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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
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| COMING UP IN THE FIX// A Day with Cambodia’s Needle Exchange * Interview with Drug Policy Alliance Director Ethan Nadelmann * Death Row Drugs * Hep C Q&A * Have We Grown Past Anonymity? * Freedom and Recovery * Sober in Mexico* PLUS: Other incisive articles |
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Sunday, December 7, 2014
DECEMBER 7 Chp 69 v 32 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS
Let the oppressed see it and be glad ; you who seek God , let your hearts revive.
Oppressed- to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power:to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.Archaic. to put down; subdue or suppress.
Archaic. to press upon or against; crush.
Revive - comes from the Latin roots re-, meaning “again,” and vivere, meaning “to live.” So, the word revive means “live again.” While the possibility of bringing folks back from the dead isn't something we’re qualified to comment on, we will note that revive can be used in a sense that’s very close to its literal meaning; specifically, revive can mean “cause someone to regain consciousness.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God
I think it is so important to know the true meaning of these words. Gods Big Book contains a lot of them , that at times can be confusing. I wanted to be sure about the words oppressed and revive. Now that I have seen the real meaning behind these words my eyes have been opened in a new way and the Psalm has new meaning. Oppressed any way you slice it is what life is like in active addiction . Revive now that words meaning really got my attention. Back from the dead ,whoa that hit me like a truck. Mentally , physically , and spiritually I was a corpse in a living body .Addiction has a funny way of killing you yet letting you barely live.Like a zombie or a robot is how I lived my life. Feeling-less , untouchable , driven by an insatiable desire to get high at any and all costs to life and limbs. How our brains slip into snooze and our hearts become in-trenched in a impenetrable force field is beyond my comprehension .Back from the dead is the best way to describe sobriety .Hey didn't Jesus come back from the dead and didn't He go to hell for three days to release the captives before He walked out His tomb. That is something to dwell on. Gods Big Book states when we find Jesus we find life ,so is it possible your not finding Jesus .For many years there my oppression from addiction in every sense of the word kept me trapped in chains unable too live my life to Gods given full potential. I found Jesus and was revived to live again and I am living to my full potential unafraid and back from the dead . By Joseph Dickerson
Friday, December 5, 2014
Florida Welfare Applicants Do Not Need to Take Drug Tests: Federal Appeals Court
December 4th, 2014/
A federal appeals court has struck down a Florida law that required welfare applicants to undergo drug tests. The court ruled the law was an “unreasonable search.”
The law, passed in 2011, required drug tests for welfare applicants even if they were not suspected of using drugs, The New York Times reports. The court ruled Florida officials failed to show a substantial need to test all welfare applicants. Under the law, applicants had to submit to urine tests.
In October 2011, a federal judge temporarily halted the law. At the time, Judge Mary Scriven said the law may violate the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. The judge’s ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida and a Navy veteran. The veteran, Luis Lebron, was a University of Central Florida student who cares for his son and disabled mother, and receives welfare.
The Florida law required applicants to be responsible for the cost of the screening. They could recover the costs if they qualify for assistance. Under the law, applicants who failed the drug screen could designate another person to receive the benefits on behalf of their children. A federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional in 2013, but the state appealed.
According to the article, 11 states have passed laws mandating drug testing for welfare applicants since 2011. Most of the laws require testing only if drug use is suspected.
“Florida’s suspicionless drug testing program for those seeking assistance clearly violated the Constitution,” Jason Williamson, Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, said in a news release. “With today’s decision, this prejudiced and intrusive treatment of the poor will come to an end.”
Researchers Developing Breath Test for Marijuana-Impaired Driving
December 4th, 2014/
Researchers at Washington State University are developing a breath test for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The test could be used to determine if a person is driving under the influence of marijuana, according to The Seattle Times.
Drug-impaired driving has become an increasing concern since recreational marijuana use became legal in Washington in 2012. The Washington State Toxicology Laboratory reported 25 percent of tested blood samples taken from suspected impaired drivers tested positive for active THC in 2013, compared with 18.6 percent in 2012.
Currently there is no portable tool that allows law enforcement officers to test drivers for marijuana impairment using a breath sample, the article notes. Officers now use blood tests to determine how much THC is present in a driver’s blood. Test results are not immediately available.
The new marijuana breath test is being developed by Washington State University chemistry professor Herbert Hill. He says current technologies, such as those used by airport security and customs agents to detect drugs and explosives, can be re-purposed to test for marijuana.
Washington state set the legal limit for THC at which a driver is determined to be impaired at 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood. While the breath test is unlikely to pinpoint the exact level of THC in the body, it will indicate whether some active THC is present, according to Hill. “We believe at least initially that it would lower the false positives that an officer would have,” he said. “They would have a higher level of confidence in making an arrest.”
Follow-up test results would still be needed as evidence, Hill noted. He plans to finish lab tests on the device this year, and hopes to start testing human breath in early 2015. He then plans to test the device in the field.
Residential Rehab Can be Good Option for Young Adults Dependent on Opioids: Study
December 4th, 2014/
A month-long residential treatment program may be more effective than standard outpatient programs for young adults who are dependent on opioids, a new study suggests.
Residential programs may result in higher abstinence levels for young adults dependent on prescription painkillers or heroin, Reuters reports.
“Given evidence that outpatient treatment for opioid dependence in young adults is not as effective as it is in older adults, we need alternatives to protect this vulnerable population,” said lead author Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier of Massachusetts General Hospital.
The researchers followed 292 adults ages 18 to 24 who were enrolled in a month-long residential rehab program based on a 12-step approach. One-fourth met the criteria for opiate dependence and 20 percent for opiate misuse. The remaining 55 percent were being treated for abusing other substances, such as alcohol and non-opiate drugs, the article notes.
The study found 29 percent of participants who were dependent on opioids and 22 percent of those who misused opioids were abstinent a year later. Another recent study found 83 percent of people who entered an outpatient treatment program had dropped out one year later.
The findings are published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
“This study is important because it stresses the need for parents to advocate for residential treatment when that moment arises for an emerging adult when they think about going into treatment,” Schuman-Olivier said. He said there is a “window of willingness” after an event such as a minor overdose. “If someone can be encouraged to go into residential treatment at that time, then there is a likelihood that it will have a longer lasting effect than if they go to outpatient treatment,” he said.
Schuman-Olivier noted some people cannot access residential programs because of the cost. They are usually only covered by private insurance, and only after other levels of outpatient care have failed, he noted.
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