Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are drug-free residences where recovering addicts receive positive peer influence and group support in order to create more effective social skills which promote the overall goal of staying sober. Usually, persons who have been admitted to Therapeutic Communities have a long background of functioning in society and positive ties with their own communities and families which have been torn apart by addiction.

The people who are treated at Therapeutic Communities suffer from a wide range of substance abuse problems. Mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and other personality disorders are commonly treated at TCs. However, substance abuse problems such as addictions to cocaine, heroin and alcohol are also common problems which are addressed in Therapeutic Communities.

There is generally no predetermined length of stay at most Therapeutic Communities due to the fact that most individuals go thru recovery at different speeds. However, positive outcomes from TC stays seem to be directly related to time spent in the treatment. It has been proven that individuals who stay at Therapeutic Communities for 90 days have significantly better results than those who stay for shorter periods of time.

In a recent study on the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 55% of cocaine addicts who stayed at a Therapeutic Community for less than 90 days used cocaine again after leaving treatment. However, only 28% of cocaine addicts who spent 90 days or more in a TC relapsed after treatment.

Eventually, participation in a Therapeutic Community is intended to assist individuals in appropriately and constructively identifying, expressing, and managing their feelings. The concepts of "right living" (learning personal and social responsibility and ethics) and "acting as if" (behaving as the person should be rather than has been) are integrated into the Therapeutic Community groups, meetings, and seminars. These activities are intended to heighten awareness of specific attitudes or behaviors and their impact on oneself and the social environment.

Each year, national, state and community drug prevention leaders gather to share successful strategies for keeping young people healthy and drug-free at the Washington State Drug Prevention Summit.

"The Department of Social and Health Services is pleased to partner with other state agencies to support schools and communities in delivering effective strategies to prevent the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs," said Doug Porter, assistant secretary of the DSHS Health and Recovery Services Administration.

"Washington’s investment in prevention is working – it helps more youth stay healthy and succeed in school, and prevents the devastating impact that drug misuse and addiction can have on families and communities."

Brad Barton, an NCAA All-American, 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, Prevention Specialist and magician, opened last year’s summit at the Yakima Convention Center. The summit’s theme, created by a Washington teen, is "Keep Life Fresher, Don’t Give in to Pressure." The summit featured workshops for youth to complete a team project and a youth rally. The workshop’s maintained an underlying theme of team work and drug prevention

"Young people are uniquely qualified to educate their peers about the dangers of underage drinking, tobacco, prescription and illicit drug use," said Attorney General Rob McKenna, who also participated in the summit rally.

The summit included more than 30 workshops and presentations on drug prevention for a variety of audiences, including parents, youth, prevention and treatment professionals, educators and law enforcement officials. Participants learned how to create long-term, healthy changes in their families and communities, by understanding the effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drug misuse, reducing the impact of alcohol and tobacco marketing, recognizing the risks of gambling, and learning how to provide culturally appropriate programs.

Lt. Governor Brad Owen presented Exemplary Prevention Awards, honoring effective programs and dedicated individuals of drug prevention groups around the state. Last year’s winners were:

• Ann Gloe and Bethe Miller – Selah School District
• Larry Gleason – Spokane County Community Services
• Linda DuBois – Meridian School District, Seattle
• Sunnyside High School Leadership Class – Sunnyside
• Skykomish High School Prevention Club – Skykomish
• Shelton High School and Oakland Bay Junior High School SADD Clubs – Shelton
• Jack Wilson – Snohomish County

Sheriff’s Community-Oriented Policing Effort (S.C.O.P.E.) volunteers, Spokane: Shirley Prewitt, Sally Gorder, Dorothea Marshall, Kathleen Demakas, Florence Weston, and Marilyn Miller

The summit is sponsored by several state agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services and the Office of the Attorney General. To register and get additional information about the yearly Summit, which is open to the public, visit http://dasa.casat.org.  Attendees may also register at the drug prevention event.

Established in 1958, the First Step House is one of the largest and longest standing substance abuse treatment centers in Salt Lake City, Utah. The First Step House is a state-licensed , non-profit organization which serves low-income individuals in the state of Utah.

The staff at First Step House implements an evidence-based, comprehensive recovery treatment approach which uses several treatment models including relapse prevention, motivation enhancement, group therapy, life skills classes and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). Although First Step House does not follow the traditional 12-step program , they do encourage clients to become involved in fellowships such as Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and more.

First Step House uses several tools during initial patient assessment in order to insure proper diagnosis and placement. Once inside Fist Step House, the program utilizes compatible computer-based programs that allow the treatment staff at FSH to track client progress and monitor their outcomes.

Affordable housing is also available at First Step House where they provide modern apartments which are designed specifically for those who have not yet found a place to live at the time of graduation from treatment. All of these extra amenities and consideration make the First Step House a model for substance abuse treatment centers across the nation.

“FSH strategy seeks to instill within each client a feeling of strong support within the services as well as in the clinical sector of each client’s residential experience.” Reads the First Step House website. “Great emphasis is placed on such support-related items as food quality, the upkeep of facilities, grounds and equipment and on the respectful treatment of all clients.”

