When Dr. Drew Pinsky announced he was ending Celebrity Rehab, he complained about being blamed for the deaths of cast members after they got addiction treatment in conjunction with appearing on his show. Mindy McCready, a country singer who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in February, was the latest. “These are really sick people, and that’s why they die,” Pinksy said. “I’m tired of taking all the heat…They have a life-threatening disease, and I take the blame?”

I agree with critics that Dr. Drew’s 11% mortality rate—42 cast members and five deaths—is an incredibly high and troubling mortality rate for a treatment provider. Celebrity Rehab is not a typical treatment experience, a factor to consider when evaluating its treatment. As treatment providers, we try to minimize distractions during treatment but they’re always there, whether it’s a divorce or a brand-new relationship, a failing business or a prospering business. It’s plausible that being on a reality TV show was so distracting it prevented someone from fully focusing on treatment. The public nature of Celebrity Rehab treatment may also play a part. Maybe when Dr. Drew’s patients ran into trouble, they didn’t want to admit that they needed help since their recovery was so public.

But if Dr. Drew is doing his part by giving his patients a long-term plan to manage their addiction, and that plan is consistent with their needs and abilities, then it may be unfair to blame him if his patients don’t end up following that plan.

To paint with a very broad brush, there are two main goals of treatment: a) to stop the bleeding and b) to help people gain the motivation, hope and skills to manage their condition on a daily basis. At Phoenix Houses of Florida, we make sure that every treatment experience includes what we call a “continuing care plan,” a prescription for a person to manage his or her condition upon discharge from the treatment center. Relapse prevention starts at Day One, when treatment staff thoroughly assess a client’s needs, abilities and preferences. From assessment to admission to treatment planning to therapy—all of it culminates in a continuing care plan.

Now if a treatment provider sends someone off with the message, “Thank you for your stay! Thank the Lord every day, don’t do any more drugs or alcohol, we now pronounce you well,” that’s not a continuing care plan. Treatment isn’t a cure but instead a guide to managing a chronic condition, just as going to the doctor isn’t a cure for diabetes or hypertension. A continuing care plan may recommend that a person continue with outpatient therapy, go to A.A. meetings or find some other form of fellowship where they can interact with sober people in a healthy way. It includes friends or loved ones who can hold the person accountable for going to meetings or doing drug screenings, and it includes a list of people the person can call if he lapses or feels tempted to.

Most people would find it wrong to blame a doctor for a diabetic patient’s death if the patient received good clinical care but then didn’t follow the doctor’s orders to check blood sugar and take medication. A treatment provider also gives a professional prescription for ongoing care, and then it’s up to the client to follow those recommendations and come back for guidance if needed. The treatment provider gives the tools to manage recovery, but using them is up to the client.

Several months after Mindy McCready finished her stint on Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew said he had high hopes for her recovery, but it was up to her: “Like with anybody I treat, it’s really up to them. I never know. If they do the work they’re supposed to do, yes (there can be success). If she does the work it will be great.” When we bring someone into treatment at Phoenix Houses of Florida, it’s a major investment on our part and theirs—one we wouldn’t want to trivialize by airing the drama on a TV show or by creating extra distractions and pressure. Our clients take a courageous step when they enter treatment, and we make sure they leave with a roadmap to stay on track.

Jack Feinberg
VP and Clinical Director,
Phoenix Houses of Florida

Last week as the Supreme Court debated the constitutionality of gay marriage, President Barack Obama tweeted his support for marriage equality with a picture and quote: “Same-sex couples should be able to get married.” Earlier this month former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and an unlikely supporter—Senator Rob Portman, a Republican—said they support same-sex marriage, too.

This is something I never dreamed I’d see back when I worked for an organization that began the first LGBT outpatient addiction services in North Texas. In the 1990s, I helped launch a lesbian mentoring and education program, a hotline for LGBT teens, and HIV/CD prevention programs. Opinions have changed so rapidly, straight allies have stood up, support organizations have multiplied, and that’s a positive trend for our LGBT youth.

But even though our culture is more accepting than it used to be, we as treatment providers, parents, and community leaders need to recognize the unique challenges LGBT youth still face. There are still parents who will throw a gay child out of the home, and LGBT youth continue to have risk factors we can’t ignore, including higher rates of homelessness, substance abuse, depression and suicidal thoughts.

