On my May 21 broadcast of Afflicted by Addiction, guest Monika Anderson, who started the parent support group called, "They Did not Die in Vain and will Never Be Forgotten" asked the questions: Just how much does Big Pharm lose when substituting one drug- like Methadone- for another -like Oxycontin? (Not much.) How much do they have to lose with better regulation of dispensing these medications? (Lots!) Just follow the money, people.
They say they don't hand out pills. Right. They hand out "wafers." Or they hand out "drinks." If they have to safely distribute this drug, it will cut into their profits.
Hear my interview in the show's archives, here, and listen every Tuesday at noon PST on VoiceAmerica.com
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Just for fun...
Dave and his wife Jill are great people, and Lisa and I share the exact same anniversary. On May 26, we both celebrated 29 years of marriage! Dave's guitar work is compared to Carlos Santana, and he is very talented. I enjoy blues and I thought this song, "Loan me a Dime," was a great fit for the show. Tell me what you think!
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Greetings!
I have had some remarkable conversations with amazing people on the front lines of addiction during the course of my research for The Addict Among Us, and now for my Voice America radio show, Afflicted by Addiction. When I begin my radio show each week, I ask the same question of each guest: "Are you afflicted by addiction?" Some are in recovery themselves, others have lost children, others have seen many family members and friends succumb to drugs. They are all afflicted. Too many of us are afflicted. Something that was really driven home by my guests this past month was the fact that it is important to talk about it, to have support from both other people who have similar experiences and from professionals. Help and support and information is out there in abundance for those who reach out for it. I encourage you to join a group, share your story, leave a Memorial Minute on my website to honor your loved one, and help spread the word that there are others out there who are afflicted by addiction, and though every one's experience is different, no one needs to go through it alone. Feel free to share this newsletter with someone you think might need a place to start.
Best regards,
Bradley V. DeHaven
brad@rxdrugaddict.com
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Don't Get "Clean," Get "Well"
My May 28th guest on Afflicted by Addiction was Jon Daily, LCSW (licensed psychotherapist) and CADC (certified addiction specialist), who teaches at University of San Francisco and is in private practice at Recovery Happens. He told me started using drugs at age 12; before that, he wanted to be a police officer. He grew up in a neighborhood where a lot of the older kids he looked up to used marijuana and alcohol and compelled him to use. By the time he was 15, it was habitual, and he had started to steal money from his family and break into cars. By the time he was 20, he had been locked up, lost friends, and lost himself.
When he got sober, he finished high school, college, graduate school (where he acquired those nifty initials after his name), and wrote a couple of books. His best friend, his brother, his uncle, clients, many people he knows have died because of addiction and substance abuse. He is also a consultant for setting up outpatient rehab for young people and has some unique insights into the process.
"Addiction," he says, "is a pathological relationship to intoxication." His goal in his practice is to achieve wellness. He doesn't strive to get people "clean," he strives to get people "well," because if the underlying issues aren't treated, it's likely that the problem won't go away.
Read more about this distinction, and what it means for 30-60 day rehabilitation programs, here on my blog.
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Brandon Update
Brandon is mentoring young adults at the gym where he still spends a lot of his time and has almost met his goal weight. He is also meeting with a college advisor to see about getting certified as a workout instructor and studying nutrition. Holding the same job for over 2 years, which he has done, is a miracle in itself after drug abuse. This summer he will reach 3 years clean, and I am so happy that by all observations he is happy.
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Be responsible about your pain management.
Lock up your meds!
 Don't let the neighborhood get their illegal prescription drugs from you unwittingly. If you have a house cleaner, a baby sitter, a teenager, dinner parties, anyone at all in your house and you take prescription meds, lock them up!
RxDrugAddict.com friends get a special deal with RxDrugSafe. Check it out on my website!
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And please, forward this to your friends and others who you think would get something from it. Thanks! |
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