| | “My weakness is sweets. I like bread pudding and cheesecake in particular.”
– Vivek H. Murthy (unemployed doctor) | | Articles, Videos & Breaking News | Powered by Writers In Treatment
| | April 25, 2017 Treatment Industry & Recovery Community News Vol. 4., No. 38
| | Vivek H. Murthy, Foreigner!
U.S. Surgeon General is removed by Trump… April 22, 2017 – Murthy, 39, was the 19th surgeon general of the United States. He was a native of the United Kingdom and a graduate of Harvard College as well as the Yale University schools of medicine and business … In a post on Facebook, Murthy wrote that “for the grandson of a poor farmer from India to be asked by the President to look out for the health of an entire nation was a humbling and uniquely American story. I will always be grateful to our country for welcoming my immigrant family nearly 40 years ago and giving me this opportunity to serve.” His dismissal came on the eve of the March for Science… | | | Happy Hour(s) VIDEO
April 19, 2017 – New research indicates that American women are drinking more than ever before, with many of them binge drinking. A study conducted by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that there has been a drastic rise in binge drinking among women, especially those who are white, educated, between the ages of 35 and 54, and who have a high social background … The NIAAA defies binge drinking as when a woman consumes four or more drinks in about two hours. For men, that number is five or more drinks in about two hours. In the video player, Joelle Jacobson, an addiction specialist at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Los Angeles, helps explain the rise in binge drinking among women. | | | Compassionism NPR AUDIO
April 18, 2017 – Under the 2001 decriminalization law, authored by Goulão, drug dealers are still sent to prison. But anyone caught with less than a 10-day supply of any drug – including heroin – gets mandatory medical treatment. No judge, no courtroom, no jail. Instead they end up in a sparsely furnished, discreet, unmarked office in downtown Lisbon, for counseling with government sociologists, who decide whether to refer them to drug treatment centers … For every person in Portugal who cannot escape addiction, there’s daily methadone, counseling and free treatment. A generation ago, these addicts were put in jail. Now they’re on the street. But polls show the Portuguese – having lived through the ravages of a heroin epidemic – overwhelmingly support this policy. | | | Royal Garden Hotel, 2-4 Kensington High St. London
UK EU Addiction Conference of Leading Scholars and Providers April 14, 2017 – It’s a only week to go until the International Conference on Addiction and Associated Disorders at the Royal Garden Hotel in London – where over 60 expert speakers will take part in 3 days of presentations, panels and workshops on an enormous variety of themes and topics around the subjects of addiction and mental health. With over 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development available, iCAAD is the most cost effective way of collecting your credits, in a unique, relaxed and informal environment unlike any other conference you’ve ever been to. | | | Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows…
| | | | Repugnant or Ridiculous and Sad?
April 19, 2017 – .”What’s up, everyone,” chirps the 34-year-old mother of four, after the show’s sleek titles dissolve in what feels more like a makeup tutorial. But this is a different kind of how-to video, and VanEaton is a new strain of mommy blogger. “I am the Stoner Mom, and this is the Stoner Mom show,” VanEaton greets her viewers. “For today’s show, we are just going to do a solo stoner session together. Me and you. Because that’s all I have planned…” But in addition to my role as mother and wife, I am also an enthusiastic medical + recreational marijuana advocate. In plainer terms, I smoke a lot of pot,” she continues. | | | They Needed a Poll for This?
