January 12 v 19 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Truthful words stand the test of time,

but lies are soon exposed.

STEP 5 : I will admit to God, to myself, and to another human being, the exact nature of my wrongs.

You can never go wrong with telling the truth. Along with lieing comes fear guilt shame and worry. at least for me that is what I carried for many years. Every time I tried too get away with something there was a gnawing in my gut and the constant racing thoughts of will I get caught ,did anybody see me.Constant lieing made me physically and spiritually sick . Chemical substances cannot take away the those constant feelings of fear worry anxiety and guilt.These emotions are relentless and they will eventually eat you alive. Step five is hell and one of the most difficult steps to take but the reward of freedom you will receive is well worth walking through the flames. The Proverb once again is spot on in living a sober and healthy life. Step five is the key that will open the prison door of the cell in which you have lived far too long.

Ambien Zombies, Murder, and Other Disturbing Behavior

Ambien Zombies, Murder, and Other Disturbing Behavior
The number one prescription sleep aid is becoming better known for triggering bizarre behavior than it is for treating insomnia.


By Allison McCabe

01/10/14
On March 29, 2009, Robert Stewart, 45, stormed into the Pinelake Health and Rehab nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina and opened fire, killing eight people and wounding two. Stewart’s apparent target was his estranged wife, who worked as a nurse in the home. She hid in a bathroom and was unharmed. Stewart was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder; if convicted, he could face the death penalty. Even though there was evidence that Stewart’s actions were premeditated (he allegedly had a target), Stewart’s defense team successfully argued that since he was under the influence of Ambien, a sleep aid, at the time of the shooting, he was not in control of his actions. Instead of the charges sought by the prosecutors, Stewart was convicted on eight counts of second-degree murder. He received 142 – 179 years in prison.

Ambien, a member of the class of medications known as hypnotics, was approved by the FDA in 1992. It was designed for short term use to combat insomnia and was a welcome change from the prevailing sleep aid at the time, Halcion, which had been implicated in psychosis, suicide, and addiction and had been banned in half a dozen countries. Ambien works by activating the neurotransmitter GABA and binding it to the GABA receptors in the same location as the benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium. The extra GABA activity triggered by the drug inhibits the neuron activity that is associated with insomnia. In other words, it slows down the brain. Ambien is extremely effective at initiating sleep, usually working within 20 minutes. It does not, however, have an effect on sustaining sleep unless it is taken in the controlled release form.


Ironically, you are more likely to be successful using the Ambien defense if you injure or kill someone than if you just crash into a parked car or a tree.

After its approval, Ambien quickly rose to dominance in the sleep aid market. Travelers swore by it to combat jet lag, and women, who suffer more insomnia than men, bought it in droves. Sanofi, Ambien’s French manufacturer, made $2 billion in sales at its peak. In 2007 the generic version of Ambien was released, Zolpidem, and at less than $2 per pill, it still remains one of the most prescribed drugs in America, outselling popular painkillers like Percocet and prescription strength ibuprofen.

Although the Ambien prescribing information warned, in small print, that medications in the hypnotic class had occasional side effects including sleep walking, “abnormal thinking,” and “strange behavior,” these behaviors were listed as extremely rare, and any anecdotal evidence of “sleep driving,” “sleep eating,” or “sleep shopping”—all behaviors now associated with Ambien blackouts—were characterized as unusual quirks, or attributed to mixing the medication with alcohol. It wasn’t until Patrick Kennedy’s 2006 middle-of-the-night car accident and subsequent explanation to arriving officers that he was running late for a vote that the bizarre side effects of Ambien began to receive national attention. Kennedy claimed that he had taken the sleep aid and had no recollection of the events that night.

