Sunday, May 10, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Feeling The Feelings
Grieving My Brother's Death in Sobriety
I had not been drinking this particular Sunday, which was unheard of for me. I can't remember a Sundayprior to this that you wouldn't have found me at a local terrace café that offered bottomless mimosas for $10. I was usually in a blackout by3 p.m., but this day I didn't go and I hadn't been drinking.
Fair and Balanced? NOT EVEN CLOSE!
Film Brutally Attacks Rehab Industry
 Greg Horvath teamed with a documentary filmmaker, Adam Finberg, to investigate the $35 billion treatment industry. The result of their partnership, "The Business of Recovery," which premiered on Sunday at the Newport Beach Film Festival, is an extraordinary look into the secretive and unregulated world of alcohol and drug rehab. |
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
May 6 CHP 112 v 7 v 8 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS
They do not fear bad news ; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them .
They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.
(GODS BIG BOOK)
STEP 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
To live a life full of addictions , is a life of fear and failures. Let me rephrase that ! Afraid , sad , alone , and lost was my life ! Living and scrambling every minute of everyday . Dreading what was gonna happen next and not very sure I was gonna make it through , or every time passing out uncertain I was gonna see the sun again. I can honestly say after fourteen years of brutally honest twelve step work I am not afraid of my present , past , and future. I have discovered a God who is a loving patient and merciful Father. He loves me in spite of me !He has pulled me from the darkness and removed my chains .Through my prayer and meditation on His words (GODS BIG BOOK) I am no longer afraid or ruled by my Ego. Addictions no longer dictate the everyday grind of life. True freedom is a gift GOD has for all of us but addictions , fear , and sadness are chains that will hold you in the darkness .
More States and Cities Consider Needle-Exchange Programs to Reduce Spread of Infection
March 31st, 2015/
More states and cities are considering needle-exchange programs as a way to fight the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among intravenous drug users, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed a bill into law last week that will allow local health departments to set up needle exchanges after obtaining approval from local governments.
In Indiana, Governor Mike Pence declared a state of emergency in response to a growing number of HIV cases linked to intravenous use of the painkiller Opana. He authorized a short-term program in one county to allow people to exchange used needles for sterile ones, to reduce the risk of contaminated needles being shared.
There are about 200 needle-exchange programs in 33 states and the District of Columbia, according to the North American Syringe Exchange Network.
In recent years, Nevada has allowed needle-exchange programs. Two Ohio cities on the Kentucky border, Cincinnati and Portsmouth, have established programs. In Florida, legislators are considering a proposal that would allow a pilot needle-exchange program in Miami-Dade County.
Supporters of needle-exchange programs say they reduce disease transmission, and can connect intravenous drug users with treatment programs. Critics say the programs sanction drug use, and discourage people from seeking treatment.
Public health officials are especially concerned about the spread of hepatitis C among people who use intravenous drugs. Hepatitis C can survive outside the body for at least 16 hours, and potentially up to four days.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Court Rules Police Cannot Prolong Traffic Stops to Wait for Drug-Sniffing Dogs to Work
April 23rd, 2015/
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police cannot extend a routine traffic stop to allow a drug-sniffing dog to inspect the vehicle unless they have reasonable suspicion of finding contraband. The vote was 6-3, The New York Times reports.
“A police stop exceeding the time needed to handle the matter for which the stop was made violates the Constitution’s shield against unreasonable seizures,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority.
The case, Rodriguez v. United States, was brought by Dennys Rodriguez, who was pulled over for driving on the shoulder of a state highway in Nebraska. The police checked his license and issued a written warning for erratic driving. The officer asked permission to walk his drug-sniffing dog, Floyd, around the vehicle. Rodriguez declined, and the officer ordered him out of the car and made him wait until a backup officer arrived.
Floyd led the officer to a large bag of methamphetamine. Rodriguez was indicted for possessing meth. He later moved to suppress the evidence.
In a dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “If a driver is stopped by a particularly efficient officer, then he will be entitled to be released from the traffic stop after a shorter period of time than a driver stopped by a less efficient officer. Similarly, if a driver is stopped by an officer with access to technology that can shorten a records check, then he will be entitled to be released from the stop after a shorter period of time than an individual stopped by an officer without access to such technology.”
Palcohol” Maker Says His Product is No More Dangerous Than Liquid Alcohol
April 7th, 2015/
The maker of the powdered alcohol product “Palcohol” says it is no more dangerous than liquid alcohol, The New York Times reports. Palcohol, recently approved for sale by a federal agency, has been banned in six states. A bill to ban powdered alcohol’s sale and manufacture nationwide has been introduced by Senator Charles Schumer of New York.
“I am in total disbelief that our federal government has approved such an obviously dangerous product, and so, Congress must take matters into its own hands and make powdered alcohol illegal,” Schumer said in a statement when he introduced the legislation. “Underage alcohol abuse is a growing epidemic with tragic consequences and powdered alcohol could exacerbate this.”
While Palcohol was approved for sale last month by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, it is still subject to regulation by the states, the article notes. The product could be on store shelves by this summer. It will be available in five versions: rum, vodka, Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop and a margarita version called Powderita. Each single-use packet is designed to be mixed with six ounces of liquid to make one drink. Each drink will contain 10 percent alcohol by volume, similar to a glass of wine.
Critics of powdered alcohol say it will appeal to children, and its powdered form will make it easier to hide.
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ACT NOW:
Help get the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act passed today with just one phone call  We know from experience that the most effective way to address these challenges is to initiate a comprehensive response that addresses all aspects of the problem. Designed to respond both to today’s heroin and opiate epidemic and tomorrow’s threats, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) is an all-inclusive response to opiate and heroin addiction that includes prevention, law enforcement strategies, overdose prevention, expansion of evidence-based treatment and support for those in, or seeking, recovery. CARA was first introduced in the 113th Congress by Senators Whitehouse and Portman and Representatives Sensenbrenner and Scott. This bi-partisan legislation is a comprehensive and commonsense solution to the opiate and heroin addiction epidemic that faces our country. Both the Senate and House bills have been reintroduced this year in the 114th Congress and are building momentum with additional co-sponsors. But we need your help to ensure that the legislation receives the attention and support that it deserves. Join us today, Wednesday, April 29, 2015 for a phone campaign to contact key Senators and Representatives on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the House Energy and Commerce, Health Subcommittee and the House Education and Workforce Committee to help co-sponsor the CARA Act (S. 524 in the Senate and H.R. 953 in the House). Here’s how you can get involved:
1) Locate the number of your state Senator and House Representatives here.
2) Please feel free to use either of these suggested phone scripts: “CARA provides important tools to law enforcement in the fight against heroin and opiate addiction. It would provide opportunities for programs other than incarceration for individuals convicted of drug use, provide training for and increase availability of naloxone, a life-saving overdose combatting drug, and would expand the federal drug take-back program. These are crucial steps to controlling this epidemic and would benefit every state in the nation, including [STATE]. Please have Senator/Representative XXXX co-sponsor this important legislation.” “CARA provides important tools for treatment and recovery in the fight against heroin and opiate addiction. It would provide funds for an evidence-based opioid and heroin treatment and intervention demonstration, authorize the creation of a national youth recovery initiative, and provide funds to non-profits in order to create communities of recovery. These are crucial steps to controlling this epidemic and would benefit every state in the nation, including [STATE]. Please have Senator/Representative XXXX co-sponsor this important legislation.” Together, let’s get CARA passed and help improve the lives of the millions of people affected by addiction! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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