Monday, June 10, 2013



June 10

Psalms 74:4
Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.
The pastor felt the focus of the church year should be missions. Definitely missions. The head of the church school wanted education to be the main concern. Finance felt that stewardship was the ticket. Each committee of the church had its own banner to wave. The conflicts that arose over the issue left deep wounds, and some left the church. The different groups sat together on Sunday morning, but they left the sanctuary engaged in bitter argument.

What kind of behavior is that for Christians? We are supposed to rise above the pettiness that rules the outside world. If we cannot learn to deal with one another in love, what business have we calling ourselves Christ's church? Our Lord is a Lord of compromise, sacrifice, and caring. No Christian should be our enemy. We are all members of the same body, and Christ blesses those who strive to live in peace and harmony with one another.

Prayer: Remind me, Lord, that I am a Christian first and foremost. The causes I support are second to the fact that I follow Jesus Christ. Let Him rule in my heart, and lead me in the ways I should walk. Amen.


Own Your Own Copy of this Devotional


New post on Ask4Recovery
 
Ask4Recovery – 6/10/13 – I am living in a cycle of shame and guilt with my addiction. How do I break it?by Ask4Recovery

Hello friends! Today’s ‘Ask’…

I am living in a cycle of shame and guilt with my addiction. How do I break it?

I know that cycle quite well and it is no fun to be in. It is not conducive to living a life of freedom. Rather, we are suffering, which is not what we were put here to do. We each have an infinite source of love, hope, compassion, and patience inside of us. Addictions block off that infinite source. They also contribute to an intense cycle of guilt and shame because, at the core of it, we are not being true to ourselves in any capacity. This brings out anger, frustration, sadness, and destruction, all of which are qualities that propel and enable the addiction.

For many years, when I was living in that cycle, I did not know what to do. I did not know another way of living was possible because as much as the addictions brought about the shame, they also brought about a distorted sense of gratification and control. That gratification was really just disconnection from myself. What helped me most was ‘outing’ the addiction. Letting go of that cycle of self-defeating control and letting go of those maladaptive coping behaviors and understanding what was really going on with me. The destructive behaviors were all part of the manifestation of the intense discomfort, disconnection, and facade I had between my mind, body, and soul. By getting in touch with myself on a deeper level, I slowly began to peel away the layers of the onion and shred away that cycle of guilt and shame because for the first time, I was being true to myself.

This takes time. We are creatures of habit and we can train ourselves to start acting and thinking differently. For me, my addictions became so familiar in my life that I became unconscious in my life. By stepping into the unfamiliar and seeing my life without my addictions, I slowly became more conscious and awake in my life. And as this happened, the guilt and shame cycle started to break as well.

How did you break out of your addiction? The guilt and shame cycle? Let us know and join the movement!

Sending love,

Lauren

Ask4Recovery | June 10, 2013 at 10:44 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/p3wKKk-4Q


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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Did a "Troubled Teen" Rehab Create Murderers? | The Fix

Did a "Troubled Teen" Rehab Create Murderers? | The Fix

New post on Ask4Recovery

Ask4Recovery – 6/8/13 – Why does an addict have such a short memory of the damages from using?