In a presentation I gave at the 2013 Adolescent Symposium of Texas Mental Health Association of Dallas, I talked with behavioral health care providers about these risks. LGBT youth are 40% to 70% more likely to smoke than heterosexuals, thanks to aggressive marketing by tobacco companies. Twenty-five percent of gay and transgender people abuse alcohol. They are many times more likely to have attempted suicide. Odds of substance abuse are twice as high for gay youth, over three times as high for bisexual youth, and four times higher for lesbians.

Substance abuse can lead to homelessness and also perpetuate it. Some researchers estimate that up to three in five homeless youth are LGBT. Many say that personal or family substance abuse led directly to their homelessness while others cite it as a key reason they’re still living on the streets.

Why the higher rates of substance abuse? Family conflict and discrimination in employment, housing, and health care are key reasons that are also barriers to getting help. Health providers can be hostile or just plain bewildered. One-third of medical schools did not provide training to work with LGBT patients during the years students work with patients and on average devoted only five hours of curriculum to medical questions specific to LGBT patients.

When I first provided substance abuse treatment for an LGBT population, I produced a video of LGBT folks talking about their experience in treatment. They spoke of the isolation they felt and their internal conflicts over coming out in treatment. Although so much has changed, that isolation can still be felt. Treatment providers need to integrate LGBT clients into the treatment community but also address specific issues such as discrimination and family conflict.

We can minimize isolation by creating a safe space and building trust, just as we do for other adolescent populations but especially for this population that often experiences higher rates of abuse and family conflict. Since kids have honed their ability to detect discomfort or judgment, outreach staff should show complete acceptance. Treatment centers should show—through LGBT symbols, equal signs, posters, books—that we’re open to all.

I believe education is key. As we increase acceptance and reduce discrimination, those high rates of substance abuse will diminish too—one very important step toward equality.

De’An Olson

Program Director of Judge John C. Creuzot Judicial Treatment Center

Phoenix Houses of Texas

If you or a loved one needs help for a substance abuse issue, we’re here for you. To find out more about the services Phoenix House provides,  email us or call us today: 1-800-378-4435.

PURPOSE:
The annual Phoenix House Triumph for Teens Awards Gala has been held in Beverly Hills, CA since 2003. This year we will commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Phoenix House, as well as the 10th Anniversary of this Gala. The event celebrates the victories of young people in treatment and honors individuals whose accomplishments have positive influences on the health and welfare of our communities — especially the youth of our community.

HONOREES:

2013 Public Service Award
David E.I. Pyott, Chairman of the Board, President & CEO, Allergan, Inc.

2013 Phoenix Rising Award
Leigh Steinberg, Sports Agent & Lawyer, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment

WHEN:

Thursday, June 6, 2013, 6:00 pm Cocktails / 7:00 pm Dinner

WHERE:
Beverly Hills Hotel, Crystal Ballroom
9641 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

PROGRAM:
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, music, and more. . .

BENEFICIARY:
For more than 30 years, Phoenix House has been a beacon of hope in Southern California for the most vulnerable men, women, and teens – rebuilding lives, reuniting families, and creating stronger communities. Today, Phoenix Houses of California serves more than 3,500 individuals a year plus their family members and reaches more than 30,000 community members through outreach, volunteerism, and prevention education services

Your support of the Phoenix House Triumph for Teens Awards Gala provides critical support to at-risk teens to develop the tools and skills necessary to regain their sense of self. This further enables them to make up their education lost to drugs, develop positive attitudes and values, come to grips with the underlying causes of their addictions, and go on to lead healthy and productive lives.  

Students of Phoenix House Academy

INFORMATION:

To reserve a sponsorship opportunity or to purchase tickets, please visit our Triumph for Teens Registration Page. To make a donation, please visit our Donation Page.

For more information, please contact John Peterson at 818.686.3027 or via email at jpeterson@phoenixhouse.org, www.phoenixhouse.org/locations/california.

On February 8, CBS News tackled the problem of prescription painkiller addiction–an epidemic that the Food and Drug Administration has called a “major public health challenge.” CBS interviewed Kimberly, a Phoenix House client who developed a prescription drug addiction after being prescribed prescription narcotics following a car accident. At one point, Kimberly was taking 15 pills a day: “I knew that I needed to stop. I knew I did, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” Kimberly found answers at Phoenix House and has been drug-free for eight months.

