Comments on: Vision for a New World: Policy Goals for Addiction Professionals http://www.recoveryview.com/2009/05/vision-for-a-new-world-policy-goals-for-addiction-professionals/ An online journal for professionals in the fields of Addiction and Behavioral Health. Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:31:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Pam Johnson http://www.recoveryview.com/2009/05/vision-for-a-new-world-policy-goals-for-addiction-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Pam Johnson Wed, 20 May 2009 18:23:55 +0000 http://recoveryview.com/?p=314#comment-98 I serve for North Carolina PTA as Health and Welfare Commission, Chair. While substitute teaching the past 5 years I was astonished to see how very much our families are in need of prevention programs of all kinds. Even since my sons went through school 10 years ago, I can see the huge gap in family involvement at school. Research proves the children do not do as well in school when their family is not involved. In addition, our families are in need of not only substance abuse prevention methods, health and nutrition to address the obesity epidemic, but also gang prevention. I speak from having been a single mom to 2 boys, and one of these sons has an addiction problem with alcohol. If prevention resources had been available perhaps we would have been able to save him from this problem. As it was, we sought treatment, counseling, and I don't have to tell you the problem isn't easy to "fix". I firmly believe educating our families with prevention will also help to address what has become a huge problem not become even larger as policy is developed. Please take my words to heart as I hope to encourage you to include prevention (which will also provide social capital and resources for the family) as policy is developed. I agree with you about everything you have said. It will take policy change. This is how we have taken the approach for parent involvement as well as health and welfare issues in our state. We've only just begun, and it's going to take many collaborations of decision makers to make this movement happen. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you ever need someone to rally on your side with legislative efforts, as your work will definitely trickle down and affect all communities to become healthier. Thank you for all you do. I wish you huge success in these endeavors! Best regards, Pam Johnson NCPTA Health and Welfare Commission, Chair pam.johnson@ncpta.org www.ncpta.org I serve for North Carolina PTA as Health and Welfare Commission, Chair. While substitute teaching the past 5 years I was astonished to see how very much our families are in need of prevention programs of all kinds.

Even since my sons went through school 10 years ago, I can see the huge gap in family involvement at school. Research proves the children do not do as well in school when their family is not involved. In addition, our families are in need of not only substance abuse prevention methods, health and nutrition to address the obesity epidemic, but also gang prevention.

I speak from having been a single mom to 2 boys, and one of these sons has an addiction problem with alcohol. If prevention resources had been available perhaps we would have been able to save him from this problem. As it was, we sought treatment, counseling, and I don’t have to tell you the problem isn’t easy to “fix”.

I firmly believe educating our families with prevention will also help to address what has become a huge problem not become even larger as policy is developed.

Please take my words to heart as I hope to encourage you to include prevention (which will also provide social capital and resources for the family) as policy is developed.

I agree with you about everything you have said. It will take policy change. This is how we have taken the approach for parent involvement as well as health and welfare issues in our state. We’ve only just begun, and it’s going to take many collaborations of decision makers to make this movement happen.

Please do not hesitate to ask me if you ever need someone to rally on your side with legislative efforts, as your work will definitely trickle down and affect all communities to become healthier.

Thank you for all you do.

I wish you huge success in these endeavors!

Best regards,

Pam Johnson
NCPTA Health and Welfare Commission, Chair
pam.johnson@ncpta.org
http://www.ncpta.org

]]> By: Above It All at Lake Arrowhead http://www.recoveryview.com/2009/05/vision-for-a-new-world-policy-goals-for-addiction-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Above It All at Lake Arrowhead Wed, 20 May 2009 15:04:41 +0000 http://recoveryview.com/?p=314#comment-97 I am the Clinical Director (LCSW) of Above It All Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center in Lake Arrowhead, California (my husband and I are the owners). We have a son who is 27 now, married, two daughters, a returned missionary from his church, who does not drink smoke or use drugs, has a Black Belt in Karate, who was told he has absolutely no chance of living his dream to become a Peace Officer because he answered "yes" to using a hallucinogen in his late teens. I agree: attitudes have to change, paradigm shifts are needed, and it must start with those of us who understand. I am the Clinical Director (LCSW) of Above It All Alcohol & Drug Treatment Center in Lake Arrowhead, California (my husband and I are the owners). We have a son who is 27 now, married, two daughters, a returned missionary from his church, who does not drink smoke or use drugs, has a Black Belt in Karate, who was told he has absolutely no chance of living his dream to become a Peace Officer because he answered “yes” to using a hallucinogen in his late teens. I agree: attitudes have to change, paradigm shifts are needed, and it must start with those of us who understand.

