Happy New Year?

Between traveling over the holidays and preparing for a cross-country move (the sixth in my lifetime!), I’ve been too busy to write. But so many thoughts have been rattling around in my head.

The new year brings with it a new phase of life. Some of us are anticipating all the good that may come with it, while others are dreading the changes that will happen.

This year will hold both sorrow and joy for my family. The consequences of addiction and relapse have been dealt out, and a price will be paid for unwise choices made while under the influence. It means change for all of us but big change for me.

After the past year which might best be described as a giant train wreck, I’m trusting that 2008 will bring good change. I’ll be able to see little ones grow, while spending more time with loved ones in recovery.

And I’m committed to maintaining balance in my own life, which will mean finding a good support group to help me make sure I don’t slip into codependency.

I'm expecting a year of adventure. What’s your plan for the new year?

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Uniting to confront and contain meth

Pinal County in Arizona is facing an “extreme” methamphetamine problem, according to county officials. At the only hospital in the county, the ER usually sees two methamphetamine addicts each day. And two or three of every 10 babies born there has a mother who is addicted to methamphetamine.

Moreover, law officials estimate that 70 percent of crime in the county is directly related to methamphetamine addiction.

So the Pinal County Anti-Meth Coalition is actively working to fight the problem head-on. And they’re doing it by pulling together existing community-based drug prevention coalitions.

What a novel idea! Instead of reinventing the wheel, they’re approaching the problem by gathering together people already involved in the fight, so they can communicate and move in the same direction, together.

Bravo! Too bad more communities haven’t realized the value of this approach.

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http://www.azstarnet.com/news/216357

Finding strength through support

There’s nothing like going through a crisis to make a person realize the importance of having the support of others. One’s church family can be more supportive than the birth family. And addicts and codependents who participate in 12-step recovery programs understand the need for support very well.

It’s also easier these days to find 24-hour support online—through social networks of others who share your problems, interests and values.

As this year draws to a close and my children face even more difficult days in the year ahead, I’m grateful for the support I’ve had in recent months from friends and family, nearby and across the country. I expect to turn to them in the coming months, and my shoulder will always be there for someone else to lean on when they need it.

If you’re going through tough times, who will you turn to for support?

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Most wonderful time of the year?

Ordinarily I might have been happy that Thanksgiving came early this year and we have an extra week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s because I always thought Christmas was a magical time and enjoyed everything about it—decorating, baking, shopping and wrapping, sending and receiving Christmas cards. And the music—especially the music.

Life was simpler then, even those years as a single mother. This weekend, I can’t stand to listen to those songs that bring back memories of simpler, happier times. I’m heading right down the road to Grinchville where, most days, I feel I could become the queen Grinch!

It’s been a tough year for me in many ways, for many reasons. But my own problems pale beside those of an alcoholic struggling not to take that drink, the addict fighting not to relapse, or someone with a serious mental illness trying to stay on their medicine and be their best.

It’s the season when depression is prevalent, alcohol and drug binges are up, domestic abuse increases. Not so joyful.

But I’ve done a reality check and I know I have a choice. I can choose to be grateful, pray for my loved ones who are struggling, do something for someone less fortunate. Remind myself I cannot control anyone else but I can control my own thoughts and actions.

When it’s all said and done, maybe it won’t be such a bad holiday season after all.

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http://www.austindailyherald.com/articles/2007/11/22/news/news3.txt

The Disease of Addiction

Five young people died of drug abuse during the last year in a small community outside Austin, Texas. The mother of 25-year-old Travis Morford, who died of an overdose of Xanax and alcohol, knew she had to do something.

So she and four other mothers founded Disease of Addiction, or DOA, to help people in their community think about underage drinking and drug use, and the risk of addiction. Kudos to them!

Their first public event, a town hall meeting at a local high school, was titled “I’m Your Disease” and drew 400 people. A great start . . . but can they really change the culture? Can they make a dent in the thinking that brought about the deaths of five young people in just one year? What do you think?

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/23/1123addiction.html

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'Life is kinda cool'

It’s been a few weeks since I saw an article in a California newspaper that I found inspiring.

A young woman is working hard to overcome her meth and heroin addiction and be a good mother to her two young daughters. Now a role model for other recovering women, she’s been clean for 16 months and is enjoying the little things in life—goofing off with her kids and clean, sober friends, drinking a soda at the movies.

What a great reminder when I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself. Despite all she’s had to overcome, she expressed it so well and so simply: “You take away the drugs, and life is kinda cool.”

Thanks for the inspiration, Mariah.

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http://www.theunion.com/article/20070901/NEWS/109010151

Crystal Darkness airs in Oregon

If you live in Oregon, be sure to tune in to a rare statewide broadcast. Learn more about the methamphetamine crisis when you watch "Crystal Darkness: Meth's Deadly Assault on Our Children.”

Television stations (including all in Portland) throughout the state will air the program from 7:30 to 8 p.m. tomorrow, October 9. The documentary “features powerful and honest testimonies of young people who have gone through addiction.”

Its message targets youth and their parents but is a valuable one for the entire community.

Don’t miss it.

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http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=7180508