Leslie Glass's Blog, page 359
June 12, 2018
Actor Jackson Odell Dies In Sober Living Home
The department told E! News Odell had a history of heroin addiction but that his last drug test was clean. It also stated that there were no drugs or drug paraphernalia found at the scene of his death and that there were no signs of foul play.
According to the L.A. County Coroner’s Office, the department still plans to do toxicology testing. However, the examination is pending.
The Goldbergs star was found unresponsive at his residence on June 8. The L.A. County Coroner’s Office told E! News the actor had been living at a sober-living facility in Tarzana, Calif. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed. Odell was 20 years old.
His family released a statement following news of the actor’s death.
“The Odell family has lost our beloved son and brother, Jackson Odell on Friday,” the statement read. “He will always be a shining light and a brilliant, loving and talented soul. He had so much more to share. Our family will always carry that truth forward. Our wish is that the rest of the world who knew and loved him does as well. We are now going to try to make sense of our immeasurable loss privately. We will not be making any further statements.”
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5 Tips To Overcome Fear And Shame
Shame seems to be at the heart of all addictions. We experience shame over the wounds of our early childhood traumas, our seemingly inherent weaknesses, inability to stop our disruptive life behaviors, and the extreme costs paid by our families and community for our unhealthy choices. Shame often worked overtime to suck the life right out of me. Shame attempted to keep me locked in an addictive cycle. For much of my life it was successful, but no more.
The Power Of Shame
Recently, I visited a recovery center, and I held an in-depth conversation with their executive director. We were discussing the power of shame that has held many of us captive. This was of prime interest to me as I have recently chronicled and published my own bout with shame in my book Resilient: My Journey to Wholeheartedness. The director’s response to my blame of shame was “Yes, shame is powerful, but fear may be even more insidious in keeping us chained to our addictive thinking.” I didn’t realize how insightful this was until I realized that overcoming fear was my next battle to wage.
Fear Is Bigger Than Shame
Fear reveals itself in my life as incessant mental gymnastics. This may be true for you as well. Fear starts in my mind and then all of my physical senses come under it supervision. I become immobilized to move forward for meaningful destinations as I am seemingly overwhelmed with thoughts of sabotaging myself so I won’t fail. Fear becomes my natural response to challenges and obstacles. I must pull back so I won’t get hurt again. Fear seemingly asks one question over and over, and then over again. It ask incessantly, What if…
They won’t accept me?
My idea is no good?
They won’t follow me?
This person exposes me?
I fail again?
I’m not good enough?
This constant torment just wears me out, and I want and need relief. Is this fear taunts you as well? Unfortunately, I have discovered the hard way that pornography nor food are the tools for my future relief. They comfort for a while, and then they turn on me like a pit bull. Being truthful, both of these weapons just make it worse. Your drug of choice may be different but reap the same results when succumbing to fear.
Recovery Is A Battle
Recovery is like waging a battle, one right after another similar to “whack-a-mole.” One mole is smashed and another rises up in a different spot. I smashed shame and now fear has reared its ugly head. Well, fear doesn’t know it yet, but it’s time for decline is rapidly approaching and here is how I am going to do it. My remedy for this consistent and familiar torment in the life of an addict is the 2nd step of 12 that declares “Let go and let God.” Do you know what it means? It means you can’t do it alone and need something to believe in that can take away your shame and burdens and pain.
5 Tips To Overcoming Fear
1. Face The Truth Of What Scares Me
Fear is my enemy. It is an enemy that wants to control me even daily. With God, you and I can defeat it lies. I will name it and allow light to invade its darkness.
2. Choose To Live Reflectively
I know by experience failure is not fatal, so there is nothing to actually fear. Whether I succeed or fail in an endeavor, I will be safe. I will practice mindfulness. I won’t reach out for my former DOC’s.
3. Remind Myself I’m On The Right Path
Paul Perez, a coach for Excellent Cultures, teaches that the risk zone (where fear resides to push us back to our norm of unhealthy comforting) is where all growth occurs in our personal and professional lives. So, that being true, when fear raises its ugly head, I will remind myself, I must be onto something good that is going to help me grow even stronger. Encountering irrational fear means I am on a good path.
