Babies Born to Addicted Mothers a “Troubling Epidemic”: Maine Governor

By Join Together Staff | February 6, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Government, Parenting, Prevention & Youth

Maine Governor Paul R. LePage this week said the births of 927 babies born to mothers addicted to drugs last year in the state is a “troubling epidemic.” The babies represented more than 7 percent of all births in the state, The New York Times reports.

In his State of the State address, Governor LePage said the babies create “a lifelong challenge for our health care system, schools and social services.” He added, “It is unacceptable to me that a baby should be born affected by drugs.” He urged legislators to add four special drug prosecutors and four judges to sit in enhanced courts, and to add 14 agents to the state’s Drug Enforcement Agency. He did not mention a role for treatment, the article notes.

“We must hunt down dealers and get them off the streets,” Mr. LePage said. “We must protect our citizens from drug-related crimes and violence. We must save our babies from lifelong suffering.”

Last month, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin said his state is suffering from a “full-blown heroin crisis.” In his State of the State Message, Governor Shumlin said he wants officials to respond to addiction as a chronic disease. He focused his entire speech on drug addiction and its consequences.

He called on the state to treat heroin addiction with treatment and support, instead of punishment and incarceration. “In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addiction threatens us,” he said. “The time has come for us to stop quietly averting our eyes from the growing heroin addiction in our front yards, while we fear and fight treatment facilities in our backyards.”

Free PRO-ACT Facilitator Training for Family Addiction Education Program (6 PCB Credits) Saturday, February 15, 2014

When someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the disease impacts the entire family. PRO-ACT needs people with a sincere desire to help families recognize and address a loved one's addiction. We particularly need facilitators in the Philadelphia suburbs: Doylestown, Bristol, Pottstown, West Chester, Media and Northeastern Philadelphia areas.         PRO-ACT is offering this free, day-long Facilitator Training to teach volunteers how to help. The training will take place on Saturday, February 15. 9:30 am until 4 pm The PRO-ACT Recovery Training Center 444 North Third Street, Suite 307 Philadelphia "I always feel energized after a session because I'm able to help struggling families just through what I know" said Judy McQuarrie, a veteran Family Program Facilitator.   Instructor Kathy McQuarrie, Family Education Program Founder PCB Credits This Facilitator Training is approved for 6 (six) hours of Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) credits. Being a facilitator for the Family Program requires a commitment since it runs every month in multiple locations. In return for the free training, PRO-ACT requires at least 10 hours of volunteer service.

Registration Is Required To register for the free New Facilitator Training on Saturday, February 15, please call Noni West at 215-345-6644 or email her here. For information about the Family Education Program and registration call 1-800-221-6333. www.councilsepa.org PRO-ACT Administrative Office 252 West Swamp Road Unit #12 Doylestown PA 18901 PH: 215.345.6644 FX: 215.348.3377    PRO-ACT Philadelphia Office 444 N. 3rd Street Suite 307 Philadelphia PA 19123     PH: 215.923.1661 FX: 215.923.2216  PRO-ACT is an advocacy and recovery support project of  The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

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Did you hear the forecast?

Are you as tired of this weather as we are? Car stuck in ice. Events cancelled. No school. Kids bored. Lost gloves. Hat wet. Out of peanut butter. And branches down!          This is one tough winter for anyone, but for those of us in need of our community, our support system, our programs and our fellowships, the isolation is even more challenging. If you have electricity, though, this is when you should double up on making phone calls and using social media.         You can also get on your computer and explore how to expand your knowledge of addiction recovery. Just Google those two words and a whole world of resources will open up. Hopefully, one that will come up is PRO-ACT's Recovery Walks! 2014--or just click here.                                                                                        Gotta work out!

PRO-ACT and The Council will host our 13th annual Recovery Walk on September 20 in Philadelphia to celebrate addiction recovery. Everyone is welcome--you don't need to be in recovery. It provides a fun way for families to spend a day together and break the multi-generational impact that addiction has on them and our communities. And it's a great way to catch up with friends. Bring grandma, the family dog, your kids, and other loved ones.

