May14 issue

RAISING THE BOTTOM INTERVIEW WITH DARRYL AND TRACY STRAWBERRY

PARENTAL CODEPENDENCY

THE OPIATE ADDICTION EPIDEMIC AND THE RISE IN HEROIN ABUSE

HOW OLD IS TOO YOUNG?

MESSED UP ON MOLLY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE POPULAR TEEN PARTY DRUG VIDEO CONFERENCING, BUILDING BETTER OUTCOMES AND A COMPETITIVE EDGE WHY DO SOME PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED WHILE OTHERS DO NOT?

FAMILY MATTERS: COMMUNICATING CONCERN ABOUT ADDICTION TOUGH LOVE OR LOVE FIRST? INTERVIEW WITH BOB MOYLAN TO BE THE MOM OF AN ADDICT WHAT KEEPS PEOPLE STUCK IN ADDICTIVE PATTERNS?

Working with professionals to bring families back together.

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A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Readers, I welcome you to The Sober World magazine. This magazine is being directly mailed each month to anyone that has been arrested due to drugs and alcohol in Palm Beach County. It is also distributed locally to all Palm Beach County High School Guidance Counselors, Middle School Coordinators, Palm Beach County Drug Court, Broward County School Substance Abuse Expulsion Program, Broward County Court Unified Family Division, Local Colleges and other various locations. We also directly mail to many rehabs throughout the state and country.

We are expanding our mission to assist families worldwide in their search for information about Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Our monthly magazine is available for free on our website at www.thesoberworld.com.

If you would like to receive an E-version monthly of the magazine, please send your e-mail address to patricia@thesoberworld.com Drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions throughout the country and is steadily increasing. It is being described as “the biggest man-made epidemic” in the United States. More people are dying from drug overdoses than from any other cause of injury death, including traffic accidents, falls or guns.

Many Petty thefts are drug related, as the addicts need for drugs causes them to take desperate measures in order to have the ability to buy their drugs. The availability of prescription narcotics is overwhelming; as parents our hands are tied.

Doctors continue writing prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin, and Oxycodone (which is an opiate drug and just as addictive as heroin) to young adults in their 20’s and 30’s right up to the elderly in their 70”s, thus, creating a generation of addicts.

Did you know that Purdue Pharma, the company that manufactures Oxycontin generated $3.1 BILLION in revenue in 2010? Scary isn’t it?

Addiction is a disease but there is a terrible stigma attached to it. As family members affected by this disease, we are often too ashamed to speak to anyone about our loved ones addiction, feeling that we will be judged. We try to pass it off as a passing phase in their lives, and some people hide their head in the sand until it becomes very apparent such as through an arrest, getting thrown out of school or even worse an overdose, that we realize the true extent of their addiction.

I know that many of you who are reading this now are frantic that their loved one has been arrested. No parent ever wants to see his or her child arrested or put in jail, but this may be your opportunity to save your child or loved one’s life.

They are more apt to listen to you now than they were before, when whatever you said may have fallen on deaf ears. This is the point where you know your loved one needs help, but you don’t know where to begin.

I have compiled this informative magazine to try to take that fear and anxiety away from you and let you know there are many options to choose from.

There are Psychologists and Psychiatrists that specialize in treating people with addictions. There are Education Consultants that will work with you to figure out what your loved ones needs are and come up with the best plan for them. There are Interventionists who will hold an intervention and try to convince your loved one that they need help. There are detox centers that

To Advertise, Call 561-910-1943

provide medical supervision to help them through the withdrawal process, There are Transport Services that will scoop up your resistant loved one (under 18 yrs. old) and bring them to the facility you have chosen. There are long term Residential Programs (sometimes a year and longer) as well as short term programs (30-90 days), there are Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Wilderness programs, Extended Living and there are Sober Living Housing where they can work, go to meetings and be accountable for staying clean.

Many times a Criminal Attorney will try to work out a deal with the court to allow your child or loved one to seek treatment as an alternative to jail. I know how overwhelming this period can be for you and I urge every parent or relative of an addict to get some help for yourself. There are many groups that can help you. There is Al-Anon, Alateen (for teenagers), Families Anonymous, Nar-Anon and more. This is a disease that affects the whole family, not just the parents.

These groups allow you to share your thoughts and feelings. As anonymous groups, your anonymity is protected. Anything said within those walls are not shared with anyone outside the room. You share only your first name, not your last name. This is a wonderful way for you to be able to openly convey what has been happening in your life as well as hearing other people share their stories. You will find that the faces are different but the stories are all too similar. You will also be quite surprised to see how many families are affected by drug and alcohol addiction.

Addiction knows no race or religion; it affects the wealthy as well as the poor, the highly educated, old, young-IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. This magazine is dedicated to my son Steven who graduated with top honors from University of Central Florida. He graduated with a degree in Psychology, and was going for his Masters in Applied Behavioral Therapy.

He was a highly intelligent, sensitive young man who helped many people get their lives on the right course. He could have accomplished whatever he set his mind out to do. Unfortunately, after graduating from college he tried a drug that was offered to him not realizing how addictive it was and the power it would have over him.

My son was 7 months clean when he relapsed and died of a drug overdose.

I hope this magazine helps you find the right treatment for your loved one.

They have a disease and like all diseases, you try to find the best care suited for their needs. They need help.

Deaths from prescription drug overdose have been called the “silent epidemic” for years. There is approximately one American dying every 17 minutes from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Please don’t allow your loved one to become a statistic. I hope you have found this magazine helpful. You may also visit us on the web at www.thesoberworld.com.

We are also on Face Book at The Sober World and Steven Sober-World.

Sincerely,

Patricia

Publisher Patricia@TheSoberWorld.com

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5

INTERVIEW WITH DARRYL AND TRACY STRAWBERRY

By Patricia Rosen I was invited by Kim Koslow founder of Butterfly House, a luxury Recovery Residence for Women in Wellington, FL to meet Darryl and Tracy Strawberry for an exclusive interview. Longtime friends of Kim’s, they were there to Bless Butterfly House in a private ceremony.

America.

Darryl and Tracy have both battled addiction for decades. Today, they are clean and sober. Today, they are ordained ministers and founders of StrawberryMinistries.org

Darryl- and then shooting heroin because it’s cheaper and easier to get..

Strawberry, who helped lead the New York Mets to a world series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three world series championships, is now dedicated to helping others avoid the pitfalls that plagued his career with the opening of The Darryl Strawberry Recovery Center.

THE INTERVIEW Patricia- It is such a pleasure to meet the both of you. I want to thank you for taking the time out to give me an interview for my magazine. I know my readers are going to enjoy this.

Darryl- It’s our pleasure.

Tracy- Your magazine is amazing. I was reading it last night and not only do you present resources but your articles are very informative and educational.

Patricia- Thank you. I feel we need to educate families on all levels. I understand that you have opened some recovery centers.

Darryl- Yes, we have one in Longview, TX, one in Orlando, FL and soon we will be opening one in St. Louis, MO. Patricia- What made you decide to open recovery centers?

Darryl- I believe it is all part of the plan. Part of who I am and where my life has taken me. I became a pastor because I wanted to help people.

That is what keeps me moving forwards now- helping people. I was approached by a company and decided what better way to help people than to help them overcome their addiction.

Patricia- I also understand you started a foundation for children with autism.

Darryl- Yes. It’s called The Darryl Strawberry Foundation.

Patricia- Do you have a child or family member affected by the disease?

Darryl- No, but between Tracy and I we have 9 children. I once visited a school and saw the first hand affects of autism and knew I wanted to help somehow.

Patrica- So you started a foundation? What does this foundation do?

Darryl- Yes, we started raising money in 2006 and we have the first adult center day program for ages 21 and over. They can come to the center so they have a purpose with somewhere to go. We also develop programs that focus on special education, socialization, and independent skills training in a structured learning and caring environment.

Darryl- Nobody is immune from it.

Tracy- There is a whole new generation that are popping pills…

Tracy- especially since they started closing down the pill mills.

Patricia- How can we alleviate this problem?

Tracy- I believe we need to educate the kids, the parents and the medical doctors.

Darryl- We also need to educate the whole system. Locking people in jail is not the answer. Many times they come out worse than they went in.

They could save time and money if they would place them in programs.

Tracy- The problem is in jail they do not address the core issues. Many substance users have some underlying problems and if they don’t get to the core of it, the problem will never go away. That’s what we do, that’s what I try to do- Get to the problem, get to the core issue.

Patricia- And you feel if they get to the root of the problem it will be easier for them to stop using drugs?

Tracey- Yes. There are all sorts of reasons people start using in the first place- broken homes, dysfunctional homes, physical and mental reasons. Whatever reason, they are broken inside and have these character defects. We need to help them see the good in themselves, to know they are worth saving, to acknowledge their demons and move beyond them. To know they are worth it.

Patricia- Do you feel that 28 days is enough time for someone with an addiction problem?

Tracy- No, 28 days and your still chronic- nothing has changed.

I believe at this point you still need to be in a sober structured environment, like Butterfly House, working on more than not using drugs. You need to heal that person God created you to be. You need to find that wholeness. You need to address that great person inside. I think this takes a good 6 months, if not longer.

Patricia- I can’t help but agree with you. I see many young people in their 20’s and 30’s that have been struggling so long that it almost seems like they just want to give up because they feel their life is ruined.

