With all the heartbreaking stories we’ve heard about lives destroyed by drugs or alcohol abuse, it’s easy to get discouraged. The problem seems too big and difficult to conquer, and it may look like we as individuals couldn’t possibly make a difference. But there are things we can do, and we’ve listed some resources to help you get started.
Volunteer at a Shelter
Many drug addicts and alcoholics find themselves with nowhere to go but to the local shelter. By volunteering your time there, you may be able to give a little encouragement to both the addict and the staff, and may even help some of them connect with treatment centers that are able to help.
Promote the Best Facilities
In the same way, you can help promote successful treatment facilities near you. Maybe they need someone to hand out flyers at homeless shelters or organize a fundraising event. If you’ve got a great facility in mind that is doing positive things, contact them and see if you can donate some time or resources. Maybe a local nonprofit group that is helping with substance abuse prevention could use your help, or there might be some volunteer possibilities with the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Help Promote Drug Screenings
Drug screening clinics help create awareness for addiction and helping people get treatment if they do have a drug or alcohol problem. There are more and more of these programs starting across the country at colleges, medical offices, and other locations. Along with these screenings should come treatment options for those that need it. The Office of National Drug Control Policy has resources on their website, as does SAMHSA.
Organize Anti-drug Activities at a Local High School
Schools are in need of effective drug education and prevention techniques. A positive activity may be setting up a pledge signing day where students learn about the dangers of drugs and then commit to staying sober. Or maybe a school that has lost someone to drugs may want to hold an annual day of remembrance in honor of that person, focusing on the dangers of substance abuse. Foundation for a Drug Free World has resources for schools, and theantidrug.com also has information.
Contact Your Local Government
Contact local officials and ask them to pass stricter laws for things like drunk driving. Many states are working on reevaluating these laws, and they need to hear your voice on the matter. For a list of current laws and the latest news, see duidrivinglaws.org.
Help Promote Red Ribbon Week
This week-long celebration is held every year in memory of a murdered DEA agent and has become a unified pledge to end drug abuse in America. This year Red Ribbon Week will take place October 23-31. Anyone can organize an event in their area.
Encourage a Loved One
Offer to get help for a loved one struggling with addiction. Sometimes we don’t have to look any further than our own family to see how we can help.
I have been so busy the last few months with a new baby my son James Lee (born Dec 14, 2009); seeing to it that our company runs smoothly and opening our new facility Leading Edge Recovery Center in Hamilton, New Jersey (the grand opening was in March), that I have neglected my blogging. This is always my dilemma – managing priorities and deciding what is the most important thing. It seems like every time I get bogged down by the day to day, something happens to bring me back into focus.
Last week I received an email about a client of ours who after helping his wife prepare for their son’s birthday party, drove to a rest stop on the Georgia/Florida border and shot himself. I am always careful not to take credit for any of the success of our clients because then I would feel like I was on the hook for the setbacks; however, whenever something like this happens I cannot help but feel that somehow we failed.
We sell hope to our clients and families and in this case we failed to close the deal. This particular client suffered from chronic pain and was caught in a very difficult situation – he couldn’t deal with the pain and he didn’t want to return to the opiates. We are seeing more and more cases of chemical dependency issues associated with chronic pain conditions. I recently heard the term generation RX and realized how painfully true that really is.
A great number of the cases we deal with these days involve prescription medication. Many of the cases have to do with legitimate pain management issues, such as this case, while others are the same ole story of abuse and self-destruction. ?
While I realize that our company will never have 100% success with all those we treat, it is times like this when I stop and take stock of everything both personally and professionally. Stories like this fuel my fire and get me motivated to strive for improvement. So we press on at Treatment Solutions Network. We don’t forget to breathe, feel or take the next step. Just like finding our individual freedom of addiction, we take it one day at a time and realize that you only grow if you continue to move. Treatment Solutions Network applies the same process to our corporate vision – keep moving forward and learn from the setbacks. As long as we learn from the missteps, nobody suffers in vain.
