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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

…AND PLEASURABLE – 

March 8, 2021 – The road to recovery

McCallum said he’s hopeful that his story can help people better understand the reality of overcoming substance addiction, and what they can do to help.

“My addiction started while in high school, changing the trajectory of my life,” McCallum said in an email. “I was a ‘straight A’ student in ninth grade and was very anti-drugs. I was raised as a Jehovah’s witness, and I was educated in school to the dangers of alcohol and other substances.”

He said it was around that time that many of his close friends began drinking and smoking.

“It looked fun, and they did not appear to have any negative consequences,” he said. “Soon, I began using these substances also. I quickly lost interest in attending school or studying, and I dropped out from Stevenson High School.”

That’s when he began to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression, which led him to see a doctor who prescribed narcotic medications. He was also prescribed opioid medications around the same time, after a dental procedure — his first introduction to opioids and the start of what would become a long-term dependence with many consequences.

McCallum’s recovery began shortly after he was accepted into a sobriety program at Warren’s 37th District Court, which included participation in a 12-step program, counseling and recovery coaching. He and his mother also began attending meetings of Families Against Narcotics, hearing the stories of other people with family members who were struggling with addiction.

“I understand now that addiction is a family disease, because the impact the disease has extends to the entire family,”…

more@CandGNews

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

BOOK REVIEW – 

MARCH 11, 2021 – “I wouldn’t have written ‘Model Citizen’ if I hadn’t had the fourth stroke,” Mohr recalls in a phone conversation from his home in Seattle. In 2015, Mohr learned that he has an 8-millimeter hole in his heart, which dramatically increases the odds that a blood clot will travel to his brain. Adding irony to injury: Following surgery to repair his heart, he is prescribed fentanyl. It’s not for nothing that the second part of “Model Citizen” is called “The Freelapse.” After moving with his family from San Francisco to Seattle, Mohr suffers a fourth stroke, which he describes as chillingly mundane: At home watching a John Cassavetes film one afternoon, he feels his arm go numb. Following another round of treatment, doctors tell him he’s unlikely to live past his 40s. For Mohr, it’s a reason to double down on what he’s accomplished: being a good husband and father and a dedicated writer.

more@LATimes

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

STRENGTH AND BEAUTY – 

March 10, 2021 – Talking about her struggles with addiction isn’t new for Kristen Johnston, but the “3rd Rock from the Sun” actor is now approaching 14 years of sobriety and is sharing some of the hard lessons she’s learned along the way. In a new interview with journalist Elizabeth Vargas on her “Heart of the Matter” podcast, the 53-year-old reflected on what it was like to be a “functioning alcoholic/addict” early on in her career.

“Just thinking about that time in my life, it gives me chills,” she said.The actor described her addiction as an “off-and-on relationship” and said it worsened after she wrapped the hit series in 2001. “Certainly I struggled with it on that show but not to the extent where I missed stuff or was high during the show taping. So I was able to keep a lid on it for a couple of years and then we became married (me and my opiates) a couple years after ‘3rd Rock’ and it was a very abusive relationship,” she said.  Johnston, whose sister died in August 2020 after battling addiction, said it was challenging to watch her sister struggle while she, herself, was in recovery.  “It was just a very painful thing for my family,” she said. “So I connect to (the loved ones) of addicts and the addict because I’ve been both. I really understand how painful it is to love an addict. I don’t know which one is a greater hell.” The actor admitted that it took a lot of time, energy and money to keep up her addiction and said she’s relieved that she found the strength to seek out help when she did.  “The thing I’m happiest about in my life is that I’m no longer using,” she said.

more@Today

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

NO NAMES or PET NAMES? – 

Feb. 18, 2021 – A quote I like by Dr. Pat Allen is, “Anyone can have sex. Not everyone can make love. Some people only have sex, but those who can make love can do both.”

https://www.communicatewithjoi.com/blog/do-it-sober-sex-and-making-love

So, however long you are sober, are you up for some great sex and making love? If yes, get ready for some juicy experiences. Some of you, I realize, may be abstaining for awhile, or don’t have a partner at the moment. That’s okay. This information will serve to desensitize you for when the time comes. For those of you in sexual relationships now, or anyone about to embark on any new sexual activity, here are some tips on how to create a rich and fulfilling sex/love life in recovery … For anyone who wants a deeper dive into this subject, many books abound. For sober people sex can be addictive, confusing or taboo, so gathering information is a good idea. Honestly sharing any troubling thoughts with a professional or other trustworthy, sober people you admire will be key. If you are openminded and willing to to be a new YOU in the bedroom (or in the kitchen or wherever), you will discover the freedom and joy in your ability to have sex and make love.

In recovery, you’ve got your brain back, and have reconnected to your heart. This means you can learn to make love. YOU can make love. How freaking amazing is that? 

more@CommunicateWithJoi

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

DRIVING HOME SOBER – 

March 12, 2021 – My father was an alcoholic and he, too, appeared to anyone outside of our home as one of the friendliest, happiest guys around. The people on the outside didn’t see how the demons of alcohol affected him and our family before he got sober and saved his life and our family.

These were the things Kirk, who’s married with three boys ages 3, 7 and 9 years old, faced.

So, on April 29, 2019, in a hotel room in, of all places, New Orleans — the party capital of America — Kirk experienced his come-to-Jesus moment. He decided enough was enough, that he could no longer control and hide his drinking.

Less than two years removed from that lonely — but brave and powerful — moment, Kirk enters the weekend of The Players Championship two shots behind leader Lee Westwood at 7-under after shooting 65 on Friday, the low round of the tournament.

“There was a time when I’d be on the 15th hole at a tournament and I couldn’t wait to finish so I could go get a drink,’’ Kirk told The Post on Friday. “It became medication for anxiety, fear, some occasional depression and feeling pretty worthless. I couldn’t live a functional life without [alcohol]. I couldn’t wait to get done playing golf so I could get back on it. It was a bad cycle.’’

more@NYPost

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