15 Bad Grandpas (and Grandmas)
Retirement doesn’t have to be boring. These senior citizens bypassed the bingo nights and became involved in some of the most high-profile drug smuggling and dealing cases in recent history.



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By McCarton Ackerman

07/01/14
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Earlier this month, 90-year-old Indiana native Leo Sharp was sentenced to three years in prison on federal drug trafficking charges. The World War II veteran hauled more than a ton of cocaine across state lines to Michigan, collecting over $1 million in the process, before finally being caught in 2011. His crimes called for a minimum of 14 years, but government officials called for a five-year sentence and his attorney argued for no jail time, citing Sharp’s ongoing health issues as being a burden to the prison system. After being sentenced, Sharp told the court he was “heartbroken I did what I did. But it’s done.”

However, this is hardly the first time senior citizens have been the masterminds of profitable and high-powered drug trades. Check out 14 other classic examples of drug dealing and smuggling grandmas and grandpas.

Richard Heritz, 85, marijuana



Here’s a prison care package that goes well beyond razors and toothbrushes. The elderly grandpa was arrested in 2010 for trying to smuggle marijuana for his grandson, who was incarcerated for burglary. Police received a tip that Heritz was planning to smuggle in drugs and was pulled over by state troopers, who discovered more than 20 grams of marijuana on him. He was charged with attempting to convey drugs on the grounds of a detention facility, a third-degree felony, and possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony There was also plenty of time for family bonding afterwards as Heritz was placed in a cell not too far from his grandson in the same prison. He was eventually released on $10,000 bond, but faced up to seven years in jail on the charges, tantamount to a life sentence for the 85-year-old.

Arsain bin Anwar, 84, crystal meth



This elderly grandfather is now facing a brutal death by a firing squad after being caught smuggling more than $400,000 worth of crystal meth into Bali, Indonesia. He was arrested earlier this month after airport security officials in Bali found 5.5 pounds of the drug in his luggage, but bin Anwar claimed to have no idea he was transporting drugs. The Indonesian citizen, who currently lives in Malaysia, was paid just $62 to transport the package, but said he did so because he desperately needed to cover the medical costs of his ailing wife. Another man was suspected to be involved in the drug ring, but he managed to skip past customs and has still evaded police.

Roza Shusterman, 80, prescription drugs



Some people start their criminal record late in life. Shusterman was arrested on drug selling charges for the first time in 1993, at the age of 70, and received two more convictions in the next 10 years, with her last coming in May 2002. She avoided prison the following January by pleading guilty to felony drug sales of prescription pills and a misdemeanor drug possession charge. She operated entirely in and around her Brooklyn apartment, with neighbors reporting that she would stand on the street and pull pills out of her housecoat to sell. But having suffered from a multitude of ailments, she died from heart failure just one month after her guilty plea. The lawyer for her accomplice, 78-year-old Faina Kodner, tried to keep the fellow Russian grandma out of jail by arguing that she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and would be a burden to the prison system.

Barbara Stiff, 79, marijuana



You wouldn’t think it based on her warm smile, but this Australian great-grandmother was arrested last June after police found 67 grams of marijuana in her apartment. Stiff admitted to selling the drugs, but said they belonged to her daughter, who was using the drug as pain relief before she passed away that year. After admitting that she allowed her dying daughter to smoke pot in her house, her local housing commission tried to remove her from the apartment she had lived in for the last 30 years. Stiff was sentenced last January to a four-month suspended jail sentence and four-month good behavior bond. She later told reporters that she was embarrassed by the trial, but relieved to put it behind her and have a chance to move forward from a difficult year.

Albert Martin, 73, heroin and cocaine



Some drug dealing businesses are family-owned and operated. The 73-year-old was arrested on drug charges along with his 20-year-old grandson, Troy Martin. The Pittsburgh bust came after police found 24 heroin bricks totaling $12,000, an ounce of cocaine worth $10,000, a 30-round magazine belonging to Troy and over $4,200 in cash. The arrest came after a three-month investigation by local police.

Luther and Audrey Beaver, 74, and 63, marijuana and LSD



In another case of keeping it in the family, this Ohio couple was arrested in 1981 for dealing drugs throughout the city of Columbus, with their clients even affectionately naming them “Grandpa” and “Grandma.” They each pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking, admitting to selling marijuana and LSD out of their home as a means of supplementing income from their monthly $381 Social Security checks. A police raid of their home found $10,000 worth of LSD and seven pounds of pot. They faced up to 10 years in prison on the charges, but their attorney argued for a sentence that didn’t include jail time because they refused to sell drugs to minors and were suffering from health problems.

