Category: Addiction News

5 Lessons from 5 Years of Sobriety
When I reflect on this choice I’ve made every day for five years, I realize sobriety is a limitless resource, readily available for anyone who needs it. I won’t run out of sobriety one day if someone else becomes sober. I won’t run out if 500,000 people become sober.

I’m entering my fifth year of sobriety this April. Finding and maintaining sobriety has been no small task and I’ve learned a lot about myself over this time. I’ve changed from who I was as a drunk and as a newly sober person to who I am now. There have been high points, low points, and everything in between.

I’ve had many opportunities to share my experience with others: I’ve spoken at conferences, written articles for The Fix and many other online publications, been interviewed by WIRED, and been a guest on numerous podcasts and radio programs. I’ve felt scared and vulnerable sharing my stories and experiences, but on each of these occasions I’ve been rewarded with community support and increased accountability. Inevitably someone reaches out to thank me, in person or virtually. I believe this human bond we create through sharing is critical for all who struggle with addiction.

In this post, I am commemorating my fifth sober anniversary with a reflection on five lessons I’ve learned. Holy shit! Did you read that? I’ve been sober for five years. I didn’t know I could make it five days, let alone one year. I would have laughed if someone told me I’d make it five years. Wasn’t I just pulling a typical Victor and waiting for the fallout from one of my drunken rampages to calm down? Turns out I am able to stick with something.

I’ve spent most of the last five years examining myself and reflecting on life. One thing is clear, I am full of contradictory thoughts and actions. We all are. As famed American poet (and proponent of being naked in nature) Walt Whitman wrote in Song of Myself:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

You will see my contradictions here and elsewhere. Let’s jump in to the lessons.

1. Recovery Does Not Equal Recovered

I still have cravings for alcohol. I still need to remove myself from situations that make me feel out of control. My life is not perfect and I’m not all better. I have the same shit, the same trials and temptations to deal with, but now I address them as a sober person. I don’t believe in full recovery – not for myself. I’ll define recovered as either a complete lack of interest in drinking or the ability to drink in moderation with no chance of falling back into abuse.

I’m aware some people identify as recovered and no longer have issues. I don’t dispute their recovery but I have enough self-awareness to know this has yet to occur for me. My thoughts when I crave alcohol are to feel drunk, to overconsume, to try one more time for the elusive buzz I spent over 10 years unsuccessfully chasing. To stay successful in recovery, I need an in recovery–not recovered–mindset.

2. Sobriety Is What You Make of It

Sobriety without additional work has a limited impact on your life. It might be a huge impact, but the ceiling extends drastically upward when you combine it with additional work on yourself. Alcohol abuse wasn’t the only issue I had and being sober allows me to begin addressing these underlying issues. I’ve needed to continue working on myself beyond sobriety. I have areas of deficiency I’ll need to work on for years, if not forever. For the sake of brevity, I’ll refrain from listing these.

Sobriety (from alcohol) at its most basic level is a period of time spent not drinking. I understand why many people commit to the day at a time mindset. You need to have small, achievable time frames to get through cravings, days which you spend refocusing, creating healthier habits, rebuilding or building a new life, and building your support system. Simply staying sober will heal your body. Staying sober while learning and growing will heal your mind as well.

I haven’t always been successful at doing more than staying sober. In fact, I’ve recently gone through a year or so of backsliding when it comes to handling my anxiety and mental health and building social support, which has resulted in some drastic negative changes in some of my closest relationships. However, I have stayed sober and this has allowed me to correct my course. I’ve become proactive in using techniques to manage anxiety and I’ve pushed myself to develop new and deeper relationships with positive people who support me. I’m seeking new opportunities to grow in the right direction.

3. Sobriety Is My Soulmate

Sound dramatic? How about, sobriety is my rock? Sobriety is my better half? Sobriety is the one thing that has been there for me every single day for five years. Sometimes I didn’t want it around and sometimes I’ve had to fight to keep it. I’ve gained and lost a number of things over the past five years but sobriety is the one consistent positive presence in my life. I get to choose every day whether I want to keep my sobriety or not. Choosing yes for another day deepens my commitment and strengthens the neural pathways that help me resist temptation.

When I reflect on this choice I’ve made every day for five years, I realize sobriety is a limitless resource, readily available for anyone who needs it. I won’t run out of sobriety one day if someone else becomes sober. I won’t run out of sobriety if 500,000 people become sober. Sobriety can be everyone’s soulmate simultaneously.