4. Renew My Vow To Be My Best
I may have had my brain hard wired for fear through early adverse childhood experiences, but I will now choose to live with daily affirmations rehearsing my personal value, strength, hope and vision. I will intentionally renew my brain to become my very best. I am a man of power, love and soundness of mind. Fear will not be allowed to occupy a space any longer. I have power to choose differently. This is my cup of recovery. Why not let it be yours as well.
5. Accept My Life As It Is
A parked car can’t be steered. I will step out and accept life as it is, not as I wish it would be.
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June 11, 2018
British Comedy Anyone
British comedy comes to ten Florida cities for a charity tour to support children impacted by addiction that you simply can’t miss. Grab the whole family and get ready to experience critically-acclaimed British improv comedy unlike anything Florida has seen before. The Cambridge Impronauts make their North American debut on their tour, “Laughter Is The Best Medicine!” with more than 10 events throughout the state of Florida. To make the tour even better, all proceeds will be donated to charity, NACOA being ROR’s connection. Please go and enjoy and give children a voice.
Click here for Cambridge Impronaut tour dates
This tour will span the entire month of July and will be exclusive to the state of Florida. The title, “Laughter Is The Best Medicine!” is fitting, seeing as the tour will be raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA), and Susan G. Komen. All events have been organized by Florida-based non-profit wellness clinic, Next Step® Institute of Integrative Medicine; “At Next Step, many of our patients live with these diagnoses, so we hold these charities close to our hearts… We know first-hand the impact the charities have on people’s lives,” comments Katherine Ryan, assistant tour coordinator and Next Step® employee, “We also know how much joy the Impronauts bring their audience and can’t wait to share their talent with Florida!” The energy from the Cambridge Impronauts is almost palpable, even from overseas.
Jack Lawrence, Impronauts co-director, explains,
“The tour represents the biggest challenge the Impronauts have undertaken – we’ve performed in Cambridge, Edinburgh and London… this time we’re going international and it’s sure to be the experience of a lifetime, made all the sweeter by the good causes we’re doing it for.”
The improvisational comedy troupe is extensively known in the UK for their short-form, ‘quickfire’ shows (similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and long-form, movie-esque improvised stories. As the name suggests, “improv” designates that every show be made up on the spot, based on audience suggestions. The Impronauts routinely receive five star reviews and sell out their local shows.
Although the comedy troupe is made up of Cambridge students primarily from Britain, the troupe boasts members with an international range of backgrounds. One of the performers on tour is Florida’s very own Rachel-Marie Weiss, who found her way to Cambridge several years ago to pursue psychology. She is one of the twelve Impronauts traveling to Florida this July. For more information about the “Laughter Is the Best Medicine” tour including event dates, ticket sales, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.ImpronautsTour.com. All shows will be family friendly and wheelchair accessible.
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Staying Safe From Patient Brokering
Bodies for dollars is a lucrative way for treatment centers to fill beds, but it’s against the law and dangerous for patients. Patient brokering occurs online, over the phone, through text messages, and in person. The patients may think they are being referred to a good center or home by someone who understands what they are going through and has their best interests at heart. But that is not always the case. In the worst case scenarios, brokers are paying addicts to use, or plying them with drugs with gifts and free stuff to get them hooked again so they can be referred to a center.
In fact, these brokers are moving bodies for dollars. They get paid for each new patient who receives treatment for addiction. Brokers are working outside of sober homes and nearby grocery stores, coffee shops or other common hangouts, they are working online as middlemen, making calls and texting promises of airfare, gift cards, free housing, and even cash bonuses. They try to catch people early in the program, when they are the most likely to stumble. They will do whatever it takes to get more bodies into the homes and centers that hired them to increase their intakes.