 

Darlene Mayes, 73, marijuana



Known around Tulsa, OK as the “Ganja Grandma,” Mayes was responsible for a drug ring that distributed 40 percent of the marijuana around the city, as well as into parts of Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. Police raided her home in April 2012 and found four pounds of pot, $276,000 in cash and two weapons. The money was contained in bundles of bills labeled “$15,000,” as well as a vacuum-sealed bag holding $200,000. Mayes initially told officers that the money was for her retirement fund before owning up to the massive operation. Police also reported that she had a bevy of dealers working for her, including her son Jerry, who was also arrested on drug charges.

James Evans, 70, synthetic marijuana



Instead of receiving mail from Publishers Clearing House, this Texas grandfather was arrested last September for having a delivery with 20 packages of synthetic marijuana sent to his home. Local police in the town of Raymondville reported that not only was Allen selling the synthetic pot to young people in the neighborhood, but that “he was also later found with cocaine in his possession and marijuana individually wrapped ready for distribution.” He admitted to selling the drugs, but said he did it to send money to his out-of-town grandchildren. Allen also admitted that a relative was selling him the drug packages and Raymondville police issued a warrant for the relative's arrest shortly after.

Owulabi and Omowunmi Ganiyu Amoo, 60 and 57, heroin



This Nigerian couple didn’t have a particularly joyous New Year’s Eve in 2010, spending it with airport security officials in the city of Lagos as they excreted 160 wraps of heroin. Owulabi admitted that the couple were given an initial payment of $2,000 and could have received an additional $8,000 if they successfully brought the drugs into New York City, their final destination. The couple later begged for forgiveness and attributed the smuggling to financial hardships they were facing. “I need money for school fees, rent and feeding. I started the drug business in 2009. I feel sad and regret my involvement in drug trafficking,” he said. “The excitement of $10,000 per trip was irresistible.”

Theresa Anderson, 58, crack



Her neighbors in Buffalo saw Anderson as a lovable grandma, so they were shocked to find the dozen houses she bought along two nearby streets were all used for a massive drug operation. Using several of her relatives to push the drugs, police claim that she controlled the local drug trade through fear and violence, but also kept the area clean and safe for other community members. She was finally arrested in February 2012 for the “24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week” crack trade and faced more than 17 years in prison, but her attorney, Robert Ross Fogg, blamed her drug dealing on a drug problem. “Drugs, they take hold of you,” he said. They take your soul and they take your mind.”

Lindsay Sandiford, 57, cocaine



This British grandma is currently on death row in Bali after police found more than $2.4 million in cocaine on her as she entered Bali International Airport in 2012. She was condemned to death by firing squad in January 2013, despite the fact that prosecutors asked for a relatively minor 15-year sentence. Her three accomplices in the smuggling were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to six years on lesser charges including possession. She filed an appeal against her death sentence last August, but it was unanimously rejected. Two months later, she was moved to another jail cell after being viciously attacked by her cellmate. A source reported that “she was shocked and depressed when she was sentenced to death, then she just shut herself off and cried in her cell. When Lindsay asked [her] South African [cellmate] to stop being so noisy, [the cellmate] punched her.”

McCarton Ackerman has been a regular contributor to The Fix since 2011. He recently wrote about 12 shocking drug news items from Florida and Esther Nicholson.

Comic Transformation
With 20 years of sobriety, comedian Ian Harvie looks back on coming out as a lesbian, then as an alcoholic and then as transitioning into a male body in The Fix Q&A.



Photo via


By Amy Dresner

07/03/14

If you haven’t heard about Ian Harvie, you will. He is the first FTM (that’s female to male for you not hip to queer lingo) transgender comic. He toured with Margaret Cho for over three years before becoming a headliner himself. He makes all the girls swoon and the gay guys pant. With his puppy dog eyes, boy next door charm and a beard that would make any hipster in Silverlake jealous, he is seriously likeable and attractive. Besides being sweet, funny and taking the piss out of himself on stage, he is also over two decades sober. His comedy routine about his journey from female to male is as amusing as it is eye opening. And when the curtain closes you have a brand new and progressive set of ideas about gender, sexuality and relationships. I was lucky enough to tour with Ian when I was still a stand up comic. And as he just landed a recurring role on a new TV series, I thought it was the perfect time to introduce the Fix readers to this remarkably brave and talented individual.

You’ve been sober for over 20 years. What was your bottom? How do you stay sober on a day to day basis?

It was a collection of my own bottomed out deeds while drinking that led to me feeling small and emotionally filthy. That ended up being too much for what was, at the time, my dwindling spirit. I guess I'm too sensitive because looking back my "bottom" doesn't sound that horrific from the outside; it was just horrific on the inside.