As the New Year begins, most of us resolve to conquer the cravings that have taken hold throughout the year. If we can’t resist food, we resolve to lose weight; if we’re obsessed with shopping, we resolve to set spending limits. As the annual quest for self-improvement tests our willpower, it can also show that our habits have a greater grip on us than we think.

Consider taking an alcohol-free month, for example. Alcohol Concern, a charity in the United Kingdom, is challenging people to lose weight, save money, and get healthy by abstaining from alcohol for the month of “Dry January.” In a column for the Telegraph, Peter Oborne says he plans to take the challenge. While Oborne says he’s not an alcoholic, he confesses that he drinks well above the recommended limit, loves pubs, and thinks that drinkers make better prime ministers. The thought of an alcohol-free month “fills me with terror,” he says. “I admit that, while not an alcoholic, I am in danger of becoming alcohol-dependent.”

I can attest that in my native England, drinking is integrated with a lifestyle where the pub is a center of conversation and social life. One government survey found that nearly a third of Brits drink more than the recommended amount; meanwhile, alcohol-related hospital admissions have increased 40 percent since 2003. In America, 68 million people are classified as “harmful drinkers” and consume five or more drinks in a sitting. Someone who’s drinking every night may not realize they’re as alcohol-dependent as a college student doing shot after shot on a weekend.

That’s why this challenge is valuable—so people can test their reliance on alcohol and find out if they need to get treatment. If you resolve to go a month without drinking and can only make it two days, you may need help. If you make it 15 days but still can’t resist, you may need help. Social drinkers may protest, “That’s rubbish. Two days between drinks doesn’t mean I have a problem.” But if you resolve to give up alcohol and can’t keep your resolution for 31 days, it’s time to get an assessment and find out whether your drinking is more serious than you thought.

I would go further and suggest that families take an alcohol-free pledge together. When family routines are ingrained, both a problem drinker and his loved ones may be in denial and not realize there’s a problem because it’s simply part of life. By pledging to give up alcohol together, families can take alcohol out of the family dynamic, support a loved one who may be alcohol dependent, and prove that it’s possible to change a pattern that to be seems a permanent part of life.

If you’re thinking of taking the Dry January pledge, consider reviewing the signs of an alcohol problem: drinking alone, drinking more than you intended, feeling bad or guilty about your drinking habits, or having a drink first thing in the morning to get ready for the day. If you agree with Oborne that a month without alcohol “stretches ahead like a desert and fills me with gloom and terror,” maybe “Dry January” is the time to test your resolve.

Howard Meitiner
President and CEO
Phoenix House

On Wednesday, November 7th, nearly 500 guests gathered for Phoenix House’s annual Fashion Award Dinner held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The evening honored Phoenix House Foundation Board member, Andrew Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of Theory; Diane von Furstenberg, Founder & Chairman of Diane von Furstenberg; and Jim Gold, President of Specialty Retail of The Neiman Marcus Group. Through the incredible generosity of the fashion and retail communities, the evening raised nearly $1,000,000 in support of Phoenix House’s life-transforming substance abuse treatment programs for teenagers, women, and men.

Actress, comedienne and author, Ali Wentworth, served as the evening’s emcee. Award presenters included retail legend and Phoenix House Foundation Board member, Burton M. Tansky; fashion designer Olivier Theyskens; and publishing giant and Phoenix House Foundation Board member, Tina Brown. In one of night’s most memorable moments, former Phoenix House client, Keith Scott, courageously shared his story of addiction and recovery.

The evening also included the exciting Mystery Blue Box auction, generously hosted by Tiffany & Co. The company donated 500 boxes containing small sterling and leather goods, as well as four grand prizes: two Atlas watches and two diamond necklaces. The gift-filled boxes were sold for $150 each, and waiters presented the boxes to purchasers on silver trays. The auction raised $30,000 for Phoenix House programs.

Phoenix House is grateful to our generous Fashion Award Dinner Co-Chairs: Serge Azria, Rose Marie Bravo CBE, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Laurence C. Leeds, Jr., Catherine Samuels, Burton M. Tansky, Donald E. Graham, and David & Sybil Yurman.

