SAMHSA announces a working definition of “recovery” from mental disorders and substance use disorders

A new working definition of recovery from mental disorders and substance use disorders is being announced by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The definition is the product of a year-long effort by SAMHSA and a wide range of partners in the behavioral health care community and other fields to develop a working definition of recovery that captures the essential, common experiences of those recovering from mental disorders and substance use disorders, along with major guiding principles that support the recovery definition. SAMHSA led this effort as part of its Recovery Support Strategic Initiative.

The new working definition of Recovery from Mental Disorders and Substance Use Disorders is as follows:

A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

“Over the years it has become increasingly apparent that a practical, comprehensive working definition of recovery would enable policy makers, providers, and others to better design, deliver, and measure integrated and holistic services to those in need,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “By working with all elements of the behavioral health community and others to develop this definition, I believe SAMHSA has achieved a significant milestone in promoting greater public awareness and appreciation for the importance of recovery, and widespread support for the services that can make it a reality for millions of Americans.”

A major step in addressing this need occurred in August2010 when SAMHSA convened a meeting of behavioral health leaders, consisting of mental health consumers and individuals in addiction recovery. Together these members of the behavioral health care community developed a draft definition and principles of recovery to reflect common elements of the recovery experience for those with mental disorders and/or substance use disorders.

In the months that have followed, SAMHSA worked with the behavioral health care community and other interested parties in reviewing drafts of the working recovery definition and principles with stakeholders at meetings, conferences and other venues. In August 2011, SAMHSA posted the working definition and principles that resulted from this process on the SAMHSA blog and invited comments from the public via SAMHSA Feedback Forums.  The blog post received 259 comments, and the forums had over 1000 participants, nearly 500 ideas, and over 1,200 comments on the ideas. Many of the comments received have been incorporated into the current working definition and principles.

Through the Recovery Support Strategic Initiative, SAMHSA has also delineated four major dimensions that support a life in recovery:

Health : overcoming or managing one’s disease(s) as well as living in a physically and emotionally healthy way;

Home: a stable and safe place to live;

Purpose: meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school, volunteerism, family caretaking, or creative endeavors, and the independence, income and resources to participate in society; and

Community : relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope.

Guiding Principles of Recovery

Recovery emerges from hope: The belief that recovery is real provides the essential and motivating message of a better future – that people can and do overcome the internal and external challenges, barriers, and obstacles that confront them. 

Recovery is person-driven: Self-determination and self-direction are the foundations for recovery as individuals define their own life goals and design their unique path(s). 

Recovery occurs via many pathways: Individuals are unique with distinct needs, strengths, preferences, goals, culture, and backgrounds ? including trauma experiences ? that affect and determine their pathway(s) to recovery. Abstinence is the safest approach for those with substance use disorders.

Recovery is holistic: Recovery encompasses an individual’s whole life, including mind, body, spirit, and community. The array of services and supports available should be integrated and coordinated.

Recovery is supported by peers and allies: Mutual support and mutual aid groups, including the sharing of experiential knowledge and skills, as well as social learning, play an invaluable role in recovery

Recovery is supported through relationship and social networks: An important factor in the recovery process is the presence and involvement of people who believe in the person’s ability to recover; who offer hope, support, and encouragement; and who also suggest strategies and resources for change. 

Recovery is culturally-based and influenced : Culture and cultural background in all of its diverse representations ? including values, traditions, and beliefs ? are keys in determining a person’s journey and unique pathway to recovery. 

Recovery is supported by addressing trauma : Services and supports should be trauma-informed to foster safety (physical and emotional) and trust, as well as promote choice, empowerment, and collaboration. 

Recovery involves individual, family, and community strengths and responsibility: Individuals, families, and communities have strengths and resources that serve as a foundation for recovery. 

Recovery is based on respect : Community, systems, and societal acceptance and appreciation for people affected by mental health and substance use problems – including protecting their rights and eliminating discrimination – are crucial in achieving recovery. 