For Vulnerable people Patient Brokering Can Be Lethal
Brokers make dangerous deals with recovering addicts, like promising $2500.00 for a 10-day treatment. Dirty urine gets the prospective the first $500, with the rest payable after completion of the program. Some even supply the drugs to make sure the patient pees dirty to gain entrance to the program. Sober homes may be run by brokers who keep their guests hooked, pimping them to rehab centers to sober homes until something gives.
For brokers, any relapse can mean big money. So, all heading into treatment centers have to do their due diligence to stay safe. Research rehab centers and sober homes online, and back up your research with phone calls, read testimonials, and reach out to reviewers to get their full opinions before giving away your information or making a decision.
Key Takeaways to Stay Safe
ONLINE: Legitimate rehabilitation centers should have their license on their website, and their About Us should be populated with the credentials, positions, and images of each staff member. Legitimate centers and homes comply with HIPAA regulations. Do you see evidence that the home or center you are considering is complying with those patient privacy laws?
Search the name of the facility followed by SCAM or FRAUD, look them up on LinkedIn and search and read all reviews. If there are testimonials online, read them and if you can reach out to a reviewer, do it.
BY PHONE: Call the licensing agency in the state of the center or home to see if it is a registered business. Is it certified by the State Health Department? Call the Better Business Bureau and see if complaints have been filed.
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June 10, 2018
Opioid Litigation Who’s Suing
The wave of opioid litigation is rising. Will it become a tsunami that can drown drug companies with billions to lose? Undoubtedly, you’ve heard about lawsuits being filed against opioid manufacturers, but there are so many suits being filed it can be hard to get a grasp of what’s really going on. Here are some key highlights to get you up to speed quickly.
Cities and States Across the Country File Lawsuits
Hundreds of lawsuits have already been filed across the country against opioid manufacturers and distributors. These lawsuits basically allege one of two things:
Opioid distributors supplied gross amounts of drugs to communities (often, more drugs than the number of people) in violation of federal laws that work to prevent drugs from being diverted to the street.
Opioid manufacturers launched a massive marketing push that overplayed the benefits of the drugs and underplayed their dangers including the increased dangers of prescriptions and paid kick-backs and other benefits that incentivized physicians to prescribe the medication.
Major Players in the Opioid Epidemic and Opioid Litigation
Some of the pharmaceutical companies named in these lawsuits include:
Allergen
Endo
Johnson & Johnson
J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Purdue Pharma
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Teva subsidiary Cephalon
Some of the distributors named in lawsuits include:
AmerisourceBergen
Cardinal Health
CVS
McKesson Corporation
Walgreens
Walmart
Individuals Are Seeking Justice
Victims are filing personal injury lawsuits seeking compensation from drug makers. To be eligible to seek compensation:
you must not have a history of addiction, but
you received a prescription opioid for an injury or event, and
you became addicted to your prescription, and
you suffered a major life setback because of the addiction, and
you completed rehab or treatment at an in-patient center to get your life back.
The families of those who died due to a prescription opioid addiction can file wrongful death claims if their loved one had no history of addiction, but their life spun out of control after receiving one or more opioid prescriptions, and despite receiving treatment, they died from their addiction to prescription opioids, and toxicology reports confirm this.
Compensation for Opioid Epidemic
States and local jurisdictions are seeking billions of dollars in compensation for expenses related to the epidemic, including for the costs of:
drug treatment programs
emergency medical care and transportation
incarcerations
law enforcement response and investigations
Narcan
property damage and repairs.
Prosecutions
Individuals and families are seeking compensation for:
Attorney costs and court fees
Drug treatment programs
Emergency medical care and transportation
Lost wages and missed work
Pain and suffering
Wrongful death
More than 250 cases have been consolidated in Cleveland, Ohio under Judge Dan Polster who is pushing for a resolution before trials begin in his court. Some have compared the litigation to the Big Tobacco litigation in the 90s when the four biggest tobacco companies in the country settled claims from 46 states for over $200 billion. Even though some lawsuits have already settled, it remains to be seen if the sheer mass of pending litigation can change the course of the opioid epidemic.
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Can Lobbyists Stop Opioid Regulation?