Sobriety won’t leave me if I slip up. These five years are made up of a string of days where I’ve made the same choice. If I had chosen to drink on any of these days, sobriety wouldn’t be any less available to me; I could have come back the following day. In that sense, five years is meaningless. Regardless of what stage you’re at, or even if you’re just thinking about it – sobriety will be there when you’re ready for it. Sobriety won’t judge you. Sobriety doesn’t care if you had a drink yesterday, or if you’ll have another drink in a week.

4. Drunk Conversations Are Toxic to Everyone

I remember being the drunk who shared my philosophy of the world with anyone who’d listen. I was so smart, my insight incomparable, my language spot on. If only I could hold on to that level of confidence when I’d sober up the next day, I’d show everyone how great I was. Yet I could never muster the words or confidence when I wasn’t drunk. In sobriety, I see drunk conversations as absurd, pathetic, or sad at best. Few sober people would say the words that so comfortably spill out of the mouths of drunks.

I still frequent bars and venues where alcohol is a focus and I still encounter plenty of drunk conversations. They fall into three categories:
1. Drunk with plans to conquer the world. You have the ultimate plan and you know how to execute it. If only the rest of us were as excited as you are about it. You’re going to pass out before you can start making progress.
2. Drunk with plans to conquer their date. This is disgusting. You are seducing your date with slurred words and poorly veiled references to sex. They are looking around to assess their exit strategy. Hopefully you don’t throw up on them.
3. Drunks who are sad, whiny, or complaining about life. Bartenders find themselves having to support these conversations unless it’s a group of drunks and then it becomes a contest over who is the most aggrieved. Sometimes these folks end the night with fighting or violence. Regardless of how tough you talk or how many people you fight, drunk shit-talking still boils down to being a sad, whiny loser.
I’ve written these three conversations out using a judgmental tone. And while I am judging, I am also aware that I’ve been an active contributor to each type of drunk conversation on dozens of occasions. I’ve done my part to give others uncomfortable experiences. I apologize for that and hope some of my work in sobriety has atoned for some of what I’ve done.

5. Being Vulnerable Without Alcohol is More Authentic and More Rewarding

I had what I refer to as diarrhea mouth when I would get drunk. I couldn’t stop talking. Alcohol was a truth serum for me: I could get drunk and tell you exactly what I was thinking and feeling. I could express elation, I could express sorrow. I could tell you I hate your fucking guts. The words came easy (see my previous lesson!). Speaking the truth while being vulnerable without alcohol is more difficult, but it’s also more authentic.

I now pause before I share my thoughts and feelings. I have coherent thoughts during this pause where I calculate whether what I’m saying might be harmful to others. I also consider if what I’m saying leaves me exposed to criticism or hurt. This pause didn’t exist when I was drunk. I’m also fighting my natural tendency to withdraw from being social during the pause. Sober Victor is someone who is less comfortable sharing what is happening inside of him. I still end up saying hurtful things or oversharing in ways that might make others feel uncomfortable, but I am aware of and accept the consequences.

My vulnerability extends beyond what I say. Writing exposes me to criticism in the form of online comments or posts in other forums. Opening myself up to written criticism from others is a reversal of how I used writing as a drunk. I used my writing to hurt people: mean texts, drunken Facebook posts, belligerent emails, and even hand-written letters were a hallmark of my absurd drunken behavior. Again, I hope the words I write now to share what I’ve learned provide some atonement for the words I’ve written to hurt people.

Here is a sixth bonus lesson. I plan to write more about this in the near future. My reflection on my history of alcohol use has led me to conclude:

6. I’ve Abused Alcohol Since My First Encounter

I didn’t progressively become an alcohol abuser. Yes, my abuse became worse, but I abused from the beginning. I’m fairly certain I’ve never had a single healthy experience using alcohol. If you can relate to this, consider stopping your drinking until you can figure out if you do have an issue.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye. I had no concept of what five years would be like when I first stopped drinking and I’m not sure I fully understand or appreciate the magnitude of this accomplishment. I’m not sure I’d have been healthy or alive to write this if I hadn’t found sobriety.

What do I see for the next five years? I’m committed to staying sober and I’ll need to make some adjustments to accomplish this. I have recommitted to seeking support in the form of healthy relationships with other sober people, attending support groups, journaling, and practicing mindfulness. My sobriety is not on cruise control. I also intend to stay an active contributor to The Fix and other relevant publications; I find it helps me stay accountable.

Thank you for reading this post. Thank you for being part of my journey. Please share this with anyone who might find it useful.