To stay in recovery I have to rat myself out in some fashion every day; sometimes it’s in a 12-step meeting, sometimes to my partner, sometimes it's a subtle comment to someone I barely know and sometimes I do it on stage. But I need to come clean about something every day, even if I've said it before, I need to say it again. It's kind of like a mini admission of what I used to be like and what I'm like now. That ratting myself out is not to remind me of my former deeds. I've long since let that go. It's entirely about not forgetting the amazing gifts I have today in recovery.


We figured if a former career armed criminal and heroin addict, a transgender man and alcoholic, and an LA Jewish princess and recovering meth head could get clean and sober, fuck, anyone can!

Before you transitioned, you were a lesbian… a big-busted one as well. You have been very forthcoming about drinking over your discomfort with your body and with your gender identity. Can you talk more about that?

Yes, I drank a lot over my body and how I felt about it in relation to my gender. But I was an alcoholic before that. Feeling weird about my body just gave me a legitimate reason to medicate with booze. At first I thought I was somehow special about my awkwardness and my body….unique, like we all do. But after some time away from drinking and getting clearer, I realized that everyone feels a little nuts about their body, specifically in relationship to their gender. If you feel 100% okay about your body, and you feel masculine enough or feminine enough in your body every day of your life, then you're the fucking weirdo, not us. Learning that, I finally was at ease. I'm not perfect with it, nor do I expect to be, which allows me to let go even more.

You actually took me on two sober tours with you and Felon O’ Reilly back when I was still doing stand up: “We Are Not Saints” and “Laughs Without Liquor." How did the whole sober tour thing start? What is your experience doing stand up for others in recovery vs. normies?

Felon started it over a decade ago because he began performing standup and some of his friends couldn't legally come to liquor pouring establishments, [because they were] mandated by the court. So he created a regular space where they could come and laugh in a clean and sober environment. There was a big turnout locally and he continued it regionally. He then brought me in and then we brought you in and went around the country. We did recovery centers, clubhouses, and theaters around all the major cities, no booze served. We figured if a former career armed criminal and heroin addict (Felon), a transgender man and alcoholic (me), and an LA Jewish princess and recovering meth head (you) could get clean and sober, fuck, anyone can! We raised thousands and thousands of dollars for recovery-based organizations around the country and we got to tease the shit out of you the entire time while doing it. You were like our little sister on the road with us.

Sober or recovery audiences are intensely present and want to laugh. I think they're some of the best audiences around exactly for those reasons.

You just landed a role on Jill Solloway’s new series “Transparent." Tell me about that.

“Transparent” is about an LA family with serious boundary issues who have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out. Jeffrey Tambor plays the lead, a father who is reconsidering his gender, decides to transition, and comes out at 68 to his three children.

I play the role of “Dale," a furry-faced, lumberjack kind of trans man and the love interest of “Ali," the youngest daughter, played by Gabby Hoffmann. I am playing a character that I happen to share quite a bit in common with. You might say we have similar souls. And for me it's especially exciting to be a trans man playing a trans man on TV. Also, I've craved seeing more of trans people in trans roles on TV. I hope I give Dale's character truth.

The process was absolutely non-traditional Hollywood and now I know now that's exactly who Jill is. She's driven by love, instinct and creative vision in her storytelling, and Amazon trusts her and allows her to keep those core values in the TV show-making process. When she called me to officially offer me the part, I was super emotional and I thanked her and said "I won't let you down." She quickly came back with "No, I won't let YOU down!" I was teary. I can't thank her enough for bringing me into her Transparent family.

You can watch the pilot on Amazon here. The series will be out on Amazon Prime at the end of September.

You recently shot your one hour comedy special “Super Hero," executive produced by Margaret Cho. How has this been received?

I'm really proud that I made MY OWN feature-length concert film, IAN HARVIE SUPERHERO, and that my friend Margaret (Cho) executive produced it. It's about my life and ratting myself out about my feelings about my body and my experiences before, during, and after changing it. It was so well received that it ended up screening at over 25 festivals worldwide including OUTFEST here in Los Angeles and Frameline in San Francisco. It won best of the fest at Palm Springs and Kansas City LGBT Film Festivals and People's Choice at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. The film was just released to the public in April 2014 and is now available for download for five dollars on my web site: www.ianharvie.com. Here is the trailer for IAN HARVIE SUPERHERO:

You’ve said you do not identify as “male” but you do identify as a “man." Can you explain the difference?

