Sunday, September 14, 2014

    
DON'T MISS: Walk with the Angels on Sept. 14.....
Latest news: coming to Walk with the Angels this coming Sunday, September 14th will be Wayfaring Wellness, who will be giving free massages to walkers & runners. Massage can help loosen the muscles, induce relaxation, and promote healing. It also just feels really good! To learn more about Hamilton-based Wayfaring Wellness, click here.

Also at Walk with the Angels will be Riss Conforti, a Third Level Reiki practitioner and recoveree who will be offering complimentary Reiki energy therapy sessions. Reiki is an ancient Japanese practice that works on the energy body to stimulate mental, emotional and physical healing. 

Many thanks to these very generous and talented people! 

They will be joining Cornerstone Health & Fitness, COA Recovery Radio, food vendors, recovery community vendors, and many others to make COA's first ever recovery walk a very, very special day.

If you haven't already registered for the Walk, don't delay!  So far, more than 200 walkers & runners are registered.

https://www.crowdrise.com/WalkWiththeAngels

  

Walk With the Angels will be held onSeptember 14, 2014 in Mercer County Park to will support continued scholarships for recovery. It will feature live music from Dana Isles & Facedown as well as Dirty Jerzee (formerly Soulfire), testimonials from recoverees, great food, vendors & more....

The goal is to raise $50,000 that will be used to send people to treatment for addiction and/or get them into sober living or medical care. So far, over 500 people have donated and almost $40,000 has been raised! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped make this event a success!
   

*COA is a service organization: all COA services are completely free of charge and everyone who works for COA is a volunteer. That means we can be completely objective and impartial, recommending the best options for our clients, based upon their individual situations. For help with a drug problem, call COA at 609-910-4942 or visit us online atwww.cityofangelsnj.org.
Merchandise Donations Wanted!

Would you like to donate to a worthy cause but not able to give cash? City of Angels NJ, Inc. now accepts donations of merchandise!

We are looking for high-value items we can re-sell to fund our operations and provide treatment scholarships to individuals without other resources. 

So far, we've successfully sold exercise and sporting equipment, electronics, watches and more.....

If you have an item you would like to donate, please contactCityofAngelsNJ@hotmail.com
Recovery Coach Training

 
Just in: dates for the final 2014 Recovery Coach training class. So far, COA has trained more than 70 recovery coaches, who are using their skills in their professional careers, service work (like at COA!), and personal lives. For details about COA's Recovery Coaches, click here.

This will be COA's 4th class, and will be held Sept. 27 to Oct. 3

For details about this class, or to register, click here If you are interested in this training, PLEASE REGISTER ASAP. There has been a lot of interest in this class, and we expect it to fill soon, especially since COA offers the class at a substantial discount to identical trainings from other organizations.
On COARR 
Let's Talk About Recovery!

With 10 original shows, COARR plays Recovery Talk 24/7/365....past shows are available online atwww.coaradio.com/pastshows.html and in each show's online archive. 

Tune in thru the smartphone app (free in the iphone/droid stores) or on www.coaradio.com to hear what's playing now.....

COARR will be broadcasting LIVE from Walk with the Angels on September 14! Stop in to listen or go on air!

 


NEW ON COARR!

Coming this Saturday....a show dedicated to healing from childhood sexual abuse.

Lynn W. shares her powerful story, speaks with others who have been abused and have been affected by abuse, and begins the healing process. 

Tune in at www.coaradio.com. To learn more about SFTP, click the image at right to watch a short video clip.
CJ Non Profit Stop Feeding the Predators
CJ Non Profit Stop Feeding the Predators
   
Listen to past COARR shows any time:

For "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas, click here.

For "Hope Fiend" with Minister Rich Mollica, click here.

For "Emotional Sobriety" with Andy Finley MFT, click here.

For "Journey Thru the 12 Steps with the Life Recovery Bible," click here.

For "Share Your Scars" with Vicki, click here.

For "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery" with recovery musician Kathy Moser,  click here.

For "Laughter & Recovery" with stand up comic Wil B. Kleen, click here.

