Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – THROWING OFF THE STRAITJACKET – 

March 17, 2021 – As I lurked on Facebook, chatting with various peer advocates in New York, I saw Issa Ibrahim’s paintings and heard bits of his story of having been hospitalized at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center for almost 20 years. Creedmoor. It’s a state psychiatric facility in Queens, which has long-term psychiatric units and also forensic units. I have worked with people who have lived on its campus, and I know it’s not a pretty place.

Yet during this time, Issa created purpose in his life by utilizing Creedmoor’s “Living Museum,” a massive art studio available for use by patients, residents and staff. He was featured in The Living Museum, an HBO documentary from 1998. This 10-minute segment shows many of his works: 

Living in a hospital is highly demotivating. There is little stimulation beyond meals, standing in line to get your medications, and group therapy sessions. To pass time, it’s easy to just lay in bed all day. For exercise, you walk up and down the hallways. You’re lucky if there’s a ping-pong table. You have no access to a cell phone, nor a computer with an internet connection. (Short-term units usually permit neither.) While the outside world continues at its pace, life on a unit makes time stand still.

more@CulturePledge

The post Heroic Artist Battles the Stigma of Being Mentally Ill appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

CAN SCIENCE CLEAN UP THE METH? – 

April 2021 – A decade ago I traveled on assignment to a Rocky Mountain rehab facility where the rich and famous go to dry out and confront their drug habits. It offered every imaginable therapy to its well-heeled clientele and claimed strong results. But I will never forget what the director of operations told me about the clinic’s biggest failure: “Our results with meth addicts are dismal,” he admitted. But this tragic picture at last may be changing. A recent study found that a regimen of two medications helped some users stay off the drug. 

The medication study used two substances that target withdrawal. Bupropion, an antidepressant also prescribed for smoking cessation, raises dopamine levels in the brain and thus may buffer the misery of steep drops that occur when people stop using meth. Naltrexone, the second medication, is an opioid blocker that “has an effect on the reward circuit, potentially relieving cravings,” explains the study’s lead author, Madhukar H. Trivedi, a psychiatrist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In a trial with 403 heavy users of meth, a regimen of the two medications helped 13.6 percent stay off the drug, testing meth-free at least three quarters of the time over a six-week period. Only 2.5 percent of those given placebos achieved that level of abstinence.In addition, a psychosocial intervention called contingency management (CM) has been shown to be especially effective and, while not widely available, is now the first-line therapy for people seeking treatment for meth or cocaine addiction within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system. 

All addictions are tough to beat, but methamphetamine poses a particular challenge. A key way that researchers measure the addictive grip of a substance is to look at how much dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure) floods into the brain’s major reward center during use, based on animal studies. “Methamphetamine is the drug that produces the largest release,” says Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “An animal will go crazy pressing a lever in order to get the drug,” she adds. Another metric involves real-world human experience: When you try a new substance, what is the likelihood of becoming addicted? “In this respect, methamphetamine ranks along with heroin among the top addictive drugs,” Volkow says.

Volkow hopes that meth users will ultimately have a variety of treatments, including some that combine medication with behavioral therapy. That, she says, is how diseases from depression to diabetes are treated. But “we stigmatize addiction,” Volkow says, “and insurance is willing to pay much less than for another condition. There’s a double standard.”

more@ScientificAmerican

The post At Last, Some Help for Meth Addiction appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

ROCK – POWDER – PRISON – HYPOCRISY – 

March 19, 2021 – (Though an Asbury Park Press study found that Black usage of crack was only slightly higher than white usage, crack has been stereotypically associated with Black people while powder cocaine is thought of as a richer, whiter drug.) The disparity has been diluted by Congress over the last decade — the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act reformed the disparity to be 18 to 1 instead of 100 to 1, and the 2018 First Step Act made the reform retroactive, allowing people incarcerated for crack offenses to apply for resentencing under the new law.  Now, a small group of lawmakers — a bipartisan one in the House, and two Democrats in the Senate — wants to do away with the disparity altogether and provide the opportunity for retroactive sentence reduction.

“That’s something that you don’t see happen very often, is the government essentially admitting that they were wrong,” said Maritza Perez, the director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. “But this is one area where there is bipartisan support and where politicians say they messed up.”

The Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act represents the original aim of the Fair Sentencing Act, before it was negotiated down to lessen instead of eliminate the disparity and leave out retroactivity in order to pass with bipartisan support, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), a cosponsor of the EQUAL Act and an original sponsor of the House version of the Fair Sentencing Act, told Vox.

