DEAD JUNKIES & DIRTY NEEDLES
by Chris France | SoberWorx

I moved back to the UK away from the USA after 54 years.. It is VERY CRAZY..

The young Turks, Antifa, BLM and and the little gangsters are being used with a horrible motive of bringing down the Republic of the United States.

Destroying the very base of the entire world – THE USA CONSTITUTION.

This just did not happen overnight. Decades and decades of planning has gone into the process of dividing and conquering Western Society. Only this time we are dividing ourselves thinking it’s about politics of justice…

Or we hate TRUMP,blah , blah , blah…. Incessant BLAH BLAH…

BIRTHDAY SUITS

Yea, I bet it would be great fun to run around in our birthday suits like monkeys and just live free without laws or rules, picking fruits and foraging for scrumptious nuts, maybe hook up with a banana tree, or coconut, but that is a fantasy.

EVEN APES HAVE RULES & LAWS…Damn, I really think Earthworms operate with certain laws and guidelines…..

Something like; don’t go sliding and withering on road when it’s sunshiny and HOT…

Do that are you will turn in to a crispy nugget, Mr. Worm!!!!

THE DEATHS ARE STAGGERING

The Chinese Triads and the Mexican Drug Lords along with people like George Soros are waging a Chemical Warfare on the US Citizens with there %100 FATAL DRUG – Fentanyl.

“DEAD JUNKIES” – OVER 72,000 dead in 2017, and then in 2018, there were 67,367 more “DEAD JUNKIES” drug overdose deaths.

And in 2019 the predicted number of deaths: ONLY 71,008 “DEAD JUNKIES”

IN 2020 the tread continue and again the number of “DEAD JUNKIES” is climbing as cocaine as re-emerged on the scene in great quantities.

When you have the Chinese/Mexican DRUG CORPORATIONS (Cartels) bringing in over 350 Billion in drug sales, well you can understand we are not dealing with normal “Drug Dealers”.
NOTE: i have not mentioned BIG PHARMA yet like the “Sackler Family”. The Sackler Family is an American and British family, many of whom are known for founding and owning the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma.

A WAR AGAINST US…

WE ARE DEALING WITH CHINESE/MEXICAN NARCO-TERRORISTS WAGING A WAR AGAINST OUR FAMILIES, OUR KIDS, OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, OUR MUMS AND DADS. OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS, CO-WORKERS, and the list goes on and on and on!!!!!

THE DEMONcrat PRESS WHORES do not care about your precious children or family..

Hell that’s what BLM.ORG wants to destroy, The Western Nuclear Family! Check out the BLM website. BOOM, it’s there in their manifesto.

BLOOD, NEEDLES AND DRUGS

Neither does the Leader of the House, Nancy POO&PEE PELOSI….care much about the kids in her city

“Human Feces” and “Dirty Needles” filled with the BLOOD and residue left over, litter the streets, sidewalks, city parks, public restrooms and alleyways of her once beautiful shit city of San Francisco.

WONDER WHY THE USA IS CRAZY???

I don’t…. Nor do I care about what others think!

I am not interested in OPINIONS, your or theirs. While the “Talking Heads” just talk, all the “DEAD JUNKIES ” continue to pile up in the morgues across the country.

Almost every single person in the United States of America know someone who has been affected by this version of the “BLACK PLAQUE”, – Merciless drug addiction.

HOPE FOR THE HUMAN PATH

I really hope something changes or I feel that we will loose whatever is left of our “HUMAN PATH” that we were put here for.

Yours in service 24/7/365, your friend,

Chris France | SoberWorx – It Just Does!!!

REFERENCE:

– SCIENCE DAILY
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2019/…/190221083419.htm
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html
– Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/san-franciscos-dirtiest-str…

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Crash and Burn!

Yes. It’s true. Healthcare is going to crash and burn. The fee for service, administrative heavy, waste laden model is literally going to eat itself.

It is likely that new models will emerge out of the post fee for service-apocalypse. Models emphasizing continuing care, chronic disease management and long term engagement; among other things.

