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July 19, 2016                   Treatment Industry & Recovery Community News                   Vol. 3., No. 49
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President and CEO of Long Beach Substance Abuse Treatment Provider and Three Others Indicted: $50 Million Student Substance Abuse Counseling Fraud 

LOS ANGELES – Four people have been charged in a superseding indictment unsealed today for allegedly participating in a scheme that submitted more than $50 million in fraudulent claims to California’s Drug Medi-Cal program for alcohol and drug treatment services for high school and middle school students that, in many instances, were not provided at all or were provided to students who did not actually have substance abuse problems. Two of the defendants who worked at the Long Beach-based Atlantic Health Services (formerly known as Atlantic Recovery Services, or ARS), including President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Mark Ciampa, were arrested this morning by federal authorities.

MEDIA: RADIO BROADCAST
Coming Cleanly
Anna David Gets Hot Celebs to Sweat

 
Anna David, right, with podcast guest

Anna David made a career out of exploring big issues. Several years ago, she created After Party Magazine, a website that takes a new approach to addiction and recovery, proving that the cool kids’ table, especially in Hollywood, isn’t the one with bottle service. An extension of the website, Anna’s original podcast, After Party Pod, has featured some of the biggest names in sobriety, including Moby and Marc Maron.

READ MORE @ LAWeekly.com 

TREATMENT INDUSTRY
Insure THIS
Insurers Pushing For Changes In Substance Abuse Battle  

Insurance companies are pushing reforms that include encouraging suboxone-assisted recovery rather than abstinence, limiting pain-pill prescriptions and evaluating treatment programs based on their own outcomes.While alcohol remains the biggest substance-abuse problem, the proportion of claims that include opioids is climbing steadily, particularly among young adults and teenagers.

READ MORE @ Courant.com 

CELEBRITY SOBRIETY
On the Path  VIDEO
Rumer Willis Celebrates Sister Tallulah Willis’ Two Years of Sobriety VIDEO  

Tallulah Willis is celebrating two years of sobriety! The orange-haired 22-year-old shared a selfie of herself in a bold Hawaiian shirt and pale blue-and-silver sunglasses as she held up a “2” birthday candle on Thursday. “You know ya girl got those 2 years clean under her belt,”…

TREATMENT
Radical Healing AUDIO
Ibogaine Therapy for Opiate Addiction AUDIO  

John Harrison is a psychologist with a specialization in Addiction Treatment and Personal Transformation and serves on the Board of Directors for the Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance. He currently studies the efficacy of Ibogaine as a treatment for opiate addiction and works closely with patients to facilitate their recovery with…

READ MORE @ TinkTinkClub.com 

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CELEBRITY SOBRIETY
Slopes Not Dope
How Snowboarding Sober Changed My Life  

Instead I started attending 12-step meetings and white-knuckled it through my first two weeks of sobriety until I found a sober house that allowed me to move in. I continued to attend meetings, living with other newly-sober men. Thankfully, I haven’t had a drink since…Today I’m celebrating 11 years of sobriety and live on the West Coast, spending my days surfing, climbing, skateboarding, and writing about what I love.

ALCOHOLISM
History Lesson
Before AA, there was Dwight, IL  

In its day, it was as famous as the Betty Ford Clinic is today. From 1879 to 1965, the Keeley Institute, located in Dwight, treated an estimated 400,000 patients for addiction. Most were battling alcoholism, but the center also worked with patients trying to overcome opium or tobacco use. his week, with activities from Thursday to Saturday, 37 members of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society, a scholarly group that studies the history and treatment of addiction, will come to Dwight for a…party.

READ MORE @ DailyJournal.com 

ADDICTION TREATMENT
Can You Hear Me Now?
Device behind ear could ease pain of drug withdrawal  

A little larger than a half dollar, the Neuro-Stim System Bridge fits behind the ear and sends electrical feedback to the brain, blocking the pain of detox. A person wears it for five days, long enough to make it through withdrawal, before turning to long-term assistance to stay sober, such as counseling and medication-assisted treatment … “It’s not a matter of if it will work. It’s a matter of will I ever see a case where it doesn’t work,” he said. “With the Bridge, you’re getting them clean in a way that they can deal with it … The goal of this program is to get them to counseling.”

POLICY
Cashing In  VIDEO
CARA PASSES – More Money for Drug Addiction VIDEO

Despite a partisan fight over funding, a sweeping bill aimed at helping New Hampshire and other states fight back against the heroin and opioid epidemic is on its way to becoming law. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, better known by its acronym CARA, overwhelming passed the U.S. Senate on Wednesday night by a 92 to 2 vote. The measure, which passed the House by an equally lopsided vote last week, is now…

POLICY
TIME MAG OPINION
Our Opioid Crisis Reveals Deep Racial Bias In Addiction Treatment

But get this: During the crackdown on crack, illicit drug use among pregnant white women was equally prevalent; and most black addicts’ births were healthy. Thus, in many respects, what actually drove the nation’s war on crack addiction during pregnancy wasn’t babies’ welfare. It was the mothers’ blackness-the true problem that had to be dealt with.

