People are dying in US prisons, and not just from COVID-19 #health #holistic

Randall Jordan-Aparo, Darren Rainey and Latandra Ellington are not household names. But like Michael Brown, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, they were killed by law enforcement officers.Not police officers, but corrections officers.No dataset tracks the number of people in prison who die at the hands of those hired to keep them safe. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that between 2012 and 2016 – the most recent data available – approximately 128 state and federal prisoners died from homicide or accidents per year. The agency does not separately report incidents involving prison staff versus prisoner-on-prisoner violence. This is also likely to be an undercount since many investigations of suspicious deaths in prison are done internally by corrections departments.In the absence of detailed and reliable data, what we do have are accounts of sadistic and retaliatory violence by prison guards against people in prison. According to investigations by the Miami Herald, corrections officers gassed Randall Jordan-Aparo as he begged for help, likely killed Latandra Ellington for speaking out about sexual abuse and scalded Darren Rainey to death in the shower.Just as insidious are routine “use of force” incidents that are clearly excessive. In June, for example, Florida corrections officers beat Christopher Howell to death while removing him from his cell after he reportedly “refused a command.”State neglect of prisonersAlthough it doesn’t receive the same national media attention as police brutality, there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. As a sociologist, I have researched and written extensively on the history of state prisons – which hold two-thirds of people incarcerated in the U.S. – and the causes of mass incarceration.Similar to excessive police force, brutality by prison officers is part of systemic state violence against people of color, and Black people specifically. As I explain in my book, “Building the Prison State: Race and the Politics of Mass Incarceration,” racist ideas about irredeemable “criminals” helped convince state legislators to spend approximately US$70 billion to build 1,000 prisons in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2007, operating expenses for state corrections departments had increased 250% to $56 billion a year.After the election of President Barack Obama, a wave of white racial resentment galvanized by the Tea Party movement swept business-backed fiscal conservatives into state houses across the country. As promised, governors and state legislatures began to defund a variety of state agencies and programs. Where politicians had once protected already underresourced departments of corrections from spending cuts, they now began to delay maintenance on prison facilities and strip state prisons of educational programs down to what one Florida state legislator called “bare and naked incarceration.”As a result, state prisons today are severely underfunded, understaffed, overcrowded and deteriorating.‘A callous disregard’In Florida, the state I have researched most extensively, fiscal austerity hit the Department of Corrections early, under the leadership of Gov. Jeb Bush, and continued long after he left office in 2007. The Miami Herald chronicled the decline. In 2012, after five years without a raise, the state cut thousands of corrections officer positions by moving from an eight- to a 12-hour shift. By 2017, the Herald reported, the state could not fill 2,500 corrections officer positions left open because of high turnover and low pay. And, in 2019, the new Florida Department of Corrections Secretary warned that years of budget cuts and legislative indifference have created a system at the brink of a “death spiral.”The consequences of understaffing are compounded by prison overcrowding. According to an analysis by ProPublica of federal data, between 2011 and 2018, 32 states closed one or more prisons, without corresponding reductions to the state’s overall prison population. This year, as coronavirus hit, at least 16 state prison systems – in every region except the Northeast – had seriously overcrowded prisons, according to local news reports.Most departments of corrections contract with private companies to provide health care in state prisons. The rising cost of medical care and reduced state budgets squeezed these companies’ profit margins. As a result, the existing barely adequate health care in prisons deteriorated. At Ely State Prison in Nevada, for example, there was no full time physician on staff for 1,000 male prisoners. According to one medical expert, the medical neglect he saw amounted to a “callous disregard for human life and human suffering.” Since 2010, courts have ordered at least 10 state departments of corrections to fix substandard health care in the states’ prisons. In 2018, a U.S. District Court fined the Arizona Department of Corrections for “not taking its obligation seriously” as people in prison continued to die from medical neglect.Prison overcrowding, inadequate prison health care and a lack of infrastructure to manage the outbreak of disease has led to an alarming number of COVID-19 cases in state prisons. In San Quentin State Prison, just outside of San Francisco, more than one-third of prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19. According to The New York Times, in mid-June the five largest known clusters of the virus were inside correctional institutions.Since the first week of May when prisons recorded a high of 87 prisoner deaths, as of mid-July every week on average 42 people die in prison of COVID-19.No accountabilityWhen prisons are understaffed, offer no programming and provide inadequate mental health care, maintaining order becomes more difficult. The use of solitary confinement increases. Resentment builds. Studies show that officers who work in chaotic and hostile work environments are more likely to adopt an “us vs. them” mentality and resort to retaliatory violence.Prison officers’ acts of violence are often not reported. The blue code of silence that people associate with police applies equally to corrections officers. Prison staff that come forward are threatened and harassed. And, even more than police departments, prisons are not transparent. It is often only through local news media investigations that we hear these stories.Corrections officers are rarely held accountable through civil lawsuits or criminal prosecution for their acts. The Miami-Dade County prosecutor Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who faces a real challenger in the upcoming primary for the first time since she was elected in 1993, declined to prosecute the prison officers who locked Darren Rainey in a scalding hot shower and left him there to die. The family of Rainey, a middle-age Black man with a diagnosed mental illness, later settled a civil rights lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections for $4.5 million.Governors and state legislators have little political incentive to improve prison conditions. Sadistic, violent and other unconscionable acts by corrections officers against people in prison don’t provoke the same public outrage as police murders of people in their homes and communities. Under the system of mass incarceration, those we have marked as “criminals” are denied not only their civil rights but their humanity.Heather Schoenfeld, Associate Professor, Boston UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Medical Detox: The Importance of Aftercare #health #holistic

Medical detox allows you to rapidly address the physical dependence on opioids. Within days, you can remove cravings for drugs or alcohol from your life, under the supervision of a medical team. But with the physical side of dependence addressed, what comes next? Getting personal, individualized aftercare following Opioid and Alcohol Detoxification Treatment is a critical first step to a healthy life without drugs and alcohol.“We have seen patients that just gave up because they believe they have failed so many times that they are not willing to go through all the emotional and physical suffering to fail again,” says Clare Waismann, founder of Waismann Method® Opioid Treatment Specialists and Domus Retreat. But “most of the time they didn’t fail – the treatment center failed them because they did not receive treatment based on their needs, they received treatment based on a preset protocol.”Getting individual treatment that is highly personalized can help you succeed in recovery.Healing with Respect and Dignity Society tends to treat people with addiction terribly. There is a lot of stigma and shame connected to substance use disorders, and that often gets integrated into various recovery options. Often times, treatment centers prescribe a set of steps or aftercare approaches, without assessing or considering the person receiving them, what that person actually wants and, more importantly, needs.Domus Retreat, the aftercare facility that works with Waismann Method® clients, takes a different approach. Rather than making clients feel like just another body without autonomy, instead of putting them in group sessions where they feel unseen and unheard, Domus Retreat aims to clearly understand, support, and respect each individual’s needs.At Domus, clients are reminded that they have nothing to be ashamed of. It is natural to get lost, and honorable to seek and receive help. With this productive thought in mind, it is easier for people to move toward a future that is hopeful and positive. Positivity, hope and self-respect set a foundation for a successful recovery.“We try to have people enjoy the sun, try to show them that every hour they will feel better regardless of where they started from,” Waismann says. “By the time they leave, they know they can feel good without drugs, even if they relapse. Even if things don’t work out as expected when they get home, there is hope because in a short time they have learned that life is livable without drugs..”An Aftercare Approach Designed for YouAt Domus Retreat, clients can stay from anywhere between 4 and 28 days. They have access to one-on-one psychotherapy, private yoga sessions, massage, and more. They are able to spend time working with professionals to decide what they want to address now that they have dealt with their physical dependency. This often means taking steps to address the pain that caused drug abuse, whether that pain is physical or psychological.“Because we have very, very few patients at one time, we try to individualize their treatment as much as possible,” Waismann says. There is accountability, but to individual goals rather than prescribed benchmarks of success in recovery. This allows people to focus on the things that will make the best impact on their overall health.At Domus Retreat, clients also have the chance to address any physical or mental health diagnoses that came up during treatment. Oftentimes, talking with mental health providers can result in reevaluating diagnoses that clients had before. With drugs no longer masking the root problem, it is easier to see the real symptoms.“It is very difficult to make an accurate diagnosis when the patient is emotionally influenced by the substance they are using,” Waismann says.Health care professionals create customized treatment plans for each client based on their all-encompassing medical and psychological assessment. Throughout treatment, the team looks for effective and feasible ways to optimize each client's plans to sustain long-term recovery. One of the most important goals for the Waismann Method® and Domus Retreat team is to establish a trusting and nurturing relationship with each individual, ultimately creating hope.The Bottom LineThe purpose of a good aftercare program is to heal, restore, and better the lives of each client. Anyone who has experienced substance abuse or mental health issues knows that sustaining a healthy life is a work in progress. It is a natural part of being human to expect and need a helping hand along the way. Recognizing this need and seeking help is the first and most important step in creating a healthy and loving relationship with yourself.