We are also thankful for the very generous support from our Vice Chairs: Richard A. Baker, Stacey Bendet and Deanna Berkeley, Caroline Brown, Tory Burch, Vince and Louise Camuto, Barbara Cirkva, Marc Cooper, Graziano de Boni, Roger Farah, Ronald Frasch, Michael Gould, Brian Henke, Lorna and John Howard, F.W. Lam and Don Horning, Terry Lundgren, Susan Kellogg and Barry Miguel, Daniel Schwartz, Shopbop.com, and Eugenia Ulasewicz.

This weekend, Phoenix House Founder Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D. is attending a transatlantic conference debating a new approach to the War on Drugs. The conference, held December 6-8 and hosted by the UK-based Ditchley Foundation, centers around the question: “How should drug control policy change?”

Dr. Rosenthal and the other participants will examine trends in drug consumption, the factors behind those trends, the success and failures of current policies, and better alternatives. Much of the debate will focus on reducing demand for drugs and fostering international cooperation to address drug use.

The conference’s plenary speakers included Daniela Spinant, Head of the Anti-Drugs Policy Unit with the European Commission, and Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (pictured above left with Dr. Rosenthal). The conference participants are divided into three working groups, which will each debate a different facet of the topic and then present a report to all the conference participants.

Ditchley Foundation, founded as a “a venue for strengthening the transatlantic dialogue” between Great Britain and the United States, has hosted over 1,000 conferences and just celebrated “50 years of transatlantic and global dialogue.” The conference center is a country house in Oxfordshire and was donated to the Ditchley Foundation by Sir David Wills. During the 1930s and 1940s, the estate hosted Sir Winston Churchill and other British leaders.

We’re proud that Dr. Rosenthal, who has years of rich experience in caring for those who struggle with substance abuse, can represent Phoenix House in a discussion on how to better help and prevent addiction.

Last week, “meducation” was the word of the day on Stephen Colbert’s political comedy show, the Colbert Report. “We have tried everything to improve our public schools,” Colbert joked. “One thing we’ve overlooked is the most obvious answer of them all—wonder drugs.”

Colbert coined the term “meducation” in satirical response to a New York Times story about Dr. Michael Anderson, a Georgia physician who prescribes ADHD medication to help low-income kids perform better in schools even though he calls Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) “made up” and “an excuse” for the failures of our school system. “We’ve decided as a society that it’s too expensive to modify the kid’s environment,” Dr. Anderson says. “So we have to modify the kid.”

Using medication to “modify” a child without a proper diagnosis goes against all of my training as a child and adolescent psychiatrist and in addiction medicine. Thoughtlessly prescribing addictive medications to improve a child’s grades is wrong, and so is perpetuating the idea that ADHD is “made up”—a notion that can lead the undiagnosed to self-medicate their ADHD by abusing other drugs.

The New York Times reporter said he wrote the story to show that some people take medication without a proper diagnosis for ADHD, and the line “has become dangerously blurred.” He has a point. In any psychiatric diagnosis, whether it’s depression or schizophrenia or ADHD, a person may fall on that “blurred” border line and the diagnosis may not be clear. With any controlled substance there is the potential for abuse, particularly when medical practitioners prescribe carelessly. NBC News recently profiled Stephan Perez, a Columbia student who took a friend’s Adderall pill to help him focus on his studies. “They give it out like it’s candy,” said the friend; and after filling out a short questionnaire and meeting with a psychiatrist for ten minutes, Perez had his own prescription.

Following the proper protocol keeps stimulants away from people who don’t have ADHD and helps the people who do have the disorder. Despite what Dr. Anderson thinks, the struggling children in the New York Times story may in fact have ADHD; however, before I diagnose them I would look closely at whether they fit the diagnostic criteria for ADHD and consider the extent of their functional impairment at school. I would look at other reasons a child might be failing in school, like mood disorders or learning disabilities. I would talk to outside sources like teachers and even look at school records.

It’s best to treat ADHD before people decide to treat it themselves by abusing drugs and alcohol. Clients who show signs of undiagnosed ADHD sometimes tell me they started abusing drugs like methamphetamines not to get high but just to feel normal—to be able to function academically and focus on the task at hand. People with ADHD are more prone to substance abuse, and studies show that 15 to 25 percent of adults with substance abuse disorders also have ADHD. However, research shows that treating ADHD appropriately and early has a protective effect against drug and alcohol use. One 2006 study found that early treatment of ADHD coincides with a reduced risk of tobacco and substance abuse.

