Category Archives: Addcition

Recovering Scooter Trash

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Life as I knew ceased to exist when I came into recovery…
At least that’s what I thought and felt at first.
When I first started to party hard it was with my foster family who were pretty hard core Bikers.
Now they were awesome to take in a street kid like me with the issues I had.
But biker life is a suck it up and sink or swim type of life.
If you had issues you better keep them to yourself or be eaten alive.
I was never good at hiding mine so I pretty much just sank from the start.

I never even ended up with the cool biker like “Slash” or “Killer”
I usually ended up with some looser called “Tater Nut’s” that was just as grateful to have me as I was to have him.
Or worse the loud obnoxious one that everybody hated and he would take his crap out on me.
Biker life was all I ever wanted to be a success at but was a miserable failure from the start.
I always wanted to be the”Cool Chick”that everyone wanted to hang out with but just never knew how.

I lived a life of poor imitations.
As my drinking and addictions grew worse so did my reputation and I started straying further and further away from the family,convinced I could never return.

After several years away I ended up doing in-custody treatment.
Nice way to say JAIL but at least I was in the program unit and it worked.
When released I really thought I had nowhere to return to so I spent my first year feeling isolated but practicing a program of recovery in my fellowship of choice.
That’s when I rediscovered Sober Bikers.

I had known about a group long ago but had heard they had disbanded now I learned they had formed a new group and I searched out their meetings…
It was love from the first one I attended !
For the first time I felt like these were people that knew where I had come from and what I had been through and all they cared about was I no longer partook of the lifestyle they too had left behind.
What I admired most was the fact that they were still bikers in every sense of the word but yet different in so many other ways than I had ever known a biker to be.
They still road hard and fast…
They still cussed and spit.
The men still wore leather and the women wore even more….
And I felt accepted.
I began to see a new life path in front of me.

Now 4 years down the road….
I no longer have to bury my issues.
I have kindred spirits that want to help me with them.
My Sponsor is a member of a Women’s MC and asked me if I would like to Probate with her club and it took me all of 1/8 of a second to say “Hell Yeah” !
Life as I knew it is over yes, but…
A new mile marker is on the horizon for me….
Gonna get my boots outta the closet..
Gonna put back on my leather…
and…
I never did stop cussing and spittin anyway…
Today I am Simply_Sandra and…
I am Gonna ride once again!

Make A Donation to Support National Recovery Month

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National Recovery Month

As many in the recovery community already know, September marks National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery month. During the month-long festivities, the recovery community tries to engage addicts, recovering addicts, potential addicts, and families to raise awareness about the realities of addiction and the possibilities of recovery.

Many organizations, nationwide, have planned events that include charitable walks, outdoor concerts, guest speakers, and much more. One such event will take place on September 12, in Miami, Fl; it is the 2009 South Florida Rally for Recovery. The goal is to raise money, through a charitable walk, to be able to gift recovery scholarship to recent recovering addicts.

With only a week left, the 2009 South Florida Rally for Recovery has not yet met its goal, but is calling upon people in the recovery community worldwide to help out and donate anything they can. For more information, please click the following link: Make a Donation.

Lastly, we’d just like to mention that the online social-networking recovery site, IntheRooms.com, is hosting the “Rally for Recovery.” IntheRooms is one of the biggest international sites dedicated to connecting people in recovery worldwide for support. ITR has 45,000 members with more than 131,000 years of combined recovery time.

September Marks National Recovery Month

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National Recovery Month

Every September, SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) and CSAT (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment) sponsor National Recovery Month across the US. The goal is to educate the public on the benefits of recovery treatment. As part of this year’s initiative, SAMHSA and CSAT have teamed to update the official website with the most comprehensive reporting on National Recovery Month.

The official website can be found at: www.recoverymonth.gov. There, anyone can find information covering a wide range of topics including: Community Events; Press Release Information; Mailed Publications, etc. I recently visited the site and found a couple of new updates since last time I’d visited.

The first update noted that SAMHSA and CSAT are offering downloadable flyers that outline the national campaign, right from the official National Recovery Month website. The second update gave a full report that outlined the details of the 2008 National Recovery Month campaign. More specifically, it outlines details that pertain to community awareness raised, and statistical information on addiction and recovery treatment.

Check back to A Global Recovery often for the latest details on National Recovery Month. Also be sure to click on the link above to take you to the official website.

New Addiction Recovery Website launches in Bangor, Maine

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Addiction Recovery Website

The Bangor Area Recovering Community Coalition (BARCC) has launched a new addiction recovery website. BARCC is a community addiction recovery organization located in Bangor, Maine.

The website offers a variety of resources, such as recovery support, which includes online self-help links, 12-step recovery information, and means through which to access licensed professionals. Bruce Campbell, chair of BARCC, states that the website will provide information and communication.

One of the main intents behind this online addiction recovery tool is to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with substance abuse, and to highlight the positive aspects of addiction recovery.

The new BARCC website is:

http://sites.google.com/site/bangorrecovery/

Malaysia Looking to Eradicate Drugs Indefinitely by 2015

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Malaysia Drugs

Malaysia recently made headlines when it undertook an aggressive initiative to eradicate drugs by 2015. The program is known as, “Rakan Anti-Dadah (Rada)” and was introduced by the country’s National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada). So, how exactly does Malaysia “realistically” intend to complete it goal? Well, with the help of the 100,000 volunteers it is actively seeking to join the effort.

