February 10, 2015                                                                                                        Volume 2., No. 25

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Challenging The Lies              VIDEO Everything We Know About the Drug War & Addiction is Wrong VIDEO     Author Johann Hari "What causes heroin addiction?" I would have looked at you like you were a little bit simple-minded, and I would have said, "Well, heroin causes heroin addiction." We've been told a story for a hundred years that is so deep in our culture that we just take it for granted." CONTINUED @ DemocracyNow.org   Strength in Numbers    Sober in the City: Sobriety as a Form of QPOC Empowerment    Although African American youth drink less than their counterparts in other racial and ethnic groups, they suffer more serious consequences from alcohol consumption, possibly because, as David Jernigan hypothesizes, "they tend to have less access to health care and substance abuse treatment, live in poorer areas and are incarcerated more frequently." CONTINUED @ AutoStraddle.com

Raising The Bar Betty Ford Clinic Expands With IOP in Los Angeles     Betty Ford finally has arrived in Los Angeles. The Betty Ford Center - the iconic addiction treatment facility that has hosted such industry notables as Elizabeth Taylor, Stevie Nicks, Kelsey Grammer, Keith Urban and Lindsay Lohan since it opened in 1982 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. - is opening a new location at 10700 Santa Monica Blvd. Jim Steinhagen says that the merger with Hazelden represented a "large undertaking" but that the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is now in a good place. Susan Ford is back in the fold, and the opening of the West L.A. outpost is the "feather in our hat." CONTINUED @ HollywoodReporter.com  I Will Always Suspect You  oo oo   Bobbi Kristina's Boyfriend Probed in 'overdose' Case    The daughter of late pop queen Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown was found in the tub on January 31 has been in a medically-induced coma since then. Georgia police have opened a criminal investigation into the events that led to Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina lying unconscious and facedown in a bathtub after apparently suffering an overdose, a report said Friday. The probe will focus on Bobbi's boyfriend Nick Gordon - with whom Bobbi has a history of domestic violence. CONTINUED @ PageSix.com

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What a Story Dad Conquers Addiction, Wants Custody of Children Abused by Pastor Fox     Alan Fox, a former pastor iand former singer/songwriter for the Christian folk band Band of Brothers, has been a foster parent to many small children for 30 years with his wife, Cathy. According to James, his daughter who was abused by Fox twice came forward with sexual allegations, and authorities took no action the first time. The second time she reported abuse, however, Fox was arrested. CONTINUED @ GeneseeSun.com  Scientific Advances    Brain Region Behind Addictive Overeating Found    Scientists have identified a brain region that leads to compulsive overeating and addiction to sugar, providing a novel target for safe and effective treatment for the disorders. Compulsive overeating and sugar addiction are major threats to human health, but potential treatments face the risk of impairing normal feeding behaviours that are crucial for survival, researchers said. The study shows a reward-related neural circuit that specifically controls compulsive sugar consumption in mice without preventing feeding necessary for survival. CONTINUED @ ZeeNewsIndia.com

One Pill At a Time                 VIDEO How You Can Stop Prescription Drug Abuse VIDEO     Today, when we track down and arrest the bad guys to make our state safer, more often than not, it is for a drug-related offense. Sadly, many of the individuals using the drugs began using drugs from the home medicine cabinet. The FDA is also working on the development of new forms of opioids, which are among the most abused prescription medications. The abuse-deterrent formulation of opioids would contain chemical properties that would make it difficult to crush or dissolve, thus reducing the ability of abusers to inject or snort the medicine in an attempt to get high. CONTINUED @ AZcentral.com  Mike, You Reading This?    'Depressed alcoholic' Bit Bouncer's Ear After Friend Dropped Cocaine    Ryan Rynka, 34, had been drinking heavily before he and a friend went to Players Coyotes, on Church Road, onDecember 13 last year. The pair were talking to the club's door staff before Rynka's friend removed his hand from his pocket and dropped a bag of white powder later found to be the Class A drug. As bouncer Stephen Ashdown tried to retrieve the bag from the ground, Rynka punched him and put his fingers in his jaw to pull his head closer before taking a bite of his ear. CONTINUED @ Courier.co.uk