View the original article at thefix.com
15 April 2019
How Nutrition Affects Recovery from Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Recovering addicts are particularly susceptible to nutrient deficiencies for a number of observable and biological reasons. Healthy eating will help correct these and certainly improve your odds of maintaining sobriety. Here, we will explain how nutrition affects recovery.

Nutrition affects recovery from addiction by giving your body and mind time to improve and heal faster. It also helps you maintain sobriety by supporting your body to consistently function properly, thus maintaining your good health. A healthy diet helps you stay sober in various ways. It improves your mental focus, helps in maintaining your mood, and reduces cravings for addictive substances and behaviors. Inversely, nutrient deficiencies make staying sober more of a challenge by increasing your chances for depression, fatigue, and cravings.

How Nutrition Affects Recovery for Addicts

Addiction can make eating a proper diet more difficult in many ways. When you don’t absorb enough of the essential nutrients in your body, you develop a deficiency. Addiction can definitely interfere with a proper diet and nutritional food in many ways.

Some of these include:
- Decreased appetite.
If your appetite is decreased and you eat less food, you are not getting enough nutrients. Addicts tend to put their substance of choice (whether it is alcohol or drugs) ahead of eating. Drinking alcohol is simply consuming empty calories. It has no nutritional value. When drug abusers use drugs, they have no desire to eat. Hence, they may end up eating only chips or crackers which is also not a healthy diet for anyone.
- Increased cravings for unhealthy foods.
If you have sugar cravings and can’t control them, it can be extremely hard to get all of your nutrients, considering sugary foods contain hardly any essential nutrients. Eating mostly foods which contain sugar can also contribute to diabetes which is also a health issue for alcoholics because of the sugar content in alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and liquor.
- Reduce your motivation to eat healthy foods.
Motivation to eat a healthy diet requires assurance that eating healthy will provide great outcomes in the long run. Furthermore, it requires confidence that you will maintain a healthy diet long enough to experience these positive results. Drug abuse can make it much more difficult to keep a positive outlook and can affect your willpower and confidence. When you are addicted to drugs, you are only interested in being “high” and not in consuming good healthy food.
- Nutrient deficiencies and too few calories.
As stated above, nutrition affects recovery from addiction. Addicts often do not eat a healthy diet and hardly ever get enough nutrients or calories. Therefore, you could have nutrient deficiencies that you are unaware of which is making and maintaining sobriety much harder. Eating too few calories will also make sobriety and the recovery process much harder.

Best Results for Recovering Addicts

Recovering from addiction and eating healthy will ensure the absolute best recovery and will help with maintaining it. If you have completed an addiction treatment program, healthy eating will greatly protect and prevent you from a relapse.

Nutrition affects recovery from addiction in a number of ways. If you maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly, it will be much easier for you to decrease cravings and handle those cravings if they do come. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly gives you a better outlook on life as a whole. You feel better physically and emotionally when you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy diet is challenging for almost everyone and you need a set plan for how you will keep and maintain it for the rest of your life.

The following is a list of ways to achieve this:
- Avoid fast food
- Eat whole foods
- Consume lots of vegetables and fruits
- Avoid refined sugars
- Eat grass fed meat
- Eat organic foods
- Add healthy nuts and seeds to your diet
The body uses nutrients and energy for daily functions, so eating healthy requires that you get these nutrients regularly from your diet. Healthy eating requires getting enough calories for performing physical activity and keeping a steady body weight. Each person’s nutritional requirements are different because of a variety of factors.

Professional rehabilitation can help you create a personalized goal for your own unique needs. Please contact a representative today for more information on how nutrition affects recovery.

Resource:

medlineplus.gov – Substance Use Recovery and Diet

View the original article at bestdrugrehabilitation.com
13 April 2019
"Soberchella" Kicks Off in Coachella Valley

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the sober community at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicks off today in Indio, California. It’s probably safe to say that there will be plenty of drugs and alcohol to go around—but if that’s not your thing, you’re not alone.

In the nearly 20 years of Coachella’s existence, Soberchella—a small but growing sober community at the festival—has been around for 10 of them. This year, it is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The two-weekend festival will feature performances by Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, Janelle Monáe, the 1975, Kid Cudi, Khalid, Aphex Twin, Weezer, and more.

Last year, we discussed the roots of the growing movement with Soberchella co-founder Joseph G. This time around, neither he nor his fellow co-founders will be making the trip to Indio. They’ve passed the torch to a dedicated group of volunteers to carry on Soberchella’s mission—to provide sober support and fellowship to festivalgoers.