Darryl- Exactly, and we believe there is always hope and you can always turn your life around and do what makes you happy. You have to find that inner happiness. It takes work, but Tracy and I are here to help do that.

Patricia- Thank you so much for sitting with me. It really was a pleasure meeting you.

Darryl- Keep up the good work with the magazine.

Patricia- You are such a caring person…

www.strawberryrecoverycenter.com

Darryl- I have a heart for people. I know what hopelessness feels like and I want people to know there is always hope and they should never give up!

www.strawberryministries.org

Patricia- Please tell me something about your Recovery Centers.

Darryl- The Darryl Strawberry Recovery Center is located in St. Cloud, Fl. This is a 28 day, 12-step program. We detox from alcohol and drugs and we create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your overall health needs and addiction tendencies. We also offer a specialized form of addiction treatment and counseling for athletes.

Our Longview, Texas program is a Christian based recovery program.

Our therapists are Christian- centered and are trained in addiction, spiritual, and Biblical recovery.

Patricia- I understand that Tracy works there.

Tracy- Yes, I do Patricia- What do you both see happening in the country today with all this drug abuse?

Tracy- This is a big problem that’s happening in every neighborhood in

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From left to right- Tracy Strawberry, Kim Koslow, Patricia and Darryl Strawberry

Pastors Tracy and Darryl Strawberry Give Butterfly House Their Blessing.

Butterfly House wishes to thank our sister and brother, Tracy & Darryl Strawberry, for Blessing our home for recovering women on March 30th.

Your love and light still linger.

An Exclusive Recovery Residence for Women in Wellington, Florida www.butterflyhousepalmbeach.com

Certified Member

Kim Koslow, lmhc, cap, ctt, bcpc Founder | 954-540-8441 kim@gotrealrecovery.com

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7

THE OPIATE ADDICTION EPIDEMIC AND THE RISE IN HEROIN ABUSE

By Taite Adams

If I told you that 2 million people were in the grip of addiction, nearly every one of you would nod your heads and agree that those numbers sound staggering and are probably right on target. But that’s not exactly accurate. The fact is that according to Federal statistics, upwards of 2 million people are currently in the grip of Opiate Addiction and more than 12 million Americans admit to abusing Opiates. Every 19 minutes, someone dies from a prescription painkiller overdose. In fact, the number of painkiller overdose deaths now exceeds the number of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. There is just so much of it out there.

Because of the rising numbers of use, addiction, overdose and deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified prescription painkiller abuse as an epidemic.

Were Opiates at these epidemic levels when I was using them?

Actually, no. I was having my own personal opiate epidemic at home as I spiraled out of control abusing prescription painkillers over the course of several years. I started out taking them for a legitimate, yet minor, pain issue, was hooked from Day 1 and ended up taking upwards of 30 Vicodin a day just to feel “normal”. I am one of those people who seems to be addicted to “more” and I pursued that warm, fuzzy feeling that I obtained from that first pain pill until it almost killed me. This is what opiate addiction does, and so much more.

Use of opiates for a legitimate pain issue or a one-time experiment can turn into abuse over an extended period of time or in the blink of an eye. That feeling of “relief” that I talked about when using the drugs isn’t uncommon and generally makes the user want to try them again and soon. Opiate addiction causes users to have a strong need for persistent, repeated use of the drug. This need is known as craving. Finally, attempts to stop using the drug lead to significant and painful physical symptoms called withdrawal. I remember both too well and don’t ever want to go back to those days of craving drugs, having to use them just to feel “normal” and being constantly terrified of withdrawal symptoms setting in.

One of the most disturbing and tragic trends with respect to Opiate Addiction is the recent rise in heroin abuse in this country. The number of Americans using the drug has increased by nearly 50 percent in the past decade, according to a 2013 report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). While I think it could have been foreseen, this probably could not have been avoided simply due to market conditions and the illegal nature of the drug. The rise in heroin use and abuse is due almost entirely to the crackdown in recent years in prescription opiate abuse. In fact, data shows that 80 percent of heroin users started with prescription painkillers.

So, just what is an opiate for those who aren’t in the know? They can be one of two things and in the end, give the same effect and the same results. Opiates can be natural or synthetic. Opiates by definition are considered to be the natural alkaloids found in the resin of the opium poppy plant. However, some definitions of opiates include the semi-synthetic substances that are directly derived from the opium poppy as well. As such, natural opiates include opium, morphine, and codeine. Other substances that are man-made are called Opioids. These are most used to treat chronic pain and include Vicodin, Oxycodone, Demerol and Dilaudid. In the end, they are all usually referred to as Opiates and are all highly addictive.

One of the keys to understanding Opiate Addition is to learn exactly what these substances are doing to and for the user aside from their medicinal pain-relieving properties. Most or many people are looking for or appreciate an escape from reality and whatever it is that they feel is “pulling them down in life”. I know I did. It may be that they don’t feel they fit in, aren’t being treated fairly - it really doesn’t matter. Opiates briefly stimulate the higher centers of the brain, giving the user an immediate “rush” of pleasure. The drug also depresses the central nervous system, bringing on a deep feeling of happiness. You may feel at peace with the world and forget about pain, depression, and even that you were hungry. It is a nearly irresistible feeling to someone that has been searching for some sort of “relief”, and not just physical relief. There is much more going on here, however.

Opiates work in the central nervous system as a CNS depressant.

While prescribed to treat pain, they do so by affecting the chemical pathway in the brain known as the dopamine pathway. Dopamine is the natural chemical in the brain that prepares us to experience good things like pleasure and a sense of well-being. This is one of the most important things you can learn about Opiates: the fact that opiates “resemble natural chemicals” that bind to neurotransmitters in the brain. What this means is that the body is already capable of producing these “feel good” chemicals in the brain to bind to its opiate receptors. Our brains are naturally capable of calling forth feelings of pleasure, contentment, relaxation and even pain relief. However, once we start putting something unnatural into the mix and bombarding our system with synthetic happiness, the body and brain forget that it’s capable of doing this on its own and becomes dependent upon the unnatural solution for those same feelings. A solution that in time is going to stop working anyway. What we’re doing with opiates is rewiring our brains and that is a scary proposition.

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While many painkiller addicts start out thinking of heroin as a low class drug that they would never touch, the reality is that they are already addicted to a form of it. With new regulations and law enforcement making access to these drugs much more difficult, users are being driven to another opiate that happens to be cheaper, more powerful and infinitely more destructive.

Always ready to oblige our hunger (basic economics), floods of cheap heroin continue to enter the country from Mexico and South America. Sometimes it takes the death of celebrity to bring the message home. After being sober for two decades, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman revealed last year that he relapsed with heroin after first taking prescription painkillers. He was found dead of a drug overdose on February 2, 2014, surrounded by over 60 bags of heroin. The fact is that heroin addiction is changing rapidly in this country, both geographically and demographically. When we think of painkiller addicts now, many times we think of a housewife, professional, suburban teenager and even the occasional retiree.

Well, take that mental picture and apply it to heroin addiction.

While we are certainly in a mess, I have found in my recovery that pointing fingers doesn’t do much good. However, in the case of opiate addiction there are some who need to take responsibility for past, ongoing and future actions. These entities include big pharma, prescribing physicians, and even the FDA. While the FDA has responsibly just announced that they are moving to re-classify current hydrocodone products, such as Vicodin, to Schedule II Continued on page 30

To Advertise, Call 561-910-1943

9

MESSED UP ON MOLLY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE POPULAR TEEN PARTY DRUG

By James G. White

The song goes, “A little party never killed nobody”, but partying means different things to different people.

For some people, partying is simply a matter of getting together with friends. They go out, eat, dance, laugh and then they go home. Time together is sober or alcohol is drunk responsibly. However, for others, a party isn’t a party if it doesn’t include drugs – preferably one of the popular party drugs such as “Molly”.

You may have heard of the drug before in reference but never understood who or what Molly was supposed to be. Molly is a slang term for “molecule” and it’s considered to be the pure form of 3, 4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine or MDMA. Does that abbreviation sound familiar? Some suspect that a recent Madonna album took its name from the drug. You may have also heard about Miley Cyrus’s drug references in her 2013 single, “We Can’t Stop”. She and many others are “dancing with Molly”.

What are the young fans who follow the lead of these stars really dancing with when they take this drug?

The History of MNDA Molly is a synthetic drug, first made in Germany during the early 1900. During the 1970s, some psychiatrists began to prescribe it for psychotherapy patients. The most disturbing aspect of this decision was that there had been no formal clinical tests run as to the effects of the drug. Not to mention there had been no approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

The drug was banned by the Drug Enforcement Agency in 1985, about the time the drug started appearing on the street. Today, it is considered a Schedule I drug, which is reserved for those substances that have not been determined to have any therapeutic value.

What Are the Effects Of Molly?

There are many myths about what Molly will and will not do to the people who use it.

Molly triggers the release of large amounts of serotonin, as well as dopamine and norepinephrine. This results in feelings of euphoria and increased energy. A person becomes way more sociable and his or her mood gets better. The high is said to last several hours.

Long periods of MDMA use are said to severely damage your serotonin receptors to the point of causing short term depression.

After using Molly one often feels depressed due to the low number of active serotonin receptors. However, when one’s serotonin levels are completely depleted, this depression can last one to two weeks.

Additional side-effects include increased blood pressure, which can induce heart attacks in persons who have high blood pressure. It’s also thought to contribute to seizures in those who are prone to having them.