The Walk has several purposes, but one is fundraising so that we can continue to provide the free recovery support services and programs that many of you have benefited from. For those unfamiliar with what we offer, here's just a keyhole glimpse of what we have done in just the last year alone (we could go on and on but by the time you'd get to the end, the snow may have melted): The Philadelphia Recovery Community Center, with 12,726 visitors, provided one-to-one  support to 1,561 individuals with a combination of peer-based recovery support services, face-to-face direct services, and other trainings and events. The latter included a monthly average of 76 peer-led workshops, groups, events, and/or social activities.  In Bucks County, 207 youth participated in school-based groups receiving "Life Skills Training" or "Too Good For Drugs" evidence-based curricula. And 531 students participated in psycho-educational groups to assist with coping skills and behavioral health needs. 418 young people aged 15-20 completed the Juvenile Awareness Program, which educates them on the various effects of substances on them and others.  In our Family Education Program, we helped more than 250 family members understand what they must do to get their loved ones into recovery and shed their own enabling behaviors. We provided consultation, technical assistance, best practice guidance, group facilitation and assessment services to 48 secondary school teams and 20 elementary school teams.  The Philadelphia Recovery Training Center served 2,356 individuals, providing a combination of peer-based recovery support services, face-to-face direct recovery support services and trainings and workshops. They also trained 102 new volunteers, 32 of whom became Recovery Coaches and 35 became Group Facilitators. 94 percent of participants in our DUI Program reported that our classes helped them gain new insight into their substance use and allowed them to develop new alternatives to replace using alcohol and other drugs. And, of course, we hosted 20,000 participants in PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2013 at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

Being snowed in is a great opportunity for you to contact your family, friends and associates and have them commit to your team for the Walk. If you click here, you'll find many handy tools and advice on how to form your team and get people excited about the Walk and collecting donations. Beginning now will save you a last minute rush in August or September. Remember, there's a prize for the team that collects the most in donations and also for the largest team.         Now, please take a look outside and see if your neighbor needs a push!

To make a donation to the Recovery Walk, please click here 

How to Isolate and Treat Protracted Withdrawal Symptoms | The Fix

How to Isolate and Treat Protracted Withdrawal Symptoms | The Fix

The High Risk of Relapse Leading to Accidental Overdose | The Fix

The High Risk of Relapse Leading to Accidental Overdose | The Fix

The High Risk of Relapse Leading to Accidental Overdose | The Fix

The High Risk of Relapse Leading to Accidental Overdose | The Fix

An Inside Look at the Drug War Vs. Civilization | The Fix

An Inside Look at the Drug War Vs. Civilization | The Fix

Philip Seymour Hoffman, RIP | The Fix

Philip Seymour Hoffman, RIP | The Fix

Use of Heroin and Prescription Painkillers Have Become Integrated, Experts Say

By Join Together Staff | February 11, 2014 | 2 Comments | Filed in Drugs & Prescription Drugs

A growing number of people switch back and forth between prescription painkillers and heroin, experts tell The New York Times. They call prescription opiates “heroin lite.”

“The old-school user, pre-1990s, mostly used just heroin, and if there was none around, went through withdrawal,” said Stephen E. Lankenau, a sociologist at Drexel University. Today, he said, “users switch back and forth, to pills then back to heroin when it’s available, and back again. The two have become integrated.”

Some young people are introduced to opiates through prescription painkillers. For people in recovery, painkillers can set off heroin craving. “You can get the pills from so many sources,” said Traci Rieckmann, an addiction researcher at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). “There’s no paraphernalia, no smell. It’s the perfect drug, for many people.”

About half of the 200 people being treated for heroin addiction at the Cleveland Clinic’s Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center every month started on prescription opiates, according to addiction specialist Dr. Jason Jerry. “Often it’s a legitimate prescription, but next thing they know, they’re obtaining the pills illicitly,” he said. They realize heroin is much less expensive than pills, so they switch.

People who have gone through rehab may be vulnerable to an overdose because they don’t realize their tolerance level has dropped, according to Dr. Nicholas L. Gideonse, the medical director of OHSU Richmond Community Health Center in Portland.

Merger of Hazelden and Betty Ford Center Approved

By Join Together Staff | February 11, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction & Treatment

California has approved the merger of the Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center, the Star Tribune reports. The new organization will be called the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. It will be the nation’s largest nonprofit treatment organization.

In a statement, Mark Mishek, President and CEO of the merged organization, said, “We are now well-positioned to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by health care reform and the rapidly changing marketplace. Together, we will be able to better utilize the addiction treatment field’s most extensive expertise, knowledge and data to accelerate innovation in treating the chronic disease of addiction and expand our already robust national system of care. Together, we will be better able to help all those who seek recovery find it.”

Analysts said the merger will allow the organizations to reduce administrative costs, and to bring treatment into more outpatient settings. Each organization has its own specialties, such as Betty Ford’s programs for treating chronic pain and addiction, and Hazelden’s programs for treating health care professionals and young people, the article notes.

