Sunday, June 17, 2012
New Studies Shed Much-Needed Light on Alcohol-Induced Memory Blackouts
By Celia Vimont | June 15, 2012 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol & Young Adults
National survey studies suggest that roughly one in four college students who drink will experience a blackout in a given year, making blackouts a surprisingly common outcome of excessive drinking.
Blackouts are periods of amnesia, caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, during which a person actively engages in behaviors but the brain is unable to create memories for what transpires. This leaves holes in a person’s memory that can range from spotty recall for the events of the previous night (known as fragmentary blackouts) to the utter absence of memory for large portions of an evening (known as en bloc blackouts).
Blackouts are very different from passing out, when a person falls asleep or is rendered unconscious from drinking too much. During blackouts, people can participate in events ranging from the mundane, like eating food, to the emotionally charged, like fights or intercourse, with little or no recall. According to Dr. Aaron White, Program Director for Underage and College Drinking Prevention Research at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA), “It can be quite difficult for an outside observer to tell if someone is in a blackout. The person could seem aware and articulate, but without any memory being recorded.”
Dr. White found in a study he conducted in 2002 that half of the 800 college students surveyed experienced at least one alcohol-induced blackout, 40 percent experienced one in the previous year and nine percent reported a blackout in previous two weeks. In a 2009 study of 4,500 students about to enter their freshman year of college, Dr. White found 12 percent of males and females who drank in the previous two weeks experienced a blackout during that time.
In the first few months of 2012, three new studies were published about blackouts among college students. According to Dr. White, “We know that alcohol is capable of causing episodes of amnesia, but what takes place during those episodes, the consequences that follow and why some people are more susceptible to them than others are still unclear. That is why these recent studies are so important.”
Dr. Marlon Mundt and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health recently published two papers on blackouts. In the first study, they observed that college students who black out are more likely to experience alcohol-related injuries than those who do not. Those reporting a history of six or more blackouts at the beginning of the study were more than 2.5 times more likely to be injured in an alcohol-related event over the next two years. The second study estimated that emergency department costs due to injuries sustained during blackouts could total $500,000 or more per year on large campuses.
A study by Dr. Reagan Weatherill at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues from the University of Texas, Austin, provides important insight into why some people are more likely to experience blackouts than others. Compared to subjects without a history of blackouts, those with a history of blackouts exhibited a significant decline in activity in the frontal lobe of the brain, measured using fMRI, during the completion of a memory task while intoxicated. The findings suggest that some people are more likely to experience alcohol-induced blackouts than others due to the way alcohol affects brain activity in areas involved in attention and memory. Dr. White adds that studies of twins have pointed to a genetic vulnerability to blackouts–if one twin tends to black out, so does the other one.
The way college students drink increases the odds of blackouts, says Dr. White. “Alcohol is more likely to cause a blackout when it gets into your body, and therefore your brain, fast. It catches the memory circuits off guard and shuts them down. Doing shots or chugging beer, and doing it on an empty stomach, gets the alcohol into your bloodstream quickly.”
He also notes that females are at particular risk for blackouts. They tend to weigh less than males and have less water in their bodies for the alcohol to get diluted into, which leads to higher levels of alcohol in the brain, he explains. They also have less of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase in the gut that breaks down a small percentage of alcohol before it even gets into body. Females also are more likely to skip meals to save calories when they drink, so there is less food in the stomach to help absorb the alcohol. They are also more likely to drink beverages with higher alcohol concentrations, like wine and mixed drinks rather than beer.
In order to avoid blackouts, Dr. White advises drinkers not only to limit the total amount they consume, but to pace themselves, add in non-alcoholic beverages and eat food while they’re drinking. For more about safe drinking limits he refers readers to the NIAAA website, Rethinking Drinking.
Friday, June 15, 2012
THANK YOU FROM HOH RECOVERY SERVICES
Seth Showalter
My name is Seth and I have recently graduated from H.O.H. Recovery Services. I want to personally thank you for supporting their business. H.O.H. has genuine and caring individuals who sincerely want to help you; no matter what is going on in your life. I can say this because the individuals at H.O.H. have changed my life.
I am unsure of your personal situation, but I want to encourage you to give them phone call or send them an e-mail. It’s possible that you are in need of some help and I promise you that H.O.H. Recovery Services is a safe place to receive it. It is also possible that you have a family member or friend who has found themselves trapped in an addiction and don’t know how to get out. If that is the case, encourage them to seek out help.