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The Alcohol Trap: Breaking Out Of The Wine Prison #health #holistic

When I’m helping women to escape the alcohol trap, I often use strange analogies. 

I do this to get people thinking about booze in a different way. A big part of successful sobriety is unlearning old thought habits and being open to the idea that some of your beliefs about alcohol are not true. 

But recently, one of the women I’m working with said something that made me think, “Doh – why didn’t I realise that before?”

It’s all to do with the alcohol trap, prison cells, life stress, lockdown and freedom…

The prison cell exercise

Imagine you’re locked in a prison cell. All you’ve got with you is your favourite wine or alcoholic drink. If you believe that drinking truly makes you happy and fulfilled – because alcohol really is joy in a bottle – then you’re all set for a good time, right? 

It’s obvious that drinking wouldn’t transform this situation into a happy one. And if alcohol can’t transform the prison cell into a pleasant experience, why do we expect booze to do exactly that in other, more realistic situations? 

 

The lockdown prison

Recently, we’ve all been through some kind of lockdown where we’ve been forced to stay at home, in a ‘prison’ of sorts (albeit with much nicer furnishings and Netflix).

Did alcohol turn lockdown into something wonderful? Did it bring the good vibes, 24/7? No! We are constantly giving alcohol credit for providing joy and pleasure in our lives, but look how often it doesn’t work.

 

The real alcohol trap

Perhaps you accept that alcohol doesn’t make you truly happy, but you feel that drinking helps you numb out and ignore problems in your life. If that sounds like you, here’s what I want to invite you to think about. 

What if drinking is making your problems worse, rather than relieving them? Could alcohol actually be causing some of your headaches and making existing issues harder to overcome? What if alcohol is keeping you stuck?

Think about it. When you drink, you start the next day feeling bad. This makes stress harder to cope with, and you’re unlikely to get round to dealing with the job / relationship / life situation that’s making you unhappy… and so the cycle continues. 

 

The real prison is caused by booze

Alcohol keeps you stuck in the same patterns, the same feelings and the same life. It’s like groundhog day, every day. It’s not really making your life better – it just temporarily covers the cracks, whilst keeping you stuck in a life you don’t like.

The good news? You’re not locked in this alcohol trap. You can leave this prison any time you like. You have the keys and the power to walk away. So go and enjoy the freedom that’s waiting for you outside. You’re going to love it. 

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The post The Alcohol Trap: Breaking Out Of The Wine Prison appeared first on The Sober School.

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COVID Masks: The Latest Faux Conservative Outrage #health #holistic

The bizarre “conservative” idea of “freedom” has struck again.Margaret Sullivan reported in the Washington Post on a new study that shows what we all intuited: people who get their news from Fox and right-wing hate radio—both promoting the idea that the economy is more important than your health—are less likely to understand the reality of COVID-19 and therefore more likely to get sick and cause themselves and others to die.This bizarre dynamic of putting profits over public health has played over and over again throughout the years.In the 1960s, when I was a teenager, a friend drove his car into a ditch in rural northern Michigan. Although he couldn’t have been going more than 20 or 30 miles an hour, when we found his car the next morning, he was impaled on the steering column and long dead. His car had not been equipped with seat belts—they weren’t standard then.Ralph Nader took on the auto industry on the lack of seat belts and other “unsafe at any speed” aspects of the American car industry in 1965, and conservatives set up a howl heard from coast to coast. Lewis Powell cited Nader in his infamous 1971 memo, saying that Nader’s efforts were “aimed at smashing utterly… corporate power” because, Powell said, Nader “thinks, and says quite bluntly, that a great many corporate executives belong in prison.”When a national seat belt law was being debated in 1967 (and passed in 1968), there were protests all across the nation, with people refusing to wear them “on principle” and ending up dead in higher proportion to those who buckled up. (The movement persists to this day.)In the 1970s, it was returnable bottles. I lived in Michigan, the fourth state to pass a bottle deposit law, and I remember well the pitched political battles around the issue, with conservatives asserting it was treason, a betrayal of America’s founding principles, to charge a 10 cent deposit on beer cans and soda bottles.Also in that decade, the national speed limit was lowered to 55 mph to save oil after the 1973 Arab oil embargo; based on some reactions, you’d have thought the National Maximum Speed Law called for executing the occasional accidental speeder.In the 1980s, the tobacco lobby launched a group called the Tea Party, declaring bans on smoking in restaurants and on airplanes were an existential threat to liberty and the first steps down the road to godless communism. People lit up just to get arrested, and the arrests always made the papers.Over the past three decades, we’ve been treated to a never-ending string of conservative eruptions of faux outrage.Motorcycle helmets? Tyranny!The store can only give me a paper bag to take my groceries home? I’m the victim of naked Stalinism!Phasing out incandescent light bulbs? It’s got to be part of a plot to destroy America!Did you just say, “Happy Holidays”?! You must hate Jesus and want to force me to renounce Christianity.And G-d forbid a restaurant should serve a conservative a drink with a paper straw in it: Trump is offering plastic straws with logos on them, to keep freedom alive.The outrage du jour is masks.Ever since the post-Civil War days of Lister and Pasteur, we’ve known that wearing masks prevents us from contaminating open wounds or sickening other people with our breath. But don’t tell conservatives about more than 150 years of science: face coverings during the pandemic are a liberal plot, and nothing is more important than “owning the libs.”The possibility of getting lifelong dementia or becoming psychotic (even in your 20s) from COVID-19 isn’t enough; nor is the dramatically increased risk of heart attack among young, healthy adults.Strokes, even in children? It’s more important to piss off Democrats by showing up in the store maskless.How about meningitis inflaming your brain? Or conjunctivitis damaging your eyes? A bigger worry is whether American banks are suffering.The common through-line in all these examples of ginned-up conservative outrage is that poorly informed people get sucked into believing that government trying to do something to save lives and protect society is nefarious, insidious and evil.This is, of course, the thinking of billionaires who make their money selling tobacco (like the guys who paid Mike Pence to write articles saying cigarettes don’t kill) or running refineries, mines or other businesses that dump toxins into our environment.They have a vested interest in Americans distrusting our government, so when they binge on deregulation, we’ll think it’s because they love freedom, not just profits.But the simple fact is that the people promoting all this outrage—and their predecessors for the past 50 years—really just don’t give a damn about you or me; they’re just garden-variety sociopaths who only care about how many more millions or billions they can stuff into their already-bulging money bins. Source: Independent Media InstituteThis article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

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Step 6: There’s a pony in there somewhere #holistic #health

Step Six of the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous states, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character” (Alcoholics Anonymous p. 59). With a few years of Buddhist practice under my belt, my initial response to Step Six is, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Character defects, my actual character is defective? If that is indeed the case then I must admit, I do need a deity with a powerful mojo to fix this condition.”

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New Website for Secular AA | ICSAA #holistic #health

On July 12, 2020, the Board of Directors for Secular AA | ICSAA announced a new website for the nonprofit organization that has been responsible for planning and hosting the biennial International Conference of Secular AA since its founding by three California AA members in 2014, and originally known as the We Agnostics and Freethinkers International AA Convention.

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One Big Hoax #holistic #health

This was quite an onerous task that took some time to complete and it is, given how bad a book this is, something I would not have taken on had the errors and misrepresentations embodied in this work been of less consequence.

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Coming Undone #holistic #health

Like the Guess Who classic, She’s Come Undone, my life began to come undone, to spiral out of control into dependence on alcohol, frequent paralyzing panic, hopeless, demoralizing depression and suicidal ideation 14 years ago

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Episode 178: Tradition Three – The Only Requirement #holistic #health

In this episode Angela and I talk about Tradition Three: The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking."  We review the history of the tradition taken from a talk by Barry L., author of Living Sober, that he gave at the 1985 International AA Convention in Montreal. This is followed with a discussion about how we experience the tradition today. This was recorded Live on YouTube on June 26, 2020. Every Friday, we have a live call in show on YouTube and Facbook. In this episode, sound quality from the caller is not very good and is difficult to make out. Otherwise, this was a fun episode and I thin you will enjoy listening. 

