Campaign Aims to Alert Dentists to “Meth Mouth”
By Join Together Staff | May 6, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs, Healthcare & Prevention

Dentists can be an important tool in the fight against methamphetamine addiction, according to an official at Tufts School of Dental Medicine in Massachusetts. Jennifer Towers, the school’s director of research affairs, has designed a campaign to alert dentists to the signs of “meth mouth.”

Meth use can cause intense teeth gnashing that leads to cracked enamel and advanced tooth decay. The drug also causes sugar cravings, which leads people to drink large quantities of sugar-laden soda or sports drinks. “Meth mouth really dovetails well with drug prevention efforts because it’s so startling,” Towers told The Boston Globe.

By the time a person stops using meth, often the only option to treat meth mouth is pulling teeth, according to Tufts Dental Medicine.

Towers created a screensavers of meth mouth images, which dentists can play in their exam room. The campaign also includes a graphic novel for preteens, and software that shows how a mouth deteriorates over time, to simulate the effects of using meth. Her goal is to scare teens into staying away from meth. “I got a group of 14-year-old girls to be very silent when I showed them the before and after pictures [of meth addicts]. Especially in mid-teen range, they’re pretty concerned about their appearance,” she said.

She tested her campaign in Idaho, where meth use is high in rural areas. Tufts Dental Medicine notes about 80 percent of children in Idaho’s foster-care system are there because of their parents’ meth use, and more than half of the inmates in the state’s prison system are there on meth-related charges. Almost three-quarters of women in Idaho’s jails are addicted to meth.

Call for Nominations for 2014 Ramstad-Kennedy Award
By Join Together Staff | May 6, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Alcohol, Drugs & Recovery

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2014 Ramstad-Kennedy Annual Award for Outstanding Leadership by a Single State Authority (SSA). The deadline is this Friday, May 9.

The Ramstad-Kennedy award was established to recognize a SSA Director who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in support of recovery and Recovery Month and to acknowledge Congressmen Jim Ramstad and Patrick Kennedy for their commitment to recovery and recovery-oriented policies.

The award will be presented at the Awards Luncheon during the annual conference of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Directors (NASADAD) in Omaha, Nebraska on June 4. To nominate an SSA director, complete and return this form.

Daily Quote

"Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life - the one that did not work - for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever." - Bill W.

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Monday, May 12, 2014: Relapse Prevention By Shane Moes, MA, CAADC   From 6-8 pm Livengrin Counseling Center -- Oxford Valley 195 Bristol-Oxford Valley Road Langhorne, PA 19047   Seating is limited -- these sessions often fill up so please register as soon as possible.    To register for the sessions or for more information,  call Dana Cohen, Family Therapist -- 215.638.5200 x162    Ample free parking!

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	Please Help!
	Recovery is possible.   In 2013, COA conducted over 500 interventions and worked with more than 700 families. But we are getting more and more calls from people without health insurance. We think Recovery should be available to everyone. It shouldn't only be for those with the best insurance. So we will work with anyone who reaches out to us, regardless of their treatment history, insurance status or other details. In the 15 months from January 2013 to March 2014, COA paid more than $27,150 for over 50 young people to receive medical care, enter sober living and/or begin long term treatment for addiction. Many of them have now begun to help others find Recovery. To keep providing services to this important group of people, COA is launching our first-ever major fundraiser: a Recovery Walk on September 14, 2014 in Mercer County Park. Our goal is to raise $50,000 that will be used entirely to support scholarships for people hungry for Recovery but otherwise unable to get treatment.    Please click here for details and help us if you can. Make a donation, register to walk or run, share this link, and/or volunteer. This will be an uplifting event with live music, vendors, food, testimonials from recoverees, live broadcast on COA Recovery Radio (www.coaradio.com) and much, much more! ---------------------------------- City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit, 501c3 organization run entirely by volunteers. Although most of our staff has fulltime jobs, and some are employed in the treatment industry, none receive any compensation from COA. The organization is funded entirely by donations and sponsorships. COA receives no fees in return for referrals to treatment and therefore can make entirely objective decisions based upon individual client needs. If you need help with an addiction - or know someone who does - please contact COA at 609-910-4942 or visit www.CityofAngelsNJ.org.

MAY 5 v 12 v 22 v 23  TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
    examining every path he takes.
An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
    they are ropes that catch and hold him.
 He will die for lack of self-control;
    he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

STEP 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

The last two verses of the Proverb for me describe addiction . The first line and the step are letting us know that God will not be mocked and a man will reap what he sows. Honesty with God first yourself and others will start the healing (recovery) process. The bible teaches us that the issues of life flow from our hearts . If our hearts are full of pain , sadness , anger , regret , guilt  , and the list goes on and on . I have always said addiction is not the problem . Addiction is the by-product of a broken heart ,fix the heart and addiction will go away. This is why it is so important to work the steps especially step five but you must be honest , most folks  and most importantly God knows what you have done they are just waiting for you to take responsibility for behavior . When you can honestly admit your mistakes (sins) they will immediately lose their power in keeping you stuck in the sea of useless emotions .  

JAMES 5 : 16 - Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

By :Joseph Dickerson