For more information on the First Step House, including contact information as well as a full description of recovery treatment, visit them on the web at www.FirstStepHouse.org

Binge Drinking can be seen in many different ways. Some people define it as consuming alcohol with the direct intent of becoming drunk in a short amount of time. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of consuming alcohol that brings an individual’s blood alcohol concentration to a level of 0.08 or above.

Normally, this would mean that a man would have to consume about 5 or more drinks, while a woman would need to have 4 or more drinks within a 2-hour time frame. Studies show that most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent.

There are several side effects associated with binge drinking including:

• Alcohol poisoning (which can lead to death)
• STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
• Neurological damage
• Newborns with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
• Liver Disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease

National surveys report that over 90% of adults in the United States who drink excessively have reported binge drinking within the past 30 days. Nearly 75% of the alcohol consumed by adults in the U.S. is in the form of binge drinking. Currently, binge drinking in the United States is most prominent in the 18- to 20-year-old group.

In the past, binge drinking was usually defined as spending several consecutive days drinking.

Increasing the cost of alcohol and taxes on alcohol is just one of the several potential solutions for binge drinking within the United States.  There are also a number of individual counseling approaches, such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral approaches, that have been shown to reduce drinking among college students who drink heavily.

A new program to provide chemical dependence treatment to parole violators and decrease prison recidivism is being launched this week at Manhattan’s Edgecombe Residential Treatment Facility in a collaboration among four state agencies.

Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Commissioner Denise E. O’Donnell, Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) Commissioner Brian Fischer and Division of Parole (DOP) Chairman and CEO George B. Alexander joined with Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo Monday to formally open the facility.

OASAS Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo said, "We know that about 72 percent of state parolees have a substance abuse problem and effective treatment is the best way to help them return to their communities and not to prison. Addiction is a chronic illness that can be successfully treated so that people can lead full lives in recovery. We are extremely proud to partner with our criminal justice agencies to impact addiction in the lives of these men, their families and in the area of public safety."

The Technical Violator Parole Diversion Program (TVPDP) is available to men released from prison who are under parole or post-release supervision within the geographic boundaries of New York City. It will house up to 100 men for 30-day treatment programs that will be administered by OASAS staff until a provider from the region takes over the treatment duties.

The TVPDP is designed to provide intensive services to parole detainees with the aim of returning them to their communities and engage them in further addiction treatment. Each detainee will receive a full evaluation for treatment and an individual treatment plan will be developed.

www.AmericaInRecovery.org came up with a great idea when they created a website for people in recovery who are seeking employment. The concept is simple. Businesses sign up and post job openings, while job seekers can upload their resumes or directly apply for jobs.

“Our country includes millions of addicted people in recovery who are considered unemployable by many employers.” Reads the America in Recovery website. “Americans from all walks of life are affected by the disease of addiction, from unskilled young people to doctors, lawyers, and engineers. How can we use their talents and abilities? How can we give them opportunities to be motivated, enthusiastic, and productive? America in Recovery offers them a way to find a job.”

At America in Recovery, they’re upfront about the fact that there is no staff and, in short, that it is very difficult to get in touch with them. They explain that they developed the site in a manner that users would be able to add to the site themselves with minimal maintenance on their part. They explain that employers using America in Recovery are helping to support people who are trying to rebuild their lives in a way that gives them a sense of responsibility and integrity.

America in Recovery goes on to state, “The recovery principles of honesty and integrity rub off on other employees not in recovery, and the end result is a family that works well together and appreciates one another.”

Here at In Recovery Blog, it’s our goal to focus on health news, resources and websites that ultimately aid recovering addicts. However, in the same sense that fellowships bring together persons with similar backgrounds and afflictions, sharing personal stories of addiction and personal distress is particularly helpful in the recovery process. “True Addicts” is a new series of real life stories of addiction told by the people who experienced them. These people may not be authors or storytellers per say, but their stories are heart wrenchingly honest, sometimes outrageous but always real.

Hello, my name is Elizabeth and I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict. Eventhough it has taken me 8 years of life to admit that. I have been drinking alcohol since the age of 12 and since my father was an addict while I was growing up, I thought it was okay to do what Daddy did. My parents really didn’t care that I started drinking at 12. I would come home, drunk out off my ass and walking into walls. I would stumble all over the house and pass out anywhere but there was never any consequences. I really thought that it was all in good fun and that everything was going great.

It was rough growing up in my house because my Dad would beat my Mother but I wouldn’t feel a thing when I drank and at the point, I would never want to deal with my emotions. At the same time, while I was still only twelve-years-old, I entered into a relationship with an older and very controlling boyfriend because I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. But my addictions caught up to me. By the time I was 16, it wasn’t okay around my house anymore and I was kicked out. That’s when I moved in with my boyfriend. He would eventually introduce me to marijuana and ecstasy.

