California NA: Narcotics Anonymous Events in California

Posted on April 16, 2009 by admin

With recent reports of budget crisis and talk of bankruptcy in California, as the US continues down the hard path of a recession, it’s good to know that the NA fellowship is offering free meetings for addicts trying to recover. Narcotics Anonymous has always made it a point not to continuously charge anyone seeking addiction recovery through Twelve Step programs.

Below is a listing of several events organized by NA fellowship groups that will all take place in California. For a more comprehensive list of events go to the website: www.usrecovery.info

Annual Recovery Events:
12th Annual California Mid-State Region Convention of Narcotics Anonymous – The event consists of an Annual Narcotics Anonymous (NA) conference with speakers. It is in conjunction with Nar-Anon members as well. 12th Annual. Stockton, California – June 11, 12, & 13, 2010.

24th Annual, Musicians’ Picnic –
Features top local, national and international acts on two separate stages.
Topanga Canyon October 11, 2009

19th Annual Set ‘em Free Campout – Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Nar-Anon affiliated event. Location and activities vary. In years past, locations have included Saddle Mountain RV Park and Campground, and events have included White Water rafting.

Study Shows Male Marijuana Smokers More Likely to Crash

Posted on April 14, 2009 by admin

marijuanaplant

A University of Montreal study recently published in the scientific journal “Accident Analysis & Prevention” showed that marijuana smoking could be the culprit of many car accidents on the road today. Psychology professor Jacques Bergeron, who is the senior author of the study, was quoted saying: “We observed that dangerous driving behaviors are interrelated. Individuals scoring high on impulsivity or sensation-seeking scales demonstrated an elevated risk of driving under the influence of cannabis.”

The study surveyed 83 men, between the ages of 17 and 49, and consisted of an inquiry of their driving records along with data collected from driving simulators. According to Canadian researchers, men were chosen for the study, instead of women, on the basis that men are more likely to have histories of reckless driving and behaviors of driving while under the influence of marijuana.

The study was one of the first of its kind and yielded results, which showed that: 35% of all participants had been in at least one car accident the last three years; 30% admitted to using marijuana, and of those, 80% said that they had driven at least once the previous year while under the influence of marijuana.

In a news release, another of the study’s authors, Isabelle Richer, said: “Our study found that men with self-reported DUIC (driving under the influence of cannabis) tend to be associated with an increased risk of being involved in a car accident.”

Featured Rehabilitation Program: Mountainside Treatment Center

Posted on April 13, 2009 by admin

Connecticut

One of the most difficult things for a person with a substance abuse addiction, or the family of someone that abuses illegal substances, can be choosing the right rehabilitation program. That is why, here at The NA Blog, we will be running a series of informative articles featuring treatment centers with the hopes of offering treatment options. This week’s featured rehabilitation program is the Mountainside Treatment Center, located in Canaan, Connecticut.

The Mountainside Treatment Center has been successfully treating adults who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction for more than 11 years. It is a non-profit rehabilitation program and has a full staff of licensed and certified professionals, trained in a wide variety of counseling techniques.

One of the distinguishing qualities of The Mountainside Treatment Center is that it offers Individual, Group, Gender Specific and Family Counseling as well as a full Mind Body Wellness Program consisting of Yoga, Guided Meditation for relaxation, and Tai Chi. The Treatment Center also offers an assortment of fellowship meetings like 12 Steps programs and education workshops, such as “Nicotine Recovery.”

