JULY 31 Chp 107 v 10 v 11 v 12 v 13 v 14 v 15 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH  FROM THE PSALMS 

 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,

imprisoned in iron chains of misery.

 They rebelled against the words of God,

scorning the counsel of the Most High.

 That is why he broke them with hard labor;

they fell, and no one was there to help them.

 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;

he snapped their chains.

 Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

STEP 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God !

This is why I try to study Gods Big Book (Bible) everyday . God has snapped my chains and I just don't want to give Him praise for that , I want to praise Him for the way He unconditionally loves me. God could have let me die in my sin and addictions , but He did everything He said He would in the Psalm . There are many in rebellion against God and society , you think your tough and your way is the way everyone should live .God will break you 

and send you to Hell ! God will be more than patient , He waited sixteen years for me to come back to Him . It broke Gods heart to see me one of His sons living sad , defeated drowning in my self made sea of uncontrollable urges to my addictions and sins. You matter to God and your rebellion will steal the wonderful life God has planned for you . It is time for you to wake up , the cemetery is already full of half lived lives with unfulfilled dreams . 

Psalms 68:6 God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

By Joseph Dickerson

As Drug Courts Expand, Critics Say They Aren’t Reaching Those in Greatest Need

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

July 29th, 2014/

As the use of drug courts expand, critics say people with minor marijuana infractions are more likely than those with serious drug problems to end up in these programs.

Drug courts allow drug offenders to receive court-supervised treatment instead of punishment, the Los Angeles Times reports. These programs can dramatically improve the lives of people addicted to drugs, the article notes. But a growing number of people are ending up in drug court because of minor marijuana infractions, some longtime supporters tell the newspaper.

In many areas of the country, people charged with marijuana possession are the largest group of offenders sent to drug-court programs. Often, people who chronically abuse hard drugs are not allowed to participate in these programs.

“For serious drug offenders it has been a far better alternative than prison,” said John Roman, a senior analyst at the Urban Institute, who studies drug courts. “The problem is very few people who have those serious problems get into one of these drug courts. Instead, we take all kinds of people into drug court who don’t have serious problems.”

In some cases, people who might have faced a fine for marijuana use in the regular court system are instead moved into the drug-court system. They are often forced to pay for costly treatment programs, and could face jail time if they break the program rules. “Once you get that deep into the criminal justice system, it can be really hard to get out,” Roman said.

Rick Jones, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service in Harlem, New York, says his nonprofit group often sees people with low-level marijuana offenses being pressured into drug-court treatment, while people addicted to drugs are disqualified. “It is not working the way we thought or hoped it would,” Jones said.

Abuse of Painkillers, Illegal Drugs Growing in Silicon Valley

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

July 29th, 2014/

In the high-stress environment of Silicon Valley, a growing number of high-tech workers are abusing painkillers and illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The issue of drug abuse among high-tech workers received intense media attention after Google executive Forrest Timothy Hayes died last year after being injected with a fatal dose of heroin aboard his yacht. A prostitute was arrested and charged with administering the injection.

“I’ve had them from Apple, from Twitter, from Facebook, from Google, from Yahoo, and it’s bad out there,” said Miami-based addictions coach Cali Estes, who says she has helped 200 tech workers. They are using prescription drugs such as oxycodone and Adderall, as well as cocaine and heroin, she says.

“And it’s a lot worse than what people think because it’s all covered up so well,” Estes told the newspaper. “If it gets out that a company’s employees are doing drugs, it paints a horrible picture.”

“There’s this workaholism in the valley, where the ability to work on crash projects at tremendous rates of speed is almost a badge of honor,” said Steve Albrecht, a San Diego consultant who teaches substance abuse awareness for Bay Area employers. “These workers stay up for days and days, and many of them gradually get into meth and coke to keep going. Red Bull and coffee only gets them so far.”

Many tech companies do not conduct drug testing on employees, Albrecht says. “They want the results, but they don’t want to know how their employees got the results.” Most large tech firms offer counseling, but many employees don’t want to use the services because of privacy concerns.

New Products Help Drinkers Monitor Their Blood Alcohol Levels

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

July 29th, 2014/

New products on the market are helping people monitor their blood alcohol levels. Some devices link to a smartphone, NPR reports.

One device, called the Vio, is a key chain alcohol test about the size of a lighter. It sells for $50. A person blows in the device, which then determines whether their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is around or over the legal limit for driving.

Keith Nothacker, the CEO of BACtrack, which makes Vio, told NPR the device might help reduce drunk driving rates. “Previously there was a stigma with alcohol testing, and we’ve been fighting that stigma,” he said. “We want people to talk about their BAC and not be embarrassed.”

Another device, the Breathometer, plugs into the audio jack of a smartphone, and connects with an app. It also sells for about $50. Both the Vio and Breathometer can help a person determine how long it will take them to reduce their BAC back down to 0. “So if you’re drinking late, you’ll see that you won’t sober up until the next day in a lot of cases,” Nothacker said.

The devices are not as accurate as those used by police, the article notes. But they can still be useful in helping people decide they shouldn’t be driving, said Michael McDonell, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. “In study after study, we see that just objectively tracking your use of [a substance] will reduce your use,” he says.

McDonell added, “If the outcome is to help a person stop using or reduce their use of alcohol, accuracy is less important. And those expensive devices are never going to get out there to everybody.”

PRO-ACT Family Addiction Education Program helps families address drug and alcohol addiction

Next free sessions start week of Aug. 5 at various locations in five counties

When someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the disease affects the entire family. Each month PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization–Achieving Community Together) hosts a free Family Addiction Education Program to help individuals and families recognize and address an addiction problem in a spouse, parent, child or other loved one. Led by trained volunteers who have been in the same situation, these information and support programs begin the first week of each month and run one evening a week for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts two hours.

Programs are offered at several locations throughout the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region:

· Tuesdays—From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Media and Northeast Philadelphia.

· Wednesdays—From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Pottstown; from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in North Philadelphia; and from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m. in West Chester.

· Thursdays—From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Northern Liberties; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Bristol and Colmar.

Sessions are free and confidential—first names only. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-221-6333, weekdays 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., or visit http://councilsepa.org/programs/pro-act/family-education-program/.

	Dear Joseph, You may have noticed some changes if you've visited drugfree.org in the past few weeks. We are excited to announce a newly revamped website and a new name: Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. The community of strength and support that you built as “The Hope Share” lives on our new website, but with a new name: “Stories of Hope.” All of your stories, videos and photos have been carried over to the new site and will continue to offer inspiration to those who visit and share their own recovery stories. We’ve also added a new feature: those who submit a new story to the site can now add a recovery date, and the days, months or years of recovery is displayed next to their submission. Since your story already lives on the site, we would be happy to add your years of recovery for you. Simply send us an email and we will update your story with your recovery date as soon as we can. Please visit “Stories of Hope” on our new site, and share some love and encouragement for those who need to hear it.  And thank you again for helping us build such a vibrant and supportive community. Sincerely, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
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