COA ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DINNER!!
	Don't miss this TASTY, fun annual event!  Sunday, November 23 at 12:00pm - 3:00pm   Dwier Center - 392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ   Join us at this sumptuous feast as we celebrate all the many things we have to be grateful for.     This is always a fun event! This year, we'll be roasting a turkey at Dwier and serving it up with all the trimmings.. Covered dishes for the buffet table are always welcome but not necessary - just bring yourself!   For details contact: cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com. This is an open invite so please feel free to share this event or send an invite to friends/family.   Click on the link below to view/respond to this event: COA THANKSGIVING DINNER EVENT

	On COARR
	Let's Talk About Recovery! With 10 original shows, COARR plays Recovery Talk 24/7/365....past shows are available online atwww.coaradio.com/pastshows.html and in each show's online archive.  Tune in thru the smartphone app (free in the iphone/droid stores) or on www.coaradio.com to hear what's playing now.....   Many thanks to Greg Campisi from Awaken Center for Human Evolution for coming on COA Recovery Radio's Wellness in Recovery show last night and explaining how Reiki, IET and other forms of energy healing can be used to reduce stress and manage many medical/emotional conditions. Thank you also to Kim Siar for explaining how Pranic Healing helped her overcome an addiction. Learn more about these and other holistic health practices that can be used as a compliment to more traditional therapies at Awaken's FREE Healing Expo this Saturday, Nov. 15. For details about the expo,click here.  To listen to the show re-play, click here. New show on COARR: Step by Step is a Pennsylvania-based network of recovery homes where recoverees gain support from one another. This show explores what it's like to live in a sober home. If you missed the show, it's now online: click here to listen. It's a great introduction to what sober living & recovery homes are all about! Listen to past COARR shows any time:  For "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas, click here.  For "Wellness in Recovery" with life coach Nancy Tilelli, 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 recovery musician Kathy Moser, click here. For "Laughter & Recovery" with stand up comic 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.

	Get Health Coverage NOW!
	If you or someone you love doesn't have health insurance, COA can help.  If you or someone you love doesn't have health insurance, COA can help. OnMonday November 17th at 10:00am a  representative from WellCare will be at Dwier Center - 392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ assisting with Medicaid & The Affordable Health Care Act Coverage enrollment. Medicaid is now available for single people and marrieds without children, in addition to families with children; it's FREE for anyone making less than $15,500 per year. COA will help you fill out the paperwork, and get your documents together. Most people qualify for some type of low or no-cost plan, so it's worth coming in to check it out. Even if you're in good health, people without insurance will soon have to pay an annual penalty - which is cumulative! - so it's worth it to get on the rolls. Click on the link below to view/respond to event: HEALTH PLAN ENROLLMENT AT COA If you would like to take advantage of this FREE assistance, please RSVP tocityofangelsnj@hotmail.com - we need to get some idea of how many people will be coming so we can plan.

	COA HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
	Saturday, December 13th at 1:00pm - 4:00pm Dwier Center - 392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ Pictures with Santa. Bring your kids, your pets or just yourself to this fun holiday event as we celebrate the season with lots of holiday cheer. Refreshments will be served - feel free to bring cookies or other holiday treats to share! All are welcome.    For details contact: cityofangelsnj@hotmail.com This is also set as an open event. Feel free to share this or send invite to friends and family to join you! Happy Holidays! Click the link below to view details or respond to event: HOLIDAY CELEBRATION-PICTURES WITH SANTA

Soldiers’ Suicide Risk Greatest in Year After Leaving Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 13th, 2014/

U.S. soldiers who have undergone inpatient psychiatric treatment have a greatly increased risk of suicide in the year after they are discharged from the hospital, suggests a new study.

The suicide rate in the U.S. Army is higher than the civilian rate, HealthDay reports.

The study included more than 40,000 active-duty soldiers who received inpatient psychiatric treatment between 2004 and 2009. Within a year of being discharged, 68 of the soldiers committed suicide—12 percent of all U.S. Army suicides during this period.

The researchers identified the 5 percent of soldiers with the highest predicted risk of suicide in the year after hospital discharge. This group of soldiers accounted for 52.9 percent of suicides after hospitalization. Among the soldiers with the highest risk of suicide, risk factors included being male, enlisting at a later age, criminal offenses, weapons possession, previous suicide attempts, and a greater number of antidepressant prescriptions filled in the past year.