Here at Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles, we carefully consider how to treat people with both substance abuse and ADHD. We consider each individual case, looking at the drugs the client is taking, their withdrawal symptoms, and their ADHD history. We often have them continue taking the medication if they’ve already been diagnosed with ADHD, have a history of successful treatment, and the medication isn’t interfering with their recovery.

When parents clamor for a “wonder drug,” doctors may feel tempted to use psychotropic medications as “meducation,” a solution for poor academic performance or a way to drug kids into behaving. We should modify our own practices—with careful diagnosis based on protocol and early treatment—instead of modifying kids.

Jonathan Whitfield, MD
Medical Director
Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles

Two Phoenix House clients, Tiffeny and Jamie Lynn, tell WABC News that they developed addictions to prescription drugs after friends and family offered their leftover pills.

“A family member introduced me to narcotics, Vicodin, and they said it would make me feel better because I was under a lot of pressure being young,” Tiffany, 22, told WABC.

“My best friend got dental work and she had Vicodin, she gave me a couple and it was off to the races. I was 13,” Jamie Lynn, now 24, said.

Phoenix House Chief Clinical Officer Deni Carise also weighs in, advising parents to help their children see how addiction can keep them from achieving their goals.

Every day, more than 2,000 youth use a prescription medicine to get high for the first time. As part of a national campaign to address medicine abuse, Phoenix House alumna Sofia Capria will join an expert panel to share her own story of drug and alcohol abuse.

Sofia, whose recovery story was recently featured on NPR’s Participation Nation blog, will share her personal story of battling drug addiction from the age of 11 until she found the help she needed at the Phoenix House Academy at Dublin in New Hampshire.

The September 27 webinar, “Hope for Recovery,” is hosted by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and A&E Networks as part of the Medicine Abuse Project, a national action campaign with the goal of preventing half a million teens from abusing medicine in five years. Phoenix House is a national partner with the Medicine Abuse Project.

The webinar discussion will focus on the problem of medicine abuse, the importance of intervention and the hope for recovery. Panelists include Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Jeff VanVonderen, interventionist from the A&E series Intervention; and Bertha K. Madras, Associate Director for Public Education in the Division of Addictions at Harvard Medical School.

The webinar will take place on September 27 from 12:00PM- 12:45PM (EST). You can join and get more information at A&E Intervention.

Phoenix House is proud to join millions of Americans in celebrating National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month this September. Each day, we see our own Phoenix House clients build fulfilling and meaningful lives free from substance abuse. Now we take the opportunity to honor them and the many others who have dedicated their lives to recovery.

When President Barack Obama declared September National Recovery Month, his proclamation urged, “Let us rededicate ourselves to combating prejudice surrounding addiction, removing barriers to recovery, and standing with all those seeking lives free from substance abuse.” Phoenix House joins the president, people in recovery, and treatment providers across the country as we spread the message that people can and do recover.

On August 31, President Obama signed an executive order well-defined by its title: “Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members and Military Families.”

Announced by the president at Fort Bliss in Texas, where he was commemorating the two-year anniversary of the end of combat in Iraq, the primary purpose of the order is to reduce the unacceptably high suicide rate among veterans and active duty personnel. According to ABC news, there have been at least 116 Army suicides in 2012.

“We may be turning a page on a decade of war, but America’s responsibilities to you have only just begun,” the Washington Post quotes President Obama telling the crowd at Fort Bliss.

To help meet those responsibilities, the Department of Veterans Affairs in partnership with other key agencies has been charged with hiring more mental health professionals and peer counselors, and entering into pilot projects with community based organizations – including substance abuse treatment providers. The goal is to expand services and reduce wait times, particularly for those in crisis.

The executive order also establishes the Military and Veterans Mental Health Interagency Task Force; members include the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. One of the group’s roles will be to offer guidance on how to improve substance abuse treatment services.

Phoenix House is dedicated to serving veterans, service members, and their families through our Military Services Programs. We encourage you to read the full text of the executive order here .

