Posts Tagged ‘recovery assistance’

Grace After Fire and AiR

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

One of the great things we at AiR get to do is work with struggling families to help them find the right direction; however, we also get to work in avenues that can truly help a very selective population, our veterans. We have partnered with Grace After Fire, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing addiction treatment and trauma treatment for women veterans. With more and more women in the military reporting instances of severe mental and emotional trauma, even more resources are needed- especially ones not currently available via government resources. With a long and detailed history of Vietnam veterans suffering large instances of trauma, one would think we’d be better prepared for our returning soldiers. Alas, that is not the case. However, Grace After Fire is there to help bridge the gap in resources, and we’re excited to be a part of their cause.

One of the founding board members, Tia Christopher, provided a great testimony at the Veteran’s Affairs Committee meeting, and a video can be seen here. Women veterans can also find resources and help via their community message board, available here.

Issac Skelton, the publications director for the Drug Policy Alliance, puts our veterans’ addiction and trauma problem into focus in this editorial in the New York Times. The main point that he focuses on is this, that “…thousands of returning veterans who cope through self-medication are risking addiction, arrest and jail time.” He wrote this in response to another New York Times article that spoke directly about the problem of returning veterans and healthcare- that the Walter Reed Hospital and its neglected outpatient programs weren’t the main problem- they were only a symptom of a broken system.  We need the resources available to provide the best care possible for our returning heroes.

We strongly encourage any family to get help, but we especially want to put resources in the hands of families of veterans. Should you, or someone you love, be struggling with their transition back into the civilian world, please call us at 877-320-0247 for assistance. With the help of organizations such as Grace After Fire, we can help put a healing hand out for the veterans that really need us.

Tags: addiction, addiction intervention, AiR Assistance in recovery, assistance in recovery, chemical dependency, Grace After Fire, intervention, prescription drug abuse, recovery, recovery assistance, substance abuse, trauma and addiction, Treatment, veterans, veterans and trauma
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Intervention through the years

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

A New York Times article brought up by AiR staff member Dave Kelly talks about different intervention approaches and how an intervention could have saved Michael Jackson. There were a couple of pretty good points in this article, namely around denial when dealing with addiction: “Denial is at the core of addiction, and breaking through it, many experts say, can require extreme measures, particularly with celebrities, who can procure an endless supply of drugs and are cocooned by people with an interest in keeping the star’s earnings flowing.”  According to sources close to the Jackson family, there were multiple attempts made by Jackson’s family at an intervention. So the question remains- why aren’t Jackson’s employees, who held his family at bay, held liable for his death? They obviously knew of Jackson’s drug use; in fact, according to sources close to Jackson, they would often pick up his multiple prescriptions. Maybe we need to develop laws that, instead of forcing drug addicts into jail, create accountability for employers and employees who refuse to confront an addict.

Kurt Cobain, the former front man of Nirvana, is also mentioned in the article when talking about harm reduction- a controversial method of “managing” or cutting down ones drinking or using. Cobain apparently asked to do this around his heroin use, and was instead escorted to treatment, of his own choice. A doctor from Seattle talks about harm reduction and motivational interviewing as a method to help addicts “slow down” their using.

The problem with motivational interviewing- and harm reduction- is that by the time an intervention is needed to help a loved one, they are usually too far along to simply “slow down.” Harm reduction creates a pocket that allows addicts to make excuses when they slip up or go on a binge. Via intervention, we at Assistance In Recovery can create a healthy family system surrounding the addicted loved one, regardless of whether or not they choose to get help.

In the end, getting help for an addiction is a choice. But via intervention, we can make that choice easier for your loved one. Intervention, in the end, is the most caring thing you can do for a loved one- and one of the hardest. Make your choice.

