•  The 5^th Annual Phoenix House Recovery Month Celebration Event, at Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles  – On Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. to 4:15p.m. at Phoenix House Academy, Lake View Terrace, CA, the 5^th Annual Recovery  Month Celebration will take place, guided by a motto, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!”  The event will include an awards ceremony for a poster-making competition by teams of boys and girls and presentations by youth about their volunteering for community activities. 

 

• “Dodgers Recovery Month Baseball Game” for Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles - On Thursday, September 23, 2010 in the evening, youth and approved parents from Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles, at Lake View Terrace, will go on a field trip to a special Dodgers Baseball Game celebrating Recovery Month at the Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. The team provides discount tickets to an annual game and a celebration for clients enrolled in treatment programs in Los Angeles County.

 

• “Dodgers Recovery Month Baseball Game” for clients at Phoenix House Santa Fe Springs – September, date TBA. Women and children from Phoenix House Santa Fe Springs will go on a field trip to a special Dodgers Baseball Game celebrating Recovery Month at the Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. The team provides discount tickets to an annual game and a celebration for clients enrolled in treatment programs in Los Angeles County.

 

• “Voices of Recovery – Poetry Reading” at Phoenix House, Venice -  This event will be held on September 21 at 2 p.m., at Phoenix House, Venice, with featured poets Jon Epstein (who writes about his personal experience with addiction and recovery) and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk.  The event The event will include poems by Phoenix House clients published in an anthology, “Words That Free US: Voices of Recovery,” an Open Mike for current clients, and music created by youth in the Phoenix Rising Music Program at the Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles.

 

• “Voices of Recovery – Poetry Reading” at Phoenix House Orange County -  The Poetry Reading will take place on September 16 at 2 p.m., at Phoenix House Orange County, Santa Ana, with featured poets Dr. Maja Trochimczyk and her guests. The event will include poems by Phoenix House clients published in an anthology, “Words That Free US: Voices of Recovery,” an Open Mike for current clients, and music created by youth in the Phoenix Rising Music Program at the Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles.

 

• Poster Contest, T-Shirts and a Luau with Talent Show at Phoenix House Orange County - In a month-long celebration, clients of Phoenix House will participate in a poster contest. The design chosen as the winner will be printed on T-shirts.  The events also include a collaborative Fund-raising Event/Car Wash with Dairy Queen on September 24th to raise awareness about Recovery Month. The festivities will culminate with a Luau and a Talent Show at the Santa Ana Facility.

 

• Phoenix House San Diego participates in “Recovery Happens 2010” San Diego County-Wide Event  - On September 17, 2010, at 11:00am – 2:00pm at the County Administration Building (West Lawn), 1600 Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, CA 92101,  San Diego’s county-wide “Recovery Happens 2010″ event will be held, with the participation of numerous community organizations,  special speakers and entertainment throughout the day.  Phoenix House will participate in a Recovery Resource Fair and present its evidence-based residential and outpatient treatment programs for teens in the County.

 

• Open House at Phoenix House Academy in Descanso -  On Thursday, September 30th at 9:30am to 11:30am Phoenix House Academy of San Diego will hold an Open House at 23981 Sherilton Valley Road, Descanso, CA 91916.  Tours will be conducted by staff and residents and refreshments will be shared with guests.  Elizabeth Urquhart, Director, may be contacted at eurquhart@phoenixhouse.org for more information.

See what great friends they are? The dog and the pig even sleep in one bed.

Students at Phoenix House Academy in San Diego know that pets make wonderful friends and are a great help in recovery. The Academy, located on extensive grounds in Descanso and surrounded by mountains, parks, and ranches, is an ideal location for keeping pets and living close to nature. Currently, three dogs, four chicken, and a huge pig stay at the facility. The dogs and the pig are free to roam the grounds, but the chickens have to stay at home, due to a threat from coyotes.
For the same reason, there cannot be any cats, unless they were permanently locked up indoors: they’d quickly become food for the wily coyotes. Local wildlife, often seen on the premises, includes coyotes, deer, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, opossum, lots of birds and a variety of snakes.

I was disheartened to read about US Army Corporal Eric Small in last week’s Boston Globe article, “For Addicted Veteran, Regulation is Enemy.” In 2008, Small returned home from Iraq addicted to the painkillers that had been prescribed for his injuries. “I wasn’t a drug addict,” says Small of his pre-combat days. “I didn’t do drugs. Suddenly I’m going through withdrawals, wanting my body to stop being the way it is.” To make matters worse, the government refused to pay for buprenorphine, the addiction treatment recommended by Small’s doctors – until, months and thousands of dollars later, his insurance finally approved the use of the drug.

Unfortunately, Small’s story – and his battle with substance abuse – is not unusual among active duty military personnel returning home. The military gives soldiers opiates to manage their pain, yet they don’t always provide an after-care plan that addresses the potential for addiction or withdrawal. Later, when soldiers try to quit these painkillers, they often turn to other substances (alcohol, illicit drugs) in an attempt to deal with their withdrawal symptoms. It’s a slippery slope.

The issue of addiction treatment for veterans is very complex. There are federal regulations involved, and some soldiers may have had preexisting addiction problems. In Small’s case, however, the concern was with buprenorphine, a leading medication for opiate dependency that Small’s doctors felt would be the most appropriate and effective treatment – it is FDA-approved and considered to be less risky than methadone. However, Tricare, one of the main healthcare providers for active duty personnel, would not initially approve coverage of the drug for ongoing treatment of opioid dependency, despite its FDA approval for detoxification.

