Saturday, January 24, 2015

The Fix: Addiction and Recovery, Straight Up
Best of the Week:
January 17–23
COMING UP IN THE FIX// How to Recover from Recovery * Wildest Gambling Losses of All Time * To AA or Not To AA: a Debate Between Lance Dodes and Joseph Nowinski * New Pro Voices * Getting High on Our Own Supply * Changes *Ask an Expert * New Rehab Reviews * PLUS: Other incisive articles
ACT NOW// Seven Steps to Fix the Opioid Addiction Crisis Now
We already have most of the tools we need.
By Dr. Richard Juman
NO REGRETS// Not So Golden
Hollywood's award season brings up ghosts of the past—what might have been, where I am now, and, finally, how lucky I am.
By Malina Saval
HIGH SOCIETY// 2014—The Year in Celebrity Drug Stories
From bizarre product placements to tragic deaths, The Fixlooks at 15 of the most prominent celebrity drug-related stories of 2014.
By McCarton Ackerman
WILD TREATMENT// Can Horses and Dolphins Help You Kick the Habit?
Animal-assisted therapy may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to recovery. It works, but how effectively?
By Jeanene Swanson
GOOD LAUGH// Joe Sober's Guide to the 12 Steps
I'm gonna hypnotize you back to joy.
By Joe Sober
 
BEST OF THE QUICK FIX
One Year After Obama-Ordered Release, Former Drug Prisoner Finds New Career
'Big Bang Theory' Star Kaley Cuoco Admits to Nasal Spray Addiction
Pot-Infused Sex Lubricant Company Expands to Colorado
Workaholics More Susceptible to Risky Drinking
Will Israel’s Ban on Underweight Models Have Any Impact on Eating Disorders?
Taiwan Gamer Dies After Three-Day Gaming Binge
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
A Real Pain
This week, Dr. Richard Juman discussed how we can end the opioid crisis now. Readers agreed that our current measures cause more problems than they solve:
This is already impacting the people with severe chronic pain. Even people under the care of pain management specialists are finding all kinds of barriers in the way of getting their medicine at pharmacies. They're holding up dispensing drugs so the person who is on a stable maintenence dose who misses a few days winds up in agony and has to take higher doses for a while just to get the pain under control. And of course, if you go to the ER you're accused of drug seeking behavior.

Do you know, according to NIH, there are virtually no studies longer than 16 weeks on long term use of opiates for chronic pain. There are people who are better treated with other drugs that are not opiates like amitriotyline for neurogenic pain, genuine muscle relaxants like tizanidine) and God knows if insurance paid for maintenance physical therapy instead of demanding improvent in each session that would be of great help in avoiding opiates. But for some people opiates are all there is at this time. And even for conditions like neurogenic pain better trated with other drugs, there is the phenominon of breakthrough pain, which may well require opiates.

-Camilla Cracchiolo, RN

Thursday, January 22, 2015

January 22 CHAPTER 91 v 2 v 3 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS


This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge , my place of safety; he is my God , and I trust Him . For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease .
(GODS BIG BOOK)


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

Refuge - anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.


The other day I shared a post about God being the one and only true HP. Many attacked me said I was intolerant !I warned about new comers being mis guided by the instruction that your HP could be a porcelain cat or anything that suits them . Someone even commented to me that their fathers higher power was a tree stump and as life changed so did there HP. Before you make your choice and invest your time and trust your life with a porcelain cat or tree stump ,you need to know the 12 steps were based on GOD . A GOD that is real and has a book about Life that you can use in times of trouble. A GOD that has a written plan for your life  . A GOD that LOVES you and PROTECTS you ! A GOD who knows how many tears you have cried and how many hairs you have on your head.I could go on ,but there is not enough ink or paper too write all HIS promises down . The Proverb is just a few verses of HIS promises for you and all those in the world. Just because we cant wrap our little brains around that does not make it un true or wrong. Once you surrender and get out of GODS way and get rid of the stump and porcelain cat you can follow the one true GOD (HP).


