Sober 360

arizona meth recovery

2008-01-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

Nationwide, 6.2% of high school youth report having used Methamphetamine “at least once in their lifetime.” In Nevada , 11.7%, in Washoe County , 10.2%, and in Clark County , 11.6% of high school students report lifetime use of methamphetamine. (Source: Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey or YRBS, 2005 & Join Together Northern Nevada , Meth – Finding Solutions in Our Community Presentation, 2007)

Nevada is the 7 th highest (176 per 100,000) among methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions to treatment, with a rate three times the national average (56 per 100,000). (Source: Drug and Alcohol Services Information System, Issue 9, 2006)

Between 2002 and 2006, all methamphetamine related adolescent admissions to publicly funded treatment programs increased 25% (increased from 483 admissions to 605 admissions). For SFY 2006, the breakdown for the 605 admissions is as follows: Washoe, 56, Clark , 331, and balance of state, 218. (Source: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency, Methamphetamine Fact Sheet, 2006)

Between 2002 and 2006, all methamphetamine related adult admissions to publicly funded treatment programs increased 31% (increased from 3,399 admissions to 4,440 admissions). For SFY 2006, the breakdown for the 4,440 admissions is as follows: Washoe, 1,074, Clark , 2,127, and balance of state, 1,239. (Source: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency, Methamphetamine Fact Sheet, 2006 )

SAPTA estimates that there are 6,617 adolescents in Nevada who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. Also, SAPTA estimates that there are an estimated 2,062 juvenile justice involved adolescents who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007)

Based on the State Demographer’s projected 2007 population estimates, SAPTA estimates that there are 1,063 youth aged 12-17 in Washoe County , 4,758 youth aged 12-17 in Clark County , and 796 youth aged 12-17 in balance of state needing treatment for methamphetamine. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007 & Nevada State Demographer, Population Estimates Updated 2006)

SAPTA estimates that there are 58,445 adults in Nevada who have unmet need for methamphetamine treatment. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007)

Based on the State Demographer’s projected 2007 population estimates, SAPTA estimates that there are 8,892 adults in Washoe County , 42,177 adults in Clark County , and 7,376 adults in balance of state needing treatment for methamphetamine. (Source: SAPTA presentation for Nevada State Legislature Methamphetamine Fact Finding Committee, 2007 & Nevada State Demographer, Population Estimates Updated 2006)

76% of law enforcement agencies in the southwest U.S. report that methamphetamine is their largest drug problem. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that meth is the most frequently encountered drug in Nevada . (Source: National Association of Counties survey of 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide, 2005)

Law enforcement reports that because of meth use, robberies and burglaries, domestic violence, assaults, and identity theft have all increased (Source: National Association of Counties survey of 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide, 2005)

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix, Arizona Alcoholic Anonymous: The Tenth Step Promise

2007-12-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

(Working the Step)

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.

(The 10th step Promise)

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

(A disclosure, though)

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee, Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.

Do you want to be placed in a position of neutrality, safe and protected? Visit Crossroads, Inc.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

The holidays are approaching and we all think of good cheer, but for many people the holidays are a very difficult time. We rarely think about how many of our holiday traditions involve alcohol and excess. How can we make the holidays safer for everyone and more enjoyable for our friends in recovery?

When you are planning a party, always be sure to have non-alcoholic drinks available and easy to access. It can be just as festive to have non-alcoholic eggnog and other seasonal drinks. If you have not eliminated alcohol from your party be sure that you have alternative ways to get guests home. Designated drivers, taxis or overnight accommodations are all ways to keep everyone safe. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2002 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 130 licensed drivers in the United States. (NHTSA 2004) Be cautious; do not think it could not happen to you. According to the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day as many as 2,000 people are killed in traffic accidents nationwide.

Holidays are a time when we want to have our children and teenagers enjoy the season, but the most importantly, we want to be sure they are safe. Don’t be afraid to talk openly with your teens and young adults about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and peer pressure. Let them know about the increase in high risk behavior during the holiday break when they have so much more free time. Remember that your own behavior is the best model for you children of any age.

The holidays can be a difficult time for many people. They can be overwhelmed with financial issues, family and shopping demands. They may feel a great deal of loneliness, stress and isolation during the season. This is especially true for anyone who is in recovery at this time of the year. They need to be sure to attend extra meetings or put in place extra supports. Everyone needs to be sure to manage their time, learn how to say no, and reflect on the meaning of the holiday. Alcohol may make us feel better for a while but it is a depressant and will only create more problems.

It is important to remember that the holidays can be very difficult for families who have members with substance abuse problems. Don’t wait for a crisis, seek help and support now. The holidays can be a troubled time in these families, but sometimes the person with the problem has hit their bottom around the holidays and is more open to seeking help. There is help available if you or someone in your family is struggling. Center for Addictive Diseases can assist you to find the right treatment or support group for you and your family members. Exton and Drexel Hill offices of CAD all wish you a happy and safe holiday season.

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-12-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Patricia used to approach the holidays with an overwhelming sense of dread, because she never knew what her alcoholic brother might do to ruin them. As Thanksgiving floral arrangements gave way to sparkling Christmas ornaments and the drone of holiday music, her stomach would clench more each day and her mood would grow darker.

"Some years were just awful," she recalls. "So often my brother would show up drunk and make a scene at family gatherings. He'd scare his kids, embarrass his wife, and break my mother's heart over and over again. One year he got arrested a week before Christmas for driving under the influence and for disorderly conduct. I remember that we called the judge to ask if they could keep him in jail until after the holidays. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they did just that. We could finally relax and enjoy ourselves, knowing he was safe but unable to spoil things for everyone."

Thankfully, those painful memories are distant ones now, because Patricia's brother--after 25 years as a practicing alcoholic--stopped drinking 20 years ago. "But it took me several years after he went into treatment to trust him and his recovery," she says. "For a long time, I still prepared myself for the worst, half expecting another midnight phone call saying he had been an accident."

The holiday scene Patricia describes today, however, is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. "My brother is a grandfather now, and he is like an excited little boy, eagerly watching his grandkids open the gifts he laboriously and lovingly picked out for each of them. I'm so grateful that my parents got to experience his sobriety and witness the profound changes he made in his life before they died."

Patricia says her own involvement in the Twelve Step program of Al-Anon has helped her understand that addiction is truly a disease that affects the entire family. She says recovery has allowed her to unearth the meaning of the holiday season and reclaim them as the joyous and contemplative occasions they were meant to be.

In autumn, the early settlers of our country gathered and evaluated their harvest, preparing themselves for the challenging winter months ahead as they gave thanks for the bounty their hard work brought them. "This is how I view Twelve Step recovery and Thanksgiving now," Patricia says. "I welcome it as a time to take stock of past experiences and meditate on the lessons I've learned--seeing those lessons as my 'harvest,' my protection for any future difficulties. Then I find ways to express my gratitude for all I've been given."

Two years after her brother began recovery, for example, Patricia gave him a little music box for Thanksgiving that played "We've Only Just Begun," thanking him for rekindling the flame of family that was almost extinguished in the winds of his alcoholism.

Patricia describes herself as a spiritual person who sees Christmas as another opportunity for deep reflection. "To me, Christmas is about love, acceptance and expectancy--a symbol of birth and hope," she says. "I try to carry through with the 'attitude of gratitude' that I learned about in Twelve Step recovery, and use Christmas as a time to help others."

Some years she and her husband and daughter play "secret Santa" and buy gifts for a family in need. Sometimes they serve meals at a homeless shelter or take an elderly friend out for a holiday lunch. She also likes to write letters of appreciation at Christmas to the special people in her life, letting them know what gifts they are to her.

"Recovery has been transformative for me, for my brother, and for my whole family," she says. "Twenty years ago, I hated the holidays and feared what my brother would do. But then he sobered up and I got my big brother back. Along the way, I discovered the Twelve Steps. I guess miracles really do happen. Isn't that what the holidays are all about?"

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Great news! Crossroads for Women has moved to a larger facility! The women’s facility is now located at 1632 E. Flower St. in central Phoenix. Our newest facility has 60 licensed beds for women who are serious about 12 step recovery. Our weekly fees include three meals a day for our female residents which are served in our large dining hall. There are at least 2 to 4 12 step meetings daily on property. These meetings need support and anyone interested in supporting these meetings can call the front office at 602-274-0730 to receive a schedule. Please come by and see the new Crossroads, Inc. facility for women. There are many opportunities for service commitments including home group participation, sponsorship and meeting chairs

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix Arizona AA: The Greatest Gift of All (from Grapevine)

2007-11-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

This one of the articles Bill W published in Grapevine December 1957:

THE GREATEST GIFT that can come to anybody is a spiritual awakening. Without doubt this would be the certain verdict of every well-recovered alcoholic in AA's entire fellowship.

So, then, what is this "spiritual awakening" this "transforming experience"? How can we receive it and what does it do?

To begin with, a spiritual awakening is our means of finding sobriety. And to us of AA sobriety means life itself. We know that a spiritual experience is the key to survival from alcoholism and that for most of us it is the only key. We must awake or we die.

So we do awake, and we are sober. Then what? Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? Again, the voice of AA speaks up. No, sobriety is only a bare beginning, it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. And if it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life--the one that did not work--for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever. Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening.

Soon after he entered AA, a certain newcomer approached me and he said, "I'm sober and it's mighty near a miracle. I admitted that I was licked, came to a few meetings, began to get honest with myself and my sponsor. Then that awful urge for a drink suddenly left me. There's been no more booze fighting; the desire for alcohol has simply evaporated and I can't yet understand just why or just how. Here in AA the folks are wonderful. They care and they understand. It's a brand new world to me.

"But" continued Mr. Newcomer, "I'm still plumb puzzled. I don't see just how this God-business fits into practical living. And when they talk about a 'new life for an old one,' I can't take it all in. Sure enough I'm sober, and that's new. But now that I've gone ex-grog, what's the matter with trying to live my old life? That was okay, until the liquor got me. I was going places, on the way to make my pile. Things weren't too bad at home, either, until the little woman yelled she'd had enough of me, and left. All I need is sobriety, and AA can keep on giving me that. Now I can go about my business. I'm sure I can make a better job of it this time."

Four years later, I ran across that same "newcomer." "Well Joe," said I, "Have you made your pile yet, and did your wife come back?" With a half-smile, Joe looked at me steadily and replied, "No, Bill, nothing of the kind happened. For a whole year I had the devil of a time. How I stayed sober was more of a miracle than getting sober in the first place. I had to make that pile and get her back or else I was going to be miserable. And miserable I certainly was. But little by little, I woke up to the possibility that God hadn't put me on earth for the express purpose of getting all the money, prestige, and romance that I could lay my hands on. I finally had to face the fact that I would have to settle for less, a lot less. And if I couldn't accept this. I'd probably get drunk again.

