09.18.09

NA Blog Review: South Florida Rally for Recovery Walk and Concert

Posted in Recovery, Social Issues, na blog at 8:30 am by community

south florida rally for recovery

Greetings, from the NA Blog.  We recently had a staff writer attend the 2009 South Florida Rally for Recovery.  Below is a review of the walk and concert.  Enjoy.

“I recently attended the South Florida Rally for Recovery walk and concert, as part of National Recovery Month.  The event started bright and early at about 8:30am.  By 9:00am, a thousand or more people had made their charitable donations of $9.00 to support people in recovery with scholarships and had begun walking.

It was bright and hot that day, but people were in high spirits.  Everyone was smiles, hugs, words of encouragement, and inspirational story sharing.  It felt great to be part of such a worthy event.  As we crossed the Mac Arthur Causeway, cars passed and people inside stared curiously from their air-conditioned compartments.  No matter, we only had best wishes for everyone.

Later we returned to Bayfront were we received tons of free fruit and water to replenish us.  After that, we heard a representative of the Governor’s office award the founders of Intherooms.com (Kenny & RT who helped host the event) with an official document proclaiming September 12, 2009, In the Rooms South Florida Rally for Recovery Day. 

The day was filled with great speakers sharing their experiences of decades in recovery; I wolfed down delicious Arepas and frozen lemonade drink as somber rain clouds made thunderous threats in the distance.  Luckily, the weather held, and we were able to enjoy hours of amazing musical performances.

Honestly, every act rocked Bayfront park equally awesomely, but the headliners were outstanding.  Both Richie Supa, and Eric Burdon and the Animals, played all their best stuff.  There were acoustic sets, hard rocking, dancing masses, and an overall spirit of good clean fun.

I’m truly thankful Miami hosted the South Florida Rally for Recovery as part of National Recovery Month and that I was able to write this review for the NA Blog.  I look forward to attending again next year.”



09.09.09

Get Involved with National Recovery Month

Posted in Addiction, Get Help, Recovery, Social Issues at 5:00 am by community

Get Involved National Recovery Month

September 2009 marks National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, which means all active members of recovery fellowships should get involved and show there support for the recovery community as a whole. All month long events will be taking place across the country to try and spread the message that addiction recovery is possible.

One such event is the 2009 South Florida Rally for Recovey. The event is sponsored by the online social-networking recovery site, intherooms.com, and features a charitable walk to raise money for recovery scholarships, recovery expert guest speakers, food and games for the family, and a closing concert featuring classic rock artist Richie Supa and Eric Burdon and the Animals.

If you’re in the South Florida area, you should get involved. The vent will be held September 12 in Downtown Miami, Fl, and will only cost $9.00 to participate. Be sure to check the following link to find out more: Get Involved. The linked page provides detialed information on how to get involved as part of the Rally for Recovey and National Recovery Month, whether as an attendant, volunteer, sponsor, or exhibitor/presenter.



08.31.09

Ex-Soldier Chanice Ward – Dies of Drug Overdose.

Posted in Addiction, In The Rooms, Painkillers, Social Issues, na blog at 1:57 pm by Ron Kerronian

Coroners ruled that former soldier Chanice Ward, 29, died of a drug overdose on April 3rd , 2009. Chanice who was discharged from the army on the grounds of mental health issues reportedly taking her own life with the aid of painkillers and anti depressants.

She was found in a Caravan in Norfolk, there is speculation as to why the former Royal Medical Corps Technician would want to take her life. Family and friends say it’s because she was discharged against her will, others say it was the mental strain ‘Post -traumatic stress’ she suffered after serving six years in such war thorn places as Bosnia and kosovo.



08.05.09

Medical Marijuana Reimbursement Calims – A Potential Gold Mine For Employers.

Posted in Medical Discoveries, Narcotics Anonymous, National Recovery Month, Painkillers, Scientific Study, Social Issues at 11:39 am by Ron Kerronian

There are many argruements to be made as to whether or not Marijuana should be made Legal. As this debate roars on as to whether or not  marijauna is a gate way drug, many states chosen to play on the more positive  side of the field – allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes only (a potenial gold mine for employers).

St. Pierre, Executive of NORML (The National Organization For The Reform of Marijuana Laws) feels that the more productive issue here deals with Employees, Insurance agencies, Hospitals, and Employers., let’s cut straight to the dollars and cents of the issue. As a tool for saving money and increasing a patients state of well being, medical marijuana should be part of the array of choices doctors, patients, and employers explore.

