Pasadena Recovery Center – takes center stage when National Drug Policy Chief Gil Kerlikowskemakes a visit, The visit to the Pasadena rehabilitation facility is part of a cross-country campaign.

The hope of such visits is to help strengthen the current anti-drug strategies that are currently being implemented nationwide in addition to bringing greater awareness as to the importance of such facilities in the fight against drug addiction.                                                                                         

Mother Teresa on drugs and war

While on this campaign Kerlikowske engaged in an on-line chat with Dr. Drew Pinsky(addiction specialist who host “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” on VH1)  concerning teen drug abuse…Kerlikowske not only attempts something new by using this tour as a more tactful platform for his anti -drug strategy, he also brings with him a new philosophy…calling for an end to the term  “War on Drugs”

” We can’t arrest our way out of the Situation.” 

Kerlikowske’s view  about the term ‘war on drugs’ happens to be in sync with “Mother Teresa” view on ‘Anti -War Rallys’ …”war will never bring peace – only peace brings peace” it’s no surprise when she said “never invite me to an anti-war rally, instead invite me to a peace rally.” The Philosphy is quite simple – what you put out in the world i.e ‘War on Drugs’ is precisely what you get…there is no resolution – just more war.

As an added benefit, Kerlikowske offers financials to support his claims against arresting addicts…”The United States, Drug and Alcohol treatment represent half the cost of incarcerating someone.” In short, Drug Rehabilitation makes both moral and financial sense.

While filming ‘The Soloist’ the Block buster real life story of a homeless music prodigy living on the streets of Los Angeles., Robert Downey jr recalls being approached by homless people who knew about the actor’s lifelong battle with drugs and addiction.

Downey joked saying  ”I was surprised that my street cred on Skid Row was pretty high.”  It never occured to me that people would be like ” Dude, I was in the County jail with You.”

Downey, opens up about his feelings and reservations about playing a role that hit so close to home -Being in this environment that is so reminiscent and symbolic of the darkest depths of drug abuse, really struch a cord. For the actor, ” it became this incredibly wonderful humbling and humiliating expreience”  a 3 month field trip to remind you where drug abuse can take you.

The ‘Baby boomer’ generation florished in the 1960’s and spawned an unforgetable era defined by it’s appetite for sex, drugs, and all things rock n roll. Those days of free sex,love and great rock n Roll are long passed, the love child of fantasy and lengend, yet baby boomers are still keeping the hay day of drugs alive and kicking – scarffing down anything from ecstasy pills to snorting cocaine.

 According to Peter Delany, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Baby Boomers are using/abusing drugs at a higher than normal rate – nearly double that of previous generations.

West Virginia, Jackson County – The tragic drug related death of Teen Video Gamer, Christopher J. Rhodes, 19 has jumpstarted a revolution of change in the county. Christopher died last December of a drug overdose, since then Ace Gaming, a local gaming shop, began what is hoped will be an awareness campaign and an annual fundraiser. The goal is to combat the county’s rampant Teen drug problem.

The fundraising event will be something befitting of Christopher himself – a Video Game Tournament. The Event will be Held Saturday August 15th, 2009 for The Jackson County Anti-Drug Coalition…In honor of the Christopher J. Rhodes Memorial Foundation.

For More info visit: Ace Gaming Center – 235 Washington Street, Ravenwood, West Virginia 26164

                              Phone: 304 – 273 -0011

                              www.acewv.com

“When a child uses drugs, we assume that he/she is the only one who suffers. However, the family is suffering as much if not more, becuase they see their child in trouble and yet they are powerless to help them.” These are the words of a Former Crack Cocaine and Crystal Meth Addict located in florida, we’ll call him “Z”

When I used, I knew my family was feeling the pain to, but I didn’t care - I just wanted the high. As my addiction got more and more out of control, I started to notice the obviuos. I noticed my rapid weight Lost, bad breathe, Bad hygiene – Sometimes I’d forget to take showers for days.

I also started to notice that my family who became so fustrated with their failure to fix my addiction, that they began ressembling me. My Mother started loosing weight, started having nervous spells, couldn’t sleep, lost her apitite for life or anything else – she became addicted to wanting to help me/ fix my addiction. I mention my mother here, but my entire family – my sister, two brothers and even my farther started looking like addicts. As addicts we forget that the families also suffer, they serve the same sentence that we serve – our pain is their pain.

When I decided/court ordered to go into rehab, my family served that sentence with me as well – all three  times I relapsed. Now, it’s been almost 4 years since the last time I picked up. I have to say, the feeling of being clean is greater than any high I’ve ever exprienced. Since rehab “I am finally able to be a son to my parents, a brother to my siblings and a friend to all those who beleived and stood by me even when all hope seemed lost.”

Among the many factors affecting drug use among teens – “peer presure” ranked the highest. Even those who consider themselves as living above the influnce of peer presure have found it difficult to refuse using drugs, especially when they are convinced that their social status and popularity are on the line. Marijuana, ecstacy, and Hallucinogens such as mushrooms are among the most common drugs for first time teen users.

There is a common perception among the public, that illegal drugs pose a bigger problem than drugs prescribed in a hospital. However, that’s not the reality…according to Dr. Ronald Lim, hospitals are the new breeding ground for drug misuse.

Many of the people who suffer from  addiction, no longer need dealers. They can simply get high on drugs commonly found in their medicine cabinets. So widespread is this practice that Dr. Lim calls it “an epidemic.” According to the U.S. Department of Health Services “Prescription drug abuse has almost doubled from 2000 to  2007.”

This problem has recieved a much needed spot light, primarily because of priscription drug misuse in the recent deaths of Pop Legend Michael Jackson and high profile celeb Anna Nicole Smith.

There seems to be no end in sight for the many phshical and emotional disorders that prescription drugs now treat. Opioids and benzoiazepines if used properly will treat anxiety, dpression, insomnia, stree, panic attacks and even pain – If used incorrectly, they can lead to  drug addiction.

Dr. Lim says that the public needs to change its’ perception about prescription drugs… many of which affect the mind, behaviour or mood much like street drugs. In fact, these priscription drugs can even be more addictive because most who become addicted never thought it would happen., after all, if their doctors prescribed it, how addictive could it be…

Here at InRecoveryBlog.com it is part of our goal to share real life stories of addiction with the general public as well as those in recovery. Our series “True Stories of Addiction” depicts the true stories of former addicts now in recovery.

Sobriety – A Shared Mission

I tried to quit drinking so many times I can’t even keep count. I used to go to the library near where I was living and get all kinds of books that claimed they could cure me of my addiction. Short simple titles like Getting Sober and Your Last Drink gave me a false feeling of confidence that I could do it all on my own and it would be quick and painless.

Now I am finally getting the real help I have always needed. It’s my personal goal to stay sober, but I can see clearly that the mission of accomplishing that goal is one that requires a whole team to do successfully. Faith in a higher power is an important part of it, but a sponsor, a counselor… people who have been where I am and know how to get where I want to go to – you can’t pull that out of a book on your own. I’ll never forget, one time I was high reading a self-help book on addiction and I actually used my rolling papers and matchbook as a bookmark to save my place in the chapter right before I passed out!

Stop worrying about how hard is might be, or what might happen after you kick your habits. What you need to know is that the scary journey toward sobriety is one YOU can make in the company of people who care about you as deeply as they do themselves. You will never be cured, life just aint like that… but you can be sober, you can be free of the symptoms that come with your disease and with God’s mercy, you can start to heal the wounds that your history has caused for yourself and those you love. Peace~

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.

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