"So I quit giving lip service to AA's Serenity Prayer and really began to use it. Over and over I kept saying, 'God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.'

"As I slowly learned acceptance, my pain subsided. I began to wake up and look around. I began to see that my modest job was a means of living, and of serving society. The bigger and the better job could no longer be my chief aim. Then I looked at AA. What had I done for the fellowship that had saved my life? Mighty little, I had to confess. So I began to go to meetings with a very different attitude. I quit my envy of financially well-heeled AAs and listened closely to what they said. I learned that their money was no longer a symbol of prestige; it was a trust for the best use to which it could be put. They also showed me that the temptations of riches could sometimes be worse than the pains of poverty. I also found that there was no such thing as an 'unfortunate' AA--that is, if he were a real member. If sick, he was, by fine example, an inspiration to those both sick and well. If poor in pocket, he could often be rich in spirit, an eager worker and servant of our society.

"So I began to understand 'the kind of giving that has no price tag on it.' I threw myself into AA; I joined a church, and threw myself into it. I really began to 'carry the message.' The last three years have been the best in my life. This is because I have really tried to awaken and to grow, and God has helped me to do just that.

"I now see that awakening and growing is something that never need stop and that growing pains are never to be feared, provided I am willing to learn the truth about myself from them.

"The other day an old time AA gave me an example which I'll never forget. Jack is a real old timer. In fact, he started AA in my town. I used to envy him because he was a millionaire.

"They told me he was in our local hospital, deathly sick, and about to die. In a way, I hated to go there, it would be so sad. When I walked into the room it was filled with AAs all in a gay mood. They were gay because Jack was gay. He was telling funny drinking stories, now and then wiping away the blood that ran down his chin from a cancerous mouth. He sat upright, his legs and bare feet hanging from the edge of the bed. A nurse came in, demonstrating, begging him to lie down. Waving her away, he said, 'If I lie down flat on this bed, I might die now. And that would be too bad, because I want to go to our AA State Convention next week.'

"We saw that this was no bravado; he really meant it.

"A little later Jack again spoke of death. He said that he'd had a wonderful life. Whiskey had brought him great pain but, as a result, AA had given him great joy. With his 'awakening' in AA had come the utter conviction, indeed the sure knowledge, that 'in my Father's House there are many Mansions.' Everybody there could to Jack, death was but a fresh awakening. He never did get to the AA convention.

"But Jack knew, and we know, that this didn't really matter for Jack was in full possession of 'the greatest gift of all.'"

By Bill W (Grapevine 1957)

===================================================================
Visit Crossroads for Spiritual Awakening:

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona meth recovery

2007-11-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

Our Family
My husband and I raised our family in Plymouth, Minnesota, a nicer suburb of Minneapolis. We have three children, Andrea, Doug and Katy, who grew up in the same home, had stable and nurturing childhoods, and attended church and public school like many of the other families in our neighborhood. We did, however, have some personal struggles within our family. Our son Doug, 22, is a recovering alcoholic. As the youngest child, Katy would often get lost in the shuffle because of the attention we had to give to her brother. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying to decide whether or not she should become more like her older sister, who she believed was perfect, or her older brother - the black sheep of the family.

Meet Katy
It seemed that Katy had adjusted well despite our family's troubles. She was an especially active girl - she started swimming competitively when she was 7 and was also very involved in our church. She participated in mission trips and camping trips and was also a "peer minister" when she was in eighth grade. As a ninth grader, she made the varsity swim team, a great accomplishment for a freshman, and also made the honor roll. Katy was always outgoing, friendly and spirited, willing to try new things and always loved her family and friends. This happy lifestyle started to change, however, when she began using drugs.

The Trouble Begins
Katy started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol in eighth grade - something we didn't find out about until much later. In tenth grade, we started to note a change in Katy's personality. While she was still swimming on the varsity team and managing to keep her grades up, her lifestyle was different. We noticed her friends were changing as well as her behavior and attitude. She started smoking cigarettes and wearing much more provocative clothing and makeup. She was no longer interested in any of the activities at church and even stopped being a peer minister.

Katy seemed depressed, so we found a counselor for her to see in the fall of her sophomore year. He wrote off her unusual behavior as "teen angst" and felt she would be just fine. By that winter, however, Katy was much worse. She and a friend decided to run away, so they stole her friend's older sister's car and took off. They were stopped by the police going 90 miles per hour down the freeway. We picked her up from the sheriff and immediately got her back into counseling for the remainder of the school year.

Although we were fairly certain Katy was using marijuana and alcohol, we had no idea that she was also abusing prescription drugs. She was taking Oxycontin, Adderall and Vicodin - all drugs that she managed to get from her friends. We didn't realize she was in so deep, because she still managed to keep good grades and stay on the swim team.

It Gets Worse
Her junior year is when things really fell apart. By October of that year, she was no longer attending her classes and was kicked off the swim team. She became moody, belligerent and withdrawn - all attributes that I would have never used to describe Katy Drugs had taken over her life. We realized Katy needed some serious help, and we put her into an outpatient treatment program near our home. But after two weeks it was clear that she would never succeed as an outpatient and needed more attention.

It was while she was in treatment that we learned about her drug use and how bad things had gotten. She graduated from her treatment and enrolled in Sobriety High in Edina, Minnesota and seemed to be putting her life back together. However, we didn't realize that she was still using drugs in aftercare.

Meth Takes Over
Katy had met a girl during treatment from a small, rural community in Wisconsin, whose drug of choice was meth. Up until this point, Katy had never tried methamphetamine before - but it soon became one of her favorite drugs. To this day, we're not sure why she tried it - I think it was just for a new thrill. During the three months that she used meth Katy lost 20 pounds, dropped out of school, and completely turned away from her family. Even though things were bad while she was using other drugs, it was never as bad as when she was addicted to meth.

I didn't want to believe that Katy's drug abuse had gotten to the level of using meth, but I was terrified when it became clear what was going on. That December she was kicked out of Sobriety High for using marijuana, so our focus went back to getting her off of pot. This changed when she was brought home at 3 a.m. on January 3, 2004, strung out on meth. The officer had found her wandering the streets, wet up to her knees wearing just a light jacket and. (The temperature had dropped down to 13 degrees that night.) We took her to the emergency room where they hooked her up to IVs to slow down her heart rate. At this point, my husband and I felt as if we were losing our daughter and wondered how much longer she would survive.

Getting Help
We put Katy back into treatment in a facility and two weeks later she was enrolled in a group home for girls recovering from addiction. We didn't give her any choice to do this, but she didn't put up a fight either. I think she realized how awful things were and wanted help. I give the group home a great deal of credit for saving Katy's life. Without the three months she spent there, I don't believe she would have had the tools or the strength to stay sober. We attended family sessions every Saturday with Katy and other girls and their families and continued for a couple months after her stay had ended. It was through these sessions that we dealt with many personal issues that had occurred throughout the years. This is where the real healing for all of us began.

After graduating from this program, Katy moved home in and re-enrolled in Sobriety High. We had our daughter back - not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Katy has been sober now for a year and a half (since January 4, 2004). She has made new friends and no longer spends time with any of the friends she had before treatment. Katy continues to attend two 12-step meetings per week and is very involved in the entire program. Her father and I are supportive of her as well, and we are going to miss her very much when she goes off to college in a few weeks.

A Mother's Advice
DON'T GIVE UP. As long as your child is still alive, there is always hope. Get help for yourself, go to counseling, talk to each other and develop a support system -- no one needs to be alone when going through something like this. I believe it's important to remember the three C's: you didn't Cause it, you can't Cure it and you can't Control it.

Although Katy's drug use didn't begin with meth, it definitely ended with it. Using alcohol, marijuana and prescription pills was like a slow, slippery slope that Katy thought she could control the speed at which she went down, but meth was like jumping off a cliff - there was no stopping her without an intervention.

My family continues to talk about our issues. We now know that the disease of addiction cannot be hidden or disguised. There is nothing to be ashamed of and the more we talk and learn from each other, the better off we will all be.

arizona meth recovery

2007-11-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

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Home

TRUTH: Meth can make you lose weight.

REALITY: Although meth can cause weight loss, chances are it'll bring you a new host of problems because meth is highly addictive. Meth addicts are not concerned with anything but their next fix - in fact their teeth often rot due to extremely poor personal hygiene. Meth can also cause delusions of bugs crawling under the skin - so people scratch and scratch to get the 'bugs' out. Yeah, they can lose weight - but meth users often look like death - not supermodels.

TRUTH: Meth can enhance your sex drive.

REALITY: You might be confident about your desire to have sex, but it doesn't mean it will happen: meth can decrease sexual functioning in men. Also, even though meth has been known to provide energy and stimulate sexual urges, it is also notorious for washing away inhibitions and common sense, which is a dangerous combination. Meth abusers are much more susceptible to STDs, such as HIV and AIDS because when they're high, the last thing on their mind is protection.

TRUTH: Meth can give you the energy to stay up all night.

REALITY: Meth users often stay up for days taking more and more of the drug until they run out or get too disoriented to continue. While it first it might sound like fun to have extra energy and not sleep for a few days - it actually wreaks havoc with your body. Meth can cause muscle deterioration, which can damage your kidneys, liver and heart. Not to mention that when a meth user crashes, he or she often sleeps for several days in a row.

TRUTH: Meth can give you a rush.

REALITY: The rush that meth causes is due to an increase of the "feel good" brain chemical dopamine. The flood of this chemical can make meth users feel good for a while, but once they come down from the drug, they often suffer from severe depression. That's why it's so easy to get addicted - users crave more of this "good feeling" all the time, and yet, they can never seem to get enough of the drug.

TRUTH: Meth can make you want to clean and get organized.

REALITY: It's true that meth can make you want to clean, but that doesn't mean your house will be neat and tidy. Meth use is called "tweaking" for the repetitive actions users find themselves doing, like taking apart and trying to reassemble things. Unfortunately hygiene becomes unimportant and addicts often live in filthy environments.

TRUTH: Meth can make you feel confident and attractive.

REALITY: Meth can initially produce a sense of well-being, however, the consistent use of toxic chemicals to the body can do a number on one's attractiveness. People who use meth frequently can become delusional, imagining that bugs are crawling under their skin - so they scratch and scratch at their skin to get them out. Meth can also cause anxiety and violent rages.

