Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

She was like nun other – 

Jan. 9, 2021 – That patient would be the first of millions to participate in the 20-step programme of recovery, the beginning of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA), which she founded with Dr. Bob in St. Thomas Hospital.

Many of the ideas of AA – including the use of tokens to mark milestones in sobriety – were introduced by Gavin. She would give alcoholics leaving St. Thomas Hospital a medallion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, instructing them that the acceptance of the medallion represented commitment to God, to AA, and to recovery. She added that if they were going to drink, they should first return the medallion.

One day during the ‘30s, Sister Ignatia received a phone call from ‘Bill’ who told her that he was going to have to return his Sacred Heart badge because ‘I’ve had a rough morning and I’m going out to get a drink’.

The Sister sighed, and then told him, ‘Don’t do it. Wait until you finish work at 5 o’clock and then call me again. I’ll pray for you. Whatever you do, don’t send that badge back.’

At 5 o’clock, ‘Bill’ rang back. ‘It’s OK, Sister. I never took that drink, I think I’m going to be alright now thanks to the Sacred Heart and you.’

Such telephone calls were not uncommon because Sister Ignatia had ministered to thousands of men and women who had succumbed to alcoholism for many years.

more@Con-Telegraph

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – One good turn at a time –  

Jan. 8, 2021 – “There’s trash everywhere, there’s people everywhere, like, I was sleeping in abandoned buildings,” she said. “It’s so out of control that they can’t really get any law and order out there. So, it’s like a free-for-all.”

Cohen skated by with the lifelong support of her single mother, Jennifer Shablin. In fact, it was her mother’s tough decision that set Megan on a course to recovery.

“Her addiction was so bad that she should be dead,” said Shablin. “I had two choices. Either visit her grave or visit her in jail.”

After some time keeping her daughter out of the house, Shablin decided to turn her into the local Sheriff. Cohen spent time in prison and recovery programs before going clean in 2019.

“It was actually complete strangers that showed me kindness when I was out there and it, like, planted a seed of hope,” Cohen said. “I wish that the kindness my family showed me would have done that but it didn’t. It didn’t because I expected it.”

It was that spark of random acts of kindness that Cohen wanted to pay forward when she created The Grace Project. Started in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Megan’s non-profit gives back to struggling addicts.

Every Thursday night, friends and family join Megan on a trip to Kensington. They distribute food, jackets, and toiletries in addition to sweeping the littered streets.

“There’s people openly using drugs. There’s people with serious medical issues being unattended to,” said Shane Williams, who became a volunteer following his own recovery. “It was shocking to see that a place like that not too far from where I live existed.”

more@6ABC

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Or Does It? – 

Jan. 10, 2020 – Trying to prevent that is Porn Addiction Coach Tim Reigle, and his summation of the condition is surprising. “Porn addiction has nothing to do with sex, it’s to do with how we cope with pain and emotions that we can’t handle – it’s an escape.”

Tim, 34, is from Pennsylvania and knows what he’s talking about. He became hooked on porn as a teenager and struggled to deal with it all the way through his adult life. It culminated in him having multiple affairs, nearly destroying his marriage and his relationship with kids.

“It led to a lot of depression which just continued the cycle. I got caught a few times by my wife and others but each time like any good liar, I got better at not getting caught. My wife and I separated for a while but when I got caught by my two best friends and they disowned me, that was a wake-up call. I had to look in the mirror,” he said.

That happened almost four years ago and he vowed to use his experiences to help others. Part of that is his free ebook Power Over Porn, which takes addicts through a 10-step process. However, the bigger part of his role is to help sufferers one-on-one, some who may be masturbating five times a day.

more@RT

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

UNFAIR –  

Jan. 12, 2021 – The psychiatrist, Dr. Naomi Jones, reportedly said she was unable to determine whether Williams was fit for duty, according to the document.

School officials determined that Williams would need to complete a specific treatment program with Jones – which the lawsuit alleges was contrary to treatment she was already receiving from her own doctors.

Jones’ treatment plan ‘insisted that Dr. Williams sign a contract stating that she would be given monthly injections of Vivitrol for one year,’ according to the document.

Williams’ doctors, however, did not believe that the injections would be necessary and ‘all opposed the Vivitrol injections for her treatment.’

Vivitrol, also known as naltrexone, is a an injection used to treat dependency on alcohol and opioids. 

The principal was later taken off administrative leave and put on medical leave, before being notified just days later on April 8, 2019 that her contract would not be renewed.

‘Dr. Williams’ emotional distress includes but is not limited to severe depression and anxiety, significant weight loss, upset stomach, misery and hopelessness,’ according to the lawsuit.

more@DailyMail

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

It takes all kinds – 

Jan. 10, 2021 – Stopped at the gate by Zuzana Poláčková, one of the staff at Hope Farm, Ainsley bleated her disapproval then trotted by the chickens in their coop across the field from two large greenhouses.

Along with the farm portion on the Point Edward property is Hope House, a live-in recovery home for women healing from substance abuse disorders. It opened almost three years ago and since then it has grown to include a farm and small business that makes products, including goat milk soap. “The goats were given to us when we first opened. And the thing about goats is they multiply,” said Dr. Laura Whyte, chair of the board of directors for Hope House and co-founder of the project, laughing.

more@TheGuardian

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

What goes around… –  

Jan. 10, 2021 – For years, Cohen lived in a perpetual state of hunger, trauma and pain. Eventually, she landed on the streets of Kensington, the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast.