Poll: Americans think marijuana safer than opioids April 18, 2017 – Americans think it’s safer to use marijuana than opioids to relieve pain, but they were less comfortable with children and pregnant women using pot to treat medical conditions, according to a new Yahoo/Marist poll released Monday. Two-thirds of the respondents in the telephone survey said opioid drugs such as Vicodin or OxyContin are “riskier” to use than pot, even when the pain pills are prescribed by a doctor … Trump said as a candidate that states should be allowed to tinker with marijuana laws. But new U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said marijuana is dangerous and marijuana changes by states should not be allowed. | | | A Master Speaks
Irvin D. Yalom on How We Glean Our Sense of Purpose “The sole purpose of human existence,” Carl Jung wrote in his notebooks, “is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” In a universe devoid of purpose in the human sense, in which we are but a cosmic accident, the darkness of mere being can easily overwhelm us – and yet we go on striking the match of meaning. “However vast the darkness,” Stanley Kubrick urged in a 1968 interview, “we must supply our own light.” How we supply that light is what the great existential psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom (b. June 13, 1931) explores in a portion of the wholly illuminating 1989 classic Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy. | | | If You Can Afford It NPR AUDIO
April 17, 2017 – She was getting high on whatever drugs she could get her hands on. She was suicidal. Berkowitz moved into a therapeutic boarding school to get sober, but could only stay sober while she was on campus during the week. “I’d come home and try to stay sober really hard – really, really hard,” says Berkowitz. “Sometimes I’d make it through the weekend, and sometimes I just couldn’t make it. It was white-knuckling it, just holding on. | | | From Loss Comes Hope
Family Whose Son Died From Overdose Donates $1M to Hospital April 18, 2017 – A Chicago hospital has received a $1 million donation to start a substance abuse program for teens and young adults. The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital announced the donation from the Jordan Michael Filler Foundation on Tuesday. The foundation was formed by Julie and Mark Filler, whose son Jordan died of a heroin overdose in 2014 at age 23. It supports programs that help teens and young adults struggling with substance abuse, particularly opioid addictions. | | | Everyone Should Know
How Do Former Opioid Addicts Safely Get Pain Relief After Surgery? April 20, 2017 – Max Baker is one such case. He started using prescription pain pills as a teenager in New England and quickly moved on to heroin. His father, Dr. James Baker, is a physician in the Worcester, Mass., area, and says he saw signs that his son was high on opioids – in Max’s pupils and skin tone. He begged Max to stop. “He would have slurred speech, and be nodding off at the dinner table, and we’d go to a concert together and he would disappear and come back acting differently,” James Baker says. | | | No Comment
A business approach to the drug addiction crisis 04/19/17 – I know this from personal experience. My son Brian went to eight different treatment programs, and none of them followed evidenced-based quality measures. We cycled in and out of treatments, wondering why none of them were working. After his last treatment program, he was able to remain substance free for 13 months. However, five weeks after his one-year anniversary, the guilt and shame of addiction overwhelmed him and he took his own life. Since then, I made it my mission to find solutions that will save other parents from the suffering what my family had to endure. | | | Those Darn Municipalities
Another Sober Living Entity Sues City On April 20, 2017 -Dual Diagnostics, which does business as Sovereign Health, is also currently in a federal lawsuit as the plaintiff and the respondent in a county lawsuit in which the city is the plaintiff. The city has a lawsuit against Dual Diagnostics in Orange County Superior Court for what they allege are constant municipal code violations, and they are trying to establish various cease and desist orders. Before the start of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, a gathering of sober living home operators protested the zoning ordinances outside City Hall. It wasn’t exactly clear which organizations they represented, but the apparent leader of the protest,..”Communities are only safe when those with mental illness receive quality care,” Noble said to a small crowd. “We’re here to protest against ordinances that discriminate against our disabled residents within all neighborhoods of San Clemente.” | | | Dramatic & Effective VIDEO
| | | Uncover Discover Dwell On VIDEO
5 Stereotypes about drug addiction from a former addict VIDEO On the one-year-anniversary of Prince’s death, there are still many fans who are shocked at the way the beloved singer died. There’s also many unanswered questions surrounding his death. An affidavit unsealed Monday showed a doctor who saw Prince in the days before he died had prescribed oxycodone under the name of Prince’s friend. The documents suggest Prince was struggling with an addiction. Prince, 57, was found in an elevator at his Paisley Park home. Autopsy results showed he died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic drug 50 times more powerful than heroin. Oxycodone was not listed as a cause of Prince’s death. The documents don’t say where Prince got the fentanyl, which was illegally obtained. WATCH MORE @ 13NewsNow.com | | | Supply and Demand
Why Addiction Recovery is Such a Difficult Market Most companies, facing such potential and such competition, would turn toward marketing and advertising strategies to build more brand visibility, highlight your company’s unique advantages, and of course, attract more potential clients. However, for addiction recovery centers, marketing isn’t exactly straightforward. The Challenges of Addiction Recovery Marketing … The addiction recovery industry, if it can be called that, faces challenges that aren’t a problem for other niches. These are some of the biggest obstacles… | | | Tools for Sustaining Sobriety
April 23, 2017 – The brainchild of Dr. Alan Gordon – medical chief for alcohol and drug addictions at Butler and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University – the pilot program has been offered to 17 people so far. “Every single one of them was really seriously drinking,” says Gordon, a nationally prominent addiction and alcoholism expert. Every one would have qualified for inpatient treatment, had they wanted it … “I use the analogy of a home-alarm company with a central station that could do a whole town – or nationally.”
