Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

LISTEN – OR MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS FOR A DOLLAR – 

June 8, 2021 – They’re among a handful of companies seeking to address what they see as a growing problem, particularly with no drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment. According to clinicaltrials.gov, 69 studies have been registered for drugs aimed at cannabis use disorder. Of those, around a third appear to be recruiting or enrolling subjects.

Read More: Cannabis Almost as Addictive as Opioids Among Teens, Study Finds

“Cannabis is the most common substance of abuse besides alcohol and tobacco, and there is no FDA-approved drug, which is concerning when you look at where cannabis use in general is headed,” Indivior Chief Executive Officer Mark Crossley said in an interview.

In the U.S. alone, where an increasing number of states have approved marijuana use and there’s growing momentum for federal legalization, the cannabis industry is expected to reach $41.5 billion by 2025, according to figures from New Frontier Data. The National Institute on Drug Abuse cites research suggesting 9% to 30% of people who use marijuana may become addicted.

more@Bloomberg

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

HOLD THE PHONE –   

June 7, 2021 – The health department hopes the program, which was developed by the Partnership to End Addiction, will reach individuals at risk of suffering an overdose and alert them to overdose spikes.

Health department epidemiologists will determine what constitutes an overdose “spike” by monitoring deviations from the ever-changing average of cases — with careful consideration to the geographic location and dates of overdoses.

Spikes can indicate when drugs in circulation are laced with fentanyl, which is especially deadly, according to Trevor Henderson, the director of the health department’s overdose response program.

“We have a lot of fake pills out there that may look like the real deal,” Henderson said. “If anyone is using an illicit substance in Davidson County, we’re in a situation now that it’s more dangerous than it has ever been. The risk of death is much higher.”

Suspected drug overdose deaths surged during the pandemic, and recent data suggests cases will not be slowing down soon.

more@WPLN

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

GIVING IT AWAY, NOT THROWING IT UP –   

June 8, 2021 – The 29-year-old told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that she kept the reality of her dwindling health hidden to the point where, when she finally divulged her big secret at 19, her mother said she had no idea.

‘Mum was shocked. During that whole time, she only thought there was something wrong once but didn’t realise what it was,’ Ms Riley said. At 19, she thought opening up about her struggles would open the doors to recovery, but what the teenager didn’t know what that Australia didn’t have the help facilities she was looking for. A month of searching online for treatment centres revealed a range of ‘beautiful’ ranches and properties in the US and Europe where people with eating disorders would live while they recovered, but there was nothing like that at home.  ‘I thought I was being brave and courageous when I said I had bulimia out loud – that admitting it was the hardest part – but I was wrong,’ she said.  With no help or end to her condition in sight, Ms Riley overdosed on medication.

She spent three nights in intensive care before being transferred to the mental health ward and, eventually, into an eating disorder ward – where she spent the next year and a half going in and out of hospital while receiving treatment.  ‘I needed to push past all the fears I had developed about food and realise the world wouldn’t explode if I ate something – the disorder makes you believe things that don’t make sense,’ she said.  When asked what triggered her disorder, Ms Riley said she wasn’t entirely sure, but explained she did competitive gymnastics as a child, she was a talented dancer, and she witnessed domestic violence as a child.  Even though her family managed to escape the violent situation, she believes she was trying to process the situation in her early teenage years.

more@DailyMail

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

EVERYDAY MIRACLE – 

June 8, 2021 – But homelessness and forced separation from her son followed before she began a recovery that continues.

Today, Spiehler, 40, has gone from a homeless, couch-surfing alcoholic in 2015 to taking charge of her life and competing with hundreds of applicants to win a full tuition scholarship to the University of Mississippi in Oxford through one of the 2021 Lyceum Scholar Awards.

“Stacey Spiehler is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring people I have ever had the privilege of working with,” said Amie Bernstein, transfer admissions counselor at Ole Miss. Spiehler was contacted on April 1 with the news that she had won one of the coveted spots. She was so shocked she wondered if it was an April Fool’s Day prank. Bernstein assured her that was not the case.

”The Lyceum Award is our most prestigious transfer scholarship and only the top 15 incoming students receive this honor. Students are selected based on their responses to our community college scholarship application, which includes an essay discussing a significant endeavor,” Bernstein said.

more@ClarionLedger

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

ZOOM GLOOM –   

June 9, 2021 – The International OCD Foundation states that about 1 in 50 people have BDD symptoms, many of whom suffer in silence, and that number is only increasing. A 2020 article in Vogue suggests that “in recent decades, dissatisfaction with body image in general, and by extension extreme body image disturbances such as BDD , have been on the rise”; Some experts attribute this to “social media and cultural shifts,” while others point out that continued webcam use could be one of the problems.

Another expert mentions that some of the symptoms of this Zoom dysmorphia are when one “worries about his own appearance during the call, gets stuck fixing his appearance for the call by changing his makeup, lighting or camera angle and becomes distracted during the call. comparing his appearance with that of others. “This fixation on one’s appearance,” he continues, “could detract from one’s ability to focus on work.”

Although other problems on the list have a quick fix, being obsessed with one’s appearance as a masochistic Narcissus cannot be cured simply with a small black square taped over one’s Zoom reflection. Doctors recommend psychotherapy for BDD,and the prognosis is usually good.

more@Entrepreneur

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

PROMISES FULFILLED – 

June 10, 2021 – He added: “But at the same time, it’s quite an important part because it’s given me such joy and happiness and peace in a way I didn’t have before I was sober. It’s interesting to do all those lines of coke and all those cigarettes and shots that Halston was doing and just being glad they weren’t real. Just being happy about that, but understanding it.”

