Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – AN APP THAT CAN KILL? –   

June 4, 2021 – She lost her son Alexander nearly a year ago and led the charge Friday in a march toward Snapchat’s headquarters in Santa Monica. But she was not alone.

Across the country there were rallies in 30 cities organized by the Association of People Against Lethal Drugs, including one in Riverside.

“There’s kids dying everywhere from this right now,” Sharleena Antunez, a mother, said. “And I lost my baby because of this.” Snapchat said it was trying to combat the problem by cooperating with law enforcement. In a statement, the company said, in part:

“We work to be as proactive as possible in preventing, detecting and combating this type of abuse, and are constantly improving our capabilities in this area.”

Marc Berkman, the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, like many at the rallies, said what Snapchat and others are doing isn’t enough.

“What we’re trying to do here is we’re trying to save lives,” he said. “The things we’re working on right now is making sure that all social media platforms that have children operating on them allow parent safety software to add an extra layer of protection for parents.”

More about the steps Snapchat is taking to prevent drug dealers from operating on their platform can be found here.

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC – MUSHROOMS?” – 

June 3, 2021 – Some cities in the U.S. including Oakland and Santa Cruz, have already effectively decriminalized possession of magic mushrooms. And Oregon voters last year went a step further, approving a ballot measure to decriminalize the personal use of hard drugs in what advocates hailed as “the biggest blow to the war on drugs to date.”

But while the bill has received support from veterans and drug advocacy groups, it also has its share of opposition. 

One opponent of the legislation is Tak Allen, the president of the International Faith Based Coalition/Congress of Racial Equality, who previously expressed concerns to KTXL over how the bill was written, as well as certain substances that the measure will decriminalize. 

“You’re saying that this is for therapeutic purposes, and the way the bill is written, it’s written more as a recreational bill,” Allen told the station nearly two months ago. “I also had major concerns within my coalition that ketamine is another known date rape drug, and that’s on the list of drugs that they would like to have legalized.”

Allen said she has experienced drug addiction in her family and fears the bill doesn’t address the root causes. 

“This is a behavioral health issue and that there is a socioeconomic correlation between drug abuse, drug addiction, drug exposure,” she told KTXL. “Why are we spending our time writing bills to decriminalize something first and foremost before we come up with a technique or tactic that would solve these underlying issues in the first place?”

more@KTLA

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – HE ‘GOT BACK UP’ –  

May 28, 2021 – Depression, anxiety and alcoholism led to the end of Montee Ball’s NFL career. Now in recovery, he’s mentoring others who are fighting the same battles.

more@YahooNews

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – BACK ON THE WAGON –  

June 3, 2021 – However, the former MTV star said it didn’t take long for her addiction issues to spiral out of control. 

“Very quickly, it went from Vicodin to Percocet, from Percocet … to heroin, eventually, because it was cheaper,” she said. “I got caught buying it, and then the very next day, my mom put me in rehab.”  Osbourne, who is the daughter of rocky Ozzy Osbourne and former “The Talk” co-host Sharon Osbourne, said she was barely ever sober at the height of her addiction. “I never went to work sober,” she said. “I never went to dinner sober. I didn’t do anything sober.”  Osbourne — who has been in and out of rehab over the years — decided to quit drinking for good in 2017. 

However, this past April, the former “Osbournes” star confessed that she had fallen off the wagon after four years of sobriety before getting “back on track.” Osbourne told the “Red Table Talk” co-hosts that her drinking problem had gotten so bad again that she was throwing back full bottles of booze by herself. This time, because she had relapsed in front of her boyfriend, Erik Bragg, she felt more ashamed than ever before. “I was at my boyfriend’s house, and I was s–t-faced on his couch eating pizza,” Osbourne recalled. “And he looked over at me, and I felt the way he looked at me. And I was like ‘Oh, no, I never want him to look at me like that again. Ever. Like, that didn’t make me feel good. What am I doing?’” She said it was “embarrassing” because “for the first time ever I actually care how he feels, and I care how my behavior impacts him.”

more@PageSix

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

YOU ARE THE WAVES –  

June 3, 2021 – Not a trait or a practice, mindfulness is instead a state of being. Here are some of the common takeaways they found: Reduced Rumination. In 2008, participants of a 10-day meditation retreat reported fewer symptoms related to depression, including overthinking and a lack of focus, compared to a control group.