By that time, it seemed like I was addicted to everything. But my boyfriend had moved on with his life. He eventually got tired of using drugs and one day, he dropped me off at a friend’s house and I never saw him again. After that, I began to squat at a warehouse where a bunch of other people would crash. It sucked, but there was always a constant supply of drugs.

That’s when I started using Cocaine and eventually Heroin. Heroin became my love. I lived for it. First, I started to snort it, then I met my next boyfriend. I moved in with him on the first date and soon I started to shoot up heroin with him. After a short while we started to sell drugs from my boyfriend’s apartment just to make ends meet.

But it wouldn’t be long until we got that knock at the door. The knock that most drug dealers get during their lives… the police. I only served 4 months that time, but as soon as I got out, I got right back into drugs. A lot has happened since then and I hope to right many more of my stories. I am currently serving an eight month sentence for possession of heroin and all I have is time.”

Do you have a story that you want to share with In Recovery Blog readers? Write to us at InRecoveryBlog@GoogleMail.com

Prescription drug abuse and addiction has been on the rise for quite some time now. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health, an estimated 20% of people living in the United States have abused prescription drugs. And although Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem for people of all ages, the elderly are especially susceptible to misuse of prescription drugs simply because they are prescribed more drugs than younger persons.

However, the elderly are certainly not the only ones being affected by the current rise in prescription drug abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 9.3% of students in the 12^th grade have reported using Vicodin without a prescription. Other prescription drugs that are commonly abused include narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants and more.

Although nobody knows exactly why prescription drug abuse is currently on the rise, one theory is that the combination of doctors prescribing more drugs, along with the advent of online pharmacies, makes prescription drugs easier to come by than ever before. Certain types of these drugs can alter the activity in the brain and ultimately lead to addiction.

Studies have found that the prescription drugs that are most commonly abused include opiods such as codeine, oxycodone, meperidine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, and propoxyphene.

Some ways you can prevent prescription drug abuse and misuse are:

- Always inform your doctor about every prescription and over-the-counter medication you are ingesting

- Make sure to read all the information given to you regarding your medication before you begin taking it

- If you are unsure about the effects of any medications, be sure to ask your doctor.

- Always take medications as prescribed

For more information on prescription drug abuse and several other resources including health news, information on biomedical research, press releases and more check out the United States National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health at www.nlm.nih.gov

If you spoke to anyone in the cosmetic surgery industry, they would tell you that Botox injection has been one of the fastest growing procedures for years. The “quick fix” nature of injecting Botox, along with its relatively short-term effects, makes it an ideal treatment for surgeons and patients alike. However, the addictive characteristics of Botox and plastic surgery in general, is an issue that had been widely ignored.

Certainly, plastic/cosmetic surgery is by no means a “bad” thing. After all, disfigurements brought upon by extenuating circumstances such as burns, cuts, birth defects and the like can (at times) be easily remedied by cosmetic surgery. One could even argue that “correcting” imperfections such as an abnormal bump in the nose could potentially help a patient deal with issues of self-confidence and self esteem.

However, well over half of cosmetic surgery patients are repeat customers. Sadly, many of them are not trying to “fix” a legitimate deformity, rather they have an unrealistic view of their body which causes them to obsessively seek to improve it.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), often called Ugly Syndrome, Dysmorphophobia and Body Dysmorphia, is a psychiatric disorder. People who are affected by BDD have a skewed or imagined view of their bodies which often causes them to continuously seek to change their physical appearance. Typical forms of cosmetic surgery include face lifts, liposuction, cheek implants, botox injections and more.

Although BDD is often seen as an obsession driven by vanity, people who suffer from BDD see themselves as being irreversibly ugly or deformed, which is why plastic surgery rarely solves their afflictions. Besides an addiction to cosmetic surgery, those who suffer from BDD can also experience social anxiety, clinical depression, bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation.

Christopher Kennedy Lawford knows about the long rough road to recovery. His first book, Symptoms of Withdrawal was a New York Times Bestseller and gave an in-depth look into his own personal tale of addiction and self-destruction. Symptoms of Withdrawal described Lawford’s near fatal experiences due to his alcohol and drug addictions. However, along with the dark stories of drug and alcohol addiction, the book also described Lawford’s long road to recovery and ultimately, over 20 years of total sobriety.

Once Lawford saw the great response he received for his first book, it was obvious to him that his next book would concentrate on the staggering number of people who are struggling with addiction and the stories of their journey towards recovery.

The title of Christopher Kennedy Lawford’s latest book, Moments of Clarity: Voices From the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery, says it all. The book covers several tales of addiction, often with a Hollywood twist. Chris Lawford (part of the Kennedy family and son of actor Peter Lawford) tells the tale of Richard Dreyfuss’s “moment of clarity” which got him off cocaine, as well as accounts of addiction from Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alec Baldwin and more.

In a recent review of Moments of Clarity: Voices From the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery, Publishers Weekly wrote, “The addicts’ journeys uniformly proceed through a “surrender” of the will, prayer on bended knee and entry into the loving congregation of the meeting; their struggle is really a spiritual one to purge themselves of selfishness and egotism and connect with God, or “whatever.’”