For further detailed information about the new working recovery definition or the guiding principles of recovery please visit:  http://www.samhsa.gov/recovery/

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Wow! – I agree with this but would like to see a greater emphasis on Spirituality.

What do you think?

What is denial?

• Being unwilling to face problems on either a conscious or subconscious level.
• Acting as if there are no problems to face.
• A defensive response; protection from pain, hurt, or suffering
• A mask to hide feelings or emotions behind.
• A way to avoid conflict, disagreements, or disapproval from others.
• A way to avoid facing the negative consequences of reality.
• A way of retaining our sanity when experiencing unbearable pain.
• A way to repress the truth of our loss, a way to continue to function in a “normally.”
• A pattern of life for individuals who are compulsively driven to “look good.”
• A way to avoid the risk of change as a result of problems or loss.

How does denial look to others?

Persons in denial:

• Appear to be irrational to those who know the problems and losses they have suffered.
• Appear to be calm and relaxed to those who do not know the problems and losses they have suffered.
• Are a cause of frustration to those who want them to confront the truth of the problem or loss honestly.
• Appear to be unemotional, apathetic, or indifferent in the face of loss.
• Are considered pathetic and pitiable by those who have tried to confront them with the denial and have failed.
• Appear to be caught up in magical thinking about the loss involved.
• Appear to be excessively involved in fantasy thinking about the loss or problem.
• Appear to be childlike, very dependent on others to nurture them and reassure them that everything will be all right.
• Appear to be running away from the truth concerning their problems or loss.
• Appear to be avoiding or rejecting those who are intent on confronting them with their problems.

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Know What To Ask

The goal of drug abuse treatment is to stop drug use and allow people to lead active lives in the family, workplace, and community. One continual challenge, however, is keeping patients in treatment long enough for them to achieve this goal. That is why finding the right treatment for a person’s specific needs is critical. Drug abuse treatment is not “one size fits all.” Treatment outcomes depend on the:

• extent and nature of the person’s problems;
• appropriateness of treatment;
• availability of additional services; and
• quality of interaction between the person and his or her treatment providers.

Family and friends can play important roles in motivating people with drug problems to enter and remain in treatment. However, trying to identify the right treatment programs for a loved one can be a difficult process.

To help, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) created this brief guide containing five questions to ask when searching for a treatment program:

• Does the program use treatments backed by scientific evidence?
• Does the program tailor treatment to the needs of each patient?
• Does the program adapt treatment as the patient’s needs change?
• Is the duration of treatment sufficient?
• How do 12-step or similar recovery programs fit into drug addiction treatment?

Full PDF document – Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask

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More than 3,000 people from churches around the world attended Saddleback Church’s Celebrate Recovery Summit and helped commemorate the 20th year of the Christ-centered program for addictions, which originated at the Southern California church.

The program incorporates Biblical principles into the 12 steps of recovery found in Alcoholics Anonymous and specifies the belief that Jesus Christ is the “higher power” who heals chemical addictions as well as other social problems.

FULL STORY AT; Saddleback Church’s ‘Celebrate Recovery’ Now in 17,000 Churches Worldwide, Christian News.

Binge Drinking and Sudden Death in Russia

Alcohol is a major cause of unnecessary death among Russian men. That fact is unlikely to surprise even the most casual observer of Russia. But after crunching several years’ worth of data, a leading researcher expressed a sense of surprise over the extent of reckless drinking in Russia and its impact on heart disease.

In very detailed and clinical language, Dr. Martin McKee explained during a recent presentation at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, how alcoholic behavior contributes to an extraordinarily high mortality rate among Russian men. McKee, a public health professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, manages the largest team of researchers working on health issues in former Soviet bloc countries. Some contributed to these findings.

“We have had these remarkable fluctuations in life expectancy which really defy our understanding of the nature of disease in a population–generally outside wartime you do not get changes of the scale that we have seen,” McKee said during the presentation.

