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228686 tn?1211554707

Beach, Addiction, Congress and Making a Difference

I know a number of you (Beachtowel, I remember you mentioning this) have stated you want to make a difference in changes to how addiction is treated in this country.

Recently a small group of us (called ARTET, until we change it. Again. Means "Addicts Right To Effective Treatment." We had "Addicts Requiring Regulated Successful Treatment before, but that spells "ARREST" and...well...we didn't think it would go over well with former addicts).

Anyway, we've got a survey dealing with drug addiction and MMT (methadone maintenance treatment) that's been sent out. To a few clinics, harm reduction centers, etc...

Now don't get TOO excited. We're in the Data collection phase. And we expect zero response from the clinics (legally, they're VERY cautious) but have gotten positive feedback from the harm reduction sites. And we won't lie, the data is what it is and shows what it shows. We have a hypothesis, and we hope the data supports it. And I'm trying to keep this from falling apart at any moment, addicts aren't the most...focused of people.

My point is, we need data. I mentioned you specifically beachtowel, because you work with prisoners, and they're a fairly easy lot to collect data from. Sadly, no one cares about prisoner's opinions usually, or their rights.

So my thought is, anyone who is associated with a "group", who could present this survey to them, to have people fill out and return, would be...helpful.

The idea is to collect specific MEDICALLY relevant data based on present drug treatment policies and evaluate it's success. To make clear MMT isn't effective, or without proper medical aftercare, nearly useless. That the climate of hostility is partly so prevalent because addicts have such a difficult time medically, that who knows how many would really get clean if given the chance to concentrate on the mental, assuming the physicality of the situation was dealt with appropriately?

Present studies on this are terrible and obviously loaded, geared towards supporting MMTP. Most quote Dole-Nysander, an out of date study from 1972 as an example of how successful MMTP is!

So anyone interested, contact me on yahoo, my e-mail is pooka_sighting. I'll work out covering the cost of photo copies and such when the time comes, the group is expected to absorb them as they come up.

And let me apologize in advance, I don't think this post violates the rules of the board, but if I'm wrong, I stand corrected and won't do it again.
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228686 tn?1211554707
Well... we aren't looking to lobby specifically. We're looking to change/ make aware the realities and medical needs of addicts in treatment. Because I can tell you right now, there are almost no groups out there with power who are truly interested in helping addicts. It's a political dead issue, anyone running for election won't touch "our side" with a ten foot pole.

The big problem right now is most of the information out there on treatment is simply false. The way to show that it's false is to accumulate enough people stating the opposite as fact.  If you do that, then you start an arguement (in this case, with the medical community). At that point, you get noticed. If you keep throwing data at them that shows they're wrong, eventually they have to put up or shut up, do a study related to it to prove there point. Which...they can't because they're wrong.

We all know that present medical treatments are inneffective. But know one is bothering to show or prove that.
Beachtowel, lobbying is fine, but if you don't have hard core data and studies to back up your view, no one will take you seriously on an issue like this.

Wilderness Society and Sierra club are "sexy" issues, and any candidate will hop on board and make deals with you to get those club's backing, support, and the related news coverage.
But addiction? Nuh-huh. Isn't going to happen. You've got to approach that differently, if you want to say anything different from the two views, which are "Methadone is good, addicts can't be cured." and "Those damned junkies, just tell them to get over it and get lives!"
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Elections are coming up pretty soon an if I hear of a canidate pretending to give a s h i t about health care one more time I'm going to frigging scream...........
don't know about any of you out there but the hospitals here are all being bought out by big companies........
All the jails here are packed and letting people out on early releases........no room.....

I need to get my stuff together here shortly and new leaf my therapist is sending me a copy of his speach that he used to get Search going......
I have some contacts here and some $$$$$$$$contacts so I need to get moving with this........

I also have selfish reasons I want a good and secure job and this would be an outstanding opportunity.....

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Getting heard in Congress............ it's called lobbying. People do it every day of the week, shlep from on congressmans office to the next and present them, or their aids, with the information to sway a vote on a particulat biit coming up ar, they ask the congressperson if they would like to be a spoksperson for the particular cause and write a bill. If you do your homework on our elected officials you can find the ones that sympathise with your cause and directly lobby to them. Get people who run clinics (the good ones, not the pill pusher ones) and other health/social minded people together and start with your own community congressman. Go and pitch the need to change and why, then show them a better way. Changes begin on a grassroots level in youy own backyard. Ang believe it or not, you call yp their office and ask for an appointment and they generally dont refust... it's catching the in town and not in DC that is the hardest. You generally get to knw their staff but then they will let you know when they will be in town for a meting.

