Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – Time to stretch… –  

Oct. 1, 2020 – The organization has provided free athletic activities and a sober support community to more than 36,000 people across the United States. Now, clients can log on to free virtual classes offered throughout the day — everything from yoga and strength training to meditation and recovery meetings. “We hadn’t done virtual programming before, but we pretty quickly learned that it allowed the Phoenix to offer programs to rural communities that we historically couldn’t reach,” Strode said.

The group now has people in recovery joining classes from all across the US, and four other countries. They’ve also been able to bring their programming into prisons nationwide by recording content that is then distributed to inmates.

“I don’t think we’re going to find some magic solution that’s going to fix addiction in all of our communities,” Strode said. “I think we have to do it as a community and be there for each other — letting people step into the pride and strength in their recovery can get us out of this.”

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – No Escaping –

Oct. 2, 2020 – “Running is a big part of my sobriety tool kit. I use it when I’m having a hard day or I feel triggered,” said Rosales.

For about ten years, Rosales said she suffered with addiction to alcohol, she’s almost two years sober. The runner said it wasn’t easy to run her first couple of races but said the medals she won at the end of her races were tangible proof of what she’s overcome.

“To me it illustrates simply taking action. No pun intended put a step at a time and so looking back at her running journey a year and a half ago, she probably wouldn’t believe she’d be this marathon runner running upwards of 50 miles a week,” said running friend Marcos Avila.

Rosales said she’s sharing her story in hopes of helping some in her community.

“I just hope that Latinos take away that it’s ok to talk about having alcohol issues addiction issues,” said Rosales.

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Stigma in high places –  

Oct. 1, 2020 – “Addiction is a medical condition that affects millions of Americans each year, irrespective of any demographic. It is a disease, not a moral or character failing,” Marvin Ventrell, CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, told The Daily Beast. “It is inappropriate, harmful, hurtful, and irresponsible when a public figure or person of influence disparages people suffering from addiction.”

“Pointing out a father because his son may have struggled in the past with a substance use disorder is wholly unconstructive and serves to perpetuate misconceived perceptions of addiction,” said Dr. Paul H. Earley, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). “Our nation must respond with compassion and evidence-based treatments if we want to treat addiction and save lives.”

Trump’s comments, which characterized substance use as a character failure, also undercut the hard-fought understanding in the medical community that addiction is a disease, said Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical director of American Addiction Centers, which provides treatment for substance use disorders.

more@DailyBeast

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Stick with the Winners! –

October 1, 2020 – Laura Martella is an accountability and certified recovery coach with over 20 years of active sobriety. She has a strong track record for creating sustainable change in the lives of her clients.Laura’s 90 day one on one accountability program teaches her clients how to transform their daily habits into acts of intention and self care. Her personalized plan offers practical and relatable guidance on how to simplify “ eating clean “ in today’s world of unlimited choices. Laura reminds us there is no “magic pill, shake or powder.” Her comprehensive program with defined goal setting and daily reinforcement with her clients makes her unique in driving sustainable transformation. It starts with a commitment for self care, proper nutrition and a mindset to improve one’s life. 

Laura is a true accountability partner with her clients. Laura’s film, “If You Are Still Breathing” is featured in The REEL Recovery Film Festival this November 6-12 available on Film Festival Flix. She is the author of Gentleman Norman How To Be A Man.

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your Drug of Choice? – and when did you stop using?
A. Alcohol did it for me. I got sober at 35.

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice or a wicked twist of fate?
A. I definitely believe it is a physical, mental and spiritual disease. The description in the Drs. Opinion in our Big Book explains it perfectly. An allergy of the body coupled with a mental obsession.

Q.  Do you log on to ZOOM 12-step meetings? How often? Do you share?
A. I do an average of 3 meetings a week. I go through stages where I feel I need to share. Other times I really need to listen.

Full Profile@AddictionRecoveryeBulleetin

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Lightweight –  

October 3, 2020 – “She was like, ‘Baby, I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen anybody drink that much. Like, you’re kind of scaring me,’” he quoted her saying, noting she asked him whether he would wake up. Furlan, who is Lee’s fourth wife, was a viral star on Vine and now has over 2 million Instagram followers. She opened up about her relationship with the rocker on the Netflix documentary “The American Meme.””I met someone who I can trust because I didn’t trust anybody that I’ve dated before. I’d say Tommy is my first true love and I’m finally safe and happy,” Furlan said. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”The pair started dating in 2017, but Lee said he’s known of the social media star for much longer: “I’ve been following her for years on Vine and I was like, ‘She is so (expletive) funny and stupid and cute and beautiful.’  After hearing her worries, he decided to seek help. He went to a rehab facility and kicked the vodka to the curb. This isn’t the first time Lee has been sober. He said in the video that he goes through phases and had been sober for four years at one point. He’s not sure this will be a decision that will last forever, he told Yahoo. 

more@USAToday

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Groovy –

October 1, 2020 – On September 21, the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan voted unanimously to decriminalize naturally occurring psychedelics. It becomes the fourth US city in two years to adopt such a reform. However, lawmakers added a late amendment to the resolution that alters its scope. Commercial manufacture and sales, driving under the influence, “public disturbance” and distribution in schools will remain firmly illegal. 