For me biological sex is something science-y and gender is something I get to play with and create every day. This is just my opinion and how I feel about myself. For me, no matter how much testosterone I take throughout my life, I will always be biologically or genetically female. But if you meet me and talk to me and listen to me and experience me, you will see and feel undeniably that I am a man, albeit a self-made one, but a man, nevertheless. It's not important to me to be male and I am completely accepting and grateful that I was born female. I have such a rich life experience having lived as both man and woman. Not many folks get to claim that experience. I love all of my history even the hard parts. I wouldn't trade a single moment of it! And I also believe that I am who I say I am regardless of what my body might say to the world. It's taken me a long time to get to that place, where I know who I am is not up for public debate.

You take testosterone for your transition and some AA fundamentalists have said that steroid use is a relapse as it can alter your mental state and be psychologically addictive. What is your opinion?

Quite simply, testosterone is not a steroid. It’s a hormone and not physically addictive. It's legitimately prescribed by my physician and what any fundamentalist AA people might think about me or my taking it is not my business.

Self-love, self-acceptance and feeling comfortable in your own skin is something almost all alcoholics seem to struggle with. Do you think it’s harder for gay or trans people to get sober?

Everyone struggles, everyone. In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, my struggle is the same as everyone else's. For me it's not healthy to think that my struggle is harder or easier or more unique. It just is. I have such shared experience with everyone around me: our struggle with self-love, acceptance, being in our skin, sexual identity, or just generally feeling like we’re enough in this world. That describes pretty much everyone I know, sober or otherwise.

So first you came out to your parents as a lesbian. Then as an alcoholic. Then as a transman. What were their reactions to each of these revelations?

Strangely, I think my alcoholism was the hardest for them to grapple. I don't think they saw that the struggle was with booze. And I was pretty young so I think they might have thought I was just trying to figure out who I was, typical youth kind of floundering around. They didn't know I moved to Ohio at 19 because the drinking age was 19 and I thought, THAT'S THE STATE FOR ME! They weren't aware of my obsession with drinking before I ever put it to my lips. And on the other hand, I think they somehow knew for a long time something was going on with my overall sexuality and my gender because I started feuding with my Mom at 4 and 5 years old about not wanting to wear dresses and girl clothes. That feud continued through all of high school and beyond. So I think that was pretty glaring and they couldn't possibly say with a clear heart that they weren't aware of that on some level. But none of these revelations rocked their world. I have unusually unfaltering, loving parents. They are amazing and have stuck by me no matter what and I love them.

What do you have to say to other queer folk struggling with addiction?

I'm right there with you. I get you and you're among good company with your struggle. It gets better. But you gotta stick around sober for it to get better and receive all the amazing gifts. I would give them my number and tell them to call me.

Amy Dresner is a columnist for The Fix. She last wrote about gay pride and hating Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous.

How Does AA Work? 

Just Fine
Despite passionate arguments pro and con, a recent study shows that the 12-step process continues to be effective treatment for alcoholism.



SOURCE THE FIX

By Zachary Siegel

06/27/14



I have read in the comment sections on The Fix that AA is a sadistic cult. I have also read testimonials such as “AA saved me from myself and I would be dead without it.” I have read that AA is willy-nilly fear-based faith healing. I have read an experience written by a man who was sober for 26 years, who quit going to AA, drank, and lost everything. I have read that members of AA told other members to stop taking their medications, and as a result, committed suicide.

The above anecdota are probably all, to an extent, somehow, true. But I continue to find myself a stranger in a strange land when I enter comment sections. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy open forums of expression—I’d probably miss them if they disappeared, after all they’re quite amusing—but what I am sensitive to are people forming their opinions based on anecdotoids and ad hominem diatribes from ungrounded and unfounded sources.

Reading the anecdota, especially while you’re navigating the Internet for information to help yourself, can both infect and prime your experience while out in the world. For example, take self-diagnosis via WebMD. We all know it’s a bad idea but people continuously lose sleep over internet medical diagnoses. The same goes for all of the polarizing views on recovery, but even more so when AA is in question. The dichotomy alone will leave you baffled.

This article, however, will avoid polarizing sentiments and explain—in as plain of English as possible—a recent study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment, and later adapted by Counselor Magazine as: Understanding twelve step involvement from a research perspective (Majer, Jason, & Ferrari, 2014).

Consider this an effort to show that rigorous scientific methodologies are being applied to twelve-step ideology. And it is the research that I am about to relay to you that people should place over the already mentioned anecdotoids when forming opinions about AA’s efficacy and the current systems of recovery in America.

And on that same note, cherry picking through comment sections—and actually using those comments made by someone who might be in AA—to support your arguments, while considering yourself an expert in the field, is part of the problem.

That it isn’t to say, though, that the current model doesn’t need improvement, and that we shouldn’t be critical of such a complex. We should be critical. But one must be informed in order to be critical properly, is all.

The Study

Conducted out of DePaul University’s Center for Community Research, the present study recruited 150 persons who were exiting an inpatient treatment center in northern Illinois.