Stress Reduction. A 2010 meta-analysis of 39 studies based on mindfulness stress reduction found that the practice was useful to promote the change of processes that are associated with clinical diagnoses.  Boost in Working Memory. During an eight-week mindfulness retreat in early 2010, one military group experienced a self-reported increase in memory capacity compared to one non-meditating military group and one non-meditating civilian group. Decreased Emotional Reactivity.  In a group that had varying levels of mindfulness meditation practice in 2007, researchers saw that the practice helped participants step away from emotionally upsetting pictures and into a cognitive task, compared to those who saw the pictures, did not meditate, and were less focused on said task.While these studies are limited in scope, there is new research dedicated to minimizing any harmful effects that might come with mindfulness programs, as not everyone will have the same reaction or success. The ultimate goal of their work, led by Brown University’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, is the same as mindfulness techniques themselves. Mitigating harm, promoting well-being — all while being on the correct path for your own progression. So, is mindfulness a cure-all for stress or a solution to all of life’s challenges? Of course not. But science supports that it can boost performance, and actionable practices like meditation — one of the cornerstones of mindfulness — can help us navigate many of life’s challenges.

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

GARGANTUAN LOSS – 

May 29, 2021 – That was how I found myself invited to dinner with the neighbours. People were asking about Amy. I tried to hold everything in but I got upset. It was Jagger who comforted me. ‘Don’t worry, man, she’ll be all right. People in that world go through this sort of thing.’ I’d never met any of these people before. All I knew was Mick was a rock star who’d been through everything, who knew all about drugs and fame. He was saying to me: calm down, this is normal, Amy’s a rock star, too, and this is part of the process.

He spelled it out: when all of a sudden you’re the most famous rock star in the world, everyone goes through what Amy’s going through. Of course she’s on heroin, of course she’s all these things – but she’ll come out the other side and there’s nothing to worry about.

Mick had seen it all, I thought, and now here we were in the Caribbean, eating steak in a millionaire’s beachside mansion. So that’s where Amy will be one day, too, sitting on an island looking back and saying: ‘I remember when…’

I held on to that. It felt like a very long time since anything had been normal, but it actually wasn’t much more than three years.

In the summer of 2004, when Amy had been touring her first album, Frank – she was not a star yet, just a talented girl with a record deal – it had felt like the time of our lives. 

We had been friends since our early teens, and we were now in our early 20s and embarking on our music careers. There has been no other time in my life that was as carefree as those days. It was epic. It was funny. Most of all, there were no problems.

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

LISTEN – WHO HAS THE GOLD, MAKES THE LAW – 

June 2, 2021 – In addition to contributing money from their personal fortunes, the Sacklers have agreed to give up control of Purdue Pharma. They will, however, retain ownership of other companies, admit no wrongdoing and will remain one of the wealthiest families in America.

Two dozen states still oppose the bankruptcy deal that’s been negotiated largely behind closed doors. They argue it would improperly strip them of authority to sue members of the family for alleged wrongdoing.

“I don’t believe … at this point the plan is confirmable,” said Andrew Troop, an attorney representing a coalition of “non-consenting” states, during a hearing last week.

But Judge Drain said this stage of the bankruptcy process wasn’t focused on final approval of the plan.