While those earlier bills were enormously bipartisan, there’s no guarantee the EQUAL Act passes the evenly divided Senate, given this exact proposal was watered down in earlier attempts. Right now, no Republicans in the upper chamber have signed on board, let alone the 10 it would take to overcome the filibuster. But if it does pass, advocates are hoping the EQUAL Act can be the launching point for a host of legislation combating racism.  “Criminal justice reform can bring together the left and the right, progressives and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, the NAACP and the Koch brothers, the ACLU and the Heritage Foundation and all points in between,” Jeffries said in a statement. “As I said when we passed the First Step Act three years ago, it was not the end. It was not even the beginning of the end.”

Rice-Minus said she expects more Republicans to sign on to the bill quickly in the House because Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) have already cosponsored it.  But in a statement to Vox, Bacon was less optimistic about the timeline, even as he said that eliminating the cocaine sentencing disparity is only one part of a broader justice reform push he wants to tackle.  “While I am optimistic it will be voted on in the House this Congress, I don’t have a projected timeline for the bill at this stage and hope to gain more bipartisan support as it makes its way through the legislative process,” he said.

more@VOX

The post EQUAL Act would close the cocaine sentencing disparity appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

PROOF IT WORKS – 

March 12, 2021 – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, which highlights the seriousness of the opioid epidemic and how critical it is for patients to receive comprehensive, meaningful care. The Blue Distinction Center for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery program requires designated facilities to deliver coordinated multidisciplinary care to patients and provide timely access to quality medical and psychosocial care in all phases of treatment. Designated facilities must also offer medication-assisted treatment—an approach to treating opioid addiction that includes both medications and evidence-based psychosocial therapies.

“We are extremely excited and grateful that the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association recognizes the importance of adding substance use disorder as the 11th disease category in its Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. This is huge in so many ways—a sign that addiction treatment has come of age within mainstream health care,” said Bob Poznanovich, vice president of business development at Hazelden Betty Ford.

“Regence’s leadership in vetting addiction treatment providers for quality, evidence-based care and promoting to consumers those with the best demonstrated outcomes will smash historical stigmas, incentivize quality, and protect consumers by providing them with in-network options they can trust,” Poznanovich added. “No one will benefit more from the centers-of-excellence strategy that is growing within health care than the millions of Americans who are facing addiction-related challenges at home or in the workplace. We are proud and thankful to be recognized by Regence and to be part of mainstreaming addiction care so that more individuals and families are able to get the help they need.”

more@BusinessWire

The post Hazelden Betty Ford Sites in Oregon Designated Blue Distinction® Centers appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

A GOOD CAUSE – 

March 16, 2021 – The Fund, initiated by his life partner Jill Jordon, and administered by Caron, will provide financial assistance for access to addiction and recovery treatment, with an emphasis on those involved in the music business. In addition, music programs will be established at Caron’s residential sites in Florida and Pennsylvania, including the creation of music studios where those in recovery can create, perform and enjoy music during treatment.

A veteran record label and music publishing executive, Lasher was a certified alcoholism and substance-abuse counselor and worked closely with both Caron and MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable wing, which has provided millions in recovery assistance to music people over the years. Caron and MusiCares will hold a joint webinar on healing and recovery on April 6th at 8 p.m. ET:  Addiction and Creativity in the time of COVID-19. Click here for more information … In addition to Jill Jordon, the Founders Board of the Fund includes Jennifer Bandier, Judy Collins, Jody Gerson, Daniel Glass,  Evan Lamberg, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, Elizabeth Kabler, Monte Lipman, Michael McDonald, Harold Owens, Juliana Terian, Todd Whitmer and Paul Williams.

For information on donating to The Neil Lasher Music Fund at Caron Treatment Centers, please visit:  https://www.caron.org/donate/neil-lasher-music-fund.

more@Variety

The post Treatment Fund Launched in Memory of Neil Lasher appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

BOOK REVIEW – 

March 2021 – This book has special meaning to me: my son is ‘by-choice’ homeless drug addict. This book helped me understand the why of his choices. They build their own families this way. It was a great book about a hard subject. I appreciated the truths told about the lies we believe when a life becomes too hard for our loved one. I wish there would have been photos. I truly wanted to see his face, all of their faces because they represent so many of our children.I can’t imagine going out to find people to tell the story of a family member who chose to leave us behind. A difficult journey. I highly recommend.

ANOTHER REVIEW

A bit of a bias here, let’s be clear up front. I know Dave Kindred, consider him a friend and have long thought of him as one of the finest writers working and maybe, well, ever.

Because of the subject matter, this is a difficult read. I can’t imagine how hard it was for Dave to write this. But as I’ve come to expect from Dave, this is beautifully done. You’ll have a laugh or two while reading this book. You will cry, a lot. You’ll come out of it a bit numb, perhaps, but grateful to Dave for taking the time to share his grandson’s story and for being so open.