by Ask4Recovery
Hello friends! Today’s ‘Ask’…
"Why does an addict have such a short memory of the damages from using? I'm clean for weeks or months, stress up and craving comes out of nowhere. I bargain, lose and then use. Why?" – A fellow Ask4Recovery member
That is a wonderful question! It is pretty amazing where our minds can take us. Where that destructive thinking can take us. How we can so easily lose sight of those weeks or months or years that we have clean and the addiction mindset can take over and bring us right back to the thought that engaging in something destructive will make everything better. Well, that is ‘old pattern’ thinking and thinking that is going to get me nowhere! That is thinking that is not conducive to my recovery and I need to shift that thinking when it creeps in. I have to release the thought or craving and trust that my higher power will restore me to sanity.
For me, when those thoughts and that thinking come up, I have to take a step back and ask myself, ‘What is really coming up for me?’ The alcohol or the drug craving is part of the solution for the addict mindset, but not part of the solution for the recovery mindset. Given I am in the recovery mindset, this means sitting with those uncomfortable feelings that I escaped from for so long. But by sitting with these feelings, I am unlocking my true and authentic self and accepting myself on a whole new playing field. I recently moved into my own apartment and my destructive thinking is making an appearance. It is trying to take advantage of me being on my own, telling me that I can’t do it, I’m not good enough, and the list goes on. Now, I can acknowledge these thoughts, realize they are not me, and release them because I know that a thought or craving no longer directly translates to a self-sabotaging action. It is so freeing!
I also have to remember that I am not alone. My addict mind likes to make me think that I am and I watch as my world can get smaller and smaller until it is just me. But the reality is that there is a community of people that truly care about me and when that craving comes up, I talk about it, release the craving, and watch as that desire to use diminishes. It takes honesty though. And willingness. But it works and we can switch the selfish and ego-driven attitude to one of gratitude!
What do you do when a craving or urge comes up? How do you stay in recovery? Let us know and join the movement!
Sending love,
Lauren
P.S. Check out http://www.hayhouseworldsummit.com/ for Day 8 of the World Summit. So much inspiration there and over 110 World –Renowned teachers to guide you in ALL areas of your life!!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Today's 'Ask' 6-7-13

Morning family! Check out today's 'Ask' about over-thinking and not communicating! Join the movement with me!

'Communication is big in recovery. What I have to remind myself of often is that for many years I did not effectively communicate. My communication was done by engaging in my addictions, whether it be communicating by taking it out on my food or by drinking and drugging. That is how I communicated and ultimately I was destroying myself and living in a vicious cycle of self-sabotage. My mind was in control. Recovery has been the time and place of learning what communication means. More importantly, learning what ‘I’ mean. Learning who ‘I’ am outside of my addictions. My addictions were my identity for so many years and it is a slow and gradual process of learning who Lauren really is again.'

www.Ask4Recovery.com

Walk Masthead 2013
 PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2013
  Saturday, September 21
Billboard photo 2012 
 
You, too, can have your logo on our billboards this year!
  
For 8 weeks, beginning July 29, your logo could be seen by millions
who drive past our billboards on I-95
  
Become a Sponsor of the Walk at the Silver Level ($10,000) or higher by contacting Marita here or 215-345-6644
The deadline for your logo on the billboards is JULY 5
 
Otherwise, you can become a sponsor at any level right up to the day of the Walk
PLEASE REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WALK

Go to our Recovery Walks Web Site to register yourself or your team, donate, sign up for Honor Guard, or see a video of last year's walk

TEAM CAPTAINS
Did you see the useful tools in our Recovery Walk Kit?
Click here to see what's available
We have one more way for you to celebrate Recovery Month
NATIONAL RECOVERY NIGHT AT THE BASEBALL GAME
  
The Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
  
Friday Evening, September 6, 2013, CITIZENS BANK PARK
To order tickets and pay online click here and then click on  Latest Phillies Logo

Watch for upcoming emails with much more information about
PRO-ACT RECOVERY WALKS! 2013    

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Attorney: Paris Jackson hospitalized but OK - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

Attorney: Paris Jackson hospitalized but OK - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

Bill Aimed at Preventing Stolen or Counterfeit Prescription Drugs Passes U.S. House

A bill designed to increase the security of the prescription drug supply chain, to prevent stolen or counterfeit drugs, passed the U.S. House this week.
The measure requires companies along the supply chain to verify the drugs are authentic, and notify authorities if they find suspect or illegitimate drugs, Reuters reports. Drugs would be traced down to the level of lots, which can include thousands of bottles, or packs of vials, the article notes.
A Senate version of the bill was passed by committee last month. It is not known when it will be brought to the full Senate floor. That bill would require each individual drug unit to be traceable, after an initial phase-in period.
Past measures aimed at creating national standards for drug tracking have failed after companies said they would be too expensive.