While it’s too soon to know if lobbyists will be able to stop new opioid regulation, they sure are trying. Billions of dollars are at stake, not to mention the millions of lives at risk. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine sued several big drug makers. His action was followed by lawsuits from eleven other states that have grown tired of the slow current of negotiations. DeWine said the companies are aggressively trying to persuade him and other attorneys general back to the negotiating table. He said these companies have hired lawyers and lobbyists to decrease potential damages. Lobbyists want to save money, not lives.
Lobbyists are donating serious amounts of cash to get access to state attorneys general. In fact, CBS News reports donations to Democrats have jumped to nearly $700,000 and $1.7 million has gone to Republicans over the past three years. And while these donations are legal, what they do is allow drug companies to meet Attorney Generals at outings, meetings, and dinners.
There are rules in place for Congressional lobbying. However, there are no rules for when it comes to lobbying state Attorneys General. Even worse, lobbyists don’t have to report how much they make, who they meet with, or what is said. And don’t expect either party to give away that information.
Legislation is currently being proposed that would:
get non-opioid painkillers approved faster
Strengthen drug enforcement programs
Enhance care measure for children impacted by addiction
Reduce the number of opioids being prescribed
Enhance current prescription monitoring programs
But some bills have already been defeated, while others stalled as moneyed interests dig in. For a deeper look into moneyed interests affecting opioid legislation check out this report from STAT .
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June 9, 2018
One Person’s Suicide Prevention Plan
You probably don’t know who I am, but I’ve been writing, filming and creating all kinds of other content about mental health and addiction recovery for the last decade. When I made my first documentary about addiction, I just wanted to understand more about the disease I had. Seeing how many people were suffering all over the country with addiction and mental health issues changed me. I felt I had a mission to do something, so we created Reach out Recovery to help educate people about these issues.
Shortly after, as I was offered work as a recovery advocate, I took it. I learned more. I worked harder to help people understand that education and prevention are the only answer to addiction and mental health issues. When I made my second documentary, I had become obsessed with helping young people, stopping the track I had gone down. I worked for years traveling all over to carry the message and try to help this cause.
Here’s the other side of that story, none of that prevented me from continuing to struggle with my issues. Some did get much better, some got better for a while and then came back. I still have a brain that causes me to wake up thinking differently than someone without the issues I have.
There have been times in my life when I was working full time, traveling, showing up to events and smiling for pictures, all while wondering if I should kill myself.
We have suicide in my family, and I’m genetically loaded in lots of ways, and those were the cards I was dealt. I’m one of the fortunate ones because my family has always been able to put me in treatment when I needed it when I was younger, and always get me the help I needed. Then we created Reach Out Recovery, a company that would help me learn more, and educate others.
This is the toughest thing I’ve learned about recovery:
I have a lot of recovery in a lot of areas, but life is hard, things happen, and it’s almost impossible to be vigilant about your recovery and maintain a hardcore recovery lifestyle while also working, having a family and dealing with the other insanities of life. Personally, I’m also a workaholic, so I’m delighted to put it all aside to work on something “important.” That means, also putting recovery first is hard and for most of us, not always realistic.
This is the toughest thing I’ve learned about mental illness and addiction disorders:
They come back if you aren’t careful. Mental illness and addiction are described as insidious and baffling for a reason. Maybe it starts with a high-pressure job that puts you off your self-care regime; maybe it begins with a person who comes into your life and treats you in a way that triggers old stuff. Sometimes you lose a job or a relationship and start to feel vulnerable. Learning how to have self-esteem was no easy feat so when negative events happen that cause me to question myself, my self-destructive brain throws a rave, and we go right back to old thinking. Because it’s so deeply wired, it never really goes away.
In fact, there’s a disturbing comfortability to it.
So, now I’m not taking the best care of myself, I’m losing all the things that keep me grounded and stable. I’m isolating. Maybe my old thinking has come back in ways that open me up to the wrong kinds of people or advice. It happens without me realizing it. The point is, at my age, with my recovery, I still recently had a series of events that led me back to a place I never want to be. It’s scary. And, it’s dangerous.