Shortly after the Kennedy incident, Ambien users sued Sanofi because of bizarre sleep-eating behaviors while on the drugs. According to Chana Lask, attorney for the class action suit, people were eating things like buttered cigarettes and eggs, complete with the shells, while under the influence of Ambien. Lask called people in this state “Ambien zombies.” As a result of the lawsuit, and of increasing reports coming in about “sleep driving,” the FDA ordered all hypnotics to issue stronger warnings on their labels.
In addition to giving consumers extra information so they could take the medication more carefully, the warning labels also gave legitimacy to the Ambien (or Zombie) defense. In March of 2011, Lindsey Schweigert took one Ambien before getting into bed at 6pm. Hours later, she woke up in custody with no idea how she’d gotten there. In the following weeks, Schweigert pieced together the events of that night. She’d gotten out of bed, drawn a bath, and left the house with her dog. She started driving to a local restaurant but crashed into another car soon after leaving her house. Police described her as swaying and glassy-eyed. She failed a sobriety test and was charged with DWI and running a stoplight.

Schweigert had a job that required a security clearance. She had never been in trouble with the law before and was terrified of losing her job and having a criminal record. Prosecutors initially wanted to impose a six month jail sentence in addition to other punishments, but Schweigert’s lawyer argued that Lindsey’s bizarre behavior on the night in question was a result of a medication which warned right on the label that “After taking AMBIEN, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night…Reported activities include: driving a car (“sleep-driving”), making and eating food, talking on the phone, having sex, sleep-walking.” In fact, the lawyer argued, Schweigert should have been taken to a hospital, not to jail. Prosecutors dropped the charges and allowed Lindsey to plead to the lesser charge of careless driving, which meant that she could keep her security clearance. Her license was suspended for a year, however, and she had to pay upwards of $9,000 in legal fees.

As a result of the Schweigert verdict, an attorney successfully used the Ambien defense to overturn a 2006 DWI conviction for a New Jersey woman by arguing that the drug's labeling had changed six months after his client’s arrest. The court agreed, saying that it would be an "injustice to hold her responsible for the undisclosed side effects of a popular and readily available medication that she was lawfully prescribed and properly administered."

January 10 v 25 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,

but the righteous stand firm forever.

STEP 12 :Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to practice these principles in all our affairs. 

The Proverb is clear and the storm is our lives. Just like the weather your life will have sunny days and some rainy. When the big storms come and they will ,do you want to be standing alone in addiction That is what eventually happens due to our selfish and destructive ways. How many of our brothers and sisters have been swept away too soon. God promises that if you stand with Him , He will stand with you and shield from the storm. Lets put that in perspective a storm , lets think back to hurricane Sandy and the destruction it left behind. I know most of you remember the images on the TV. Addiction is a lot like that it destroys everything in its path including your life. So why would you want to stand alone if you turn to God He will bring you His divine protection and get thru the storm . That is the message ,step one surrender,step two let go let God , step twelve pass it on. The Proverb is the promise !

Affordable Care Act from the Mental Health Association

Good Afternoon!
We have finally been able to reschedule the training on the Affordable Care Act from the Mental Health Association of Southeast Pennsylvania (MHASP) Navigators. It will be held on January 16th from 12:30 to 3:30pm at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.
If you want a basic primer on the Act the first part of the training is for you. There will be a Powerpoint overview from 12:30 to 1:30ish. Then the floor is open for questions and people can be registered for insurance coverage if they wish.
Please pass along the attached flyer to anyone you feel would benefit from this information! Please be sure to let me know if you are coming so we can arrange for materials and some form of refreshments.
Thank you,
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! and Twitter https://twitter.com/TheCouncilSEPA
Jessica Schwartz