]]> By: Claudia McDuffie http://www.recoveryview.com/2009/05/vision-for-a-new-world-policy-goals-for-addiction-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-83 Claudia McDuffie Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:53:14 +0000 http://recoveryview.com/?p=314#comment-83 Dr. Kurth: I appreciate your wonderful msg on addiction related stigma and discrimination. I am a drug court coordinator in upstate NY, have been an addiction counselor for 18 years and healthy in addiction recovery for 23 continuous years. One of the criteria for successful completion from our drug courts is employment or schooling. Employment continues to be the hardest step to overcome due to the stigma of addiction and/or related felony convictions. Here in Judge Catena and Judge Cortese's courts we have made some serious steps to overcome this attitude. In 2004 we discovered that people felt stranded after completing drug court and returned even though they didn't have to. We then developed a peer support program to fill the need. It's called Lifeworks and has now been duplicated in several other counties in NYS. Through this not for profit program we hold benifit events and donate part of the money back to the community, raising their awareness that sustainable recovery is not only possible but beneficial to all. We have chosen to make "Living Recovery Outloud" our motto, declining to hide our success behind a veil of shame. The Lifeworks members also demonstrate their recovery by speaking to local schools and colleges, victim impact panels, and as part of state drug court and treatment conferences. We hold a softball game each year where the 'authorities' (judges, d.a.'s, police, probation etc.) play against the '180's', (those who have turned their lives around). Feedback has been excellent. I've seen the surprise on the faces of E.R. physicians and sheriff deputies seeing the patient or defendent for the first time sober and meeting healthy families. Prior to Lifeworks, the lasting, and only impression they had was of the E.R. visit where they were intoxicated or in withdrawal, or the arrest when intoxicated or combatant. By Living Recovery Outloud, the 'authorities' are surprised to see what recovery looks like and exactly how families and lives are mended. We now socialize with those who formerly disdained us. Employers aren't falling over like pins lining up to hire them, but they have started taking a second look. At our last graduation Lifeworks donated money to the Sheriff Dept's local D.A.R.E. program which is no longer state funded. At the same function the local police dept's benevolent association donated to Lifeworks. Now we are all part of the recovery cycle in a positive way. At the same time all this is happening we offer social events every month that are full of recovering people and their families. We do not attempt to replace self help which is the cornerstone of most of our recovery programs. Lifeworks is the answer to the question, "is this all there is.. just don't drink and go to meetings?" There is much more if you show up and live your recovery right outloud. Thank you from the grassroots level here in Fonda, N.Y. Dr. Kurth: I appreciate your wonderful msg on addiction related stigma and discrimination. I am a drug court coordinator in upstate NY, have been an addiction counselor for 18 years and healthy in addiction recovery for 23 continuous years. One of the criteria for successful completion from our drug courts is employment or schooling. Employment continues to be the hardest step to overcome due to the stigma of addiction and/or related felony convictions. Here in Judge Catena and Judge Cortese’s courts we have made some serious steps to overcome this attitude. In 2004 we discovered that people felt stranded after completing drug court and returned even though they didn’t have to. We then developed a peer support program to fill the need. It’s called Lifeworks and has now been duplicated in several other counties in NYS.
Through this not for profit program we hold benifit events and donate part of the money back to the community, raising their awareness that sustainable recovery is not only possible but beneficial to all. We have chosen to make “Living Recovery Outloud” our motto, declining to hide our success behind a veil of shame. The Lifeworks members also demonstrate their recovery by speaking to local schools and colleges, victim impact panels, and as part of state drug court and treatment conferences. We hold a softball game each year where the ‘authorities’ (judges, d.a.’s, police, probation etc.) play against the ’180′s’, (those who have turned their lives around). Feedback has been excellent. I’ve seen the surprise on the faces of E.R. physicians and sheriff deputies seeing the patient or defendent for the first time sober and meeting healthy families. Prior to Lifeworks, the lasting, and only impression they had was of the E.R. visit where they were intoxicated or in withdrawal, or the arrest when intoxicated or combatant. By Living Recovery Outloud, the ‘authorities’ are surprised to see what recovery looks like and exactly how families and lives are mended. We now socialize with those who formerly disdained us.

Employers aren’t falling over like pins lining up to hire them, but they have started taking a second look. At our last graduation Lifeworks donated money to the Sheriff Dept’s local D.A.R.E. program which is no longer state funded. At the same function the local police dept’s benevolent association donated to Lifeworks. Now we are all part of the recovery cycle in a positive way.

At the same time all this is happening we offer social events every month that are full of recovering people and their families. We do not attempt to replace self help which is the cornerstone of most of our recovery programs. Lifeworks is the answer to the question, “is this all there is.. just don’t drink and go to meetings?” There is much more if you show up and live your recovery right outloud. Thank you from the grassroots level here in Fonda, N.Y.

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