Addictions are not limited to drugs and alcohol but can span all arenas of life. So if you are struggling with something other than drugs and alcohol, do not feel like help is not available to you. It is available! In fact, I did not seek treatment for drugs and alcohol but sought it for a more personal issue. As someone who hid in the darkness for many years, I want to encourage you that there is hope and you can overcome, but you must first have the courage to own up to it. Take the first step: give H.O.H. Recovery Services a call.
A phone call or e-mail does not equal you entering treatment. The people at H.O.H. genuinely want to help you and would love to speak with you. Give them a call; at the very least, they may be able to point you in the right direction.
Phone:
1-760-701-0175
Email: rhouseofhope@gmail.com
Website: http://www.christiandrugandalcoholtreatmentrecovery.com/
It is my hope that you find the freedom that is available to you.
Sincerely,
Seth Showalter
Christian Treatment Centers | Affordable Alcohol Treatment | Drug Rehabwww.christiandrugandalcoholtreatmentrecovery.com
H.O.H. Recovery Services provides affordable alcohol treatment and addiction recovery programs that are unique among Christian treatment centers.
My name is Seth and I have recently graduated from H.O.H. Recovery Services. I want to personally thank you for supporting their business. H.O.H. has genuine and caring individuals who sincerely want to help you; no matter what is going on in your life. I can say this because the individuals at H.O.H. have changed my life.
I am unsure of your personal situation, but I want to encourage you to give them phone call or send them an e-mail. It’s possible that you are in need of some help and I promise you that H.O.H. Recovery Services is a safe place to receive it. It is also possible that you have a family member or friend who has found themselves trapped in an addiction and don’t know how to get out. If that is the case, encourage them to seek out help.
Addictions are not limited to drugs and alcohol but can span all arenas of life. So if you are struggling with something other than drugs and alcohol, do not feel like help is not available to you. It is available! In fact, I did not seek treatment for drugs and alcohol but sought it for a more personal issue. As someone who hid in the darkness for many years, I want to encourage you that there is hope and you can overcome, but you must first have the courage to own up to it. Take the first step: give H.O.H. Recovery Services a call.
A phone call or e-mail does not equal you entering treatment. The people at H.O.H. genuinely want to help you and would love to speak with you. Give them a call; at the very least, they may be able to point you in the right direction.
Phone:
1-760-701-0175Email: rhouseofhope@gmail.com
Website: http://www.christiandrugandalcoholtreatmentrecovery.com/
It is my hope that you find the freedom that is available to you.
Sincerely,
Seth Showalter
Christian Treatment Centers | Affordable Alcohol Treatment | Drug Rehabwww.christiandrugandalcoholtreatmentrecovery.com
H.O.H. Recovery Services provides affordable alcohol treatment and addiction recovery programs that are unique among Christian treatment centers.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Study Links Prescription Drug Abuse and Depression, Suicidal Thoughts in College Students
By Join Together Staff | June 13, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Mental Health, Prescription Drugs, Research, Young Adults & Youth
A new study finds college students who use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes are at increased risk of depression and thoughts of suicide.
The researchers analyzed the answers of 26,600 college students who participated in a national research survey by the American College Health Association. They were asked about their non-medical prescription drug use, including painkillers, antidepressants, sedatives and stimulants, as well as their mental health symptoms in the past year.
About 13 percent of students reported non-medical prescription drug use, Science Daily reports. Those who reported feeling sad, hopeless, depressed or considered suicide were significantly more likely to report non-medical use of any prescription drug. The link between these feelings and prescription drug abuse was more pronounced in females, the researchers report in Addictive Behaviors. The researchers conclude that students may be inappropriately self-medicating psychological distress with prescription medications.
“Because prescription drugs are tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and prescribed by a doctor, most people perceive them as ‘safe’ and don’t see the harm in sharing with friends or family if they have a few extra pills left over,” researcher Amanda Divin of Western Illinois University said in a news release. “Unfortunately, all drugs potentially have dangerous side effects. As our study demonstrates, use of prescription drugs — particularly painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin — is related to depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in college students. This is why use of such drugs need to be monitored by a doctor and why mental health outreach on college campuses is particularly important.