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

THE RECOVERY EMPORIUM

Where Did The 12 Steps Come From? - by Bill Wilson - from a July 1953 'A.A. Grapevine' Issue

Where Did The 12 Steps Come From?

by Bill W.
July 1953 A.A. Grapevine

AAs are always asking: "Where did the Twelve Steps come from?" In the last analysis, perhaps nobody knows. Yet some of the events which led to their formulation are as clear to me as though they took place yesterday.

So far as people were concerned, the main channels of inspiration for our Steps were three in number -- the Oxford Groups, Dr. William D. Silkworth of Towns Hospital and the famed psychologist, William James, called by some the father of modern psychology. The story of how these streams of influence were brought together and how they led to the writing of our Twelve Steps is exciting and in spots downright incredible.

Many of us will remember the Oxford Groups as a modern evangelical movement which flourished in the 1920's and early 30's, led by a one-time Lutheran minister, Dr. Frank Buchman. The Oxford Groups of that day threw heavy emphasis on personal work, one member with another. AA's Twelfth Step had its origin in that vital practice. The moral backbone of the "O.G." was absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love. They also practiced a type of confession, which they called "sharing"; the making of amends for harms done they called "restitution." They believed deeply in their "quiet time," a meditation practiced by groups and individuals alike, in which the guidance of God was sought for every detail of living, great or small.

These basic ideas were not new; they could have been found elsewhere. But the saving thing for us first alcoholics who contacted the Oxford Groupers was that they laid great stress on these particular principles. And fortunate for us was the fact that the Groupers took special pains not to interfere with one's personal religious views. Their society, like ours later on, saw the need to be strictly non-denominational.

In the late summer of 1934, my well-loved alcoholic friend and schoolmate "Ebbie" had fallen in with these good folks and had promptly sobered up. Being an alcoholic, and rather on the obstinate side, he hadn't been able to "buy" all the Oxford Group ideas and attitudes. Nevertheless, he was moved by their deep sincerity and felt mighty grateful for the fact that their ministrations had, for the time being, lifted his obsession to drink.

When he arrived in New York in the late fall of 1934, Ebbie thought at once of me. On a bleak November day he rang up. Soon he was looking at me across our kitchen table at 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York. As I remember that conversation, he constantly used phrases like these: "I found I couldn't run my own life;" "I had to get honest with myself and somebody else;" "I had to make restitution for the damage I had done;" "I had to pray to God for guidance and strength, even though I wasn't sure there was any God;" "And after I'd tried hard to do these things I found that my craving for alcohol left." Then over and over Ebbie would say something like this: "Bill, it isn't a bit like being on the water wagon. You don't fight the desire to drink -- you get released from it. I never had such a feeling before."
Such was the sum of what Ebbie had extracted from his Oxford Group friends and had transmitted to me that day. While these simple ideas were not new, they certainly hit me like tons of brick. Today we understand just why that was . . . one alcoholic was talking to another as no one else can.

Two or three weeks later, December 11th to be exact, I staggered into the Charles B. Towns Hospital, that famous drying-out emporium on Central Park West, New York City. I'd been there before, so I knew and already loved the doctor in charge -- Dr. Silkworth. It was he who was soon to contribute a very great idea without which AA could never had succeeded. For years he had been proclaiming alcoholism an illness, an obsession of the mind coupled with an allergy of the body. By now I knew this meant me. I also understood what a fatal combination these twin ogres could be. Of course, I'd once hoped to be among the small percentage of victims who now and then escape their vengeance. But this outside hope was now gone. I was about to hit bottom. That verdict of science -- the obsession that condemned me to drink and the allergy that condemned me to die -- was about to do the trick. That's where the medical science, personified by this benign little doctor, began to fit it in. Held in the hands of one alcoholic talking to the next, this double-edged truth was a sledgehammer which could shatter the tough alcoholic's ego at depth and lay him wide open to the grace of God.

In my case it was of course Dr. Silkworth who swung the sledge while my friend Ebbie carried to me the spiritual principles and the grace which brought on my sudden spiritual awakening at the hospital three days later. [ Dec. 14, 1934 ] I immediately knew that I was a free man. And with this astonishing experience came a feeling of wonderful certainty that great numbers of alcoholics might one day enjoy the priceless gift which had been bestowed upon me.

Third Influence

At this point a third stream of influence entered my life through the pages of William James' book, "Varieties of Religious Experience." Somebody had brought it to my hospital room. Following my sudden experience, Dr. Silkworth had taken great pains to convince me that I was not hallucinated. But William James did even more. Not only, he said, could spiritual experiences make people saner, they could transform men and women so that they could do, feel and believe what had hitherto been impossible to them. It mattered little whether these awakenings were sudden or gradual, their variety could be almost infinite. But the biggest payoff of that noted book was this: in most of the cases described, those who had been transformed were hopeless people. In some controlling area of their lives they had met absolute defeat. Well, that was me all right. In complete defeat, with no hope or faith whatever, I had made an appeal to a Higher Power. I had taken Step One of today's AA program -- "admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable." I'd also taken Step Three -- "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood him." Thus was I set free. It was just as simple, yet just as mysterious, as that.

These realizations were so exciting that I instantly joined up with the Oxford Groups. But to their consternation I insisted on devoting myself exclusively to drunks. This was disturbing to the O.G.'s on two counts. Firstly, they wanted to help save the whole world. Secondly, their luck with drunks had been poor. Just as I joined they had been working over a batch of alcoholics who had proved disappointing indeed. One of them, it was rumored, had flippantly cast his shoe through a valuable stained glass window of an Episcopal church across the alley from O.G. headquarters. Neither did they take kindly to my repeated declaration that it shouldn't take long to sober up all the drunks in the world. They rightly declared that my conceit was still immense.

Something Missing

After some six months of violent exertion with scores of alcoholics which I found at a nearby mission and Towns Hospital, it began to look like the Groupers were right. I hadn't sobered up anybody. In Brooklyn we always had a houseful of drinkers living with us, sometimes as many as five. My valiant wife, Lois, once arrived home from work to find three of them fairly tight. They were whaling each other with two-by-fours. Though events like these slowed me down somewhat, the persistent conviction that a way to sobriety could be found never seemed to leave me. There was, though, one bright spot. My sponsor, Ebbie, still clung precariously to his new-found sobriety.

What was the reason for all these fiascoes? If Ebbie and I could achieve sobriety, why couldn't all the rest find it too? Some of those we'd worked on certainly wanted to get well. We speculated day and night why nothing much had happened to them. Maybe they couldn't stand the spiritual pace of the Oxford Group's four absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. In fact some of the alcoholics declared that this was the trouble. The aggressive pressure upon them to get good overnight would make them fly high as geese for a few weeks and then flop dismally. They complained, too, about another form of coercion -- something the Oxford Groupers called "guidance for others." A "team" composed of non-alcoholic Groupers would sit down with an alcoholic and after a "quiet time" would come up with precise instructions as to how the alcoholic should run his own life. As grateful as we were to our O.G. friends, this was sometimes tough to take. It obviously had something to do with the wholesale skidding that went on.

But this wasn't the entire reason for failure. After months I saw the trouble was mainly in me. I had become very aggressive, very cocksure. I talked a lot about my sudden spiritual experience, as though it was something very special. I had been playing the double role of teacher and preacher. In my exhortations I'd forgotten all about the medical side of our malady, and that need for deflation at depth so emphasized by William James had been neglected. We weren't using that medical sledgehammer that Dr. Silkworth had so providentially given us.

Finally, one day, Dr. Silkworth took me back down to my right size. Said he, "Bill, why don't you quit talking so much about that bright light experience of yours, it sounds too crazy. Though I'm convinced that nothing but better morals will make alcoholics really well, I do think you have got the cart before the horse. The point is that alcoholics won't buy all this moral exhortation until they convince themselves that they must. If I were you I'd go after them on the medical basis first. While it has never done any good for me to tell them how fatal their malady is, it might be a very different story if you, a formerly hopeless alcoholic, gave them the bad news. Because of this identification you naturally have with alcoholics, you might be able to penetrate where I can't. Give them the medical business first, and give it to them hard. This might soften them up so they will accept the principles that will really get them well."

Then Came Akron

Shortly after this history-making conversation, I found myself in Akron, Ohio, on a business venture which promptly collapsed. Alone in the town, I was scared to death of getting drunk. I was no longer a teacher or a preacher, I was an alcoholic who knew that he needed another alcoholic as much as that one could possibly need me. Driven by that urge, I was soon face to face with Dr. Bob. It was at once evident that Dr. Bob knew more of the spiritual things than I did. He also had been in touch with the Oxford Groupers at Akron. But somehow he simply couldn't get sober. Following Dr. Silkworth's advice, I used the medical sledgehammer. I told him what alcoholism was and just how fatal it could be. Apparently this did something to Dr. Bob. On June 10, 1935, he sobered up, never to drink again. When, in 1939, Dr. Bob's story first appeared in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, he put one paragraph of it in italics. Speaking of me, he said: "Of far more importance was the fact that he was the first living human with whom I had ever talked, who knew what he was talking about in regard to alcoholism from actual experience."

The Missing Link

Dr. Silkworth had indeed supplied us the missing link without which the chain of principles now forged into our Twelve Steps could never have been complete. Then and there, the spark that was to become Alcoholics Anonymous had been struck.

During the next three years after Dr. Bob's recovery our growing groups at Akron, New York and Cleveland evolved the so-called word-of-mouth program of our pioneering time. As we commenced to form a society separate from the Oxford Group, we began to state our principles something like this:

1. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol.

2. We got honest with ourselves.

3. We got honest with another person, in confidence.

4. We made amends for harms done others.

5. We worked with other alcoholics without demand for prestige or money.

6. We prayed to God to help us to do these things as best we could.

Though these principles were advocated according to the whim or liking of each of us, and though in Akron and Cleveland they still stuck by the O.G. absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love, this was the gist of our message to incoming alcoholics up to 1939, when our present Twelve Steps were put to paper.

I well remember the evening on which the Twelve Steps was written. I was lying in bed quite dejected and suffering from one of my imaginary ulcer attacks. Four chapters of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, had been roughed out and read in meetings at Akron and New York. We quickly found that everybody wanted to be an author. The hassles as to what should go into our new book were terrific. For example, some wanted a purely psychological book which would draw in alcoholics without scaring them. We could tell them about the "God business" afterwards. A few, led by our wonderful southern friend, Fitz M., wanted a fairly religious book infused with some of the dogma we had picked up from the churches and missions which had tried to help us. The louder the arguments, the more I felt in the middle. It appeared that I wasn't going to be the author at all. I was only going to be an umpire who would decide the contents of the book. This didn't mean, though, that there wasn't terrific enthusiasm for the undertaking. Every one of us was wildly excited at the possibility of getting our message before all those countless alcoholics who still didn't know.