TREATMENT
Opiate Addicts Lives Matter
Senate OKs strategy to combat national opioid epidemic with passage of CARA  

“There is simply no excuse for Congress providing emergency funding for the Ebola and swine flu epidemics, while ignoring an opioid crisis that’s killing a person a day in the Granite State … Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, is one of four co-sponsors of the bipartisan measure that enjoyed strong support across the board in marked contrast to many priority bills in this election-year session on Capitol Hill. “It recognizes that this is a national public health crisis,” Ayotte said in a conference call with reporters hours before the final vote. “This is not going to be something that’s going to be turned around immediately.”

READ MORE @ UnionLeader.com 

SOCIAL STUDIES
Yes? No?
Can America end its addiction to painkillers?

She kicked prescription painkillers and other drugs six months ago. But in the back of her mind are euphoric memories of opioid stupors and the knowledge that a doctor nearby will write a prescription any time she asks. “They didn’t ask me too many questions because I’ve been in three car accidents and I have extremely bad migraines due to my neck pain, so I can get Percocet whenever I want,” Kearney-Argow, 23 … Politicians are finally talking tough on an opioid abuse epidemic. But they may lack the will to fully kick the habit … drug firms began marketing painkillers more aggressively and, thanks to some research supporting their wider use, doctors followed suit. Soon, they were doling out Percocet and Vicodin when teenagers got their wisdom teeth yanked out.

READ MORE @ Aljazeera.com 

ADDICTION
Pills For All Your Ills
Xanax is ruining people’s lives

Aaron Dimler was on his way. The captain of his football team at Roseville High School, he had a job, a long-term girlfriend and a scholarship worth $240,000 to study and play football at Macalester College. Then he started taking Xanax.

OBITUARY
Being of Service
Adele Donovan, longtime advocate for women struggling with alcoholism, dies at 91

Adele Donovan didn’t have time to waste. She helped thousands of men and women recover from alcoholism, and stood alongside anyone making an honest effort to overcome the disease. “But she was no-nonsense,” … “She told everyone, ‘If you want to help yourself, I’m here for you. I’ll give you all the help in the world. But don’t waste my time.'” Donovan, described by friends as an icon of Portland’s recovery community, died Saturday at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. She was 91, and spent the last 46 of those years sober…

MEDIA: FILMS
Just For Fun
Film critics pick the 50 best movies of all time  

Endless lists have been made, and it’s a great way to start an argument at a party. What’s better, ‘Chinatown’ or ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’? ‘The Wizard of Oz’ or ‘Singin’ in the Rain’? Everyone’s picks are different, but for their new book ‘The Greatest Movies Ever,’ film critics Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza selected their choices for the best 101 movies of all time. First published in 2008, this edition of the book is revised with new picks like ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Here’s a sampler – the 50 films that got the top spots on Kinn and Piazza’s list.

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REEL Recovery Film Festival 

is a social, educational, networking and recovery forum showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals who make films about addiction and recovery. Our audience is treatment professionals, people in recovery, members of the entertainment industry, media representatives, educated moviegoers & the general public.

Addiction/Recovery eBulletin Publisher & Editor:
Leonard Buschel  

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TECHNOLOGY
Breath of Life
Soberlink Receives FDA Clearance for Medical Use

Soberlink, the leader in real-time mobile-breath sobriety technology, today announced that the Soberlink Breathalyzer has received 510(k) premarket clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical use by healthcare providers to remotely measure alcohol in human breath, for the purpose of aiding in the detection and monitoring of alcohol consumption in those who suffer from alcohol use disorders … Soberlink is committed to changing the perception of alcohol use disorders by developing technology for addiction and recovery management. Since 2011, Soberlink has become the fastest…

TREATMENT INDUSTRY
Caveat Emptor
Bogus Local Addiction Treatment Center Scams Southern California Couple for $65,000  

A lawsuit was recently filed against Dana Point resident Daniel Case, his wife Diane and two unlicensed treatment programs called Recovery Institute of America and West Coast Rehab. On May 8, 2016, these individuals took a husband and wife in, promising treatment. “My clients gave a check to Daniel Case personally for $65,000,” said attorney Mick Meagher. “When my clients demanded a refund of the $65,000, Daniel Case claimed he paid $10,000 to a source that referred them to the Case’s program,” Meager said. This violates a number of California laws. 

CELEBRITY SOBRIETY
Try A Little Tenderness
Success continues for Chuck Negron  

For his 1999 book “Three Dog Nightmare,” singer Chuck Negron took readers on a painful journey from heroin addiction to recovery to his subsequent faith in God … “Initially, the book ‘Three Dog Nightmare’ was very painful,” Negron said via telephone from his tour bus. “It took a long time to get over the writing and dealing with all of the loss, redemption and just life itself. It’s a very difficult thing.”

