BagHeadSponsor.com isn’t your typical recovery website. In fact, you may even call it odd, considering that it features a dancing, rapping woman with a bag over her head. But the site is incredibly fun and gets its message of recovery across in an entertaining and compelling way.

“One of the core principals of BagheadSponsor.com is anonymity. The idea behind BagheadSponsor.com is to bring you messages of truth, hope, inspiration, hilarity, awe, intrigue and fun anonymously. We think that having the messages delivered in this way will be most effective and will eliminate prejudices that might otherwise stand in the way of the message. You can probably dig your heels in and figure out who we are, but with all sincerity we ask you not to do so. In the spirit of generosity and anonymity, let’s keep this fun and let go of who’s behind the bag. who really cares, right? the point is, it’s getting some important material out in the world. feel free to share it, argue it, complain about it, etc… just don’t blow it.” –BagHeadSponsor.com

On top of creating the new In The Rooms rap song, the Bag Head Sponsor’s latest post features an interview with Kenny P. and R.T., founders of the popular recovery website, InTheRooms.com. Check out all the fun at www.BagHeadSponsor.com

InTheRooms.com is the most comprehensive resource for global fellowships, local support groups and individuals dedicated to recovery. And now, InTheRooms.com Members can make their Social Networking lives much easier with the new InTheRooms.com FaceBook Application. The App, which has just been released, promises to bring all the best parts of InTheRooms.com to your FaceBook page.
 
The new InTheRooms.com FaceBook application will allow ITR members to add their recovery times onto their existing FaceBook profiles. In Addition the new InTheRooms FaceBook App. will let you invite friends from your Facebook account to join you In The Rooms.

About InTheRooms.com
As a social networking innovator, InTheRooms.com is designed specifically for people in recovery, people seeking help to find recovery, and family, friends and allies of the recovery community from around the world. The mantra of In The Rooms centers on the word H.I.T.C.H., an acronym for Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal, which is also the mission of the site. With this guiding principle, along with supportive, caring members, InTheRooms.com has become the fastest growing online recovery community in just a few short months.

To learn more, visit www.InTheRooms.com.

As a social networking innovator, InTheRooms.com is the most comprehensive resource for global fellowships, local support groups and individuals dedicated to recovery.

So, it comes as no surprise that InTheRooms.com would develop the most reliable, interactive and updateable database of fellowships; accessible online at Meetings.InTheRooms.com. The new database promises to become the most accurate and dependable source for Fellowship meetings on the Internet. Whether it’s Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, InTheRooms.com’s new meetings database and its Wiki platform allows knowledgeable, qualified individuals to update pages in order to bring the most accurate fellowship meeting information on the Internet.

For more information, visit In The Rooms online at www.InTheRooms.com or access the new Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings, Gamblers Anonymous Meetings and Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Database at Meetings.InTheRooms.com.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) provides several useful resources for individuals seeking help and/or information about alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The following are just some of the contact information for medical and non-medical addiction specialists:

American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
www.AAAP.org
1-401-524-3076
 
American Psychological Association
Call 1-800-964-2000 and ask for your state’s referral number to find psychologists with specialties in addiction within your area.

NAADAC Substance Abuse Professionals
www.NAADAC.org
1-800-548-0497

National Association of Social Workers
www.HelpsStartsHere.org
Conduct searches for social workers with specialties in addiction.

September is Recovery Month in the United States; a month dedicated to highlighting the benefits of substance abuse programs. So, it should come as no surprise that the good people at InTheRooms.com decided to pick September to hold their first annual “Rally for Recovery”.

1) The Walk – Show your support for recovery and stand up for what you believe in!  Be an advocate and walk with InTheRooms.com to show what recovery is; that today, individuals in recovery are healthy and productive members of society!

2) The Festival – All day in Bicentennial Park, the Rally for Recovery will have wonderful food, great speakers, recovery music, exhibits, special guests and surprises.

3) The Concert – At the end of the day, the Rally for Recovery will feature Richie Supa, who will perform his PRISM Award winning song, In The Rooms.

The 2009 “Rally for Recovery”, hosted by InTheRooms.com, will take place this September 12, 2009, in Downtown Miami. For more information about InTheRooms.com you can click on our In The Rooms banner on our home page. To check out more information about the first annual Rally for Recovery in South Florida, visit the official Rally for Recovery website at www.RallyForRecovery.com

With marked days in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous the annual Sobriety Calendar makes a great gift for sponsors, members or anyone interested in the Alcoholics Anonymous Fellowship and living sober. The calendar follows the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, features original images, days in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous and much more. 

