Here’s a trip worth taking into ABC’s 20/20 investigative journey into dangerous drug use in the suburban streets of America! For 40 minutes, 20/20 exposes a growing travesty of heroin use and the kids that have shared their horrific stories. Watch the show for your self in Teens Hooked on Heroin What makes this latest effort in social journalism worth seeing is the sheer reality of addiction to dangerous drugs that perfectly normal looking teens like Ashly and other young adults have fallen victim to right under our noses. Every parent should see this. link courtesy of Angie.
A Thief in the Family: My Daughters Addiction, Hardwired for Heroin Feb. 2009 “Death by overdose is an absolute epidemic in our society. Thousands of young adults are dying from this horrible affliction, and it needs to be brought to the forefront of public attention. We need sweeping policy changes towards addiction.” Marie Minnich. Marie is shouting out for America to wake up in this poignant book about the struggle with addiction and its toll. Excerpt from the book
Three decades of growth in America’s prison population has nudged the nation across a sobering threshold: more than one in every 100 adults is now confined in an American jail or prison. “Drugs are among the biggest culprit.” Read the PEW Charitable Trust Report: One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008
A few weeks ago this website posted a some alarming news of black tar moving into the heart of America in a piece called. A Deadly Market: Black Tar in Middle America As the Associate Press reported a similar warning in Deadly, ultra-pure heroin arrives in US, we are reminded that heroin epidemic hasn’t gone away. As the cost of pills rises and new laws limit illegal prescriptions, the use of street heroin is growing. It is claiming the lives of over 3,000 users each year. Websites, such as Drug Action Network seek to reduce the carnage. Individual’s like Jim Gray seek to reform our laws making easier to treat addicts through our legal system. Law-makers like Senator Jim Webb seeks to overhaul the entire criminal justice system in the same vain. We can do this. We have to run drug cartels out of business and seize opportunities to treat addiction in a big way. Links by Mary S.
Methadone maintenance can also be an addiction and poses a long term problem for addicts seeking end their addiction if used incorrectly and abused. Here is a look into the lives of a couple of stubborn hardcore Philadelphia junkies, abusing methadone. Jeff Deeney, a Philadelphia social worker writes about two drug addicts in the context of considering heroin maintenance in a piece call Get Me My Legal Heroin. Regarding the abuse or proper use of methadone, another link to an article called, Do Methadone Prescriptions Do More Harm Than Help sheds some light on the complexity of addicts and methadone maintenance. You be the judge. Heroin addiction is not the only drug issue out there, but it has managed to trap many of out family members in life of torment. Methadone hasn’t always helped much either. How do we stop this madness? What does our government need to do to really help get under drug addiction in America? links by Mary S.
If our cel
ebrities are any indication, look out. Most don’t know that the opiate drugs, heroin and oxycontin are virtually identical and that opiates are being abused in the form of more than two dozen other prescription opiate in America. Rush Limbaugh ♦ Michael Jackson ♦ DJ AM ♦ Heath Ledger are just the lastest recent heavy hitting opiate addicts that have fallen victim. Limbaugh is still with us showing that addiction can hit every corner of society.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 29,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 7 Film Festivals
M. Scott Peck said in his book, The Road Less Traveled, that “Life is difficult.” If you have an addict in your family, you know what that means. After years of hard work and raising your children: BANG! At some painful point, you
came to realize your kid is a drug addict! Here’s the kick: By the time you discover your youngster is using, he or she has actually been using for an average of 2 years. So, you took action, but it was too late for prevention. Knowing the difficulty and high cost, parents often took the easy road; accepting a half hearted contrition and going on. Before you know it; some of you are living with a hard core addict. Now you intimately know, difficult is an understatement.