Once recruited, participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Group 1 assigned participants to live in an Oxford House (SAMHSA approves of the Oxford House model). Group 2 assigned people to “usual after-care.” I asked the second author, Dr. Leonard Jason, director of the Center for Community Research at DePaul University, what was meant by “usual after-care.” He said, “It often involved going back to family or friends, or other places such as shelters or wherever they can find a place to live, even if temporarily.”

Once assigned to the two conditions (Oxford House or usual after-care), participants were interviewed every six months over a two-year period. What I found to be nothing short of amazing about this specific study was that the research team was able to keep track of over 85% of both their groups. Drug addicts and alcoholics are not the easiest population to keep track of.

The participants were interviewed every six months up until two years as to whether or not they were still abstinent from both drugs and alcohol. Participants were also scored, at each interview, as to whether or not they were categorically involved in AA. This means that those participants who met these four criteria: doing service work, having a sponsor, reading the literature, and calling other members for help were scored as being “categorically involved.” Participants who met 3 or less of these criteria were not categorically involved.

Another intelligent nuance of this study was that meeting attendance was not part of the criteria for categorical involvement. The study explained this by noting that meeting attendance is too inconsistent of a measure to really understand if one is actually involved in AA or not. For instance, someone who is new might go to 5 meetings a week whereas someone “with time” will go to 1 meeting every few weeks, and both would consider themselves members. There was also mention that meeting attendance has been linked to polarizing outcomes across studies. For these reasons, meeting attendance was left out of this study altogether.

Results and Implications

• Participants who were scored as being “categorically involved” (meeting all four of the aforementioned criteria) were 2.8 times more likely to maintain abstinence from both alcohol and illicit drugs at two years than those who were not categorically involved.

• Participants who were randomly assigned to Group 1 (Oxford House) were 5.6 times more likely to remain abstinent from drugs and alcohol at 2 years than those in Group 2 (usual after-care).

In sum, these results mean that those who remained involved (categorically: having a sponsor, reading the literature, doing service work, and calling other members for help) in AA, two years post-treatment, were more likely to be sober than those who were not.

This study also shows that those who live in an Oxford House (or possibly a recovery home) after treatment are far more likely to remain sober at the two-year mark than those who do not live in a communal residential setting.

There were other results of this study that were more specific to researching self-report instruments, and for the purposes of this post I left those results out.

Limits

A method of this study one may find problematic is that the population was clinical, meaning participants were recruited upon their exiting an inpatient treatment center. This is a valid concern because many treatment centers today are 12-step based. The research team of this study suggested that future research ought to make use of a community-based sample, meaning people randomly selected from the community, not those who found their way into a treatment center, would comprise the population of the study.

So what?

Many who read The Fix, who do not believe AA to be an effective support group, may scoff at these results—and that is OK. If people are truly dedicated to social change, as the researchers who conducted this study are, they will then amend the system from the inside out. Hijacking and trolling Internet comment sections will not cut it. The fact is, clinicians read studies like the one I just presented and in the discussion section of such studies the researchers can advise clinicians to,

“Encourage clients' active and concurrent involvement in a number of Twelve Step activities early in their recovery such as the ones used in the present study, and consider referrals to self-run, communal-living settings like Oxford Houses” (Majer, Jason, & Ferrari, 2014).

Please note, I am not saying AA is the end-all-be-all of solutions. That is nonsense. I’d like to see more options available for people. I am also not saying that AA gets and keeps people sober. All that I am saying is what a scientifically rigorous research design found, which is that AA increases your chances. Period.

I’m a realist when it comes to AA. I don’t believe in spiritual realms or any beyond-worlds. I don’t think spiritualism is required to beat any illness. But it also doesn’t matter what I believe because today in America doctors, clinicians, and other professionals look toward empirical results—positivism!—and such are the results that have just been presented to you. And so long as studies like the one I just presented are finding these results (there are many more where this came from), AA will still be recommended to people seeking help.

Alleged AA brainwashing conspiracy agendas, coupled with ad hominem circumstantial arguments, will not bring about a meaningful reevaluation of recovery in America. In order for there to be a dramatic overhaul of the current recovery-complex, it must be shown—proven rather—that it is broken.

Zachary Siegel is a writer based in Chicago. He last wrote about existentialism and AA vs. NA.

JULY 3 v 1 v 2 v3 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.