Major League Baseball Wants to Suspend About 20 Players Over Doping: ESPN

Major League Baseball (MLB) wants to suspend about 20 players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, ESPN reports. The players include the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun.
Both players deny using performance-enhancing drugs, according to CNN. MLB may seek 100-game suspensions for all of the players, who are expected to fight the move, according to ESPN.
The players are connected with a Miami-area clinic, Biogenesis of America, which is now closed. In January, a Florida newspaper reported Rodriguez and Braun obtained performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis. MLB filed a suit against Biogenesis for allegedly providing performance-enhancing drugs to players, and advising them on how to pass drug tests. The clinic’s owner, Tony Bosch, reached an agreement to cooperate with a MLB investigation, the article notes. The league may drop the suit, ESPN reports.
In January, MLB and its players union announced they reached an agreement to conduct in-season blood testing of players for human growth hormone. Players also will be tested for synthetic testosterone, which is increasingly popular because it washes out of the body fairly quickly after being used.
Major League Baseball was the first major sport in the United States to agree to human growth hormone testing. It reached an agreement with its union in November 2011 to test for the substance, but only in spring training and the off-season. The new agreement expands the testing into the baseball season.
Human growth hormone can help players build muscle mass, and to recover quickly from extended physical activity. It cannot be used legally without a prescription.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Young Adults Should Look for 12-Step Groups With Peers, Expert Advises

Although they make up only a small percentage of 12-step program membership, teens and young adults can benefit greatly from attending meetings for groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), according to an expert from Harvard University.
Only two percent of AA and NA members are under age 20, and 13 percent are under age 30, says John Kelly, PhD, Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Young people are a minority in these groups, so they may find it more difficult initially to identify with members who are older and have different challenges, such as children, elderly parents and job loss,” said Dr. Kelly.
Because of this potential mismatch, he recommends young people who are looking to start participating in a 12-step program, whenever possible, begin with meetings that are specially designated for young people, to help them feel connected and engaged. “After this initial engagement, however, young adults may find it more beneficial to branch out to more mixed-age meetings,” he says. “Older people are more likely to have long-term sobriety, and generally have greater life experience and wisdom. Our recent findings support the notion that age similarity is good for early engagement and for enhancing sobriety, but confers less benefit in the long term.”
At the recent National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers meeting, Dr. Kelly presented research he conducted with 300 young adults, ages 18 to 24, which looked at participation and involvement in 12-step programs following inpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. He found high rates of attendance and involvement—speaking up at meetings—was correlated with even more days of abstinence. The study, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, found the effect of attendance diminished over time, but the effect of involvement increased. The study also found having contact with group members outside of meetings also benefited young adults.
John Kelly, PhD, Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service at Massachusetts General Hospital
John Kelly, PhD, Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service at Massachusetts General Hospital
His findings suggest that merely attending community 12-step groups, while helpful, will only take a young adult’s recovery so far. “Consistent and active involvement maintains and increases the benefit of participation, resulting in sustained improvement over time,” he wrote in the journal.
A second study, which has not yet been published, found young adults who attended meetings that had at least some people in the same age range during their first three months after treatment had better abstinence rates than those who attended meetings only with older members. The age-matching effect diminished over the next nine months.
His findings with young adults are similar to those in a study Dr. Kelly published last year that found teens in addiction treatment can benefit from 12-step programs. The study included 127 teens who were outpatients in substance use disorder treatment programs. They were assessed when they entered treatment, and again three, six and 12 months later. The researchers found greater meeting attendance was independently associated with significantly better substance use outcomes. Those who were in contact with a sponsor from AA or NA or who participated verbally during meetings had an even better outcome over and above the positive effects from merely attending meetings.
Dr. Kelly also presented data from a third study, also not yet published, that followed 300 young adults with substance use disorders, half of whom also had a dual diagnosis—most commonly a mood or anxiety disorder. Overall, patients with dual diagnosis attended as much and became as involved as those with only an SUD diagnosis, but had generally worse outcomes. Those with a dual diagnosis who had a high level of involvement in a 12-step program, however, had outcomes as good as those with only a substance use disorder, Dr. Kelly says. “This suggests that, for some, a strong and active connection with AA or NA can potentially offset a worse recovery prognosis for those with a dual diagnosis.”
“The good news is that clinicians can influence the likelihood that young people will attend 12-step meetings. If they do attend, they are likely to have improved outcomes,” Dr. Kelly observes. “If they educate, prepare and actively link young people with meetings, they are likely to increase the chances for better outcomes in the year after treatment.”
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June 2013

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."
-Isaiah 43:18-20

Greetings in the name of Jesus,

My wife and I went to a college where graduation was called Commencement. This past weekend here at His Mansion, during the graduation charge, Todd Battles, Director of Counseling and Christian Formation, spoke again of commencement. This concept that graduation, although a joyful, exciting celebration of 12 months of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, and the process of rebuilding the hearts, minds, wills and lives of our residents, is more significantly the beginning of something even greater, because of Someone greater.