Addiction causes an addict to react within the context of chemical chaos in their brains. It is a disease. Addiction changes brain chemistry. It is a medical condition that receives trivial attention from health care providers; leaving addicts and their families in ruin. We now know now that treatment and recovery is a process and not an event, yet it is treated by the treatment industry like a one time event, where families are led to invest everything they have in a short attempt to end the madness; yet what is the outcome? 5% success, 10%?, 20%?…
It is time that addiction receives mainstream designation as a legitimate medical condition that goes even further than limited parity laws require. It’s time that the burden be lifted off the shoulders of 20 million American families to play doctor to something most are powerless to. Obama’s ONDCP knows this, so why is it not public policy. This is what we need to demand of our lawmakers.
Bill and Sandy are the authors of the book “Dig Deep in One Place: A Couple’s Journey to a Spiritual Life.” They have both over-come addiction and are now passionate writers, speakers and artists. Like many that write about recovery and personal experience, Bill and Sandy lay out their journey for the benefit of the reader. Their blog is also a place where you can view their online blog full of their thoughts and reflections like the piece; Why is Recovery The Answer?
Bon Jovi is a gifted musician with a big heart. He and Iranian superstar Andy Madadian recorded a stunning re-master of the hit song “Stand by Me”. It must be exactly what he is saying to his 19 year only daughter who survived a heroin overdose. He has certainly felt an immensity of fear that only the near loss of a child can create. My heart goes out to him and his family. Read how the world of drugs and addiction has now touched his world in a significant way as reported by the Atlanta Black Star, Wed., 11/14/12. Bon Jovi’s Daughter Arrested on Drug Charges after Overdose. This event shows one more time how painfully we are all impacted by scourge of drug use and addiction however we walk our lives. Stephanie Bongiovi is alive and well to face the consequences of a near death experience. Many of our children have not been so fortunate and my heart goes out even farther for this continuing tragedy. The issues of drug addiction are wide spread. Events like this serve as a call to action, highlighting the pervasiveness of drug addiction in America.
Thamkrabok Monastery is a minimum 7 day detoxification center in a Buddhist environment. 28 days is recommended. It is open to the public and cost 200 baht per day which is about $6.00 USD. For one expensive round trip airline ticket and a warrior like commitment, this an alternative for natural detoxification of drugs. Other useful links with Buddhist treatment approaches to ending addiction are www.HungryGhostRetreats.org www.5th-precept.org www.TARA-detox.org
For years it has been known that natural organic food can heal a body and end drug addiction. Gary Hayden is helping people do that. “...We must learn how to clean the organism we have polluted so that the automated decision making processes of our body can reset themselves…Words are like cleaning your floor by telling your floor; be Clean! Not too effective. We need a set of tools with real power. One minute of silence with God is better than a thousand books. Organic food is well worth the price. A complete cleaning of your organism with nutrition is the beginning of a sound recovery…” Gary L. Hayden stoneig1@gmail.com CLICK on Addiction and Diet to read more. Regenerative Nutrition, Addiction Treatments, Healthy.net, Whole Self Recovery,… are more links for information on natural healing of addiction.
“Methadone Maintenace is disdained by many in the treatment industry as a therapy that simply replaces addiction to one drug for another… critics charge that methadone programs are mostly successful at controlling the social costs of opiate addiction, doing little to promote actual recovery from the disease”… Ted Jackson, Treatment Magazine. View the rest of Ted’s article here: America’s Methadone King With so many opiate addicts in the U.S., methadone is becoming a business magnet. Buprenorphine is very likely to follow. Ted Jackson’s article portrays CRC as controlling the largest number of clinics. 61 out of a total of 1050 clinics in the U.S receiving roughly 1.3 million dollars in annual revenue per clinic. CMG is 2nd place with 50 clinics. Using CRC’s revenue formula the potential for methadone sales in the U.S approaches a billion dollars. Obviously, public funded facilities will not disappear tomorrow, but their tax base is something that states continue to cut. Bain Capital’s CRC and… other big interests in methadone
Our America with Lisa Ling examines tough issues, one of which is drug addiction. In the episode; “Mike and Darla:Survival in New York City”, Lisa shows us how where seemingly normal everyday couple became trapped in a life style they are struggling to escape; addiction and the destruction it left behind. Darla didn’t make it. Many don’t make it out of the abyss of addiction. We want to think; just quit, but look at the statistics. ABC News looks at the Skyrocketing use of Heroin by our kids and that is where this starts. There is something we are missing and its attacking families from the inside out. We fill our jails with all kinds of addicts and alcoholics. A small minority of addicts who have spent a enough time in jail are fortunate to hang on to their sobriety when they were released. A sober addict named Tommy was one of the lucky ones who did. Being an addict is a rotten choice to make, but once done, leaving that realty becomes harder with every day spent using, until for most, it is impossible. There is something missing in America, when a damaging trend that affects us all is ignored by those who can make the biggest difference.