For "Relationships in Recovery" with Alexa, click here.

For "Saving Lives" with COA Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark, click here.

For "Nar-Anon Families of Addiction Information Line" click here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

September 10 Chp 38 v 4 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS


My guilt overwhelms me - It is a burden too heavy to bear .


Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

Burden - a load, especially a heavy one.


Overwhelm - to affect (someone) very strongly. : to cause (someone) to have too many things to deal with. : to defeat (someone or something) completely ...


The pains we cause others become a load that we carry .How many times have you replayed it in your head . How often do you lose sleep ! What causes you to feel sick to the stomach . GUILT ! It is a prison that will eat you alive and then bury you . Steps 4 through 8 will turn the lights on in your prison but you must use the keys offered in step 8 to open the door .Everyone knows how thick and heavy a prison door is.The door is designed to keep you trapped . No one else can open the door it is too heavy and it is your door to be opened only by you and GOD . 

With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape. (Proverbs 11:9)
      The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.PRO-ACT
                                                  and
          Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --
     Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT) 
Recovery in Our Communities
September 9, 2014
    
Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter

 
Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333
Not all of us can do great things.   
But we can do small things with great love.

Mother Teresa
TAKE THE RECOVERY CHALLENGE!
Post A Video Or Make A Donation To Support Recovery

The Recovery Challenge is to post a short video (two minutes or less) on social media explaining how recovery has changed your life and pass the challenge on to at least four other people.  If you cannot make a video then make a donation to Recovery Walks 2014!  You have 24 hours to take the challenge.  Use hashtags #recoverywalkschallenge and #RecoveryWalks2014.  Watch the video that started the Recovery Challenge from PRO-ACT's own Sean Brinda. 

Everyone has a story about recovery!  A person in recovery, a family member or friend. Neighbors, Teachers, Parents, Coaches, Pastors, Counselors, Law Enforcement, Pubic Officials - anyone who has seen the problems caused by substance use and mental health problems, and wants to raise awareness about the reality of recovery, health and wellness in our communities. 

Accept the challenge and together we will reduce stigma, fight discrimination and show the world the Power and Hope of Recovery 
THE COUNCIL WILL ATTEND WHITE HOUSE EVENT 
Celebrating The 25th Anniversary of Recovery Month  

Bev Haberle, Executive Director of The Council, has been invited to The White House for a special event by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on September 17, 2014 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Recovery Month.  This special event will take place from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on September 17, 2014 and will stream live onwww.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.  The event will feature tweets with questions for panelists in recovery on stage. To submit a question on Twitter, tweet at @Botticelli44 using the hashtag #RecoveryatWH at any time prior to or during the event.

Supporting persons in recovery from addiction has become a major component of the National Drug Control Strategy.  Please encourage your friends, family members and recovery community to tune in. 
Some Upcoming Events
Events
Sept. 17thMeet The Council Open House8 - 9 am at 252 West Swamp Road, Bailiwick Office Campus, Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901
September 12th7:05 pm. Recovery Night at the Baseball Game, Phillies vs. Marlins, Citizens Bank Park. Click here for tickets. 
September 20thPRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2014, Great Plaza, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia. Click here to register and get more information.

FREE SHOWING OF "THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE"  SEPT. 23RD 
7-9:00PM AT DEL VAL COLLEGE, LIFE SCIENCE BUILDING, DOYLESTOWN, PA.  

Employment OpportunitiesPlease click here
Join Our Mailing List
We achieve block
DONATEDonations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.
CALL OUR ADDICTION & COUNSELING HELPLINE: 1-844-543-3242 (1-844-LIFE-CHANGE)
Share
Tweet
Forward

 
We often relate rebellion to kids - but is it limited to children?
Hear Lighthouse Network's
Dr. Karl Benzio's insight this Thursday!
 