Jarrid Starks is an army veteran whose military service earned him a Bronze Star, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a possible brain injury, and a substance abuse problem—but tragically has not earned him treatment benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Why? Because he left the army with an other-than-honorable discharge due to his addiction—the very disease for which he so badly needs (and is denied) treatment.

Starks recently told the Seattle Times about his exit from the army: he tested positive for marijuana multiple times while getting treatment for his debilitating PTSD, and was quickly stripped of his treatment benefits. His case is not uncommon; the Times reports that 20,000 veterans left the U.S. military with other-than-honorable discharges during the past four years. Many of these veterans were discharged simply because, like Starks, they suffered from the disease of addiction.

In veterans, addiction rarely “acts alone”—there is a close link between PTSD and substance abuse that mustn’t be overlooked. According to TIME Magazine, about one-half to two-thirds of people with addictions also experience PTSD; roughly the same number of people with PTSD also suffer from addiction. For many veterans, their substance abuse began as a way of coping with the stress of military service.

Plus, certain treatments given to veterans for their mental and/or physical pain can increase their risk of substance abuse. Veterans who have been diagnosed with mental health issues are 2.4 times more likely to be prescribed opioid medications—a substantial risk factor for addiction. As Major Evan Seamone, told the Times: “We are creating a class of people who need help the most, and may not be able to get it.”

We must treat this group of people in need by addressing the underlying reasons for their substance abuse—but we should also streamline the process so that the military will decide more quickly whether other-than-honorably discharged veterans are eligible for health care. When Starks was dismissed from the military, he was told he would have to wait a year or more to learn whether he would be eligible for treatment. A long delay like that – especially during the painful readjustment into civilian life – can make or break a veteran’s recovery process.

Treatment is really about second chances, and it’s a sad and difficult situation when people who need help the most are ineligible. Certainly, not all other-than-honorable discharges should be eligible for benefits. If a veteran has committed a violent crime, for example, his or her benefits should indeed be examined further. But we must not abandon these men and women to the disease of addiction. They went away to serve our country, and they came back with a disease. We shouldn’t think twice about offering them treatment for that disease—just like we wouldn’t think twice about providing medical treatment if they’d lost a limb.

Tori Lyon
Military Services Advisory Board Member
Phoenix House

Blog Editor’s Note: Tori is also Executive Director of Jericho Project, a nonprofit leader in ending homelessness at its roots and serving 750 with supportive housing and comprehensive services in New York.  Phoenix House partners with Jericho to provide veterans with a safe and sober living environment after treatment. Read more about our partnership here. 

Beyoncé–pop superstar and founder of Phoenix House’s Beyoncé Cosmetology Center–is lending her support to a global campaign encouraging people to commemorate August 19 by “doing something good, somewhere, for someone else.”

The World Humanitarian Day Campaign has the ambitious goal of sending the biggest social media message in history–reaching one billion people and encouraging them to do good on World Humanitarian Day. The campaign has reached 176 million people so far.

On August 10, Beyoncé gave a stunning live performance to a crowd of 1200 people gathered in honor of the Campaign. She performed “I Was Here” for celebrities, humanitarian workers and dignitaries gathered at the United Nations event, which was hosted by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper and featured his interviews with former child soldier Ishmael Beah, New York photographer Erin Dinan, and other humanitarians.

Along with her performance and video message above, Beyoncé and “I Was Here” songwriter Diane Warren will donate the video of Beyoncé’s song to the campaign. Phoenix House supports the World Humanitarian Day Campaign and encourages readers to do the same by spreading the word through social media, joining Beyoncé’s special performance on World Humanitarian Day, and by making a difference on August 19. See you there!

In an upcoming event, Phoenix House, its partners and acclaimed actors will use Euripides’ Bacchae, a 2500-year-old Greek play about the destructive power of intoxication, to explore the timeless struggle of addiction.

Phoenix House is partnering with the Partnership at Drugfree.org and social impact company Outside the Wire to create the “Dionysus Project”—an event that will bring Bacchae to life through readings and discussions that break down the stigma of addiction. Actors Tate Ellington (“The Good Wife”), Michael Stahl-David (“Cloverfield”) and Keith David (“Crash,” “Requiem for a Dream”) will present readings from the play, which tells how a frenzy of intoxication leads to the tragic downfall of a single family over the course of one day.