more@NPR

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

HAPPY, JOYOUS AND ROCKIN’ OUT –  

May 28, 2021 –  Addiction and recovery stories — both the triumphs and tragedies — are among the most common narratives in popular music, but Einhorn saw that, while there were resources like Alcoholics Anonymous and MusiCares that could help musicians get sober, more practical support was lacking.  The founder of bands like Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and Fashion Brigade — and a host for Pitchfork Radio, Sonos Radio, and the Talkhouse Podcast — Einhorn had been toying with one idea for how to fill this vacuum, and in 2018 he posited it a sober musician he knew well: New Order and Joy Division’s Peter Hook.  “I wanted to take part in Sober 21 to let people know that being a touring musician without doing drugs and alcohol isn’t only possible, but can also be much better in the end,” Pope tells Rolling Stone. “Being on tour is hell while constantly on the rollercoaster of getting high and drunk, or it can conversely be the best thing ever when you’re taking care of yourself. I realize how hard making that decision to do it without drugs and alcohol can be, and maybe Sober 21 can inspire people to make that step.”  Emily Kempf of the band Dehd, another contributor, says: “I wanted to share my story in hopes it might calm and inspire those seeking a different way to live. That to be creative and successful you don’t have to be fucked up, you don’t even have to be miserable, you can be joyous and earnest and sober. That I’ve found this is the ‘real cool,’ to be genuinely happy and free, to risk being fully myself in front of everyone — sober.”  Sober 21 was the definition of a passion project: It took Einhorn three years to make in between his various radio and podcast duties, recording a new album with Fashion Brigade, and raising his kid. To find contributors, he first tapped into his own sober community of musicians met during his travels. The next batch was a bit harder to pin down as he brought the idea to artists outside his sphere, whose publicists were a bit baffled by a project with no proper release plan at the time. But that bafflement was soon supplanted by excitement as they learned more about the project. Almost everyone Einhorn asked to participate said yes, and just like Hook, they often offered the refrain, “I wish I’d had that when I got sober.”

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

SHAKING UP THE STATUS QUO – 

May 18, 2021 – “The people who power Hazelden Betty Ford are mission-driven, compassionate and empathetic, and are primed to make the organization more equitable and accessible,” said Mark Mishek, president and CEO at Hazelden Betty Ford, the nation’s largest nonprofit system of addiction treatment, co-occurring mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services.

“Andrew’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has deep roots, and I am humbled that he is bringing his experience, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness to help us to reach more people affected by addiction, and to do so with cultural humility.”

In this new role, Williams will drive cultural and behavior change across the organization to increase diversity, advance equity and foster inclusion. Serving as a strategic partner with others throughout Hazelden Betty Ford, he will champion DEI awareness, understanding, allyship and advocacy as well as the advancement of underrepresented groups. He aims to inspire others through example, challenge colleagues to live up to institutional values and legal obligations, and engage in creative and meaningful intercultural experiences.

“We are committed to lifting up more voices, reaching new communities,

providing more opportunities, and making long-term investments in our journey toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Hazelden Betty Ford CEO Designate Joseph Lee, MD, who on June 28 will succeed the retiring Mishek as president and CEO. “Andrew’s leadership is key to our future, and helping us reach our goals. I am excited to work with him.”

Williams’ experience includes more than 20 years in higher education diversity and multicultural leadership, including posts at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs in Minneapolis; and Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. He also is an educator and fundraiser, and is active in his local community.

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE –  

May 28, 2021-  “We’ve been told that we’ve had to stay six feet away, and then three feet away, and then we can all of a sudden be back together. And that’s not how human beings work. We don’t just change on a dime and decide that it’s OK for us to do something different when we’ve been told we’ve had to do something one way for so long, and it’s been fear-based. “A lot of people are dealing with body image issues. They’re dealing with agoraphobia,” said the clinical director of her own self-named boutique group psychotherapy practice. “I think we also underestimate, along with the pandemic, we experienced a racial crisis here that has really had a deep impact and a collective trauma on people. And a lot of people are afraid to go outside for that reason, too.”

Pandemic stress manifests itself in different ways, and Ajjan ultimately believes it depends on the person if it will ever go away.

“Our kids are very resilient and I think they are going to fare the best out of all of this,” she said, but “there’s going to be some residual effects for people,” like opting to continue wearing face masks in public, even while fully vaccinated.

But Ajjan maintains that with time, the pandemic stress will start to fade.

“We’re human beings; we are resilient,” she said. “With time, you know, we get more and more comfortable and things start to fade away. I think we’re going to be OK.”

In the video above, Chamin offers advice on how we can prepare to navigate post-pandemic life given these additional stressors, how to address our feelings in healthy, productive ways, and more. Trust, you don’t want to miss out on her tips (and then some) before you start re-engaging with the world.

more@Yahoo

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