Also lobbying is better done as if you belong to a group with members that has a bit of voting clout. My husband and I work ithe the Wilderness Society and the Sierra clud at this level and it works!  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Getting heard in Congress............ it's called lobbying. People do it every day of the week, shlep from on congressmans office to the next and present them, or their aids, with the information to sway a vote on a particulat biit coming up ar, they ask the congressperson if they would like to be a spoksperson for the particular cause and write a bill. If you do your homework on our elected officials you can find the ones that sympathise with your cause and directly lobby to them. Get people who run clinics (the good ones, not the pill pusher ones) and other health/social minded people together and start with your own community congressman. Go and pitch the need to change and why, then show them a better way. Changes begin on a grassroots level in youy own backyard. Ang believe it or not, you call yp their office and ask for an appointment and they generally dont refust... it's catching the in town and not in DC that is the hardest. You generally get to knw their staff but then they will let you know when they will be in town for a meting.

Also lobbying is better done as if you belong to a group with members that has a bit of voting clout. My husband and I work ithe the Wilderness Society and the Sierra clud at this level and it works!  
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
You're absolutely right. That's a major point of our "philosophy" in spirit. But we've set realistic goals. The specific one here is to gather as much "data" as possible and use it effectively. I don't know if you've ever done this, but I've spent lots of time in the last few months accessing articles in JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and the like, examining CLOSELY the protocols of studies related to addiction and methadone.

To sum it up clinically, they're a joke. Along the lines of "We gave group of addicts "A" methadone, addict group of addicts "B" tapered to nothing, offered counseling, and had a man following them around kicking them in the *ss repeatedly. Based on the drop out rate in group "B", we conclude that MMT works.
Okay, I'm being funny, but that's close. And I don't know if you know statistical math, but the studies are VERY sloppy. At times they outright fabricate.

So we're hoping if we can get data to support our hypothesis, that MMTP doesn't really work, that addicts need real treatment, and if given EVERYONE would be happy (well, almost everyone) then we can change things.

So we've figured if we can get maybe 300 to 500 people who have used or are using mmtp (preferably those it didn't work for, at least at first...don't want to be accused of fudging our data!) then there are certain groups who have given tenuous approval that we can use their name as a backer for support, to give us some clout.

With that, we can then repeat the process. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if we get people in the thousands, we can get serious coverage. More than that, and they can't ignore us. (Which gets scary, because at that point, you've become a problem, but cross that when it comes).

See where I'm going? It's why I thought of you, beach. You mentioned prison counseling, and I know groups use prisoners for this stuff all the time. It would consist of giving out this three page survey of "yes/no" questions and having them fill it out, totally anonymously.

I'm dealing with local clinics right now, but they're the enemy, and I doubt they'll say yes. The local exchanges are in on it, but that's maybe a couple of hundred, tops. So I'm hoping for a quick 50 to 250 more from somewhere easy, so we can skip to the next step and start working on generating serious coverage.


So, what do ya think? Interested? Possible? If so, let me know, and I'll send you an attached word file with the survey for you to check out.

This actually goes for ANYONE interested. I need numbers, by 1's or by 100's. Just let me know ***@****
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Avatar universal
The history channel came out with a double DVD about the entire drug history of the US we were told in school to either record it or buy it.......and then learn it and we were tested on it.......

The united states drug history is fasinating.............
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Avatar universal
Have any of you guys read the book "Drug Craze"? It's great and it talks about the history of opiates in the US. It's fascinating to read. Not dry at all (but I like politics and sociology so maybe I am biased).

It takes an experience like this (addiction) to make you passionate about helping others. I completely support all the hard work that all of you are doing to make sure others don't have to suffer needlessly. I am also a big advocate for acting in local politics (although we all know the Federal gov't has a hold on drug laws).

It's made easy for the rich and hard for the poor. Just like education and healthcare. I think that people would be surprised to see the face attached to the story. Man, if I was at promises right now (isn't that the rehab for the stars) I would be getting 5 mesages a day, I would go horseback riding, and drink smoothies all day.....
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
... let me rephrase that - that WE are...
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Avatar universal
I think it's about that - $$ - plus the public perception that an addict is a derelict, a bum, in prison and or homeless.  Instead of the Doctors, Lawyers, Producers, Accountants, Moms, etc. etc. that they are.  The everybodies.

Most people don't give a f*** if they think it's just about some weak-willed addict who chooses to "party."

It's very very sad...
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Avatar universal
It makes me sick that people cannot get help for addiction and detox........
This is america but the population that runs things here believe that unless they can make money on you like the Methadone clinincs going up like Walgreens around here is criminal........
Our government builds Methadone clinics like franchises.....think about it they start a business that will get you hooked so you have to come back charge you money (cash) everyweek and get very rich from it all along creating more and more addicts..........
would someone please explain this to me..........
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have no doubts about that, whatsoever.

xox
mj
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Avatar universal
whats your old addiction therapists name? I know many people (many of whom are addiction specialists as well as addicts) who have or attempted to go in front of congress, so maybe I know him/her. I've been in active recovery a very long time which is why I am interested in making changes. I too am working at a state level myself for now.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am currently looking into how one goes in front of congress........
I just sent a letter to my old addiction therapist who did go in front of congress years ago to get the Search program going in Ohio.......

I know many of you wont' agree but my lifes mission is to help addicts and get them the help they need medically and have detoxs available for any addict that wants to go instead of sitting home scard to death of W/Ds and feeling hopeless without insurance and money to afford luxuries of good medical help that so many others have.........

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