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How Those With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Added Angst Of COVID #health #holistic

Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States, Chris Trondsen felt his life was finally under control. As someone who has battled obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues since early childhood, it’s been a long journey.“I’ve been doing really, really well,” Trondsen said. “I felt like most of it was pretty much — I wouldn’t say ‘cured’ ― but I definitely felt in remission or under control. But this pandemic has been really difficult for me.”Trondsen, 38, a Costa Mesa, California, therapist who treats those with obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders, has found himself excessively washing his hands once again. He’s experiencing tightness in his chest from anxiety — something he hadn’t felt in so long that it frightened him into getting checked out at an urgent care center. And because he also has body dysmorphic disorder, he said, he’s finding it difficult to ignore his appearance when he’s looking at himself during his many Zoom appointments with clients each day.From the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, experts and media have warned of a mounting mental health crisis as people contend with a pandemic that has upended their lives. A recent KFF poll found that about 4 in 10 adults say stress from the coronavirus negatively affected their mental health. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation.)But those with obsessive-compulsive disorder and other serious anxieties face uniquely difficult mental health battles, including trying to distinguish concerns brought on by their conditions from general fears shared by the public about COVID-19. People with OCD have discovered one advantage, though: Those who have undergone successful treatment often have increased abilities to accept the pandemic’s uncertainty.Dr. Katharine Phillips, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, said it’s possible that patients who have been in consistent, good treatment for their OCD are well protected against the stress of COVID-19.“Whether it’s excessive fears about the virus, excessive fears about possible repercussions to the virus, whether that’s financial effects ― good treatment protects against relapse in these patients,” Phillips said.Those with OCD feel compelled to repeatedly perform certain behaviors, such as compulsive cleaning, and they may fixate on routines. OCD can also cause nonstop intrusive thoughts.Carli, who asked that her last name be withheld because she feared professional repercussions, can trace her OCD to age 6. The coronavirus pandemic has sent Carli, a 43-year-old from Jersey City, New Jersey, into a spiral. She’s afraid of the elevators in her building, so she doesn’t leave her apartment. And she’s having trouble distinguishing an OCD compulsion from an appropriate reaction to a dangerous pandemic, asking those without OCD how they’ve reacted.“The compulsions in my head have definitely gotten worse, but in terms of wearing a mask and cleaning my groceries and going into stores, it’s really hard to gauge what is a normal reaction and what is my OCD,” Carli said. “I try to ask people, Are you doing this? Are you doing that?”Elizabeth McIngvale, director of the McLean OCD Institute in Houston, said she has noticed patients struggling to differentiate reactions, as Carli described. Her response is that whereas guidelines such as hand-washing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are generally easily accomplished, OCD compulsions are usually never satisfied.McIngvale was diagnosed with OCD when she was 12, with behaviors like taking six- to eight-hour showers and washing her hands for so long they bled. McIngvale receives therapy weekly.“It’s just a part of my life and how I maintain my progress,” McIngvale said.Lately, she’s found herself consumed with fears of harming or infecting others with the COVID-19 virus — a symptom of her OCD. But, generally, with the tools she’s gained through treatment, she said she’s been handling the pandemic better than some people around her.“The pandemic, in general, was a new experience for everybody, but for me, feeling anxiety and feeling uncomfortable wasn’t new,” McIngvale said.“OCD patients are resilient,” she added. Treatment is based on “leaning into uncertainty and so we’ve also seen patients who are far along in their treatment during this time be able to manage really well and actually teach others how to live with uncertainty and with anxiety.”Wendy Sparrow, 44, an author from Port Orchard, Washington, has OCD, agoraphobia (fear of places or situations that might cause panic) and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sparrow has been in therapy several times but now takes medication and practices mindfulness and meditation.At the beginning of the pandemic, she wasn’t fazed because she’s used to sanitizing frequently and she doesn’t mind staying home. Instead, she has felt her symptoms worsening as her home no longer felt like a safe space and her fears of fatal contamination heightened.“The world feels germier than normal and anyone who leaves this house is subjected to a barrage of questions when they return,” Sparrow wrote in an email.Depending on how long the pandemic lasts, Sparrow said, she may revisit therapy so she can adopt more therapeutic practices. Trondsen, too, is considering therapy again, even though he knows the tools to combat OCD by heart and uses them to help his clients.“I definitely am needing therapy,” Trondsen said. “I realized that even if it’s not specifically to relearn tools for the disorders … it’s more so for my mental well-being.”Carli has struggled with finding the right treatment for her OCD.But a recent change is helping. As the pandemic intensified this spring, many doctors and mental health providers moved to telehealth appointments — and insurers agreed to cover them ― to cut down on the risks of spreading the virus. In April, she started using an app that connects people with OCD to licensed therapists. While skeptical at first, she has appreciated the convenience of teletherapy.“I never want to go back to actually being in a therapist’s office,” Carli said. “Therapy is something that’s really uncomfortable for a lot of people, including me. And to be able to be on my own turf makes me feel a little more powerful.”Patrick McGrath, a psychologist and head of clinical services at NOCD, the telehealth platform Carli uses, said he’s found that teletherapy with his patients is also beneficial because it allows him to better understand “how their OCD is interfering in their day-to-day life.”Trondsen hopes the pandemic will bring increased awareness of OCD and related disorders. Occasionally, he’s felt that his troubles during this pandemic have been dismissed or looped into the general stress everyone is feeling.“I think that there needs to be a better understanding of how intense this is for people with OCD,” he said.

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Pseudo-Science and the Need for a Better Solution #health #holistic