Just because I have so much education and experience with addiction and mental health awareness doesn’t mean I’m immune to it.
Suddenly, without even thinking it’s weird, I’m working for four days barely eating or sleeping. Then maybe other thoughts start to enter my head as being a good idea. Then I’m starting to fantasize about suicide. It’s that quick and easy.
But, all my experience and education does mean I know what to do.
I call a doctor, and I call people in recovery. I confess to people who know how to help me, and I do what they say, and we get me back on the beam quickly before any real damage is done. This is probably what I’m proudest of—not my work, or anything superficial—that today I can recognize the signs of my mental health issues coming on and get the help I need to keep me safe and alive.
From my personal experience, all I can say is I had to get to a place where when I know I’m going to the bad place; I’m willing to stop what I’m doing and get the help I need no matter the consequences. Yes, it’s affected my career. Yes, it’s affected my relationships. Yes, it’s expensive and emotionally painful and requires a lot of time and attention.
But, I’m still here and hopefully will be for as all long as I’m meant to.
As we watch one after another of our beloved idols die of causes related to addiction and mental health issues, I just hope we come to a time and place where there is enough education about all of this so people can recognize the signs as soon as they start and get help immediately.
Also, that we become a society that values health and wellness as much as material success and fame.
If you are someone who struggles with these issues, there is hope. You can learn to be a survivor. Naturally, like with every disease, there is a spectrum and some will be sicker than others and unsavable. But, if you find yourself graced with the willingness to learn about your issues, get the help you need, even if it means dealing with past struggles, you can get better and better. If finances are a problem, there are literally 12-step programs for everything, and they work for many people.
Most of the time, my life is excellent, and I worked hard to discover what that recovery life looks like. But sometimes it gets disrupted, and things happen that cause a relapse in health and wellness, and my demons come back. Luckily, my education in addiction recovery and mental health awareness has taught me what to do—how to get the right help, practice in being willing to do whatever it takes, and the discipline to get myself back to a healthy place quickly.
Unfortunately, what they say is true. Nothing worth having comes easy. But, if you are willing to do the work, pretty much anything can be managed, and you can find a happy, healthy, stable life. Don’t make permanent decisions before you’ve given yourself the chance to get educated and recover. You may find something worth living for that will change the world.
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The Value Of “Sober Dating”
During a therapy session I was sitting with a very bright, successful, attractive and single thirty-something who was expressing her frustrations about the dating scene. “Every time I agree to go out with someone new, things feel great for the first two dates and I get really excited. And then reality sets in and I realize either we actually have very little in common, I’m not so attracted to him after all, or there are big issues that somehow got ignored.” We were both curious about why her judgment was initially “off” and how she was able to ignore the red flags that suddenly seemed to reappear after a few dates.
Pre-gaming before the big date.
In the past, when I thought it was relevant, I’ve asked my clients to notice how much alcohol they consumed during the date itself, and whether or not there was a connection between alcohol use and sexual boundaries. However, it never occurred to me to ask about “pre-gaming”: drinking at home or in a nearby bar before going out on the actual date. In the case of the aforementioned client, I was genuinely surprised to discover that she was drinking, on average, three glasses of wine before her date rang the doorbell to pick her up. She also confirmed that “most of her friends” drink before going out with someone new.
When I began to research this, I discovered it’s a real and disturbing phenomenon. A 2014 survey found that “36.4 of singles drink before going out,” and “nearly 50% drink an average of two to three drinks during the date.” There are even on-line guides to “pre-date drinking” with advice that includes, “show up early enough to do your early drinking” and “keep moving around every so often so you don’t get too wrecked.” Many single people are still meeting up in bars and alcohol can be a social lubricant as well as a means to quell the anxiety and inherent vulnerability that “putting yourself out there” can evoke.
To Drink or Not to Drink?