Having arrived at Chapter Five, it seemed high time to state what our program really was. I remember running over in my mind the word-of-mouth phrases then in current use. Jotting these down, they added up to the six named above. Then came the idea that our program ought to be more accurately and clearly stated. Distant readers would have to have precise set of principles. Knowing the alcoholic's ability to rationalize, something airtight would have to be written. We couldn't let the reader wiggle out anywhere. Besides, a more complete statement would help in the chapters to come where we would need to show exactly how the recovery program ought to be worked.

12 Steps in 30 Minutes

At length I began to write on a cheap yellow tablet. I split the word-of-mouth program up into smaller pieces, meanwhile enlarging its scope considerably. Uninspired as I felt, I was surprised that in a short time, perhaps half an hour, I had set down certain principles which, on being counted, turned out to be twelve in number. And for some unaccountable reason, I had moved the idea of God into the Second Step, right up front. Besides, I had named God very liberally throughout the other steps. In one of the steps I had even suggested that the newcomer get down on his knees.

When this document was shown to our New York meeting the protests were many and loud. Our agnostic friends didn't go at all for the idea of kneeling. Others said we were talking altogether too much about God. And anyhow, why should there be twelve steps when we had done fine on six? Let's keep it simple, they said.

This sort of heated discussion went on for days and nights. But out of it all there came a ten-strike for Alcoholics Anonymous. Our agnostic contingent, speared by Hank P. and Jim B., finally convinced us that we must make it easier for people like themselves by using such terms as "a Higher Power" or "God as we understand Him!" Those expressions, as we so well know today, have proved lifesavers for many an alcoholic. They have enabled thousands of us to make a beginning where none could have been made had we left the steps just as I originally wrote them. Happily for us there were no other changes in the original draft and the number of steps stood at twelve. Little did we then guess that our Twelve Steps would soon be widely approved by clergymen of all denominations and even by our latter-day friends, the psychiatrists.

This little fragment of history ought to convince the most skeptical that nobody invented Alcoholics Anonymous.

It just grew...by the grace of God.

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arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-11-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

What is a drug?
A drug is anything a person puts into their body that affects the brain, mood, thought, and perception. There are many kinds of drugs. Some are illegal, such as methamphetamine, heroin, or cocaine. Others are legal, such as alcohol, prescription drugs and over-the- counter medications, and even household products like aerosol sprays, glue, or cleaning fluid.

What is Addiction?
There are many different definitions of addiction. But the experts seem to agree that someone who is addicted to drugs feels a need to use the substance — over and over again. In fact, abusers of certain drugs, such as heroin, can feel sick — literally — if they do not have the drug in their bodies. Addicted people continue to use substances even after the drugs have caused problems for them. Even big problems, like losing children or families, friends, jobs, or homes.

When Addiction Takes Hold
As addiction or drug dependence develops, users tend to increase their consumption of the drug —larger amounts, longer binge periods, or shorter intervals between uses. Many addicted people say they want to cut back on their use, and may even try to stop using. But addiction changes the way the brain works, and stopping without special help can be nearly impossible. Ultimately, addicted individuals spend most of their time and energy in pursuit of the drugs... consuming the drugs... and, if they are lucky, recovering from drug use.

Denial
Not every drug abuser is aware of the need to stop using. In fact, experts say that one common characteristic of addiction is denial. Users do not admit that their drug use is a problem. They either blame their use on someone else, or claim they can stop any time they want. Drug abuse is often thought of as a symptom of a bigger set of problems. Many people in drug treatment are also trying to overcome low self-esteem, feelings of despair, tattered relationships, and other issues.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona - Alcoholic Anonymous: The Spiritual Malady

2007-11-05T05:37:00.001-08:00

The Missing Piece: The Spiritual Malady
by Mike L., West Orange, NJ
"Carry THIS Message" Group, West Orange, NJ

It is agreed that the "mental obsession" is the part of our "disease" which leads to the first drink; and it's the first drink that triggers the "phenomenon of craving." But, what part of my "disease" that triggers the mental obsession in the first place?

We know the physical craving does not cause these people to drink because it's been medically proven that after a few days of not drinking the alcohol is processed out of the body. And, if you've been in the AA Fellowship for a while, for most people, the mental obsession dissipates. So why is it that after a long period of sobriety many people in our fellowship return to drinking - EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T WANT TO? What is the third fold of our illness that triggers the mental obsession - WHEN NOT DRINKING - HAVING BEEN SEPARATED FROM ALCOHOL FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME?

Through closely examining our Big Book, along with much experience and practice with our Twelve Steps, as well as vigorous work with other alcoholics, the "missing piece" of Step 1 appears to be what is referred to on page 64 as the "spiritual malady."

Now, let me attempt to discuss the second half of Step 1: " - that our lives had become unmanageable."

For a long time I thought my life was unmanageable because of all the crazy insane things I did while drinking - like the car accidents, hurting people when I didn't mean to, failed relationships, loss of jobs, family dysfunction, jails, asylums, etc.

Finally, someone explained to me that those things are not the insanity that the Big Book talks about; nor are those things why the alcoholic's life becomes unmanageable.

Of course those things can be classified as "unmanageability" - but they are external unmanageability. The unmanageability that the 1st Step is pointing to is the INWARD unmanageability of our lives - the restlessness, irritability, and discontentment that most alcoholics have even BEFORE they ever picked up their first drink. There are many names for this "inward unmanageability". Some refer to it as "untreated alcoholism." Others use the term "bedevilments", which comes from page 52 of the Big Book (which I'll be discussing in a moment). Page 64 simply refers to this "inward unmanageability" as "the spiritual malady."

Our book promises us that "When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically." The mental and physical factors of alcoholism are put into remission AFTER the "spiritual malady" is overcome - which means I'm still in danger of drinking until I have a spiritual awakening - whether I think so or not.

Mike L., West Orange, NJ
"Carry THIS Message" Group, West Orange, NJ

===================================================================
For the complete article:
http://www.barefootsworld.net/aaspiritualmalady.html

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Phoenix Drug Rehab

2007-10-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

Phoenix drug rehab, take a look at this old educational video from years ago.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-10-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

McMahon's Commentary - 10/10: "Adolescent Alcohol"

What is the solution to the current problem America has with drunk driving and alcohol related crimes. Some are saying - let's have more drunks.

There is currently once again a movement to lower the legal drinking age to 18.

Of course that means that along with other problems, college kids who are killing themselves with binge drinking because of inexperience and stupidity, could now do so legally.

Logic professors must all be considering suicide. The argument for is generally based on the promise that if kids can drink legally at 18 they will do so openly rather than participating in keggers behind locked doors.

Hey, there are no doors. Under age consumption of alcohol is everywhere - in your face mom and dad - and the only defense we have is - it's against the law. Does anyone really believe a high school senior is concerned about cirrhosis of the liver?

Brain specialists generally agree that mental maturity doesn't happen before 25. Hey, for a real test how about a 6 - pack of Baby Bud.

Somethings Never Change

2007-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

I want! I want! I want! Now since I've received nothing that I've wanted I'm giving up. Surrendering to everything. I tell people that if your God will bring you to it, he will bring you through it. Then in my own damn life I see the shadow of things and I cringe and want to hide. Where am I going to go now? I just hit 3 yrs sober, should I just throw all that damn hardwork away? I think not. I worked my ass off to straighten out so much of my messed up thinking and I still have a long way to go.

I can't keep running from the fear because it will keep me from growing. The problem is that I've walked through some of my fears and I still have things that I have to face. There are days when I feel alone, useless, and then just out of sorts because I have this huge mountain that I need to face and I'm sitting at the base of the mountain crying. Crying because I can't see what's next. Crying because I can't CONTROL what's next or how it's going to happen or what the result is going to be. So now what? Sit on my ass go no where and be content with discontent? I think not.

I'm a little angry this morning because there are things that need to get done and I'm being helpless not HOPELESS. I claim I have a God, so why not ask for what I need and not what I want. I claim that I'm in love with my God, so why not trust him. I claim that I use the tools that AA has provided me - well then why in the hell am I not using what has been given to me as a way to get through life?

I have the excuse for all these questions and the moral of my problems, FEAR. Fear and doubt are the faith killers that will keep you down so long that eventually there is surrender but some go back to their old way of thinking and acting. Well now let's do the math....I have a job with benefits that's why my happy ass can afford the doctor's, therapists, meds, etc. I remember when my ass couldn't buy a job. I have an income, state short term disability, but hell it's still a way for my daughter and I to eat, have gas, and a place to live damn it. I have people that know me and friends from various meetings in 3 counties. We never met before this program but we
recognize that we are all the same underneath the ego of past. That support system has gotten me through many days when I did want to give up and leave a crazy world -- mine!!

My fear of failure has crippled me long enough. I have a huge resentment about all the meds that I need to take for one fricken job that literally drives me CRAZY. But I'm putting myself back in the position that God originally had me in, holding on to my ass because it just might get bumpy from here. My sponsor says that I have an identity crisis...I think I'm god but God is telling me I'm not. I tend to forget that new employer part of recovery. My only responsibility is to remain sober, attend meetings, work with other alcoholics, and keep my side of the street clean. Much easier than trying to solve my life issues.

I still have hope today and that is the most important thing. If I would have lost hope I would have given up on me. For this alcoholic that is the ultimate failure. One that I may not have recovered from so easily or if at all. So I follow steps 1, 2, 3 and with the shoe string faith that I'm holding onto for my very life, I'm not giving up or giving in. I'm going forward if new wounds are opened then so be it. If old wounds are healed, so be it. All I know is I'm doing what this program has taught me when I get depressed, anxious, and frustrated take the steps because the elevator is broken. Besides, I have a sponsor that loves to listen to me whine then she get a good chuckle for the day. So at least I'm being of service some how. LOL

F A I T H = Facing An Inner Truth Heals.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol drug treatment

2007-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Below are some guidelines to help you make the most of talking with someone you care about regarding a drug or alcohol problem:

Having the Talk

When:

Make sure the timing is right. Have the talk when they're sober and clear-headed, perhaps in the morning before work. You won't get anywhere talking when they are drunk, high, or coming down.
Try talking to your loved one soon after you know they've been drinking or using drugs, when they are feeling hung over and guilty. Remember that you're not addressing just one incident, but a pattern of behavior.