Volunteer Coordinator & Prevention Specialist

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

252 West Swamp Road, Unit 33

Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18901

Phone: (215) 230-8218 ext. 3158

Fax: (215) 230-8205

(800) 221-6333 - 24 Hour Information Line

jschwartz@councilsepa.org

www.councilsepa.org Like us on FACEBOOK! Follow us on TWITTER!      INTERVENTIONIST TRAINING  (21 PCB Credits) Three-Day Program February 3 through 5, 2014 Class size limited--Registration Deadline: January 24 Location: The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania 252 West Swamp Road, Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-345-6644 This training prepares individuals to assist families in the process of intervention for loved ones with a substance use disorder.  Participants will be trained in the model adhered to by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence's (NCADD) National Intervention Network (NIN). Extensive experiential learning includes participation in a full-scale mock intervention. Featured Trainer Beverly J. Haberle, MHS, LPC, CAADC   Ms. Haberle is a founder and chairperson of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence's (NCADD) National Intervention Network and is a Certified National Intervention Network Trainer and a Johnson Institute Trained Interventionist. She has assisted numerous families and individuals with interventions and trains extensively on the intervention process locally, regionally, and nationally.  Ms. Haberle has served for 32 years as the Executive Director of The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. and, for the past 14 years, she has also served as the Project Director for the Pennsylvania Recovery Organization--Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT).  She has been an advocate on behalf of those addicted to alcohol and other drugs, as well as their families and the community at large, for more than 36 years.            REGISTER TODAY! Class size limited Register today for the opportunity to train with one of the country's most well-respected experts and advocates for recovery from substance use disorders. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Questions? Contact us at 215-345-6644 or send an email here  Dates and Times Monday Through Wednesday, February 3-5, 2014  9:00 am to 5:00 pm  Continental Breakfast included; No lunch provided Program Fee: $550 Registration and payment must be received by January 24, 2014  Program Sponsorship and Accreditation: The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc., is a PCB-approved provider (#031) and affiliate of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, serving the southeast region of Pennsylvania.

Your are cordially invited to a "Meet the Overdose Prevention & Education Task Force Meeting" Importance: High

Your are cordially invited to a "Meet the Overdose Prevention & Education Task Force Meeting"
Importance: High
Please note this important date on your calendar: Wednesday January 22nd - 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (see location listed below)

ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND !

Please forward this open invite to your contacts!

As you all know, the rate of opiate prescription medication and heroin abuse has skyrocketed in Bucks County over the last several years. This September alone, 63 people in Bensalem, PA have overdosed on opioid drugs like heroin and prescription pain killers. This is an issue that puts the health of our community, families and youth in jeopardy. A new report released by The Trust for America’s Health found Pennsylvania has the 14th highest rate of drug overdose deaths. The report found the Commonwealth had 15.3 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2010. Most of those deaths involved the use of prescription drugs.



You are invited to come out and find out what is being done in both Bucks County as well as state wide and how to be part of not only the conversation but learn how you can be part of the solution. We will be meeting monthly at various locations throughout Bucks County for convenience of the communities. By attending, you are not required to attend future monthly meetings although you are always welcome. If you are interested in becoming a member, membership only means that you will receive monthly e-mails regarding issues related to overdoses and opioid drug use. The Task Force is also forming sub-committee’s based on areas of interest and professional experience. We welcome everyone to participate; community members, law enforcement, recovery services, medical providers, pharmacists, persons in recovery, etc.

Task Forces goals include but are not limited to:

· Educate others on the topic and save lives.

o Outreach and education creates partnerships that may then focus on other initiatives or strategies.

· Promote awareness and encourage further action.

o Actions may include getting the word out and gaining support for legislative actions such as Senator Pileggis HB 1164 – good Samaritan Act.



Please feel free to David Fialko with any and all questions at 215-230-8218 x 3162 !

January’s open meeting will be hosted by:

Livengrin Oxford Valley

195 Bristol-Oxford Valley Rd.,

Langhorne, PA 19047

Meeting time: 6:00 pm to 7:30pm

Food and beverages will be provided
February’s open Meeting will be hosted by:

Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth

Chancellor Center Date, and time to be announced.

Click this link for more information-Link to Overdose Advisory Board / Task Force
Sincerely,

David Fialko, BS

Prevention Specialist

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

252 West Swamp Rd. Unit 33, Doylestown, PA 18901

Office: 215-230-8218 x 3162