“People are so grateful to find us before they arrive,” Joey W of Los Angeles, who is part of the new team running Soberchella, tells The Fix. This is her third Soberchella.

“We have a wide variety of Soberchellians, from 70-year-old dancing hippies with 90 days of sobriety who come back a year later still sober, to sober mothers and daughters, ex-gang members, stagehands and Coachella food servers—you name it,” she continued. “People with more than two decades of sobriety down to two days with new perfect strangers and repeat friends, with one thing in common—to have fun and stay sober at Coachella.”

Joey W, who is 10 years sober, is largely responsible for getting the sober community back on its feet. “It was starting to stagger, and I just want to revitalize it and try and make it really thrive into the next decade,” she said.

Joey W started by ramping up outreach efforts and getting the word out to meetings and support groups worldwide. “We really wanted to beef up the outreach and let AA/NA and all other 12-step programs know we’re here,” she said.

In addition to the noon meetings that Soberchella is known for, there will be additional meet-ups at various sets throughout the festival. And if that’s not enough, they also provide information on meetings and support outside of the festival.

“We also have helped people connect out-of-town travelers with other sober people for meetings in Vegas, LA and the desert,” says Joey W. “One of our Soberchellians’ wife got really sick and he gifted his tickets to another member on our GroupMe Chain who wasn’t able to afford tickets. And they had never met in person. How cool is that?”

And fielding last-minute calls from fellow festivalgoers in need of support is typical at the festival, she adds. “I hope it has helped someone stay sober another day.”

Another team member, Fred E from the OC, is helping out for the first time this year, though this will be his 10th Coachella. With 12 years sober, he says that the meetings at the festival are as meaningful to him as the performances. “The amount of gratitude and euphoria that I feel sitting in those meetings with the thump of the bass in the background rivals many experiences that I barely remember from before I got sober,” he tells The Fix.

Soberchella’s presence at the festival is vital to its members, who hail from all backgrounds. They have one shared goal: to listen to good music, have a good time, and to do it all while maintaining sobriety.

“No matter who people are coming to see, why people come, or what stage of sobriety people are in, we are all excited to party, listen to music, and have a complete escape from the real world. We are all here to help support people being able to have maximum fun in an environment that can be dangerous for some of us,” says Fred E.

Kurt G went to his first Coachella back in 2010, with just 22 months of sobriety. After doing a quick “sober at Coachella” Google search, the rest was history. Now 10 years sober, he’s been attending the annual music festival for pretty much his entire recovery.

“Coachella is an amazing experience but it can be treacherous ground for a sober person to walk,” Kurt G tells The Fix. “I love live music and I love the excitement and joy it brings me and to the other 99,000 of my newfound friends here on the polo fields.”

“For a lot of attendees, it’s a drug- and booze-fueled party and that can be a scary place for me and my sober brothers and sisters,” he continued. “Attending the Soberchella meetings through the years, I’ve met some old-timers and I’ve met a person that had literally 3 days—a noon meeting sometimes doesn’t seem like enough. For that moment though, we can be candid, we can listen, we can be of service, and we keep coming back.”

If you would like to learn more about Soberchella, visit Soberchella.com.

View the original article at thefix.com

13 April 2019
New Jersey Governor Issues Ultimatum Over Recreational Pot

Governor Phil Murphy is giving lawmakers until May to approve recreational marijuana…or else.

After a failed effort to get recreational marijuana passed during his first 100 days in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told lawmakers this week that they have until May to approve recreational marijuana, or he will expand the state’s medical marijuana program by executive order.

“We’re not going to wait around a lot. I’m prepared to hold off for a short amount of time, but we’re holding back enormous demand for more access” Murphy said, according to the Asbury Park Press. “I’m still confident we can get it done legislatively and I’m prepared and certainly open-minded and quite supportive for the Legislature to go back at it and find those last couple of votes we didn’t quite get. But that can’t be an unending calendar.”

Murphy, a Democrat, has been a vocal advocate for marijuana reform in the state. However, in March a vote to legalize marijuana in New Jersey was cancelled because lawmakers could not gather enough votes to ensure that the measure would pass.

“Certainly, I’m disappointed, but we are not defeated,” Murphy told The New York Times then. “Justice may be delayed, but justice will not be denied.”

Now, votes on marijuana legalization are scheduled for the end of May in the state Senate and Assembly.