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THE RIR MUSIC FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 2-4,2012
THE RIR MUSIC FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 2-4,2012
Venue Location: C.B. Smith Park 900 N. Flamingo Rd. Pembroke Pines, FL 33028
It's a Recovery Palooza , minus the drugs and alcohol, but add meetings and fellowship! RIR Music Fest is a campout for ALL people in recovery or supporters of recovery.
15 bands over 3 days along with:
The RIR Band - Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge), Liberty Devitto (Billy Joel) , Christine Ohlman(Saturday Night Live Band), Ricky Byrd(Joan Jett and the Blackhearts),Kasim Sulton(Todd Rundgren and Utopia), Richie Supa (Aerosmith and Richie Sambora) and Woody Giessmann (The Del Fuegos). Along with some very special guests to be announced.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Early Bird Ticket Sales
No Tickets Will Be Sold At Gate
You Must Have A Ticket To Enter
To Buy Tickets Just Click On Link
Three Day Ticket Click Link
$60.00 Click To Order 3 Day Ticket
Two Day Ticket Click Link
$40.00 Click To Order 2 Day Ticket
RIR Music Festival November 2-4, 2012.
If your planning on RV camping or camping at CB Smith Park. There is only a limited amount of spots. Book them now by calling Phone: 954-357-5170.
3 Days of Sober and Clean Fun
RIR Band-Mark Stein, Liberty Devitto ,Christine Ohlman,Ricky Byrd, Kasim Sulton, and Richie Supa
RIR Music Festival Schedule
9AM- 10PM Friday November 2, 2012:
9 AM- Recovery Speaker
10:00 AM -Full Range
12:00 PM- Jimmy Stowe & the Stowaways
2:00 PM -Johnny B. and The Road Dogs
4:00 PM - Sooner or Later
7:00 PM - Keep Coming Bac
9:00 PM - Recovery Speaker
9AM- 10PM Saturday November 3, 2012:
8AM -Recovery Speaker
9:00 AM- Thrown Alive
11:00 PM - Black Finger
1:00 PM -The Chillbillies
3:00 PM- Selfish Steam
5:30 PM- Recovery Speaker
7:00 PM RIR Band Featuring -
Mark Stein(Vanilla Fudge)
Liberty Devitto(Billy Joel)
Christine Ohlman(Saturday Night Live Band)
Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)
Kasim Sulton(Todd Rundgren and Utopia)
Richie Supa(Aerosmith and Richie Sambora)
9AM - 2PM - Sunday November 4, 2012:
8AM- Recovery Speaker -
9:30 -Open Mic Talent Show
Solo Acoustic Sets By:
12:PM - Richie Supa
12:30 PM- Ricky Byrd
1PM -Kasim Sulton
1:30 PM Count Down and Closing Ceremonies
Kerlikowske: Addiction is a Disease, Not a Moral Failure
By Join Together Staff | June 11, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction,Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Recovery & Treatment
Addiction is a disease, not a moral failure, according to Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He is scheduled to speak about addiction and drug control policy Monday at the Betty Ford Center in California.
He will call for more alternatives to current drug policy, including early intervention through health care, better access to treatment, more support during recovery, and effective public education, The Desert Sun reports. “Recovery is this long-term, lifelong process, with its own set of challenges and its own needs — and yet we fail to highlight that process,” he told the newspaper in an interview.
In 2010, 23 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Of these, 2.6 million received treatment at a specialty facility.
Kerlikowske also will call for a review of laws that can add to the challenges of recovery, such as barriers that prevent many minor drug offenders from obtaining housing and federal student aid. His goal is to curb the growing number of prison inmates, many of whom are coping with drug abuse, while reducing the $50 billion cost of incarcerating them.
Kerlikowske will be joined by U.S. House Representative Mary Bono Mack of Palm Springs, who has been raising awareness about prescription drug abuse. Bono Mack, who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, has introduced legislation that would revise Food and Drug Administration drug classifications to ensure that drugs containing controlled-release oxycodone hydrochloride would be prescribed only for sever
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Medication for Alcoholism: An Expanding Field
By Celia Vimont | June 12, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol,Healthcare & Treatment
Many people struggling with alcohol dependence who could benefit from medication are not receiving it, according to an expert who spoke at the recent American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
“Antidepressant prescribing is 100 to 200 times as great as prescriptions for medications approved to treat alcohol dependence, despite the fact that the prevalence of disorders for which antidepressants are prescribed—major and minor depression and anxiety disorders—is only two to three times that of alcohol dependence,” says Henry Kranzler, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the Treatment Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
The reasons why medications to treat alcoholism are not more widely prescribed are complex. A main factor is that pharmaceutical companies and physicians have been afraid to deal with alcohol-dependent patients because they are concerned about the potential for out-of-control drinking to result in liability, for example, if a patient under treatment drives under the influence and has an accident, he says. Some doctors, as well as patients and their family members, also believe that alcoholism is not a suitable target for medication because, in their view, it only substitutes dependence on one substance for another.