“Remote patient monitoring is changing the way health care is provided,” says Soberlink CEO Brad Keays. | | | Stick With The Winners
Addiction/Recovery eBulletin’s New EXECUTIVE CORNER Howard Josepher, LCSW, is Co-founder & President of Exponents, non-profit, community-based organization in New York City dedicated to improving the quality of life of those affected by drug addiction, HIV/AIDS and re-entry to the community after incarceration. Mr. Josepher has been in the substance abuse treatment field for over forty-five years.
Q: What was your DOC and when did you discontinue its use?
A: Heroin. I quit in 1967-it will be 50 years at the end of [May].
Q: At which of the schools you attended did you learn the most?
A: College-Long Island University
Q: Do you believe leaders are made or born?
A: Made
Q: Have you ever been arrested and, if so, what for?
A: Burglary, forgery, drug possession
ALL 20 QUESTIONS and ANSWERS click HERE | | | Go Make a Movie
REEL Recovery Film Festival is a social, educational, networking and recovery forum showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals who make films about addiction and recovery. Our audience is treatment professionals, people in recovery, members of the entertainment industry, media representatives, educated moviegoers & the general public. Addiction/Recovery eBulletin Publisher & Editor: Leonard Buschel © 2017 Addiction/Recovery eBulletin® | | | | GIRLS Just Wanna Have…
Jemima Kirke Reminds Us That Rehab Is Different for Everyone April 14, 2017 – Jemima Kirke wants you to remember that substance abuse recovery looks different for everyone. The 31-year-old Girls actress recently appeared on the podcast Recover Girl to discuss her history with alcohol and drug abuse. Though Kirke first entered a rehab program when she was 23, she struggled to fit in and get treatment that met her individual needs. Kirke didn’t feel like an addict-rather, she recognized her substance abuse patterns as problematic. “I didn’t relate to the psychic need for the alcohol,” Kirke says in the podcast. “I recognized it as a tool, and I know how to use it as a tool… | | | Helping to Make $ Difference
Advanced Recovery Systems and DrugRehab.com Introduce New Online Resource for Achieving, Maintaining Sobriety & increasing profitability April 18, 2017 PRNewswire – People struggling with sobriety can access a new, free resource for overcoming alcohol and drug use disorders. Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS), a leader in behavioral health care management, and DrugRehab.com have introduced a medically reviewed e-book that teaches readers to live without substances of abuse … Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS) is an integrated behavioral healthcare management company dedicated to the treatment of addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders, and mental health issues. ARS’s network of treatment centers includes: READ MORE @ Finance.Yahoo.com | | | HIGHER SCIENCE (not an endorsement)
New study reveals psychedelic drugs may actually heighten consciousness April 19, 2017 – The new paper is rooted in some of the strangest and most exciting research at the frontier of neuroscience: the exploration of consciousness. Consciousness is mysterious. Neuroscientists don’t have a good working definition of it, and there isn’t a clear scientific distinction between a being with consciousness and a being without it. Consciousness doesn’t have an obvious role in the brain, though most people are pretty sure that it’s there, and it is wildly difficult to measure. | | | Powerful Show