“Recovery” organizations need to be poised and positioned to be part of these new systems.

BUT IT IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN if we are hell bent on this “recovering people only” / self segregation “addicts are different” messaging.

FAVOR Greenville & youturn

At FAVOR Greenville and youturn we reject the idea that people with SUD are somehow different from the rest of humanity.

For example, this idea that we must be sent off and then return “fixed” is insulting. The concept of “addictive thinking” is insulting.

The idea that I need to introduce myself with a label of addict, alcoholic, or even “person in long term recovery” is demeaning. Of course, long term recovery is better than addict or alcoholic but how about no label.

Consider These Points

1. SUD is a healthcare issue. ADDICTION IS NOT WHO I AM. ITS SOMETHING I HAVE DEALT WITH AND OVERCAME. I need to follow a healthy lifestyle on an ongoing basis to ensure I stay safe. But quite frankly, zingers, energy drinks, convenience store pizza and 80 hour work weeks are much more likely to take me out than opioid use disorder. It’s not lurking around the corner ready to grab me. Oreo cookies are lurking around the corner …. but not opioids.
   
2. Like any other healthcare issue, there are different manifestations or stages of the disorder. Mild, moderate, severe are the official diagnostic stages (I would say its way more nuanced than that).
   
   Currently, we only deal with the most severe end of the “severe group” and we act as if this represents a comprehensive response to SUD. Addressing less that 10% of the problem is not comprehensive. Truly, you don’t even understand the problem if only work with 1/10 of the people impacted.
   
3. SUD is chronic, in the sense that phases of remission and phases of recurrence are common. Most people eventuality resolve these ups and downs on their own. #facts. We would do well as a society to provide education, information and (in some cases) unconditional support/health coaching along the way.
   
   I believe people would resolve these ups and downs earlier and progression could be slowed.
   
4. The family is deeply impacted. Family members frequently experience health issues as the direct result of dealing with a loved one’s SUD. FAMILY MEMBERS OF A PERSON WITH SEVERE SUD ARE 5x’s MORE LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED than the general public.
   
   In certain cases the family is worn out (dealing with the issue for such a long period of time), put in dangerous situations and/or directly victimized. In those cases, detachment makes sense.
   
   However, automatically telling the family to detach, practice tough love, wait until they hit bottom is inhumane, mean and simply inappropriate and ineffective. Education, support and skill building for the family should be routine part of the process

New Solutions

Interestingly, much of the above applies to many other disorders/healthcare issues. As the health system comes apart at the seams (which it will) I believe the “new solutions”, that emerge on the other side, will address “other chronic disorders” in a more holistic way.

Let’s hope SUD is included in that new model.

But make no mistake, Substance Use Disorder is not going to be included if we hold tight to this “we are recovery you are not” messaging. Why do we keep telling the world we are screwed up in this super special way so they can send us off to the tuberculosis unit and cleanse us?

But you do not speak for me or the organizations I work with. I do not blindly endorse any agenda just because it’s labeled “recovery advocacy”.

We should also be talking “healthcare advocacy”….. It’s all unraveling right now.

This is the Time and Place

Be smart and think critically and define your position.

There will be no better opportunity to flip the script.

Note: If you are cool with the way things are currently handled then this post clearly doesn’t apply to you. If the outcomes are acceptable as far as you are concerned …. Well then, keep arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

Everything is fine. The ship unsinkable.

The post Healthcare is Going to Crash and Burn! appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Adolescent Behavioral Health

I have been a practicing clinician and clinical manager working in the substance use disorders and mental health treatment industries for over 20 years. 

For over 10 years, my work involved specialty practice with adolescents and young adults. 

I have always been drawn to helping younger people. Probably motivated by my own personal experience. 

I came through my dark days during the 1980’s when discussing adolescent mental health and addiction was off limits. Adolescent behavioral health issues simply did not exist. 

I’ve spent a bunch of therapy time with kids and their parents. Trying to help them figure out up from down.