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Meds In...Abstinence Out   VIDEO Feds Crack Down On Crack Courts That Fail Addicts  VIDEO     The federal government is cracking down on drug courts that refuse to let opioid addicts access medical treatments such as Suboxone, said Michael Botticelli, acting director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, on Thursday. Drug courts that receive federal dollars will no longer be allowed to ban the kinds of medication-assisted treatments... CONTINUED @ HuffingtonPost.com  Philadelphia Story    Parents Rescue Their Children From The Drug World    She scans the young faces, the ones with the faraway eyes of self-disgust. One of them might be her son, Drew, a handsome 25-year-old. He was her first-born, once an athletic, artistic "social butterfly." She knows he is out here. "As long as he's breathing, there is hope." The number of people who died in Philadelphia of drug and/or alcohol intoxication has remained steady. They had on average more than seven drugs in their system. Heroin was the most common, detected in almost 55 percent of all overdose deaths. CONTINUED @ Philly.com

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Playing With Fire Marijuana as a Depression Treatment? Study Suggests It Can Alleviate Chronic Stress, Mental Illness     The marijuana and depression debate has been going on for years now, and this study may add to the discussion but it doesn't end it. It's complicated. Every individual is different, and the matter is made even more complex due to the wide variety of marijuana strains available, each one affecting individuals uniquely. Depression treatments must be tailored to fit each person; one depressed patient might benefit from cannabis, while another might find anxiety heightened from the drug. CONTINUED @ MedicalDaily.com  It's Contagious    BBC's Gay Anchorman Blames LGBT Drug Use on Lack of 'Discipline'    The 52-year-old broadcaster compared gay drug use to a spreading disease: "Once gay people start taking drugs, they'll take more drugs because it's socially infectious and one person will take them, then another. I just think it's something gay people have to watch out for." Six months after the BBC promoted news "presenter" - British for anchor - Evan Davis to host of the U.K. television network's flagship current affairs program, Newsnight, he's talking about his sexuality and the dangers facing gays. CONTINUED @ Advocate.com

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Breaking The Stigma Davina Fears Even One Glass of Wine Might Send Her Back Into Addiction:              'I can't just have one of anything!'     Davina McCall has revealed that she still attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings and will not let herself drink even one glass of wine for fear she will be unable to stop. The presenter, who overcame a heroin addiction when she was in her twenties, still attends group support meetings in London at least once a month. Ms McCall - who is currently presenting the second series of Channel 4 show The Jump -  said: 'I do still go to meetings because I just think that NA is brilliant - a very, very clever system.' CONTINUED @ DailyMail.co.uk   Un-Blow Your Mind    A Shocking Reversal of Cocaine's Effect on Brain    We are starting to know a lot of detail about how cocaine alters the brain's pleasure circuitry. Finding ways to try to undo the drug's microscopic mayhem has been another matter. This week, researchers may have moved a small step closer, using a combination of an already approved drug and some low-frequency electrical stimulation. The experiments on mice reversed the effect cocaine has on the signaling of neurons in the brain's reward center. CONTINUED @ LATimes.com

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Strengthening Your Sobriety Q&A With Scott Strode, Founder of Phoenix Multisport Recovery Services     "We want to continue to address the stigma by wearing the Phoenix on our bike jerseys and workout t-shirts making a statement that we are proud of our sobriety while respecting the traditions of the fellowships that also help us on our journey. Being open and proud of our recovery helps us let go of the shame that often keeps struggling addicts in their disease. I hope that Phoenix Multisport's simple approach of a supportive, active community helps others think about new and innovative ways to create a space that supports sobriety and recovery." CONTINUED @ RecoveryAnswers.org   Butterfly on a Pink Cloud    Iron Butterfly Guitarist Talks Sobriety and Meeting a Heavenly Being    The psychedelic rock band first rose to fame in 1968 with its song "In a Gadda Da Vida," which was supposed to be called "In the Garden of Eden," but the lead singer slurred when he said the song's title and the slurred name stuck. But Mike Pinera, the group's guitarist (and former Blues Image member), has put that drug past behind him. For 26 years, Pinera has been sober, totally clean from drugs and alcohol. CONTINUED @ PennLive.com

Valentine's Day in South Florida   4th Annual - "Love Of Recovery"  Rockers In Recovery Free Music and Art Festival     For ALL people in recovery or supporters of the recovery movement. It will be held February 14, 2015 at CB Smith Park 900 N Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines, Florida, 33028, (20 Minutes From Fort Lauderdale Airport). The entire festival will be open to the public. Music along with 25 Arts and Crafts Exhibitors , Food Vendors, Recovery Merchandise, Addiction Education,Evidenced Based Treatment Options, and Veteran Information. CONTINUED @ RockersInRecovery.org   Upcoming Conference in Las Vegas     USJT's 7th National Counseling AdvancesMarch 19-21, 2015     At Red Rock, the excitement goes far beyond exclusive hotel amenities . . . There's Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Hiking, River Rafting, or Horseback Riding . . . all in a breathtaking high desert setting. For the less adventurous, simply enjoy the luxurious surroundings of a 3-acre backyard, home to the 'best hotel pool in Las Vegas." CONTINUED @ USJT.com

