Summer Music Festival Organizers Increase Drug Screening in Wake of Deaths
/By Join Together Staff
June 17th, 2014/

Organizers of summer music festivals are increasing drug screening, after four people died at festivals last year. The deaths were linked to the club drug Molly.

Concertgoers should expect sniffer dogs, pat-downs and other drug screening measures, Reuters reports. Music festivals will provide medical tents with doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians.

In April, organizers of New York’s Electric Zoo three-day event said this year fans will be required to view an anti-drug public service announcement online in order for their festival wristbands to activate. The event will start later in the day, to reduce exposure to the sun. In addition, the organizers will scrutinize vendors more closely. The festival may place “amnesty bins” at the gates, so fans can drop off illicit substances before they are searched. “We are redoubling our efforts at the gate,” said Dr. Andrew Bazos, medical supervisor for show organizer SFX Entertainment.

In 2013, the last day of Electric Zoo was canceled after two concertgoers died after taking Molly. Medical experts say club drugs are especially dangerous when they are taken in warm temperatures by people who are dehydrated and who exert themselves at all-day events.

Last year’s Electric Zoo festival included safety measures such as on-site emergency treatment centers, free bottled water, and periodic safety announcements. After the event, the promoters brought together an advisory board of doctors, security consultants and DJs to prevent future drug-related deaths.

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)
Recovery in Our Communities June 17, 2014      Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333     Anyone can be a father,  but it takes someone very, very  special to be a Dad. PERSONAL PROFILE Greg H., PRO-ACT Volunteer:  "My Journey Back"  Greg entered recovery seven years ago.  He lived in a recovery house then rented a room in a home.  Greg is also a PRO-ACT volunteer at the Philadelphia Recovery Community Center. "In November 2013, I decided to go back [home] and help my nieces and nephews, be the uncle I should be, not the uncle I was in my active addiction.  I thought I could share my experiences with them. I found myself doing the same things I did when I was actively using...only this time I was doing it in recovery...[I had to move back to Philadelphia, and] I couldn't pack my bags fast enough...I do miss my family but I have to let them grow, and I have to think what is best for me and my recovery process."  Greg's journey has taught him some very valuable lessons.  Read more of Greg's story. UPENN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE The Behavioral Health System Is Changing On June 3rd, a distinguished panel of experts at the University Of Pennsylvania discussed their views on how the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act will change access and quality in behavioral healthcare.   Watch the full video here. IS COLORADO "BREAKING BAD"? Rest of Country is Watching & Waiting Since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana 5 months ago, a series of problems have been reported by police, ER doctors, schools and legalization opponents.  These include several deaths, increased drug trafficking from Colorado into neighboring states and young children bringing marijuana to schools.   Those in favor of legalization counter that anecdotal stories should not determine policy, and more research is needed to truly understand the effects of legalization on Colorado communities.  The rest of the Nation is of course watching Colorado officials as they attempt to address issues as they arise.   Read this New York Times article that summarizes "the downside of a legal high"  here. Meanwhile, research on marijuana's role in car crashes is already expanding.  A  study published earlier this year by Columbia University found that marijuana was linked to three times as many fatal car accidents as a decade ago. Read more about the rising concern of car accidents as drug availability grows here. Some Upcoming Events Fun Fridays at our Recovery Centers:  Take some relaxing time to plan for a fun, sober weekend.  For more information, in Bristol call 215-788-3738 and in Philadelphia call 215-223-7700.    June 18, 2014: Meet The Council Open House, 8 - 9 am at 252 West Swamp Road, Bailiwick Office Campus, Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901 June 25, 6-8 pm  America Honors Recovery, sponsored by Faces & Voices of Recovery, highlights the contributions of the country's most influential recovery community leaders. In Washington DC. Click here for more information. September 12, 2014: 7:05 pm. Recovery Night at the Baseball Game, Phillies vs. Marlins, Citizens Bank Park. Click here for tickets.  September 20, 2014: PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2014, Great Plaza, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia. Click here to register and get more information. Employment Opportunities: Please click here

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JUNE 17 v 27 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

STEP 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Yesterday like always I worked 10 or 11 hours and when I spoke with my wife she had said a friend of ours had brought us dinner. Upon finally arriving home I discovered my inconsiderate step - man (23 yrs) had made a pig of himself as usual and left me nothing too eat . Restraint , gone , I was so angry I couldn't eat and my wife became an innocent victim because of his selfishness . I have not experienced anger like that in a long time . It amazes me that I spent half the night thinking of ways on how I am gonna make him pay . It does not matter how much clean time you got , at any minute something can push you over the edge into the old ways of living life. Thankfully I made it through the night without doing something stupid ,got some sleep and finally got some nourishment



Deuteronomy 21 :20 - And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.

By Joseph Dickerson

Daily Quote

"Right now, and in every now-moment, you are either closing or opening. You are either stressfully waiting for something - more money, security, affection - or you are living from your deep heart, opening as the entire moment, and giving what you most deeply desire to give, without waiting." - David Deida

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Recovery On Film

My program and my humor have taught me that I am a lot like every other addict, and a lot like every other person – valuable, perfectly imperfect, and afraid of clowns.