Anyone who has a loved one battling any kind of addiction will be able to relate and those who do not should come away with a clear understanding of what that’s like.

As a grandfather myself, I can’t see myself having the strength Dave showed in writing this.

more@Amazon

The post Leave Out the Tragic Parts: A Grandfather’s Search for a Boy Lost to Addiction appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

A “ROYAL” FAMILY MATTER – 

March 11, 2021 – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey first aired on CBS on Sunday, and one area in particular that seems to have resonated is Markle’s struggle with mental health, not least because many people watched Princess Diana outline similar experiences 26 years ago. During the two-hour CBS special, Markle said that she too experienced a decline in mental health, which led to suicidal thoughts for the first time in her life due to mistreatment from “the firm” and British tabloids.  Markle and Diana both reported feelings of loneliness after their marriages invited increased media attention.  Markle told Winfrey she “could not feel lonelier” after relocating to the UK to begin a life of public service with Harry.  “I said: ‘I have left the house twice in four months, I am everywhere but I am nowhere,’” she recalled telling a member of the royal family who told her to lay low and not have lunch with friends due to heightened media interest in her. “I continued to say to people: ‘I know there is an obsession with how things look, but has anyone talked about how it feels? Because right now I could not feel lonelier,’” she added, noting that Harry would often have to be away for work. Diana had told Martin Bashir that she “very much so” experienced this media-induced isolation, saying: “I seemed to be on the front of a newspaper every single day, which is an isolating experience, and the higher the media put you, place you, is the bigger the drop.”  She also said that Kensington palace itself was isolating “by nature.”  After relentless negative media coverage, Markle said she began to experience regular suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant with Archie.

more@Insider

The post Meghan Markle’s mental health struggles echo Princess Diana’s experience appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

A HEALTHY ADDICTION – 

March 11, 2021 – for giving me the loving nudge that started my journey,” he captioned the side-by-side image that referenced his “Jackass” co-star Johnny Knoxville.

Steve-O starred on the MTV reality series between 2000-2002, and went on to appear alongside Knoxville, 50, in the subsequent “Jackass” movies.  “Love this. Love u too Steve O. Proud of u. Congrats!” Knoxville commented on the photo.   This isn’t the first time Steve-O publicly credited Knoxville with helping him get sober, however. On his 10-year anniversary of sobriety in 2018, he said, “I just can’t put into words how grateful I am for @JohnnyKnoxville and the rest of the guys who locked me up in a psychiatric ward on March 9, 2008, where this journey began. Thank you, dudes, I really love you…”

Steve-O’s fiancée, Lux Wright, also celebrated the milestone on social media. “Happy 13 years of sobriety to my Baybuh!! Love you getchu” she captioned a photo of him in a hot tub. The pair announced their engagement in January 2018. Steve-O is certainly not the first “Jackass” cast member to struggle in the wake of the show, which led to many injuries over the years.

more@PageSix

The post Steve-O ‘So grateful’ for 13 years of sobriety appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

HAND “HIGH” COORDINATION – 

March 7, 2021 – In other words, don’t be so quick to get behind the wheel of your car, even if you feel “all the way there” after one glass.

You might wonder why NASA is looking into the effects of alcohol. We know what you’re thinking but, no, it’s not because astronauts are constantly throwing parties up in space. (Sigh).

“People should not take this paper to mean that NASA is interested in alcohol,” Stone clarifies. “NASA’s interest in this research is in supporting the development of such technologies in support of remote and non-invasive health evaluations during space travel, but of course there could be earth-bound applications as well.”

For more on how your alcoholic beverages could be affecting your body, be sure to check out What Happens To Your Body If You Drink Alcohol Every Day.

more@EatThis

The post Major Side Effect Just One Alcoholic Drink Has on Your Body appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – NEW LIFE OF GIVING – 

March 5, 2021 – “I would appear in court and beg the judge to please don’t let her leave the courtroom because there were days that I felt like if she did that, I wouldn’t see her again,” said Metheney. Lissy’s struggle came to an end on April 26, 2020.

“My youngest son’s 13th birthday,” said Metheney. “She made a very costly mistake.” Despite being clean during the pregnancy with her son, Lissy returned to the drug and overdosed when he was just 2 months old.

“Lissy’s still here. Lissy is with us. That’s Lissy’s smile. Malachi has Lissy’s smile,” said Emerald Cancel.

Cancel is Lissy’s aunt.

“Losing her was like losing like a part of me,” said Cancel.

Within months of her niece’s death, Cancel was looking for ways to turn her family’s grief into action.

“We had to do something to keep Lissy’s memory alive,” said Cancel.

more@News5Cleveland

The post Family turns tragic loss into ‘Lissy’s Legacy of Love appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.