“The Sobriety Calendar was created in 1990 by Charlie Bishop, AA archivist, author, publisher, and founder of The Bishop of Books. Born Nov. 10, 1938, Charlie graduated Wheeling Jesuit University in 1960 with an A.B. in English. He taught high school English for one year in Wheeling, WV, and 3 years in Maryland. After that, he wrote for the Associated Press in Bluefield, WV, and then reported for The Wheeling News-Register for about six years, becoming city editor.”

To read more about the Sobriety Calendar or to order your very own, visit the Sobriety Calendar online at www.SobrietyCalendar.com

A Doctor who operated a medical clinic in San Fernando was found guilty on May 6, 2009, of federal narcotics charges for writing prescriptions for the addictive and extremly powerful painkiller oxycodone for people he did not examine in exchange for as much as $300.

Masoud Bamdad, 55, of Granada Hills, was convicted of 13 felony counts for writing prescriptions for oxycodone outside of the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

As part of the investigation into Bamdad, DEA agents conducted undercover operations in which they posed as people seeking drugs. In encounters captured on undercover videotape that was shown to the jury, Bamdad wrote prescriptions after brief visits, calling one undercover agent a drug addict and receiving cash payments that he simply put into his pocket. During the undercover meetings, Bamdad either did not examine or made only cursory examinations of the undercover agents, nor did he take thorough medical histories from them.

“Doctors have a important responsibility to ensure that their patients receive the best medical treatment,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “Dr. Bamdad scorned this basic principal by writing prescriptions to people who clearly were addicted to powerful narcotics or who were simply seeking a way to get high.”

A national alliance of families, the pharmaceutical industry, patients, consumer groups, and drug abuse prevention advocates released a national strategy proposal to counter the continued rise in prescription drug abuse.

“Rising rates of prescription drug abuse are the result of a combination of factors and can only be countered successfully by a coordinated, multi-sector strategy,” said Michael Barnes, executive director of CLAAD, the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence.

 CLAAD’s National Prescription Drug Abuse Strategy, co-written with the Human Resources Development Institute, advocates a balanced public policy approach.
Recent reports note that prescription drug abuse surpasses the public abuse of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines, coming in “second” only to marijuana. Controlling the abuse of prescription medications is complicated by the need to keep such medications available for lawful use by patients and prescribes.

“Prescription medications are tragically under-prescribed for certain segments of society,” said Andrea Barthwell, M.D., chief executive officer of HRDI, the Human Resources Development Institute, one of the nation’s leading African American behavior health and human services organizations. “Women and minorities are dramatically less likely to receive prescription pain relievers than white men.”

The 2009 National Prescription Drug Abuse Strategy is available online.
Website: http://www.claad.org

Other terms used for Khat: Abyssinian tea, African salad, oat, kat, chat, and catha. It is also referred to as qat in Yemen, tschat in Ethiopia, and miraa in Kenya.

How do people use Khat?

- Khat is typically chewed like tobacco.
- The fresh leaves, twigs, and shoots of the Khat shrub are chewed, and then retained in the cheek and chewed intermittently to release the active drug.
- Dried plant material can be made into tea or a paste that can be chewed.
- Khat can be smoked and sprinkled on food.

What does Khat look like?

Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Khat that is sold and abused is usually just the leaves, twigs, and shoots of the Khat shrub.

What are the consequences of using Khat?

- Widespread frequent use of Khat impacts productivity because it tends to reduce worker motivation.
- Khat can induce manic behaviors, hyperactivity, and hallucinations.
- There are reports of Khat-induced psychosis.
- Common side effects include anorexia, tahycardia, hypertension, insomnia, and gastric disorders.
- Chronic Khat abuse can result in symptoms such as physical exhaustion, violence, and suicidal depression.

What are Predatory Drugs?

Rohypnol, Ketamine, and GHB have gained notoriety as drugs used to facilitate sexual assault, adding an urgency to law enforcement efforts to pursue traffickers of these drugs. Rohypnol, Ketamine, and GHB are the main drugs known as “Predatory Drugs”.

The Dangers of Predatory Drugs

Predatory Drugs render the victim incapable of resisting sexual advances. Sexual Assaults facilitated by these drugs can be difficult to prosecute or even recognize because Victims may not be aware that they ingested a drug at all. Predatory Drugs are invisible and odorless when dissolved in water. They are somewhat salty tasting, but are indiscernible when dissolved in beverages such as sodas, juice, liquor, or beer.

Fast Facts: Predatory Drug
Due to memory problems induced by Predatory Drugs, the victim may not be aware of the attack until 8-12 hours after it occurred.

More Information on Predatory Drugs

Predatory Drugs are metabolized quickly, so there may be little physical evidence to support the claim that the drugs were used to facilitate an assault. Memory impairment caused by the drugs also eliminates evidence about the attack. Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and those you care about from predatory drugs at www.rainn.org or www.911rape.org