Here’s my question: why would Tricare refuse to cover buprenorphine – again, considered to be less risky than methadone – when the Veteran’s Administration has more methadone clinics than any treatment provider in the country? If the military is going to treat soldiers with painkillers, managing their aftereffects should be part of that treatment. Drugs like buprenorphine are merely one method of treatment; the military should also provide complementary methods such as physical therapy, behavioral health interventions, and psychiatric counseling.

The stigma surrounding substance abuse and mental health issues in the military is already a major issue and needs to be addressed; many veterans are reluctant to get help. Soldiers are especially concerned when Tricare is involved and their treatment will go on record – they are worried about future job searches, etc. One way of allaying these fears is to provide anonymous therapy services. For example, Colorado’s Fort Carson is beginning a program that will provide alcohol abuse treatment for soldiers without requiring that they notify their supervisors. The goal here is to eliminate psychological, financial, and bureaucratic barriers for soldiers in need of substance abuse treatment.

It’s clear that many veterans who need help don’t seek it out. So why refuse those who do? Corporal Small was denied access to FDA-approved, evidence-based, and effective treatment – would this have occurred if his disease had been cancer or diabetes instead of addiction? If a soldier loses a limb in combat, they are provided with a prosthesis; why isn’t addiction treatment just as straightforward?

For veterans struggling with substance abuse, treatment is not a luxury, but a necessity that will enable them to move forward with their lives. These people are dedicated to serving our country – providing them with accessible, affordable, effective treatment is the least our country can do in return.

Dr. Laura Blandy, PsyD
Clinical Director of Military Services, Phoenix House

Visitors from the DJ AM Memorial Fund pose with staff and residents of Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles in the facility’s recording studio.

Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles was thrilled to receive a grant from the DJ AM Memorial Fund to honor the late Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM. The grant will help expand and enhance  the Phoenix Rising Music Program, which benefits teens struggling with substance abuse and related problems. In addition to this generous financial support, the DJ AM Memorial Fund will also donate DJ equipment. These wonderful gifts will allow Phoenix House Academy students the opportunity to record, perform, and learn how to DJ. 

The DJ station is a great new addition to Phoenix House’s music program, which was established several years ago through donations by singer / songwriter Kara DioGuardi. For more information about the DJ AM Memorial Fund and its support of Phoenix House, please click here (The Huffington Post).

Based on the headline, I expected a story about the current drug use trends among Manhattan’s high-powered businesspeople. Yet the article opened by asserting that “the credit crisis appears to have sobered up Wall Street in more ways than one.” Next, it declared that marijuana use on Wall Street jumped from 64 to 80 percent between 2007 and 2009. However, this statistic was based on failed drug tests for new hires—essentially, people who did not end up working on Wall Street.  On the other hand, the article included a quote from Intervention Specialists president Brad Lamm, who mentioned that Wall Street substance abuse is on the rise, and that he notices “a lot of crack and coke.”

Giving up coke? Getting sober? More marijuana? A lot of crack? Do we know what is actually happening with substance abuse on Wall Street today? The Journal doesn’t have a straight answer, so they seem content to mash together a few opinions and “statistics” and present them as truth.

When discussing drug use among Manhattan residents, why does the article’s writer, Kyle Stock, reference a 2001 survey as if it were an accurate portrayal of 2010? Why does he also mention marijuana data from 2007 and 2009 only – without examining 2008’s numbers, or those of earlier years?  Two points do not make a trend, and the Journal knows better.

Another concern of mine is the article’s reliance on data gleaned from new-hire drug tests, which are hardly representative of substance abuse on Wall Street as a whole. For many companies, you interview, you take a drug test, and if it’s negative, you’re hired. If illicit substances are present in your urine, you’re not hired. It’s as simple as that. The issue here is that these are not random drug tests. The individuals being tested are aware and prepared, and they are not likely to show up to the test high or intoxicated. An additional wrench in the process is the fact that many drugs – like ecstasy, cocaine, and speed – leave the body after a few days, whereas marijuana can remain in urine for 30 or even 60 days. Where does this leave the guy who smoked pot a month ago? Not hired. And last week’s speed user? Hired.

As a researcher in the field of substance abuse treatment, I’ve learned that nothing in the world of addiction is ever as simple as it seems. I am disappointed that the Wall Street Journal, and the media in general, would present a hodgepodge of irrelevant statistics and contradictory opinions in order to support their own theory.

The most irresponsible aspect of this kind of reporting is the effect it could have on Wall Street substance abusers and their families – namely, lulling them into complacency by tossing around information and reassuring them that the stock exchange has indeed “sobered up.” This speculative reassurance is dangerous because drug users – regardless of their job, their salary, or their drug of choice – are all at risk. Illicit drug use is not a job perk, and a substance that revs someone up or relaxes them today may have permanent effects in the future. Although Wall Street may be turning a blind eye to substance abuse – and the Wall Street Journal may be perpetuating misinformation – it is the responsibility of individuals to look beyond what others think and to get the help they need.

Deni Carise, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, Phoenix House

Only 30 days until the 3rd Annual New York Recovery Rally! Sponsored by A&E’s Recovery Project and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), this year’s event will take place on Saturday, September 25 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City. Together, we will raise awareness about addiction and the importance of treatment and prevention. The day will include a 5K run, a recovery walk and live entertainment. All are invited to attend, especially individuals in recovery as well as their families and friends. Click here to view video from last year’s exciting event. For further information on this year’s Recovery Rally, visit www.iamrecovery.com.

He’s back! Acoustic guitarist Paul Zunno will give a special performance for Phoenix House once again. This time he will visit our Long Island City treatment center on Friday, August 27 at 8:00 PM. Mr. Zunno is a self-taught blues/rock guitarist who has played alongside some of the music industry’s top professionals. For more information on Mr. Zunno, please visit www.paulzunno.com.