Men and women come to His Mansion broken and desperate. It often takes hitting "rock bottom" for one to even consider the notion of entering a year-long residential recovery program. Five days after graduation, eleven men and six women entered our community in need of healing and with more than a hint of fear and skepticism, yet they came nonetheless seeking hope. The deep need and desire of each is healing from addiction, wounds of the heart and soul, fractured relationships, emotional pain and often acknowledging a bankrupt faith or spirituality.

What these men and women become physically a part of and slowly but surely embedded in, is a Christ-centered healing community. What does that entail? That means that we, both residents and staff, live in close proximity to each other. In some cases that distance is the four feet between a top bunk and a bottom bunk in the dorm but no farther apart than 400 yards, the distance between the two furthest staff dwellings. We partake in table fellowship together three times a day and learn what healthy conversations between sisters and brothers can be like. We work together tending our plot of land and all that resides on it, the buildings, the animals, the plants, the woods and our homes. We also tend to each other in classes and counseling, both individually and in groups. In the office, we tend to the needs of visitors, work groups, prospective residents and staff. We also tend to the financial, relational and logistical aspects of every person in the His Mansion family. All that said, the heart of what we do and why we do it is rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We see this beautiful, messy, integrated community as laboring in vain if the Triune God isn't at the center and the living Word as our holy, loving guide.

We desire your prayers for all the concluding and commencing that is happening in this season. We desire that the name of Jesus Christ might be on our lips and He would be meeting us in our hearts as we do the daily work of the Gospel in a community of persons at His Mansion Ministries.

It was with great joy and praise to our Lord for the work that He has begun, that we recently celebrated the graduation of 2 women and 4 men from the His Mansion program. During the ceremony, each graduate testified to the transformative work of Jesus that they experienced in the last year. This will serve as the foundation from which they will launch and begin their life beyond the structure of the His Mansion community. Several of these graduates will soon return to the hill to serve in a very different role. They will enter the Servant Leader program, a transitional program designed to offer guidance and growth and develop maturity while on the path to serving as a Mentor.

The words shared during one particular testimony have continued to remain with me as I was deeply encouraged by God's love as it was experienced by this graduate. I hope that as you read these words that were shared on graduation day, you too are not only touched by them but left feeling awestruck at what our great God can and will redeem us from as He offers a new life and a new beginning only found in Jesus Christ.

In May of 2012, I arrived at His Mansion with multiple problems, in hopes of somehow finding resolve...I was convinced no one could help me, and the idea of being a loner or independent became a comfortable place. There, no one could hurt me, but no one could help me either. I had closed the depth of myself off to everyone. Yet God was still able to penetrate the barriers I had put up, and it was in that place of isolation where he met me and rescued me.

Slowly but surely, God taught me that community was part of his form of healing. I couldn't imagine how being around thirty-plus other men all the time would ever bring about healing, but it has certainly been a part of it. As time here has progressed, I have come to see that it is not the men around me, but it is God in the men around me, and as I have been able to learn to trust them more with what they say about my life, I am also learning to trust in God...

Through the year here, I often wrote in my journals about an impenetrable darkness that dwelled deep inside the core of my being. I felt it, and I couldn't get rid of it. I thought it was a permanent fixture of who I was. It was ever pulling me away from following God and ever resisting all of the good I was doing through prayer, reading the Bible, and living honestly with others. Yet somewhere back in January, right around the same time that I was able to have the conversation with my dad, and right around the time when we were breaking soul ties in our Phase II Inner Healing class, I was searching my heart in prayer, and I found that the impenetrable darkness of shame was conspicuously missing. I had no explanation for it, and I finally understood that God had done a quiet miracle in me one day and was waiting for me to discover it. Praise the Lord! In its absence, I feel incredibly unburdened and equipped with an ability to follow God. I am thankful and know that if God can extricate this driving evil that was in the core of my being, he gives me hope to believe in him to do other things that I would normally think are impossible; it's only a matter of time and waiting.