Medication also may not be offered to many people with alcohol dependence because they are treated exclusively by non-medical personnel, such as counselors, Dr. Kranzler added.
Currently, three drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat alcoholism: disulfiram (Antabuse), naltrexone (ReVia and Vivitrol) and acamprosate (Campral). “These drugs all exert modest effects,” notes Dr. Kranzler. Another drug that is prescribed off-label for alcoholism is topiramate (Topamax), which is approved to treat certain types of seizures and to prevent migraines. Topamax appears to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain caused by chronic drinking. Unlike treatments currently approved for alcoholism, it has been shown to be effective in people who are still drinking. However, it can cause side effects such as memory and thinking problems, as well as sedation.
Lundbeck, a Danish pharmaceutical company, has submitted anapplication for approval by the European Medicines Agency of the medication nalmefene to be used on an as-needed basis to reduce heavy drinking, according to Dr. Kranzler. “This is a novel approach and could have an impact on treatment throughout the European Union and possibly the U.S.,” he adds.
Last year, the company announced that nalmefene showed promising results in three clinical trials in Denmark. The drug can be used in patients who are still drinking.
“There are a number of companies in the United States and Europe that are developing novel compounds to treat alcohol dependence,” Dr. Kranzler says. “As we learn more about the neurobiology and genetics of alcohol dependence, it will be possible to identify novel mechanisms through which to intervene pharmacologically.”
This is an exciting time in the treatment of alcoholism, because the field of medication treatment for alcohol dependence is expanding into the arena of personalized medicine, he says. “There is growing interest in the use of a patient’s genetic variation to predict the response to specific medications,” he points out. “However, these findings are not yet ready for widespread clinical implementation. Additional research is required to allow them to be widely applied.”
Even with new medications, counseling should still be an important part of alcohol dependence treatment, Dr. Kranzler observes. “However, the personnel who are trained to provide counseling are not widely enough available to use this as the only model for treatment,” he adds. “There appears to be a role for medication combined with brief interventions that focus on promoting adherence to the medication and can be delivered in a primary care setting.”
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL FROM LIVINGRIN!
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Monday, June 11, 2012
Fruit Fly Study May Provide Clues to Human Alcohol Dependence
By Join Together Staff | March 16, 2012 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol,Research & Treatment
Male fruit flies spurned by females are more likely to turn to food soaked in alcohol than their male counterparts who successfully mate, according to a study that may provide clues about humanalcohol dependence.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, let one group of male fruit flies mate with available females, while another group of males mingled with females who had already mated, and were not interested in the males’ advances. After four days, the flies in both groups were able to feed from glass tubes that contained either yeast and sugar, or yeast, sugar and alcohol. The male flies that could not mate drank the alcohol mixture about 70 percent of the time, compared with about 50 percent of males who had mated, The New York Times reports.
The study found a strong link between levels of a brain chemical called neuropeptide F, or NPF, and the fruit flies’ appetite for alcohol. When NPF levels were low, alcohol consumption was high, and high levels of NPF were correlated with low levels of alcohol consumption.
NPF in fruit flies is thought to be similar to a brain chemical in humans called neuropeptide Y, or NPY, according to the article.
This study suggests the development of drugs that enhance the activity of NPY might be useful in treating alcohol dependence, said George Koob, Professor of Neurobiology and Addiction at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.
“The study implies that it is this system that goes haywire in addiction, and that it’s very sensitive to stress,” he told the newspaper. “For instance, after you lose a loved one, or a relationship has crashed, you get dysphoric, your NPY goes down, and this provides a strong urge to drink a lot — whether you’re a mammal or a fruit fly.”
The study appears in the journal Science.