The findings can be used to predict soldiers’ suicide risk after hospitalization for psychiatric disorders, and to help target preventive interventions, the researchers wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.

“The high concentration of risk of suicides and other adverse outcomes might justify targeting expanded post-hospitalization interventions to soldiers classified as having highest post-hospitalization suicide risk, although final determination requires careful consideration of intervention costs, comparative effectiveness and possible adverse effects,” the authors wrote.

A Single Drink Doubles the Odds of Ending Up in the Emergency Room: Study

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 13th, 2014/

Having even one drink doubles a person’s risk of ending up in the emergency room, according to an international study. A person who consumes three drinks in six hours is about 4.6 times as likely to end up in the ER compared with someone who hasn’t had any drinks.

A person who had 10 drinks in six hours was 10 times as likely to go to the ER, compared with someone who didn’t drink. The study included 13,000 people from 18 countries who were inebriated and went to the emergency room for an injury, according to The Washington Post.

Drinking increased the risk of injury in women more than in men, the study found. Increased drinking was more likely to lead to violence than to either traffic accidents or falls. The researchers found just one drink almost quadruples a person’s odds of getting into a fight and ending up in the hospital. The risk of injury from violence increases more quickly as the volume of alcohol consumed rises.

The findings appear in the journal Addiction.

Texas Sees Rise in Liquid Meth: DEA Agent

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 13th, 2014/

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents are seeing a dramatic increase in liquid meth in Texas, according to an official with the agency.

“It can be put in drinking bottles. It can be placed in 55 gallon drums or even gas tanks,” said DEA Special Agent Wendell Campbell. “No longer is meth being moved only in crystal or powder form. Liquid meth is on the rise. It’s very concealable, it’s easy to get across that way and we’re seeing a dramatic increase in Texas and the Houston area.”

Liquid meth is dissolved in a solution, and is later converted to crystal or powder, ABC30reports. Last month liquid meth was found in candles in a bust near the Texas/Louisiana border, the article notes. The increased supply of liquid meth has led to lower prices for the drug.

The DEA is trying to track down the liquid before it can be converted to crystal or powder. “Our investigations have led us to discover them in shops and warehouses and neighborhoods,” Campbell said.

“Meth is now in the Houston region considered the number one drug threat in our region,” said Houston Police Captain Dale Brown.

CALL OUR ADDICTION & COUNSELING HELPLINE: 1-844-543-3242 (1-844-LIFE-CHANGE)

Share Tweet Forward   Tune in Thursday, November 13 Lighthouse Network's Dr. Karl Benzio on "Hearing Hearts" (WEHA) at 9:30 a.m. ET   Karl Benzio, M.D. Shares Insights on WEHA's "Hearing Hearts" about "Psychosis, Hypochondria, and Panic Attacks — Are They for Real?"   STATION: WEHA "Hearing Hearts" (Pleasantville, NJ) DATE: Thursday, November 13 TIME: 9:30 a.m. ET TOPIC: Psychosis, Hypochondria, and Panic Attacks--Are They for Real? STREAM LIVE ONLINE: http://www.wehagospel887.com/   Check out other media interviews including TV appearances, radio programs, print features and articles here.

Lighthouse Network is a Christian-based, non-profit organization that offers an addiction and mental health counseling helpline providing treatment options and resources to equip people and organizations with the skills necessary to shine God's glory to the world, stand strong on a solid foundation in the storms of their own lives, and provide guidance and safety to others experiencing stormy times, thus impacting their lives, their families and the world. Lighthouse Network offers help through two main service choices: Lighthouse Life Change Helpline (1-844-LIFE-CHANGE, 1-844-543-3242), a 24-hour free, national crisis call center, where specialists (Care Guides) help callers understand and access customized treatment options. Life Growth and self-help training resources for daily life, including online and DVD series and training events to help individuals achieve their potential.   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Facebook Twitter Website

Some Pain Specialists Ordering Costly, Unneeded Drug Tests for Elderly

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 11th, 2014/

Some pain specialists are ordering costly, unneeded drug tests for their elderly patients, in order to receive payment from Medicare, The Wall Street Journal reports. These doctors are testing for drugs rarely used by elderly patients, such as heroin, cocaine and PCP.

Doctors who treat pain are encouraged to test their patients to make sure they are not abusing their painkillers. Drug tests can also indicate if a patient is not taking their medication, and selling it instead. After Medicare cracked down on abuse billing for simple urine tests, some doctors switched to high-tech testing methods such as mass spectrometry. The billing for these tests are not limited, the article notes. The doctors bill Medicare separately for each substance tested.