With this hope, God has given me an endurance I have never known before to continue to practice all of the ways in which he is teaching me to live. The layers are still coming off. God is showing me new and often difficult things about myself, like what has gone wrong, and what I need to do to allow him to fix it. Often, I have heard these different depths of healing in my life compared to an onion peeling back its many stinky layers, but I like to look at it like a blooming rose, ever opening more and more layers of petals, ever increasing in beauty. This is a work of the Lord, and only a small example of what he's doing within all the people on this hill, and in the body of Christ around the world. I give him praise for this journey upon which he has started me, and I look forward to seeing and being a part of how he will continue it.

June marks the arrival of our summer Practicum students from all around the country. During their eight weeks at His Mansion, the Lord will take them on a journey that will deeply impact their spiritual, educational and vocational growth. I have asked Dave McHale, His Mansion Institute Program Supervisor (and also a past Practicum student himself) to share about the unique nature of this opportunity and experience.

Imagine a professional baseball player in training who reads books on how to swing a bat, watches videos, observes others at batting practice, studies the physics behind a good swing (bat speed, swing angle, etc.), but has never actually picked up a bat himself and swung it. How good of a hitter is he going to be? How confident will he be when he stands in the batter's box for the first time, facing a 95 MPH pitcher, having never actually swung the piece of wood he holds in his hands?

Most people will agree that education, study, and preparation are good (and necessary). However, knowledge without experience and action yields little in the long run. In the same way, a person who learns and studies much about the topics of psychology, Christian formation, education, and counseling, is well-prepared, yet will be for the most part ineffective unless they put into practice what they have learned.

And for this reason, at His Mansion, we welcome students from all over the country to serve with us for the summer in our Practicum. Practicum students get opportunities to serve on the ground in ministry, allowing them to learn what it looks like to take that which has been learned and studied in the classroom and put it into practice. The practicum provides a platform for practical ministry experience, as well as helps some discern if they are called into one of the helping professions.

Students are encouraged to wrestle through questions that naturally arise in an environment like His Mansion such as "Where and how is God at work in situations of profound suffering?", "How do I walk alongside a person who is struggling with an addiction I have never experienced?" and "How do I love and have compassion for a person who is so difficult?"

We will be welcoming eight new practicum students to our community on June 8th to serve for eight weeks. They will be participating in our June Healing in the Context of Community course, after which they will begin serving in a similar capacity to that of a mentor. Please join us in praying that the Lord would work in their hearts and in the hearts of those they will serve. Pray that the Lord would not only teach them to love, but also that He might show them more of the glory of His love for each of them in Jesus through their time at His Mansion.

Although the first official day of summer is not until June 21st, here on the Hill we recognize summer as beginning when we welcome our first "summer" work group into the community. This year, a week-long visit by a hard working group of volunteers from Big Bone Baptist Church of Union, KY marked this kick off of summer. It was a blessing to have several repeat volunteers as a part of the group but to also have a few new faces too. Work groups come with the intent to serve us by working in our community yet the exciting thing is to see how God also ministers to each volunteer during their time here as well. Prior to coming, each person is asked the question, "What do you hope for God to accomplish in your heart while you're here?" The members of the Big Bone Baptist group came with some of the following hopes and desires:
  • To draw me closer to Him and to have a servant's heart in all that I do
  • Direction
  • To grow in Christ
  • To see Him move in my heart as well as our group and the (His Mansion) residents
  • To help me share my heart and to help me learn by other's experience
  • To serve without limitations and help others do the same
  • To learn more about our Loving God 
My desire for this group and for every group that visits us this summer, is that God not only meets these needs and desires while here, but that He far exceeds any hopes or expectations that a volunteer may come here with. I pray that the Lord's transforming work continues long after one's visit here and that He uses the experience of serving at His Mansion to grow and strengthen each person in their own relationship with the Lord as well as with each other in the group.

