Half of Addiction Counselors Say It’s OK for Some Patients to Drink Occasionally

By Join Together Staff | November 5, 2012 | 4 Comments | Filed in Alcohol,Drugs & Treatment


A survey of addiction counselors finds almost half say it is acceptable for at least some of their patients to drink from time to time. The survey included 913 members of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Counselors.

About half of the counselors said they would not object if some of their clients who abuse alcohol wanted to limit their drinking, but not totally abstain, PsychCentral.com reports. That is double the number of counselors in a 1994 survey who said moderate drinking was acceptable for some clients.

The new survey found about half of counselors said moderate drug use was acceptable as an intermediate goal, while one-third said it was adequate as a final goal.

“Individuals with alcohol and drug problems who avoid treatment because they are ambivalent about abstinence should know that — depending on the severity of their condition, the finality of their outcome goal, and their drug of choice — their interest in moderating their consumption will be acceptable to many addiction professionals working in outpatient and independent practice settings,” the researchers from Bowling Green State University noted in a press release.

Counselors were less accepting of occasional substance use for clients diagnosed with alcohol or drug dependence, which is considered more severe than alcohol or drug abuse. At least three-fourths of the counselors said they would not approve of limited or moderate consumption for these clients.

“In light of this study, we suggest that clients ask about their counselor’s openness to limited or moderate consumption as an outcome goal, and that agencies acknowledge their policy regarding negotiation of outcome goals as part of informed consent,” said researcher Harold Rosenberg, PhD.

The study was published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Ryan's Light of Hope

About
Ryan's Light of Hope is an informal non-profit organization to help people that are recovering from addiction.
MissionOur mission is to assist people in recovery from addiction with affordable housing and support after losing our son to a heroin overdose.
Company OverviewTo see more information on our organization go to, www.ryanslightofhope.org

General InformationWe bought our first Ryan House 8/2010.



Basic Info
Started June 2012


Contact Info
Phone (770) 633-5468
Email parkeraudrey13@aol.com
Website http://www.ryanslightofhope.org

Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse More Common in Boys: Study

By Join Together Staff | November 2, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs,Research & Youth


A new study suggests boys are more likely than girls to abuse over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The study of middle school and high school students in 133 schools in Cincinnati found 10 percent said they abused over-the-counter drugs such as cough syrup or decongestants.

University of Cincinnati researchers noted this type of drug abuse can lead to accidental poisoning, seizures and physical and mental addictions.

HealthDay reports the researchers found high rates of over-the-counter drug abuse were found among both female and male middle school students, but boys had a higher risk of longtime use, compared with girls. Teens who admitted to abusing over-the-counter drugs were more likely to say they had gone to parties where the drugs were available, or had friends who abused the drugs.

Teens involved in school clubs, sports, community and church groups were less likely to report abusing over-the-counter drugs. “Findings from this study highlight and underscore OTC drugs as an increasing and significant health issue affecting young people,” Rebecca Vidourek, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion, said in a news release.
The study was presented at the American Public Health Association meeting.

Legacy Sober Living

Exclusive sober living environment in Los Angeles, with an addiction recovery program second to none.
Description
Why Legacy Sober Living

We’re often asked what sets us apart from other sober livings. We have the personal and professional experience to truly understand the issues and challenges that face someone during the "sober living" stage of recovery. We recognize that treatment is just the beginning of the journey and the willingness to continue developing sober living skills outside of treatment is cr
itical to successful recovery. There are usually external motivators in the form of consequences that lead to treatment. When the consequence motivation passes, many feel they are past the critical stage. This however isn’t the case. They need guidance, assistance and most importantly motivation to continue developing the coping skills and support systems that will ensure a productive recovery lifestyle.

We’re not part of a large corporation or treatment center. We are two individuals with recovery experience that is both personal and professional. Professional experience includes inpatient and outpatient programs, detoxes, sober coaching, relapse prevention and sober living.

We accept the disease concept of addiction and the recovery process as set forth in 12-step programs of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. We work with addicts and alcoholics to ensure they develop a solid recovery foundation rooted in the principles and actions that have proven successful in these programs.

We believe that anyone can stay clean and sober. We have worked with many over the years and seen them embrace a recovery lifestyle and stay clean and sober. We have alumni who after multiple past attempts now have multiple years of recovery.

Alumni Participation in Legacy
"What is your success rate?" is another question we are often asked. Legacy is about community and a sense of belonging. The community continues on through our alumni. Legacy alumni, many with over five years clean and sober, are a big part of the Legacy story. The Legacy community doesn’t end when people leave. There is an open door policy so they always have a place to come back to. And they do come back. They come back to morning meditation, evening tenth step or just drop in to fellowship. We host an alumni meeting every Tuesday night where many who’ve gone through the house attend, celebrate their clean and sober milestones and share recovery with our current clients. They take the newer people out to meetings. We plan holiday parties and barbeques to ensure that not only those in our house have a clean and sober place to be, but our alumni do as well.