We’ve always known there were many more young people in need; beyond those “showing up” for therapy. 

However, I never saw this coming. Record setting levels of anxiety, depression, overdose, and suicide.    

Overdoses are also climbing among this demographic.  

iGen 101

I got most my information on this topic from reading Jean M. Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University author of “Generation Me” and “iGen”. 

iGen represents the generation born between 1995 and 2012. Post millennials.

This generation represents an important transition in terms of human evolution.  

Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee called the internet explosion the 2nd Machine Age.  And just like the first machine age (the industrial revolution) we will need some time to negotiate this new landscape. 

iGen marks the first generation with the no “pre-internet” exposure. Perhaps even more significantly, iGen represents the generation of fully integrated mobile connection.  

Consider the following:   

• The smart phone came of age in 2007. Nearly all the iGen kids grew up with smartphone (3 out of 4 reported owning an iPhone).

• iGen kids have Instagram accounts before they start high school.

• The internet was always present for iGen. They don’t recall pre-internet life.  

“Millennials grew up with the web as well, but it wasn’t ever-present in their lives, at hand at all times, day and night. AND most can remember a time when the web was not part of their life”. (Jean Twenge) 

Helicopter & Bubble Wrap

• Interesting when you study this generation you quickly see that traditional rites of passage are unimportant. For example, “leaving the home and seeing the world” is insignificant. I guess when you have connection and access to the entire world from your bedroom you are less interested in getting out to go see the world.

• In general, they are less likely to leave the house (for any reason) without their parents. (NOTE: this is not entirely due to the cyber culture. This is also the result of helicopter parenting; creating a bubble wrapped generation).

According to Twenge: “The shift is stunning: 12th-graders in 2015 were going out less often than eighth-graders did as recently as 2009”. They have less sex, use less drugs, take less risks.
More from Twenge: “They’re markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills”

However, they report record levels of “psychological” problems. Anxiety, depression, and suicide rates are climbing at any alarming level.

As Twenge says: “It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades.”

Twenge also says: “Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones”.

The Impact Is Brutal

The impact of constant connection AND CONSTANT COMPARISON cannot be over-stated.

Middle school is brutal under the best of conditions.

Kids realize that there is a status system. Kids realize they are different. Kids realize they are or the aren’t cool

Fear of mission out. Fear of being left out.

Can you imaging being a teenager, constantly reminded how cool (or not cool) you are 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

As a mature, sane (most days), successful, accomplished adult I find myself susceptible to social media. In my life the impact is work related. However, the impact is there.

Social media must be psychological terrorism for the average teenager.

All Our Problem

We have a problem on our hands. The solution is not attacking technology. 

Technology never regresses. Rather we will see continuous innovation and powerful new platforms.

More social cyber connection not less. That’s how technology works. We don’t go backward.

None of us are going to ride our horse home from work tomorrow. 

You probably won’t need to use a pay phone or type your next memo on a typewriter.

WE WILL NEED TO DEVELOP INTERVENTIONS AND PROVIDE SUPPORT THAT MEETS PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE….ON THEIR PHONES.

youturn.net

Check out www.youturn.net. We intend to do our part in solving this problem.  

Forget everything you’ve heard about traditional addiction and recovery. youturn is an innovative video platform for people who are being negatively affected by addiction.

We’re not A.A. We’re not rehab.

We’re just here to offer information. Provide perspective. And start the conversation. What you do from there is up to you.

youturn was created by people who overcame challenges related to substance use disorders.

People who found a way to make a comeback and lead a healthier, happier, more purposeful lifestyle.

We are living, breathing testimonies to the fact that hope and change are possible.

Watch Rich Jones on youturn.net

Click on the image too view! Rich shares with us the basics of Substance Use Disorder.

The post Constant Connection + Comparison = Constant Crisis appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Conversations Must Change

Frustrated with some recent interactions concerning addiction professionals

I made the mistake of getting baited into the debate. Pulled into the fray. I have zero self control. So I jumped in.