                                    Big Bone Baptist Church of Union, KY
  
We are so thankful for the visit from Big Bone Baptist and for the hard work they each put into their time here. In much the same way, we are so thankful to each of you who read this newsletter, pray for the ministry, and sacrificially give of what God has given you. As I conclude this letter, I am again humbled by God's daily provision, and it engenders in me a heart of gratefulness to write that we have paid all our bills. This speaks volumes about God's faithfulness to you and to us.

Seeking to live grace and truth in community,

 



Michael Tso
Interim CEO

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

More Children Being Accidentally Poisoned by Opioids and Other Adult Medications

A growing number of children and teenagers are being accidentally poisoned by opioids and medications for adult chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, according to a new study.
More than 70,000 children under 18 go to the emergency room because of accidental medication exposures and poisonings each year, according to researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital. They report in Pediatrics the rate of such visits rose 30 percent between 2001 and 2008. Hospitalization rates for accidental poisonings in children rose 36 percent, USA Today reports.
Serious injuries and hospitalizations occurred most frequently with opioids and diabetes medications. “Increasing adult drug prescriptions are strongly associated with rising pediatric exposures and poisonings, particularly for opioids and among children 0 to 5 years old,” the researchers wrote. “These associations have sizable impacts, including high rates of serious injury and health care use.”
The study excluded antidepressants, because they are increasingly prescribed for young people. The researchers wanted to look at drugs that generally are prescribed for adults. The researchers found children under age 5 were most at risk for poisoning, followed by teens ages 13 to 19.
Study co-author Florence Bourgeois said young children generally are accidentally poisoned when they swallow drugs they find while exploring, while teens tend to seek out drugs such as opioids and intentionally take them.
    

Saturday, June 22: 5th Annual Rockfest
Come rock with the Angels at this fun, free event!
  
Held in the East Picnic Area of Mercer County Park from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm on Saturday, June 22, 2013, Rockfest will feature live music on two stages all afternoon from License to Chill, A Clever Con, Soul Fire, Motherload, Luna Laval, Under Fire, Jeff Palmer Band, Kevin Toft, Dusty Rivers Band, Radio Fiction, Mike Matisa, KCM Band, Dana Isles & Facedown and others.
  
Rockfest will also feature a car/truck/ motorcycle show, Rhythmania drum circles, Happy Heart Pets reptile exhibit, an amateur Barbeque Grill-Off with Wounded Warrior judges, children's games and amusements, lots of great food and much, much more!  
 
For details about Rockfest, click here.

For businesses, organizations and other groups wishing to join the Rockfest Exhibit Area with a 10 ft. table, please contact cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com. Cost is $75 for-profit businesses, no charge for non-profit groups. All vendors must be registered by Monday, June 17.

Saturday, June 8: Robbinsville Community Day

Join COA in our tent at this annual family event in Community Park (at West Manor Way & Gordon Road) as we help educate the public about the disease of addiction. Community Day features a Kid's Play Zone, other games & contests, Trackless Train, pony rides, face painters, balloon artists, rock climbing wall, a Prize Alley and food court as well as live music all afternoon and fireworks at 9:00 pm.

For questions, contact cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com.

COA Recovery Radio
 
Tune in to City of Angels Recovery Radio (COARR) for 24/7/365 for music and original programs on addiction and recovery:

Sunday nights, 5 - 6 pm: Christian Life Prison & Recovery Ministries (CLPRM) talks about recovery from a Biblical perspective. This is a great show with new guests every week, live music and inspiring testimonials.
  
Thursday nights, 9 - 10 pm: Tom Redneck Clark, COA's Director of Interventions, talks with folks from the COA community about their experiences with recovery.
  
 
Josh Howard on City of Angels Recovery Radio
Josh Howard on City of Angels Recovery Radio
 
If you missed any of the shows so far, click here to replay them on demand. For a show schedule or to listen any time, click here.
  
  
 
For updates on COARR, new Recovery Radio shows and Rockfest bands, photos and videos of the shows, click here to "like" the new COARR Facebook page.

June 7 & 8: Yard Sale at Redneck's House
Don't miss the yard sale on Friday, June 7 (4:00 pm - 8:00 pm) and Saturday, June 8 (9:00 am - 2:00 pm) at the home of Tom "Redneck" Clark, COA's Director of Interventions. This will be a massive sale with lots of bargains, Redneck-style.
 
