Fatal Washington Heights Shooting Highlights Link Between Cocaine and Crime

With the widespread proliferation of heroin and prescription opioid abuse dominating the national addiction treatment conversation, cocaine abuse has been able to fly under the radar and continue to comparatively little enforcement of intervention. In the mean time, the drug, in all of its forms, continues to cripple urban communities, driving down property values and significantly impairing residents’ quality of life. The latest example of this toxic correlation made headlines this past week when one man allegedly fatally gunned down another in Highbridge Park. The alleged gunman also shot another in the shoulder, but he survived. Police have said the altercation began when the victims couldn’t give the shooter more cocaine during what they say was an all-night binge.

Though the shooting occurred just last week, the relationship between cocaine and crime is hardly a new story. Between random incidents like the aforementioned shooting and organized crime groups using it as currency to spread their operations and reach, cocaine has been a major driver of violent crime for decades. Although the availability of cocaine has decline significantly in the past ten years, according to the DEA, its ghosts still continue to haunt many of the communities in which was once king. While the disproportionate sentencing guidelines for crack users have been well documented, the lasting impact of both crack and powder cocaine on communities cannot be ignored.

Addiction is not a linear or straightforward concept, nor is the devastation it causes to those directly affected by it. Although experts have reported a “normalization” in cocaine use across the United States, there’s nothing normal about what the drug often compels users to do in pursuit of their next fix once their substance abuse morphs into full-blown addiction. Just a few months ago, Long Island police officers seized more than 200 grams of the drug in an ongoing raid that has put front and center cocaine-related gangland activity in the area. In other words, this problem is far from over.

Fatal Washington Heights Shooting Highlights Link Between Cocaine and Crime posted first on http://liaddictionresources.blogspot.com/

Timetable: Forecasting Improvements in Addiction Treatment

The fact that Long Island is in the midst of a full-scale drug and alcohol addiction epidemic is not in question, nor is the fact the problem requires widespread institutional intervention at all levels. Each year, hundreds of Long Island residents succumb to heroin or prescription opioid overdose, while many more are taken by synthetic marijuana, or alcohol-related fatality. While law enforcement, prevention advocates and leaders at every level are starting to mobilize to do their part in curbing abuse in their communities, the reality is that progress takes time and there are thousands of vulnerable Long Island residents that simply can’t afford to wait.

Whether it’s organizing an awareness event, authoring new legislation to increase treatment and overdose prevention resources, or simply starting a conversation among your friends and family, we all have our roles to play in curbing substance abuse. In an area that has been so heavily plagued by this pervasive public health epidemic, it’s literally all hands on deck. Governor Cuomo recently signed a potentially impactful legislative package. But these changes are likely to occur incrementally and leave addicts more vulnerable in the meantime. This is why it’s important that communities as well as lawmakers adopt an attitude of proactive change.

If we’re unsure of how to help, we can reach out to local leaders and see what initiatives are being undertaken to spread awareness. We can work with them to organize events of their own or volunteer at previously scheduled rallies or gatherings. The bottom is that we simply can’t afford to wait for change to come at the official when we have such abundant power to affect change around us. Our chances of helping others who vulnerable to substance are greatly improved when we empower and educate themselves regarding the disease of addiction and what we can do to curb it in our communities.

Timetable: Forecasting Improvements in Addiction Treatment posted first on http://liaddictionresources.blogspot.com/

Embracing Role Models in Recovery

Whether we realize it or not, many of us spend our entire lives developing role models. It doesn’t have to be the popular athlete, artist, thinker or even a family member. A role model can be a colleague, a survivor, a friend, a boss or anyone else who we believe are staying true to their ideals and living life the right way. Like many areas of life, the concept of role models can take on a whole new meaning for those of us in recovery. Our individual journeys cause to locate threats, lessons, ups, downs and role models often in the least likely places.

While the concept of role models may seem more the realm of the younger and more idealistic, the fact is they can be a tremendous source of inspiration and comfort as we move through the initial stages of our recovery. It is true that each one of our substance abuse journeys are different. However, when we see someone who has been able to successfully overcome their drug or alcohol dependency and achieve long-term recovery, we can’t help but get an automatic jolt of inspiration and tell ourselves that it can be done. This is an extremely valuable resource when we feel like we’re all alone, as so many of us do.

While our recovery lies squarely in our hands, we can embrace help and inspiration whenever we find it. If this means taking cues from others and seeking their advice to stay on track, we should use this as part of our recovery toolkit. Role models are a continuous part of life, and we never stop learning from others. While we don’t have to, nor should we, emulate anyone else’s life 100 percent, we can certainly benefit from guidance by example. In the end, this may actually help us become role models for others.

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The Role of Spirituality in Addiction Recovery

As the Jewish community celebrates another Rosh Hashanah, it’s worth discussing the potential positive impact that spirituality can have on our recovery and lasting wellness. The concept of spirituality is firmly ingrained in the classical and modern tenets of addiction treatment. Despite the continuing evolution of substance abuse treatment, the link to faith and the belief in a higher power endure as one of the clinical bedrocks of care. This is because it allows to conceive of a force greater than ourselves an what we’ve been through, an idea that can be incredibly comforting when we feel as though we have lost control.

Embracing spirituality is not entirely about putting our faith in any kind of organized religion. Although there may be a religious component to spiritual therapy, it is not fundamental to reaping its benefits and internal rewards. For one person, spirituality can mean fervent recitation of scripture and uncompromising attendance of religious services; for others, it can simply mean recognizing the beauty of nature and contemplating a plan or a cycle of life that has nothing to do with us. For many of us, it’s quite liberating to think that we can be so important to the people who care about us, but that our problems may be a drop in the bucket compared to what others are going through.