Not so long ago, I was a regular attendant at meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, America’s foremost response to the twin problems of alcoholism and addiction. I was a genuine "winner," as we were sometimes called, meaning an engaged, entrenched, active long-timer, a 12-step practitioner with uninterrupted clean-time extending over multiple decades. It was largely thanks to AA that I learned how to be a drug-free and sober human being.I successfully lived the AA lifestyle for a quarter of a century. I am the literal opposite of a revolving-door type, or your standard AA-hater. I am stating these autobiographical facts because my essentially positive experience has direct bearing upon the reliability and veracity of my subsequent critical observations. It behooves me to simply point out, with tongue in cheek, that my doing so is not the result of any sour grapes.My problem with Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-step sub-culture in general has to do with their nature as pseudo-science. Pseudo-science refers to any given explanation which is either presented as, or accepted as, scientifically plausible, despite a lack of scientific veracity. A pseudo-scientific account is one which is considered to be equally truthful, and genuinely explanatory, as one which has been scientifically validated, even though it is not the result of an epistemologically sound process such as the scientific method, and therefore does not merit the same degree of confidence.Eventually I had to leave the fellowship, and this was due primarily to my experience of awakening to the fundamental truths of atheism. AA is a very religious organization in every sense, although members are generally loath to acknowledge this fact. This religiosity includes the fundamental intolerance, and the proselytizing, so endemic to the Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Islam. "Carrying the message" is written into the 12-step program and is, in fact, touted as an important way of staying clean. One carries the message to another, who carries the message to yet another, who carries the message, on and on like that. It was only upon leaving that I came to recognize many of AA’s glaring defects. In retrospect, I was able to acknowledge how 12-step recovery essentially functions much like a sobriety ponzi-scheme, from which only a rare few garner the genuinely elusive, long-term benefits, pseudo-scientifically claimed to be available to all who "thoroughly follow our path."There is an inherent institutionalized prejudice against alternative approaches. One is discouraged from speaking of different methodologies. AA dogma was, and remains to this day, glaringly anti-alternative, and particularly anti-science. A single line or two, on "making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic," is all that appears in the text of Alcoholics Anonymous, summarily dismissing empiricism and scientific R & D with:Science may one day accomplish this, but it hasn’t done so yet. (AA 3:31)Of course, the assumption that the goal of science would be to make us into "ordinary drinkers" is itself rather dubious and small-minded to begin with. There is an endless array of possibilities which science can bring to bear on solving problems of this kind. But the 12-step mind set dominates the field of recovery, both in terms of short-term detox and treatment facilities, and also regarding long-term lifestyle changes. As with Christianity more generally, it’s "my way or the highway."The more time one spends immersed in the subculture, the more difficult it becomes to think outside the box, to think in any alternative way about the problem, or possible solutions. This hinders the process of developing alternative approaches and perspectives, and thereby of improving the current unarguably poor success rate. Once you’ve bought the package, you become invested in the belief that it’s a "spiritual" problem, and only a "spiritual" solution, requiring a "higher power" of some kind, will work. In a classic falsifiability move, anyone who claims otherwise is summarily dismissed as being "in denial." Does this sort of unfalsifiable, self-justifying language sound familiar? Certainly, as it constitutes a major component in the religious thinking so central to the world-dominating religions of Christianity and Islam.Suboxone is one example of a good, though admittedly not perfect, scientific alternative. After 23 years of total abstinence, I suffered a major back injury while playing basketball. I was in severe, chronic pain, and forced to have surgery. This whole scenario necessitated a regular regimen of intensive, doctor-prescribed opioid use, legitimately, for physical pain. But, being the addict I am, it was not long before I was well beyond what the doctor ordered. Unable to stop by any other means, including intensive step work and immersion in the fellowship, Suboxone freed me from the obsession, the overwhelming cravings which I suspect only an alcoholic or addict can truly understand. At the same time, it allowed me to bypass the extremely difficult and unpleasant process of opioid withdrawal. Suboxone literally saved my life.Several years after leaving AA, I am currently happier and more stable than ever before in my life. But, despite this first person account, most 12-step members can be counted upon to object, to offer a handful of very predictable critical responses. Because Suboxone actually administers a small dose of opiate along with the blocker, many would claim that I’m not actually "clean and sober." They would also claim that I am "in denial," and not in genuine recovery, but merely a "dry drunk," because I am not engaged actively in step work, have no sponsor or sponsees, do not attend meetings or have a "higher power" in my life. Despite a total lack of any scientific evidence whatsoever, they cling steadfastly to the belief that the 12-steps are required for genuine, bona-fide "recovery." This is the very epitome of what is meant by pseudo-science.How much of this way of thinking stems from the early Christian roots of Alcoholics Anonymous? The most popular method for dealing with alcoholism before AA came into existence was a Christian fellowship known as the Oxford Group. Bill Wilson, a drunkard and a salesman from small town New England, fell back upon the Oxford Group’s fundamental principles when he fathered AA into existence in the 1930’s.During one of his many detox/treatments, Bill was given the "Belladonna Cure." Completely ignoring the fact that he was under the influence of a potent, toxic, mind-altering drug, Wilson interpreted the subsequent hallucinogenic experiences in a familiar Biblical manner. His prophetic interpretation of the proverbial white light experience, with its mystical aura and spiritual connotations, served to make his message all the more vivid and valid, imbuing it with divine, super-human authenticity. Alcoholics by the millions, including my young and impressionable self, gobbled that shit up. Despite being raised in a non-religious household, I found myself anticipating my very own prophetic, white light, burning-bush type experience shortly after leaving the adolescent treatment ward at Hazelden and beginning my 90-in-90.Wilson intentionally fashioned the fellowship upon Christianity. His steps numbered 12 in an homage to Christs apostles, while they simultaneously mirrored the check-list format so familiar from the ten commandments. Portions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the highly venerated "Big Book" that is fundamentally the organization's scripture, are read aloud at meetings. The most frequent reading is the opening portion of Chapter 5, with the telling title How it Works. This is where you‘ll find Bill Wilson’s infamous steps, recognized, copied, and employed around the world, and for far more than alcoholism alone. In a flagrant pseudo-scientific manner, these are generally accepted to be an essential element of the "program of recovery," both within AA, as well as within the majority of America’s 15,000 rehab facilities.As the opening paragraphs introduce these steps, we find this unambiguous gem:Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. May you find Him now!Wilson’s steps follow, consisting of no less than 7 specific references to an interventionist, loving, paternalistic deity. Afterwards, this ubiquitous reading is finished off with the "ABC’s of recovery":(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.(b) That probably no human power [i.e., science, medicine, etc.] could have relieved our alcoholism.(c) That God could and would if He were sought.Bill Wilson and the text Alcoholics Anonymous are clear and demonstrative examples of apotheosis, the process by which a human being, and their words or works, are deified or divinized. As a participating member, I regularly heard claims like "god spoke through Bill W.", that Bill was "divinely inspired," and that the book itself was "sacred." Sections of the book are inscrolled. They hang from the walls of every meeting in a classic parchment-style format, intentionally reminiscent of Egyptian papyri and Biblical times, all in an effort to gain a measure of authenticity-through-antiquity, doing Cecille B. DeMille proud.Just as with biblical or quranic scripture, passages are oft-quoted, repeated, chanted, highlighted, memorized, prayed upon and meditated upon. Questions regarding addiction or recovery are answered with quoted lines from the work, oft considered to be wholly authoritative: "See? It says so right here." There have been efforts to change the primary text, but they have met with steadfast resistance, in spite of the fact that the text is grossly outdated and problematically ineffective.And, in the end, it is this ineffectiveness which is really the bottom line. Members are disinclined to acknowledge two fundamental truths about Alcoholics Anonymous:One: it’s religious as hell, andTwo: it’s secretly, disturbingly ineffective.If the latter were not the case, one might be more inclined to consider forgiving the former. I know the nightmare that is addiction and alcoholism intimately and first-hand. I would not wish this particular affliction upon my worst enemy, as the saying goes. In my mind, anything which works to help someone out of its agonizing throes is worthy of consideration. I would begrudge no sufferer any feasible solution to this dire and woeful condition. I am not so much anti-AA as I am anti-pseudo-science. I am opposed to "solutions" which do not actually solve the problem at hand.While notoriously difficult to measure, there is nonetheless general agreement amongst professionals that the success rate of AA hovers somewhere around 10%, with an estimate of 20% being considered generous by most. I am simply pro-improved success rate, which necessitates me being pro-alternative. AA represents a faulty, problematic answer to what is a very serious problem. Unfortunately, by its very nature, it serves to hinder alternative efforts at improving the chances of those who are afflicted with this particularly vex-some condition.What is my purpose in writing this essay? What is the point? Just more “AA bashing”? Several responses come to mind. First of all, members of Alcoholics Anonymous, especially those who have become counselors, therapists, volunteers, or are otherwise involved in the multibillion dollar per year treatment industry, should stop being "in denial" themselves, and begin opening themselves up to alternatives. They should stop denying that AA is fundamentally religious; they should stop denying that its success rate is very poor; and they should seek to be especially critical of the manner in which the big book and the propaganda of the old-timers nurture a "blame the victim" mindset.It is either simply flat-out false, or at best pseudo-science, to tell newcomers “god could and would if he were sought.” You are simply surrendering them to the placebo effect when you do so. And when they fail to attain their goals, many will fan the flames of misery by blaming themselves for the failure. People do not necessarily fail at 12-step because they didn’t try hard enough, or didn’t have a low enough bottom, as are commonly held to be the case. The problem is much more that 12-step is pseudo-science, and works for only a very small percentage of those who suffer from our condition.Equally important, all of us must acknowledge that 12-step is pseudo-science. As such it is both claimed and understood to be more effective than it truly is. So long as we continue to believe confidently that it is a "spiritual problem," which can only be solved with the help of a "spiritual solution," with help from a "higher power," we will continue to have results which roughly parallel those of the placebo effect only. More practical, pragmatic, evidence-based, and genuinely scientific solutions will continue to be looked upon as infringement, and those who propose them continue to encounter condescension, derision, intolerance, and rejection.If you have 10 or 20 years, and you work helping others in the profession, in treatment facilities, or sponsoring a lot of others, then you are probably more of a part of the problem than you realize. Enthusiastically seek out and encourage alternative approaches which are, rather than pseudo-scientific in nature, genuinely evidence-based. Stop promoting the steps as if they cured alcoholism or addiction. They don’t. “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path” is a false claim of a pseudo-scientific nature, a lie that has sent countless alcoholics and addicts to their grave. It is time for a change.

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The Hidden Deaths Of The COVID Pandemic #health #holistic

