States Scramble to Respond to Heroin Epidemic
/By Join Together Staff
June 17th, 2014/



State governors, legislatures and law enforcement across the country are scrambling to respond to the resurgence of heroin, USA Today reports.

“It’s really on the top of everyone’s radar from a public health perspective,” said Thomas MacLellan, Director of Homeland Security and Public Safety for the National Governors Association.

New heroin bills were introduced in at least 18 state legislatures, the article notes. The measures range from leniency for low-level heroin offenders, to permitting easier access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. Some states are considering tougher sentences for drug trafficking involving heroin.

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts declared a public health emergency earlier this year, after deaths from heroin and opioid drugs rose more than 90 percent since 2002. The state will spend $10 million to create a court diversion system to provide treatment for non-violent drug offenders. Massachusetts will also devote an additional $20 million to the state’s drug treatment system.

Governor John Kasich of Ohio agreed to enroll his state in a Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act in response to the heroin crisis, according to the newspaper. Kasich, a Republican, decided to accept federal assistance despite the political consequences, because of the drug’s toll on state residents.

In January, 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.

Advocates in a number of states are pushing for changes to laws to allow families to petition courts to intervene and order addiction and rehab treatment for loved ones addicted to heroin, even if they have no criminal record.

Police Increasingly Use Overdose Antidote Naloxone
/By Join Together Staff
June 17th, 2014/

A small but growing number of police officers are using the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, as they respond to more cases of heroin and opioid pill overdoses, according to The New York Times.

Naloxone has been used for many years by paramedics and emergency room doctors. Supporters of providing the antidote to police say the officers are often the first to arrive at the scene of an overdose.

The antidote 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 is encouraging police departments to carry the antidote.

Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo committed funds to ensure emergency medical workers have naloxone. In May, New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton announced the city’s police force will soon be trained and equipped with the antidote. “Officers like it because it puts them in a lifesaving opportunity,” he said.

Boston and San Diego are among the cities preparing naloxone programs for their police departments. Currently about two dozen of the nation’s 18,000 police departments have naloxone programs or are establishing them. “This is a huge change for policing,” said Chuck Wexler, the Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “You’re going to see this spread across the country.”

The Massachusetts city of Quincy was the first to require all police officers on patrol to carry naloxone, also known as Narcan. Last year, the city reported a 95 percent success rate with the treatment.

“Once in a while, you’ll get pushback from officers or the public — why are we saving junkies?” Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan said. “But our officers were going to too many houses to explain to families that their loved ones had passed away. We embraced it and we ran with it.”

Latest Addition to Heroin Treatment Arsenal: Recovery Coaches
/By Join Together Staff
June 17th, 2014/

Some people struggling to overcome an addiction to heroin are getting help from recovery coaches. The use of coaches is based on the idea that addiction is a lifetime disease.

There is growing interest across the country in using recovery coaches to help people addicted to heroin, according to Robert Lubran, Director of the Division of Pharmacologic Therapies at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. New York state is paying for coaches to help treat addiction through its Medicaid program.

“This is an evolving field,” Lubran told WBUR. “[We are] learning more and more about the best ways to treat addiction and certainly the use of peer counselors, or peer coaches, has become more and more widespread.”

Of patients addicted to heroin who stop, between 40 and 60 percent relapse in the first year, the article notes. Many relapse soon after finishing a treatment program.

In one treatment program in Massachusetts, people live in a sober house, attend daily 12-step group meetings, and receive individual counseling. They can use a smartphone app that includes GPS tracking so their recovery coach can know if they are near areas where heroin is known to be sold and used.

“[We show patients] how to manage their emotions, how to fill out job applications, how to go to meetings, how to take care of themselves, how to go back to school,” said recovery coach Kristoph Pydynkowski, who has been off heroin for seven years.

Pydynkowski does everything from visiting patients’ parents, to meeting patients for coffee before 12-step meetings, to fishing, hiking and kayaking with them. “Our job is to replace the old positive feeling about getting high with a new positive trigger point for recovery,” said Pydynkowski, who works with 10 patients at one time. “There is life after drugs.”

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