Debates Continue as to whether it’s Dangerous Much of the debate centers on whether or not a “good batch” of MDMA is truly dangerous. There is also a great deal of discussion of the potential fatalities that could be caused by the drug. A few persons have reportedly died as a result of taking Molly, leading some to think the drug is lethal.

The issue arises because Ecstasy, the street version of MDMA, is typically laced with other drugs or various substances. Molly, on the other hand, is supposed to be the pure version of the drug.

Many teen users most likely to use Molly will naively assume the drug can’t harm them if it’s pure. There is no safe batch of Molly for this very reason.

Molly or Ecstasy — by either or any name, is an illegal drug. At the very least, selling and possessing the drug is risking jail time. Since it’s an illegal drug made through questionable means, “purity” is going to be highly unlikely, and what one may be taking could be laced with something truly harmful.

Molly messes with your brain, and its effects can affect you for your entire life. While people cherry pick bits of information to determine whether or not Molly is safe enough to experience, one must ask this: Are you really prepared to scar your brain for life for just a few hours of fun one night?

Molly users tend to be young; the majority is between the ages of 16 and 24. It’s not too surprising, since this is typically when individuals are at their most experimental and naïve stage. It’s also when people are guided by a sense of invincibility, one that suggests “addiction and drug-related death can’t happen to me”.

The use of drugs like Molly for partying and having fun isn’t worth the long term risks you could suffer.

James is a content coordinator for Clarity Way Rehab, a holistic drug rehabilitation center located in south central Pennsylvania.

VIDEO CONFERENCING, BUILDING BETTER OUTCOMES AND A COMPETITIVE EDGE

By Alan R. Goodwin, Ph.D An OxyContin abuser in his early 60s scheduled an appointment with his treatment center counselor. But the recently discharged patient didn’t have to take the day off from work and drive four hours into Chicago. Instead, the man in real- time was able to verbally and visually benefit from the center’s tele-health program. These community transition sessions allowed him to better deal with the challenges of early recovery.

At the appointment time, the counselor used his PC to connect with the patient whose laptop was equipped with a web cam. The software connected video call was fully encrypted, ensuring HIPPA compliance.

The two could see and hear each other as they discussed the challenges of now being in the “real world”.

The program reflects the center’s determination to satisfy a growing demand for increased continuity, compliance and better treatment outcomes. Convenience and patient costs (transportation, time, etc.) are other considerations. The center is also determined to remain competitive in today’s increasingly connected and “techy” world.

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Tele-health has been described as somewhat like a return to “21st century style” home visits. It is increasingly being used in certain areas of medicine such as radiology, dermatology, neurology, and other sub-specialties. It certainly has found acceptance in rural healthcare delivery but many also appreciate its potential in urban and suburban medicine.

In mental health related practice, tele-health has primarily been telepsychiatry. Some individual counselors/therapists and psychiatrists have also used simple Skype-type solutions and have not, therefore, been sensitive to requirements and the functionality/workflow benefits of other types of video conferencing software. Others have turned to expensive legacy hardware and not been aware of today’s cost effective and secure software solutions.

In mental health treatment today, there are exciting, cost effective, and outcome driven tele-health applications. Mass General Hospital’s Continued on page 30

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11

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED WHILE OTHERS DO NOT?

By Marlene Passell

No one thing can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a person’s biology, social environment, and age or stage of development.

The good news is there are treatments that help people to counteract the powerful effects of addiction and helps people regain control.

According to Lisa McWhorter, Wayside House clinical director, treatments that are based on the 12-step program and provide approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug or alcohol abuse patterns, any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drugs or alcohol.

According to national research, the more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example: • Biology. The genes that people are born with – combined with environmental influences - account for about half of addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction.

• Environment. A person’s environment includes many different influences -- from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life, in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a person’s life.

• Development. Genetic and environmental factors also affect chances of becoming addicted. Adolescents experience a double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And because adolescents’ brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs.

• One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior.

Those people don’t understand that every drug that is abused affects the brain, which makes stopping difficult, not just a matter of willpower. This is why a good treatment program is so important.

• Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume productive lives.

• Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. While it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs.

And, said Ms. McWhorter at Delray Beach’s Wayside House, as with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug and alcohol addiction can be managed and arrested. Yet, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs/ alcohol again. Relapse does not signal failure; rather, it indicates that the individual must get back to basics and work a 12-step program of recovery, ensure they are taking care of mental and physical health and, if needed, seek additional treatment. The success rate is much higher for those who continue outpatient services and ongoing group sessions.

Marlene Passell is Communications and Marketing Coordinator for Wayside House. Wayside House is a 40-year-old drug and alcohol abuse treatment program in Delray Beach for women, by women. It includes 90-day inpatient, as well as intensive outpatient and other services. Call 561.278.0055 for more information or go to www.waysidehouse.net

PARENTAL CODEPENDENCY

By Brenda Kuchinsky, PhD & Karen R Rapaport, PhD, ABPP Adolescent addiction affects the dependent person but also the family, the educational and social environment, and the community. A drug dependent teenager may act as if he is functioning in a vacuum but his behavior has significant repercussions, not foreseen by the addicted person but clearly felt by others on occasions when behavior is erratic, withdrawn, aggressive, or criminal.

Parental codependency is a common side effect of an adolescent’s addiction. Two driving factors in parental codependency are denial and natural parental feelings. A parent typically does not want to see the child’s problematic behavior and so throws money, rides, and other forms of support at the problem, hoping it will disappear.

Parents also typically want to nurture their child. They may continue to negatively support the addicted adolescent by providing money, rides, and covering for the child thus making it easier to continue using.

Parents who are codependent on their teen/adult children often play para-alcoholic roles in the family system. This entails their often unwitting support of the addictive behavior via compulsively rescuing the teen/adult child, or enabling the addict to continue using their “drug(s) of choice.”

Roles that are para-alcoholic, or enabling, include caretaking, martyrdom, over-control, or over-responsibility.

It is important to note that the codependent person has not evolved in a vacuum. In my practice, I have often pointed out to codependent parents that their patterns may have originated in their family of origin and then continued with spouses or partners. Parental codependency does not spring full grown with the advent of the drug dependent child. This reactive behavior has been part of the parent’s repertoire for quite some time.

Codependency means making the relationship more important to you than you are to yourself. A drug dependent adolescent will quickly become the center of a codependent parent’s world with all the attendant anger, frustration, guilt, and shame that brings.

12

Such a parent may become completely drained with no positive results forthcoming from the relationship. Instead, the parent is caught up in an endless round of disappointments as the adolescent falls into a downward spiral that may have been facilitated by the very person who thought he was working for the opposite effect.

There are multiple signs of codependency. A listing of typical symptoms may be helpful to parents struggling with these issues. Several symptoms cluster around poor boundaries, which encompasses not only permeable boundaries in relation to your body, money, or belongings but also in relation to your feelings.

Under poor boundaries we can subsume reactivity, caretaking, and control. Reactivity leads to defensiveness because with poor boundaries comes the perception of people’s opinions being a reflection of you rather than just an opinion. It is personalized. Caretaking involves poor boundaries as the codependent person gives up their own needs and wants to care for the other person. A third symptom of codependency stemming from poor boundaries is control. A codependent person needs to feel control by controlling others.

Codependent people also suffer from low self-esteem and people pleasing tendencies. They have difficulty saying “No”. They want to be liked at all costs and communication may always be geared towards this goal. This need to have others like you at all costs, leads to dependency.

Denial plays a major role in keeping a relationship codependent. A parent may blame the other parent, peers or circumstances for their teenager’s addiction and be in denial about their own role in maintaining a dysfunctional relationship. They may remain unaware of the connection between addiction and family issues and the context within which addiction develops. Parents often remark in retrospect that it was just too difficult to face the truth.

Continued on page 18

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13

RAISING THE BOTTOM WHY NOT HELP THEM BY RAISING THE BOTTOM

By Joe Herzanek

Yeah, when he hits bottom he’ll be ready.

A user has to hit bottom before he will change.

Sooner or later she will hit bottom. Then she’ll be ready to get some help.

He looked directly into her eyes, stuck out his finger and touched it. At that moment she knew this was not going to be an easy road. Jake was going to have to learn things the hard way.

Exactly what do I mean by “raising the bottom”? This whole idea of “hitting bottom” is out of date. Some people will wait years—even decades-—for their friend to reach this mythical point in their alcohol and drug use. But why wait for them to “hit bottom”? Why not help them by raising their bottom? There are ways to encourage someone to reach for help much earlier. In doing so, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache and maybe even save their life. For some people, hitting bottom will be six feet underground.

The Value of Pain Pain can be a wonderful teacher. Pain usually means that something is wrong or perhaps broken. Without pain, most people would have even larger problems. Pain is a signal that we need to do something different if we want it to stop.

I’ll use my son as an example. Jake is a great kid, grew up in a Christian home, attended church camps and is doing well in college.

He’s studying and has found a major that he is excited about. He also works at a part-time job where he has recently been promoted to manager. We are extremely proud of him.

But life hasn’t always been this promising for Jake. He began his early teen years pretty much as I did. At age thirteen, Jake began to experiment with alcohol and pot. He did this in spite of the fact that his father was an addiction counselor (or maybe subconsciously because of it, since that would be a good way to rebel against Dad). Jake was also very aware of how genetic predisposition could play a role in his life, as he knew my own addiction story well. However, he made some wrong choices, which to me reconfirmed that there was some truth to the genetic correlation.