Karl Benzio, M.D. Counsels Callers
on "Hearing Hearts" with Dr. Gloria Gay on WEHA 88.7 FM

 
STATION: WEHA 88.7 FM (Pleasantville, NJ)
DATE: Thursday, September 11
TIME: 9:30 a.m. ET
PROGRAM: Hearing Hearts
TOPIC: Rebellion: More Than Just Children
ONLINE: wehagospel887.com
 
Check out other media interviews including TV appearances, radio programs, print features and articles here...
Lighthouse Network is a Christian-based, non-profit organization that offers an addiction and mental health counseling helpline providing treatment options and resources to equip people and organizations with the skills necessary to shine God's glory to the world, stand strong on a solid foundation in the storms of their own lives, and provide guidance and safety to others experiencing stormy times, thus impacting their lives, their families and the world.

Lighthouse Network offers help through two main service choices:
  • Lighthouse Life Change Helpline (1-844-LIFE-CHANGE, 1-844-543-3242), a 24-hour free, national crisis call center, where specialists (Care Guides) help callers understand and access customized treatment options.
  • Life Growth and self-help training resources for daily life, including online and DVD series and training events to help individuals achieve their potential.
     
Facebook
Twitter
Website

DEA Will Allow Unused Narcotic Painkillers to be Returned to Pharmacies
September 9th, 2014/
0


The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Monday it will allow unused narcotic painkillers such as OxyContin to be returned to pharmacies. Until now, pharmacies were not allowed to accept unused opioid painkillers. The Controlled Substances Act required patients to dispose of the drugs themselves or give them to law enforcement during twice-yearly national “take-back” events.

Consumers will also be permitted to mail unused prescription medications to an authorized collector, in packages that will be available at pharmacies and locations including senior centers and libraries, The New York Times reports.

The new regulations are designed to curb the prescription drug abuse epidemic, the DEA said. “These new regulations will expand the public’s options to safely and responsibly dispose of unused or unwanted medications,” DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said in anews release. “The new rules will allow for around-the-clock, simple solutions to this ongoing problem. Now everyone can easily play a part in reducing the availability of these potentially dangerous drugs.”

The regulations will take effect in one month, the article notes. In addition to OxyContin, the rule will include stimulants such as Adderall and depressants such as Ativan. The program will be voluntary for pharmacies. The DEA will require locations accepting drugs to permanently destroy them, but will not specify how they do it.

The “take-back” events removed 4.1 million pounds of prescription drugs from circulation in the past four years, according to the DEA. During that time, about 3.9 billion prescriptions were filled. “They only removed an infinitesimal fraction of the reservoir of unused drugs that are out there,” said Dr. Nathaniel Katz of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who studies opioid abuse. “It’s like trying to eliminate malaria in Africa by killing a dozen mosquitoes.”

Flushing drugs down the toilet, or throwing out prescriptions in the trash, are discouraged because they could harm the environment.

Global Commission on Drug Policy Says Most Illegal Drugs Should be Decriminalized
September 9th, 2014/
0

The Global Commission on Drug Policy, largely composed of former world leaders, is calling on governments to decriminalize most illegal drugs, including heroin and cocaine.

In a new report, the group says the international drug-control system is broken, according to The Wall Street Journal. Members of the group include former presidents including Brazil’s Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Mexico’s Ernesto Zedillo and Colombia’s César Gaviria. Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz are also members.

“We have to control drugs, which are out of control,” Cardoso told the newspaper. “Some lethal drugs have to be prohibited…but the guiding principle has to be to guarantee the health and safety of people.”

According to the report, a law-enforcement approach that criminalizes people who use drugs has led to violence, instability and corruption. Instead, governments should focus their efforts on harm reduction, an approach that treats drug use as a public health and social issue, the report said. Any regulatory system for drugs should not allow sales to minors, the group stated. The most dangerous forms of drugs, including crack cocaine and the flesh-eating drug “krokodil,” should continue to be banned, they said.

Law enforcement should shift its focus from people who use drugs to violent drug gangs, according to the group. “The main thrust of [drug] law now is prohibition with violence, which does no good to either people’s health or security,” Cardoso said. “The concept now is that there has to be regulation with the objective of maintaining the health and security of people and respecting human rights.”

Between 60,000 and 100,000 people have died or disappeared in drug violence in Mexico since former President Felipe Calderón declared war on drugs in 2006, according to the report.