Now I might as well run with it…

For The Professionals

To all the professionals working in “addiction treatment/recovery” industry:

We all need to work hard to change the conversation surrounding substance use disorders.

We know that people who progress into the most severe stage of this disorder do outrageous, dangerous, unacceptable things along the way.

Flipping Intense

That’s why it gets so intense and everyone flips out if someone “relapses”. By the way it’s not a “relapse” unless it’s return to full symptoms and the criteria are met.

It could just be “they used a substance”.

This is not black and white, win or lose. Either you are “In the club” or “out of the club”.

If you are a healthcare provider then act like one.

Just for clarification, if you are a licensed facility/professional you are technically a healthcare provider.

This mentality hurts everyone. It hurts families as well. Creates hysteria. God help us all. 🙏🙏

Classification

Furthermore …The disorder is classified as mild / moderate / severe.

Stop treating everyone as severe or waiting until it progresses to severe.

Get in game earlier. Adjust your approach to the individual. Not the individual to your approach.

Even if the disorder is severe. The disorder, like all other disorders, will manifest itself differently in different people.

The entire world of medicine knows that behavioral health (which includes SUD) epitomizes “intuitive healthcare”.

No Right, No Wrong

There is no right or wrong because there is no precision.

It’s not a broken leg where you can point to the problem and the definitive solution.

It’s “judgement”. Stop acting as if you know what works for everyone.

No one knows what works for everyone. The best we can do is guide and encourage. YOU DON’T KNOW.

You Are A Professional

Again, you are a professional…WHO CARES WHAT WORKED FOR YOU…

You are in the role of a healthcare provider. Not the Chairman of your Home Group.

I hope my doctor doesn’t just pray over me because it “worked for him”…

There is more we DON’T know about addiction than we do know.

It’s never been researched or studied until recently. This is all new.

In 10 Years

There will be breakthroughs and the way we handle this disorder will be completely different within 10 years. In terms of your own self interest…. open your mind.

You will be out of business if you keep on this path.

God bless America… 🙏🙏🙏

You Are Not Unsinkable

Sir…that’s an iceberg on the horizon. Maybe we should change course?

Nonsense Richard…. this is the Titanic. Unsinkable. The finest ship ever built.

God save the Queen..🙏🙏

The post The Finest Ship Ever Built – Unsinkable appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

A Very Revealing Process.

I am in the process of refining family coaching / facilitator certification and it is a very revealing process.

The journey toward a true systems orientation is only beginning.

It’s really troubling how much the family has been ignored, historically, by payers and by extension providers.

The Disease Model

The disease model creates an interesting dynamic. By definition the “disease” is housed within the individual.

Naturally, this results in an over-emphasis on fixing the individual with substance use disorder.

Detachment, tough love, enabling, are all concepts that separate the person with SUD from the family.

These have been guiding principles of “family recovery” over the decades.

There are also some very practical issues that contribute to the emphasis on the individual over the family.

The “Identified Patient”

It is impossible for everyone with a SUD to have a marriage and family therapist assigned to them. In addition, many marriage and family therapists will not engage with a family if the SUD is active.

Make no mistake the family system must be addressed.

You can’t ignore that fact anymore then you can ignore gravity.

It must be addressed even if the “identified patient” is “stable”.

New Dynamics

The new dynamics of the family need to be explored.

The family will sometimes subconsciously sabotage recovery if they aren’t involved in their own process of change. The default behaviors will come back into play.

The new interpersonal patterns need to be worked out. New communication patterns need to be explored.

There is a very serious scale issue.

Engaged

In a perfect world all families would be engaged in comprehensive family work.

That’s not going to happen.

The next best thing would be engagement in family coaching and family recovery facilitation. Scaling this service so that all families can be touched is the goal.

It’s a very ambitious goal.

It a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. A BHAG….

The post Family Coaching In a Perfect World appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

I am certain that there is no certainty surrounding substance use disorders and their “cause”.

Despite popular opinion and what you hear out there in Expertville.