“…There are two drug tests in the NFL. First, there’s the random performance enhancer test. This can occur at any time throughout the season, on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. We have to produce a valid urine sample under the watchful eye of an independent company. What’s a valid sample? It means the urine can’t be too clear or too yellow (they test PH levels before sending samples off to the lab), and the sample has to be given before practice. The cup has to be filled to the correct height. During the offseason, the NFL can also collect random samples anytime, anywhere: With 24 hours notice, they can have someone at your mom’s house in any town or state in the USA.
But street drugs? As long as we’re not repeat offenders in the NFL’s substance abuse program, we get one test and one test only. So every team has a few guys shooting up something: Prescription pills, marijuana, crack, cocaine, meth, pretty much any drug someone can pick up on a street corner is fair game for most players during the football season…” Read more – Mary S.
There are more than 2,140 drug courts in operation, with another 284 being planned or developed in the United States. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) discusses this in their website. Drug court diverts non-violent, substance abusing offenders from prison and jail into treatment. By increasing direct supervision of offenders, coordinating public resources, and expediting case processing, drug court can help break the cycle of criminal behavior, alcohol and drug use, and incarceration. A decade of research indicates that drug court reduces crime by lowering rearrest and conviction rates, improving substance abuse treatment outcomes, and reuniting families, and also produces measurable cost benefits. The attached PDF, entitled Defining Drug Courts: Key Components, outlines how drugs courts work. One of the ongoing dilemmas of drug courts is that most addicts are arrested for other crimes to get drugs and do not qualify for drug court. They consequently are not treated and usually re-offend. They don’t figure into the statistics of drug court success. This makes drug courts much less effective in reducing the much larger impact of drug related crime. Read a report by the Beckley Foundation that discusses why this is right here. Data base and links provided by Mary Slivinski.
The
David Lewis story was so important to the treatment and recovery of bay area addicts, inmates and struggling ex-cons, after his death the California Governor offered a $50,000.00 reward in July to find his killer. Many mourned his murder. David Lewis not only showed that prison rehab can work after 20 years of his own incarceration; the center he started helps 4600 bay area addicts each year. He started the ground breaking drug treatment program, Free At Last in East Palo Alto. David Lewis was a Hero. He showed the world the courage needed to take on addiction in and out of prison. One single person with a brutal past can make an amazing difference. Imagine what we can all do together. Links by Marcia.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) theory and skill building for treatment professionals. MI seminar information link Contact Kathleen Sciacca via email @ ksciacca@pobox.com tel. 212-866-5935. This announcement is geared to treatment professionals and relates to addiction and dual diagnosis intervention and treatment. This is a three day seminar that takes place October 29, 30, and 31, 2012 @ the Hotel Beacon in New York City. Call or email for information. See link above for fees.
Drug addiction is a tough nut to crack. When you add co-occuring disorders, namely, a host of mental illnesses that plague many addicts, it becomes near impossible for some to recover and stabilize their lives. To Kathleen Sciacca, trying to understand and deliver a reliable system of dealing with dual diagnosis and drug addiction has become a personal goal. You can hear Kathleen discuss her work in this you-tube clip: Motivational Interviewing
The Way Live.co
m. Pastor and Musician, John Kilzer calls his recovery worship service The Way — because in the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the way” and because the 12 Steps are known as a way to recovery. Music is John’s venue to success. The music is for the broken, and those who don’t know they’re broken. It’s for the recovering, and those who don’t believe they’re recovering. It’s got a message for those who need to hear one, and it’s plainly stunning…and for those who’d rather not….and not least, John Kilzer is simply an amazing artist.