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Sara Wittner had seemingly gotten her life back under control. After a December relapse in her battle with drug addiction, the 32-year-old completed a 30-day detox program and started taking a monthly injection to block her cravings for opioids. She was engaged to be married, working for a local health association and counseling others about drug addiction.Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.The virus knocked down all the supports she had carefully built around her: no more in-person Narcotics Anonymous meetings, no talks over coffee with a trusted friend or her addiction recovery sponsor. As the virus stressed hospitals and clinics, her appointment to get the next monthly shot of medication was moved back from 30 days to 45 days.As best her family could reconstruct from the messages on her phone, Wittner started using again on April 12, Easter Sunday, more than a week after her originally scheduled appointment, when she should have gotten her next injection. She couldn’t stave off the cravings any longer as she waited for her appointment that coming Friday. She used again that Tuesday and Wednesday.“We kind of know her thought process was that ‘I can make it. I’ll go get my shot tomorrow,’” said her father, Leon Wittner. “‘I’ve just got to get through this one more day and then I’ll be OK.’”But on Thursday morning, the day before her appointment, her sister Grace Sekera found her curled up in bed at her parents’ home in this Denver suburb, blood pooling on the right side of her body, foam on her lips, still clutching a syringe. Her father suspects she died of a fentanyl overdose.However, he said, what really killed her was the coronavirus.“Anybody that is struggling with a substance abuse disorder, anybody that has an alcohol issue and anybody with mental health issues, all of a sudden, whatever safety nets they had for the most part are gone,” he said. “And those are people that are living right on the edge of that razor.”Sara Wittner’s death is just one example of how complicated it is to track the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic — and even what should be counted. Some people who get COVID-19 die of COVID-19. Some people who have COVID die of something else. And then there are people who die because of disruptions created by the pandemic.While public health officials are trying to gather data on how many people test positive for the coronavirus and how many people die from the infection, the pandemic has left an untold number dying in the shadows, not directly because of the virus but still because of it. They are unaccounted for in the official tally, which, as of June 21, has topped 119,000 in the U.S.But the lack of immediate clarity on the numbers of people actually dying from COVID-19 has some onlookers, ranging from conspiracy theorists on Twitter all the way to President Donald Trump, claiming the tallies are exaggerated — even before they include deaths like Wittner’s. That has undermined confidence in the accuracy of the death toll and made it harder for public health officials to implement infection prevention measures.Yet experts are certain that a lack of widespread testing, variations in how the cause of death is recorded, and the economic and social disruption the virus has caused are hiding the full extent of its death toll.How To CountIn the U.S., COVID-19 is a “notifiable disease” — doctors, coroners, hospitals and nursing homes must report when encountering someone who tests positive for the infection, and when a person who is known to have the virus dies. That provides a nearly real-time surveillance system for health officials to gauge where and to what extent outbreaks are happening. But it’s a system designed for speed over accuracy; it will invariably include deaths not caused by the virus as well as miss deaths that were.For example, a person diagnosed with COVID-19 who dies in a car accident could be included in the data. But someone who dies of COVID-19 at home might be missed if they were never tested. Nonetheless, the numbers are close enough to serve as an early-warning system.“They’re really meant to be simple,” Colorado state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said. “They apply these black-and-white criteria to often gray situations. But they are a way for us to systematically collect this data in a simple and rapid fashion.”For that reason, she said, the numbers don’t always align with death certificate data, which takes much more time to review and classify. And even those can be subjective. Death certificates are usually completed by a doctor who was treating that person at the time of death or by medical examiners or coroners when patients die outside of a health care facility. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines allow for doctors to attribute a death to a “presumed” or “probable” COVID infection in the absence of a positive test if the patient’s symptoms or circumstances warrant it. Those completing the forms apply their individual medical judgment, though, which can lead to variations from state to state or even county to county in whether a death is attributed to COVID-19.Furthermore, it can take weeks, if not months, for the death certificate data to move up the ladder from county to state to federal agencies, with reviews for accuracy at each level, creating a lag in those more official numbers. And they may still miss many COVID-19 deaths of people who were never tested.That’s why the two methods of counting deaths can yield different tallies, leading some to conclude that officials are fouling up the numbers. And neither approach would capture the number of people who died because they didn’t seek care — and certainly will miss indirect deaths like Wittner’s where care was disrupted by the pandemic.“All those things, unfortunately, are not going to be determined by the death record,” says Oscar Alleyne, chief of programs and services for the National Association of City and County Health Officials.Using Historical Data To Understand Today’s TollThat’s why researchers track what are known as “excess” deaths. The public health system has been cataloging all deaths on a county-by-county basis for more than a century, providing a good sense of how many deaths can be expected every year. The number of deaths above that baseline in 2020 could tell the extent of the pandemic.For example, from March 11 to May 2, New York City recorded 32,107 deaths. Laboratories confirmed 13,831 of those were COVID-19 deaths and doctors categorized another 5,048 of them as probable COVID-19 cases. That’s far more deaths than what historically occurred in the city. From 2014 through 2019, the city averaged just 7,935 deaths during that time of year. Yet when taking into account the historical deaths to assume what might occur normally, plus the COVID cases, that still leaves 5,293 deaths not explained in this year’s death toll. Experts believe that most of those deaths could be either directly or indirectly caused by the pandemic.City health officials reported about 200 at-home deaths per day during the height of the pandemic, compared with a daily average 35 between 2013 and 2017. Again, experts believe that excess is presumably caused either directly or indirectly by the pandemic.And nationally, a recent analysis of obituaries by the Health Care Cost Institute found that, for April, the number of deaths in the U.S. was running about 12% higher than the average from 2014 through 2019.“The excess mortality tells the story,” said Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “We can see that COVID is having a historic effect on the number of deaths in our community.”These multiple approaches, however, have many skeptics crying foul, accusing health officials of cooking the books to make the pandemic seem worse than it is. In Montana, for example, a Flathead County health board member cast doubt over official COVID-19 death tolls, and Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson questioned the death rate during an April broadcast. That has sowed seeds of doubt. Some social media posts claim that a family member or friend died at home of a heart attack but that the cause of death was inaccurately listed as COVID-19, leading some to question the need for lockdowns or other precautions.“For every one of those cases that might be as that person said, there must be dozens of cases where the death was caused by coronavirus and the person wouldn’t have died of that heart attack — or wouldn’t have died until years later,” Faust said. “At the moment, those anecdotes are the exceptions, not the rule.”At the same time, the excess deaths tally would also capture cases like Wittner’s, where the usual access to health care was disrupted.A recent analysis from Well Being Trust, a national public health foundation, predicted as many as 75,000 people might die from suicide, overdose or alcohol abuse, triggered by the uncertainty and unemployment caused by the pandemic.“People lose their jobs and they lose their sense of purpose and become despondent, and you sometimes see them lose their lives,” said Benjamin Miller, Well Being’s chief strategy officer, citing a 2017 study that found that for every percentage point increase in unemployment, opioid overdose deaths increased 3.6%.Meanwhile, hospitals across the nation have seen a drop-off in non-COVID patients, including those with symptoms of heart attacks or strokes, suggesting many people aren’t seeking care for life-threatening conditions and may be dying at home. Denver cardiologist Dr. Payal Kohli calls that phenomenon “coronaphobia.”Kohli expects a new wave of deaths over the next year from all the chronic illnesses that aren’t being treated during the pandemic.“You’re not necessarily going to see the direct effect of poor diabetes management now, but when you start having kidney dysfunction and other problems in 12 to 18 months, that’s the direct result of the pandemic,” Kohli said. “As we’re flattening the curve of the pandemic, we’re actually steepening all these other curves.”Lessons From Hurricane Maria’s Shifting Death TollThat’s what happened when Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico in 2017, disrupting normal life and undermining the island’s health system. Initially, the death toll from the storm was set at 64 people. But more than a year later, the official toll was updated to 2,975, based on an analysis from George Washington University that factored in the indirect deaths caused by the storm’s disruptions. Even so, a Harvard study calculated the excess deaths caused by the hurricane were likely far higher, topping 4,600.The numbers became a political hot potato, as critics blasted the Trump administration over its response to the hurricane. That prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ask the National Academy of Sciences to study how best to calculate the full death toll from a natural disaster. That report is due in July, and those who wrote it are now considering how their recommendations apply to the current pandemic — and how to avoid the same politicization that befell the Hurricane Maria death toll.“You have some stakeholders who want to downplay things and make it sound like we’ve had a wonderful response, it all worked beautifully,” said Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities and a member of the study committee. “And you’ve got others who say, ‘No, no, no. Look at all the people who were harmed.’”Calculations for the ongoing pandemic will be even more complicated than for a point-in-time event like a hurricane or wildfire. The indirect impact of COVID-19 might last for months, if not years, after the virus stops spreading and the economy improves.But Wittner’s family knows they already want her death to be counted.Throughout her high school years, Sekera dreaded entering the house before her parents came home for fear of finding her sister dead. When the pandemic forced them all indoors together, that fear turned to reality.“No little sister should have to go through that. No parent should have to go through that,” she said. “There should be ample resources, especially at a time like this when they’re cut off from the world.”

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Legacy Healing Center #health #holistic