Where:

Meet in a neutral place; a coffee shop, park, or some other public place. Make sure alcohol is not available.

How:

Always use a gentle, caring tone of voice.
Try not to judge: don't start out by accusing your loved one of being a drug addict or an alcoholic. This will put them on the defensive and they might walk away.
Tell them how you feel; how worried you are and how you feel when you see them drunk or high.
Tell your loved one about the things you've seen them do when they're drunk or high. Use specific examples, and tell them you want to help.
Most important of all, be prepared with information on where they can get help. Make a list of phone numbers, meeting places and times for local counseling services and treatment programs. Offer to go with them to a meeting or take them for an assessment — but only if you're going to follow through.

If your loved one has a serious problem and you can't convince them to get help, don't give up. For a drug user, accepting that they have a problem and asking for help is difficult and frightening. They have to face the pain they've caused themselves and other people in their life. All you can do is talk to them, show how much you care, and encourage them to get help.

You should also feel comfortable seeking advice about how to help them. You are not betraying your loved one by finding out as much as you can about their problem. Consider talking to an intervention specialist, doctor, nurse, counselor, or someone in your place of worship. These people are there to help. If you are concerned about privacy, ask that your conversation be treated as confidential — you don't even have to give your loved one's name.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona Meth Recovery

2007-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Moira Knutson | 8/30/2005 01:43:45 AM

Katy was bright, spunky and outgoing, an honor student, involved in her church and sports teams. It seemed impossible that she would even have time for a drug problem but the signs were undeniable. Moira knew she had to intervene and save her daughter's life - or else it would be lost to meth.

Our Family
My husband and I raised our family in Plymouth, Minnesota, a nice suburb north of Minneapolis. We have three children, Andrea, Doug and Katy, who grew up in the same home, had stable and nurturing childhoods, and attended church and public school like many of the other families in our neighborhood. We did, however, have some personal struggles within our family. Our son Doug, 22, is a recovering alcoholic. As the youngest child, Katy would often get lost in the shuffle because of the attention we had to give to her brother. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying to decide whether or not she should become more like her older sister, who she believed was perfect, or her older brother - the black sheep of the family.

Meet Katy
It seemed that Katy had adjusted well despite our family's troubles. She was an especially active girl - she started swimming competitively when she was 7 and was also very involved in our church. She participated in mission trips and camping trips and was also a "peer minister" when she was in eighth grade. As a ninth grader, she made the varsity swim team, a great accomplishment for a freshman, and also made the honor roll. Katy was always outgoing, friendly and spirited, willing to try new things and always loved her family and friends. This happy lifestyle started to change, however, when she began using drugs.

The Trouble Begins
Katy started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol in eighth grade - something we didn't find out about until much later. In tenth grade, we started to note a change in Katy's personality. While she was still swimming on the varsity team and managing to keep her grades up, her lifestyle was different. We noticed her friends were changing as well as her behavior and attitude. She started smoking cigarettes and wearing much more provocative clothing and makeup. She was no longer interested in any of the activities at church and even stopped being a peer minister.

Katy seemed depressed, so we found a counselor for her to see in the fall of her sophomore year. He wrote off her unusual behavior as "teen angst" and felt she would be just fine. By that winter, however, Katy was much worse. She and a friend decided to run away, so they stole her friend's older sister's car and took off. They were stopped by the police going 90 miles per hour down the freeway. We picked her up from the sheriff and immediately got her back into counseling for the remainder of the school year.

Although we were fairly certain Katy was using marijuana and alcohol, we had no idea that she was also abusing prescription drugs. She was taking Oxycontin, Adderall and Vicodin - all drugs that she managed to get from her friends. We didn't realize she was in so deep, because she still managed to keep good grades and stay on the swim team.

It Gets Worse
Her junior year is when things really fell apart. By October of that year, she was no longer attending her classes and was kicked off the swim team. She became moody, belligerent and withdrawn - all attributes that I would have never used to describe Katy Drugs had taken over her life. We realized Katy needed some serious help, and we put her into an outpatient treatment program near our home. But after two weeks it was clear that she would never succeed as an outpatient and needed more attention.

It was while she was in treatment that we learned about her drug use and how bad things had gotten. She graduated from her treatment and enrolled in Sobriety High in Edina, Minnesota and seemed to be putting her life back together. However, we didn't realize that she was still using drugs in aftercare.

Meth Takes Over
Katy had met a girl during treatment from a small, rural community in Wisconsin, whose drug of choice was meth. Up until this point, Katy had never tried methamphetamine before - but it soon became one of her favorite drugs. To this day, we're not sure why she tried it - I think it was just for a new thrill. During the three months that she used meth Katy lost 20 pounds, dropped out of school, and completely turned away from her family. Even though things were bad while she was using other drugs, it was never as bad as when she was addicted to meth.

I didn't want to believe that Katy's drug abuse had gotten to the level of using meth, but I was terrified when it became clear what was going on. That December she was kicked out of Sobriety High for using marijuana, so our focus went back to getting her off of pot. This changed when she was brought home at 3 a.m. on January 3, 2004, strung out on meth. The officer had found her wandering the streets, wet up to her knees wearing just a light jacket and. (The temperature had dropped down to 13 degrees that night.) We took her to the emergency room where they hooked her up to IVs to slow down her heart rate. At this point, my husband and I felt as if we were losing our daughter and wondered how much longer she would survive.

Getting Help
We put Katy back into treatment in a facility and two weeks later she was enrolled in a group home for girls recovering from addiction. We didn't give her any choice to do this, but she didn't put up a fight either. I think she realized how awful things were and wanted help. I give the group home a great deal of credit for saving Katy's life. Without the three months she spent there, I don't believe she would have had the tools or the strength to stay sober. We attended family sessions every Saturday with Katy and other girls and their families and continued for a couple months after her stay had ended. It was through these sessions that we dealt with many personal issues that had occurred throughout the years. This is where the real healing for all of us began.

After graduating from this program, Katy moved home in and re-enrolled in Sobriety High. We had our daughter back - not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Katy has been sober now for a year and a half (since January 4, 2004). She has made new friends and no longer spends time with any of the friends she had before treatment. Katy continues to attend two 12-step meetings per week and is very involved in the entire program. Her father and I are supportive of her as well, and we are going to miss her very much when she goes off to college in a few weeks.

A Mother's Advice
DON'T GIVE UP. As long as your child is still alive, there is always hope. Get help for yourself, go to counseling, talk to each other and develop a support system -- no one needs to be alone when going through something like this. I believe it's important to remember the three C's: you didn't Cause it, you can't Cure it and you can't Control it.

Although Katy's drug use didn't begin with meth, it definitely ended with it. Using alcohol, marijuana and prescription pills was like a slow, slippery slope that Katy thought she could control the speed at which she went down, but meth was like jumping off a cliff - there was no stopping her without an intervention.

My family continues to talk about our issues. We now know that the disease of addiction cannot be hidden or disguised. There is nothing to be ashamed of and the more we talk and learn from each other, the better off we will all be.

The Language of the Heart

2007-10-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

Our co-founder examines the nature of communication

This is an article that Bill W wrote to commemorate 25th Anniversary of AA. Because the article is a huge one, I am presenting the document in segments.

The disease concept from Dr. William Duncan Silkworth:

MY WORKSHOP stands on a hill back of our home. Looking over the valley I see the village community house where our local group meets. Beyond the circle of my horizon lies the one world of AA: eight thousand groups, a quarter of a million of us. How in twenty-five years did AA get the way it is? And where are we going from here?

Often I sense the deep meaning of the phenomenon of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I cannot begin to fathom it. Why, for instance, at this particular point in history has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? Who can say what this communication actually is--so mysterious and yet so practical? We can only partly realize what we have received and what it has meant to each of us.

It occurs to me that every aspect of this global unfoldment can be related to a single crucial word. The word is communication. There has been a life-saving communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God.

From the beginning, communication in AA has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. It has been unusual and sometimes unique. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart. And what is that? Let's see if I can communicate to you something of what it means to me.

At once I think of my own doctor, William Duncan Silkworth, and how he ministered to me with the language of the heart during the last shattering years of my alcoholism. Love was his magic, and with it he accomplished this wonder: he conveyed to the foggy mind of the drunk that here was a human being who understood, and who cared without limit. He was one who would gladly walk the extra mile with us, and if necessary (as it often was) even the last mile of all. At that time he had already tried to help over twenty thousand drunks, and he had failed with nearly all. Only here and there had this dismal experience of futility been brightened by a genuine recovery. People wondered how he could go on, how he could still believe in the possibility of help for chronic alcoholics. Yet he did believe with a faith that never faltered. He kept saying, "Someday we'll find the answer."

He had developed some ideas of his own about what ailed drunks: they had an obsession to drink, a veritable and a destructive lunacy. Observing that their bodies could no longer tolerate alcohol, he spoke of this as an allergy. Their obsession made them drink and their allergy was the guarantee that they would go mad or die as they kept it up. Here, in contemporary terms, was the age-old dilemma of the alcoholic. Total abstinence, he knew, was the only solution. But how to attain that? If only he could understand them more and identify with them better, then his educational message could perhaps reach into those strange blind caverns of the mind where the blind compulsion to drink was entrenched.

So the little doctor who loved drunks worked on, always in hope that the very next case might somehow reveal more of the answer. When I came to him his more recent concepts and tactics had begun to produce slightly improved results. So he was encouraged, and he went after my situation with something of the enthusiasm and hope of a young doctor on his first critical case. He told me what an infernal malady alcoholism is, and why. He made no promises and he did not try to conceal the poor recovery rate. For the first time I saw and felt the full gravity of my problem. I learned, also for the first time, that I was a sick man emotionally and physically. As every AA today knows, this knowledge can be an enormous relief, I no longer needed to consider myself essentially a fool or a weakling.

This new insight, plus the little doctor's account of a few of his good recoveries, brought me a surge of hope. But above all, my confidence rested on the understanding, the interest, and the affection he so freely gave me. I was not alone any more with my problem. He and I could work it through. Despite several discouraging slips I truly believed this for quite a while. And so did he.

But the hour finally arrived when he knew that I was not going to be one of his exceptions. He would have to begin to walk that last mile with my wife Lois and me. Characteristically he found the courage gently but frankly to tell us the whole truth: neither mine nor his nor any other resource he knew could stop my drinking; I would have to be locked up or suffer brain damage or death within perhaps a year.

