If you’ve struggled with alcoholism or severe depression with thoughts of suicide, you know too well the feelings of being utterly alone. Even if you have family and friends who love you, spiraling into the depths of depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide make you blind to your own value. It can leave you feeling as though your loved ones would be better off without you around. Having gone through such a journey and emerging a stronger, more resilient person allows for an opportunity to share … [Read more...]
Goblins of Addiction, Dr. Jana Burson
February 18, 2015 by
Time for some whimsy… Misery and Deceit, two goblins who worked for the Emperor of Wretchedness, were talking in a dark alley. Hopeless, another goblin, had just left them and was shuffling down the street, trailing the stench of sulfur. “Idiot,” said Misery, speaking about Hopeless. “He couldn’t stop his human from getting help for addiction. What an incompetent. Doesn’t he realize that addiction must continue so we can make these humans miserable? Addiction is a key method to keep people … [Read more...]
TEXT MESSAGING, Effective HIV Prevention/Intervention
January 29, 2013 by
TEXT MESSAGING as an EFFECTIVE HIV PREVENTION - INTERVENTION FOR METHAMPHETAMINE-USING MSM As frequently addressed in this blog, new media is playing an ever-growing role as a tool in our response to HIV/AIDS. We often now see HIV prevention and anti-stigma messages—such as CDC’s several Act Against AIDS campaigns—delivered to the general public via websites, YouTube, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and others. We are also learning how new media tools can be … [Read more...]
Recovery is a Journey…Enjoy the Trip
December 11, 2012 by
Recovery is a Journey...Enjoy the Trip. So how does your recover-strategy-goal-setting prepare you to enter into the journey of recovery? Say, you’ve had a heart attack, actually your heart has been attacked; not your physical, anatomical heart, but your breakable, emotional heart. The personal heart that grows weary, the hardened heart, the heartless one, the cold heart, the heart that aches, that stands still, that leaps with joy and the one who has lost heart; yes, your very human … [Read more...]
Freedom from Glass in Hand, WOMEN in RECOVERY
December 2, 2012 by
DECEMBER is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month National Impaired Driving Prevention Month focuses on both drunk driving and the growing problem of drugged driving. Drugged driving has been overlooked for a number of years, but research shows it may be responsible for more than 20 percent of car crashes. Below are some resources for your chapter to plan activities as part of this … [Read more...]
Addiction does have a Choice, WOMEN in RECOVERY
November 29, 2012 by
Addiction does have a Choice We've been saying it for years - addiction is a disorder of the brain and not a matter of personal choice. Modern medicine is fully embracing this reality and we hope it will lead to more humane treatment of the sufferers of alcoholism and drug addiction. Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. Addictions can include, but are … [Read more...]
Truth or Dare: Are you an Addict in Denial? – WOMEN in RECOVERY
September 28, 2012 by
Truth or Dare! Let's begin with the Big Question: Are you an Addict in Denial? Denial and Addiction: Becoming Aware of the Inner Voice that Leads to Self-Destruction Anyone who has been around 12-Step programs for any length of time has inevitably heard the old saying “Denial is more than a river in Egypt.” Indeed, when it comes to addictive behaviors of any sort, denial is definitely a whole lot more than a slogan. It is often the underlying dynamic that … [Read more...]
HIV Testing, Including Rapid Testing, in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
June 20, 2012 by
HIV Testing, Including Rapid Testing, in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs … [Read more...]
STIGMA & DISCRIMINATION: Saving the SAD Generation
May 23, 2012 by
MENTAL ILLNESS: Stigma and Discrimination CONTACT HERE Mental illness attracts less empathy and more distrust than other forms of illness. People may consciously or unconsciously blame the people with mental illness for their condition, implying a character flaw rather than a disorder. Another misconception is that mental illness is a "life sentence" with no chance of recovery. Some people believe that those with mental illness are unable to contribute to society: … [Read more...]
WOMEN in RECOVERY – Patience with ‘others’ during Recovery
April 15, 2012 by
Patience and Tolerance “For patience and tolerance is our code.” I wonder how many of us in recovery can honestly say that IS our code. For me, it is more like I wish it were my code. In our society today, for all people, impatience and intolerance does seem to prevail. We all know folks who are not in any 12 Step Program (because they do not need to be) but may seem to be the most impatient people we know. Young people today have a deep sense of instant … [Read more...]
PANAMA – 17 year old girl finds Hope at Movimiento Nueva Generación
May 7, 2011 by
A community centre inspires an adolescent girl to become an agent of change in Panama By Tamar Hahn PANAMA CITY, Panama, 5 May 2011 – Dalys Perez, 17, was seeking a positive influence in her life after her mother went to prison. Living in El Chorillo, a crime-ridden neighbourhood of Panama City, it was difficult to escape from violence. Then Dalys found her way to Movimiento Nueva Generación, a community-based organization that has changed her life. VIDEO ONLINE ONLY … [Read more...]
GINGER Katz is Taking Action in MAY with The Courage Foundation!
May 4, 2011 by
The Courage to Speak® Foundation Newsletter May 2011 Welcome to our May Issue! Courage to Speak - Courageous Parenting 101® Available in Spanish In The News - Letter to the Editor, by Ginger Katz 7th Annual Courage to Speak Empowering Youth to be Drug Free Family Night on Neighborhood Journal as Shown on Cablevision of CT Save the Date - 13th Annual Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Race & 5K Health Walk - August 6, 2011 @ 8 am Upcoming Presentations - May/June 2011 … [Read more...]
Luxury Mexican drug rehab clinic lures U.S. addicts – Reuters
October 28, 2010 by
Luxury Mexican drug rehab clinic lures U.S. addicts (Reuters) - A Mexican entrepreneur is luring U.S. drug addicts to plush rehabilitation centers south of the border, even as shoddier Mexican clinics earn a reputation for attracting cartel shootouts. Charging a third of the price of upscale clinics in the United States, a luxury rehab center aimed at foreigners opened recently at a posh hotel in the city of Monterrey about 100 miles from Texas. Its month-long recovery packages come with … [Read more...]