Legacy Healing Center, which has locations in Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, and Margate, Florida, is an addiction treatment and behavioral health center that offers Detox, PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program), IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program), Outpatient, and a Family Program. The program is client-centered, holistic, and designed to provide a safe and encouraging space in which people can “relax and feel positive about themselves” while they build a foundation for sustained recovery.Legacy alumni who took our survey describe a wide variety of circumstances that led them to treatment; for example, one alum “struggled with opioids and amphetamine addiction for over 13 years,” while others were there to treat heroin or alcohol dependence. One person checked in because it was clear they needed “to go through detox with medical oversight.” Length of stay also varied from several weeks to several months. Many clients step down through levels of care as their treatment progresses. Each client’s situation is considered individually and their treatment modified as needed.Alumni describe “A wide diversity of residents," coming from throughout the U.S. and abroad, “some young, some older. Some with careers, families, nice backgrounds & some that were homeless with nothing at all, and some in between.” One alum felt that everyone was “Pretty cool for the most part,” while another described some of his younger peers as “young punks.” Another appreciated the diversity: “I got to interact with people that I generally would not have hung out with.” The majority of people who came to Legacy “truly wanted to change their lives for the better.”The gender-specific luxury accommodations all have flat screen televisions and swimming pools. “Legacy was by far the nicest Detox + PHP + IOP I've been to,” said one alum. Nearly all clients are assigned roommates. Residents are required to make their beds and keep their rooms and common areas clean, although there is also housekeeping service.Meals at Legacy vary depending on which program you are in. While in Detox and PHP, a personal chef does the cooking. In Detox, meals are served cafeteria-style. Once in IOP, residents submit grocery lists to staff and prepare most of their own meals. All levels of care have a weekly pizza night, which is very popular.  Clients praised the chef-prepared meals, which provide “a healthy variety and alternative options based on client preferences.” A couple of favorites were chicken tenders, fish, and steak night. Specific dietary restrictions are always accommodated. Most alumni thought the meals were “great!” while one wished for more variety on the Detox menu. For snacks, “Coffee and juices are provided and a fully stocked/ open snack bar was available daily.” Some alumni were not happy that coffee is only available until 10 am.Daily life in PHP consists of six hours of clinical groups, one-on-one therapy, and a daily 12-step meeting outside of the treatment center. Clients also have access to yoga classes, massages, chiropractor, acupuncture, and haircuts. On Sundays, there is an offsite activity such as getting a manicure, going to a movie, or having a picnic. “They took us to offsite meetings, as well as day trips to the beach. During free time I enjoyed hanging out by the pool.” There are other onsite activities and amenities for residents to enjoy during their free time, such as equestrian therapy and personal training. “We had a personal trainer come once a week, we were allowed to go to the gym 3x a week.” As part of reintegrating into life outside of treatment, IOP clients are required to find employment at some point during their residency. When it comes to rules and structure, one alum felt “There was a healthy amount of rules,” which “all made sense aside from the phone calls in detox" (phone use is limited while in Detox). Clients differed in whether they thought Legacy provided tough love or was more permissive. One alum appreciated the strict structure, commenting “That’s what I needed at the time and they knew it.” A couple former clients said there was variation between staff members, with some more permissive than others. One person chalked it up to perception: “I am a bit older and knew the ropes. I did not require tough love, but rather a place to clear my head and get sober.... so for me, it was more permissive.”When rules are broken, staff are “fair” and “professional” in meting out consequences, which always depend on the particular infraction. One alum who broke curfew got a verbal warning the first time. “But the next time, my curfew would be changed to an even earlier time.” For the most part, people followed the rules. Some clients mentioned that when one of their peers relapsed in IOP, “The staff was confidential and handled the situation well.”Residents are allowed to watch TV anytime during non-treatment hours. Phone use is more restricted: Clients, generally, do not have access to their cell phones unless prior arrangements have been made. For example, one client who was a working professional was given permission to use their cell phone and laptop, “2-3 hours a day for business purposes.” Otherwise, clients’ phone use is dependent on their level of treatment. After Detox, clients can make brief calls to people on their approved contact list with staff present. Then, after two or three weeks, clients “earn” their phone and may use it for one hour a day. The next stage is being allowed to use the phone while at the house until 10 pm. No internet is allowed unless absolutely necessary and approved by staff. Medical staff were described as “Very helpful” and “awesome, qualified doctors” who “took the time to understand any concerns that I had.” There are no doctors in residence at the houses but clients can see them daily or when requested. Most former clients were happy with medical staff, and a few said they particularly appreciated the attention to medication details and dosage. One alum, however, felt medication was pushed that was “not always necessary.”The treatment model at Legacy incorporates the 12-step recovery program and the “spiritual rather than religious” philosophy that goes with it. However, 12-step is definitely “not pushed,” and instead offered as part of a balanced approach. Clients are allowed to choose their own outside meetings, including non-12-step recovery meetings.When asked about the most memorable part of treatment, some alumni focused on staff: “It wasn't the amenities that made my experience, it was the way the staff cared about clients and the dedication they had to their work.” Others were impacted by “The friendships I was able to establish with other clients that I continue to stay in contact with.” One client was grateful for the life-changing EMDR sessions: “It was a weight of trauma lifted off of my shoulders. I suffer from PTSD and do not have nightmares anymore, and I can sleep through the night.”After clients leave Legacy, their relationships with staff and other alumni often continue, with check-ins, follow-up calls, and meetings. “We have a Legacy Group chat that consists of many people I attended Legacy with. We check in with each other, share our struggles, our good times, and sobriety anniversaries.” Most of the clients who took our survey have remained sober since leaving treatment, crediting Legacy with giving them the tools they need to continue on their recovery path: “Legacy provided me with the foundation that I was able to build and grow in my recovery.” Many are thankful for the comprehensive treatment they received, with one alum praising Legacy’s “transparency, authenticity and professionalism.” Overall, gratitude was a common refrain: “I am grateful to be alive, grateful to have my life and family back...as well as my career. I definitely have Legacy to thank for this.”

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California Behavioral Health #health #holistic

California Behavioral Health (CBH), located just outside of Palm Springs, offers residential treatment for clients who want to address their substance use disorder. Their website describes a “comprehensive range of treatment services” within a “flexible therapy framework” in a comfortable setting. The goal is to empower individuals to overcome addiction and live a joyful and fulfilling life. Their program includes support for dual diagnosis and non-12-step treatment.Surveyed alumni gave various reasons for choosing CBH, including location, privacy, and accommodations. Clients live in units that they share with two or three housemates. Each has a private room with a television and there is a shared bathroom. There are no assigned chores although everyone is expected to keep their room and common areas tidy. Quality of treatment ranked highest as a deciding factor. “I liked that there were only master’s level or higher clinicians.”Alumni described their fellow residents as “diverse” and “quite a cross-section of male and female” who ranged in age from “mid-20’s to late 50’s” (although they tended to skew over 30). One younger alum remarked: “I liked how the older residents were able to take me under their wing and share some personal experiences with me,” while an older resident observed that the younger ones “tend to be louder.” Clients came from “different parts of the country...and appeared to be employed with decent jobs.” Clients varied in the particular substances they were struggling with and the length of time they were in treatment. Most stays were 30-45 days. One who was there for “Alcohol and opiate addiction” stayed for just over 60 days, while another client who struggled with alcohol “to the point that I felt like I would probably end up killing myself with it” was at CBH for around 90 days.When it comes to food, CBH provides “Satisfying meals prepared by caring chefs.” There is a wide variety of choices which residents described as “wonderful,” “Healthy and delicious,” and “varied and wholesome.” Salmon, burgers, and barbecue were mentioned as favorites. For those with dietary restrictions or food allergies, the chefs will prepare alternate meals, as one alum mentioned “a gluten allergy that they were able to accommodate.” Between meals, “Healthy snacks are available, sweets when we bought them.” Coffee is available until noon. Daily life at CBH was described as “Structured but as fun as life in treatment can be.” Clients are treated with a combination of “evidence-based” therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) tailored to their individual needs. In non-treatment hours, residents may hike, swim, work out at the gym, or attend yoga classes.Many clients chose CBH because it is not a 12-step program: “It felt as if the program was really tailor made for my needs. 12 step is offered but not mandatory which I really liked.” Treatment is client-driven: “I was really encouraged to take the lead in my recovery.” Underlying issues are addressed, as one alum explained: “It's about 'core' issues not just stopping. Everyone cares and everyone is treated with respect and dignity.” Clients also appreciated the secular nature of treatment, although every client’s faith is respected.According to the residents who took our survey, rules at CBH were rarely broken because everyone was “focused on getting better.” Clients are encouraged to communicate with each other in a positive way in the event someone is not pulling their weight (not cleaning up after themselves in common areas, for example), “to set boundaries and stand up for ourselves.” When infractions occurred, “Staff was always fair and worked with individuals who were experiencing a setback.” “There are consequences for actions and this was fully explained.” The emphasis is on “Safety, caring and respectful treatment, everyone is empowered and is treated as an adult.”Clients are allowed to watch TV, make phone calls from house phones, and use one of the facility’s desktop computers “As needed, but within reason.” “There weren't a ton of restrictions for us...but the focus on treatment was always first.” Clients’ cell phones are kept in a safe. They are allowed to access their phones outside of group/class times if there is a good reason. Additionally, each resident is given an MP3 player with music which they can listen to whenever they are not in group.Alumni had high praise for medical and non-medical staff who were described as “Very kind” and “amazing!” “Caring staff from the maintenance staff to the Nurses to the Therapist to the Owners.” CBH provides 24/7 care with licensed registered nurses and certified nursing assistants, who are described as “very helpful, I really felt like a family member when there, as cheesy as it sounds” and accessible: “I love the nurses, they are always there to talk to and really care.” One alum appreciated that their meds were “finally figured out and I was able to get myself balanced.”When asked about the most memorable aspect of treatment at CBH, some alumni mentioned the level of compassion of the staff: “The team treated me like a human being - I felt seen and heard. You can feel how much they care.” Others appreciated the focus on the underlying issues of their substance use disorder: “They go into the why of my drinking and I got to really learn about my emotions, how to express them and ways to cope.” One was especially grateful for the group: “It truly was the other residents that helped me to embrace a willingness to open up and accept treatment.”The clients who were surveyed report that they are maintaining their sobriety, with some finding it more difficult than others. “It's not easy being away from such a caring facility, trying to find the right outpatient center has been challenging; however; being able to reach out to CBH during this period continues to help me stay sober,” said one. Another reports: “I am 160 days sober and feel like I have a new chance at life.”In general, alumni credit CBH for providing them with the tools to get and stay sober: “It had been a long time since I felt like someone cared. I know this is a life long journey and I now know that I have the skills that it takes.”