It was a verdict I would not have accepted from any other person. He had spoken to me in the language of the heart, and so I was able to receive the truth he offered me. But it was a terrible and hopeless truth. He spoke in the name of science, which I deeply respected, and by science I seemed condemned. Who else could have driven home this indispensable principle on which every recovery depends? I seriously doubt that any other man alive could have done it.

Today every AA member implants in his new prospect just what Dr. Silkworth so powerfully lodged in me. We know that the newcomer has to "hit bottom"; otherwise not much can happen. Be cause we are "drunks who understand," we can use that nutcracker of the obsession-plus-the-allergy as a tool of such power that it can shatter the new man's ego at depth. Only thus can he be convinced that on his own unaided resources he has little or no chance.

The message from Ebby, Bill W friend in the next segment.

For a real deal visit Crossroads.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

arizona alcohol recovery

2007-10-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

103 "MUSTS" IN THE BIG BOOK
Compiled by Dave F.

If you go to enough meetings, you'll hear it said that in AA, "there are no MUSTs, only suggestions". Well, like most half-truths in A.A., if you hear them long enough you begin to believe them. But what does the Program have to say about this? It says in the Big Book on page 19, "We have concluded to publish an anonymous volume setting forth the problem as we see it. We shall bring to task our combined experience and knowledge. This should suggest a useful program for anyone concerned with a drinking problem." Then, in "How It Works" it says, "Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a Program of Recovery."

So, it's the WHOLE Program that is suggested. It's sort of like making a pie. I once ate a really great pie at my Grandmother's house, and asked for the recipe. If I use the SAME ingredients, with the SAME proportions, in the SAME baking sequence, then AND ONLY THEN will I get the full, desired result. AA says that we have a way out that works very well for us.

There may be another method you might use that you think brings about recovery from alcoholism, and if you so choose, have at it.

You don't have to take the A.A. Program, only "if you want what we have AND are willing to go to any length to get it." And if you DO want what we have, the Big Book is very clear that the Program has some very definite requirements. It says, "To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW WE HAVE RECOVERED is the main purpose of this book" (page xiii), "If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking - What do I have to do? It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions SPECIFICALLY. We shall tell you what we have done" (page 20), and "CLEAR-CUT DIRECTIONS are given showing how we recovered" (page 29).

AA's Big Book, by it's own admission, offers us specific instructions for recovery from alcoholism called "the Program of AA". Remember, half measures DO NOT avail us half results; "half measures avail us NOTHING" (and NO measures avail us less!). The suggestion we have to offer is our WHOLE Program, and the AA Program does include MUSTs, have to's, and requirements (IF you want the full, desired result).

But remember, the process is very much worth it because just one of the promises of working AA's Program IN ITS ENTIRETY is that we will "know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes" (page 8)!

Some of the phrases below don't contain the word MUST, but the wording indicates a MUST Condition..

Well, excluding the stories, here's the list:

1. Convincing testimony MUST surely come from medical men who have had experience with the sufferings of our members and have witnessed our return to health.(xxiii)

2. "Doctor, I cannot go on like this! I have everything to live for! I MUST stop, but I cannot! You MUST help me!" (xxvii)

3. Faced with this problem, if a doctor is honest with himself, he MUST sometimes feel his own inadequacy. (xxvii)

4. Though the aggregate of recoveries resulting from psychiatric effort is considerable, we physicians MUST admit we have made little impression upon the problem as a whole. (xxvii)

5. In the course of his third treatment he acquired certain ideas concerning a possible means of recovery. As part of his rehabilitation he (Bill W.) commenced to present his conceptions to other alcoholics, impressing upon them that they MUST do likewise with still others. This has become the basis of a rapidly growing fellowship of these men and their families. This man and over one hundred others appear to have recovered. (xxiii)

6. In this statement he (Dr. Silkworth) confirms what we who have suffered alcoholic torture MUST believe that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind. (xxiv)

7. More often than not, it is IMPERATIVE that a man's brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer. (xxiv)

8. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic people MUST have depth and weight. In nearly all cases, their ideals MUST be grounded in a power greater than themselves if they are to re-create their lives. (xxvi)

9. I SIMPLY HAD TO believe in a Spirit of the Universe, who knew neither time nor limitation (10)

10. I MUST turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.(14)

11. Particularly was it IMPERATIVE to work with others.(14)

12. Of NECESSITY there will have to be discussion of matters medical, psychiatric, social, and religious.(19)

13. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, DEPEND upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs. (19)

14. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process REQUIRES for its successful consummation.(25)

15. There was NOTHING LEFT FOR US but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our Feet. (25)

16. It is only by fully disclosing ourselves and our problems that they will be persuaded to say, "Yes, I am one of them too; I MUST have this thing." (29)

17. We learned that we had to FULLY CONCEDE to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, HAS TO BE smashed. (30)

18. If we are planning to stop drinking, there MUST be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol. (33)

19. But after a while we had to face the fact that we MUST find a spiritual basis of Life - or else.(44)

20. We HAD TO find a power by which we could live, and it HAD TO BE a Power greater than ourselves. (45)

21. DO NOT let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. (47)

22. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking HAD TO BE abandoned. (48)

23. We HAD TO ask ourselves why we shouldn't apply to our human problems this same readiness to change our point of view. (52)

24. When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we HAD TO stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did. (52)

25. When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we HAD TO fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't. (53)

26. Sometimes we HAD TO search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. It was so with us. (55)

27. The first requirement is that we BE CONVINCED that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. (60)

28. Above everything, we alcoholics MUST be rid of this selfishness. We MUST, or it kills us! (62)

29. We HAD TO have God's help.(62)

30. First of all, we HAD TO quit playing God. (62)

31. Our liquor was but a symptom. We HAD TO get down to causes and conditions. (64)

32. If we were to live, we HAD TO be free of anger. (66)

33. We saw that these resentments MUST be mastered. (66)

34. Whatever our ideal turns out to be, we MUST be willing to grow toward it. We MUST be willing to make amends where we have done harm, provided that we do not bring about still more harm in so doing. (69)

35. We MUST be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world. (73)

36. Those of us belonging to a religious denomination which requires confession MUST, and of course, will want to go to the properly appointed authority whose duty it is to receive it. (74)

37. The rule is we MUST be hard on ourself, but always considerate of others. (74)

38. It is important that he be able to keep a confidence; that he fully understand and approve what we are driving at; that he will not try to change our plan. But we MUST not use this as a mere excuse to postpone. (75)

39. We have emphasized willingness as being INDISPENSABLE. (76)

40. UNDER NO CONDITION do we criticize such a person or argue. (77)

41. We MUST lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them. (78)

42. We may lose our position or reputation or face jail, but we are willing. We have to be. We MUST not shrink at anything. (79)

43. Before taking drastic action which might implicate other people we secure their consent. If we have obtained permission, have consulted with others, asked God to help and the drastic step is indicated we MUST not shrink. (80)

44. Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he MUST keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn't. But he is yet a long way from making good to the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated. (82)

45. Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead. We MUST take the lead. (83)

46. The spiritual life is not a theory. WE HAVE TO LIVE IT. (83)

47. We MUST remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of
anyone. (83)

48. Every day is a day when we MUST carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. (85)

49. "How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which MUST go with us constantly. (85)

50. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we MUST go further and that means more action. (85)

51. But we MUST be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. (86)

52. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends-this is an experience you MUST not miss. (89)

53. The family MUST decide these things. (90)

54. To be vital, faith MUST be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action. (93)

55. NEVER talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. (95)

56. If he is sincerely interested and wants to see you again, ask him to read this book in the interval. After doing that, he MUST decide for himself whether he wants to go on. (95)

57. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends. If he is to find God, the desire MUST come from within. (95)

58. NEVER avoid these responsibilities, but be sure you are doing the right thing if you assume them. (97)

59. A kindly act once in a while isn't enough. You HAVE TO act the Good Samaritan every day, if need be. (97)

60. Argument and fault-finding are to be avoided like the plague. In many homes this is a difficult thing to do, but it MUST be done if any results are to be expected. (98)

61. But we MUST try to repair the damage immediately lest we pay the penalty by a spree.(99)

62. If their old relationship is to be resumed it MUST be on a better basis, since the former did not work. (99)

63. Both you and the new man MUST walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress.(100)

64. People have said we MUST not go where liquor is served; we MUST not have it in our homes; we MUST shun friends who drink; we MUST avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we MUST not go into bars; our friends MUST hide their bottles if we go to their houses; we MUSTn't think or be reminded about alcohol at all. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so. (101)

65. But some of us think we should not serve liquor to anyone. We NEVER argue this question. (102)

66. We are careful NEVER to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as an institution. (103)

67. Besides, we have stopped fighting anybody or anything. We HAVE TO! (103)

68. Wait until repeated stumbling convinces him he MUST act, for the more you hurry him the longer his recovery may be delayed. (113)

69. But sometimes you MUST start life anew. (114)

70. While you need not discuss your husband at length, you can quietly let your friends know the nature of his illness. But you MUST be on guard not to embarrass or harm your husband. (115)

71. You will no longer be self-conscious or feel that you MUST apologize as though your husband were a weak character. (115)

72. These family dissensions are very dangerous, especially to your husband. Often you MUST carry the burden of avoiding them or keeping them under control. (117)

73. NEVER forget that resentment is a deadly hazard to an alcoholic. (117)

74. Your husband knows he owes you more than sobriety. He wants to make good. Yet you MUST not expect too much. (118)

75. Though it is infinitely better that he have no relapse at all, as has been true with many of our men, it is by no means a bad thing in some cases. Your husband will see at once that he MUST redouble his spiritual activities if he expects to survive.(120)

76. We NEVER, NEVER try to arrange a man's life so as to shield him from temptation; The slightest disposition on your part to guide his appointments or his affairs so he will not be tempted will be noticed. (120)

77. The family MUST realize that dad, though marvelously improved, is still convalescing. They should be thankful he is sober and able to be of this world once more. (127)

78. He can scarcely square the account in his lifetime. But he MUST see the danger of over-concentration on financial success. Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded. (127)

79. We know there are difficult wives and families, but the man who is getting over alcoholism MUST remember he did much to make them so. (127)

80. We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth. That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work MUST be done. These are the realities for us. We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness. (130)

81. Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others MUST be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a doubt. Seeing is believing to most families who have lived with a drinker. (135)

82. State that you know about his drinking, and that it MUST stop. You might say you appreciate his abilities, would like to keep him, but cannot if he continues to drink. (141)