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The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)  Recovery in Our Communities February 10, 2015   www.councilsepa.org Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333 The Council and PRO-ACT Featured in  NCADD's "Affiliate Spotlight"   The Council is a proud Affiliate of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, an organization that provides education, information, help and hope to the public and those who need assistance confronting the disease of alcoholism and drug dependence. This month we are thrilled to be featured in the Affiliate Spotlight article! PRO-ACT works to reduce the stigma of addiction, ensure the availability of adequate treatment and recovery support services, and to influence public opinion and policy regarding the value of recovery. Through PRO-ACT, the Council offers a multitude of services to the Recovery Community. Two of these services are the Family Education Program and the Mentor Plus Program. Read the full article here. The Family Education Program The Family Education Program is an education-support program that gives participants the tools they need to address addiction/recovery in the family constructively and begin their own process of healing and recovery. The free three-week program covers the topics of Understanding Addiction/Recovery, Impact on Family and Developing Your Next Steps as well as training on the use of Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal agent.  Programs run in Bristol and Colmar the first three Thursdays of the month from 7 - 9 pm; in Media the first three Tuesdays of the month from 7 - 9 pm; in West Chester the first three Wednesdays of the month from 7 - 9 pm; and at the Philadelphia Recovery Community Center the first three Saturdays of the month from 10 am - noon. We are excited to announce the newest location, the Anna Straw Initiative, that runs the first three Mondays of the month at Deep Run Presbyterian Church in Perkasie, PA from 7 - 9 pm.     Call 800-221-6333 for information and to register for these programs. Certificate in Supporting Youth Recovery Program Kicks Off in Philadelphia Our Philadelphia cohort is off to a great start!  This new and innovative certificate program prepares individuals to provide peer-based recovery support services to youth, adolescents, young adults, and their families. Applications are still being accepted for our Doylestown and Rosemont cohorts!   Click here to learn more or to apply! 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 Volunteer Training Schedule Volunteer Orientation Training Feb. 13, 2015  1 pm - 2:30 pm at Central Bucks Recovery Community Center, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown PA 18901 Group Leadership/Facilitation Training Feb. 11, 2015  1 pm - 3:30 pm at Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center, 1286 Veterans Highway, D-6, Bristol, PA 19007 Feb. 12, 2015  10 am - 1 pm and 5 pm - 8 pm at Philadelphia Recovery Training Center, 444 N 3rd Street, Suite 307, Philadelphia, PA 19123 February 27  1 pm - 3 pm at Central Bucks Recovery Community Center, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown, PA 18901 Peer Mentoring Training Feb. 13, 20 and 27, 2015 11 am - 3 pm at Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center, 1286 Veterans Highway, D-6, Bristol, PA 19007 Please contact the volunteer coordinator for questions or to attend. 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!  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 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11:00 am at SBRCC, 1286, Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol; Mon. - Fri. the first week of the month at PRCC, 1701 W Lehigh Ave., #6, Philadelphia, PA 19132; 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. Click here for February calendars!    Employment Opportunities: Click here

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Drunk Driving Declining, Drugged Driving on the Rise: Government Report

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

February 10th, 2015/

Fewer Americans are driving drunk, but a growing number are driving under the influence of marijuana and other illegal drugs, according to a new government report.

Since 2007, the number of drivers testing positive for alcohol decreased by almost one-third, the Associated Press reports. The report, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found over the same period more than 15 percent of drivers tested positive for at least one illegal drug, compared with 12 percent in 2007. The number of drivers who tested positive for marijuana increased by almost 50 percent, from 8.6 percent in 2007 to 12.6 percent last year.

Mark Rosekind, who heads NHTSA, told the AP, “The rising prevalence of marijuana and other drugs is a challenge to everyone who is dedicated to saving lives and reducing crashes.”

Over the last two years, 22 percent of drivers tested positive for at least one drug that could affect safety, including illegal drugs, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

During weekend nighttime hours, about 8 percent of drivers had some alcohol in their system, and 1.5 percent had a breath alcohol content of .08 percent or higher—the legal limit in every state.

A second survey conducted by NHTSA found people who use marijuana are more likely to be involved in accidents. The agency acknowledged the findings may be due in part to the demographics of marijuana users. Young men, who are at increased risk for vehicle crashes, are also more likely to use marijuana.

In a news release, NHTSA said it plans further research on drugged driving, including a roadside survey in Washington state, where recreational marijuana is legal. The agency will also conduct a simulator study with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to determine the driving behavior of people under the influence of drugs.