Mental health org and ‘Stranger Things’ star send warnings on Netflix’s ’13 Reasons Why’ April 18, 2017 – The handwringing over Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why continues, with an Australian mental health organization and fellow-Netflix cast member who plays ‘Barb’ from Stranger Things coming out with concerns about the subject matter of the show. Soon after 13 Reasons Why premiered on the streaming site on March 31, the Netflix original sparked a great deal of discussion surrounding sensitive issues such as depression, rape, and suicide. The show retells the suicide of a teenage girl, Hannah (Katherine Langford), through cassette tapes she left behind. | | | Victory For Sanity VIDEO
‘Appalled’ liquor commissioners vote to deny licenses for Whiteclay beer stores VIDEO Apr 19, 2017 – A state liquor board took the unprecedented step Wednesday of voting to deny the renewal of the liquor licenses of four beer stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted 3-0 to deny the licenses of the stores. One commissioner said that law enforcement was “woefully inadequate” to allow liquor sales there. WATCH MORE @ Omaha.com | | Addiction/Recovery eBulletin
| | | Thank You Mrs. Marty Mann
Destigmatizing alcoholism may be the path to hope & recovery April 19, 2017 – The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) is celebrating 31 years of promoting Alcohol Awareness Month. The organization has dedicated the month of April to educate, reduce, prevent and raise awareness for the advancement of individuals, families and communities that are adversely impacted by alcoholism. The President and CEO of NCADD, Andrew Pucher, urges us to take a proactive stance at prevention and early intervention. This year’s theme is “Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery,” and identifies several risk factors for youth alcohol abuse and dependence. | | | Sound Advice Parents
FDA-Don’t Give Kids Cough Syrup Or Pain Meds That Contain Codeine April 20, 2017 – Multiple prescription drugs contain codeine or tramadol. For example, the painkiller Tylenol 3 contains acetaminophen and codeine. Drugs containing codeine already carry a black-box warning against using it to treat pain in children who have their tonsils removed. “This is something we’ve been watching for several years,” says Douglas Throckmorton, the deputy director for regulatory programs at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “They are powerful, effective medicines when used right [but] they can cause a lot of harm when they’re not.” | | | Job Well Done
Newport Academy Receives Joint Commission’s Gold Seal April 21, 2017 – Achieving the Gold Seal of Approval® from the Joint Commission involved an audit of Newport Academy’s facilities and treatment programs, ensuring that the programs are being practiced in safe environment and that Newport Academy professionals are properly educating patients about the risks and options for their diagnosis. Newport Academy met more than 1,300 standards and obtained high approval ratings from the Joint Commission. Jamison Monroe, founder and CEO of Newport Academy, credits the professionalism and passion of his team of more than 260 employees for this recognition. “We are honored to receive the Gold Seal from the Joint Commission,” Monroe said. “The incredible team at Newport Academy did an amazing job ensuring that we met every requirement necessary to substantiate our impeccable quality of care as the top teen treatment provider in US. | | | Forgot You Were Addicted?
