--The HOPE - RECOVERY--

Recovery
Addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, nicotine, sex or other substances and behaviors is a form of bondage holding its prisoner's mind and body hostage. Recovery is the addict's answer to a personal cry for help and a manifestation of his or her will to break the chains of addiction. After losing their sense of direction and finding themselves psychologically-shipwrecked somewhere along life's shores, substance abusers must learn to ask for help. They must then be ready and willing to follow a structured, progressive plan for addiction recovery. By exercising willpower and demonstrating the courage to confront the truth as well as the discipline to complete a methodical recovery program, addicts improve their prospects for a healthy, balanced, and meaningful life. While the road to recovery may be long and winding for some chemically-dependent individuals, the destination of sobriety and clean living is within reach for all addicts. Through self-healing, sober-minded individuals can also heal their relationship to society and loved ones. Regardless of which substance abuse or drug recovery program the addict chooses to initiate a long-term cure, the cornerstone of success is his or her admission of a problem.
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Any genuine recovery process consists of a number of critical steps including the following:
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1. Overcoming denial
The first step in addiction recovery involves the surrender of denial and the honest admission by which addicts admit, either to themselves and/or to others, that they have a substance abuse problem. It is imperative that individuals who seek to be sober realize and accept the necessity to change addictive patterns of behavior.
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2. Seeking help
There are numerous avenues for obtaining support and guidance, such as a 12 step program, a drug & alcohol rehabilitation program (including our Treatment4Addiction Center), and individual counseling.
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3. Completing a detoxification program
The next step involves checking into a detox rehabilitation center for the purpose of ensuring a safe and thorough withdrawal from the substance in question.
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4. Entering and engaging in addiction recovery program
The addict may need to continue treatment in a residential, outpatient or inpatient rehabilitation center, depending on his or her overall temperament and age, as well as the duration and severity of his or her addiction.
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5. Maintaining sobriety
For many recovering substance abusers, staying sober is a lifelong process. To help them cope with personal issues and keep them on the right track, they may choose to avail themselves of the following types of aid: (1) a 12 step program or alternative 12-step program, (2) psychological support and transportation from friends and family, (3) employee assistance, (4) individual or group therapy; (5) legal assistance, and/or (6) medical and psychological services. Some addicts choose to help others through advocacy and activism, as well as through non-profit organizations.
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Many studies have shown that permanent abstinence is achieved by nearly one-third of addicts from their initial recovery-geared efforts. Another one-third achieves lasting abstinence after a few short-lived relapse episodes. The last third undergoes chronic relapses that ultimately lead to death as a result of chemical dependency. Since relapse is a probability for some and a certainty for others, prevention strategies are primordial in that they serve a useful purpose. The key is to recognize and manage the warning signs before they degenerate into a using incident. Through relapse prevention therapy, addicts learn to become cognizant of the symptoms and triggers that tempt them back to their substance of choice. Common triggers include associating with other substance abusers, entering a bar, looking at a particular photograph, or smelling a certain odor.
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To ensure progress along the path to sobriety, addicts should (1) choose healthy and positive substitutes for their problematic substance, (2) form a wholesome support group, and (3) avoid or reduce contact with enablers and toxic individuals. The substitutes chosen to replace the object of craving will vary from one addict to the next. Addicts are also encouraged to take stock of the consequences of relapse and may receive training in thought-stopping. Some effective strategies for preventing or derailing relapse and refocusing energy on a constructive activity include the following:
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• Channeling self-destructive energy into yoga, meditation, and exercise
• Consuming products containing sugar or caffeine
• Engaging in religious activities and prayer
• Working in the yard
• Speaking to a friend, therapist or sponsor when 'permission thoughts' emerge
  Strengthening communication and interpersonal skills with the help of a therapist
• Seeking individual or group counseling
• Joining support groups or a 12 step recovery group such as Alcoholics Anonymous
  

A wide range of addiction recovery programs is available for individuals coping with substance abuse problems or compulsive or dysfunctional behaviors. Some of the most beneficial programs are as follows:

1. 12 step program
The vast majority of drug and alcohol rehab centers throughout the U.S. integrate portions of the 12 step program into their therapeutic modules. Initially intended for alcoholics in recovery (Alcoholics Anonymous), this program has since become the foundation for other 12 step recovery groups such as (1) Narcotics Anonymous, (2) Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, (3) Pills Anonymous (for prescription pill addicts), (4) Marijuana Anonymous, (5) Gamblers Anonymous, (6) Cocaine Anonymous, (7) Methadone Anonymous, and 6) Nicotine Addiction Anonymous. The 12-step program centers on spiritual awakening principles that involve replacing egocentrism with moral awareness, selfless constructive behavior, and altruism. Some of the precepts incorporated into the 12 steps are as follows:

• Recognizing the presence of a Higher power;
• Reaching out to other addicts;
• Living a new life by adopting a new behavioral code;
• Making amends for past behavior; and
• Analyzing substance abuse transgressions with a sponsor's help.