At times he was out of control, and as a result he was often suspended from school. He got in trouble for fighting and pulling the fire alarm during school. He even managed to get a ticket for reckless driving in the school parking lot. He and some friends tore up a golf course one night with a 4 x 4 truck. He was also selling drugs. One night we had four police cars in front of our house when he was arrested, and they searched our house with a drug-sniffing dog. His probation officer came by frequently, and he had to take random UAs (urine analysis tests for drugs). At one point, he couldn’t leave the house for several weeks because he had an ankle bracelet (a monitoring device on his leg as part of one of his probation requirements), so he figured he would sell drugs out of our house.

Eventually the principal of his high school told him, “We’ve had it, don’t come back.” Right before our eyes, he had almost turned into a stranger. Jake was frequently running away from home and running from police. He soon found his life swarming with issues he could not handle because of his substance use. For a time, Judy and I were on edge, just dreading to hear the phone ring. Someone was always calling us about Jake. Although his police problems were not major, we did often have a patrol car in our driveway. It was great excitement for the neighbors! We had many sleepless nights worried about our son’s safety. At least four of his friends had been killed in alcohol-related incidents. How long was this going to last? How much more trouble could he possibly get into? This painful phase of drug abuse in my own life had gone on for sixteen years, which made me determined to help Jake all the more. I couldn’t bear to see him go through the same thing I did. Judy and I pursued counseling, parenting seminars, and other resources for support.

Most of our attempts did little to help. There were some very low times for us. During one counseling session Jake got up and stormed out of the room. Nothing seemed to be the answer for our son. Though we continued to try, we learned that this was not something we could control. All we could do was hold things together and continue to hope and pray for Jake.

Addicts like me, and potentially my son, often need to learn things the hard way. Judy vividly recalls a time when Jake was about three years old. She was ironing and told him not to touch the iron—that it was hot.

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We decided to not rob Jake of these pivotal learning opportunities.

We weren’t going to lie for him, put up his bail, or pay for lawyers. In one of the seminars we attended, we were advised not to argue with our son; just let the consequences be the “bad guy.” When the police brought him home late one night, we let the law take its course. A traffic infraction while Jake was on probation had turned into a search, and drugs were found in the car. The officers told me what happened and asked me what I wanted to do. Jake was a minor, under the age of eighteen, so I was still responsible for him. I asked them what they would normally do if we had not been home. The officer told me that the normal course of action would be to put him in jail. I said, “Okay, go ahead, and do what you would normally do if we were not here.” I was told to pick him up in the morning.

As parents, it wasn’t easy to watch them put handcuffs on him and drive away. This would be the first of three incidents like this. Jake learned that we were not going to rescue him.

From then on, we allowed the natural consequences be his teacher.

For ten days in January, he was sentenced to wilderness work camp (unofficially called hoods in the woods), where he slept in a tent high in the Rocky Mountains. He later spent ten days in juvenile detention, and we didn’t bail him out or hire a lawyer. All this was painful for him and for us as well.

Jake didn’t like being locked up, and he was beginning to connect the dots. But still, we endured a few more difficult years. Jake didn’t change overnight and his problem continued to be a strain on our family. His problem was all consuming, taking up the majority of our physical and mental energy for a time.

Eventually, Jake’s substance use took its toll on our marriage, as we didn’t always agree about what to do next. Judy was always willing to give Jake the benefit of the doubt. In an effort not to unjustly accuse Jake, she felt a need to almost be an eyewitness before she would accept his drug problem. Mountains of circumstantial evidence were not enough. I, on the other hand, looked at the situation differently.

Although I wasn’t an eyewitness, I was convinced that Jake had a substance abuse problem. This strained our relationship. Sometimes we were cold and silent, not communicating for days.

How did we make it through this? We remained committed to each other and to our marriage. We attended counseling, seminars, read books, prayed a lot and just plain “stuck it out,” believing this too shall pass. Eventually it did.

It’s not easy for a parent (especially a mom) to watch her child suffer— even when she knows it is exactly what is best for him. We believe the decisions we made concerning how to handle Jake’s problems made a significant difference in his life. God was at work—behind the scenes.

Jake eventually graduated from a special high school, located in the Boulder courthouse outside of the juvenile court room. This school, Justice High, consists of kids whom many people have given up on.

Their combination of encouragement and tough, structured guidance provides troubled youth with another chance. Jake played on the football team, graduated as class valedictorian and was inducted into the National Honor Society!

Continued on page 24

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17

HOW OLD IS TOO YOUNG?

By Dr. Michael J. De Vito

When should we begin to educate our children about addictive behaviors?

I have been consulting with clients and patients for over 30 years in the field of health and addiction recovery. I can tell you that whatever issues you can possibly imagine have probably been discussed in sessions. And yet, I know I have not seen or heard all of what goes on in the lives of suffering individuals and families. There is always a new story and an old memory specific to someone’s life that brings home the tragedy of chemical dependency and addictive behavior.

In years past when I would consult with clients about how substance abuse or other self-destructive behaviors began those beginnings were usually predicable. Often it would begin with a few beers with friends on the weekend during the last year or two of high school.

Maybe a keg party took place pledge week at college. Some clients would find it common to head to happy hour at the end of the day with fellow co-workers. Frequently men and women while in military service would begin regular alcohol use or experimentation with other drugs.

The manifestations of addiction and abuse came a bit later with past generations then we see today. Now, when I assess someone 30 and under the saga expressed is often very different. Experimentation and abuse begins at a much younger age and with greater frequency. It is not unusual to find that many people began the use of alcohol and a variety of other drugs before middle school. That would put the age of first use under the age of 12. In my practice I am seeing more and more clients who began substance abuse between the ages of 6 and 10. Recently, I consulted with a client who related that their first use of alcohol began by age 5 and progressed to the abuse of other drugs by age 8. These incidents are no longer unique. They have become main stream in substance abuse treatment.

It should be no surprise to anyone that children who are exposed to the experimentation of alcohol and other drugs are at a higher risk of becoming addicted and compulsive abusers in adulthood. That drug exposure includes the use of prescriptions such as central nervous system stimulants and psychotropic medications. Medications such as Ritalin, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and others seem to be more and more acceptable by physicians and therapists for use among children and adolescents.

The brain of a child and young adult is still developing both anatomically and physiologically. The introduction of alcohol or other drugs either prescribed or abused, will impair development, alter brain chemistry and reduce receptor site availability. This chemical abuse will have a detrimental effect on the physical and mental health of teens and adults in future years. Overall health and well-being will be harmed. There is enough clinical and empirical evidence to bear this out.

In a common sense society no 5, 6 or 7 year old child is on the street corner buying drugs, scoring a bag in the school yard or visiting the local liquor store to pick up a lottery ticket and a 12 pack. That child’s first exposure comes by way of formerly abused older kids or foolish complacent adults. Alcohol use in some cultures is tolerated and available at any age. The use of drugs is glamourized and accepted in varying degrees in entertainment, sports, adult conversations and hero role models. That influence and education takes hold very early in a child’s life. By the time we think we should discuss the harm of drugs and their abuse, in many cases the education has already taken place. At a very early age our children have been desensitized to the value of right and wrong, the value of life, the value of the worth of each individual and the value of their own life and self-esteem. These values are not relative or dependent on the latest whim of individual groups.

These values should be the same for all of us.

So what is the answer?

Recently a law was passed in the Congress of the United States requiring auto makers to have all new vehicles equipped with rear view cameras by 2018. It was estimated that 200 lives were lost per year due to accidents as a result of a driver’s poor rear vision. That is an enormous undertaking of time, effort and expense for 200 lives, granted all precious and valuable.

I am not suggesting one more federal law. We have far too many now.

However, tens upon tens of thousands of individuals of all ages die

18

yearly due to alcohol and drug abuse. Shouldn’t the same time, effort and expense be considered regarding these deaths? No government law or program will put a dent in this issue. We don’t need another anti-drug coloring book or NIDA funded study. But we as parents, teachers, clergy, neighbors, caregivers, entertainers, sports heroes, physicians, counselors and anyone else who has some contact or influence with young children can have a major effect on how the young think, live and grow. Children are learning from us. We need to look inward on our own values and views. What is the quality of our character and our philosophy of life? Why is it the way it is? How do we conduct ourselves? Children learn from our first nurturing gesture and it continues through their life’s observations. What they hear us say in conversation influences them. What they watch educates them.

How we react to right and wrong enlightens them. What they see our state lawmakers and politicians approve of regarding drug acceptance desensitizes them. Who their heroes are and what they say and do affects their developing philosophy of life. How old is too young to begin the education of children regarding values, self-esteem, drug abuse and negative behaviors?

It is never too young. The learning has already begun. We just need to catch up.

Dr. Michael J. De Vito is a diplomate and is board certified in Addictionology. He is a graduate of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern Health Science University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He has been an instructor of Medical Ethics, Clinical Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology at the College of Southern Nevada.

He is the founder and program director of NewStart Treatment Center located in Henderson, Nevada. NewStart Treatment Center utilizes a drug free and natural approach to addiction treatment. www.4anewstart.com

PARENTAL CODEPENDENCY

By Brenda Kuchinsky, PhD & Karen R Rapaport, PhD, ABPP Continued from page 12

Parents who enable their teen/adult children typically have many positive qualities as well. These include: high achievement, organization, selfreliance, attention to detail, excellent in a crisis, honoring commitments, reliability, and finishing tasks. They have leadership qualities, decisionmaking abilities, tenacity, high stress tolerance, and follow rules. Because of these strengths, the enabler usually chooses a career as a homemaker, or one that is in the helping professions. These careers include teachers, nurses, psychologists, counselors, doctors, lawyers, social workers, or clergy.