83. For most alcoholics who are drinking, or who are just getting over a spree, a certain amount of physical treatment is desirable, even IMPERATIVE. (142)

84. Though you are providing him with the best possible medical attention, he should understand that he MUST undergo a change of heart. To get over drinking will REQUIRE a transformation of thought and attitude. We all HAD TO PLACE RECOVERY ABOVE EVERYTHING, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business. (143)

85. While on the subject of confidence, can you adopt the attitude that so far as you are concerned this will be a STRICTLY personal matter, that his alcoholic derelictions, the treatment about to be undertaken, will NEVER be discussed without his consent? (143)

86. When the man is presented with this volume it is best that no one tell him he must abide by its suggestions. The man MUST decide for himself. (144)

87. An alcoholic who has recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, can talk to a man with a better position. Being on a radically different basis of life, he will NEVER take advantage of the situation.(146)

88. For he knows he MUST be honest if he would live at all. (146)

89. The old pleasures were gone. They were but memories. NEVER could we recapture the great moments of the past. (151)

90. I know I MUST get along without liquor, but how can I? Have you a sufficient substitute?" Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. 152)

91. They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who MUST find a way out. (153)

92. But what about his responsibilities - his family and the men who would die because they would not know how to get well, ah-yes, those other alcoholics? There MUST be many such in this town. He would phone a clergyman. His sanity returned and he thanked God. (154)

93. He saw that he would HAVE TO face his problems squarely that God might give him mastery. (155)

94. Both saw that they MUST keep spiritually active. (156)

95. Though they knew they MUST help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary. It was transcended by the happiness they found in giving themselves for others. (159)

96. God will determine that, so you MUST remember that your real reliance is always upon Him. He will show you how to create the fellowship you crave. (164)

97. We alcoholics see that we MUST work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone. (563)

98. A.A. MUST continue to live or most of us will surely die. (565)

99. Yet it is true that our first printing gave many readers the impression that these personality changes, or religious experiences, MUST be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals. (569)

100. Though it was not our intention to create such an impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless concluded that in order to recover they MUST acquire an immediate and overwhelming "God-consciousness" followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook. (569)

101. I think our profession MUST take appreciative cognizance of this great therapeutic weapon. (571)

102. Any therapeutic or philosophic procedure which can prove a recovery rate of 50% to 60% MUST merit our consideration. (571)

103. They know that they MUST never drink. (572)

Arizona Alcohol Recovery

2007-10-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Charges: Drunk mom dangles 5-year-old out moving SUV's window
Last update: October 12, 2007 – 8:15 AM

Christina Adams
Photo released by police
More from Nation

PINELLAS PARK, FLA. -- A 27-year-old intoxicated woman faced a felony child abuse charge Thursday after holding her son out of a moving SUV, police said, and she reportedly didn't take the incident seriously.
Witnesses told investigators that Christina Adams, 27, of Pinellas Park, was seen dangling her 5-year-old out of the car Wednesday night.
Witnesses also said they watched in shock as Adams at some points forced the child to run beside the car to keep up.
According to a police news release, Adams was belligerent and drunk when she was arrested. She was taken to jail and her son was given to a relative.
The Tampa Tribune reported that Adams, who is unemployed, said the boy was trying to climb out the window and she was keeping him from doing so, Forseth said. She denied dragging the boy by the hand while he was outside the vehicle, Capt. Sanfield Forseth said.
She didn't appear to be taking the investigation into her actions seriously, Forseth told the newspaper.
An adult in the SUV told police the 5-year-old was causing a ruckus. She said Adams was holding him out the window until he calmed down, Forseth told the Tribune.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona 12-Step Recovery

2007-10-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

A young man stopped in my office the other week-he looked bad, and he didn’t smell very good, either. He had been drinking, and he was clearly at the end of his rope. “Do you think there is any hope,” he asked me? I told him I always thought there was hope. His story is the same one I hear all the time at the Crossroads. No job, no money, family and friends gone…..hopeless.

But I know something this fellow does not know. I know that if he stays here and does what we ask him slowly his life will get put back together again. He will have the opportunity to form life-long friendships, find a job, and most importantly-achieve sobriety. He will find hope.

We talk about a lot of things in this newsletter. We talk about our fund-raisers, our events, how wonderful all of our six facilities are, and how beautiful everything is….but today I want you to know that Crossroads is all about helping that young fellow who was in my office. That is our culture, our goal and our mission. It always has been and God willing always will be.

When we ask you to buy a ticket to our annual Dinner, we are asking you to give us more money than the food and the entertainment is worth. We are asking you to help us help that young man. When we ask you to become a Platinum Sponsor, we are asking you to make a commitment to make your community a better place. You might wonder how that is possible. Well, let’s go back to that young fellow who stopped by my office. Three weeks ago he checked into Crossroads. This weekend his wife and two children stopped by to visit him. He has a job now, and is able to help with the family bills. His wife is starting to see the man she married seven years ago….the man she thought was gone forever. They are talking about getting an apartment together and starting over. A father; a husband; a wage earner; a taxpayer; a person who helps others;

Over 22,000 men and women have gone through the Crossroads program. We need your help and support to continue to help the next 22,000. Thank you for making the sacrifice to help us to continue to provide low cost, effective community based centers for people in recovery. Please support our Dinner on Saturday, November 3. It is going to be a blast. I will look forward to seeing you there!

Phoenix alcoholism treatment

2007-10-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

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Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona 12 Step Recovery

2007-10-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Another Court Rules that AA/NA are Religious
A recent court case ruled that a parolee can sue a parole officer for damages if the parole officer requires the parolee to attend 12-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous when this violates the parolee's religious or non-religious beliefs.
The case is titled Inouye v. Kemna, issued Sept. 7, 2007. The full text of the opinion is here. The court that issued the decision is the Ninth Circuit of the United States Courts of Appeal. The court's ruling is the law in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Ricky Inouye was imprisoned in Hawaii after conviction on drug charges, and served his time. As a Buddhist, he objected to participating in 12-step treatment programs because of their religious nature. After his release, he sued his parole officer, Nanamori, for giving him the "choice" of AA/NA meetings or prison.
When that case came to trial in the federal court in Hawaii, Nanamori argued that he, a parole officer, could not have known whether AA/NA are "religious" because the law on that issue was foggy at the time he ordered Inouye to participate (2001). If the issue was unclear, Nanamori was immune from suit. Nanamori won on that issue in the lower federal court in Hawaii. Inouye (or rather his son Zenn, Ricky having meanwhile died) appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
The Ninth Circuit's opinion makes short work of the claim that the law was fuzzy on the religious nature of AA/NA. The court points to virtually identical cases decided before 2001 by the federal courts of appeal for the Seventh Circuit (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin) and the Second Circuit (New York, Connecticut, Vermont), in addition to a string of similar cases in lower federal courts and in state courts, all with the same result. The "unanimous conclusion" of these courts was that coercing a person into AA/NA or into AA/NA based treatment programs was unconstitutional because of their religious nature. Because the law on this issue was "uncommonly well settled," Nanamori cannot claim immunity.
Accordingly, the Ninth Circuit sent the case back to the lower federal court in Hawaii to decide how much, if anything, Nanamori has to pay Inouye's estate in monetary damages.
The court's ruling means that criminal justice officers -- or, arguably, any agents of the state, local, or federal government within the bounds of the Ninth Circuit -- can be sued for damages if they ignore a client's religious or anti-religious objections and coerce the person to attend 12-step meetings or 12-step based treatment programs.
What should prisoners, parolees, and criminal justice officers do in response to this ruling?
(1) Prisoners and parolees who have problems with the religious content of 12-step programs should stand up for their beliefs and make their objections heard, loud, clear, early, and on paper. In this case, Ricky Inouye won in part because he wrote letters and filed suit promptly after he was coerced into 12-step programs. He held to his position consistently, and enlisted legal help as soon as possible. Prisoners and parolees need to make it clear both in words and deeds that they earnestly want to remain clean and sober, that they are willing to participate in alcohol and other drug treatment programs and to attend support groups, but that the religious content in the 12-step programs violates their constitutionally protected beliefs and interferes with their recovery. Prisoners and parolees can match these words with actions by demanding referral to non-religious (secular) treatment options, if they exist, and by taking the initiative to organize secular support groups, such as LifeRing, on their own.
(2) Officials in the criminal justice system (and other government officials with coercive powers over addiction offenders) need to offer their clients a choice between religious and secular treatment programs and support groups. The "choice" between AA/NA or prison offends the constitution, and officers who insist on it need to check their professional liability insurance. Government officials can help themselves as well as their clients by sending the message to treatment programs that the programs must embody a secular track along with the 12-step track, or risk losing referrals. Officials need to inform themselves and their clients about the availability of secular support group alternatives, such as LifeRing. Where clients take the initiative to organize such support groups, officials need to be cooperative and provide a level playing field when it comes to rooms, publicity, literature, referrals, and other resources. In an appropriate case, officials may take the lead in initiating secular support groups themselves.
The Ninth Circuit decision ruffles some feathers because it contradicts the belief of many AA/NA members that the 12-step approach is "spiritual not religious." Of course, these words can have many meanings. But as far as the First Amendment of the US Constitution is concerned, the 12-step approach is clearly religious, and the Ninth Circuit only joins a "march of unanimity" of other courts who have come to the same conclusion.
The basic thrust of this line of cases is that the constitutional guarantee of freedom of and from religion extends over the whole of the United States, including the ever-expanding areas enclosed by prison walls. Since such a large proportion of prisoners are there because of drug and/or alcohol abuse, this recent ruling serves as an important refresher. Jails and prisons, notoriously in California, are overcrowded and in deplorable condition. The Ninth Circuit's decision says that the freedom of religious belief or disbelief must not go down the drain along with so many other elements of civilized penal treatment.
Posted by Martin Nicolaus at 7:49 AM
Labels: Alaska, Arizona, California, Choices, Connecticut, Crime, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pacific Islands, Politics, Religion, Treatment, Twelve-Step, Washington, Wisconsin

5 comments:
Anonymous said...
hey marty, this is good news - thanks for writing about it!Kathleen
8:27 AM
Anonymous said...
While I wholleheartedlly concur with the decision and the clear reasoning behind it there is still the very real issue of providing some sort of proof to judges or others that one is attending some sort of recognized therapy be it group or other. AA signs off on so called court cards which seems to suffice ... what can we do to filll that same need? Many of us are not in urban areas that host meetings. A terrific post . . . thoughts?Nat
9:00 PM
Anonymous said...
this is a great topic, but i think that people need to realize that AA is not about religon because your higher power could be anythingso i just think people need to realize that the whole world is not black and white there are shades of gray..
6:27 PM
Gadfly said...
Anonymous No. 3, PUH-leeze.AA's Steps specifically call this higher power "God."And, do NOT come back here with the crapola line that the Steps are "suggestions."Try ending an AA meeting without the Lord's Prayer, or starting it without reading the Steps, and see how much hell breaks out.
8:57 PM
Anonymous said...
Thank you for your summary of this case. It made my heart glad to read that another court concurs with our position that religion should not be forced on parolees (or anyone). I intend to read part of this at the Burlingame meeting and use it as a springboard for dicusssion.Gail C.
11:08 AM
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The recent court case holding that AA and NA were religious comes as no surprise. Two other federal circuits, including the middle-of-the-road Second Circuit (NY) and the conservative Seventh Circuit (Chicago) had already said so in the ...
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Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona Alcoholism Treatment Center: The Book called Alcoholics Anonymous

2007-10-06T03:48:00.000-07:00

How often do you see people discussing the principles laid out in the Big Book? You must me lucky if you happen to be in one. There are people who think AA is just going to meetings don't have a clue of what AA is about. It all depends on the person who is chosen to be the discussion leader. I have always seen people who work the program, pick topics out of the Big Book and those who don't, pick a problem that is going thru their mind. Luckily the person in yesterdays meeting, read two short sentences out of the Big Book:

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it. (Two short ones but very powerful statements)

So, what is a spiritual life? Simply put, its the 4 tenets of the Oxford Groups: Absolute purity, Absolute honesty, Absolute love, Absolute un-selfishness.