If you've been spring cleaning and would like to make a donation, please drop off any items for the sale near the red shed in Redneck's yard (2330 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Hamilton, NJ, corner of Rt. 33).
 
Proceeds of the yard sale will benefit COA.
 Tidbits 
 COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.
 
 
For directions to the Dwier Center, click here. 
 
 
The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here. 
New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.
    


Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.
 
   
  
Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.
 

City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.

GOT A QUESTION ABOUT RECOVERY ! CHECK OUT THIS SITE ASK LAUREN ?

Today’s ‘Ask’

I have a really hard time sitting with myself. My mind likes to make the best of me during these moments and I can easily lose sight of my recovery. What do I do?
Truly sitting with myself is not always easy, especially in recovery. For so long, I looked to escape from myself. To disconnect from myself. I did not like the person I was and thus, the last thing I ever wanted to do was be alone and in my own company. It felt like hell. In recovery, I have to sit with anger, with frustration, with sadness, and with feeling in general! To go from years of never truly feeling or being with myself because I always had my addictions to engage in, to sitting with myself has been a major adjustment. But an adjustment I could not be more thankful for and one that has skyrocketed me into living the life I was put here to live.
By sitting with myself I am getting to know myself. Getting to understand the inner workings of my mind a little more. My ego a little more. I can now discern between when my heart is talking and when my mind is talking. This is something I was never able to do and it is because I have learned to be patient with myself. Learned that thoughts come and go into the mind and I don’t have to always listen to them. Triggers happen and I don’t have to self-sabotage because of them. I can challenge them in a whole new capacity. So, as hard as it is to sit with myself, this is where the true healing and growth takes place for me. In the end, all we have is ourselves and this is where the foundation of recovery is really started.
What do you do when you are alone with yourself? How do you stay in recovery?
Have an ‘Ask’ for me? Send me an email @ ask4recovery1@gmail.com!
Livengrin's Home in Bensalem
"When the addict in my life stops using, everything will be better!"

Sound familiar?  Free Seminar helps families learn why change is important for them, too.
Small group 
When a family member has an addiction, everyone has to adapt to that person's challenges.  But changing the script, the patterns of communication, can help everyone.

Join us on Tuesday, June 11, for our free seminar on "Family Dynamics and Healthy Communication." 

This informal session will offer information and reassurance on how to establish new roles in the family system.  Families, educators and healthcare professionals can all benefit.

Bring your questions and household issues to be addressed by experienced family counselors. 

View and print the fact sheet.

The event takes place from 6 - 8PM in Shanahan Hall on Livengrin's main Bensalem campus. Seating is limited! To register for the event, contact family therapist Dana Cohen at dcohen@livengrin.org or by calling 215-638-5200, ext. 162.

We look forward to seeing you there!  

To learn more about this and other upcoming Livengrin events, please visit our calendar page
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During its 47 years of service, more than 120,000 people have come to Livengrin to learn how to be healthy, sober and a part of their families, work and communities again.  You can play a role in a person's success story - make a contribution, volunteer, and tell someone about the help and hope to be found at Livengrin.  There's information, guidance and much more to learn 
throughout our website

Friday, May 31, 2013


May 31
Psalms 69:4
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of min head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Being king isn't easy. Either people love you or they hate you. The same is true of every position of power and authority. Presidents, deans, prime ministers-the list can go on and on-all these people have to face the passions of the people they lead. Even God, Himself, has to face such problems. God is not loved by everyone. There are those who, for whatever reason, have chosen to reject God. There are those who curse Him as regularly as we praise Him. We are the subjects of the greatest sovereign in creation. Our Lord rules us with justice and love. We might not agree with everything He does or everything He calls us to do, but we owe Him our allegiance and loyalty. Be loyal to the Lord, and He will rule over you justly and with compassion.
 
Prayer: It is easy to bow down befo re a ruler of such love and grace, Lord. In every age, You have ruled fairly. I pray for all those who do not know Your greatness and Your goodness. Break through with Your light into their lives. Amen.
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