Isaiah 44:6 I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.(GODS BIG BOOK) By Joseph Dickerson

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

      The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.PRO-ACT
                                                  and
          Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --
     Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT) 
Recovery in Our Communities
January 21, 2015
 

Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333


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Recovery Community Mourns the Loss of a Hero


When we think of an example of how our personal recovery can be a light for the rest of the world, and who models the kind of life that we aspire to live, Bruce Huberman is one of those inspirations. Service to humanity happens on so many different levels, and thankfully in a colorful variety of ways to which there is no end. The people who most inspire us are the ones who take service to the max; the people who create new ways to support others, who collaboratively strive to bridge the gaps, who see something missing and in turn, see an opportunity to create a new possibility. Bruce did this - he took service to the max and humbly helped more people than can ever be counted. 

Not only was Bruce in service to the mutual aid fellowship of his choosing, Bruce was extraordinarily in service to the larger recovery community.  Through the innovative creation of his award winning 12 Step Gazette recovery magazine in 2008, Bruce created a new vehicle for the local recovery community to share information, ideas, resources, events and entertainment.  The readership of the 12 Step Gazette would go on to reach over 10,000 and act as a mechanism to broaden the support an individual in or seeking recovery could access. 

If a heroic life is all about overcoming your own challenges in order to leave this world better off than you found it, then Bruce led a heroic life in every sense of the word.  Bruce created something new that would go on to impact people in a uniquely profound way, and the recovery community and larger world is better off as a result.

Our hearts go out to those closest to him, who have lost who he was in all of his humanity. For those of us who were touched by his gifts, our hearts are full of joy for having had an example of a life well lived.

Brooke M. Feldman
Project Coordinator
Supporting Youth Recovery Program
The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. / PRO-ACT


Services for Bruce will be held Thursday, January 22 at 12:30 pm at Goldstein's Funeral Home, 310 2nd Street Pike Southampton PA 18966 followed by a graveside service at Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery located at 2701 Old Lincoln Hwy, Trevose PA 19053. All are welcome.
 
Overdose Prevention, Education and Naloxone Response Training - Cancelled for 1/21/15 and Rescheduled for 1/28/15

An overdose can leave family and friends feeling hopeless and helpless. But families and community members now have a tool to save lives with the recently enacted Good Samaritan Law. If you want to learn what to do in case of an overdose and how to administer the life-saving overdose-reversal agent called Naloxone, please join us for this important community training.Email or call David Fialko at 215-230-8218 x3162 for questions or to register.    

Presented by The Council and Hosted by Penn Foundation 
700 S Main Street
Sellersville PA 
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 
7:00 - 8:00 pm

Support The Council with EScrip!
Now there is a convenient way to contribute to The Council just by registering your credit/debit/rewards card! Participating merchants will make contributions to The Council based on purchases made by you, just by using the cards you have registered. It's that easy!  Click here to find out how it works! 

Volunteer for The Council/PRO-ACT !!

Contact one of our Volunteer Coordinators:
Central Bucks:  Email or call Rick at 215-345-6644
Southern Bucks:  Email or call Karen at 215-788-3738 x100
Philadelphia: Email or call She-Ria at 215-233-7700 or Email John or call 215-923-1661 
Chester, Delaware and Montco: Email or call John at 215-923-1661
PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! Committees: Email  or call John at 215-923-1661
AT OUR CENTERS

Planning to Sustain Recovery - every Tuesday 7 - 8:30 pm and every Thursday 10 - 11:30 am at CBRCC, 252 W Swamp Road, Unit 12, Doylestown.  Educational support group to help individuals in all stages of recovery plan goals and action steps to sustain recovery. To registeremail or call Jeanne at 215-345-6644.  

Gateway to Work every MondayTuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am at SBRCC, 1286, Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol; 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 1:00 pm at CBRCC, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown. Get help with resume building, barriers to employment and motivation. Contact Rick at 215-345-6644 or email for more information.

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DONATEDonations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.
 Women for Sobriety, Inc.
This is Our Choice, to grow and let go.