“I think it’s possible we can get this done in May,” state Sen. Nick Scutari, a Democrat in favor of legalization said. “But we can’t pass it unless we have the votes.”

Bill Caruso, who is a leader in calling for marijuana reform in the state and a board member for New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, said that postponing the vote was a smart choice.

He said, ”If they had another day, they would have been there. That’s how close it was. But I think a wise decision was made to hold off. There was such a short time between some very good and very substantive changes to this bill that confused a lot of folks. So they made a wise decision to stop trying to push it through.”

Caruso said that it’s important that marijuana is legalized through a legislative vote, because that will ensure that the bill’s social justice components are passed. A public referendum would simply allow voters to select yes or no, essentially starting over on the legislative process of drafting the law.

He said, ”When you vote on this legislatively, you get to telegraph everything you’re going to do in the bill. If the Legislature is just given a blank check by the voters, people would be motivated for different reasons. We have the luxury of making this very difficult decision and looking at it in a global way. There is a need to get this right.”

View the original article at thefix.com

13 April 2019
Discontinuing Opioids Too Quickly Can Be Harmful, FDA Warns

The FDA issued guidance to help address the issue of opioid-dependent patients discontinuing or tapering off too quickly and becoming sick.

Since the national crackdown on prescription opioids, many pain patients have been forced to taper their dose of painkillers. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors that tapering too quickly can have unintended and dangerous consequences.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of serious harm in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines suddenly having these medicines discontinued or the dose rapidly decreased,” the agency said in a statement. “These include serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress, and suicide.”

The FDA issued guidance to help address the problem.

“These changes will provide expanded guidance to health care professionals on how to safely decrease the dose in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines when the dose is to be decreased or the medicine is to be discontinued,” the agency wrote.

The agency said that providers should make an individualized plan for patients who need to taper off opioids, and should never stop the pain pills suddenly. The plan should take into consideration the type of opioid and dosage, as well as the patient’s pain and psychological concerns.

“Create a patient-specific plan to gradually taper the dose of the opioid and ensure ongoing monitoring and support, as needed, to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms, worsening of the patient’s pain, or psychological distress,” the FDA wrote.

The agency also warned that patients should not discontinue opioids without talking to their providers. They should be candid about any side effects they have as their dose of opioids is being tapered.

“Even when the opioid dose is decreased gradually, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal,” the agency warned. “Contact your health care professional if you experience increased pain, withdrawal symptoms, changes in your mood, or thoughts of suicide.”

Although many public health officials applaud efforts to reduce the amount of opioids prescribed, pain patients say that the regulations have gone too far, and have left vulnerable pain patients unprotected.

Speaking with The Fix last fall, Lauren DeLuca, a pain patient and founder of the Chronic Illness Advocacy and Awareness Group, said that not being able to access pain medications can be devastating for patients. She said she regularly hears from pain patients who are not able to access enough medications to alleviate their symptoms. Sometimes, these people begin to consider suicide.

“It is borderline genocide,” she said. “You are allowing them to go home and essentially suffer until they kill themselves.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Increase Health Risks?

Researchers explored a possible connection between moderate alcohol consumption and increased stroke risk.

A comprehensive study on the health effects of alcohol consumption has produced data that may debunk former research which suggested that a daily drink could reduce one’s risk of stroke.

The study, published last Thursday in The Lancet, used genetics and a sample population of over 500,000 people to answer questions raised by previous results. Recent studies have found that “moderate drinkers” seemed to have a lower risk of stroke and heart attack, but it was unclear if this data was affected by the fact that those who already have health problems tend to avoid alcohol.

This latest study, co-authored by Zhengming Chen of the University of Oxford, got past this obstacle by testing a population of Chinese adults that researchers followed for 10 years. People with Chinese ancestry have a high likelihood of carrying a genetic intolerance to alcohol and are therefore already likely to avoid it.

Chinese women in particular only reported drinking “most weeks” 2% of the time. In this population, consuming four drinks per day increased stroke risk by 35%.

Alcohol is known to increase blood pressure, which can increase the risk of stroke. The results on heart attack risk were described as “less clear-cut,” but the study’s conclusion states that alcohol consumption “appears in this one study to have little net effect on the risk of myocardial infarction.”

“Although alcohol increases blood pressure, we identified no clear net association with acute myocardial infarction, but the number of cases was limited,” the study concludes. “The number of strokes, however, was substantial, and the genetic epidemiological analyses show that alcohol intake uniformly increases blood pressure, ischaemic stroke, and haemorrhagic stroke.”