Our alumni have gone on to become successful, active members of society. They have gone to school, gotten jobs, reunited with family, started their own families and they come back and share their stories. They show others that it works. They bring hope and that’s what we consider success.





12079 jefferson blvd
Culver City, California 90230
Always open

Phone (310)-962-1776 or (310) 351-4990
Email contact@legacysoberlivng.com
Website http://www.LegacySoberLiving.com

Cirque Lodge

About
Cirque Lodge is a nationally recognized addiction treatment and drug rehab facility in Sundance Utah.

It offers the finest in a private and exclusive treatment experience for those struggling with addiction.
Company OverviewCirque Lodge is a private and exclusive alcohol treatment and drug rehab facility in Sundance Utah. For individuals and families seeking answers for problems with alcoholism, drug addiction or prescription drug abuse, Cirque Lodge provides a balanced and unique recovery experience.
DescriptionWe are dedicated to the effective treatment of individuals and families afflicted with the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions in a healing environment where spirituality, recovery and hope are offered in the privacy and serenity of the mountains.


General InformationFor individuals in need of care of recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction, we encourage you to call us at 1-877-99-REHAB.







Website http://www.cirquelodge.com/

Charging into Recovery – Is Cash Really a Gateway Drug?

By TRI David Festinger, PhD; Karen Dugosh, PhD; Ashley Harron | October 26, 2012 | 7 Comments | Filed in Addiction, Recovery & Treatment


A recent article published in numerous outlets announced the debut of a special credit card for recovering substance abusers.

The card, referred to as Next Step, purports to help addicts stay clean and sober by shielding them from the powerful cravings elicited by cash. The pre-paid credit card prevents the user from making purchases at liquor stores, bars, escort services, casinos, tattoo parlors, and piercing shops. It also restricts the user from making ATM cash withdrawals or receiving cash back when making purchases. The article extols the virtues of the card and refers to cash as a “gateway drug” and a trigger for substance use.

Although the field of addiction treatment is always in need of new ideas and helpful tools, it is critical that the ideas/tools be based upon sound research. The idea that “cash in hand” is a trigger for drug use has long been an area of critical debate. Common sense suggests that cash, which is used to purchase drugs, “must” be a precursor and trigger to substance use and relapse.

However, research has found limited support for this common belief. Although some research has linked the occasional receipt of large sums of money to relapse, most studies indicate that individuals who receive money while in addiction treatment use the cash for daily necessities such as bills, food, transportation and household items. Our own program of experimental research (Festinger et al., 2005; Festinger et al., 2008) as well as research conducted by Dempsey et al. (2008) and Vandrey et al. (2007) found no connection between cash payments as high as $160 and new drug use. In fact, this was true even for individuals who were no longer enrolled in treatment.

Addiction treatment, and relapse prevention more specifically, typically focus on avoiding triggers such as old neighborhoods, substance abusing friends and items associated with prior substance use. The use of cash in our society would make long-term avoidance of it highly unlikely. Even assuming that cash on hand is a threat, the use of these specialty credit cards in the short term means that recovering individuals would not be exposed to cash until they are potentially out of treatment and have less structure and support. Either way, use of these new “drug-free” cards has very real and substantial costs. Their fees, admittedly among the highest in the market, stand to cause more harm than good as they further an unfounded assumption based upon the overly paternalistic view that people who suffer from addiction cannot be trusted with money. Equally interesting are the behaviors that the card company chose to restrict. Tattoo parlors and piercing shops must also have a well-documented link to relapse. Surprisingly there was no mention of limiting card purchases on rock or rap music.

Policies and programs like this one are based upon isolated events, individual observations and broad generalizations rather than empirical data. There is no doubt that individuals who abuse drugs most often use cash to purchase drugs. But they also use their feet, bikes, cars and other forms of transportation to meet their dealers. Should we enforce transportation limits on them as well? Are cars a gateway drug? Research to date indicates that cash is not, despite case examples and anecdotal reports, a major trigger to relapse.

Learning how to live with and use cash responsibly should occur as part of treatment and not come at an additional cost to those already struggling to rebuild their lives.

The writers are members of the Section on Law & Ethics Research at the Treatment Research Institute (TRI). TRI is a non-profit research and development organization dedicated to developing and providing evidence-based solutions to the problems of substance use affecting families, schools, businesses, courts and healthcare. To learn more, visit the TRI website.