READ MORE @ EastValleyTribune.com 

TREATMENT
Harm Reduction
Treating Drug Addiction with Drugs  

On any given day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 650,000 opioid prescriptions are dispensed…And like other drug subcultures, Suboxone has turned into a cash-only drug market, smuggled into prisons, and distributed by doctors with questionable, and sometimes criminal, prescribing practices, according to a New York Times investigation.

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 SOBRIETY STORIES
Not a Glum Chloe VIDEO
Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi celebrates 2 years of sobriety by pretending to chug alcohol VIDEO 

Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi has celebrated two years of sobriety. And on Tuesday, the 30-year-old marked the milestone with a cheeky Instagram snap. The US-based personality posted a picture of herself inside a liquor store, pretending to chug down a bottle of alcohol, and writing in part of…her Instagram post. 

MEDIA: PUBLISHING
Reading Sober
Simon & Schuster and HAZELDEN PUBLISHING Enter Distribution Agreement 

NEW YORK, July, 2016-Simon & Schuster, Inc. has entered a sales and distribution agreement with Hazelden Publishing, a division of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the leading publisher of addiction recovery and self-help resources. “Hazelden is well-known for providing quality books and programs that support personal growth and inspire lifelong recovery. They are, simply put, the premier publisher in this field,” said Steve Black, Vice President, Client Services, Simon & Schuster. “We are delighted by the opportunity to assist their cause.” … Hazelden Publishing was founded in 1954 with the publication of Twenty-Four Hours a Day (click to purchase)

ALCOHOLISM
There But for the Grace…
Alcoholic mother, 48, who drank up to FOUR bottles of wine a night now has two months to live 

All I am trying to do is warn people, to do one last good thing before I die.There’s no higher price to pay than the one I’m paying now and that’s with my life. 

LAW ENFORCEMENT
Not Just Overdoses
Driver Who Killed 5 Bicyclists Took Pain Pills  

A man accused of killing five people when he plowed his speeding pickup truck into a group of Michigan bicyclists had taken pain pills and muscle relaxers less than two hours earlier, according to police reports … She told investigators he took 16 to 20 muscle relaxers about an hour and a half before the crash, then took 10 painkillers. According to the report, Pickett told her: “I’ve taken this much before,” and then said, “I’d be better off dead.”

READ MORE @ USNews.com 

ADDICTION
New Zealand Bad VIDEO
Meth Overtakes Alcohol in Addiction Problems VIDEO  

For the first time, alcohol has been overtaken as the most pressing addiction problem in the country. The addiction treatment sector says more patients now need help for methamphetamine use. Treatment facilities are stretched to capacity and there are long waiting lists. “For a number of our treatment facilities, methamphetamine is the primary presentation issue…

MEDIA: BOOK & FILM
From Regina Walker
Michael Pond and Writing “Wasted”

“Wasted” is not just an addiction memoir-it’s also an exploration of our outdated approach to treatment.
At age 50, Michael Pond was a successful psychotherapist in Canada with a wife and children. By age 54, Michael Pond was a homeless, destitute, and extremely ill alcoholic. (WASTED will be screened at all the REEL Recovery Film Festival & Symposiums this year.)

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PHARMACEUTICALS
Time to Invest?
More People Dying, so Companies Raise Price of Life Saving Antidote 

Not long ago, a dose of the decades-old generic drug cost little more than a dollar. Now the lowest available price is nearly 20 times that. One manufacturer, Kaleo of Richmond, Va., increased the wholesale price of its auto-injector to $4,500 this year for a package of two from $690 in 2014…”At the same time this epidemic is killing tens of thousands of Americans a year,” said McCaskill, “we’re seeing the price of naloxone go up by 1,000% or more.”

POLICY
More Money – More Munchies
What happens to medical marijuana if/when recreational use becomes legal?

When it comes to permitting recreational cannabis use, reaction from the medical marijuana community ranges from enthusiastic advocacy to passionate opposition – with many left somewhere in the middle, confused and torn … Some medical marijuana advocates still have a lingering distrust of the people who are the face of the ballot initiative. Sean Parker, a billionaire who co-founded Napster, is the campaign’s largest contributor.

MEDIA: BOOK REVIEW
BEHIND the scenes  VIDEO
Miss Beadle reveals her wild life of sex, drugs and addiction VIDEO  

The Little House on the Prairie’s Miss Beadle has opened up about her wild lifestyle of sex, drugs and alcoholism. Charlotte Stewart became a household name for her role as the permanently cheery schoolteacher in the iconic, sickly-sweet 1970s show. But just a few years after Little House on the Prairie came to an end, her own life could not have been more different. The actress had fallen down a hopeless spiral of drug addiction, alcoholism and homelessness she reveals in her memoir

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