Alcohol consumption is considered to be one of the top leading causes of death and disability in the world, causing or contributing to 2.8 million deaths each year. However, recent studies on alcohol and health seemed to show that drinking in moderation, especially drinking red wine, had some health benefits. In spite of this, the American Heart Association still recommended against moderate drinking due to the various health risks it poses. They also acknowledge the limitations of studies suggesting heart health benefits from alcohol.

“The linkage reported in many of these studies may be due to other lifestyle factors rather than alcohol,” the AHA website reads. “Such factors may include increased physical activity, and a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lower in saturated fats. No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
Taraji P. Henson Gets Emotional About Black Mental Health

“The number of black children ages 5-12 who have died by suicide has doubled since the 1990s. This is a national crisis,” Henson said.

During a speech for Variety’s Power of Women New York lunch, Taraji P. Henson of the critically acclaimed series Empire began tearing up while talking about the plight of black mentally ill youth in the U.S.

“The number of black children ages 5-12 who have died by suicide has doubled since the 1990s,” she said. “This is a national crisis.”

Henson was recently honored by Variety for the work she has done on and off the screen. In addition to becoming the first black woman to win the Critics Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, she launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 in order to battle the stigma against mental illness within black communities. The foundation is named after her father, who suffered mental health issues after returning from a tour in Vietnam.

“I named the organization after my father because of his complete and unconditional love for me; his unabashed, unashamed ability to tell the truth, even if it hurt; and his strength to push through his own battles with mental health issues,” Henson said in September. “My dad fought in the Vietnam War for our country, returned broken, and received little to no physical and emotional support. I stand now in his absence, committed to offering support to African Americans who face trauma daily, simply because they are black.”

One of the foundation’s goals is to support Black students majoring in mental health-related fields in order to increase the number of mental health professionals who intimately understand the difficulties of being black in America.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), only about 25% of black Americans seek out mental health services, while white Americans do so 40% of the time. Much of this gap can be attributed to discrimination as well as barriers caused by racial wealth gaps.

“Misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment and lack of cultural competence by health professionals cause distrust and prevent many African Americans from seeking or staying in treatment,” reads NAMI’s page on African American mental health.

Henson also drew attention to cultural stigma within the black community and fears of being labeled as “weak” or “inadequate.” Due to the long history of racial oppression in the U.S. going back to slavery, black Americans have passed down what Henson’s foundation calls a code of silence through the generations. Because much of mental health treatment requires opening up about one’s issues, creating a group of “culturally competent” mental health professionals is key to ending the national crisis of black mental illness and suicide.

“Often, we are asked to seek help from someone who does not look like us, who cannot relate to our stories. We fear we are seen, but not heard because the listener cannot relate to our problems. But, the ability to relate to one another helps us feel understood, helps us to heal. How does one do that if we are branded before we even speak?”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
West Virginia Teachers “Burned Out” From Dealing With Students Affected By Opioid Abuse

“We expected to hear that the opioid epidemic had an impact in classrooms, but not to this extent,” said one researcher.

The results of a unique survey illustrate the harms that the opioid epidemic has inflicted not only on young children, but their education as well. Teachers surveyed throughout West Virginia reported feeling “burned out” from having to deal with students affected by opioid abuse at home.

Among the 2,205 teachers surveyed across 49 counties, 70% say they observed a rise in the number of kids who are affected by substance abuse at home. Only 10% of teachers say they felt confident in knowing how to support students in this situation.

The survey’s findings were presented to the state Board of Education in March.

“The comments from the teachers were pretty shocking. We expected to hear that the opioid epidemic had an impact in classrooms, but not to this extent,” said Frankie Tack, addiction studies minor coordinator and clinical assistant professor at West Virginia University.

When kids are not taken care of at home, they carry those needs to the classroom.

“Teachers talked about having to wash the kids’ clothes at school. Letting kids not participate in class and go over to a corner on a mat and sleep because they hadn’t gotten sleep the night before because people were in and out of the home. Having extra snacks during the day because they don’t have enough food at home. Just all kinds of things that normally wouldn’t happen in the classroom,” said Tack.

These kids not only affect teachers, their behavior affects other students as well.

“What we’re also seeing is that the impact on students extends beyond those with direct experience with substance use disorders at home,” said another researcher Jessica Troilo, associate professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development. “The students who don’t have those experiences at home are witnessing behaviors in the classroom that they aren’t accustomed to. This is what we call the tertiary effect of higher classroom stress linked to the opioid crisis.”