STEP 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

No matter how many pills I popped or gallons of booze I drank . I could never fill the empty void I had inside .  No matter what we try to do with our lives there always seems to feel like there is something missing .I spent a large portion of my life using sex and drugs to make my life complete and happy . But I discovered after much pain and hardship that the
things of this world are empty pursuits designed too distract you and keep you lost and empty . The very enemy of your soul wants too keep you lost and take you away from the only one who can fill that void .
What I was missing was being one with the One who created me . We are here for a reason and we are a special treasure to God . God knows whats best for your life but you and the enemy keep getting in the way . The 12 steps will introduce you too God . Finding God and developing a relationship with him will fill that void and your life will be fulfilled .


Philippians 4 : 19
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Daily Quote

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

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July 2 v 7 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

STEP 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.



All the years I spent running the streets did not teach me a damn thing . Yes I learned to fight and survive but what I did not learn was , how to live a life of peace . Way deep down in my heart , I knew I was capable of so much more and life just had to be better than this . When I found my step one , I was done , spent , I had nothing left and the daily aches and pains were choking the little bit of life I had left out of me. My step one was my last attempt at life if God did not answer me this time I was gonna put an end to my BS life . I look back now and realize pride had me blinded and I could not see that surrender in life at your lowest point is not giving up it is the first step in getting up and living again . The moment you get up and receive Gods wisdom from above is the moment you become free to live again in His grace . Lay it all down before you go to the grave as another sad story never reaching your full potential or fulfilling your God given purpose.



Job 11:13-15 Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins— even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.

 

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)
Recovery in Our Communities July 1, 2014      Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333 There is no passion to be found playing small -   in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.       Nelson Mandela RECOVERY CAN SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE Beverly Haberle, Director of The Council and PRO-ACT   "I am a person in long-term recovery... I only just started speaking publicly about my own recovery...when I began to help mobilize the recovery community... [W]e are the evidence that long term recovery is a reality...Speaking out is not right for everyone.  We respect that for many, recovery is a private matter that should stay private...[At the same time], silence is a problem [for many reasons]...My hope is that as more of us speak out, addiction treatment and recovery will one day be on par with the treatment regiments for other chronic diseases. For example, I am a breast cancer survivor.  The initial support I received [for cancer] was much different than the initial support I received after my addiction diagnosis.... [P]lease support recovery in whatever way you feel is right for you...I believe that with your help, the hope for recovery is going to spread like wildfire."  Read more of Bev's recovery story and the importance of showing that recovery is a reality.    Watch this special video interview of Bev from the makers of "The Anonymous People." JUDGE NASSHORN HONORED BY THE COUNCIL AND NCADD Nationally Recognized For Years of Service To The Council  The Council is an affiliate of The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), the oldest addiction advocacy organization in the nation.   On June 20th, The Council presented The Honorable Donald Nasshorn with the prestigious NCADD Bronze Key Award.  The Bronze Key is a national recognition award granted by NCADD for presentation by an affiliate.   It is the highest local award presented by affiliates. The award was presented by Council Board President William Wiegman, Jr., Chief of Police of Lower Southampton Township.       Judge Nasshorn was a Member of The Council's Board of Directors for 27 Years, serving as  President for 16 years.  He led the Council through periods of growth in both geographic area and scope of service.   As a champion of early intervention and recovery support services to those involved in the criminal justice system,  His Honor is a strong advocate at both a systems and personal level.  Judge Nasshorn currently chairs a county-wide overdose prevention task force.    The Council is extremely grateful for Judge Nasshorn's 27 years of Board participation, leadership, outstanding service and contributions to reducing the impact of addiction.  Thank you, Judge Nasshorn! SLAYING THE DRAGON, 2ND EDITION AND "THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE" BOTH AVAILABLE Slaying the Dragon (2nd Edit. 2014) by William White is an exhaustive history of addiction, treatment and recovery in the United States.   This "encyclopedia on America's approach to addiction" is an important treatise and an easy read, allowing users to quickly reference any topic of interest.  Available on The Council's website for a donation of $24.95 or more, plus shipping and handling.  Obtain your copy here. "The Anonymous People" DVD, a powerful documentary told by individuals, celebrities, business leaders and politicians who are in recovery and laying it all on the line to help others.  Available for a donation of $20 or more, plus shipping and handling.  Obtain your copy here.  DON'T MISS THE JULY 7 DEADLINE! July 7th is the sponsorship deadline for getting your logo on the huge Recovery Walk billboard for eight weeks. Your logo would be seen by millions of drivers  on I-95! For details, contact Marita at 215-345-6644 or moconnell@councilsepa.org.  Deadline for all other sponsorship levels is August 1. Some Upcoming Events PRCC, Latinos in Recovery:  Peer led discussion group offered in Spanish; Contact Denise at 215-223-7700 or dmcculley@councilsepa.org. New Health & Wellness Programs:  Comprehensive 7 week program meets 1x a week and details how to incorporate overall health and wellness into your recovery.  For Central Bucks, contact Rick at 215-345-6644 or rpetrolawicz@councilsepa.org.  For Southern Bucks, contact Karen at 215-788-3738 at kburke@councilsepa.org. July 16, 2014: Meet The Council Open House, 8 - 9 am at 252 West Swamp Road, Bailiwick Office Campus, Unit 12, Doylestown, PA 18901 September 12, 2014: 7:05 pm. Recovery Night at the Baseball Game, Phillies vs. Marlins, Citizens Bank Park. Click here for tickets.  September 20, 2014: PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! 2014, Great Plaza, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia. Click here to register and get more information. Employment Opportunities: Please click here

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Donations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.

