, while teens tend to seek out drugs such as opioids and intentionally take them.
    

Saturday, June 22: 5th Annual Rockfest
Come rock with the Angels at this fun, free event!
  
Held in the East Picnic Area of Mercer County Park from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm on Saturday, June 22, 2013, Rockfest will feature live music on two stages all afternoon from License to Chill, A Clever Con, Soul Fire, Motherload, Luna Laval, Under Fire, Jeff Palmer Band, Kevin Toft, Dusty Rivers Band, Radio Fiction, Mike Matisa, KCM Band, Dana Isles & Facedown and others.
  
Rockfest will also feature a car/truck/ motorcycle show, Rhythmania drum circles, Happy Heart Pets reptile exhibit, an amateur Barbeque Grill-Off with Wounded Warrior judges, children's games and amusements, lots of great food and much, much more!  
 
For details about Rockfest, click here.

For businesses, organizations and other groups wishing to join the Rockfest Exhibit Area with a 10 ft. table, please contact cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com. Cost is $75 for-profit businesses, no charge for non-profit groups. All vendors must be registered by Monday, June 17.

Saturday, June 8: Robbinsville Community Day

Join COA in our tent at this annual family event in Community Park (at West Manor Way & Gordon Road) as we help educate the public about the disease of addiction. Community Day features a Kid's Play Zone, other games & contests, Trackless Train, pony rides, face painters, balloon artists, rock climbing wall, a Prize Alley and food court as well as live music all afternoon and fireworks at 9:00 pm.

For questions, contact cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com.

COA Recovery Radio
 
Tune in to City of Angels Recovery Radio (COARR) for 24/7/365 for music and original programs on addiction and recovery:

Sunday nights, 5 - 6 pm: Christian Life Prison & Recovery Ministries (CLPRM) talks about recovery from a Biblical perspective. This is a great show with new guests every week, live music and inspiring testimonials.
  
Thursday nights, 9 - 10 pm: Tom Redneck Clark, COA's Director of Interventions, talks with folks from the COA community about their experiences with recovery.
  
 
Josh Howard on City of Angels Recovery Radio
Josh Howard on City of Angels Recovery Radio
 
If you missed any of the shows so far, click here to replay them on demand. For a show schedule or to listen any time, click here.
  
  
 
For updates on COARR, new Recovery Radio shows and Rockfest bands, photos and videos of the shows, click here to "like" the new COARR Facebook page.

June 7 & 8: Yard Sale at Redneck's House
Don't miss the yard sale on Friday, June 7 (4:00 pm - 8:00 pm) and Saturday, June 8 (9:00 am - 2:00 pm) at the home of Tom "Redneck" Clark, COA's Director of Interventions. This will be a massive sale with lots of bargains, Redneck-style.
 
If you've been spring cleaning and would like to make a donation, please drop off any items for the sale near the red shed in Redneck's yard (2330 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Hamilton, NJ, corner of Rt. 33).
 
Proceeds of the yard sale will benefit COA.
 Tidbits 
 COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.
 
 
For directions to the Dwier Center, click here. 
 
 
The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here. 
New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.
    


Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.
 
   
  
Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.
 

City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.

GOT A QUESTION ABOUT RECOVERY ! CHECK OUT THIS SITE ASK LAUREN ?

Today’s ‘Ask’

I have a really hard time sitting with myself. My mind likes to make the best of me during these moments and I can easily lose sight of my recovery. What do I do?
Truly sitting with myself is not always easy, especially in recovery. For so long, I looked to escape from myself. To disconnect from myself. I did not like the person I was and thus, the last thing I ever wanted to do was be alone and in my own company. It felt like hell. In recovery, I have to sit with anger, with frustration, with sadness, and with feeling in general! To go from years of never truly feeling or being with myself because I always had my addictions to engage in, to sitting with myself has been a major adjustment. But an adjustment I could not be more thankful for and one that has skyrocketed me into living the life I was put here to live.
By sitting with myself I am getting to know myself. Getting to understand the inner workings of my mind a little more. My ego a little more. I can now discern between when my heart is talking and when my mind is talking. This is something I was never able to do and it is because I have learned to be patient with myself. Learned that thoughts come and go into the mind and I don’t have to always listen to them. Triggers happen and I don’t have to self-sabotage because of them. I can challenge them in a whole new capacity. So, as hard as it is to sit with myself, this is where the true healing and growth takes place for me. In the end, all we have is ourselves and this is where the foundation of recovery is really started.
What do you do when you are alone with yourself? How do you stay in recovery?
Have an ‘Ask’ for me? Send me an email @ ask4recovery1@gmail.com!
Livengrin's Home in Bensalem
"When the addict in my life stops using, everything will be better!"

Sound familiar?  Free Seminar helps families learn why change is important for them, too.
Small group 
When a family member has an addiction, everyone has to adapt to that person's challenges.  But changing the script, the patterns of communication, can help everyone.

Join us on Tuesday, June 11, for our free seminar on "Family Dynamics and Healthy Communication." 

This informal session will offer information and reassurance on how to establish new roles in the family system.  Families, educators and healthcare professionals can all benefit.

Bring your questions and household issues to be addressed by experienced family counselors. 

View and print the fact sheet.

The event takes place from 6 - 8PM in Shanahan Hall on Livengrin's main Bensalem campus. Seating is limited! To register for the event, contact family therapist Dana Cohen at dcohen@livengrin.org or by calling 215-638-5200, ext. 162.

We look forward to seeing you there!  

To learn more about this and other upcoming Livengrin events, please visit our calendar page
Learn More at:


During its 47 years of service, more than 120,000 people have come to Livengrin to learn how to be healthy, sober and a part of their families, work and communities again.  You can play a role in a person's success story - make a contribution, volunteer, and tell someone about the help and hope to be found at Livengrin.  There's information, guidance and much more to learn 
throughout our website