I want to take a moment to share some fantastic corporate news with everyone. Treatment Solutions Network has been blessed to acquire Lisa Clark onto our team as our new Vice President of Business Development. From day one we have sought to have the right people on the bus and have been fortunate to add some world-class talent as well as just downright solid people and Lisa is no exception. Lisa Clark, RN, MSN and now Vice President of Business Development, comes to Treatment Solutions Network with progressive leadership experience in Addictions Treatment, Mental Health, Government Relations and Market Development in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
Lisa was educated at Boston University where she received her BS in Nursing and MS in Community Mental Health Nursing. She was credentialed as a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a certified Critical Incident Stress Debriefer. She was trained in individual, group and family therapy at the Human Resource Institute in Brookline, MA (Red Sox Nation). She has decades of health care experience as a psychotherapist and in program design, direction, and management. Her areas of specialization are psychiatry and substance abuse treatment.
Her past positions have been local to national in scope. She has expertise with diverse populations, institutions and market segments. Calling New York City her second home town (Fenway & Yankee Stadium – two shrines!), Lisa was credentialed as an alcoholism counselor in New York State in 1985 and served as a Senior Examiner for New York State Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. She served as the Metro Area Wellness Chairperson for the NY Federation of Alcohol Counselors. As a former Board Member of the Massachusetts Organization of Addiction Recovery, she sat as a non-voting member of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership’s Consumer Advisory Council. Lisa has extensive clinical and management experience with in-patient, outpatient and home health care settings.
Transitioning into addiction-related pharmaceuticals, Lisa has been an outstanding producer in sales, managed care and government relations as a registered lobbyist. Lisa served as the Senior Market Development Director for the addictions treatment business unit of one of the nation’s largest biotech companies. Lisa has been a top performer with track record of successful introduction of novel addiction treatment technologies and an orphan addiction treatment drug to the US market. She is a currently a consultant to the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx), Skip To Aims a partnership between The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Paths to Recovery program, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention (STAR) program, and a number of independent treatment organizations.
Lisa directed and managed a treatment program characterized as “The wave of the future” by The New York Times Sunday Magazine. She brings to the Treatment Solutions Network team a proven ability to meet goals, solve complex problems, and facilitate change. Her personal passion and commitment to recovery keep her motivated to succeed in order to best serve others…She likes long walks on the beach, moonlight, and… just kidding! (Rule 62 “Don’t take yourself too seriously”). Above all, Lisa brings vision to Treatment Solutions Network and that is what we all have in common.
?Jim Bevell??
CEO Treatment Solutions Network??
561 577-3174?
?jimb@tsnemail.com??
Approved bythe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 13, 1947, Methadone is a narcotic pain reliever, analgesic used to treat moderate to severe pain with people who have not responded to pain relievers. Its main uses also include being given to patients who are battling narcotic addiction or in the maintenance treatment of narcotic drug addiction.
The drug targets the central nervous system and opioid-receptors in the brain to provide analgesic relief from pain. Methadone is a Schedule II narcotic under the United States Controlled Substances Act and has been a vehicle for potential drug abuse, addiction and misuse. There is a definite possibility several patients who take Methadone for withdrawal circumstances may develop a dependence which can lead to further abuse.
A Black Box warning was issued in 2006 for methadone, meant to alert healthcare professionals, patients and consumers about the chance of cardiac toxicities that may be associated with the drug.
Side Effects and Information
There can be a chance for developing a physical addiction or abuse when taking methadone. Patients who have a history of addiction or abusing other medications, alcohol, emotional problems may be at a higher risk for this. Different cases may apply to certain individuals, so speak with your personal doctor before stopping the drug.
Several serious side effects may occur when taking the medication. If any of these are experienced, please see a physician as soon as possible:
Breathing that slows down
Change in heart beat or chest pain
Dizziness and confusion
Drowsiness and faintness
Hallucinations
Shallow breathing
Do not combine methadone with any of the following medications, unless you have consulted with a medical doctor: anti-depressants, anxiety medications, muscle relaxers, narcotic pain medications, sedatives and sleeping pills.
By providing FDA alerts, drug information, interactions and drug side effects about prescription and over the counter medications, we can ensure an environment where patients have the best knowledge on their medical treatment and health.