Here is one way your tax dollars are fighting drug abuse in America. Above the Influence is an advertising campaign in the U.S. by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that includes broad messaging to focus on substances most abused by teens, and delivers both broad prevention messaging at the national level and more targeted efforts at the local community level. Here is an example of some of their ads. Think they help? It is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (ONDCP) In early 2011, The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign will launch a monthly webinar series: Implementing Above the Influence (ATI) in Your Local Community.
National Conference on Addiction Disorders 2012 The National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NSAD) will present in-depth education and innovativation on the prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery management of addictions. This conference is produced by the publisher of Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare magazines. The 4-day program will consist of:
- A Behavioral Healthcare Leadership Summit
- Over 60 educational sessions, workshops, movie presentations and poster sessions conducted by the experts in the study and treatment of addiction.
- An exhibition hall geared for networking with over 200 solution providers.
- A technology theater showcasing the latest solutions.
- An awards ceremony
In the 14 years
he lived as a drug addict, former NBA player Chris Herren had no shortage of moments that could have been his “rock bottom.” The earliest may have come when he was only 18, shortly after Sports Illustrated hyped the local star’s matriculation to Boston College. Herren — then one of the most highly anticipated freshmen basketball players in the country — left BC after only one game after a positive test for cocaine. Quoted from CNN’s, Kevin Conlon. February 2012.
Chris Herren knows the top and the bottom. He writes about it in Basketball Junkie, a journal of his personal battle with addiction, published in 2011 by St. Martins Press. Stories like this are what we live for; tales of coming back from the brink of total self destruction to make an enormous difference in showing others how step out of the abyss of addiction, give families hope for their own sons and daughters and stop some from ever going there.
Deaths by heroin overdoses in Minnesota counties tripled in 2011. To complicate matters, heroin tested in the Twin Cities showed 93.5 % pure. See Heroin Roars Back, with Lethal Results Link from Bayon Testing.
Mexican election could mean drug war strategy shift, U.S. officials say – CNN.com. View this CNN article for a glimpse into what may start turning around U.S. drug war policy for better or worse.
Drug Addiction and Criminology: The Continuing Need For Drug Reform by Angela Matson
The continuous rise of drug-related criminal activity in the United States indicates that current reform policies simply are not working. Many examining the existence of crime www.criminology.com are puzzled by the problem that drugs create and how best to stop the trade without affirming the behavior. Incarceration and other forms of corporal punishment for drug offenses are not only costly, but are also proving largely ineffective. Re-offenses are very common, and there is no evidence that the threat of imprisonment serves as any sort of real deterrent. The current state of American drug-related crime calls for an approach to the problem that is grounded in treatment and scientific research. Read more here: Drug Addiction and Criminology
Mother’s Day was a big event for Moms United and the millions they represent. These Rock Star Moms gathered outside of the Los Angeles Superior Court House to speak out against the war on drugs. They are concerned about Americas’ endless drug war that is tearing apart families with little mercy. Spokesperson, Gretchen Burns Bergman along with activist moms, formed the group Moms United to End the War on Drugs. They are doing the work many do not have the courage to do. Mom’s United is dealing with the scourge of drug addiction through positive solutions, drug policy reform and compassionate harm reducing strategies. Gretchen is well spoken on the subject and has written for journals and newspapers. Her latest piece, published the day before Mother’s Day is called Mother’s Day: Tears & Triumphs You can view other publications by Gretchen in the Huffington Post.
Things 
We Lost in the Fire! If you know someone close who’s been there; you know the meaning of the title. This is a not so old 2007 film with academy award winning Benicio Del Toro as a heroin addict. “The walking dead”. Check it out here in this you-tube video. You may have to look in the older video stacks to find this; but its worth your time. Link by Drew.
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