Adapting 12-Step Programs For Teenagers
By Celia Vimont | June 1, 2012 | 6 Comments | Filed in Addiction, Recovery,Young Adults & Youth
Twelve-step programs can be extremely helpful for teens who are struggling with addiction or who are on the road to becoming addicted, but they are more useful if they are adapted to the particular needs of adolescents, according to an expert on teenage addiction.
“These programs were developed for adults, and teenagers are not little adults—they are in a totally different developmental stage,” says Steven Jaffe, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Emory University, and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine, in Atlanta.
Dr. Jaffe, who has spent the past 25 years working to modify 12-step programs to make them developmentally meaningful for teenagers, spoke about his work at the recent American Society of Addiction Medicine conference. “These programs are free, they’re everywhere, they provide big brothers and sisters as sponsors, and they offer recovering friends,” he notes. “That’s really important, because if teens go back to their friends who use drugs or alcohol, they will start using again, too.”
Often, teens who are treated for substance use disorders are simply told to go to 12-step meetings. “You can’t just tell them to go, and leave it at that,” Dr. Jaffe says. “They have tremendous anxietyabout going, so you need to link them with a sponsor who will take them to a meeting, or else they won’t go.”
Just getting them to the meetings may not be enough, however. Some of the basic concepts of 12-step programs may be troublesome for teenagers, according to Dr. Jaffe. The first step talks about being powerless over drugs and alcohol, but the word “powerless” can be a big turn-off for teens, he observes. “The goal of a teen is to have power, and they think, ‘Who wants to be part of a group that’s powerless?’”
Instead, Dr. Jaffe encourages them to think about getting clean and sober in order to enhance their power. “It’s the same step, but it’s rephrased and reemphasized to make it developmentally appropriate,” he says. “I tell them, flunking out of school, being thrown out of the house and being arrested as a result of drugs or alcohol is not powerful.”
Another concept in 12-step programs that teens can have trouble with is surrender. “Many teens, especially girls, have found themselves in very vulnerable situations when they are drunk or high, and the last thing they want to do is surrender. I tell them if they get clean and sober, they’ll be strong, and never have to put themselves in a position where bad things like that can happen.”
Dr. Jaffe developed two workbooks he uses with teenagers to make 12-step programs more meaningful to them. “So often, teens will tell me the negative consequences of using drugs and alcohol one day, and the next day they’ll deny it. So I have them write down the consequences in the workbook, so they can’t deny it the next day.” It takes one hour to complete the Adolescent Substance Abuse Intervention Workbook, which is then presented to a counselor individually or at a group. The Step Workbook for Adolescent Chemical Dependency structures the working of the first five steps.
Dr. Jaffe can be contacted about his work with teens and 12-step programs at srjaffe@bellsouth.net.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Commentary: Responding to America’s Medicine Cabinet Epidemic
By Congressman Hal Rogers | June 8, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs,Government & Prescription Drugs
A high school homecoming queen and a Hollywood bombshell. A rural sheriff and a college rugby-player. A small-town pharmacist and an expectant mother.
These individuals may not appear to have much in common – but tragically these are all among the thousands of lives fallen prey to the abuse of pain pills around our country. The Centers for Disease Control has described this as a national epidemic, and the statistics don’t lie.
While overdose deaths from prescription opioids have long exceeded deaths from heroin and cocaine combined, alarmingly in 2009, prescription overdoses also overtook motor vehicle crashes as a leading cause of accidental death. As a result of dangerous misconceptions about the recreational use of painkillers, ourmedicine cabinets have become more dangerous than our cars.
When this problem began to take root in southern and eastern Kentucky, we realized the unique nature of prescription drug abuse would require a multi-pronged solution. At the local level, our Kentucky communities coalesced around an organization called Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education). UNITE has harnessed the energy of health, law enforcement and community leaders in a coordinated fight against pain pill abuse. At the same time, undercover UNITE detectives zero in on drug dealers, and school counselors help start up meaningful alternatives to youth drug use through UNITE clubs and extracurricular activities. Thousands of mothers, daughters, fathers and sons have been given a second lease on life through UNITE’s treatment programs or by participating in a drug court.
People in our region of Kentucky have taken a stand, and the nation is taking note. At the first of its kind National Rx Drug Abuse Summitin Orlando earlier this year, leaders from around the country joined with UNITE to think strategically about the path forward. Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske, federal and local law enforcement, organizations like The Partnership at Drugfree.org, public health officials, prosecutors and medical researchers all rallied together to share ideas for reducing drug abuse in rural and urban communities alike and mending families ripped apart by this scourge.