Disclaimer:
This article is for purely informational purposes and does not intend to prevent, treat, or cure any disease. It was not written by a medical professional. If you have any questions about your own methadone use, or are considering using methadone contact your physician.
As we all sit back and watch the various layers of the U.S. war effort unfold, it is hard enough for us to conceptually grasp the level of loss and violent despair unfolding each minute for our troops in the middle east. Even for family members of soldiers, who risk their lives daily, they may have a different perspective on the madness, but nothing can or will ever compare to the horror each individual soldier experiences.
The reason I bring this up is to shed a little light on a situation we are all facing that is certain to explode like a hidden IED, tripped by an unsuspecting soldier. Four letters we’ve all heard before but you better be ready for since they are about to change the world we live in…PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a bomb being constructed in the middle east as you read this and will be triggered to explode gradually over the next 20 years. Believe me, if you think I’m being dramatic, watch the approaching explosion and think back to this post if you survive it.
Visit http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/fslist-ptsd-overview.asp for a peek at what we will all be faced with but when you’re reading this, remember that only recently has the the U.S. Military’s powers-that-be begun to recognize the the fact that PTSD exists…that is pathetic and unacceptable. While it is wonderful that it is finally being given credibility, the resources set aside for treatment is a pittance compared to what will be needed. Ironically, each returning veteran will have a ticking PTSD IED inside each one of them that can ‘go off’ at any second. Whether an acute PTSD reaction occurs on the street, at work, at school, at church or at home, you can bet your ass that if WE ALL aren’t equipped with a basic understanding of how to deal with it, we will be suffering as a society for generations to come.
Sadly, PTSD cannot be treated like other behavioral disorders and daily we hear reports of treatment facilities failing patients and their families on a daily basis by attempting to treat PTSD along with other behaviorally impaired patients…THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!!!! These individuals and their families need specialized treatments with professionals specifically trained to deal with PTSD. Do the math, with the numbers of returning veterans, we are in for a shit-storm if we don’t get a handle on this thing and the government has its hands full.
That is why I’ve assembled a team at TSN, who has created a program called HEROES WELCOME. I will share more about the specifics in the next few weeks but in essence, we are assembling the best PTSD experts and centers on the planet and offering treatment for both the victim and their family. As a society and a field, we have a unique opportunity to learn from the past (Viet Nam) and truly help diffuse a generational bomb. This is not a bullshit sticker on a bumper, this is a way for us all to actually support our troops and save our own society.
This is the seed and you are all aware that TSN is growing a solution so don’t pretend you haven’t been informed. If you are interested in learning more or have something to offer, contact Jed Wallace for details since he will be coordinating the effort on my behalf. I encourage you to do some serious research and soul searching – be a part of HEROES WELCOME and do your part to support the veterans that have given their lives, limbs and personalities to protect our freedom…now it is our turn!
Responsibility can be defined as “the ability or obligation to act or decide on one’s own, without supervision”. In active addiction, there was very little that I took responsibility for besides getting and using the next drink or drug. For everything else, I relied on my family and friends to enable me, care for me and clean up after the wreckage I often left in my wake.
When I came into this new way of life, I learned that I was responsible for my own recovery. This meant that I had both the ability and the obligation to decide for myself whether or not to attend meetings, whether or not to work a 12-step program and ultimately whether or not to stay clean. It didn’t mean I was alone in the process, but it did mean that it was also up to me to ask for help or guidance when I needed it. The more I embraced responsibility, the more freedom and joy I experienced.
Responsibility for an addict or alcoholic is a very daunting concept. For so long in our active addiction, we ran from it out of fear. Working at Treatment Solutions Network, I get to stand with the suffering addict or alcoholic and help them face this fear. With this assistance of their loved ones, healthcare providers, EAP’s, or other community members, I am able to help them to help themselves and make the decision to seek a new way of life.
At Treatment Solutions Network, we’re experts at streamlining the process of finding the appropriate level of help for the suffering addict or alcoholic, from the initial phone call to dealing with the insurance companies, to assisting in travel and throughout the entire treatment process. But no matter how good we are at what we do, it’s ultimately the addict or alcoholic who makes the decision, in spite of their fears, to begin taking responsibility for their lives. From there, anything is possible.