After the readings, the audience will engage in a dialogue that examines our assumptions about addiction, looks at the relationship between intoxication and creativity, and explores the resources communities can use to tackle addiction today. The goal is to break down the stigma surrounding addiction and promote healthy discussion, compassion and understanding around an issue that affected both ancient communities and ours today. Panelists for the dialogue include bestselling author and actress Melissa Gilbert, actor Rob Belushi, UCLA Research Psychologist Rachel Gonzales-Castaneda, author Dan Fante, and former musician Peter Stuart.

Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, said he hopes the event–held in one of the country’s most artistic communities–will facilitate a conversation about substance abuse and creativity: “The goal of ‘The Dionysus Project’ is to educate and engage participants so that they can examine their own attitudes, or even biases, toward people struggling with addiction.” Howard Meitiner, President and CEO of Phoenix House, says Bacchae “provides the perfect opportunity to discuss the public perception of substance abuse.”

Bryan Doerries, Artistic Director of Outside the Wire, will translate, direct and facilitate the event. Doerries says the Dionysus Project brings a message of hope: “You are not alone in your community. You are not alone across the country and the world. You are not alone across time.”

Two debut performances will take place on September 6, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The event is free and open to the public but reservations are encouraged. To RSVP, email Sept6event@phoenixhouse.org or call (818) 686-3025. Please send your name, time of the performance you plan to attend, and the number of people in your group. Additional information can be found at DrugFree.org.

Phoenix House President and CEO, Howard Meitiner, provided Congress with a written statement regarding steps that need to be taken to address the nation’s prescription drug problem. Phoenix House was thankful for the opportunity to comment on one of the most crucial issues facing our nation. Our testimony was invited by the Co-Chairmen of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus, for a July 24 briefing on Capitol Hill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.  As recently reported on the Phoenix House website, more than 13,500 babies are born addicted to prescription drugs each year.  Studies show that members of our military are increasingly misusing prescription drugs; they return home veterans vulnerable to addiction, too many already in critical need of substance abuse treatment.

In his statement, Mr. Meitiner praised the Obama Administration and congressional members for confronting the issue of prescription drug abuse.  He stressed the importance of prevention, intervention, and referral to high-quality, evidence-based treatment in addressing this national crisis.

“We also need to educate teens, parents, and the medical community,” Mr. Meitiner emphasized in his testimony, “in order to spread the message that when it comes to prescription drugs, legal does not equal safe.”

We welcome you to read the complete testimony and comment below.

Bathsalt abuse is rapidly becoming a major national concern, especially amongst teenagers. Ashley was one of those teenagers struggling with bathsalt abuse, until she sought help at the Mid-Atlantic's Girls Recovery Lodge (pictured above).

Ashley, a teenager at the Girls Recovery Lodge in Arlington,VA, has come a long way in the past few months.  A frequent user of bath salts, Ashley woke up one morning last year in a car, shoeless, disoriented, and freezing from the blustery winter weather.  Ashley was high on bath salts then – a moment of desperation and panic that has become ingrained in her memory.  Now on the road to recovery, Ashley was brave enough to share her story with Voice of America (VOA), a national broadcast institution that reaches up to 120 million people globally.  In the two-part segment, Ashley describes the paranoia and prolonged high that is associated with this new synthetic drug.  Oftentimes, these paranoid feelings and intense high can also be accompanied by toxic and potentially dangerous bodily reactions.  During the VOA segment, Dr. Paul Stromberg, of the Virginia Poison Center, addressed the rapid increase of bath salt use.  In 2008, the state poison control center did not receive any emergency calls associated with bath salt use.  However, in 2011 alone, the number of calls the center received jumped to 6,000.  Obviously, with this exponential rise in use, bath salt use prevention is becoming a paramount concern.

Luckily, there are numerous Phoenix House programs designed to help clients like Ashley recover.  At the Girls Recovery Lodge, program participants are able to live and attend school in a sober environment, sharing their stories with others who have similar experiences.  Please check out the VOA two-part story by visiting the following links:

PART 1 (Phoenix House featured): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYlKu6fukVU
PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP7D0Qb8UQM

Thank you to Ashley for your brave honesty.  You, like the other courageous people who publicly share successful recovery stories, indeed, have the power to help others!