Many companies today have guidelines in place to qualify them as certified drug-free workplaces. Some states have additional benefits for doing this, but the real incentive should be to have healthier staff who are more dependable and productive.
We have developed a special presentation to meet the one-hour yearly requirement of employee drug education, that is guaranteed not to be covered by anyone else. So this year, why not have Lucas Catton (CEO of Addiction Recovery Consultants) come out and address the issue with your employees instead of the same-old, boring, out-dated and sometimes even misleading or false information provided by other speakers or newsletters.
Contact Addiction Recovery Consultants for more information, including how to get group discount rates for multiple businesses or locations. Drug-free workplace programs should do more than just fill a requirement, and can actually be life- and money-saving endeavors.
Ok, so we’re shooting to finish up the final editing this week for the documentary film Curing Addiction as well as have the poster/dvd cover design completed. It’s time to get your pre-order in so we know how many copies to have made in the first run.
I have also been going through the film festivals to decide which ones to submit to over the next few months, as well as scoping out a place for a premiere during Recovery Month. So, a lot is happening and we’re finally getting close to the official release!
Don’t wait to get your orders in, just click here to reserve your copies today. Feel free to get a few so you can get them in the hands of others who might be interested!
Missouri state officials just passed a law stating that people receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) could be tested if illegal drug use is suspected, and if they test positive or refuse the test then they must complete a treatment program. (See the story on ConnectMidMissouri.com here). If they refuse treatment then they become ineligible for the assistance for a period of three years.
While I’m sure there are many flaws in this legislation, I do believe it is a step in the right direction. It could be implemented into more public assistance programs, and give more options for treatments to increase the chances of success, among other things. The key word, I believe, is Temporary, as that is what it should be. Help people in need through tough times get back on their feet. If someone wants to use drugs and aren’t causing harm to others, fine, but taxpayers shouldn’t have to support their habits.
I do hope laws like these expand to more programs, more states and eventually a national level, but keeping in mind that treatment shouldn’t be used as punishment, and the programs should have to demonstrate an ability to get results. I wrote about this very topic in my book The New Face of Recovery. Check it out.
Posted a new video about some of the surprising facts about the prescription drug epidemic that America is currently facing. Watch it for some interesting info on opioid replacement drugs, antipsychotics, and others. Feel free to comment.
One of the most important aspects of the transition from substance abuser to being fully recovered is what happens after the initial treatment. This aftercare and follow-up is often crucial to an individual’s success in life, not just for their sobriety. While most programs do have some type of discharge planning process and aftercare, it is often lacking.
In the more traditional 12-step models, people have meetings to go to and sponsors to help them along the way. On one hand some of the components of these meetings can keep people stuck in the past, fearing relapse and believing they have an incurable disease, yet on the other hand having a support group and a person they can count on is vital.
Non-12-step facilities are much fewer in number and do not have the support group networks in place in such saturated availability as AA or NA meetings, yet there are some other options. For starters, if more facilities would hire people whose only jobs are aftercare and follow-up support, this would at least lend the availability of someone to talk to and guide individuals over the phone if not available in person. Additionally, there are other support groups available such as SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety, and others. If the individual treatment center itself doesn’t have sufficient aftercare for someone, then looking into one of these non-12 step self-help recovery groups may be an option.
It is also important to keep in mind that a support group doesn’t necessarily have to be one focused on addiction recovery, as many former substance abusers find groups at their church, work, athletic leagues and social networks to be extremely helpful in their permanent transition.
What other methods of aftercare and support would you recommend?
Most of us have been told that addiction is an incurable disease, but who really benefits from such a notion? Take a look and think about it, then do some more research for yourself.
As our documentary on curing addiction continues its production, a recurring theme that has emerged for people who are no longer addicted was the DECISION to stop. When someone decides to do something, and sticks to that decision, then it can be accomplished.
This is not to say that someone who hasn’t decided yet can’t make it, because there are innumerable examples of how people can be led to the point of finally making that decision for themselves.
This was certainly true for me as well. After many external pressures I forced myself to examine who was really causing problems in my life. It was me, and therefore I was really the only one who could fix it, although I sought guidance on how to fix it, like so many others.
This is what the documentary is ultimately about – being a causative solution in life rather than the effect of some ficticious disease.
Wow, just finished up the first week of filming on the West Coast for the documentary on curing addiction. We interviewed 10 people of all varying levels of education and training, some of whom had recovered themselves and the rest simply help others to recover. What was most fascinating to me is that I am having new doors and recommended contacts open up to me who are in basic agreement of the premise of this film – they do not believe that addiction is an incurable brain disease, that more alternative forms of treatment must be made available to the masses, and that there are underlying causes that need to be addressed (addiction is the symptom, not the real problem).
Each of these places may approach the subject slightly differently, but all of them welcome the notion that there is no single method of addiction recovery that works for everyone.
Soon we will start some East Cost filming, and I am getting more excited about the process each day and can’t wait for the completion!
As we continue to move forward with our documentary on curing addiction, I have realized that in order to really create positive change in the addiction recovery landscape, we must actually work together. Rather than this program over hear claiming to be the best and working all alone and that facility over there doing the same, and the two of them working against each other as well as other methods, we must work together.
There is a common ground on which must of us in the alternative (non-12 step, non-disease-theory) treatment field can agree upon. These commonalities should be used as foundations to build positive working relationships and come together as a unified team to be able to share resources for changing the social and political climates regarding addiction treatment.
While this may be a byproduct of the film, I actually feel that it has much more potential for creating lasting change and reversing the declining trend of our current governmental approach to treating addiction. I look forward to helping this unfold and would love to serve as a speaker on this regard.