Solutions for parents who enable include: I) Psychotherapy: Parents facing their own family-of-origin trauma and losses, as well as abandonment depression.

II) Al-Anon and/or AcoA Support Groups: Parents learn the universality of their dilemma, trust of others, and eliminating selfdefeating habits that they’d acted out with their children.

III) Family Therapy: Psychotherapy with, or without teen/adult addict.

IV) Detachment: Letting go of control of teen/adult child’s decisionmaking process.

V) Learning valid communication skills, ego boundaries, effective decision-making and values clarification.

VI) Identifying cross-addictions, such as compulsive spending, shopping and/or over-eating.

VII) Interoceptive awareness: emotional and physiological awareness, acceptance and change.

Karen R. Rapaport, Ph.D, ABPP is a Fellow of the Academy of Clinical Psychology (FACLINP), and Board Certified in Clinical Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology. www.cmepsychology.com

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19

FAMILY MATTERS: COMMUNICATING CONCERN ABOUT ADDICTION

By Jane McGregor, Ph.D. MPH. PGCHE and Tim McGregor, RN, PG Dip.

Are you worried about a family member with an addiction problem? In this article we focus on the small changes that you can make to better communicate your concerns.

be severe. The sooner you start to help your partner, daughter or son, the better their chances of recovery. When you communicate your concerns, try to:

Sometimes the person with the addiction problem doesn’t seem to care about themselves or anyone else. They may struggle even to identify their own feelings, let alone the feelings of other people. The inability to identify and describe one’s own feelings occurs quite commonly in people who chronically use mood-altering substances (it is also recognized as a psychological syndrome called alexithymia).

• Focus on feelings and relationships. Share your memories of specific times when you felt concerned about the person’s behaviour. Explain that you think these things may indicate that there could be a problem.

Another reason people with addiction problems lack apparent empathy can be underlying mental health problems. Conditions like bipolar disorder or depression may cause the individual to block out the outside world and the people in it. The individual may feel emotionally empty and consider that others’ lives are far happier than their own, or they may become highly dependent and look to others as caretakers to rescue them.

• Avoid power struggles over behaviour. Don’t demand change; avoid scare tactics, angry outbursts and put-downs. Trying to force someone to change behaviour when that person is not ready can make things worse.

So does addiction or lack of empathy come first? Research rather confusingly points in both directions. Evidence from studies of children who later developed chronic addiction problems suggests that loss of empathy often precedes drug use. There’s also evidence that this loss of empathy is made worse by becoming heavily reliant upon alcohol and other drugs.

Managing relations more effectively Here are five ways to managing relations with the person you’re concerned about: 1. Step back before you respond – your natural response to a person lacking concern like this may be a critical riposte.

Trust that the other person does not mean to be difficult. Take time to think of your response, instead of reacting immediately. The more you can separate the behaviour from the person, the less likely is it that you’ll view their words or actions as a personal attack.

2. Stop wishing they were different –the individual is not irritating on purpose. The best way to see a change in them is to change your own thinking and behaviour about them.

3. Approach each interaction with an open mind – really listen to what the individual has to say and remain open to their viewpoint.

When people feel your support they will be more willing to engage with you.

4. Acknowledge differences in your points of view but don’t argue –an effective approach is to acknowledge their viewpoint and suggest that there may be more than one way to deal with the issue in question. This approach positions you as equal partners.

• Express concern about behaviour but do respect privacy. Your partner or child may well appreciate knowing that you are concerned and ask for help.

• Do whatever you can to promote self-confidence and the belief that pulling off enduring change is indeed possible.

• Avoid prescribing both the speed of change and the solution. The pace of change and the solution must be determined by the individual.

• Don’t become so preoccupied with the other person’s problems that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have your own support so that you can provide it in turn.

• Recovering from any entrenched behaviour problem takes time.

There are no quick solutions or miracle cures so it’s important to have patience and compassion.

Listening and observational skills are two of the most important aspects of effective communication. Successful listening means understanding not just the words being communicated, but also how speakers feel about what they’re communicating. Good communication sometimes entails looking for humour in the situation. Humour can be a great way to relieve stress when communicating. And be willing to compromise – sometimes, if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground. If you realize that the other person cares much more about something than you do, compromise may be easier for you. Finally, sometimes it is necessary to agree to disagree – take a quick break and move away from the situation.

The table below outlines the different stances people commonly adopt, and is adapted from one of the bestselling self-help books ever published, Thomas A. Harris’s ‘I’m OK – You’re OK’. The position in the middle (shaded area) – the ‘I’m OK, you’re OK status – is your best bet and the place to aim for.

You’re okay, I’m not I’m okay, you’re okay

I’m okay, you’re not

Belief

Belief

Belief

Your view is more important than my own, so it doesn’t matter what I think.

I believe and act as if we both deserve respect. We are equally entitled to have things done our way.

I believe I am entitled to have things done my way, because I am right. You are wrong and not entitled to do things your way.

Tips on better communication

Consequences

Consequences

Consequences

Addiction is an entrenched behaviour that differs in severity. If you notice the warning signs of any of these behaviours in a friend or family member, you may be hesitant to say anything for fear of being mistaken or saying the wrong thing and alienating the person. Although it’s undeniably difficult to bring up such a sensitive issue, don’t let these worries keep you from voicing reasonable concerns.

This person gives in to others, doesn’t get what they want or need, and has self-critical thoughts.

This person generally has good relationships, is happy to compromise but doesn’t disregard their own wants and needs.

This person often upsets others and themselves, and often feels angry and resentful.

5. Don’t be a difficult person yourself! – It is easy to identify someone else being difficult, but how often do you acknowledge that you can be difficult as well, especially when you feel stressed or tired? Recognize what triggers your own responses. Take responsibility for your actions and view yourself from the other person’s perspective so that you don’t become the person that others avoid.

Sometime people are afraid to ask for help. Sometimes they are struggling just as much as you are to find a way to start a conversation about their problem. Others have such low self-esteem they simply don’t feel they deserve any help. But the problem will only get worse if it goes unacknowledged, and the emotional and other damage can

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Continued on page 22

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TOUGH LOVE OR LOVE FIRST? NEW WAYS TO HELP ADDICTS WHO DON’T WANT HELP

by Jeff Jay and Debra Jay, authors of Love First

If you can’t help an alcoholic until he wants help, then what will it take to make him want help?

The question–what will it take–changes the way we think about addiction and changes the way we approach the problem. We don’t have to wait for personal tragedy to strike–divorce, job loss, financial ruin, child neglect, jail, cirrhosis, insanity, or death. Hitting bottom has a steep price tag.

And the alcoholic isn’t the only one who pays.

Modern intervention techniques were first developed by Vernon Johnson and the staff of St. Mary’s Hospital during the 1970’s, and they’ve been greatly refined and expanded over the years. Structured family interventions are a powerful catalyst for change, raising the alcoholic’s bottom to the present moment without the danger and trauma that defines addiction.

Some argue that treatment doesn’t work unless the addict spontaneously chooses to get help. If they’re “forced in,” the reasoning goes, they won’t be motivated for change. But a 25-year study by Hazelden compared patients mandated into treatment by the courts with those patients who admitted themselves “on their own.” The success rate in treatment was the same for both groups. William Bennett, author and former White House Drug Czar, wrote in the Washington Post: “One clear fact about drug treatment is that success in treatment is often a function of time in treatment. And time in treatment is often a function of coercion–being forced into treatment by a loved one, an employer, or, as is often the case, the legal system.”

Intervention letters can be powerful therapeutic tools during the treatment process. Treatment staff and interventionists should encourage family members to send or deliver the intervention letters to the alcoholic’s primary counselor. The letters can help patients work through anger and denial. Counselors can ask their patients to read the intervention letters during an individual counseling session. Patients can then be given an assignment to read two or three intervention letters during group therapy and ask for feedback. Another assignment is to ask the patient to share her intervention letters with a peer and listen to the peer’s feedback.

Intervention letters help break through denial. When a group of people all write down the symptoms of addiction they have personally witnesses in the patient, it is more difficult for the patient to rationalize, minimize and deny the addiction. Delusional thinking and euphoric recall blocks the addict’s ability to clearly see how addiction is affecting him and the people around him. The intervention letters help the patient see his addiction through other people’s eyes. Counselors and peers can point out discrepancies between the patient’s account of his drug problem and his family’s account reported in the letters.

A powerful and under-utilized tool Intervention is like CPR for alcoholism. It can break through the natural defenses and denial of the addicted person in a loving way, and help them to accept the help that is readily available. Too many people cling to the myth that an alcoholic must actively want to get sober before the first steps can be taken.

Families worrying about the harshness of forcing loved ones into treatment, often overlook the option of effectively asking them to enter treatment by implementing a loving, family intervention. When the role of love takes center stage during an intervention, most families never have to resort to using tough love. Love breaks through denial first.

It’s a good thing Bill Wilson didn’t believe that. Dr. Bob adamantly refused to meet with the stockbroker, showing absolutely no willingness to deal with his alcoholism. But Dr. Bob’s wife and their friend Henrietta insisted on the meeting, and that famous intervention led to the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Structure is the key

Jeff Jay and Debra Jay are the authors of “Love First,” and other books.