Spirituality allows us a base of support and understanding during the more vulnerable points of our recovery. Regardless of whether or not we even believe in a higher power, the healing catharsis of spirituality can help us gain emotional strength, empathy and confidence. It is not something that’s closed off to us simply because we aren’t overtly devout to any kind of faith. Simply put, there’s a clear distinction between religion and spirituality, and this is something that all of us can embrace in our continued recovery.

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SI MADD Walk Tragic Reminder of What Drunk Driving Does to Families

It’s a pain that no person should ever have to endure. It’s a tragedy that is entirely preventable and completely unnatural. It’s a senseless, heartbreaking and violent end to a life: it’s drunk-driving fatality and it’s something that is all too common in Long Island and surrounding areas. When our friends, neighbors and loved ones are killed in a drunk-driving accident, whether they were driving or not, we fell as though a piece of us ripped out and are left looking for ways to honor their memories and take action to prevent anyone else from experiencing this excruciating pain. Last weeks Walk Like MADD event in Staten Island illustrated just how effective these efforts can be.

One of 80 if its kind across the United States, the Staten Island Walk Like MADD event was held on September 25, and featured over 180 participants. The event far eclipsed its fundraising goal of $25,000, raising a respectable and promising $31,931. New Yorkers from all across the state who have been impacted by drunk driving gathered with supporters and MADD volunteers to raise money and awareness of this pervasive and deadly problem. Last year there were 364 drunk-driving deaths in the empire state and 6,019 alcohol-related crashes. As the state continues to battle growing heroin and opioid dependency, alcohol abuse remains a consistent public health issue as well.

Now in its third year and originating in Long Island, this year’s New York MADD Walk is an opportunity for residents to mobilize to end drunk driving in their communities. What was perhaps most promising about this year’s walk was the presence of real-life change agents like Chief Assistant District Attorney Paul Capofar whose message prior to the event was to hold the DA’s Office accountable for drunk-driving in their communities and engage with their local leaders to combat the problem. Many participants wore photos of their deceased loved ones on their t-shirts to further reinforce the importance and critical nature of the event and subsequent anti-DUI efforts.

SI MADD Walk Tragic Reminder of What Drunk Driving Does to Families posted first on http://liaddictionresources.blogspot.com/

When “Choice” Becomes a Loaded Word

For many it’s just easier and more comfortable to view addiction as a choice. If they’re convinced that someone chooses to derail their lives and plunge deeper and deeper into drug and alcohol dependency on a daily basis, it’s easier to cut them off without having to contemplate the excruciating and complex pain they’re experiencing. If they tell themselves that “it’s their choice” to spend all their money on their addiction, isolate themselves from their friends and family and gradually destroy their quality of life, it’s easier to write them off without having to think about what brought them there.

Despite piles of medical and scientific evidence to the contrary, many still believe that chemical dependency extends only as far as the “choices” of the user. This perception has allowed the stigma of addiction to infiltrate society further and significantly impact patient access to treatment. There is evidence of this phenomenon in the insurance industry as well as the clinical landscape. The recovery community is full of stories about patients that had to “fail first” in a program that was clearly inadequate to address their care needs before their insurance providers allowed them to enter another, more targeted program. While these decisions are clearly motivated by cost, they are also part and parcel of a culture that still seems to downplay the serious medical nature of addiction.

As hard as it is to face addiction-related discrimination in lifestyle areas like housing, employment and others, it’s even harder to thrive in recovery and survive on a daily basis with this strong, albeit dwindling stigma. While the addiction treatment community has made significant strides in representing chemical dependency as the medical condition that it is, it may be a while before actual substantive policy reflects this shifting perception. In the meantime, we can learn to overcome stigma by being living examples of recovery each day. We don’t have to, nor should we be, held hostage by the opinions of others.

When “Choice” Becomes a Loaded Word posted first on http://liaddictionresources.blogspot.com/

Overcoming the Odds: Relapse Rates in Addiction Recovery

Although they’re getting lower, relapse rates in addiction recovery are historically high. As much as we struggle not to let these numbers affect us, it’s easy to feel like a statistic even when we haven’t shown the slightest signs of vulnerability during our recovery. The cloud of relapse is always looming over our heads, for some of us a motivator and for others an albatross. Like anything else, it’s far too easy to let our vulnerability to relapse become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we become obsessed and consumed with the possibility of a setback, we’re much more likely to gravitate toward it.

We have to realize that there’s a difference between mindfulness and fixation. There’s a healthy level of reality in admitting the strong possibility of relapse based on others that came before us, but there’s also a healthy level of strength and optimism when we acknowledge that we can beat the odds and transcend statistics. When we rely on the integrity of our treatment programs and aftercare plans and continue our therapy and attendance at meetings, we further ensure that our story can be, and is different from others. As we get more and more comfortable in our routines, the prospect of relapse becomes more and more distant, although it never fully leaves us.

As much as people like to throw predictive numbers out there, the reality is that none of us are abstractions. We are living, breathing individuals with our strengths and vulnerabilities. When we recognize our uniqueness and our special ability to overcome drugs or alcohol, we further empower ourselves against the numbers that scare us so much. While it’s important to always be mindful of the possibility of relapse, we can’t let the specter of fear interfere with our recovery. We’re at our best when we have a healthy and realistic respect for our vulnerability while putting our strengths front and center.

Overcoming the Odds: Relapse Rates in Addiction Recovery posted first on http://liaddictionresources.blogspot.com/