Although it seems as if alcohol provides short-term relief by “loosening you up,” boosting confidence, and making you feel “more relaxed,” it also impairs judgment and creates a false sense of comfort and connection. My client’s initial positive reactions and first impressions about potential boyfriends were colored and distorted by alcohol. In subsequent dates when she met with them sober, the “truth” about how she felt in their company and what she noticed about who they really were came into focus.
What I’m learning is the importance of encouraging my clients to do “sober dating.” It’s important to normalize their anxiety about meeting someone new, and to trust that if it’s the right person that anxiety will begin to dissipate. Sober dating will also decrease the likelihood of prematurely engaging in sex or taking sex farther than intended. In truth, the only way to get an accurate take on the other person, to truly assess if there is a real connection, and to be in touch with one’s own instincts about how it feels to be in their company is to pursue this endeavor in a sober state. And needless to say, this becomes even more important when driving is involved!
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Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade And Suicide Awareness In The US
What do the suicides this week—of fashion icon Kate Spade and the “original rock star of the culinary world” and master of media Anthony Bourdain—tell us? The untimely deaths of famous, very well off, professionally successful people signal the importance of raising awareness around a significant public health problem in the U.S. It was announced yesterday that suicide rates increased by 25% across the United States between 1999 and 2016 (US CDC, 2018). Forty-nine states saw increases in suicides, and 25 saw a stunning rise of more than 30%. On June 7, the CDC’s principal deputy director Dr. Anne Schuchat stated, “Suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in the US right now.” In 2016, approximately 45,000 lives were lost to suicide. The lead author of a new study, Deborah Stone, said, “We typically see that firearms make up about half of all suicides, and that tends to be pretty consistent.” Professor and Dean Galea of Boston University agrees, saying, “A lot of suicide is a one-time effort, so having guns available… makes one more likely to complete suicide, but that in and of itself is not an explanation for why suicide is going up.”
The National Violent Death Reporting System showed that 54% of those who committed suicide in 2015 did not have a known mental health condition. Furthermore, the CDC tells us the nationwide “increase in suicide rates cannot be linked to a particular mental health diagnosis” (Carey, 2018). So, what factors are associated with the rising rates? Drilling down on the data, the researchers found that circumstances such as loss of a relationship, or relationship problems that did not get resolved, were associated with suicide. What else?
Professor K. Bryant Smalley at the Mercer University School of Medicine described the mental health care challenges experienced by patients in rural areas as the “three A’s”: availability, accessibility and acceptability of care(link is external). Smalley pointed out that about 85% of federally designated mental health professional shortage areas are rural(link is external). “Due to higher poverty rates, higher likelihood of hourly pay and productivity-based labor, and lack of transportation infrastructure, mental health services are often not accessible even if they are available in a rural community — that is, even though it is there, many people either cannot get to it or cannot afford (either directly or indirectly) to go,” he said. If you haven’t lived in a small town, then you might not understand why folks are reluctant to show up at helping professionals’ offices. “Rural residents face lower levels of anonymity in seeking services due to the close-knit nature of rural communities,” Smalley continued. The possibility of “someone seeing your car parked at the only psychologist’s office” means rural residents are less likely to seek care when needed. This is why tele-health mental health services by phone can be so important in outlying areas, and in Western states where population density is lowest, and suicide rates are rising most rapidly. This is all from the bird’s eye view. What does this all look like at the local, personal level?
A year ago I wrote a blog post after musician Chris Cornell’s suicide. It spoke to the two voices of Cornell, and how his loss profoundly impacted his fans, including me. My major point was that we don’t know the depth of peoples’ suffering, the silent struggles they endure daily. And because of this, we don’t ask people who may be silently suffering the tough questions, and don’t wait to hear their real answers. By the way, there is a prevalent myth that asking people whether they have considered harming themselves or ending their lives will “give them ideas.” It’s simply not true. So, ask away. It’s not going to push them over the edge. But you may find out just how long they have been walking along the precipice.
After that post was published, a usually quite chatty friend, who lives in a rural area, ghosted me. When she finally responded, she was furious. She said that the post sounded like it had been written by someone who didn’t understand suicide. This confused me at first. Then I remembered the major takeaway from my own post, and asked her the tough questions:
“Do you have intimate familiarity with despair?” “Yes.”