Many experts say high-tech drug tests should only be used to confirm results from less expensive, low-tech drug tests.

Medicare spent $445 million for 22 high-tech drug tests in 2012, up 1,423 percent in five years, according to the newspaper. Spending included $14 million for PCP tests. Dozens of pain doctors receive more Medicare payments for drug testing than for treating patients.

Government data suggests use of illegal drugs among the elderly is rare. Even when marijuana is counted, only about one in 1,000 seniors abuse or are addicted to illicit drugs. In contrast, prescription drug abuse among the elderly is a real and growing concern, experts note.

Dozens of Websites Selling Illegal Drugs Shut Down

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BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 11th, 2014

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Dozens of websites selling illegal drugs and guns were shut down by law enforcement authorities across the United States and Europe last week, The Wall Street Journal reports. One California man was arrested and charged with owning and operating Silk Road 2.0, one of the largest illegal online marketplaces.

Officials said they were able to pierce the anonymous shield offered by Tor, a network that uses encryption tools and thousands of servers to conceal online activity.

“As illegal activity online becomes more prevalent, criminals can no longer expect that they can hide in the shadows of the ‘dark web,’” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York said in a Department of Justice news release. “We shut down the original Silk Road website and now we have shut down its replacement, as well as multiple other ‘dark market’ sites allegedly offering all manner of illicit goods and services, from firearms to computer hacking. In coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, we will continue to seize websites that promote illegal and harmful activities, and prosecute those who create and operate them.”

Silk Road 2.0 and other similar sites advertised goods and services including illegal narcotics, firearms, stolen credit card data and personal identification information, counterfeit currency, fake passports and other identification documents, and computer-hacking tools and services, according to the Justice Department. The sites accepted payments in the virtual currency known as bitcoin, which is designed to be anonymous.

Last year, the FBI shut down the website Silk Road, which sold illegal drugs. Six months later, a report found the site had reopened and sales had bounced back. The report, by the group Digital Citizens Alliance, found the new version of the site, Silk Road 2.0, had 13,648 listings as of April 2, just slightly more than the 13,000 listings before the arrest of Silk Road’s founder in the fall of 2013.

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

Next free sessions start week of Dec. 2 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 7p.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/.

On Thursday November 13th at 7pm EST the Addict's Mom Live Video Meeting on In the Rooms www.intherooms.com Denise Krochta will be discussing how to have joyful holiday while loving an addict. 

From Denise,

When the holidays and families ...events approach do you react with joy and anticipation or does fear, anxiety, and panic invade your whole being?

Many of us who have chaos and drama in our lives, due to mental illness, addiction, alcoholism, disease, can’t help but feel negatively about the holidays.

What is going to happen this time to disrupt our plans and peace? What will other people think when chaos occurs that they didn’t expect? Is it worth even participating in holiday and family events or should we just make excuses and stay at home?

Everyone should be able to enjoy their families and friends during special events and holidays no matter what chaos and drama surrounds them and no matter the choice of others. There are simple tools and strategies we can use to plan ahead.

Here are some questions to ask me.

Questions: What do the holidays with an addict mean to you? What has been your experience?

Can we plan ahead for the holidays so when (or if) chaos and drama takes over, we already have a plan and are not "jolted" with fear?

What things can we do, if we want to, for our addicts for the holidays so they feel loved but our other loved ones can feel loved and not neglected?

What do we do if we want to give gifts to everyone during the holidays and still be prudent and diplomatic?

Do we include our addicts in family gatherings? What are the possibilities and/or probabilities?

These are all questions we need to be able to answer ahead of time so we can enjoy our holidays. If we have a plan, decide who needs to be part of the plan, get everyone on the same page, and be 100% willing to implement the plan if necessary, joy and calm can be a possibility during holidays and family gatherings. 

Denise

author/speaker/radio host

http://addictsfamilylifeline.com/

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November 12 Chp 103 v 3 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

STEP 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Get Clean ! Commit step one and two ! It must be sincere or you will remain messed up . God has given you the steps and promises all you have to do is do it His way .This is how 99.9 percent of us have gotten sober . Once you realize you do not know it all and you cannot do this with out help then you will be well on your way to getting sober.

John 8:3 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

By Joseph Dickerson