Advocates of Marijuana legalization champion it as an effective medicine with far ranging benefits such as treating Weight loss, Nausea, Pain, Spasticity, symptoms associated with cancer, AIDS, Cerebal Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and Arthritis. In addition it has proven to be a cost effective alternative to other pharmaceuticals.

St. Pierre says it’s the hope of advocates that reimbursing patients who use medical marijuana, could help eliminate their use of more costly and potentially addictive drugs. For employers, as payers of health care., if only considered a money saving tool – medical marijuana could very well be a solution.



08.03.09

Kidney Beans and the Case of the Colombian Narcotics Trafficers.

Posted in Addiction, In The Rooms, NA in US, Narcotics Anonymous, National Recovery Month, Social Issues, na blog at 10:38 am by Ron Kerronian

July 31, 2009 – Brooklyn Federal Court sentenced two members of one of the largest  Colombian heroin trafficking organizations.

The year long investigation Code name “Operation Eliminacion” was spear-headed by the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, DEA in Connecticut and New Jersey, and the Colombian National Police, ANTIN Heroin Task Force.

“Kidney Beans Not Just For Eating – Anymore!”

"Kidney Beans Not Just For Eating - Anymore!"

The strategies employed during this covert mission utilized over 40 court ordered wiretaps in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Colombia. The spoils of this investigation yielded, numerous drug presses, Narcotic Trafficking Paraphernalia, and on several occasions sizable amounts of heroin with a total street value of approximately $24 Million.

The ”crème de la crème” revealed during this investigation, was the method these two men used to transport the drugs from colombia to the United states, through Panama & GuatemalaKidney Beans. The Heroin was Concealed inside packages of Kidney Beans, which were then resealed intheir original Cellophane wrappers.



06.10.09

IntheRooms.com Goes Live with National AA Meetings Database

Posted in Get Help, In The Rooms, Recovery, Social Issues at 10:24 am by ezraf

IntheRooms AA Meetings

The NA Blog would like to be the first to announce that IntheRooms.com goes live with National AA Meetings Database this week. For those unfamiliar with IntheRooms, it is one of the most revered recovery social networking websites on the net. Daily, IntheRooms.com helps its 40,000+ members connect with each other across the globe.

As for the National AA Meetings Database, what makes it unique is that it allows anyone to update it regularly, similar to Wikipedia. The idea is to have the most up to date National Database of AA Meetings on the web. As anyone who has looked for fellowship meeting on the net knows, they are constantly being changed, in terms of time, date and location that it makes it very difficult to have them all up to date.

Well, that’s no longer an issue. Now, anyone can go to the IntheRooms.com National AA Meetings Database and update the hours and locations to be absolutely accurate to the present moment. Please be sure to check out the database at:
http://meetings.intherooms.com/wiki/AA_Meetings



05.27.09

Arizona News Poll Reveals Majority Supports Legal Marijuana

Posted in Addiction, Get Help, Scientific Study, Social Issues at 5:00 am by ezraf

Arizona Legalization of Marijuana

The Arizona Star recently polled their readers to find out if they supported the initiative of legalizing marijuana in the state.  Shockingly, the majority were in favor of legal marijuana in the state of Arizona.  However, the periodical made sure to note that the study was not scientific and that it only reflected the opinion of those who participated.

Nonetheless, when asked: “Do you believe marijuana should be legal for recreation purposes?” 84% of readers agreed that it should.  When asked: “How would you view the legalization of marijuana? (In terms of the government’s role)” 53% agreed that it was wise and 39% agreed that it would be a satisfactory means of seeking tax revenue.  Finally, when asked: “What effect do you believe legalizing marijuana would have on drug trafficking and its related violence?” 70% thought it would decrease significantly, while only 9% claimed no effect.

For me, the poll reflects the trend of medical and legal marijuana across the US.  It also makes sense, as the “Baby Boomer” generation is now in full control of the reins.  After all, they were also the generation marked by the “hippie” drug culture.  Still, I conclude that these Arizonians, and many others, are oblivious to the realities of legalizing drugs.  I would argue from the slippery slope premise and say that there is a snowball effect.  Basically, you start with allowing medical marijuana, and then it is all together legal, which eventually leads to the legalization of all drugs.

What kills more people per year, illegal drugs or legal drugs and alcohol?  Answer, legal drugs and alcohol.  Of course, common sense would tell us because it is more readily available when legal and less controlled.


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