July 1 v 3 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs .

This is why the 12 steps and 31 proverbs are so successful in changing peoples lives .The steps and Proverbs can not be a one time deal ,you need to work a step and read a Proverb everyday . Take a look at your life are you strung out always failing at everything you try to do cant seem to get anything right . Well here is the sure fire way to get clean and sober and stay that way . A million plus people throughout the world have found success and sobriety .When your ready you will have too get on your knees surrender to your maker , that is the one and only true God creator of heaven and earth . He will supernaturally assist you in giving you the strength to overcome your addictions .First He will comfort you ,then He will take away the desire too use .Then he will begin too clear your mind ,bring you peace and settle you . Yes it is true just ask the million plus living in sobriety .

2 Corinthians 1 : 10 We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.

Daily Quote

"Acceptance is the key to my relationship with God today. I never just sit and do nothing while waiting for Him to tell me what to do. Rather, I do whatever is in front of me to be done, and I leave the results up to Him; however it turns out, that's God's will for me." - Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 420


Today's Online Meetings
AA Meeting - 8:00 pm CST: "Face to Face"


Guest Speaker - 1:00 pm CST: "Being Sober and Becoming Happy"




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PRESS RELEASE--For Immediate Release June 24, 2014 CONTACT David Fialko, Prevention Specialist                            Beverly Haberle, Executive Director The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania              The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania 215-230-8218, ext. 3162                                                                               215-345-6644 dfialko@councilsepa.org                                                           bhaberle@councilsepa.org

The Council of SE Pennsylvania Hosts Town Hall Meeting MADD's "Power of Parents" on Underage Drinking DOYLESTOWN, PA, June 24, 2014 -- Of all the dangers your teen faces, underage drinking is among the worst. Whether teens are experimenting with beer, wine, or other liquor, alcohol presents a serious--and potentially deadly--threat. Research shows that brain development continues well into a person's twenties. Alcohol can affect this development, and contribute to a range of problems.  You are invited to be part of the conversation, come find out how you can start talking before they start drinking.   Date of Meeting:      Monday, June 30, 2014 Location of Meeting:     The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania     252 West Swamp Road, Suite 33      Doylestown, PA 18901 Time of Meeting:      7:00 pm to 8:30 pm   RSVP to attend:      dfialko@councilsepa.org       or David 215-230-8218 x 3162 About The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. is a private nonprofit prevention, education, advocacy, and intervention organization, providing a wide range of services to families, schools, businesses, individuals, and the community. Founded in 1975, The Council serves the Southeast region of Pennsylvania and is a member of a nationwide network of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Affiliates. The Council has offices and Recovery Community Centers in Doylestown, New Britain, Bristol, and Philadelphia. For help with alcohol, tobacco or other substances, or for information on the disease of alcoholism and addiction, call 800-221-6333, toll-free, 24-hours a day. For more information, visit www.councilsepa.org. About SAMHSA The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. About Town Hall Meetings  Every two years, SAMHSA sponsors national Town Hall Meetings to educate communities about underage drinking and to mobilize them around its prevention. Prevention is working! Help continue the downward trend in underage drinking by hosting or attending a meeting in your area. #  #  #  #

CALENDAR LISTING: 

“Expanding Your Recovery Toolkit” Workshop July 15 in Doylestown

Free monthly workshop series for individuals and families with a current or pastdrug/alcohol addiction issue. Next session meets Tuesday, July 15, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc., 252 W. Swamp Rd., Unit 12, Doylestown, Pa. Featuring presentations on methadone maintenance treatment, a video titled “A Mother’s Desperation”, plus a group discussion period on preventing relapes. Refreshments. To register, call 215-345-6644, ext. 3151 or email RPetrolawicz@councilsepa.org.

Recovery Bullies

If a bully cannot see they are controlling others with fear, what are they to apologize for in Step 9? Not one of the 12 Steps gives advice on confronting those who hurt you.