The goal of the study is to use the findings to develop a teacher training module for dealing with the effects of addiction in the classroom, to implement statewide.

“West Virginia teachers are in desperate need of support in this area, and that’s what we hope to provide,” said Troilo.

Based on the findings, the research team recommends more training for teachers on how to handle students affected by substance use disorder, and how to interact with their families. They also recommend increasing support from counselors and other mental health professionals, and providing teachers information on 12-step support groups for friends and family members.

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
R&B Singer Mario Addresses Mother's Addiction in New Video

Mario hopes the video and song will provide support for those that may be experiencing a similar situation with a loved one.

Nearly two years after the death of his mother, who suffered from heroin dependency, the singer and actor Mario touches on her struggle in the music video for his latest single, “Care for You.”

The video, which features dramatized moments from his childhood and teenage years, also depicts his mother buying what is assumed to be drugs from a dealer while the young Mario waits in the car.

In an interview with People magazine, Mario said that he hopes the video and song will provide support for those that may be experiencing a similar situation with a loved one. “Realize that your live is the most important thing to that person, because they don’t know how to say it,” he said. “Even in their choice, we have to love them through it.”

Mario’s mom, Shawtia Hardaway, died in 2017, and while a cause of death was not given, her issues with heroin had been made public through the 2007 MTV documentary special I Won’t Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom, which depicted his attempts to provide help for his mother with the assistance of family and friends.

After its airing, the singer, who most recently appeared in Fox TV”s live production of Rent, launched the Mario Do Right Foundation, which provided education and support to children of addicted parents.

“Care for You” is the second single from Mario’s 2018 album Dancing Shadows, which peaked at No. 9 on the “Billboard” 200. He told People that in addition to addressing the more painful aspects of his childhood, the song is “really about a man realizing that it’s okay to feel, it’s okay to be vulnerable.”

“I think a lot of times in our lives, especially men who have gone through things and who have built this warrior shield around their heart, don’t want to admit when they feel something or don’t want to admit when they love someone,” he explained.

With the opioid epidemic affecting nearly every demographic in the United States and claiming 115 lives every day, Mario understands that support for both the addict and the people around them is crucial.

“Addiction doesn’t just affect the user, it affects the family,” he said. “In some ways, you also feel like you’re addicted because you’re so close to it. You’re immersed into the hope of them healing and choosing a brighter path.”

And if a fan or even casual listener is going through the same tumult that Mario experienced, he hoped that they take the steps necessary to care for themselves as much as they care for the person with dependency in their lives. “It’s really important that you take time for yourself to heal and to un-blame yourself,” he said.

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019
The Koran in the Synagogue: When Jews and Muslims Fight Together for Recovery

When people are hurting and struggling with addiction, the normal barriers that separate us fall away, and we are able to connect on a very deep, human level.

The tension along the border of Israel and Gaza has almost become old news. Every day we hear about more rockets fired and ceasefires that never seem to last. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an ongoing struggle with seemingly no end in sight. Each side has their own view that will not be altered. Palestinian and Israeli people fighting each other for more than one hundred years.

But in Givat Shemesh, a small village in the hills of central Israel, we see a different battle going on. A very real struggle of life and death that has nothing to do with nationalism, religion, or land. A struggle in which people of differing backgrounds and faiths share and fight together, side by side.

Retorno, an addiction prevention and rehab center based on Jewish values, is a strictly kosher facility with daily prayer services, Torah learning, and Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) observance. At the same time, the treatment center welcomes all nationalities and religions. Anyone dealing with addiction receives the help they need with openness and respect for all belief systems.

Although Retorno’s goals have nothing to do with peaceful coexistence, the rehab center has become a place where Jews and Muslims can interact in a safe and accepting environment. When a person is struggling with a serious addiction, the struggle to hold onto life is very real. This camaraderie of struggle offers an opportunity for the opposing groups to get to know each other and interact on a human level. They understand that underneath everything, we are all essentially the same people with the same needs and fears. In order to heal, we all require connections with others. In order to grow, we all struggle with the same fears and weaknesses.

A few years ago a judge called me and asked me if our center accepts religious youth. I said, “Of course!” So he told me he would send me a nice, religious youth. A few days later a 16-year-old Muslim boy arrived. We welcomed him as we would any other client.

The boy did not have a Koran, so one of our counselors bought him one. The boy brought it into the synagogue; he prayed from his prayer book while everyone else prayed from their own. As his colleagues prayed the morning Shacharit prayer, he prayed the morning Fajr prayer. In the evening, the Islamic Maghrib prayer accompanied the Jewish Maariv prayer in our synagogue.