We are relatively clueless. SUD falls in a category of medicine called “intuitive medicine”.

Versus treating appendicitis, which is an example of precision medicine. (See below; SUD would fall similar to depression, since society doesn’t actually think it’s a disease it’s not listed on this chart).

Like any other disorder, SUD will manifest itself in a wide variety of ways.

The level of complexity with co-occurring mental health and underlying factors of trauma/adverse childhood events is an example.

I also believe their are vast differences in the neurobiological component.

We are not all physiologically identical. All who “cross the line” may experience a fundamental change in the brain, however, how we get there varies greatly from person to person.

Furthermore, many haven’t “crossed the line” but misuse is killing them anyway. Let’s be clear. You do not have to be an “addict” in order to destroy yourself with substances.

Therefore, restoration to health will vary greatly from person to person. The destination and the path will vary.

In addition, what you need early in your recovery will differ from what is needed down the road.

Other issues are likely to take center stage as you progress in your recovery.

Be creative and open to other wellness alternatives. Avoid getting stuck.

However, if it’s not broke don’t fix it. If you are feeling good keep on the same path.

Simple logic…. #droppinknowledge2019.

The post Intuitive Medicine – What’s That? appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

An Open Letter to the General Public
By Richard Jones

All the attention on the “opioid epidemic” has sensationalized addiction and undermine the efforts to address it as a public health crisis. Addiction, or substance use disorder, is a healthcare issue. I hope this open letter to the general public clarifies some of the trouble spots.

The typical person with a substance use disorder is NOT living under a bridge, or robbing a convenience store, or “eating out of a dumpster”.

We Walk Among You

Most of the time we “walk among you”. We work alongside you. We go to church with you. Sometimes we actually are preaching at that same church. We fly your airplanes, preside over your legal proceedings, do your surgeries, teach your kids, build your houses, run your government and entertain you.

We are everywhere; and our disorder presents itself in a wide variety of ways.

Unfortunately, you have been on the receiving end of stigmatizing messages where people paint a very bad picture of substance use disorders. There are far too many war stories and dramatizations out there.

Exploitation of Addicts

There are far too many people “in recovery” who are obsessed with painting the worst possible picture of the person in active addiction. TV shows like A & E Intervention (which is essentially criminal exploitation of addicts) certainly do not illustrate the global nature of substance use disorders.

Of course, there is a hard edge to a substance use disorder and sometimes it is destitute. But believe it or not, more often the person is high functioning and moving about society unnoticed.

Consider the Booze

Consider a substance like alcohol. It’s legal, as well as being very commonplace.

It’s frequently misused; and it kills 88,000 people per year. Same can be said with other substances that aren’t part of the “opioid narrative”.

People go on to the end and die 15 years early rather than seeking help.

Basically, nothing “bad enough” happens; because it does NOT look or sound like the cliched caricature of the “scum bag addict”.

We Are Not A Sideshow

Please understand, those reality TV shows and media stereotypes are not telling you my story. They don’t speak for me. Those “recovering people” who are obsessed with promoting their story of destruction do not represent my story.

They do not speak for me and there are many more like me out there.

We would like to represent ourselves in addition to distinguishing ourselves from the crowd. Substance use disorders are a healthcare issue. NOT A SIDESHOW.

Thank you! – Richard Jones, The Recovery Cartel

Rich Jones, Executive Director of FAVOR Greenville

As a senior healthcare and non-profit executive and director since 2002, Richard Jones brings his skills across multiple domains, including mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and recovery support services.

Rich is a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), DOT Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS), Co-Occurring Disorder Professional (CCDP), Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), Certified ARISE Interventionist (CAI) and an EMDR Certified Trauma Therapist.

Prior to joining FAVOR, Rich was the Director of Community Recovery Residences for Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina for Pavillon Treatment Center. Rich has been in long-term recovery since 2001.

He received his B.S. in Business Management at St. Vincent College, his MA in Sociology with concentration in Addiction Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management at the University of Scranton.

The post Letter to the General Public appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.