For my part, through the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, I have worked to alert Washington decision-makers to the serious dangers posed by our nation’s fastest growing drug threat. Members of the Caucus collaborate across the political spectrum toward immediate and long-term policy solutions in our battle against prescription drug abuse.
This week, I was particularly proud to speak at the Annual Meeting for the Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs (ASPMP). Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are among the most efficient and cost-effective tools in our arsenal, bridging the gap between legitimate medical need and potential misuse. Since Congress established a grant program at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002, the number of states with authorized PDMPs has tripled from 15 to 48; however, a secure interstate exchange system to combat so-called “doctor shopping” has lagged.
I was pleased to stand with these trailblazing members of ASPMP as they voted to adopt the PMIX Architecture – a landmark, consensus-based set of technical standards to facilitate interoperability among state-run PDMPs. Soon data exchanges will allow doctors, pharmacists and investigators to sniff out the interstate doctor shopping that has fueled the pill pipeline in our country.
While this marks a huge victory for those of us who have been engaged in this fight for years, our work is far from done. This is an epidemic which crosses socioeconomic and gender lines and which threatens the very fiber of our society. I would encourage you to reach out to your Member of Congress and request that he or she join the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse or cosponsor one of the several measures that seek an end to the abuse of painkillers; only together can we curb this rising tide.
Rogers has served Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District since 1981 and is currently serving as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. As part of his efforts to fight this growing epidemic, Rogers joined with Representatives Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) and Stephen Lynch in forming the bi-partisan Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, which aims to raise awareness of abuse and to work toward innovative and effective policy solutions, incorporating treatment, prevention, law enforcement and researc
Thursday, June 7, 2012
CALLING All CHRISTIAN ...
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Get involved with the Commissioner’s Play Healthy Awards contest today!
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Commentary: Peer Recovery Coaches: Expanding the Career Ladder
By Mary Jo Mather | June 5, 2012 | 1 Comment | Filed in Research
In a coffee shop. In a treatment center. At the library. At a sober living home. These are all settings where peer recovery services take place. Whether volunteers or staff, the role of a Peer Recovery Coach (PRC) is a legitimate and important one within the continuum of care, and IC&RC is proud to be developing the first, international credential for PRCs.
In recent years, a rapidly growing segment of the addiction recovery workforce has been made up of PRCs, who use their personal experiences of recovery to facilitate it and build resilience of persons with addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring substance and mental disorders. Many PRCs provide these valuable services as volunteers and in community settings, but seek the objective verification that certification provides.
A 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment wrote:
“Recovery support services are non-clinical services. Many recovery community organizations have established recovery community centers where educational, advocacy and sober social activities are organized. Peer recovery support services are also offered in churches and other faith-based institutions, recovery homes/sober housing.”
Wherever they are, PRCs form the connecting tissue between professional systems of care and indigenous communities of recovery. They are specifically trained to assist people in accessing a broad range of support services including education, employment, health care, housing, day care, transportation and counseling for co-occurring problems.
Unlike a sponsor, the PRC usually works – as a volunteer or staff member – within a formal organization that is bound by accreditation, licensing and funding guidelines. Another distinction is that PRCs start coaching clients before they have formally entered recovery, continue the relationship even in the face of relapse and check-in with clients after they have disengaged from active participation in mutual aid groups.
Responding to demand in their jurisdictions, several IC&RC Member Boards – Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Pennsylvania – developed Peer Recovery credentials, and it soon became clear that there is a growing need for a credentialing process at the reciprocal level.
An IC&RC Task Force, headed by Kristie Schmiege of Michigan, explored and recommended standards for two levels of PRC, which were adopted by board vote in October, 2011. The organization is in the process of developing the formal job task analysis and written examination for the credential.
The 2008 report emphasized that “maintaining the peer-ness of peer recovery support services and resisting the pressure to professionalize these services is a key challenge.” As we developed the standards for the first-ever international PRC credential, IC&RC believes we have met this challenge.
Mary Jo Mather is the Executive Director of IC&RC, the largest addiction and prevention credentialing organization in the world. Today, IC&RC represents 78 member boards and 45,000 professionals from 25 countries and 47 U.S. states and territories. IC&RC’s seven credentials include counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, criminal justice and co-occurring disorders professionals.
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