We Restore Hope -

We are always the same age inside. ~Gertrude Stein

The husband of the driver in a crash that killed eight people, including herself, insists his wife was not drunk and high behind the wheel, despite overwhelming medical and forensic evidence.

“My heart is clear,” said Daniel Schuler. “She did not drink. She is not an alcoholic.”
Diane Schuler is blamed for killing her daughter, three nieces and three men in a head-on collision on the Taconic State Parkway in New York on July 26.

Daniel Schuler suggested his wife’s diabetes, a sudden stroke or a tooth abscess may have caused her to drive down the wrong way on the highway. But experts say it is possible that Diane Schuler hid her alcoholism from her husband and family.

“Any good addict, over time, becomes better and better at hiding and sneaking their use,” said Brenda Iliff, clinical director of the Hazelden Women’s Recovery Center in Center City, Minnesota. “What generally happens with addiction [is that] at some point somebody may say something, and people go into shame, they may pull it in and control it and keep it from other people.”

Alcoholism is on the rise, particularly among women. Five times the number of women will die of alcohol-related illnesses than of breast cancer in this country. And many of these women are keeping their drinking habit hidden from their loved ones.

Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark. ~Rabindranath Tagore

Opium is taking a heavy toll on the women and children of Afghanistan, but it is addiction, not production, that is in the spotlight. Opium is cheaper than a meal, staves off hunger, and brings the family some happiness. Drug workers, however, estimate there are at least two million addicts – a quarter of them women and children – in the country, which produces and exports almost all of the world’s opium.

“For every addicted mother, there are on average four addicted children,” says the head of a treatment center in Kabul. “If something isn’t done today, the country will lose a generation to drugs.”

On the whole, the happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause for being happy except that they are so. ~William R Inge

Opium is taking a heavy toll on the women and children of Afghanistan, but it is addiction, not production, that is in the spotlight. Opium is cheaper than a meal, staves off hunger, and brings the family some happiness. Drug workers, however, estimate there are at least two million addicts – a quarter of them women and children – in the country, which produces and exports almost all of the world’s opium.

“For every addicted mother, there are on average four addicted children,” says the head of a treatment center in Kabul. “If something isn’t done today, the country will lose a generation to drugs.”

There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God’s finger on man’s shoulder. ~Charles Morgan

A new study indicates that rising addiction rates be linked to our bad economy.

The study by Phoenix House, a non-profit alcohol and drug abuse treatment facility, was designed to gauge public perception and awareness of addiction levels since since the economy took a turn for the worse in the fall of 2008. Researchers gathered information from more than 400 people. Thirty four percent had a friend or family member who is currently struggling with a substance abuse problem and 40 percent report that drugs have caused troubles in their family at some point in their lifetime. About one in three respondents feel that younger people are abusing illegal drugs more than usual and one in four think that younger people are drinking more than before the recession. About 18 percent say their friends are drinking more than usual, and 17 percent report the same behavior in their co-workers.

Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening! ~Author Unknown

A North Dakota woman woman accused of breastfeeding her six-week-old baby while drunk has been ordered to get treatment that could help her avoid jail.

Stacey Anvarinia pleaded guilty to child neglect in June. She told Judge Sonia Clapp at her sentencing last Friday that she knew what she did was wrong and she is working hard to get her daughter back. The 26-year-old was arrested in February after police answered a domestic disturbance call at her Grand Forks home and they saw her breastfeeding the infant. The case made international news and created debate about breastfeeding, alcohol and privacy.

The judge sentenced Anvarinia to 18 months in jail with all but six months suspended and said Anvarinia could get credit for chemical dependency treatment.

If I despised myself, it would be no compensation if everyone saluted me, and if I respect myself, it does not trouble me if others hold me lightly. ~Max Nordau

Two federal departments have come together to create a first-time collaborative funding project to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans and their families. The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism along with the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Veterans Affairs have announced a seven million dollar funding opportunity for research in this area.

There is a growing awareness that returning military personnel need help confronting a variety of war-related problems including substance abuse, traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and sleep problems. Many of these problems are interconnected and contribute to individual health and family relationship crises, yet there has been little research on how to prevent and treat the unique characteristics of combat related substance abuse issues. The funding opportunity announcement will focus on the causes, screening and identification, prevention and treatment of substance use and abuse.

“The transition period as soldiers withdraw from battlefield stress and face the rigors of re-adjusting to life at home can be a critical turning point,” said NIAAA Acting Director Kenneth Warren. “This partnership will enhance our efforts to find solutions to the complex alcohol and substance abuse problems that plague our soldiers and their families.”

Life is the sum of all your choices. ~Albert Camus

A 4-year-old girl in Tampa was taken to the hospital after eating candy that was tainted with Oxycontin. The girl was with her grandparents, driving home Monday from Tampa International Airport, when she became lethargic. Her grandparents took her to the hospital where she was treated and released.

Police found several pills mixed in with the Skittles, and say the bag had been resealed. Airport police chief Paul Sireci says officers pulled about 30 bags of Skittles off store shelves as a precaution.

Sireci says it is possible someone gave the candy to the girl, or she picked up the bag from a random spot at the airport. An investigation is in progress.

To fall into a habit is to begin to cease to be. ~Miguel de Unamuno

A new study found obese people’s eating habits are similar to a drug addict’s patterns. When researchers gave snacks to obese and non-obese women, the healthy-weight women wanted less of the treat over time, but the obese women wanted more. About sixty women, half obese, had to perform tasks to “earn” points towards eating. The overweight women were more likely to do more to get food, and in some cases, the obese women wanted the food even if they did not like it. Researchers say the pattern is similar to one seen in the behavior of drug addicts.

One may miss the mark by aiming too high as too low. ~Thomas Fuller

Following an initial hospitalization for acute alcohol-associated pancreatitis, repeated visits to an outpatient gastrointestinal clinic for brief motivational alcohol counseling sessions more effectively reduces further episodes than a single “talk” given to the patient at the time of discharge.

“The fact that recurrent acute pancreatitis during the first few years after the first episode of alcohol-associated acute pancreatitis is still a major problem speaks for the need of improved methods,” said Dr. Isto Nordback, lead researcher of the study in Finland.

The researchers randomly assigned 120 patients with a first episode of alcohol induced acute pancreatitis to repeated anti-alcohol conversations or a one-time conversation. A nurse gave the first 30 minute message in both groups before discharge, and then repeated it in the test group at six month intervals during outpatient clinic visits.

Three key messages were given during these talks: alcohol is toxic to the pancreas; a change in drinking habits is needed; and it is the patient’s responsibility to change. The social and economic problems drinking create were also discussed.