҉ 
“Your life has always been a process of growing and outgrowing.  You quickly outgrew your clothes as an infant.  You outgrew your shoes before you wore them out.  You took great pride when you grew beyond that mark on the tree, the door frame, or the chart in school.  You were happy when you grew through puberty into your adolescent body.  However, for some reason, today it is difficult to accept you have out-grown a habit, career, relationship, or even your hometown.  You hold on, afraid to let go, trying to make it work, subjecting yourself to physical, emotional, and spiritual pain.  This is not a good thing!  If life is going to work in your behalf, you must give yourself permission to grow.  If it no longer makes you happy; if you are searching unsuccessfully for ways to make it work; if you know in your heart of hearts that whatever it is, it’s over---let go and grow.  Be willing to search for new ways to grow.  Be open to new environments to grow in.  Always be on the lookout for people who are growing and are willing to help you grow.  Never feel bad about your growth.  Some people will not support you.  Others will try to make you feel bad.  You might be afraid.  You might even experience some pain. Know that it is all a part of growing and growing up.  If you need a little taste of the pain you will create when you do not allow yourself to grow, stick your feet into the shoes you wore to the high school prom!”

Faith in the Valley by Iylanla Vanzant

*********************************************************************
Statement #8, “The fundamental object of life is emotional and spiritual growth.”
Daily I put my life into a proper order, knowing which are the priorities.
*********************************************************************

     “Why don’t you act your age?!”  “Why don’t you just grow up?”  “What on earth are you waiting for?”  There were just a few of the questions/judgments that I said to myself again and again before my New Life.  Alcohol stopped growth in my life cold.  Done.  Over.  I thought, felt and acted in ways that kept me stuck.  Stuck in drama, stuck in negativity, stuck in life.  There was no room for growth with alcohol in my life and I had no idea what I was missing.
     Sobriety and Statement #8 in action provides a portal for growth to enter and evolve.  I have come so far already.  I have grown into a 4C woman who has so much to give life.  I feel purpose, I feel strength and I feel value.  By giving myself permission to grow, I move into the real me and leave behind the old vocabulary and criticisms.
     Accepting and living in growth also takes off so much pressure, especially pressure relating to competition.  I am able to use my own yardstick and compare myself to myself instead of trying to attain or achieve the unattainable.
     Growth also enables me to release what was, which creates room for what is.  On occasion, other individuals do not appreciate or assist in my growth; however, I continue on.  It then becomes just another landmark that I have reached.  I have found new horizons and new avenues and continue to discover moments to cherish.

Do you acknowledge your growth?  If not, why not?

Where would you like to grow next?

Hugzzz, Karen

~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~…..~

Hi 4C Women,
     One question that came to my mind in Karen’s message is something from a previous message from Nancy and it was “Who or What is getting shortchanged in your life now?”
     When we are unwilling to embrace change, someone pays the price.  For me this year, I have come to the realization that it is me.  Many times we put others before our own well-being out of guilt and shame of behavior from the past that cannot or ever will be changed.  I strongly feel that our priority is definitely to let go of the shame and guilt and let our guiding force be based on our emotional and spiritual growth.  This is our choice - to grow and let go.  Are you willing and ready?  -Dee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank you, Karen and Dee, for your words of encouragement and inspiration to start off our week!
~Becky Fenner, WFS Director

Email:  newlife@nni.com   *   Tel215-536-8026   *   Fax:  215-538-9026
http://www.womenforsobriety.org   *   http://www.wfscatalog.org
Moms: Please join us "In The Rooms", on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, at 7 PM ET. Our guest expert is one of our very own TAM moms!

TOPIC: STRESS!

GAYNELLE GOSSELIN is an Adjunct Professor of Somatics, at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She holds a B.A. in Theatre, Magna Cum Laude, from St. Edward’s University, and a MFA in Theatre from Florida Atlantic University. Gaynelle is a movement specialist with a keen interest in how mind and body interact in communication and stress. Sh...e currently teaches in both the Theatre and Dance Departments at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU). She is certified in The Alexander Technique, which is a century-old movement education technique that helps people discard excessive tension in favor of poise, freedom, and ease of movement. It works by bringing habitual stress reactions up to the level of conscious awareness and offering choices about whether or not to continue them. Once we can perceive our habits we have choices whether to keep them or let them go in favor of better direction. Our thinking becomes clearer; movement becomes more dynamic and pleasurable, and our actions more effective.