The combined organization operates 15 sites in nine states. It will be headquartered in Center City, Minnesota, where Hazelden is based. It offers residential and outpatient services, a publishing house, an addiction research center and an accredited graduate school of addiction studies. The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California will keep its name. It will add the tagline: “a part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.”

The boards of both organizations announced last June that they were considering a formal alliance. At the time, officials at both organizations said one incentive for a possible alliance was the Affordable Care Act, which is expected to greatly increase the number of Americans who will receive health care coverage.

Addiction Professionals  RSVP

You're invited to the

Addiction Professionals  RSVP

"Love of Recovery" Free Concert and Dance

The Addiction Professionals Meet and Greet Will Be Held In The VIP Section This is a Rockers In Recovery Concert and Network Event: We do this through Rockers In Recovery Radio and Productions Inc. RIR has once every quarter a concert and network meet and greet. This is a great way to get to know other addiction professionals with main stream traffic of the general public. This combined together brings professionals and community together.

When

Saturday Feb. 15, 2014 From 7pm to 10pm

Where

The Venue of Fort Lauderdale, 2345 Wilton Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305.

Addiction Professionals  RSVP

February 5 v 21 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,

examining every path he takes.

STEP 5- Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Honesty is key in everything you do ,especially for those of us in recovery. After all the time I wasted in my addiction I realize the person I lied to most was myself . GOD can see all things so why try to hide or deny what you have done. Honesty with self GOD and others will bring change in your life .

Jesus said I am the truth the life the way and no one comes to the father but through me!

Sat. Feb. 22, 7:00 pm: Movie Night at COA Kids Are Dying Trailer Come to the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ) onSaturday, Feb. 22 for an early showing of "Kids Are Dying" a brand new documentary from Steered Straight's Mike DeLeon. This film discusses the addiction epidemic sweeping the nation, and will be featured on A&E cable TV later this year.   To watch the trailer, click the image on the left.  To listen to last week's COARR radio show with Mike, click here.   In The Press    Excellent new article on the Mercer County heroin epidemic in the Trenton Times, with an inspiring story from COA. ....  to read the article, click here.   Expanded COA Recovery Radio Archives Let's Talk About Recovery!   The COARR archives have recently been expanded with show photos and links to resources. Catch up on your favorite shows and listen to episodes you missed!   COARR can be accessed via any Internet-enabled device - for the free smartphone app, visit your iphone or android store.      For "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas, click here. For "Hope Fiend" with Minister Rich Mollica, click here. For "Emotional Sobriety" with Andy Finley MFT, click here. For "Journey Thru the 12 Steps with the Life Recovery Bible," click here. For "Share Your Scars" with Vicki, click here. For "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery" with Kathy Moser, click here. For "Laughter & Recovery" with Wil B. Kleen, click here. For "Relationships in Recovery" with Alexa, click here. For "Saving Lives" with COA Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark, click here. For "Nar-Anon Families of Addiction Information Line" click here. Medical Care for Addiction City of Angels NJ, Inc. works closely with many different health care providers including secular & faith-based inpatient facilities, outpatient programs, counselors, therapists, holistic health care practitioners, clergy, and physicians.    Located in West Windsor, NJ, InFocus Urgent Care  has become a trusted resource for medical care and therapies related to addiction and other conditions.  To learn more about InFocus, click here.  To listen to a COARR show featuring Dr. Seeta Arjun discussing suboxone and other therapies for addiction, click here. (Dr. Seeta's segment appears about halfway thru the recording). Rosary Prayer Group at The Dwier Center   There will be a meeting of the new Tuesdaynight Rosary intercessory prayer group at 6:30 pm tonight at the Dwier Center. The Rosary group meets weekly to pray the Rosary for the entire COA family, including those in recovery and those not yet. Like other forms of meditation/spiritual connection, praying the Rosary has been shown to produce profound benefits...  to learn more about how this practice can help you, click here.

If You Tweet, Tumbl or Pin....   ...Follow COA on our new social media! For Twitter, click here.   For Tumblr, click here. For Pinterest, click here.   Tidbits COA hosts support group meetings for both recoverees and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, Men's and Women's Recovery groups,  Relapse Prevention Group, 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 offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, news and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  More than 28,000 viewers around the world have watched original videos on the  COA YouTube channel. To tune in, click here.       Check out COARR's new Tumblr page!     For COA's Twitter page, 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.

Marijuana-Infused Snacks Alarm Parents, Schools and Some Doctors

By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs & Youth

Parents, schools and some doctors are voicing concern about children’s access to marijuana-laced snacks, which are becoming increasingly popular in states where recreational or medical marijuana is legal.