Their national intervention practice is based in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Find interventionists, videos, checklists and more at www.lovefirst.net.

The key to a successful intervention is planning and preparation. The intervention team is comprised of the most important people in the alcoholic’s life, including family members, friends, and colleagues. The team may also include a physician or employer. Planning meetings are used to prepare answers to all the addict’s objections, to line up the many details of treatment, and to unify the group. Most importantly, letters are prepared with a specific format and content, which will provide a script for the intervention. By writing everything down in advance, the team can be confident that they will remain in control of the situation, delivering a powerful message to the addicted individual.

There are many details that go into planning and carrying out a successful intervention. Comprehensive instructions for planning and carrying out an effective intervention are contained in the book Love First (published by Hazelden).

Letters provide the script When an intervention begins, the alcoholic is often surprised to find that he isn’t being blamed and condemned. Instead, the power of love is used to break through denial, followed by facts. The loving part of the letter is often the longest and most detailed section. The alcoholic, feeling anything but lovable, is overwhelmed by a group of his most cherished friends and family telling him in very specific terms, and from the heart, how important he is to each of them.

Bottom line backup In our professional experience, 85 percent of addicts accept help the day of the intervention. Fifteen percent do not. Families and friends prepare for those who refuse help by answering two questions for themselves on paper: “How have I enabled the disease in the past, and how do I choose to only support recovery in the future?” and “If my loved one chooses to stay in her disease, what do I need to do to begin taking care of myself?”

Intervention letters as therapeutic tools

22

FAMILY MATTERS: COMMUNICATING CONCERN ABOUT ADDICTION

By Jane McGregor, Ph.D. MPH. PGCHE and Tim McGregor, RN, PG Dip.

Continued from page 20

So, don’t hold back and hide your concerns, or let resentments build.

Your efforts in initiating new ways of communicating may make all the difference to the person concerned, and prompt them to get further help for their addiction problem. Your attempts to show concern may encourage them to consider other help options such as seeking support from a mutual aid organization, or finding out more information about options of treatment and recovery. And what’s more, and just as importantly, your efforts may go some way to improving relations and family dynamics!

Note: This article is based on ideas expressed in our newest book ‘Coping with Difficult Families’, published February 2014 by leading UK health and self-help publisher Sheldon Press.

Dr. Jane McGregor is a freelance writer and part-time lecturer in addiction at the University of Nottingham, England, UK. Tim McGregor is a health and social care commissioning advisor, freelance trainer, and writer on health matters.

Jane and Tim are joint authors of The Empathy Trap: Understanding Antisocial Personalities (Sheldon Press, 2013) and Coping with Difficult Families also by Sheldon Press, and published February 2014.

WHAT IS A LEVEL 4 TRANSITIONAL CARE HOUSE? Sunset House is currently classified as a level 4 transitional care house, according to the Department of Children and Families criteria regarding such programs. This includes providing 24 hour paid staff coverage seven days per week, requires counseling staff to never have a caseload of more than 15 participating clients. Sunset House maintains this licensure by conducting three group therapy sessions per week as well as one individual counseling session per week with qualified staff. Sunset House provides all of the above mentioned services for $300.00 per week. This also includes a bi-monthly psychiatric session with Dr. William Romanos for medication management. Sunset House continues to be a leader in affordable long term care and has been providing exemplary treatment in the Palm Beach County community for over 18 years.

As a Level 4 facility Sunset House is appropriate for persons who have completed other levels of residential treatment, particularly levels 2 and 3. This includes clients who have demonstrated problems in applying recovery skills, a lack of personal responsibility, or a lack of connection to the world of work, education, or family life. Although clinical services are provided, the main emphasis is on services that are low-intensity and typically emphasize a supportive environment. This would include services that would focus on recovery skills, preventing relapse, improving emotional functioning, promoting personal responsibility and reintegrating the individual into the world of work, education, and family life.

In conjunction with DCF, Sunset House also maintains The American Society of Addiction Medicine or ASAM criteria. This professional society aims to promote the appropriate role of a facility or physician in the care of patients with a substance use disorder. ASAM was created in 1988 and is an approved and accepted model by The American Medical Association and looks to monitor placement criteria so that patients are not placed in a level of care that does not meet the needs of their specific diagnosis, in essence protecting the patients with the sole ethical aim to do no harm.

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23

TO BE THE MOM OF AN ADDICT

By Sandy Swenson

To Love An Addict Is To Run Out Of Tears

sandyswenson.com

Once upon a time I was just a mom.

A regular mom.

When I held my little miracle in my arms for the very first time, I rubbed my cheek on his fuzzy head and whispered, “Joey, my beautiful son, I will love and protect you for as long as I live.” I didn’t know then that my baby would become an addict before becoming an adult, or that the addict taking his place would shred the meaning of those words to smithereens.

When Joey tumbled into my world, he arrived without an instruction manual, but I was the best mom I could be as someone with good intentions and no experience. I stumbled through parenthood like everyone else — rocking my baby to sleep, kissing the scraped knees of my little boy, setting unwelcome limits for my sometimes testy teen, and hoping I was doing things kind of right.

Then, slowly at first, came the arrests and the overdoses, the needle marks and the dealers, interspersed with big fat lies. My loving child was turning into a monster, manipulating me and using me and twisting my love for him into knots, but I was befuddled by this scary new world I didn’t even know I was in and that I knew nothing about. You see, I thought I was still just a regular mom stumbling through regular parenthood like everyone else. (You see, a mothers trust and belief in her child’s inner goodness aren’t easily cast aside.)

Addiction is a disease, but not even the professionals have it all figured out yet — and they aren’t trying to figure it out while in a blind panic,

running through the fires of hell with fears and dreams and maternal instincts tripping them up. So, I shouldn’t feel like a total failure for having missed so many clues and for not being able to love and protect my child as I promised… but still, sometimes I do.

Joey became an addict in his teens, lured to drugs and alcohol by a culture that glorifies substance abuse — the same culture that later, so ignorantly and harshly, passes judgment. I am judged for helping or fixing or pushing (or not helping or fixing or pushing enough) the sick child of mine who won’t be helped or fixed or pushed. I am judged for over-reacting and under-reacting, enabling and letting go, and, most hurtful of all, as a mother whose love must be somehow flawed.

Once upon a time I was just a regular mom; stumbling through parenthood like everyone else — and then I had to figure out how to be the mom of an addict. I had to figure out how to love my child without helping to hurt him, how to grieve the loss of my child who’s still alive without dying, and how to trade shame and blame for strength.

To be the mom of an addict is to be an ambassador of truth and understanding.

No more shame. No more silence.

The Joey Song: A Mother’s Story from the Place Where Love and Addiction Meet will be published fall 2014 by Central Recovery Press.

Blog: sandyswenson.com

RAISING THE BOTTOM WHY NOT HELP THEM BY RAISING THE BOTTOM

By Joe Herzanek

What could have gone on for many years was cut short. Sometimes our natural inclination is to rescue those we love, but often this is the most harmful thing we can do. For Jake, his big battle was from about age thirteen to seventeen. It could just as easily have been from ages thirteen to twenty-nine—just like his Dad. What did we do? We raised his bottom. We allowed the consequences to pile up fast. And we allowed Jake to take care of them himself. His personal victory over his struggles gives him great motivation and confidence as he now realizes that he has what it takes to succeed in life.

“My parents tried to control me for years. I remember waking up to the sound of my dad sawing through my door at 7 o’clock in the morning, taking a big fat permanent marker and writing a date on my wall of which I had to get a job. My parents, mainly my father, tried to control me so much . . . and were so afraid that I would end up addicted like they were, that one time I had a rule sheet five pages long telling me when I was supposed to be home and what I could and couldn’t do . . ..

My life started to go downhill and out of control very quickly. I had never successfully gotten off probation . . . I had my parents worried, the police or someone’s parents were always calling . . . From the time I got arrested for selling coke, I realized that this was basically my last straw with the court system. I finally decided to do what I had to do, to get off probation and stay out of jail. I got away with everything that I could, but I was smart enough to realize I was out of chances . . . I couldn’t make any more mistakes.” ~Jake Herzanek So does everyone have to hit rock bottom? I would say no. Tough love can prevent a substance abuser from prolonging their usage. There are loving ways to refuse to rescue someone that in the long run will help

24

Continued from page 14

him or her to choose recovery. Loving means doing the right thing to help. This can take all of our strength and energy at times. “We all hate to see someone suffer even when the suffering is a consequence of their bad choices.

This approach, or some form of it, is something you might consider: Raise the bottom. Whether it is a teenage son or daughter, a spouse, boyfriend, aunt or uncle, the same principles can apply. A few nights in jail could be the best thing that ever happens to them. The next time this person you care about appeals to you to get them out of a bind (loan them money, pay their electric bill, buy them gas, pay for a lawyer), think twice. You just might be prolonging their disease and robbing them of the natural consequences that they need to experience in order to seek help and begin to connect the dots.

This article excerpted from Chapter 18 (Pivotal Teaching Moments: The “rock bottom” myth) of Why Don’t They Just Quit?

What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.

Jail Chaplain Joe Herzanek (Weld County Jail, Greeley, CO) has spent over twenty years working in the criminal justice system counseling and ministering to inmates and is an expert on recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. He also is a Certified Family Addiction Counselor, author of the award-winning book “Why Don’t They Just Quit? What families and friends need to know about addiction and recovery.” and founder of Changing Lives Foundation (a Colorado nonprofit organization.