Wow, I never thought I’d see the day when America’s golden boy Tiger Woods would go zero to bottom overnight. I’m still reeling from this one and just when I think I’ve got a handle on the story, out pops some new porn star from Portland that not only says she too had sex with Tiger, but she also had unprotected sex with Tiger…wow!
This country was practically built on scandal and shame so this is nothing new to the masses; however, this is Tiger Woods for God’s sake, I was still coming to grips with the fact that the guy was having sex. They say people reveal themselves in their opposites, which can only mean that we are dealing with one sick cub. Is it wrong that I actually find him more interesting?
Ok, before the hate mail starts pouring in, let me explain what I mean. I am not saying I condone what he did or respect his choices, but we are dealing with a MASSIVE ADDICTION that has personified Tiger Woods and I am interested in watching him now more than ever. I am certainly impressed when a human being can put a ball in a cup with one swing from 300 yards out, but I am absolutely captivated when I have the privilege of watching a human being face and embrace the truth for the first time.
Addiction is so powerful that even those we perceive to be superheroes behave the same way when faced with the truth…they lie! Tiger is about to bounce off the bottom at any second but as it stands, I get the sense he is still a pitching-wedge away from the absolute truth. I watch this process daily and it isn’t pretty when it happens behind closed
doors but to see it unfold on the global stage is downright brutal. Everyone is in pain watching the truth emerge – especially his family and that is horrific; however, I will say that as this plays out and if Tiger has any self respect, he will find the humility he needs, connect with his higher power and come completely clean.
He is one of us and that means that if he gets into a program of recovery and takes the necessary steps, the man we will meet on the other side will not only be the greatest golfer of our time, but he will also be a man capable of looking into a mirror and loving the reflection. That in itself will overshadow the golfer and let the sun shine brightly on the great man, father and husband he has become by getting honest.
Good luck to the entire Woods family. We are here if you need us.
In active addiction, it was impossible for me to be myself or to express my personality freely. My entire being was bound by my addiction and the pursuit of the next drink or drug and as a result, I behaved accordingly. Sometimes, this meant I had to present myself as a tough guy – someone big, bad and fearless; other times, this meant I played the role of the victim – someone trapped by circumstances beyond my control and deserving of pity. In reality, neither of these masks were the truth.
When I came into recovery, I began to learn new ways to live. I developed trust in the process and learned okay to express fear and vulnerability. I also learned that it was equally important to take responsibility for my life and my actions. I developed relationships with other recovering addicts and alcoholics who were genuinely interested in my recovery and well-being, not money, property or prestige. In this environment, I was able to learn who I was and felt safe being myself. It is very liberating to realize that I no longer have to wear a mask or play the chameleon.
When an addict or alcoholic makes a choice to enter into a lifestyle of recovery, oftentimes, they have been living a contradicting lifestyle for so long that they have a hard time identifying who they even are anymore. It is one of the most beautiful and rewarding gifts of recovery to watch a scared, lost, confused addict or alcoholic slowly evolve into a man or woman of integrity who can stand confidently in their own skin. Like anything else, this is a process that occurs slowly, one day and step at a time.
Working at Treatment Solutions Network, we’re blessed to be able to help place suffering addicts and alcoholics on the path to personal freedom. It’s a mission that requires us as individuals to remain true to ourselves and the suffering individual. It’s a privilege that we do not take for granted.
This story is a nice follow up to several stories we have written lately regarding the effectiveness of treating addiction rather than locking up offenders.
Florida’s prison population has increased five-fold in the past 30 years, while its general population hasn’t even doubled. Today 5.4 of every 100 Floridians are incarcerated.
Meanwhile, each new prison costs roughly $100 million to build and $25 million to operate annually – and the Department of Corrections has plans for three more ready to implement.
Here at Treatment Solutions Network we have very strong ties to those who serve our communities, protecting and serving day in and day out. We are proud of these men and women and have a particular affinity for the Boston Fire Department. We were very happy when one of our friends forwarded us this video detailing the service of Boston Fire. Enjoy!
To learn more about our involvement and commitment to help those who serve us please check out our testimonials page by clicking here.
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