Not long after Santiago offered her a ride, two other “angels” stepped into her path — one gave her a hot meal and a place to shower; another offered her cold water and encouraging words.

Today, the power of those moments fuels Cohen’s faith in humankind and strengthens her resolve to save others who feel trapped, as she once did, in the throes of addiction.

Nearly two years after her chance encounters, Cohen, 27, is in recovery, has reunited with her family, and found her way back to school and steady work in Bucks County.

more@CSMonitor

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Barbaric prison system victim –  

Jan. 9, 2021 – “He is a living example of the inequities in the system that existed due to the Rockefeller-era drug laws and has spent more than a decade working in the pursuit of justice for others,” Cuomo said. “The power of clemency is one I take very seriously, and Tony Papa’s work and deeds made it clear to me he was deserving of a pardon.”

Papa was convicted on drug sale and possession charges after he was caught holding just over 4 ounces of cocaine a friend paid him $500 to take from the Bronx to Mount Vernon in Westchester County.

“It was Christmastime, I had no money, I had to pay my rent and I got desperate,” Papa said. “And when you get desperate, you do stupid things.”

While in prison, Papa focused on art, and one of his paintings — a self-portrait — was selected for an exhibition at the Whitney Museum.

After Pataki commuted his sentence, Papa became an activist for reforming the Rockefeller laws. He formed the group Mothers of the New York Disappeared to advocate for change and also went to work for the Drug Policy Alliance.

more@NYDailyNews

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – What we worry – 

Jan. 13, 2021 – “When you give them $600 they’re going to really take it to the limit and that really will raise your chances of losing your life,” said Thomas Gooch, the Prevention Director for Street Works- an HIV advocacy center. Among its services Street Works runs a certified needle exchange program. “We provide clean syringes for individuals who use the syringes. We also dispose used syringes. We provide treatment referrals to where we try to get people into alcohol and drug treatment to help them out.” Gooch said Nashville drugs that were once hard to get are now cheaper and easier to find. “At one point in time, it was so difficult to get heroin. Now heroin is the cheapest drug to use.” 

But equipped with new stimulus checks in people’s pockets, he worries things are about to get worse.

“What we found out was that the overdose rate spiked from the last stimulus checks and what we’re trying to do is be ready. We’re trying to provide Narcan for individuals, put it in the hands of every individual who comes to get clean syringes and any other kind of supplies that we provide.”

more@NewsChannel5

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Not Without Blemishes –  

Jan. 13, 2021 – “Since the onset of COVID, alcohol use skyrocketed as a coping mechanism. Everyone’s looking for relief. People drink for relaxation, to calm nerves, to sleep, as a ritual, to escape boredom, depression, a past event, or a present problem. They drink socially and as a reward. It easily becomes a habit. People believe drinking relaxes us, but it’s really just dulling the brain and our ability to analyze and process information. Ultimately it causes us to zone out and not care,” she said. Temin specializes in helping clients with goals, habits, relationships, weight, alcohol and sleep. For diagnostic purposes, clinicians categorize symptoms and label conditions to help people resolve problems. Despite good intentions, labels can breed judgment, which further debilitates people, she said. Quantity guidelines are traditionally used to identify how much alcohol consumption creates a problem. Temin believes personal information such as age, medications, food intake, body mass, brain function, mental and physical health influence how much a person can safely drink.

more@AtlantaJewishTimes

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Stick with the Winners! –

January 15, 2021 – Dr. Allen Berger’s professional career spans over 49 years, since 1971. After returning from a combat tour of duty in Vietnam in 1971, USMC Corporal Berger became a counselor at the Koneohe Marine Corps Air Station – Drug Exemption Program, helping fellow marines who were returning from Vietnam with drug problems discover recovery. 

This experience inspired him to become a clinical psychologist. A daunting task for a high school drop-out. In 1987 his dream came true when he graduated from UC Davis with a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. 

Dr. Berger is a talented and gifted clinician. His clinical acumen was developed and honed by the fantastic clinical training he received from Dr. Walter Kempler, a pioneer in family therapy, and Dr. William C. Rader, a pioneer in addiction psychiatry. 

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your Drug of Choice? and when did you stop using?
A. I have been in recovery since 1971. I was the third Marine admitted to a new program designed to help the Vietnam Veteran who was returning to the States with a drug problem. This past summer I celebrated 49 years of recovery. 

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice or a wicked twist of fate.
A. Yes I believe addiction is a medical disease. It is the result of the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual forces. If I look at the function of addiction in our lives, I see it as an attempt to achieve emotional freedom. It’s the easier softer way, but at the time the only way. Recovery is about achieving emotional freedom or achieving a true independence of spirit. 

Q. Do you log on to ZOOM 12-step meetings? How often? Do you share?
A. Yes I do, and speak often. In fact I started an Emotional Sobriety Anonymous meeting as a community service. It has become quite popular. We are currently discussing each of the 12 Steps of AA and how they operate to achieve emotional sobriety. It is on Thursday evenings from 7 – 8 pm PST. Zoom ID: 330-149-513. PW: 375-986: 

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