Daily I see people in my agency working as Recovery Coaches or Peer Support Specialists and I am warmed and delighted by their enthusiasm. Some of the PSS have had severe, debilitating addictions and mental health issues and have overcome the obstacles of their mental health and substance use issues.

Hallelujah! It is so wonderful to see!

One person helping another. Support and understanding are key.

Hope and help are possible. Recovery awaits those who seek it.

http://smokefree.gov/nicotine-addiction-quiz

Smoking is as addictive as any other substance.

Second hand smoke has negative consequences to children, family members and anyone exposed it.

When people are addicted, they have a compulsive need to seek out and use a substance, even when they understand the harm it can cause. Tobacco products—cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco—can all be addictive. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, and most people that do it want to quit. In fact, nearly 35 million people make a serious attempt to quit each year. Unfortunately, most who try to quit on their own relapse—often within a week.

Seek help from your MD for smoking addiction.

Often I see young men and women begging on the side of the freeway near a very affluent neighborhood.

Their signs say things like; will work for food, homeless vet, out of gas, etc.

I question whether to avoid eye contact with these people or to look at them and wonder when they might seek treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

They look thin, disheveled, desperate.

I have rolled down my window and offered water, food and have mentioned social service agencies which might offer these kids help. Mostly, I refuse to give money because my gut tells me they are " jonesing for a fix." I cannot in good conscience pay for their opiates.

It saddens and concerns me that so many youth have become addicted to heroin, lortab, OxyContin and other drugs.

Drug addiction is treatable however getting a person to recognize when the negative consequences overshadow the benefits of mood altering highs is tough.

I don't have the answer for treating youth with heroin problems but I can serve as a resource to those seeking help.

The compulsive cycle of addiction is prisoner-making. Free yourself or your loved one from this debilitating disease by seeking treatment.

Principles of Effective Treatment

Scientific research since the mid–1970s shows that treatment can help patients addicted to drugs stop using, avoid relapse, and successfully recover their lives. Based on this research, key principles have emerged that should form the basis of any effective treatment programs:

• Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.
• No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.
• Treatment needs to be readily available.
• Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.
• Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical.
• Counseling—individual and/or group—and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment.
• Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
• An individual's treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.
• Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.
• Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.
• Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
• Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.
• Treatment programs should assess patients for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk–reduction counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place them at risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases.

RECOVERY is POSSIBLE