Halston is currently airing on Netflix. It was given a three-star review byThe Independent’s critic Kevin E G Perry, who wrote: “The show leaves us in no doubt of Halston’s genius, and the sequences in which we see him conjure sublime dresses out of simple fabric are often unexpectedly moving.  “Yet for all the sex and drugs that surrounds it, the story itself ends up feeling somewhat sanitised. Like one of its titular character’s own designs, Halston is clean, sleek and beautiful to look at – but you might find yourself wishing it was a little messier around the edges.”

In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.

more@Independent

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – ADDICTS’ LIVES MATTER – 

June 11, 2021 – “We are excited for the opportunity to offer these courses in which we provide nurses with essential information on substance use disorder and ways we, as a community, can effectively address this issue,” said Robin Newhouse, dean of the School of Nursing IUPUI and lead investigator for IU’s Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge. “Stigma is one of the biggest barriers to people seeking treatment for this disease. Through conversation and courses like these, we hope to help eliminate stigma and assist one of our most vulnerable populations in receiving the support they need.”

The first course, “In This Together: Community Conversations to Reduce Stigma of Substance Use Disorder,” fosters individual reflection and community discussions. The course has two tracks: trainer and individual learner. The trainer course provides education and guidelines for those interested in educating others around substance use issues and stigma. The second course is for those who would like to educate themselves more on the issue.

The course can be found online. Each student who completes the course will receive a certificate of attendance. A student may complete one or both tracks.

more@WBIW

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

TAKING A SIP, NOT TAKING A SIP – 

June 10, 2021 – The last time Christina Kimbrough had a drink was Feb. 3, 2020. The 32-year-old writer and grad student, who readily identifies as an alcoholic, checked into an intensive outpatient treatment center in Cleveland last winter. The coronavirus lockdown hit on her last day of therapy, and she was abruptly sent home to Chesapeake, Virginia.

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings had shut down. A hand sanitizer shortage left people stockpiling bottles of vodka. Between April and June 2020, booze sales were up 34 percent from the previous year. One Johns Hopkins poll found that 60 percent of respondents were drinking more than usual in response to the pandemic.  It was, as Kimbrough put it, “a very weird time to get sober.”

Her support systems dried up. AA moved to Zoom, which helped, but was no perfect substitute for real-life meetings. But there was one unintended lifeline: Bars shut down.  “I wouldn’t say I’m having cravings to drink, but I’m struggling with resentment that I can’t drink like a normal person,” she said. “Normally, you navigate going out with friends and not drinking early on in sobriety, but I didn’t have that choice. I’m almost 500 days sober, but I’m struggling more now 500 days in than I was in early sobriety.”  For many people before the pandemic (and not just those who define themselves as alcoholics), quitting drinking meant leaving behind social spaces like bars and parties for a while, and returning once they had a better grip on their sobriety. It was a deeply personal decision. “At a certain point, someone who is sober and has benefitted from taking a break from being around alcohol is going to find themselves going back to an environment where it’s available,” Matt Lundquist, a New York psychotherapist and founder of Tribeca Therapy, said. “What’s new with the pandemic is how dramatic and binary that feels now—there are a lot of people going through this all at once.”

more@TheDailyBeast

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – SOBER RAINBOW PARTIES ALL OVER 5 BOROUGHS – 

June 7, 2021 – Fun for him, and others in the LGBTQ community also in recovery, does not have to involve alcohol.

“We wanted something for the sober community that wasn’t sponsored by an alcohol beverage company. We wanted to do something to really bring the party to them,” Parker noted.

Eager to celebrate his Pride, Parker threw his first event in 2010 by spreading word on a recovery Facebook page he had started. Six years later the group organized into the nonprofit “Gay & Sober”, creating a twist on Pride events with the same level of party.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped the organization to expand even further. Moving online, Parker and his team created year-round education programs, hosted health and wellness conferences, and launched recovery programs in an effort to reach more people around the world.

“Alcoholism and drug addiction can sometimes be a very dark subject, so part of our mission statement is to bring some lightness to that dark,” Parker said.

After so much time apart, Parker is excited to bring the community back together knowing just how important this space is for recovery. He will be hosting the annual conference for gay men in recovery and the Dance on the River cruise. Once again bringing over 500 people together under the fireworks.

“It’s good to be like out on the water, listening to like the dopest music and doing it with people who are like minded and want to do the same thing. And having that common piece of community which is being gay, and sober, and wanting to party,” said Parker.

more@SpectrumNews

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

SHE GOT A CLUE – 

June 3, 2021 – Clueless star Elisa Donovan says starring in the iconic film helped her “stay on the recovery path” from an eating disorder.

The actor has been open about suffering from anorexia at the time Clueless was filming in the 1990s.

“I certainly kept any of my eating disorder issues to myself because I wasn’t even able to handle them myself,” she told Yahoo! Entertainment in a recent interview. “So I certainly wasn’t sharing them with anyone else.”

Donovan explained she now looks at the work she did around that time “as kind of a help to me”.

“Because I was most concerned about losing my job,” she added. “So that initially is what helped me to stay on the recovery path. While that’s no recipe for true recovery, but it helped me to stay on there until I got to the place where I realised that I really wanted my life back.”

The teen comedy came out in 1995 and has earned a cult following. It also stars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd.

Donovan went on to portray Morgan Cavanaugh in Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the early 2000s.

Her memoir, Wake Me When You Leave: Love and Encouragement via Dreams from the Other Side, is being published on 8 June. 

more@Independent

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