July 9 Ch 17 v 6 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.

Bend down and listen as I pray.

STEP 2 - - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity .

Just keep praying your deliverance will come . My mother prayed for thirty two years for me too find God . I prayed once and a year later , He showed up and delivered me out of addiction so keep asking Him .He will set you free and take the desire which drives us too use .

Psalms 107 : 6 - Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he delivered them out of their distresses.

By Joseph Dickerson

Florida Succeeds in Lowering Opioid Prescribing, Overdose Deaths: Report

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

July 8th, 2014/

Policy changes in Florida have led to a drop in opioid prescriptions, according to a new government report. Prescription rates for opioids remain high in some states, including Alabama, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Health care providers in the United States wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioids in 2012, USA Today reports. Prescribing rates for drugs including OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet vary widely by state. In Alabama, providers wrote 143 prescriptions for every 100 residents, compared with 52 prescriptions per 100 residents in Hawaii. The findings come from a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

New York and California also reported low rates of opioid prescribing, the article notes.

Florida, which was known for its proliferation of “pill mills,” closed about 250 pain clinics in 2013. The number of high-volume oxycodone dispensing prescribers dropped from 98 in 2010 to none in 2013, the CDC reported. After the state instituted new laws to regulate pain clinics and implemented a new prescription monitoring program, opioid overdose deaths decreased 27 percent between 2010 and 2012.

Preliminary data from the first half of 2013 indicate overdose deaths from oxycodone and the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam (sold as Xanax) continued to decrease. “These changes might represent the first documented substantial decline in drug overdose mortality in any state during the past 10 years,” the report noted.

“Overdoses from opioid narcotics are a serious problem across the country and we know opioid overdoses tend to be highest where opioids get the highest use,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. He says the medications “can be an important tool for doctors to use … but they are not the answer every time someone has pain.”

The CDC urged states to consider ways to increase the use of prescription drug monitoring programs, and to institute laws and regulations relating to pain clinics to reduce prescribing practices that are risky to patients.

CVS Stores in West Virginia Will Not Sell Single-Ingredient Pseudoephedrine Products

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

July 8th, 2014/

CVS Caremark will no longer sell single-ingredient pseudoephedrine products in West Virginia, The Wall Street Journal reports. Pseudoephedrine is a popular source of chemicals used in methamphetamine labs, which have proliferated in the state.

Single-ingredient pseudoephedrine is often sold under the brand name Sudafed, the article notes. In addition to West Virginia stores, CVS will also stop selling the product in 40 stores within 15 miles of the state border in Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The drugstore chain has reduced the amount of pseudoephedrine products that can be bought by a single person in a year, to half the limit currently allowed under West Virginia law. CVS will continue to sell a formulation of pseudoephedrine that is resistant to the type of tampering often used by meth labs.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has urged pharmacy companies to ban single-ingredient pseudoephedrine products, said, “Substance abuse has ravaged West Virginia, and the local production and abuse of methamphetamine has only added to the epidemic. It is past time that we take strong action to stop this cycle of abuse.”

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)  Recovery in Our Communities July 8, 2014      Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333 Change is the law of life.   And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the miss the future.  John F. Kennedy INTERVENTION IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT Dr. Stacey Conway Explains Role of Trained Interventionist   An intervention is anything that stops or slows the progression of the disease of addiction.   Formal interventions led by a properly trained expert are a powerful tool.  Stacey Conway, PhD, is The Council's Director of Evaluation & Outcomes.  Dr. Conway recently blogged about the intervention process.  "Understandably, families feel desperate about their loved one's situation...Many hope that we might swoop in, quickly convince [them to get help] and whisk them off to treatment.  Even if this was possible, it may not lead to the desired outcomes...[R]elying solely on an outsider...to 'fix the problem'...is likely not sustainable.  Intervention is a process, not an event.  During this process, family members and others who care...identify their own role in the addiction and in ways they can support recovery..."  Read Dr. Conway's Intervention blog.    The disease of addiction effects the whole family.  PRO-ACT's Family Education Program is a great place for families to begin the intervention process.  Find out more about PRO-ACT's Family Education Program. INTERVENTION TRAINING AUG. 18-20 IN DOYLESTOWN Registration Is Now Open! On Aug. 18, 19 & 20 from 9am-5pm in Doylestown, The Council is holding an Interventionist Training to prepare individuals so they can 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 NCADD's National Intervention Network.  The featured trainer is Beverly Haberle, MHS, LPC, CAADC.  Ms. Haberle has assisted numerous families and trains extensively on the intervention process locally, regionally and nationally.   Visit our website for details and how to register.       CDC REPORT: 10% OF DEATHS ARE ALCOHOL RELATED Costs the U.S. 224 Billion a Year, or "$1.90 A Drink"  A new study says 10% of deaths for people between 20 and 64 is alcohol related.  Most of these deaths are male and a direct result of binge drinking.  Alcohol related deaths include chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke and cancer, as well as acute causes such as accidents, homicides and suicides.  Scientists believe that the "1-in-10 number" is almost certainly an underestimate because several well known alcohol-related diseases are not included in this study.  Alcohol is the 4th largest cause of preventable deaths behind smoking, poor nutrition and lack of exercise.   For more information and to read the CDC's report, visit NPR's Health Blog. Some Upcoming Events SBRCC in Bristol, Mondays 6:30pm:  YOGA For Recovery, contact Karen at215-788-3738 or kburke@councilsepa.org CBRCC in Doylestown, 4th Tuesday of Every Month: Understanding Recovery, for people in recovery and their support network.  Contact Rick at 215-345-6644 or rpetrolawicz@councilsepa.org PRCC in Philadelphia, Tuesdays at both 12:30 & 2pm:  Stress Reduction & Relaxation, call 215-223-7700 July 16, 2014: Meet The Council Open House, 8 - 9 am at 252 West Swamp Road, Bailiwick Office Campus, Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901 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

DONATE Donations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.

JULY 8 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

For whoever finds me finds life,

All those who hate me love death. But those who miss me injure themselves . All who hate me love death .

STEP 2 - Came to believe that God ( Jesus ) could restore us to sanity !

Addiction is your master and you are the slave not free to live your life the way it is meant to be lived .When your physical life ends it does not mean its over . Living a life full of addiction and sin will separate you from the love God has for you now and when you cross over . Get it right now with God you think life is terrible now . Gods Big Book teaches we will be separated and put into prisons of darkness until the judgement . Yes this a lot and I struggle with understanding it . I figured why take chances and the Proverb was right , through the steps I found God and I do have life , a sober life and that was impossible in my own strength . 

Isaiah 59 -1 -2

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Good Afternoon!

If you haven’t already, here is your reminder to please register for this month’s Expanding Your Recovery Toolkit program coming up on:

Tuesday, July 15th

7:00 – 8:30pm

At The Council Office, Unit 12

Please pass along the attached flyer to anyone you feel would benefit from this program. As always, you must register yourself or your group ahead so that we may be prepared with enough materials and food/beverages. If you have any questions, please let me know!

THANK YOU!

Rick Petrolawicz

CRS/ Volunteer Coordinator

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc/ PRO-ACT

Central Bucks Recovery Resource Center

252 W. Swamp Road, Bailiwick Office Campus, Unit 12

Doylestown, PA 18901

Phone: (215) 345-6644 ext 3151

Fax: (215) 348-3377

24 Hour Information Line: (800)221-6333

rpetrolawicz@councilsepa.org

www.councilsepa.org