2. Alternative 12-step program
Addicts may instead opt for an alternative treatment program, whether religious-based, secular and rational, or online. Some of these programs adhere to the belief that drug and alcohol addiction is not a disease, and that addicts are not powerless over substance abuse. Individuals may choose from an extensive array of 12 step alternative programs, such as:

• Meditation, Tai Chi, and yoga training
• Holistic therapy
• Alternative medicine
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Psychological counseling
• Biofeedback
• Life skills training
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Self-esteem boosting skills
• Motivation therapy

3. Wellness coaching
Addicts may consult a wellness coach for guidance and recommendations concerning (1) management of health risks, (2) stress reduction, (3) fitness, (4) weight management, and (5) nutrition.

4. Self help
Self help measures are also available to sobriety-minded individuals, and these include:

• Self help support groups;
• Online resources such as recovery events, meeting locators, articles, online blogs and journals, internet discussion groups, and message boards;
• Sobriety videos; and
• Books on recovery.

Help Link;
12 step programs -- Alcoholics Anonymous -- Cocaine Anonymous -- Codependents Anonymous -- Crystal Meth Anonymous -- Gamblers Anonymous --
Marijuana Anonymous -- Narconon -- Narcotics AnonymousNicotine Anonymous -- Overeaters Anonymous -- Sex Addicts Anonymous

Support groups

Wellness Coaching

Self Help

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~http://www.treatment4addiction.com/recovery

--Meet in 2012 LONDON--

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to be celebrated in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012.
London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.

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Host city
London, United Kingdom

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Events
300 in 26 sports
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Stadium
Olympic Stadium

--Addiction - Family and Love--

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them.
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Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
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It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.
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Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.
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Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors that are linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc), produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the behavior of abusing drugs.
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As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit is lessened, reducing the abuser’s ability to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously brought pleasure. This decrease compels those addicted to drugs to keep abusing drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. And, they may now require larger amounts of the drug than they first did to achieve the dopamine high—an effect known as tolerance.
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Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate nonconscious (conditioned) learning, which leads the user to experience uncontrollable cravings when they see a place or person they associate with the drug experience, even when the drug itself is not available. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decisionmaking, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse consequences—in other words, to become addicted to drugs.
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Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
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~http://www.intervention.com/addiction/addiction_family_help.html

--CLEAN 2004--

Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung) is a woman who wrestles with her dream of becoming a singer, her fitness as a mother, and daily life without her partner Lee (James Johnston).
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Her past is riddled with drugs and regrets, the result of which left Lee dead in a desolate motel room in Hamilton, Ontario, and landed Emily with a six-month jail sentence.
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The only thing that she desires for the future is a loving relationship with her son Jay, who is being cared for by Lee's parents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry). While Rosemary blames Emily for the death of Lee, Albrecht recognizes the importance of the bond between a mother and her son, and his faith sets the standard for the faith Emily must find in herself.
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Clean follows Emily to Hamilton, Paris, London and San Francisco and in three languages (English, French and Cantonese), as she battles for a place in a world reluctant to forget the woman she has been and unwilling to accept her as the woman she longs to be.
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Cast
Maggie Cheung -- Emily Wang
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~http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388838/

--BILL of RIGHTS--

--RECOVERY MONTH 2008--

ORGANIZING ACHIEVEMENTS
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• Released the first ever “Recovery Bill of Rights,” used in campaigns to empower people seeking recovery and their family members to get the help they need
• Launched Online Advocacy Action Center to inform recovery advocates about current issues and to make activism easier than ever
• Organized a National Call-In Day the day before the House voted to pass the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, generating over 3,500 phone calls to Capitol Hill
• Organized media, letter writing and call-in campaign to VH1 to protest the portrayal of people with addiction on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew”
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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY ACHIEVEMENTS
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• Launched Addiction Recovery Insurance Equity Campaign to end health insurance discrimination against people with addiction
• Launched Recovery Voices Count, the organization’s 2008 Recovery Community Civic Engagement campaign to register voters, educate candidates and get-out-the-vote
• Organized New Hampshire Presidential Town Hall Meeting to educate voters and encourage candidates to adopt recovery-friendly public policies
• Waged a successful 2006 campaign to restore federal funding for the Recovery
Community Services Program
• Secured partial repeal of the ban on federal financial aid to students with drug convictions in coalition with allied organizations.
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~http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/pdf/Publications/LGI_Achievements.pdf
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~http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/

--DARK AGE SOCIETIES--

A dark age is a time without government, without trade, and without any sense of community. It is a time of everyone for him or herself. During a dark age, mere survival is the only concern. No one has the leisure for any higher activity, including keeping records. That is why a dark age is dark. Its principal feature is that we know nothing of what took place in it.
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A dark age is a melting pot when the old, exhausted institutions of a society are broken down and destroyed. Something new and better suited to human needs can then be built up in their place.
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"The world is one great city, and the substance out of which it is formed is single, and there must necessarily be a cycle of change, in which one thing gives way to another, and some things are destroyed and others come into being, and some things remain where they were and others are moved."
~Epictetus 1st century AD Stoic philosopher