“To try to understand this phenomenon, we clearly need to understand what’s going on at all … levels,” McKee continued. “So, to put it another way, it’s not just enough to ask–if we are looking at alcohol–why do people die? We need to ask why do they drink? What do they drink? Why, when they drink to the extent that they do, do they fall down and why does no one pick them up?”

A major problem is that some Russians consume so much alcohol that they suffer from alcohol poisoning, McKee’s team found. The most dangerous form of drinking involves alcohol-based substances not meant for human consumption, including ethanol-based liquids and anti-freeze. Some Russians drink diluted forms of these toxic substances because they have twice the concentration of alcohol than spirits, and are taxed at only one-third the rate of hard liquor.

Another problem is the way Russians drink. There is a specific word in Russian – zapoi – to describe a phenomenon in which an individual goes on an alcoholic-bender that can last days, causing the drinker’s withdrawal from normal social life. This type of binge drinking is thought to lead to high rates of sudden heart failure from acute stress on cardiovascular muscles.

Moderate consumption of alcohol can have a protective effect against coronary artery disease. But such protective effects are negated when heavy, irregular drinking occurs. Binge drinkers are vulnerable to stroke from hypertension and sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia.

The large number of premature Russian alcohol-related deaths is due to chronic heavy drinking, binge drinking, and the drinking of potentially toxic substances containing high levels of alcohol. “The spectrum of cardiovascular disease is appreciably different in the former Soviet Union than it is in Western Europe,” McKee said.

Based on the research his team conducted in one Russian region from 2003-2005, McKee concluded that hazardous drinking — defined as heavy binge drinking, or the consumption of potentially toxic alcohol — accounted for 43 percent of deaths among working age (25-54) men in a typical Russian city. Applied to Russia as a whole, the data indicates that such phenomena cause an estimated 170,000 excess male deaths per year. A subsequent study in 2009 in Barnaul, a city in Siberia, indicated that more than half of all deaths of working-age males could be attributable to some form of alcoholism.

McKee’s findings have interesting policy implications. The scope of primary prevention needs to extend in Russia beyond the conventional “Western” model with its focus on smoking, diet and exercise, McKee asserted during his December 8 presentation in Washington. In addition to honing policies that provide for improved medical and psychological treatment, McKee advocated that Russian authorities consider legislative changes that discourage binge drinking. Authorities also need to redouble efforts to implement policies in Russia’s regions, he said.

McKee’s team confirmed that other factors contributed to high Russian death rates, including widespread cigarette smoking, poor diet, and the mistreatment of hypertension. McKee also noted that Russian life expectancy has been improving in recent years, due in part to government measures that have made alcohol-based products, not just spirits, more difficult to acquire. But as in the past, he emphasized, current conditions were prone to sudden shifts, meaning existing trends could quickly change.

Originally published by www.EurasiaNet.org

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For years I used exercise as a denial mechanism. There is no way I could have a drinking “problem” if I got up in the morning and swim-bike-run like this. The worse my drinking, the more I swam, biked and ran. Harder. Faster. Harder. Faster.

Exercise also provided an outlet for my mania. On those days when my mania flared, I felt like a racehorse in the gate – eyes wide, hooves pounding at the dirt. Open that gate baby and I will kick your ass. I once ran the last six miles of a marathon without my shoes because my shoes were killing me and I was not about to stop.

My alcoholism and bipolar just love each other. They are evil little twins. When I put one to bed the other one sneaks in and wakes up the other. I have been sober almost 13 years and the mania is still banging on the door. My medications have been an incredible help in taming the beast and lifting the depression.

Full story at;   Alcoholism and Bipolar: My Evil Little Twins | Depression on My Mind.

