February 12 v 14 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Wise words bring many benefits,
and hard work brings rewards.

STEP 8 - We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make admends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)



This step along with the rest will require just that , hard work is the only way I can stay sober and keep my sanity . I chose number eight specifically because thirteen years of sobriety has taught me this is a tough one and it will take a long time to complete but its well worth it .My memory was one part of me that suffered the most from addiction , and as time passes and through prayer and step work , I discover memories most not good but important because I have to get rid of my pain , regret , remorse and sorrows. Working the steps has helped me discover that if I don't work this step my heart and mind will be jam packed with all the terrible stuff I did too myself and others. When I first started early in my recovery there were too many sleepless nights wasted time spent watching all the movies in my head and the what ifs and how comes. What a waste of time ! That's why this step for me was so important and still is.Working this step on a daily basis will be just that hard work and for me it was painful but it must be completed if you want to keep moving forward. I said it before and I will say it again It works ,if you work it.
 

 

Jesus said I am the truth , the life , the way no one comes unto the father but through me .

Greetings!,      In this February edition of the "His Mansion Newsletter", you will read about Tim's story... a story of the Lord's grace and redemption in the midst of the panic and anguish caused by the sudden and tragic death of his mother when he was four-years-old. Out of this heartbreak came a life-long quest for relationship that eventually lead to poor choices and addiction.      One of those choices led Tim to face significant jail time. Through God's providence, that lengthy sentence was reduced to one month. While serving out his sentence, God led Tim to share his spiritual journey of forgiveness and new life in Christ with a fellow inmate. That young man is now on The Hill seeking new life.      For more on the amazing story of God's grace in Tim's life, click here for your February 2014 His Mansion Newsletter.  Thank you,   Ed Perrine CEO  P.S. If you would like give a gift to help support the redemptive work that  Christ is doing on The Hill,  simply click here and put "214" in the purpose field followed by your desired gift amount.

There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV

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Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Suspected in at Least 50 Recent Fatal Overdoses in Three States

By Join Together Staff | February 6, 2014 | 2 Comments | Filed in Community Related & Drugs

Heroin laced with the synthetic opiate fentanyl is suspected in at least 50 recent fatal overdoses in three states, according to law enforcement officials. In Pennsylvania, the drug combination is suspected in at least 17 deaths. Officials in Maryland and Michigan are also investigating deaths linked to the drug mix. In Flint, Michigan, fentanyl-laced heroin is suspected in four recent overdoses.

Fentanyl is often used during surgery. Drug dealers add it to heroin to create a stronger high, ABC News reports.

People who use the drug combination “don’t know that fentanyl is in it and shoot it up and stop breathing, because they were unaware of the added punch in the narcotic,” said Ray Isackila, counselor and team leader of addiction treatment at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. He noted fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin, and affects the central nervous system and brain. “Heroin with illicit fentanyl laced into it makes it stronger, cheaper and more desirable on the street,” he said. “People hear about this new heroin or this super strong heroin that someone is selling,” and they want it.

“There’s an odd mindset in the drug addiction world if people have overdosed on this, they think I’ve got to get some of it,” Isackila said. They say “they’ll just use a little — a dangerous drug becomes more desirable to the addict on the street.”

Heroin Overdose Antidote Naloxone Becoming More Widely Available

By Join Together Staff | February 6, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Legislation & Treatment


The heroin overdose antidote naloxone is becoming more widely available nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reports. California greatly expanded availability of the treatment as of January 1. Currently 17 states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws allowing family and friends of people who are addicted to heroin or prescription opioids to have the antidote.

The treatment, sold under the brand name Narcan, has been used for many years by paramedics and doctors in emergency rooms. It is administered by nasal spray. The medication blocks the ability of heroin or opioid painkillers to attach to brain cells. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy says it is encouraging police departments to carry Narcan.