SOURCE THE FIX

By Evan H.

06/09/14

I ran outta gas. I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from outta town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts. It wasn’t my fault!! I swear to God!! - The Blues Brothers

Some of my lies in addiction were precious. Statements that were so ludicrous that the people I spoke them to probably couldn’t believe that I would offer them such fantasy. I once told someone that I spent $800 on taxis in one week (I had really used it to pay for sex). My friend once told his parents that his bag of pot and pipe were just for tobacco for a prop in a movie (that one has some nice parental denial in it).

The people I lie to in addiction know I am lying just as I do; or they choose to believe the lie to delay some other pain or reality of their own, just as I do. In addiction I use a lack of confrontation as ‘getting away with it.' In recovery I have found that I don’t get away with anything. All my actions have consequences, some immediate, some delayed for weeks, months or even years, and others ongoing indefinitely. And the program helps me identify the consequences and unmanageability, and ask God to change me, and make amends for those consequences. It all happens step by step, with my higher power in the lead.

After I give up on excuses, I can rely on the truth as God shows it to me.

**************

Do you hear that sound Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound of your death. – The Matrix

I am drawn to my addiction because of its guarantee. My addiction promises me oblivion; it promises to transport me to a fantasy world of pleasure. I believe this promise. I am usually disappointed: I have a bad trip, or I get ripped off, or the high is just a trace of what it used to be that first time. The guarantee of oblivion that I believe is always one hit, one score, one drink, one binge away.

So instead of the guarantee of my fantasy, there are two inevitabilities that I ignore. The first is that my addiction is a progressive disease, so I will always need more to chase the ever-fading high. The second is that my addiction will lead to my spiritual and eventually physical death. That’s what it does to every other addict who doesn’t find God’s path. And that’s what it will do to me. My survival comes by way of the program and my higher power’s grace.

Addiction guarantees destruction; my higher power guarantees a path of grace.

**************

Welcome to the real world. – The Matrix

In my addiction, I lived in a haze; a fog of self-deception, lies and duplicity. Let’s face it, I would have to be wearing blinders to put myself through the insanity of my addiction. Entering abandoned buildings, making myself black out, exposing myself to diseases, exposing my personal information to criminals. There are pimps out there who may still have my credit card number, home address and work address – that is unmanageable.

In sobriety, I am reintroduced to the real world. The real world can be harsh. The real world does not erase late rent or utility payments, or bounced checks, or credit card debt. When I trash my car or home during a binge, it’s still a wreck when I sober up.

But the real world is run by someone I can trust. My higher power is working to make reality exactly what I need.

I can trust my higher power to help me face reality.

**************

Are you the one who tells the joke about my being a … pickle? – Mel Brooks as Hitler in To Be or Not To Be

It’s wonderful to have a great sense of humor. In my addiction, I usually used my humor to identify myself as someone available for a high. And I used my humor to proposition women, to downplay or deny consequences and to gauge reactions and figure out who was willing to party. You know what I did not find funny? Anything about myself. I took my misery, my loneliness, my intelligence and my addiction as seriously as a heart attack.

I think because I was afraid that if I lost any of them, I would actually have a heart attack. My humor has changed in recovery. Now it’s clean (as clean as I am – if I stray to inappropriate humor, usually I am flirting with conduct that is inappropriate or unhealthy for me). Now I have the ability to laugh at myself without being self-deprecating, without taking myself down a notch. My humor now is about realizing that I already am down a notch from where I thought I was as a melodramatic, self-centered addict. My program and my humor have taught me that I am a lot like every other addict, and a lot like every other person – valuable, perfectly imperfect, and afraid of clowns.

My humor is not about being worse or better than others, it’s about identifying with others in our strengths and weaknesses.

**************

"Doc, uh, my brother's crazy. He thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" And the guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." - Annie Hall

Addiction is about living in denial. I deny that I am harming myself so that I can bear to continue to take the drug that destroys me. I convince myself that getting high is a good idea. I ignore the consequences that always appear. It’s denial with fantasies filling in the gaps.

The program can help me dismantle my denial. I can check my ideas out with my sponsor or recovery peers. When I do I will likely learn a few important realities: First, that the payoff I’m interested in is laced with self-destruction and horror. Second, my logic that rationalizes going to my addiction is probably based on black and white thinking, or self-loathing or shame. Third, by working the program in this way, I will be reminded that I am surrounded by people who care about me, sometimes more than I’m able to care about myself.

If I work on dismantling denial today, I’m paving the way for today’s sobriety.

Evan H. lives in Chicago and came to recovery about six years ago to connect with himself, his higher power, and other recovering addicts that walk the path. Movies are an important part of Evan's recovery. Whether or not the movie is about recovery, in movies he see examples of insanity, surrender, change and serenity. Read more of Evan's blog at recoveryonfilm.blogspot.com.

(NOTE—This is one of the new voices The Fix has commissioned for our new blog section. And if you'd care to add your voice to the mix, check our brief and simple requirements.)