Diet sodas may be tied to dementia risk April 20, 2017 – Gulping down an artificially sweetened beverage not only may be associated with health risks for your body, but also possibly your brain, a new study suggests. Artificially sweetened drinks, such as diet sodas, were tied to a higher risk of stroke and dementia in the study, which published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke on Thursday. | | | Reflections VIDEO
Apr. 22, 2017 – To similarly gain awareness, in Sept., police in East Liverpool, OH, posted two shocking photos to Facebook showing a 4-year-old boy’s grandmother, who previously had custody of him, and her friend passed out in the front seat of the carwith the boy wide awake in the back seat. The couple had allegedly overdosed on heroin. In a lengthy caption, police said they posted the photos to “show the other side of this horrible drug.” … As of Wednesday, Henry was in her third week of therapy and drug treatment. “I felt so alone, that I was the only one dealing with this problem and that no one would understand,” she said. “I don’t feel hopeless and worthless anymore – I know I was brought back for a reason – and I’m going to live up to my full potential.” | | | FEATURE from TIME Magazine
I Was My Mother’s Drug Mule April 21, 2017 – “If you get arrested, that could hurt your chances of employment,” my sister, an attorney, worried after I told her. “At my age, fifty-five, what’s hurting my chance of employment is my age!” I told her. “Besides, I’m only flying into Miami International Airport, historically a hub for drug traffickers, so what could go wrong?” I passed undetected by packs of drug-sniffing dogs stationed around the airport. My father sighed when I handed over the baggie. “Thank you,” he said. By this time, my mother was recovering from a cancer-related surgery in the hospital on the campus of their senior-living facility. We ambled into her room, and my father, who was never much of a caregiver – much less a compassionate spouse to begin with – showered her with affection. | | | Sharing the Grief & Trauma VIDEO
April 23, 2017 – Robert Hobbs had nowhere to turn when his son overdosed in February 2014. He wants to make sure no parent has to feel that way again – and hopes his recently released book is a way to accomplish that. Hobbs’ book is titled “Heroin: Living and Dying With an Addict You Love.” He started writing it in January and finished it about two weeks ago. He calls the process the hardest thing he’s ever done, yet very therapeutic. “The only way to get through it, according to my therapists, is to continue to talk about it,” said Hobbs, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from the incident. | | | Say What?
High Mortality Among Patients With Opioid Use Disorder in a Large Healthcare System April 20, 2017 – Objectives: Elevated mortality has been observed among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) treated in addiction specialty clinics or programs. Information about OUD patients in general healthcare settings is needed in light of the current effort to integrate addiction services into primary healthcare systems. Conclusions: Patients with OUD in a general healthcare system demonstrated alarmingly high morbidity and mortality, which challenges healthcare systems to find innovative ways to identify and treat patients with substance use disorder. READ MORE @ JournalAddictionMedicine.com | | Reserve Your eBulletin Board Ad Now! | | | Become a Sponsor in 2017
LONDON – May 1, 2017
NEW JERSEY – June 2-3, 2017
VIRGINIA – Aug. 25-27, 2017
DENVER – Sept. 15-16, 2017
NEW YORK – Sept. 22-28, 2017 LOS ANGELES – Oct. 20-26, 2017 FT. LAUDERDALE – Nov. 3-5, 2017 HOUSTON – TBA 2017 SAN FRANCISCO – TBA 2017 To Sponsor, call: 818-762-0461
| | April 24, 2017 – Chatman permitted sober home residents to use drugs as long as they attended treatment and submitted to drug tests, which he and others could bill to the insurance companies. In what the judge and prosecutors said was one of the most reprehensible aspects, Chatman also pleaded guilty to a sex trafficking conspiracy charge and admitted he recruited and coerced patients to work as prostitutes. | | Addiction/Recovery eBulletin
| | | | | | JUST IN – CNN Report! also extra video bonus “Why are opioids so addictive?“
Opioid epidemic may be UNDERESTIMATED, CDC MONDAY April 24, 2017 – Experts say the United States is in the throes of an opioid abuse epidemic, causing 91 overdose deaths each day. Yet the total number of opioid-related deaths may still be underestimated … “While my research cannot speak to what percent we are underestimating, we know we are missing cases,” Hall said. “It does seem like it is almost an iceberg of an epidemic.” … “Opioids at therapeutic or higher than therapeutic levels can impact our immune system,” she said. “It actually impacts your macrophages – so that’s one of your main immune cells that’s going to help fight off infections – and it kind of dampens them down. | | | |