As a guest speaker "In The Rooms", Gaynelle will discuss the topic of STRESS! She is an expert in the mind-body connection. As mothers of children with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), who has more STRESS in their lives than we do? You will have an opp.ortunity to ask Gaynelle questions. PLEASE JOIN US tomorrow at 7pm ET on "In The Rooms". Thank you Gaynelle!
Written by Sherry Schlenke
Meetings cannot be accessed via phone or tablet. Must use Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser. Additional Family Support groups are offered in the rooms. Please check out their virtual meeting schedule . www.intherooms.com
 

Officials Charge Man With Helping to Operate Silk Road Website
January 21st, 2015/


Federal agents arrested a man Tuesday who told them he was a top assistant to the operator of Silk Road 2.0, a widely used online criminal marketplace. The site allowed anonymous users to buy and sell illegal drugs, weapons and other illegal items.

Brian Richard Farrell, 26, who was known as “DoctorClu,” was one of a small staff of online administrators and forum moderators who helped run the website, according to ABC News. Farrell, who lived in Washington state, was arrested after a yearlong investigation. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Silk Road 2.0 emerged as a copycat site a month after the founder of the original Silk Road site was arrested in October 2013, the article notes.

“The arrest of Mr. Farrell is proof that federal law enforcement continues its efforts to root out those who subvert the Internet to set up black markets for illegal goods,” Acting U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes said in a news release.

The original Silk Road could only be accessed by using encryption software called Tor, which shields computers’ IP addresses, allowing people to make purchases anonymously. Silk Road facilitated more than $30 million in sales annually. It had been online since February 2011.

The website also sold other illegal items, such as forged documents and untaxed cigarettes. The site did not use credit cards, instead relying on “Bitcoins,” an untraceable digital currency that is available through online currency exchange services. The website told sellers to make shipments using vacuum-sealed bags so that drug-sniffing dogs would not detect the packages.

According to the Digital Citizens Alliance, Silk Road 2.0 was designed to look and operate much like the original website, but with better security.

Sleep-Deprived Teens at Higher Risk of Developing Problems with Alcohol
January 21st, 2015/


Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep are at higher risk of developing problems with alcohol compared with their peers who don’t drink, a new study suggests.

The study used data collected from 6,500 teens who were part of a larger study on adolescent health, NPR reports. The researchers found teens ages 14 to 16 who had trouble falling or staying asleep were 47 percent more likely to engage in binge drinking than their peers who didn’t have sleep problems.

Teens with sleep problems at the beginning of the study were 14 percent more likely to drive drunk and 11 percent more likely to have interpersonal issues related to alcohol one year later. After five years, those who had sleep issues in their teen years were 10 percent more likely to drive drunk.

Teens are advised to get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. About 45 percent of teens don’t get enough sleep, the article notes.

The findings are published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

“This study shows that sleep issues can actually precede and even predict alcohol use later on,” said lead researcher Maria Wong of Idaho State University. She noted the study found each extra hour of sleep the teens got corresponded with a 10 percent drop in binge drinking.

Dr. Maida Chen, Director of the Pediatrics Sleep Disorders Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, told NPR it isn’t easy for parents to ensure their teens are getting enough sleep. “Because of their biology, simply saying to teens, ‘Go to sleep earlier’ is not a plausible solution,” says Chen, who wasn’t involved in the study. Teens may have difficulty falling asleep before 11 p.m. or midnight because of their body’s circadian rhythms, she explained.

Maine Law Requires Drug Testing for Some Welfare Recipients
January 21st, 2015/


Under a new law, Maine will require drug testing for welfare recipients with a prior drug conviction within the past 20 years who indicate a potential for drug dependency.

People who test positive for drugs, or who refuse to take a drug test, will have to enter a rehabilitation program in order to continue receiving aid, Time reports.

“[Governor Paul LePage] is respecting the wishes of hardworking taxpayers who want to know that the hand up they provide is being used appropriately,” said Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew in a statement.

The law was approved in 2011, but the state delayed implementing it while the state attorney general considered how to minimize lawsuits against it. Attorney General Janet Mills approved a modified version of the law earlier this month.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 12 states have passed legislation regarding drug testing or screening for public assistance applicants or recipients (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.) Some of the laws apply to all applicants, while others include specific language that there is a reason to believe the person is engaging in illegal drug activity or has a substance use disorder. Some state laws require a specific screening process.