According to NADA Director-general Datuk Abd Bakir, the ides is to have youth members join the effort and serve as the eyes and ears of the movement; the ideal target would be rural youths. NADA believes the higher concentration of drug use and crime in rural areas can be curbed and eventually eradicated by youths, as they easily infiltrate and blend in. The goal is that they report the drug-related activities to authorities.

Bakir said that the Malaysia National Anti-Drug Agency has been sending its officers to meet with students and trainees at local at local branch offices of the national service camps across the country, in order to meet the goal of 1,000 newly registered members from each of Malaysia’s providences.

Addiction to New Drug (Yabaa) Affects Laos

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Yabaa in Laos

A large portion of the Laos population is suffering from addiction to a new drug known as “yabaa”. “Yabaa”, which translates to “crazy drug”, is an amphetamine that is easily acquired due to its low price and high availability. The elevated consumption of “yabaa” in Laos is being attributed to the highly addictive property of the drug.

The United Nations’ office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) has estimated that of the 6 million inhabitants of Laos, approximately 40,000 of them are dealing with an addiction to “yabaa”. The UNODC has also pointed out that, currently, the Laos government does not have the means or resources necessary to deal with this new problem.

When it comes to drug related issues in Laos, the legal system generally takes on a punitive approach; for example, drug dealing is punished with life in prison or a death sentence. However, due to lack of funds, a new approach with a rehabilitation-focus is being taken. The new director of the Somsanga Center for Rehabilitation and Treatment, Sisuphanh Boupha, has implemented several changes to help addicts rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.

Chinese Pop Singer Man Wenjun Arrested for Drugs

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Man Wenjun Drugs
According to the Beijing Times, Chinese pop singer Man Wenjun was recently arrested for possession of drugs; what kinds of drugs exactly, has not been confirmed at this time.  The report also noted that Man Wenjun was arrested by Beijing police after a tip-off led them to a nightclub where they found illegal drugs in his VIP room.

The report also noted that Wenjun was partying with friends and wife, for her birthday, all of whom were also arrested on similar drug charges.  Additionally, it was noted that apparently Man Wenjun was given a drug test, which produced a positive result for drugs in his system.

Man Wenjun, now 40, is considered by many to have a distinct style within China’s often lavish pop scene.  He broke out in 1996 with his big hit “I Understand You All the Time.”  Just last year he was awarded China’s esteemed “environmental ambassadorship” award for producing environmentally conscious songs.

National Institutes of Health to Study “Party Drugs” in Brazil

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Party Drugs Brazil

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a $117 million dollar grant to the University of Delaware to conduct a study on “Party Drugs” in Brazil. The study would be the first of its kind in Brazil. The study will take place in Porte Alegre, Brazil and will be conducted with the aid of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil).

The term “Party Drugs” is most commonly used to refer to drugs that are be used frequently in the club scene; more specifically, Ecstasy, Crystal Meth, LSD, GHB, etc.  These Party Drugs are considered especially dangerous because they are often used to commit date rapes. 200 participants, between the ages of 18-39, will have their histories examined and their behaviors monitored as part of the study.

The proposal submitted to National Institutes of Health stated that the study aims to: “distribute ‘harm reduction’ literature at club events and that is positive.” Additionally, the immediate goal of the study is to produce literature on local treatment centers in the native Brazilian Portuguese.

IntheRooms.com Officially Announces “South Florida Rally For Recovery”

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South Florida Rally For Recovery intherooms.com

Just this week, the social networking site especially dedicated to people in addiction recovery, In the Rooms (intherooms.com) announced that on September 12th of 2009 they will be hosting the South Florida Rally For Recovery in honor of the 20th Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Sept). The official In the Rooms Rally for Recovery charity walk logo is located above in black.

Thus far, In the Rooms (ITR) has announced that the recovery rally will take place around Biscayne Bay in the Downtown area of Miami, FL and will consist of the following segments (the following is quoted directly from intherooms.com):

1) The Walk – Show your support for recovery and stand up for what you believe in! Be an advocate and walk with us to show what recovery is, that today we are healthy and productive members of society!

2) The Festival – All day in Bicentennial Park, we will have wonderful food, great speakers, recovery music, exhibits, special guests and surprises.

3) The Concert – At the end of the day, we will be having Richie Supa perform his PRISM Award winning song, In The Rooms; in addition we are also having a special surprise guest, so stay tuned!
For further updates on South Florida Rally For Recovery, please check back often.

Switzerland Passes Legislation for Legal Heroin Program

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Switzerland Heroin Program

The overwhelming majority of Swiss citizens have voted to make their comprehensive heroin program permanent. The program, which began in 1994, is composed of 23 centers to which heroin addicts may attend and get two daily doses of heroin. The doses are carefully administered with clean needles under the supervision of a nurse and the heroin used is produced in government laboratories.

Even though the addicts selected to receive these services have been previously unresponsive to therapy, the heroin program also provides psychiatric and counseling services.

The program has been praised for its reduction of “out in the open” heroin users in Switzerland, as well as reducing crime and improving the health and lives of addicts.

Trial programs modeled after the Swiss one are being put into effect or being considered on countries all over the world, including Spain, Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada. Still, some United Nation countries have criticized the program saying it may encourage drug use.