New research shows that attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may increase spirituality and help decrease frequency and intensity of alcohol use

• Alcoholics Anonymous is a widely known 12-step program that can help individuals control their dependence on alcohol, and spirituality is a large part
• A new study shows that spirituality does increase over time, which can lead to better alcohol outcomes and an improved rate of recovery
• These results indicate that spirituality is an important factor in the multi-faceted recovery from an alcohol-use disorder

More at; The effects of spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous on alcohol dependence.

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A new collection of Speaker Tapes has been found in America.

The collection of MP3 tracks includes;

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• AA Founders
• AA Pioneers
• Big Book Authors
• Al-anon
• Narcotics Anonymous

This library of tapes is estimated at 50,000 on wire recordings, reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes and dates back to the 1940′s. Collected by Bill and Arbutus O’Neal of Texas.

This collection is progressively being converted to MP3 however there are currently several hundred available for free down load.

These AA speaker tapes are mostly American but there are talks from Australia, Britain, Germany and Tokyo.

• Go to; Recovery Speakers
• Donations to the project are welcome

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Image via Wikipedia

Low Alcohol Tolerance Linked to Gene

Researchers say they’ve identified a gene that makes some people more sensitive to the effects of alcohol, the BBC News reported Oct. 19.

University of North Carolina investigators conducted a genome analysis of 200 sibling pairs who had one parent with alcohol dependence but no alcohol problems themselves. Participants were then given the equivalent of three alcoholic drinks and asked to describe the effects. Their descriptions were compared with their genetic test results.

The researchers found that participants with the gene CYP2E1 on chromosome 10 were less able to “hold their liquor” than participants without it. The CYP2E1 gene is known to affect the way alcohol is metabolized in the brain.

“Alcoholism is a very complex disease, and there are lots of complicated reasons why people drink. This may be just one of the reasons,” said Kirk Wilhelmsen, MD, PhD, lead author of the study.

Still, the researchers see the potential for developing a synthetic version of the gene to increase alcohol sensitivity — and thus decrease consumption — in the future.

“Obviously we are a long way off having a treatment,” concluded Wilhelmsen. “But the gene we have found tells us a lot.”

The study was published online Oct. 19 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

From; Join Together.

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Test your knowledge of alcohol-related risks and find out the facts about drinking. Can you tell fact from fiction?

There are so many stories around alcohol and drinking that it’s hard to know what to believe.

Knowing the facts about how drinking affects your body is the best way to make sure you drink safely.

Below are some common myths around drinking. Read on to find out the real facts about alcohol.

Myth: Drinking makes sex better

Truth: Alcohol can help you avoid feeling awkward or can help you feel more confident. But it can keep men from getting or keeping an erection, and it can reduce sex drive. More importantly, you might put yourself in a risky situation or you might not use a condom, putting you at greater risk of a sexually transmitted disease or an unwanted pregnancy.

Myth: Beer gets you less drunk.

Truth:

• An average pint of beer
• large glass of wine
• a ‘large’ double vodka

all have around 2.8 units of alcohol .This is what makes you drunk chemically, and the faster you drink the full 2.8 units, the higher your peak blood level.

Myth: Switching between beer, wine, and spirits will make you more drunk.

Truth: Your blood alcohol content is what determines how drunk you are. Mixing drinks may make you sicker by upsetting your stomach, but not more intoxicated.

Myth: A big meal before you drink will keep you sober.

Truth: Drinking on a full stomach will delay alcohol getting into your system, not prevent it. However, it is best to eat a proper meal before a night out, especially foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins.

Myth: Your body develops a tolerance to alcohol, so you can safely drink more

Truth: The more you drink the more damage your body will sustain and the greater the risks become. Tolerance to alcohol can actually be seen as a warning sign that your body has started to be affected by too much drinking.

Alcohol’s hidden harms usually only emerge after a couple of years. And by then, serious health problems can have developed.

Keeping to NHS recommended limits will reduce the risk of alcohol harming your health:

• Men should not exceed 3-4 units a day on a regular basis;
• Women should not exceed 2-3 units a day on a regular basis.

Source: NHS Choices

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