Additionally, the Mountainside Treatment Center offers a full Adventure Based Initiatives Program, complete with a Low Ropes Course under the guidance of our Adventure Based Counselors. Visit the website to learn more. http://www.mountainside.org/drug-rehab

Suboxone and Subutex FDA Information

Posted on April 10, 2009 by admin

suboxone-subutex

With all the recent headlines in the news about addiction problems that have stemmed from the opiate-dependence medication “Suboxone and Subutex,” we here at The NA Blog thought it important to post original advisories on the drug that the federal government issued upon its original release for treatment to the general public. The following is an edited version of the original press release issued by FDA Talk Papers, which are created and distributed by the Press Office of the FDA. According to the website, they are for: “personnel in responding with consistency and accuracy to questions from the public on subjects of current interest,” and “are subject to change as more information becomes available.” The full version can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2002/ANS01165.html

SUBUTEX AND SUBOXONE APPROVED TO TREAT OPIATE DEPENDENCE

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Subutex…and Suboxone tablets…for the treatment of opiate dependence. Subutex and Suboxone treat opiate addiction by preventing symptoms of withdrawal from heroin and other opiates….Subutex and Suboxone have been studied in over 2,000 patients and shown to be safe and effective treatments for opiate dependence….Clinical data indicate that the risk of serious diminished breathing may be less with buprenorphine than other opioids when used in high doses or in overdose situations. Nonetheless, buprenorphine has been associated with deaths due to diminished breathing, especially when used in combination with alcohol or other Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant drugs, according to reports from France where it has been available for several years.

Based on the potential for abuse of Subutex and Suboxone, FDA and its parent Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) place the active ingredient, buprenorphine, in Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)…Subutex and Suboxone are the first narcotic drugs available for the treatment of opiate dependence that can be prescribed in an office setting under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) of 2000….

The sponsor, in collaboration with the FDA and with input from other Health and Human Services agencies, has developed a comprehensive risk management program designed to deter abuse and diversion from its legitimate use…The risk management program also provides for active and passive surveillance to identify if and when the drugs are being abused….Reports of the results of these surveillance efforts will enable FDA to identify untoward effects from the availability of buprenorphine and, if indicated, to take appropriate actions to protect the public health….

UCI Researchers Discover Possible Way to Curb Cocaine Addiction

Posted on April 9, 2009 by admin

researchers

Researchers at the University of Irvine (California) recently discovered that the use of a hormone showed the curbing of cocaine cravings. Apparently, the breakthrough was found by UCI pharmacological researchers while studying melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which “works with dopamine in the brain’s ‘pleasure center’ to create an addictive response to cocaine use. Upon further study, the researchers found that blocking MCH caused brain cells to significantly crave cocaine less.

To date, research has been limited to mice due to safety concerns, but once more data is collected that shows testing for humans to be safe, the human testing phase of research will commence. UCI said that this study was one of the first of its kind. The study is to be published later this year in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” one of the most esteemed scientific journals in the US.

Recovery Testimonial: Painkiller Predicament

Posted on April 8, 2009 by admin

The NA Blog would like to share this moving and enlightening testimonial written by a recovering addict about their struggle with a prescription drug addiction and the wonders that the internet plays in 21st Century recovery. Please keep in mind that the author’s identity has been kept anonymous for the sake of maintaining the basic premise within NA of anonymity.

Painkiller Predicament

As I sit down to write this, I still can’t believe that this is my story. My name is Nicole and I was a competitive bicycle racer for many years. I wasn’t pro or anything but I loved riding my bike fast. I was physically fit, never a smoker or big drinker and my only real addiction was clipping in and riding. One morning I was out on a training run and a car turned left in front of me leaving me no time to stop. I flew over the hood and landed flat on my back. The first thing I did was wiggle my fingers and toes and thank the lord they all moved. I knew I wasn’t paralyzed but I couldn’t stand up or move. After the ambulance, the lawsuit and countless hours of physical therapy I found myself addicted to pain medication.

I don’t have an ugly story of addiction to tell. I never woke up in a strange place covered in vomit. I never sold all of my possessions or lost the deed to my house. But I was an addict nonetheless. I couldn’t get off the painkillers. I kept upping my dosage all on my own. I just didn’t think I was ‘one of those people’, an addict. It was easy for me to rationalize that addicts are all homeless people or that if I was able to go to work I must be fine. However the pills affected my personality, my relationships, my habits and all the other parts of my life. Finally I found help through a website filled with real honest people who had experiences similar to my own. I learned that addiction is a disease and it can affect ANYBODY. Nobody is ‘too good’ to be addicted.