Email jherzanek@gmail.com or call Joe at (303) 775.6493 for more info. www.WhyDontTheyJustQuit.org www.ChangingLivesFoundation.org

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25

WHAT KEEPS PEOPLE STUCK IN ADDICTIVE PATTERNS? Douglas Schooler, PhD

You’ve heard countless times someone describe an event this way: “When I go to a party I just sit there and look at the floor. I don’t look at or talk to anyone. Then I leave early and go home and cry.”

Here is an example of a common and seemingly harmless language pattern that actually keeps people stuck, a language pattern that speaks about past events as if they are happening now. She’s actually describing events from the past but she’s doing it using the present tense. How sure are we that she’ll act this way at the next party? We’re 100% sure. Using the present tense when speaking and thinking about the past keeps people stuck.

Lots of attention has been paid to the physical factors that influence addiction such as tolerance and withdrawal effects. Far less attention has been devoted to understanding the psychological influences that get people stuck. Here are some of the most common factors that keep people stuck in addictive behavior.

Disturbing memories Disturbing, confusing, troubling events occur to everyone in the course of living, even those who have had relatively protected lives.

Let’s think of a “traumatic event” as one whose memory continues to be troubling even though the event is long finished. Just recalling the event triggers painful emotions that affect thinking and behavior.

Life begins to go off track and the person is stuck in pain and despair.

Addictive behavior often begins as the “solution” to the hurt. When the painful memories are neutralized by effective psychological treatment, energy is released that automatically fuels positive behavior change.

Similar- same confusion The human mind, because it is protective, will remember all the details of a disturbing event and be on the alert for any detail that looks similar. The problem is that what is noticed as similar is perceived as the same. This explains why the firecracker outside causes the decorated Army combat veteran to dive behind the couch shaking with fear. Even though this similar-same confusion operates on a subconscious level it can be corrected with effective treatment.

Painful emotions Painful emotions are often the legacy of traumatic experiences.

Anger, grief, fear and guilt consume huge amounts of energy and drain a person of enthusiasm and motivation. These emotions are almost always worse than useless and contribute in a major way to “stuckness.” Although many people may not realize it, painful emotions can be eliminated rapidly with effective treatment.

Perceived Identity How we think about who we really are is a big deal. A “negative” identity almost always contributes to unwanted behavior. Traumatic events often lead to a distorted and negative perceived identity, the person’s takeaway being “I’m just a worthless piece of crap” or something similar. When behavior is confused with identity positive change becomes difficult or even impossible. Even experiences intended to be therapeutic can cause harmful distortions in perceived identity. For example, the time honored requirement to “own” the behavior and state “I am an addict” can have disastrous unintended consequences. The key phrase is of course “I am”. Identity is usually perceived as unchanging and permanent. So if one “is” something, how does one not be it? Do you see the problem here? Confusing identity with behavior is a huge contributor to being stuck.

Negation Everyone that I work with is stuck in some area of life. They come to me to get unstuck but usually describe what they want as something they don’t want. “I want to get rid of my anger outbursts” or “I want to not be afraid of everything”. The human mind, especially the more primitive subconscious mind, doesn’t deal well with negation. It’s sort of like asking your server in a restaurant to not bring you chicken.

It’s a good start but needs to be followed with what you do want.

26

Speaking and thinking only in negation keeps people stuck.

Conflict Often a goal may look appealing (losing weight, for example) but when we take a closer look there’s a conflict that has been preventing reaching it. It wasn’t alright to get thinner, she finally realized during treatment, because then people would pay more attention to her and that would freak her out. She had been wishing to be thinner but deep down it wasn’t okay. She hadn’t lost a pound. She was stuck.

Treatment resolved the conflict and she finally was able to reach her goal weight Meaning The only animal on the planet that attaches meaning to events is the human animal. We’re really good at it and we do it all the time. When the meaning is positive there’s usually no problem. But when the meaning is negative it can be a big problem that causes even more painful emotion. Listen closely to how people describe a troubling event and you’ll find tons more meaning than facts. They think they are telling you what happened but most of it is meaning. For example: “They totally humiliated me but I deserved it because I was such a weak and lowly coward. I just couldn’t stand up to them. I let them walk all over me. Now the axe is about to fall. ” Do you have even the slightest clue about what actually happened? No facts at all! This fellow is stuck in a mess of painful emotions that interfere with any desired behavior change.

False beliefs The meaning the human mind attaches to events is, of course, a major source of false beliefs. But false beliefs can come from the culture or even from the mental health profession. Take a look at these false beliefs. Recognize any?

“I’ve always been this way so I’ll always be this way.” She thinks the past determines the future. She’s stuck “It’s genetic; it’s my DNA, my heredity.” He thinks genes are fixed and written in stone. He doesn’t know that events, positive or negative, affect which genes turn on and off. He’s stuck.

“I have an addictive personality. It’s just who I am.” It’s the perceived identity problem again and we already know the problem with confusing behavior with identity.

“I can’t change until I really love myself.” That’s wrong! Think that and get really stuck. How much time would you want to spend with a person who is really into a lot of self-loving?

“I’ll never get what I want until I have high self-esteem.” Ask a tiger about self-esteem. He won’t have a clue. He doesn’t know what it is and doesn’t need it to be a super effective hunter and provider. If someone thinks they need it to succeed, they’re stuck.

“I have to analyze myself, understand myself, and work on myself and change myself. “ This last one like the two preceding comes straight from the mental health profession. Well intentioned, but advice that is bound to make one feel and act worse. If you think you have to do all that to move ahead, I’m pretty sure you’re stuck.

In next month’s installment we’ll take a closer look at the psychological causes of “stuckness” and describe what you can do to eliminate them, GET UNSTUCK AND BREAK OUT OF THE ADDICTIVE PATTERN. Dr. Doug Schooler is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Master Practitioner of Rapid Resolution Therapy. He maintains an independent practice of psychology in Boca Raton, providing treatment to all ages since 1985 (www.DouglasSchooler.com).

Before coming to Florida he taught psychology at Eastern Michigan University. He graduated from Queens College in 1964 and received his PhD in psychology from the University of Rhode Island in 1976.

2014 Way of Life Conference

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27

INTERVIEW WITH BOB MOYLAN

By Patricia Rosen

This is an interview I did with Bob Moylan, Author of Emotional Core Therapy and Emotional Core Therapy for Adolescents.

Patricia: We would like you to share with our readers your Emotional Core Therapy approach to treating addictions. Your book, Emotional Core Therapy is currently the top rated book on Amazon under the category of “Emotions”. Your book for teens, Emotional Core Therapy for Adolescents” is currently ranked number two in the category of “Emotions” on amazon.com. Please tell the readers why your approach is the best treatment currently available worldwide to treat addictions?

Bob: Thanks Patricia. My Emotional Core Therapy (ECT) approach is the simplest behavioral psychology approach to treating teen and adult addictions because my techniques are all rooted in modern psychology. The psychology field is evolving and getting better every day. What I have done with ECT is utilize the best psychology tools available to get at the root cause of addictions. I will note that my ECT approach is also the simplest approach available to treat depression, anxiety, anger, marital therapy, and most relationship stress. It is very important to treat the underlying causes of addiction so that the patient does not relapse. My ECT approach examines the underlying debilitating emotional stress that is the cause of why someone abuses substances in the first place.

Patricia: Tell me why ECT is different than the other main psychological approaches?

Bob: ECT teaches both teens and adults how to truly love themselves and to take responsibility for all the relationships they enter into, including drugs and alcohol.

It teaches both teens and adults how to relax, meditate and self soothe themselves. This is a critical first step to being emotionally empowered. When you learn to meditate on an hourly and daily basis you are learning to protect and love yourself. The key to any form of meditation is to let your mind wander, daydream, and free float.

Often times in this state the mind can reflect on key events in one’s life (good or bad events need to be released) and then release these thoughts in a relaxed manner. This is called catharsis or cleansing of the soul. I teach people how to do this on a daily basis just like brushing your teeth. Meditation can be done in various ways. Sitting in a Jacuzzi, yoga, jogging, painting, listening to music, writing, gardening or golfing. The key is to get your mind in a relaxed state.

This varies from person to person.

In my ECT books I have a flow chart after each chapter. The ECT process requires eight steps of which two happen quite automatically.

The real challenge of learning ECT is to master five or six basic steps. In my flow chart the meditation step is the eighth and final step.

Once you have completed this step you are then ready to examine other relationship stresses. My book highlights cases of addiction, depression, anxiety as well as many other common stressful events in one’s life. This allows the reader to learn from others in a nonthreatening manner.

The real problem in America as well as throughout the world is a lack of knowledge as to what causes addictions and mental health problems. Religions and schools are the most common tract to educating our young and old how to behave and live in the world.

This include work, home, and with friends. First and foremost, the US population, as well as the world needs to be more open about emotions, especially fear and grief. (Otherwise known as anxiety and depression) Most religions and cultures don’t properly address these debilitating feelings, or the treatment to get rid of them.

Patricia: Why? Bob: Well, in the first place you need a good understanding of psychology. Most people ignore these feelings until they are overwhelming. My ECT approach teaches the reader to readily identify and release these feelings in a healthy manner. I use the analogy of rain and thunderstorms in my book. If it is raining, why wouldn’t you use an umbrella? If it is a thunderstorm, why would you

28

not seek shelter? The same process can be asked with emotions.