Tags: addiction, addiction intervention, AiR Assistance in recovery, alcohol, assistance in recovery, cnn, drugs, intervention, michael jackson, michael jackson drug abuse, michael jackson intervention, pain killers, recovery assistance, substance abuse
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Addiction in the Sports World

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Recently, we’ve seen an uprising in addiction in the news, what with Michael Jackson and others making headlines. Recently, a couple of things caught our eyes- Josh Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder with a story of recovery, caught in an embarrassing series of photos during a relapse, and Jeremy Mayfield, a NASCAR driver, being suspended for a repeated drug policy violation for using methamphetamine.

The Hamilton story hit some chords. Our friends over at the Addiction Tomorrow blog touched on this yesterday- that Hamilton had been saying he was sober since 2005, and yet photos emerged during a bout of drinking in Januray during spring training. Relapse is a very real part of the addiction world- although we think we should be very careful with saying that relapse is a PART of recovery.  Richard Justice, a columnist for the Houston Chronicle, wrote a great piece about Hamilton’s relapse in this morning’s paper. Relapse isn’t a part of recovery- if someone is actively in the recovery process, relapse shouldn’t happen. Accountability and a rigorous 12-step program immediately allow individuals a significantly higher chance of success. Our Recovery Assistance Program can provide this– and if Hamilton were monitored, would he have had this slip? No one knows. We wonder why the sporting world hasn’t used this type of solution to their drug problem- why not monitor athletes who have had drug problems instead of simply drug testing them? This would allow for a much greater chance of success and a lower rate of relapse- thus keeping their best players on the field. A smart business AND personal decision, if you ask us.

As far as Jeremy Mayfield goes, just a troubling story. Mayfield told press and reporters at the time that he “didn’t need to go to rehab.” Collateral information from his step-mother soon emerged, with her accusing him of using and manufacturing methamphetamines over the past seven years. She signed an affidavit, saying, “I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others.” Mayfield then responded with some strong comments against his stepmother, who then sued him for slander. So our question is, in all of this hullabaloo, why didn’t anyone step forward and question Mayfield about his meth use? Obviously it was well known in the family; why were people continuing to enable his using? Did no one know of an intervention or treatment? These are the things that trouble us– a history of 7 years of KNOWN using, and no action by a family to create change. These are the things we can’t push strongly enough– that a family can only create change if they choose to do so.

Make sure you make the right choice.

Tags: addiction, jeremy mayfield meth, josh hamilton relapse, methamphetamine, recovery assistance, relapse and recovery
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Why isn't EVERYONE monitored?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Ok, so we all know that monitoring works. Addiction, like other chronic diseases, needs daily treatment to stay in remission. If one looks at diabetes, another chronic illness, it takes daily maintenence and monitoring to avoid a relapse into diabetic symptoms. This is recognized as a method of creating wellness in a diabetic’s world- so why aren’t we helping our addicts in recovery have a better chance to make a change? Our Recovery Assistance Program is, we feel, an integral part of the recovery process. Who wouldn’t want their loved one to have additional accountability and a significantly better chance of having a positive outcome? As we’ve seen in the past with both doctors and pilots, patients who are monitored at the beginning stages of their recovery have a significantly better chance to succeed.

When a family approaches us for an intervention, they are often at the greatest moment of crisis in their lives. Our goal is to provide the best solution possible- for the family as well as the identified patient. In our eyes, the best way to get someone well is long term care and a program of rigorous accountability to the recovery process, family, and career.

So what is the downfall? Are we looking at this as a business as opposed to a recovery practice? What we, as a treatment field, need to remember is that we are in this for the patients; that our only true goal is to help our clients and families get better. And as we know, the greatest gift is the gift of time. Allowing an addict to have additional accountability for their first year can only increase the ability to get well- and that should be our end goal. The better our treatment, the better our monitoring, the smaller the relapse rates and the better our families get.

The bottom line is this- when you’re considering the fate of your loved one, why not provide them with the best care possible? Recovery Assistance, a program that provides therapeutic support for the family and the identified individual, will help families recover. Isn’t that what we’re all here for?

Tags: addiction intervention, addiction intervention resources, assistance in recovery, intervention, monitoring, pilot and doctor recovery, recovery, recovery assistance, sobriety
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