In December, a federal appeals court struck down a Florida law that required welfare applicants to undergo drug tests. The court ruled the law was an “unreasonable search.” The law, passed in 2011, required drug tests for welfare applicants even if they were not suspected of using drugs. The court ruled Florida officials failed to show a substantial need to test all welfare applicants. Under the law, applicants had to submit to urine tests.


Some Amateur Hash Oil Makers in Colorado Are Accidentally Blowing Up Their Homes

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

January 20th, 2015/ 0





A spate of home explosions caused by amateur hash oil makers is an unexpected consequence of legal marijuana in Colorado, The New York Times reports.




People attempting to make hash oil, a marijuana concentrate, use flammable chemicals that can cause an explosion. They pump butane fuel through a tube containing raw marijuana plants, in order to draw out THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Volatile butane vapors can fill the room, and be ignited by a flame or spark.




While these accidents have occurred around the country, they are causing a special problem for courts and lawmakers in Colorado, the article notes. Criminal defense lawyers argue making hash oil can no longer be considered illegal now that the state has made it legal to grow, smoke, process and sell marijuana. The state attorney general has said marijuana legalization does not apply to butane extraction.




In 2014 there were 32 hash-oil explosions in Colorado, up from 12 the previous year. Dozens of people have been injured, including 17 who were treated for severe burns.




“This is uncharted territory,” State Representative Mike Foote told the newspaper. “These things come up for the first time, and no one’s dealt with them before.”




In Grand Junction, the Fire Department responded to four hash oil explosions last year. “They get enough vapors inside the building and it goes off, and it’ll bulge out the walls,” said Fire Marshall Chuck Mathis. “They always have a different story: ‘Nothing happened’ or ‘I was cooking food, and all of a sudden there was an explosion.’ They always try to blame it on something else.”

Study Warns Some Gay Men Using Dangerous Form of Club Drug “Poppers”
January 20th, 2015/


A new, more dangerous form of the club drug known as “poppers” is being marketed toward and used by some gay men, a new study concludes. Poppers are inhaled drugs. The new forms can contain harmful solvents and propellants.

Traditional poppers have been used by some gay men to enhance sex. They give a mild high and relax smooth muscle, HealthDay reports. They contain amyl nitrite, which is medically used to treat angina. They are sold in small glass bottles under a variety of brand names including “Rush” and “Jungle Juice,” the researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles report in the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health.

The new drugs being sold as poppers are actually huffing solvents that can cause a potentially deadly heart rhythm disorder called “sudden sniffing death.” Other risks include short-term delirium, memory and thinking problems and nerve damage.

According to lead researcher Timothy Hall, gay men can be introduced to these products by sexual partners without being aware of the dangers. He says doctors need to understand the dangers of these new poppers and alert their patients. Huffing solvents and propellants carry a much greater risk for death and long-term damage to the brain and nervous system than traditional poppers, he wrote.

Many Adults Who Drink Also Use Medications That Interact With Alcohol: Study
January 20th, 2015/


Almost 42 percent of American adults who drink also use medications that can interact dangerously with alcohol, according to a new study. Among adults 65 and older, the rate rises to almost 78 percent.

About 71 percent of American adults drink alcohol, Fox News reports.

Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism studied 26,657 adults who provided information on their use of alcohol and prescription drugs. The most common medications taken include drugs for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as sleeping pills and painkillers.

Older adults are more likely to be taking multiple medications to treat a variety of health problems, which adds to the risk of dangerous side effects if they also drink alcohol, says lead author Dr. Rosalind Breslow.

“As we age, our ability to metabolize alcohol decreases. So alcohol might remain in our systems longer to interact with medications,” she said. “Furthermore, the metabolism of several medications that interact with alcohol slows as we get older, creating a larger window for potential alcohol/medication interactions.”

Co-author Aaron White noted mixing prescription drugs and alcohol can have a variety of life-threatening effects. “Mixing alcohol and other sedatives, like sleeping pills, narcotic pain medications or muscle relaxers, can compound these problems and potentially cause injuries and death,” he said. “They can cause sleepiness, problems with coordination and potentially suppress brain stem areas tasked with controlling vital reflexes like breathing, heart rate, and gagging to clear the airway.”


“We suggest that people talk to their doctor or pharmacist about whether they should avoid alcohol while taking their prescribed medications,” Dr. Breslow noted in a news release