In Colorado, where recreational marijuana for adults ages 21 and older is now legal, marijuana-laced snacks are becoming a booming business, according to The New York Times. Products include chocolate-peppermint Mile High Bars and peanut butter candies infused with hash oil, the article notes.

Retailers say the products are popular with customers who want to experience the effects of marijuana without smoking and coughing. Critics say the snacks are ending up in the hands of teens who want to get high discreetly, or children who don’t know they contain marijuana. They note products can contain large concentrations of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Colorado has ordered stores to sell marijuana-infused snacks with child-resistant packaging, and has banned labels designed to appeal to children.

In a study published in May 2013, researchers at Colorado Children’s Hospital reported they treated 14 children who ingested marijuana, half of whom ate marijuana-laced foods. Symptoms, most of which were mild, included unusual drowsiness and unsteady walking. One 5-year-old boy had trouble breathing. Eight children were hospitalized, and two were treated in the intensive care unit. All of the children recovered within a few days. The study was conducted after medical marijuana became legal in Colorado, but before the state legalized recreational marijuana.

Fewer Teens Abusing Prescription Painkillers: Report

By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs,Tobacco, Young Adults & Youth

A new government report finds fewer teens are abusing prescription painkillers or smoking. According to the report, 8.7 percent of teens and 9.8 percent of young adults abused prescription painkillers in 2011, down from 9.2 percent of teens and 12 percent of young adults in 2007.

The National Behavior Health Barometer report found 6.6 percent of teens smoked cigarettes in 2012, down from 9.2 percent in 2008, according to USA Today. The report found 9.5 percent of teens used any illicit drug in 2012, about the same as in 2008. There was an increase in the number of people enrolled in substance use treatment in a single-day count, from 1.19 million in 2008, to 1.25 million in 2012.

The number of teens suffering from major depression rose, from 8.3 percent in 2008, to 9.1 percent in 2012. Only one-third of those teens received treatment in either year.

The number of people receiving buprenorphine treatment for heroin addiction jumped 400 percent from 2006 to 2010, the report found. The number of people receiving outpatient behavioral health treatment through Medicare rose by more than 30 percent from 2006 to 2010, the article notes.

Cheap Heroin Abundant in New York, Officials Say in Wake of Hoffman’s Death

By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | 2 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Drugs & Prescription Drugs

Cheap heroin is easy to find in New York City, according to law enforcement officials who spoke after actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead with dozens of packages of heroin in his apartment.

The packages can sell for as little as $6 on the street, The New York Times reports. Some of the packages were branded with purple letters spelling out Ace of Spades, while others bore the mark of an ace of hearts, the article notes. At least five of the packages were empty and in the trash.

Heroin-related deaths rose 84 percent in New York City from 2010 to 2012.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials say heroin seizures in New York state are up 67 percent over the last four years. In 2013, the agency’s New York office accounted for nearly 20 percent of DEA seizures nationwide, with a value of approximately $43 million. During a raid last week in the Bronx before the Super Bowl, 33 pounds of heroin were found, along with hundreds of thousands of branded bags, some of them stamped “N.F.L.” Heroin bags are often named for popular celebrities or luxury products, such as Lady Gaga or Gucci.

People using heroin in New York and around the country are increasingly young and middle class. Many of them started abusing prescription painkillers before moving on to heroin.

Earlier this month, the DEA joined an investigation into the source of a batch of heroin that killed 22 people in western Pennsylvania. The heroin involved in some of the deaths contained the synthetic opiate fentanyl, often used during surgery.

Heroin containing fentanyl has also begun to appear in New York City, according to Kati Cornell, a spokeswoman for Bridget G. Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor for the city.

Photo source: Georges Biard [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hello Recovery Heroes!

The International Quit & Recovery Registry, a project sponsored by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, is pleased to announce the grand opening of our new interactive website! Our mission is to further scientific understanding of recovery and encourage those struggling with addiction. After receiving input from our current registrants, we have improved our website and released a new assessment. This assessment is now ready for you, our recovery heroes, to complete! Follow the link below to our new site and create a member account to complete the new assessment (The Gemstone Series 1: Garnet Assessment) and check out all of the new features, including recent news articles, discussion forums, and profile pages. You must have a member account to complete the assessments. This account can remain private or allow you to engage in social interactions with other members of the Registry - Your choice! Thank you for helping us tackle the mysteries and challenges of addiction!

https://quitandrecovery.org/register/?email=recoveryfriends@gmail.com


Looking forward to working with you!

The International Quit & Recovery Registry Research Team

https://www.quitandrecovery.org