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Intervention #health #holistic

The following is an excerpt from The Heart and Other Monsters by Rose Andersen.I cannot remember my sister’s body. Her smell is gone to me. I do not recall the last time I touched her. I think I can almost pinpoint it: the day I asked her to leave my home after I figured out she had stopped detoxing and started shooting up again, all the while trying to sell my things to her drug dealer as I slept. When she left, she asked me for $20, and I told her that I would give it to her if she sent me a picture of a receipt to show me she spent the money on something other than drugs. “Thanks a lot,” she said, sarcastically. I hugged her, maybe. So much hinges on that maybe, the haunting maybe of our last touch.The last time I saw my sister was at an intervention at a shitty hotel in Small Town. Our family friend Debbie flew my stepmother and me there in her three-seater plane. The intervention was put together hastily by Sarah’s friend Noelle, who called us a few days beforehand, asking us to come. There were little resources or time to stage it properly—we couldn’t afford a trained interventionist to come. Noelle told us she was afraid Sarah was going to die. I agreed to fly with Debbie and Sharon because Small Town was far away from home and I didn’t want to drive.Debbie sat in the pilot’s seat, and I sat next to her. My stepmother was tucked in the third seat, directly behind us. It wasn’t until takeoff that I realized with my body what a terrible decision it was to fly. I am terrified of heights and extremely prone to motion sickness. I was not prepared for what it meant to be in a small plane.I could feel the outside while inside the plane. The vibration of chilly wind permeated through the tiny door and gripped my lungs, heart, head. It would have taken very little effort to open the door and fall, an endless horrifying fall to most-certain death. From the first swoop into the air, my stomach twisted into a mean, malicious fist that punched at my bowels and throat. For the next hour I sat trembling, my eyes shut tight. Through every dip, bounce, and shake, I held back bile and silently cried.When we landed, I lurched off the plane and threw up. I do not remember what color it was. My stepmom handed me a bottle of water and half a Xanax, and I sat, legs splayed on the runway, until I thought I could stand again.My sister vomited when she died. She shit. She bled. How much is required to leave our body before we are properly, truly, thoroughly dead? I dreamed one night that I sat with my sister’s dead body and tried to scoop all her bodily fluids back inside her. Everything wet was warm, but her body was ice-cold. I knew that if I could return this warmth to her, she would come back to life. My hands were dripping with her blood and excrement, and while begging her insides to return to her, I cried a great flood of mucus and tears. This I remember, while our last touch still evades me.<#>My sister was late to her intervention. Many hours late. Seven of us, all women, five of us in sobriety, sat in that hot hotel room, repeatedly texting and calling Sarah’s boyfriend, Jack, to bring her to us. I realized later that he probably told her they were going to the hotel to get drugs.The hotel room was also where Sharon, Debbie, and I would be sleeping that night. It held two queen-size beds, our small amount of luggage, and four chairs we had discreetly borrowed from the hotel’s conference room. I sat on one of the beds, perched on the edge anxiously, trying not to make eye contact with anyone else. I didn’t know many of the other people there.When I told my mom about the intervention days before, I had immediately followed with “But you don’t need to come.” There were so many reasons. She has goats and donkeys, cats and dogs who needed to be taken care of. She didn’t have a vehicle that could make the drive. She could write a letter, I said, and I would give it to Sarah. The truth was, I didn’t feel like managing her now-acrimonious relationship with Sharon. I didn’t want to have to take care of my mom, on top of managing Sarah’s state of being. It occurred to me, sitting in this crowded, strange room, that I might have been wrong.Sitting diagonally across from me was Sarah’s close friend Noelle, who had organized everything. Sarah and Noelle had met in recovery, lived together at Ryan’s family home, and become close friends. They had remained friends even when Sarah started using again. Helen, a fair-haired middle-aged woman who was not one of the people Sarah knew from recovery but rather the mother of one of Sarah’s boyfriends, sat on the other bed. Sarah’s last sponsor, Lynn, sat near me. I had to stop myself from telling her how Sarah had used her name on her phone. Sitting in one of the chairs was the woman who was going to run the intervention. I cannot remember her name now, even though I can easily recall the sound of her loud, grating voice.The interventionist had worked at Shining Light Recovery, the rehab Sarah had been kicked out of about a year and a half before, and was the only person Noelle could find on short notice. She had run her fair share of interventions, she told us, but she made it clear that because she hadn’t had the time to work with us beforehand, this wouldn’t run like a proper intervention. She smelled like musty clothes and showed too many teeth when she laughed. She talked about when she used to drink, with a tone that sounded more like longing than regret. When she started to disclose private information about my sister’s time in rehab, I clenched my hands into a fist.“I’m the one that threw her out,” the woman said. “I mean, she’s a good kid, but once I caught her in the showers with that other girl, she had to go.” Someone else said something, but I couldn’t hear anyone else in the room. “No sexual conduct,” she continued. “The rules are there for a reason.” She chuckled and took a swig from her generic-brand cola. I felt hot and ill, my insides still a mess from the plane ride. We waited two more hours, listening to the interventionist talk, until Jack texted to say they had just pulled up.When my sister arrived, she walked into the room and announced loudly, “Oh fuck, here we go.” Then she sat, thin, resentful, and sneering, her hands stuffed into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Oh fuck, here we go, I thought. The interventionist didn’t say much, in sharp contrast to her chattiness while we were waiting. She briefly explained the process; we would each have a chance to speak, and then Sarah could decide if she wanted to go to a detox center that night.We went in turns, speaking to Sarah directly or reading from a letter. Everyone had a different story, a different memory to start what they had to say, but everyone ended the same way: “Please get help. We are afraid you are going to die.” Sarah was stone-faced but crying silently. This was unusual. When Sarah cried, she was a wailer; we called it her monkey howl.When we were younger, we watched the movie Little Women again and again. We would often fast-forward through Beth’s death, but sometimes we would let the scene play out. We would curl up on our maroon couch and cry as Jo realized her younger sister had died. For a moment I wished for the two of us to be alone, watching Little Women for the hundredth time. I could almost feel her small head on my shoulder as she wailed, “Why did Beth have to die? It’s not fair.” She sat across the room and wouldn’t make eye contact with me.I addressed Sarah first with my mom’s letter. I started, “My dear little fawn, I know that things have gone wrong and that you have lost your way.” My voice cracked and I found I couldn’t continue, so I passed it to Noelle to read instead. It felt wrong to hear my mother’s words come out of Noelle’s mouth. Sarah was crying. She needs her mom, I thought frantically.When it came time to speak to her myself, my mind was blank. I was angry. I was angry that I had to fly in a shitty small plane and be in this shitty small room to convince my sister to care one-tenth as much about her life as we did. I was furious that she still had a smirk, even while crying, while we spoke to her. Mostly, I was angry because I knew nothing I could say could make her leave this terrible town I had driven her to years before, and come home. That somewhere in her story there was a mountain of my own mistakes that had helped lead us to this moment.“Sarah, I know you are angry and think that we are all here to make you feel bad. But we are here because we love you and are worried you might die. I don’t know what I would do if you died.” My sister sat quietly and listened. “I believe you can have any life you want.” I paused. “And I have to believe that I still know you enough to know that this isn’t the life you want.” The more I talked, the further away she seemed, until I trailed off and nodded to the next person to talk.After we had all spoken, Sarah rejected our help. She told us she had a plan to stop using on her own. “I have a guy I can buy methadone from, and I am going to do it by myself.” Methadone was used to treat opioid addicts; the drug reduced the physical effects of withdrawal, decreased cravings, and, if taken regularly, could block the effects of opioids. It can itself be addictive—it’s also an opioid. By law it can only be dispensed by an opioid treatment program, and the recommended length of treatment is a minimum of twelve months.“I have a guy I can buy five pills from,” Sarah insisted, as if that was comparable to a licensed methadone center, as if what she was suggesting wasn’t its own kind of dangerous.“But honey,” my stepmother said gently, “we are offering you help right now. You can go to a detox center tonight.”“Absolutely not. I am not going to go cold turkey.” Sarah was perceptibly shaking as she said this, the trauma of her past withdrawals palpable in her body. “I don’t know if I can trust you guys.”She gestured to my stepmom and me. “I felt really betrayed by what happened.” The heroin in her wallet, the confrontation at Sharon’s, Motel 6, breaking into her phone. “You guys don’t understand. Every other time I’ve done this, I’ve done this for you, for my family.” She sat up a little straighter. “For once in my life, it’s time for me to be selfish.”It was all I could do not to slap her across the face. I wanted desperately to feel my hand sting from the contact, to see her cheek bloom pink, to see if anything could hurt her. She wasn’t going to use methadone to get clean. She just wanted us to leave her alone. I made an excuse about needing to buy earplugs to sleep that night and walked out. I did not hug her or look at her. I did not know I would not see her again. I did not know I would not remember our last touch. I did not know that the next time I held her body, it would be chips of bone and gritty ash in a small cardboard box. THE HEART AND OTHER MONSTERS (Bloomsbury; hardcover; 9781635575149; $24.00; 224 pages; July 7, 2020) by Rose Andersen is an intimate exploration of the opioid crisis as well as the American family, with all its flaws, affections, and challenges. Reminiscent of Alex Marzano-Lesnevich's The Fact of a Body, Maggie Nelson's Jane: A Murder, and Lacy M. Johnson's The Other Side, Andersen's debut is a potent, profoundly original journey into and out of loss. Available now. 