Fear and grief are a necessary part of life. Why not fully embrace them and learn from them rather than looking the other way and escaping them?

Patricia: That sounds reasonable.

Bob: ECT examines how stress occurs. Stress comes from entering and leaving relationships with people places, or things. Since the Sober World magazine deals primarily with addictions we can examine how stress occurs with addictions. Let’s take a teen boy named John. John decides to try and use alcohol and drinks five shots of vodka with his teen friends on the weekends. John watched a movie where adults were drinking and drinking was glamorized so he thought he would have fun too. After John emulates this behavior several times a month for a few months he gets arrested. He now faces legal and financial trouble as well as developing a bad habit that can harm his mind and organs.

John has learned this poor coping mechanism of using alcohol over a period of several months. My approach teaches him to relearn proper self-soothing techniques and to manage his emotions without the use of drugs. This will take time and not happen overnight. Just like teaching a child the ABC’s, I try to be as supportive and kind as I can to those trying to relearn negative behaviors. In John’s case it is important to educate him on the unhealthy toxins that makeup vodka.

I leave no stone unturned when I educate clients on the dangers of any additive substance. At the same time, I try and have John look and find healthy relationships that will bring him joy. This may be playing Frisbee, the guitar, going to the gym, etc. The key to having John find healthy relationships is to examine his worldview and what John and his friends enjoy doing that is not harmful.

Patricia: So in essence you are teaching him how to unlearn the negative and relearn and enforce the positive?

Bob: Yes. Emotional Core Therapy (ECT) is very successful because it simplifies the hundreds of positive and negative emotions down to four! These four are joy, grief, fear, and relief. Clients and folks who read my books feel empowered when they have more control over their minds. I often tell people, “If you master the mind, you will master the body!”

When you go towards something you like, there is joy. In John’s case it was being with his girlfriend Amy. When you leave something you like there is grief. When you go toward something you don’t like there is fear. In John’s case he disliked waking up with a hangover and having to go to court. When those situations ended he had relief.

It is so critically important for anyone, including John, to master these four emotions. By doing so, you can begin to make healthy decisions in your life. My books demonstrate how these emotions evolve and help or hurt us on a daily basis. Both my books also have exercises at the end of each chapter that help the reader understand and become familiar with these four emotions.

Patricia: Can they learn all this from reading your book?

Bob: Yes, as well as how to identify and process these four emotions on a daily basis.

Patricia: I want to thank you for taking time out for this interview. I know there are going to be many people eager to read your book and apply this information!

Bob: Anytime. Sober World is truly a helpful resource for so many families and it’s my pleasure to be a part of it.

Robert A. Moylan has worked for over 30 years as a teacher, coach and counselor. He is the author of two books-Emotional Core Therapy and Emotional Core Therapy for Adolescents. He delivers lectures on his Emotional Core Therapy techniques as well as bullying, substance abuse and career counseling. He currently works as a psychotherapist with offices in Naperville and Lisle, Illinois. You may e-mail Robert at bmoylan111@yahoo.com or call 630-788-1100.

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ADVE RTISING OPPORTUNITIES

The Sober World is a free magazine for parents and families who have loved ones struggling with addiction. We offer an E-version of the magazine monthly. If you are interested in having a copy e-mailed, please send your request to patricia@thesoberworld.com FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR MAGAZINE OR ON OUR WEBSITE, PLEASE CONTACT PATRICIA AT 561-910-1943.

We invite you to visit our website at www.thesoberworld.com You will find an abundance of helpful information from resources and services to important links, announcements, gifts, books and articles from contributors throughout the country.

There is an interactive forum where we invite and encourage you to voice your opinion, share your thoughts and experiences.

If you would like to submit an article for publication, please contact patricia@thesoberworld.com for further information.

Please visit us on Face Book at The Sober World or Steven Sober-World Again, I would like to thank all my advertisers that have made this magazine possible, and have given us the ability to reach people around the world that are affected by drug or alcohol abuse. I can’t tell you all the people that have reached out to thank us for providing this wonderful resource.

For more information contact Patricia at 561-910-1943

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29

VIDEO CONFERENCING, BUILDING BETTER OUTCOMES AND A COMPETITIVE EDGE

By Alan R. Goodwin, Ph.D Department of Psychiatry is piloting a tele-mental health program focused on children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. VEH Solutions is collaborating with a large hospital system to design a tele-health approach for young children with coexisting disorders (mental health and diabetes/asthma).

Video conferencing is also a powerful tool for both adolescent and adult addiction treatment. Picture an overwhelmed out-of-state parent able to experience a meaningful face-to-face dialogue with an admissions counselor. Imagine spouses participating in a virtual support group and family therapy. Appreciate the potential for post-treatment patients continuing to participate in their primary group. Yes, VIDEO CONFERENCING WORKS and it is applicable to the full continuum of care (referral building, the admission’s process, during treatment, and post-discharge).

Today, tele-health applications can be very cost effective for all levels of care and even produce a strong ROI. The chart below details potential ROI for one level of care, residential treatment centers. By using video conferencing to strengthen referral building and the intervention process and blocking even one AMA with what can be described as video conferencing supported secondary intervention, it is easy to see how today’s technology can produce substantial revenue.

Although many state legislatures and the federal government are rapidly expanding mandated tele-health reimbursement (Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance), reimbursement is still uneven. However, mental health and addiction providers should not wait for the government to mandate tele-health reimbursement. Major insurance companies (e.g.: United, BC/ BS plans, etc.) are currently defining their own reimbursement strategies for video conferencing delivered services. Likewise, as the American healthcare system moves to a more managed approach (e.g.: set amount per month), tele-health will reduce provider costs and drive better outcomes.

Continued from page 10

And, there are competitive reasons why addiction treatment centers cannot ignore this type of technology. At the December 2013 Moments of Change conference there was an exhibitor whose company presented as having the capacity to “fully” deliver addiction related treatment via video conferencing. To remain competitive brick and mortar programs must selectively adopt and use today’s technology.

While most tele-health advocates and certainly those associated with addiction and mental health treatment strongly question a full virtual approach, they now see video conferencing as an important support tool for quality treatment. Quality and cost effective tele-health solutions are available and appropriate for many patients and treatment modalities. Determining when and where it can work best is now our challenge.

Alan R. Goodwin is the Co-Founder of VEH Solutions.

For almost fifty years, Alan has been a visionary influence in health, mental health, drug/alcohol prevention and treatment, juvenile justice, and education. Through the years he has successfully brought together stakeholder organizations from the public and private sectors to build more service access for children and families, and adults. His practical understanding of traditional mental health treatment and a vision of how technology can build more access resulted in VEH’s major innovative efforts via tele-mental health. Furthermore, Alan was one of the earliest advocates for linking community mental health services with schools and sees today’s video conferencing as the key for bringing together mental health providers, educators and families.

THE OPIATE ADDICTION EPIDEMIC AND THE RISE IN HEROIN ABUSE

By Taite Adams

Continued from page 8

narcotics, it also has some explaining to do. In just this past month, a new opiate drug has hit the market that has massive potential for abuse. Called Zohydro, this pure-hydrocodone capsule can pack the punch of 5 to 10 Vicodin in just one dose and has no mechanisms whatsoever to prevent abuse. There are numerous campaigns underway to try to convince the FDA to pull it from the marketplace but as of right now, it’s out there.

There is further rationale for providers developing tele-health strategies. A large urban healthcare system amplified that while reimbursement is critical; their high no-show rate with a SED adolescent population leaves their therapists with costly downtime and compromised outcomes. They see video conferencing applications as a way to increase treatment compliance and, therefore, increased revenue. The same system is also looking at the advantages of video conferencing linked services between their fourteen school based health clinics as a means of containing costs and providing more clinical options.

Similarly, the Chicago center referenced at the beginning of this article recognizes the costs for patients, families, and the center itself when a discharged patient quickly relapses. The addition of video conferencing capabilities is a relatively low-cost solution for potentially very expensive problems.

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For those in the grip of opiate addiction, or who have a loved one in its grasp, there is hope. I have been clean and sober for over 12 years and have no desire to use or abuse drugs. It took a lot of pain for me to become willing to do something about my situation but recovery is absolutely possible from opiate addiction and it is happening all around us on a daily basis. What seems to be a hopeless situation when in its grip can really be just the end of a nightmare and the beginning to a new and wonderful life - free from opiates.

Taite Adams is the author of the successful book “Opiate Addiction - The Painkiller Addiction Epidemic, Heroin Addiction and the Way Out” published by Rapid Response Press. “Opiate Addiction” describes in detail how opiates work, their history, opiate addiction, and pathways to recovery. It has been termed invaluable as a resource for those addicted their families, professionals and people in recovery. Taite has several other recovery-related books and is available for interviews and presentations. Contact Taite at www.taiteadams.com.

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The contents of this book may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of publisher. Every effort has been made to include accurate data, however the publisher cannot be held liable for material content or errors. This publication offers Therapeutic Services, Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitative services, and other related support systems. You should not rely on the information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health care professional because of something you may have read in this publication. The Sober World LLC and its publisher do not recommend nor endorse any advertisers in this magazine and accepts no responsibility for services advertised herein. Content published herein is submitted by advertisers with the sole purpose to aid and educate families that are faced with drug/alcohol and other addiction issues and to help families make informed decisions about preserving quality of life.

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