The city also calls upon the Washtenaw County prosecutor to stop charging people for offenses related to use of these drugs. The resolution cites clinical research, anecdotal evidence, and historical and traditional use of psychedelics for medicinal, therapeutic and spiritual purposes.

The sponsors of the resolution, local group Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, feel that while the reform is unlikely to have a large impact on criminal justice in the city, it still helps to push a necessary conversation about drugs. “We think this move is more symbolic of what is already happening in Ann Arbor,” Myc Williams, the group’s communications director, told Filter. “According to the chief of police there have only been six arrests in Ann Arbor since 2017, and none in 2020.”

Williams suggested that the successful vote allows groups like his to move forward with public education around psychedelics, so people can talk about how to use them safely. “[We are] working closely with Michigan Psychedelic Society and Michigan DanceSafe to provide educational materials and resources,” he said, “as well as creating a ‘community container,’ to not only address education and safe consumption, but also ensure that communities that stand to benefit most and are hardest to reach have equity in access, provide spaces for integration, and continue the conversation.”

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

WATCH – He can call himself anything he wants –

Sept. 28, 2020 – Mike Tyson was 41-1 as a pro boxer — his lone loss coming against James ‘Buster’ Douglas — when he was convicted of rape in 1991. Tyson was sentenced to prison for six years but served three. He returned to boxing in 1995, and although he made quick work of Peter McNeeley in his return to the ring, Tyson was never the same.

After the McNeeley fight, Tyson went 8-5 in his next 13 bouts. Despite raking in more than $300 million during his boxing days, Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003. In 2006, Tyson was arrested for suspicion of DUI and felony drug possession. He’s admitted he has a substance abuse problem. 

In 2005, Tyson, according to USA Today, said, “My whole life has been a waste — I’ve been a failure. I just want to escape. I’m really embarrassed with myself and my life. I want to be a missionary and I think I could do that while keeping my dignity without letting people know they chased me out of the country. I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible.”

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

When some go High/Others go Low –  

Sep. 29, 2020 – 

1. Methamphetamine Number of drug reports: 417867 Percent of all cases: 27.47% Methamphetamine was most common in the South (183427 reports). 4. Heroin Number of drug reports: 127641 Percent of all cases: 8.39% Heroin was most common in the Northeast (33678 reports). 3. Cocaine Number of drug reports: 209086 Percent of all cases: 13.74% Cocaine was most common in the South (87581 reports).

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

New York Times – Real (Bad) News –

Sep. 28, 2020 – In the six months since Covid-19 brought the nation to a standstill, the opioid epidemic has taken a sharp turn for the worse. More than 40 states have recorded increases in opioid-related deaths since the pandemic began, according to the American Medical Association. In Arkansas, the use of Narcan, an overdose-reversing drug, has tripled. Jacksonville, Fla., has seen a 40 percent increasein overdose-related calls. In March alone, York County in Pennsylvania recorded three times more overdose deaths than normal. For Mr. Cameron, the shutdown of daily life in the spring not only led him back to drugs, but led him to use alone — an especially dangerous proposition.

“Usually he would use with somebody, especially if it’s a different dealer or different batch,” said his mother, Tara Reil. “I don’t think he had that person to use with, to have that safety net.”

more@NYTimes

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Depends who you ask –  

Sep. 29, 2020 – It used to be against the law to treat narcotic addicts with narcotics (The Harrison Act). In 2000, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) changed that. DATA gave physicians the ability to treat opioid dependency with narcotic medications, mainly buprenorphine (the main ingredient in Suboxone), which is considered a schedule III drug. Physicians were also allowed to use schedule IV drugs, schedule V drugs, or any combination thereof.

To put this in perspective, schedule IV drugs include benzodiazepines, one of the most addictive substances known to man. “In the US, prescriptions for benzodiazepines more than tripled and fatal overdoses more than quadrupled in the past 20 years” since 2000, the year DATA was passed. ”Benzos” are becoming an epidemic in their own right.

An example of a schedule V drug could be Gabapentin, which has been moved to schedule V in some states, due to its well-known abuse potential. Gabapentin has also been shown to affect the brain’s ability to form new synapses, which is crucial in recovering from addiction. I have seen a single client prescribed an opioid, a benzo, a stimulant, and gabapentin numerous times a day, every day, as part of treatment prescribed by an addiction treatment professional—regardless of the fact the client continued to relapse on illicit drugs. When I ask myself, “How is this possible?” the Drug Addiction Treatment Act answers the question.

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