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Drinking Surged During The Pandemic. Do You Know The Signs Of Addiction? #health #holistic

Despite the lack of dine-in customers for nearly 2½ long months during the coronavirus shutdown, Darrell Loo of Waldo Thai stayed busy.Loo is the bar manager for the popular restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, and he credits increased drinking and looser liquor laws during the pandemic for his brisk business. Alcohol also seemed to help his customers deal with all the uncertainty and fear.“Drinking definitely was a way of coping with it,” said Loo. “People did drink a lot more when it happened. I, myself, did drink a lot more.”Many state laws seemed to be waived overnight as stay-at-home orders were put into place, and drinkers embraced trends such as liquor delivery, virtual happy hours and online wine tasting. Curbside cocktails in 12- and 16-ounce bottles particularly helped Waldo Thai make up for its lost revenue from dine-in customers.Retail alcohol sales jumped by 55% nationally during the third week of March, when many stay-at-home orders were put in place, according to Nielsen data, and online sales skyrocketed.Many of these trends remained for weeks. Nielsen also notes that the selling of to-go alcohol has helped sustain businesses.But the consumption of all this alcohol can be problematic for individuals, even those who haven’t had trouble with drinking in the past.Dr. Sarah Johnson, medical director of Landmark Recovery, an addiction treatment program based in Louisville, Kentucky, with locations in the Midwest said that, virtual events aside, the pandemic has nearly put an end to social drinking.“It’s not as much going out and incorporating alcohol into a dinner or time spent with family or friends,” Johnson said. “Lots of people are sitting home drinking alone now and, historically, that’s been viewed as more of a high-risk drinking behavior.”There are some objective measures of problematic drinking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines heavy drinking as 15 or more drinks a week for a man or eight or more for a woman.But Johnson said that more important clues come from changes in behavior. She explains that, for some people, a bit of extra drinking now and then isn’t a big deal.“If they are still meeting all of their life obligations, like they are still getting up and making their Zoom meetings on time, and they’re not feeling so bad from drinking that they can’t do things, and taking care of their children and not having life problems, then it’s not a problem,” Johnson said. “It’s when people start to have problems in other areas of their life, then it would be a signal that they are drinking too much and that it’s a problem.”But there are signs to watch out for, she says. They include:Big increases in the amount of alcohol consumedConcern expressed by family or friendsChanges in sleep patterns, either more or less sleep than usualAny time that drinking interferes with everyday lifeJohnson noted that for many people, living under stay-at-home orders without the demands of a daily commute or lunch break could be problematic.“Routine and structure are important to overall mental health because they reduce stress and elements of unknown or unexpected events in daily life,” Johnson said. “These can trigger individuals in recovery to revert to unhealthy coping skills, such as drinking.”Johnson explained that while some people may be predisposed to problematic drinking or alcohol-use disorder, these can also result from someone’s environment.Johnson said that people who are unable to stop problematic drinking on their own should seek help. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration runs a 24/7 helpline (800-662-HELP) and website, www.findtreatment.gov, offering referrals for addiction treatment.Peer support is also available online. Many Alcoholics Anonymous groups have started to offer virtual meetings, as does the secular recovery group LifeRing. And for people who are looking for more informal peer support, apps such as Loosid help connect communities of sober people.Darrell Loo at Waldo Thai said that he has been concerned at times about people’s drinking but that he generally has seen customers back off from the heavy drinking they were doing early in the pandemic.Loo and others in the Kansas City restaurant business are pushing for the carryout cocktails and other looser laws to stay in place even as restaurants slowly start to reopen.“This will go on for a while. It’s going to change people’s habit,” Loo said. “People’s spending habit. People’s dining out habit. So there’s definitely a need to keep doing it.”This story is part of a partnership that includes KCUR, NPR and Kaiser Health News.

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I Wanted to Dance and I Wanted to Sing #holistic #health

Though I’m not trapped in a depressive episode now, I remember what it is like. For me, depression has proven chronic. Something I manage with medication, meditation, mindfulness and connection. It’s always there lurking, a foreboding shadow, threatening to consume me again.

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New Community Events Calendar #holistic #health

AA Beyond Belief has created a new community events calendar that allows you to enter your virtual secular AA event directly on our website.

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Richmond Walker #holistic #health

The Twenty-Four Hours a Day book is pocket-sized, designed for both portability, and discretion. An editor’s note tells us only that, “This book was compiled by a member of the Group at Daytona Beach, Fla”. The author, Richmond Walker, sought neither profit, nor recognition, for his efforts. He assembled his devotional reader in keeping with the best of the spirit of Alcoholics Anonymous, the desire to help others.

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A Partnership Approach to Recovery #health #holistic

If you’re like a lot of people, you’re struggling right now. You might be white-knuckling it through early sobriety during a global pandemic, or finding yourself using drugs and alcohol more and more, tipping the scales from acceptable use to problematic abuse. If you’re in either of those situations, finding a sober partner to help you though recovery can be an important tool.A sober partner is someone who works with you one-on-one to support your journey to sobriety or help you through the ups and downs of early recovery. While entering a treatment center with other people can seem risky, there are ways to get help for your drug or alcohol addiction in an individual or small group setting that allows you to tightly control your exposure.An individualized approach to treatmentIn order to succeed in treatment, you need to feel comfortable. If you can’t imagine lying in a bed in a detox facility or even sharing a double room with someone else in early recovery, you might need a more individualized approach to treatment.Luckily, there are plenty of options available that can be tailored to your specific needs. For example, executive treatment plans. This approach to treatment is designed for people who are accustomed to being in control and living with certain amenities. You’ll be treated with respect and understanding that you might not find in other treatment centers. Plus, you’ll be exposed to other people who are in your situation — highly accomplished and skilled individuals who happen to also struggle with substance abuse.Executive treatment plans give you all the creature comforts that you’re accustomed to on a high-end business trip. You can have a chef to meet your dietary needs or a personal trainer to keep you mentally and physically fit. Without worrying about the inconveniences of living at a treatment center, you’ll be able to focus on your recovery.What is sober coaching?You might have seen the term “sober coach” in the newspapers, describing someone who accompanies the latest celebrity around after their rehab stay. But sober coaches aren’t just for the famous — they’re for anyone who needs one-on-one guidance for early recovery.Sober coaches have been where you are. They’re in recovery as well, and they’ve figured out how to balance sobriety with living a full and fun life. A clinician can help you identify destructive patterns or underlying mental health issues that contribute to your substance abuse. A sober coach, on the other hand, gives a more intimate approach, relating to you on a personal level. Your sober coach will be able to share that they’ve learned, giving you a glimpse into how recovery will fit into your day-to-day life.In that way, sober coaches help to fill the gap between your life in rehab and your normal life. Rather than worrying about making the transition from treatment to home, you’ll be working to ease that transition from the start. Your sober coach will be able to give you insight into navigating social events, repairing your relationship with your children or spouse, or saying “no-thanks” to a drink at your next big work function.Treatment that works for youWhether you’re a high-flying executive, an artist, or an introvert who does best in small groups, you deserve to have a treatment option that works for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to drug and alcohol treatment.Before signing up for treatment, think about what your priorities are. Do you want to keep in touch with work and family, or take some time away? Do you want your treatment plan to have a spiritual or religious component? What creature comforts will make you feel more at ease, and ready to tackle the hard work of recovery?Putting in legwork ahead of time to find a treatment that is right for you can go a long way toward ensuring your success in recovery.Sober Partners provides residential treatment in Newport Beach, California. Get more information at their website, by calling 855-982-3247, or on Facebook.

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