Which were transformed into the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill W.

So as you work the 12 steps of AA, eventually one day you will at a point where you will be rocketed into the IV dimension of living. You can only experience that, can't explain it.

Do you want to be rocketed into IV dimension of living?

Visit Crossroads, Inc.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona Alcoholism Treatment Center

2007-09-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

I came to Crossroads for Women in June of 1997, straight from Estrella Jail. Prior to being incarcerated I had been living on the streets because I had been asked to leave CASS Shelter. They had a policy that they would not admit you unless you were sober and I was usually drunk or loaded. Basically, I had lost everything, including my son, husband, family and friends. All my enablers were finished with me and I was seriously considering a life of homelessness and crime. I figured that I could handle the homeless circuit, summers in Denver and winters in Phoenix. Basically I had given up and had no hope that I could live a sober, meaningful life. When I got arrested I felt a great relief. My time in jail gave me a chance to dry out and re-evaluate the direction my life was taking. Today, I know that God did for me what I could not do for myself.
My probation officer required that I live at a halfway house and she strongly recommended that I make it Crossroads Midtown for Women. When I walked through the doors of Midtown, I was scared to death and had little confidence in my ability to stay sober and out of trouble. Fortunately, Crossroads required us to attend a 12-step meeting daily, get a sponsor and work the steps. Another requirement was to work and pay my own rent. I had not worked in years and remember being absolutely terrified about how I would present myself. After all I was now a felon, with large gaps in my employment history. My sponsor told me to get a job that did not matter and would just pay the rent. So that is what I did. What is unbelievable, is that when I got that crappy job and started to become self-supporting my self-esteem and confidence returned. It’s funny how taking the right action will do that for a person. Living at Crossroads helped me to lay a strong foundation for my sobriety that I carry with me today.
After I had been at Midtown for a period of time I was asked to become the Resident Manager and work nights as well as reside at Crossroads. During this time, I attended Phoenix College and obtained my Associates Degree. Living at Crossroads gave me this opportunity. It also enabled me to work on re-establishing relationships with my family and son. I developed a strong support group and friendships that I still have today.
Eventually I moved from Crossroads, but have never severed my ties. I have worked at the women’s facility in all the various positions. Currently, I am the Program Coordinator and responsible for making sure the facility stays full and runs smoothly. Personally, my son has returned to live with me and I have re-married. My experience with the AA program and Crossroads has been one of great personal fulfillment as well as immense professional growth. I believe strongly in Crossroads mission, and it is an honor and privilege for me to watch other women grow and achieve sobriety. There is nothing better then watching a person go from complete despair to great joy. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity!
Thank you,
Karen Barraclough

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com

Arizona Meth Recovery

2007-09-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Methamphetamine overview in Arizona
Methamphetamine is the main drug threat to the state of Arizona. High purity, low cost meth is readily available, and the drug is abused throughout Arizona. Crystal meth is becoming increasingly available throughout the state; some areas report higher levels of abuse of crystal meth than powdered methamphetamine. Law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona report that the level of meth abuse is increasing in their jurisdictions and that Caucasians appear to be the main abusers.
Crystal meth is a colorless, odorless, smokable form of d-methamphetamine that resembles glass fragments or ice shavings. It is produced through the crystallization of meth powder. Crystal meth often is referred to as ice, glass, or shards.
According to TEDS, the number of amphetamine-related addiction treatment admissions to publicly funded addiction treatment facilities in the state of Arizona increased from 812 in the year of 1998 to 1,267 in 2001, then diminish to 765 in 2002. (Nationwide, 95% of amphetamine-related addiction treatment admissions reported to TEDS are methamphetamine-related.) The number of amphetamine-related addiction treatment admissions was greater than for any other illicit drug in the year of 2002. Moreover, addiction treatment providers in the state of Arizona report that stimulant abusers are switching from crack cocaine to crystal methamphetamine because it can be smoked like crack cocaine, is readily available, and is cheaper.
"Methamphetamine has become the most hazardous drug issue of small-town America," according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.1 It apparently hits small towns more than big cities. "Meth is tremendously addictive. Individual who think they might try meth only once or twice can get hooked. Most drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, originate from other nations and are sold by dealers. Meth can be cooked at home in kitchens and garages, in vacant barns, and in other buildings. It is made with common household items like batteries and cold medicine. These objects are inexpensive and can be bought in local stores. The chemicals in them pollute neighborhoods and make the environment unsafe for children.
Treatment for meth abuse can be difficult to find in small towns. Rural communities frequently have fewer health facilities and treatment options than wider cities. This means that youth and adult meth users may find it difficult to get the help they need.
Meth treatment admissions per 100,000 citizens (2003): 29
Arizona is an important distribution hub for the shipment of Mexican-produced methamphetamine to U.S. markets, especially to states in the Midwest, and most of the meth in local circulation comes from Mexico rather than from clandestine labs. Indeed, until recently, lab seizures were sharply decreasing in Arizona. From a high of 389 seizures in 2000, they decreased to 122 during 2004. Nonetheless, during that same period, Arizona has seen the amount of individuals seeking treatment for meth addiction quintuple: from 614 people in 2000 to 3,301 in 2004 (or approximately 8.9% of all individuals seeking treatment for drug abuse).
Methamphetamine statistics in Arizona
In 2003, 42% of females booked into Maricopa County jail tested positive for methamphetamine.
Surveys show that 65% of Arizona state child-abuse and neglect cases involve meth.
Over the last five years, there were 1,412 meth-production-related seizures in the state of Arizona, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Methamphetamine epidemy in Arizona
Arizona's meth problem has exploded recently. In the city of Phoenix, methamphetamine-related deaths increased from 20 in 1992 to 122 in 1994, a 570% jump. Law enforcement officials blame the upsurge in trafficking and related violence on Mexican trafficking groups and their associates, who now make up 80% of meth arrests. The California-Arizona border has become to the attention for law enforcement, as interstate highways are used increasingly to move meth from suppliers in the state of California to Arizona.
Update:
The Combat Meth Act, signed by President Bush on March 9, 2006, gives minimum standards for retailers across the nation that sell products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The law limits sales to 3.6 grams of the base ingredient (the pure ephedrine or pseudoephedrine) daily and 9 grams per month, and requires that buyers provide identification and sign a sales log. Also, sellers must now keep these substances behind the counter or in a locked case and register on-line with the U.S. Attorney General.

How meth was originally develloped?
Methamphetamine was originally developed in 1919 by a Japanese pharmacologist. Even though its initial uses were for medical purposes, its ability to boost energy and to enable users to function without sleep made it attractive for military purposes during World War II. Several reports demonstrate the German army frequently distributed a form of methamphetamine to weary troops in attempt to counter battle fatigue. The ease and fast turnaround of the ephedrine reduction method of manufacture made it the popular choice of Army officials and is the most likely source of the label “Nazi Method”. Certain authors have credited by mistake the German Army with the development of meth.
Meth has undergone both legal and illicit uses in the country. In the 1930s, meth was used therapeutically to treat asthma and epileptic seizures. When the effects became more evident, meth use was banned in the United States but major pharmaceutical companies were allowed to manufacture it for export. A substantial portion distributed in Mexico and Canada found its way back into the country and was sold on the black market for illegal purposes.
Historically, outlaw motorcycle gangs operating on the West Coast dominated illegal meth production. Members of these organizations or their employees cooked meth for both financial gain and for personal use. Certain over-the-road drivers to keep them alert during long work stretches used “Speed”, one of the first forms of meth. During the 1970s, meth was a major appetite suppressant in prescription diet pills. The illegal demand for meth leaded to forged prescriptions, theft and a black market.
The reemergence of an important meth problem was discovered as early as 1983 in California. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program (ADAM) and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), all indicated a pronounced raise in its manufacture, distribution and use. The growth in clandestine labs has spread across several regions of the United States and the problem is acute in the Midwest. The simple manufacturing process, the accessibility of precursor materials, the longer high and the substantial profit margin all contribute to raises in meth production and use. The Law Enforcement answer has been severe. Several states have raised penalties for manufacture, distribution and use of methamphetamine. Many multi-jurisdictional task forces have been formed to raise enforcement activities. The Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1966 cracked down on the mail order industry and chemical supply companies, as well as rising penalties for possession, trafficking, and manufacturing of precursor chemicals and paraphernalia. Certain jurisdictions now regulate the sale of ephedrine based cold medicines and numerous have cooperative agreements with retail facilities to report purchases of meth ingredients. While these measures all help to attack the meth issue, they are unfortunately not enough. The need to increase treatment, intervention and prevention programs is very obvious. If we are to be successful, our programs need to be comprehensive and must attack meth on several fronts.

Crossroads, Inc. is a non-profit, drug and alcohol recovery, organization located in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Crossroads is a Level Four transitional facility licensed by the State of Arizona. The Crossroads program addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction, by providing food, shelter, 12 step structure and discipline. We can help you find direction to sober living. Pick up the phone and call us: 602-279-2585. Visit our website at: http://sober360.com