Ohio is considering a measure to allow distribution of Narcan, the article notes. Ohio is one of many states that have experienced a surge in heroin use. Much of the increase is driven by people who have switched to heroin from prescription painkillers, because it is much cheaper and easier to obtain than pills such as oxycodone. The state measure would increase naloxone’s availability to anyone “in a position to assist an individual who there is reason to believe is at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose.”

According to Wilson Compton, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when naloxone is injected into an overdose victim whose heart is still beating, “it’s virtually 100 percent effective.” When overdose victims are discovered, “they’re kind of blue, they’re breathing very shallowly, or hardly breathing at all,” he said. “If this medication is administered [properly], they wake up within a minute or two. It’s remarkable. You save their life.”

Last summer, the police department of Quincy, Massachusetts, the first in the nation to require every officer on patrol to carry Narcan, reported a 95 percent success rate with the treatment.

Babies Born to Addicted Mothers a “Troubling Epidemic”: Maine Governor

By Join Together Staff | February 6, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Government, Parenting, Prevention & Youth

Maine Governor Paul R. LePage this week said the births of 927 babies born to mothers addicted to drugs last year in the state is a “troubling epidemic.” The babies represented more than 7 percent of all births in the state, The New York Times reports.

In his State of the State address, Governor LePage said the babies create “a lifelong challenge for our health care system, schools and social services.” He added, “It is unacceptable to me that a baby should be born affected by drugs.” He urged legislators to add four special drug prosecutors and four judges to sit in enhanced courts, and to add 14 agents to the state’s Drug Enforcement Agency. He did not mention a role for treatment, the article notes.

“We must hunt down dealers and get them off the streets,” Mr. LePage said. “We must protect our citizens from drug-related crimes and violence. We must save our babies from lifelong suffering.”

Last month, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin said his state is suffering from a “full-blown heroin crisis.” In his State of the State Message, Governor Shumlin said he wants officials to respond to addiction as a chronic disease. He focused his entire speech on drug addiction and its consequences.

He called on the state to treat heroin addiction with treatment and support, instead of punishment and incarceration. “In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addiction threatens us,” he said. “The time has come for us to stop quietly averting our eyes from the growing heroin addiction in our front yards, while we fear and fight treatment facilities in our backyards.”

Free PRO-ACT Facilitator Training for Family Addiction Education Program (6 PCB Credits) Saturday, February 15, 2014

When someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the disease impacts the entire family. PRO-ACT needs people with a sincere desire to help families recognize and address a loved one's addiction. We particularly need facilitators in the Philadelphia suburbs: Doylestown, Bristol, Pottstown, West Chester, Media and Northeastern Philadelphia areas.         PRO-ACT is offering this free, day-long Facilitator Training to teach volunteers how to help. The training will take place on Saturday, February 15. 9:30 am until 4 pm The PRO-ACT Recovery Training Center 444 North Third Street, Suite 307 Philadelphia "I always feel energized after a session because I'm able to help struggling families just through what I know" said Judy McQuarrie, a veteran Family Program Facilitator.   Instructor Kathy McQuarrie, Family Education Program Founder PCB Credits This Facilitator Training is approved for 6 (six) hours of Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) credits. Being a facilitator for the Family Program requires a commitment since it runs every month in multiple locations. In return for the free training, PRO-ACT requires at least 10 hours of volunteer service.

Registration Is Required To register for the free New Facilitator Training on Saturday, February 15, please call Noni West at 215-345-6644 or email her here. For information about the Family Education Program and registration call 1-800-221-6333. www.councilsepa.org PRO-ACT Administrative Office 252 West Swamp Road Unit #12 Doylestown PA 18901 PH: 215.345.6644 FX: 215.348.3377    PRO-ACT Philadelphia Office 444 N. 3rd Street Suite 307 Philadelphia PA 19123     PH: 215.923.1661 FX: 215.923.2216  PRO-ACT is an advocacy and recovery support project of  The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.