September 2008 Newsletter
September 1, 2008
Recovery
~Randy Meenach
It’s interesting thinking about works in different ways. A work like Recovery. One that we all use occasionally for a variety of situations, health, addictions, emotional states, environmental calamities etc. On the other hand, it sounds like a place in England where you might have a chair or couch newly upholstered, or your Triumph TR3 seats redone. “I think we should take this down to the recovery mat, before it gets any more work down.” Re-covering something is what we might do when we need to renew, refresh, reinvent or rejuvenate something in our lives.
Perhaps re-covering is a fresh way of thinking about what happens when a person changes, works through a situation, does things differently, alters pathways and attempts to get over something. Reinventing themselves with a new look, a new way of being, a healthy makeover. A re-covering of the old, and an update on what is basically a fine frame to begin with. Healing. A recovery is a good and invigorating thing for all of us from time to time. It changes the landscape, the way we view ourselves and our world.
Youngsters Are Getting Drunk
~Susan Reuling Furness
It may come as no surprise that many young people are drinking alcohol before they are legally “of age.” What is bothersome is how often adults provide alcohol to underaged youth AND that kids are drinking heavily at earlier and earlier ages.
Statistics released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveal 10.8 million American youths, between the ages of 12 to 20, drink alcohol. The report also shows that a majority of these drinkers are given alcohol by adults.
Based on results from 2006, SAMHSA reports that 9.4 percent of youths between the ages of 12 and 20 met medical criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse. Twenty-eight percent drink “some” and 19 percent say they have had five or more alcoholic drinks on one or more occasions in the month prior to the survey. A third of these drinkers (6.2 percent of 12 to 20 year olds) reported drinking five or more days in the prior month.
The report projects an estimated 2.4 million underage heavy drinkers. Among young men, ages 18 –20, the rate of abuse and/or dependence reached 20%. Girls between the ages of 12 and 14 have higher rates of binge drinking and alcohol dependence/abuse than boys in this youngest age group.
The report notes that home environment has an important effect on young people’s drinking habits. The rates of alcohol use and dependence or abuse by underage youth were “considerably higher” if they lived with a drinking parent. In the 2006 survey, more than two–thirds (69 percent) of all underage drinkers said they got free alcohol from an unrelated adult, another underage person, or an adult family member (parent or guardian) or from their own or someone else’s home.
The Office of the Surgeon General and SAMHSA encourage parents to speak with their children early and often about the negative effects of underage drinking. Further information and a campaign to reverse these statistics can be found at: http www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. The full report is available on the Web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/underage2k8/toc.htm. Copies may be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request inventory number SMA 08-4333.
Navigating Transitions to Discover Self-Confidence, Identity, and Generosity Part II
~ Stephen H. Hill, Ph.D.
Last month I reviewed how parents can help younger children and teens develop a sense of appropriate pride in their productive accomplishments, in developing a separate identity from the family, and sense of social belonging with peers. Erik Erikson, M.D. likewise gives a framework for the critical tasks and transitions we face in adulthood. If finding yourself or a loved one “stuck” at any of these phases, seeking some appropriate counseling will often help resolve the problem and take away the unnecessary angst of navigating these waters alone.
As young adults we continue our social development with peers, further forming our personality, social likes and dislikes, and hopefully deepening our relationships with peers. Though we all naturally differ in our level of introversion or extraversion, as human beings we all crave a sense of social connection and intimacy—otherwise we can suffer feelings of isolation, loneliness and even can develop “social anxiety,” with or without accompanying panic attacks.
Many teens and young adults I work with have become socially shy to a harmful degree, despite a goal of making more friends or finding a significant other. Counseling can help them voice these often-secret fears, then supportively learn how to interact much more comfortably. After all, social interaction doesn’t come as naturally to everyone, especially in large group settings or intimidating work situations. However, it is a set of skills that can be learned and made drastically smoother with enough practice. Other adults I meet have their social world turned upside down by divorce, or by the death of a loved one or friend. In any of these cases, I remind clients that it’s perfectly normal to feel some degree of social nervousness when branching out socially, or re-entering the dating scene.
But if social butterflies truly are preventing social interaction in social settings, or if you find yourself chronically avoiding social gatherings, it may be time to seek some help in a professional, supportive environment. Again, whether meeting new friends or seeking a romantic partner, the social skills that lead to success can be learned and made less rusty once internal fears and feelings of inferiority or intimidation are successfully dealt with.
So, if you or a loved one just feels “stuck” in the social world, youre only outlet doesn’t have to be the self-help section of the bookstore. I often find the special interpersonal relationship with a quality therapist can be a powerful, relatively fast tool in resolving social angst and making social growth materialize. Also, if you missed Part I of this article and would like a reprint, please email or call our office manager Heather and she will be happy to send you one.
September is the annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. For too long, substance use disorders have robbed many Americans of their health and well-being, taking a toll on families, the workforce, and communities’ health care resources.
Recovery is an achievable goal. As the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I challenge you to make a difference in your community. Together, we can open more doors to recovery for individuals striving to return to society and contribute to their community.
~ adapted from a letter by Michael O. Leavitt
Real people…
Addiction affects millions of people every year, with 69 percent of Americans reporting that they know someone who struggles with alcohol or drugs. In 2006, 22.6 million people aged 12 and older were living with substance use disorder in the past year, making it more common than coronary heart disease.
A substance use disorder means that a person is dependent on or abuses alcohol and/or drugs, including the nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Fortunately, many people find refuge in treatment and long-term recovery. In 2006, 4 million people aged 12 or older received some form of treatment, ranging from residential and outpatient programs to self-help groups. Similar to other chronic disorders, substance use disorders are medical conditions that can be treated, and more importantly, for which recovery is possible.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), successful treatment can encourage people to go to drug and alcohol counseling and group meetings, avoid people, places and situations that trigger trouble, work with a counselor to show a commitment to change, and learn anger management and job skills to open more choices in life. Many different treatment options exist, which is important because substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life and do not discriminate based on age, race, gender, ethnicity, class, or employment status.
To receive the most effective and comprehensive treatment, it is essential that people with substance use disorders, together with their providers, identify the most appropriate course of treatment for them and their families. Effective treatment depends on a variety of factors; treatment must take into account a person’s cultural background, other health conditions, family and work responsibilities, and other specific substances to which a person is addicted. According to SAMHSA, in 2006, 83 percent of treatment facilities offered at least one special program or group for certain client types.
For confidential information and treatment referral, please call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP or visit SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator at www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov. For more information and materials about substance use disorders, treatment, and recovery, visit SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s Web site at www.csat.samhsa.gov. Additional information is available at www.recoverymonth.gov
American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) – 703-838-9808
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) – 703-548-6002
American Psychological Association (APA) 800-374-2721
Recovery Resources
Betty Ford Center 800-854-9211
Hazelden Foundation 800-257-7810
Hope Networks/We Recover Foundation 866-859-3513
National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence 800-NCA-CALL
Partnership for Recovery (PFR) 202-737-8167