By Juliet Abram

06/20/14

Admitting that Alcoholics Anonymous psychologically harmed me has been cathartic and healing. Replies from AA fanatics predict that without their steps catastrophe awaits via jails, mental institutions and death. Where I live, anyone trying to convince me to do anything, let alone stay in a 501(c) non-profit organization, under threat of death is a bully.

Asking me to accept "powerlessness" is asking me to relinquish personal power to make positive changes. The anti-feminist misogynistic books and patriarchal spiritual terms of AA are also condescending. Steppers eager to judge me as an angry, self-centered dry drunk who wants to play the victim are name-calling bullies. The all-knowing 1939 Big Book doesn't know that evidence connects bullying to substance abuse in adults.

Bullying is defined as "aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often it is repeated over time." Links to bullying prevention and information can be found on well-known 12 Step treatment center Hazelden's website.

Maybe the bullying is really an attempt at being confrontational. But using fear to recruit others to follow AA means AA is not a program of choice. If I'm afraid to speak my mind out of fear of retaliation, then the tormenters have become my higher power. Although currently some former AA friends believe I have a vendetta to put an end to an AA, I know I alone do not have that kind of power.

Are scare tactics something sponsors pass down? Do old timers who bark out orders to "keep it simple stupid" consider themselves bullies? What if instead, the counselors were skilled in motivational interviewing, an approach centered on a person's values, beliefs and preferences. Stanton Peelewrites that MI developer William R. Miller, along with Bill White, have shown "not a single study over four decades had found confrontation therapies to produce a positive result."

In comparison, AA's 62nd General Service Workshop notes that members with sponsors are "healthy people," because sponsors can set a good example and curtail sponsees' bad behavior. If someone can't acknowledge their bullying is wrong, the bad behavior won't be corrected.

AA has no advice for those bullied. In Steps 4 and 5 a member can admit they resent someone for treating them badly and confess their "part in it," but with bullying this becomes classic "victim blaming." In Step 6, a person admits their character defects and prays them away in Step 7. A list is made in Step 8 of admitting all the people you have harmed so that in Step 9 you can make amends to them all. What do the bullies get? They get away with it.

If a bully cannot see they are controlling others with fear, what are they to apologize for in Step 9? Not one of the 12 Steps gives advice on confronting those who hurt you.

Personalities in AA can range from vulnerable and passive to aggressive and dangerous. All are urged to stick to principles not personalities, but the quiet and the meek are likely to follow the loud and the powerful. Admonishing those under attack who defend themselves with "take your own inventory" perpetuates the cycle.

On the flipside, ex-AA members, relieved to be on a new path to recovery, may find anger is their dominant emotion. Proclaiming "AA is a cult!" may feel good, and some overly zealous AA members may well be cultish. But I remind myself that there are innocent AA members out there who have never done me harm. And many of them are victims themselves.

"Sadly adults can be bullies," states bullyingstatistics.org, pointing out that adults are more likely to be verbal bullies rather than physical ones. "They try to humiliate victims, and 'show them who is boss.'" The narcissist bully puts others down to feel good. The verbal bully starts rumors (“they left AA, they're probably in jail’) and sarcasm ("when you need us, we'll be here"). Cyber bullies can be banned, only to come back again under a new alias hurling verbal grenades.

On my last blog on The Fix, commenter time4numa4 stated:

"Here's how that works. People with 3 duis like yourself who keep drinking like get 4. People with 4 [DUIS] get to see the inside of jail for a while. That's you, in jail still with no useful solution. Upon exit, should you keep chippie drinking you'll experience #5 and some hard time in prison."

"Your buddies won't be there to back up your rationalizations while you get a taste of prison time."

and:

"The chance is strong that in your coming disasters you'll cause serious harm to yourself and/or the completely innocent. Your dislike of AA and the people who succeed at living through using it will not assuage the guilt you'd then carry... Live it out, or choose better for yourself at some point as your life declines...No shame in understanding that you'll get what your hand calls for as long as you go along, either good or bad. If you choose badly remember there is a way out [AA] when you've had enough adventures."

Note the nom-de-plume of this commenter reveling in my anticipated demise. Can you imagine another disease where we bully someone's successful, chosen recovery: "Stop taking your blood pressure medication and turn your will and life over to the care of God!"

All bullying amounts to is taking sick enjoyment in causing another to suffer. In the case of opposite views on recovery, it is a case of wanting to be right instead of wanting to listen to—or to genuinely help—each other.

Juliet Abram is a hardware shop clerk, writer, and artist. She is also a former court mandated attendee of Alcoholics Anonymous. Her activist cause for 12 Step alternatives in Ohio is the AARMED with Facts blog.

(NOTE—This is one of the new voices The Fix has commissioned for our new blog section. And if you'd care to add your voice to the mix, check our brief and simple requirements.)