I was taking an ungodly number of pills to kill the pain of depression, my backache and to keep me out of withdrawal for not taking enough pills! I was barely managing to keep my job and I knew I needed help. I was a shell of the athletic and outgoing person that I was. I knew I needed help and enrolling in rehab saved my life.

I want to share my story because there are millions of Americans out there addicted to prescription drugs. My addiction snuck up on me after a devastating accident and my growing addiction to the meds just made everything worse. I was a working professional woman with a good head on her shoulders. I was an athlete and proud of my body but my body took control of me for a while. I needed help and I asked for it. Please, if my story strikes a chord with you, please do not be afraid to ask for help. There are people out there waiting to help you become whole again.

The NA Blog: A Blog about Narcotics Anonymous

Posted on April 7, 2009 by admin

Here at the NA Blog (TheNABlog.com), we are dedicated to keeping our readers informed with the latest Narcotics Anonymous news, on a daily basis, along with updates on drug treatment centers for addiction recovery, the 12 steps of NA and much, much more.

As opposed to other NA Blogs that strictly deal with issues related to the Narcotics Anonymous fellowship, here at TheNABlog.com, no singular aspect of addiction dominates. Instead, we try and focus on the spectrum of addiction recovery issues, such as: international treatment centers, new fellowships, medicines, and online resources. Mainly, TheNABlog.com concentrates on everything that is helpful and interesting to the NA community and the social recovery, blogging community as well.

As in NA, blogs within the social recovery community work diligently to support each other to make sure that readers are connected and informed about addiction issues that affect them directly. Thus, TheNABlog is part of a network of other online recovery blogs that also deal with Narcotics Anonymous as a major topic of discussion. Please take a look through our blogroll on the right column to see the list of the partnership blogs that also deal with NA. We hope at theNABlog that readers can have a well rounded perspective by reading several reliable sources and that is why we add only the most informative sites to our blog.

In closing, we at TheNABlog take blogging about NA (Narcotics Anonymous) very serious, but we also know that reaching sobriety through NA is only possible through an individual’s own efforts by having an active role in the Narcotics Anonymous fellowship and also embracing the 12 steps that are part of the NA recovery philosophy.

Maryland Faith Based Recovery Program uses Devotion to Rehab

Posted on April 3, 2009 by admin

Faith Based Recovery Program

Rev. Arnold Farlow, who has been part of the Maryland faith based recovery program, Fredrick Rescue Mission, for nearly four years, has been working vigorously with recovering addicts and has been able to change the life of 34 individuals, thus far, who were otherwise headed for utter disaster. A learned man, Rev. Arnold Farlow holds various degrees from both the University of North Carolina and Gordon-Conwell Seminary. Before joining the Fredrick Rescue Mission, Farlow worked for years as a director for a homeless shelter in North Carolina.

The Fredrick Rescue Mission is a recovery program that Rev. Arnold Farlow runs as a yearlong treatment for men and uses no psychiatric methods or medications during the process. Instead, the Maryland faith based recovery program places its focus on devotion to Scripture, hard work and religious group counseling. The program has a $500 enrollment fee, but no other expenses, and requires that new participants not leave the treatment center for the first 30 days.

The addicts in recovery at the program spend most of the afternoon hours working in the mission’s soup kitchen or in other charitable operations for the community. Nonetheless, Rev. Arnold Farlow’s program is rigorous, as a matter of fact, of the 91 men that entered the program in 2008, only 16 successfully completed.

As it stands today, there are over 1,200 faith based recovery programs in the US that account for 23 percent of the entire drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs spread through out the 48 continental states, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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Monthly Archives: April 2009