The boy went through the full treatment program at Retorno. Three months after he left the facility, the boy called me and said, “Rabbi Eckstein, you will be happy to know that I am well and have started to go with my father on Fridays to the Mosque.”

From Addict to Counselor

There are many reasons why a person in recovery makes a good rehab counselor. They have firsthand experience of what it’s like to struggle with addiction and how hard it is to recover. Put simply, they can relate on a level that only one who has traveled the same path can. This type of empathy and understanding is extremely valuable in addiction treatment.

This is how we met Yusef, an Israeli Arab who first came to us for treatment and then returned to work as a counselor. Yusef is an exceptional human being. He also holds special assets that are unique to his background. For example, Yusef had not been raised in a religious family and for this reason, many of our Jewish youth who grew up in strict religious homes felt comfortable opening up to him. They knew he would not intimidate or judge them. Over the years, Yusef has participated in the recovery of many young Israelis.

A Dangerous Situation

Just before Shabbat, I received a call from a panicked counselor. “It’s close to Shabbat and I want to let you know what’s going on. It’s Miriam, she’s sitting on the ground with a sharp piece of glass and she won’t listen to any of us. If anyone gets close, she threatens to cut herself, and has already cut herself. Each time she cuts deeper. It’s a very dangerous situation.”

I told her I would send an expert. I sent Yusef.

After Shabbat, the counselor called me to relate what had happened.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “Yusef got close to her, sat down, rolled up his sleeve, and said, ‘Listen, I know you have all the best reasons in the world to cut yourself. I’m sure you’ve gone through some terrible ordeals. I have, too. Listen to me. I’m not telling you not to cut. But every time you cut yourself, cut me as well.”

Within a few minutes, she handed him the glass, and the two went off to have a cup of tea together. “I’ve never seen anything like it!” she repeated.

Touring Together

I travel and lecture all over Israel about addiction and prevention. I always bring an alumnus with me to tell his own story of recovery. During one of these trips, I brought one of our Arab counselors, Amin, along. Since he has a driver’s license that allows access to the Arab territories, he drove and I dozed in the passenger seat.

At some point, I felt Amin shaking my shoulder.

“Rabbi, Rabbi, wake up!” I sat up to find us surrounded by several IDF soldiers, all pointing rifles at his head. It seems they thought an Arab had abducted a rabbi and was trying to take him to his village. It took some convincing, but they finally believed that Amin and I were working together and that he was helping me on a mission to give a prevention lecture in Beit-El.

The Rebellion

I remember we had an Arab youth counselor during the Intifada. During this time, even at Retorno, there were heightened levels of distrust and anger due to the increased violence in Israel. At some point, some of the youth in treatment held a rebellion. They insisted they would not tolerate working with an Arab. I will not have hostilities among my clients and counselors. Retorno is a place of healing and connection no matter what your background, religion, or national affiliation.

I spoke to the youth in recovery and related a personal story to them.

“Around 50 years ago when my parents were living in the U.S., my mother had a catheter placed in her foot. Subsequently, her vein collapsed and the doctor told her she needed to have an amputation. My father adamantly refused and sought additional help. He found another doctor, this one a world-renowned transplant surgeon from Israel. He agreed to treat my mother, and by inserting an artificial vein in her leg, saved her from amputation.

“This is a nice story, but it gets better. When my father went to settle the bill, the doctor would not accept payment. He considered my father a colleague since he was also considered a doctor (not a medical doctor but a PhD) and what’s more, they were both Israeli. But the doctor was not Jewish, he was an Israeli Arab from Lebanon.”

I looked at the faces of my rebelling youth.

“It was an Arab that saved my mother. If any of you want to leave because we have Arabs at Retorno you are welcome to leave now, the door is open.”

No one left.

Our struggles as a nation do not impact our healing at Retorno. When people are hurting and struggling with addiction, the normal barriers that separate us fall away, and we are able to connect on a very deep, human level. In a center for addiction, it is essential that clients feel they are in a safe, welcoming space. When this happens, we all learn something about ourselves and each other. Any organization that accepts all equally is a force for good in this world.

Together at Retorno (PC: Shoshana)

Rabbi Eitan Eckstein is the CEO and Founder of Retorno, the largest Jewish organization in the world for the prevention and treatment of addictions.

View the original article at thefix.com

12 April 2019