“Do you sometimes struggle with a sudden, fervent wish to die?” “Yes,” she replied.
She was angry because I had preached from on high about the importance of asking difficult questions and waiting to really hear the answers, but hadn’t done that with her.
What You Can Do
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Call to speak with someone who will provide free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you want to learn how to help someone in crisis, you can call the same number.
• It takes money, and innovations in social and public policy, to effectively deal with a public health crisis. It’s here. Calls to legislative representatives can stress that funding for mental health services should be increased at the state and national levels.
• Take these simple steps to help someone at risk: “Beginning a conversation, helping keep them safe, helping them connect and then follow up with them….We don’t think every single suicide can be prevented, but many are preventable” (CDC).
• Does someone in your life seem withdrawn, out of sorts, or with changing eating habits? Or, paradoxically, has someone gone from low energy, down, or depressed to suddenly full of life and energy? If your reaction to the latter scenario would be simply one of relief, think again. That friend, co-worker or family member may have just decided to end it all.
Ask the tough questions. Wait to hear the real answers. It may be the most important thing you do in a lifetime.
The post Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade And Suicide Awareness In The US appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
June 8, 2018
2018’s Best Graduation Speeches Are A Recovery Pep Talk
Trust That Inner Voice
Journalist Ronan Farrow at Loyola Marymount University on May 5:
No matter what you choose to do; no matter what direction you go; whether you’re a doctor treating refugees or a financier making money off of foreclosures — and I genuinely hope you don’t do that — you will face a moment in your career where you have absolutely no idea what to do. Where it will be totally unclear to you what the right thing is for you, for your family, for your community. And I hope that in that moment you’ll be generous with yourself, but trust that inner voice. Because more than ever we need people to be guided by their own senses of principle — and not the whims of a culture that prizes ambition, and sensationalism, and celebrity, and vulgarity, and doing whatever it takes to win. Because if enough of you listen to that voice — if enough of you prove that this generation isn’t going to make the same mistakes as the one before — then doing the right thing won’t seem as rare, or as hard, or as special. No pressure or anything.
Make Failure Your Fuel
Soccer star Abby Wambach at Barnard College on May 16:
Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it’s something to be powered by. Failure is the highest octane fuel your life can run on. You gotta learn to make failure your fuel. When I was on the youth national team, only dreaming of playing alongside Mia Hamm – Y’all know her? Good. I had the opportunity to visit the national team’s locker room. The thing that struck me most wasn’t my heroes’ grass stained cleats, or their names and numbers hanging above their lockers. It was a picture. It was a picture that someone had taped next to the door, so that it would be the last thing every player saw before she headed out to the training pitch. You might guess it was a picture of their last big win, or of them standing on a podium accepting gold medals. But it wasn’t. It was a picture of their long time rival, the Norwegian national team celebrating after having just beaten the USA in the 1995 World Cup. In that locker room I learned that in order to become my very best — on the pitch and off — I’d need to spend my life letting the feelings and lessons of failure transform into my power. Failure is fuel. Fuel is power.
Get Back Up And Keep Going
Hillary Clinton at Yale University on May 20:
We have a long way to go. There are many fights to fight, and more seem to arise every day. It will take work to keep up the pressure, to stay vigilant, to neither close our eyes, nor numb our hearts, nor throw up our hands and say, ‘Someone else take over from here.’ Because at this moment in our history, our country depends on every citizen believing in the power of their actions, even when that power is invisible and their efforts feel like an uphill battle. On every citizen voting in every election, even when your side loses. It is a matter of infinite faith — this faith we have in the ability to govern ourselves, to come together, to make honorable, practical compromise in the pursuit of ends that will lift us all up and move us forward. So yes, we need to pace ourselves, but also lean on each other. Look for the good wherever we can. Celebrate heroes, encourage children, find ways to disagree respectfully. We need to be ready to lose some fights because we will. As John McCain recently reminded us, ‘No just cause is futile even if it’s lost.’ What matters is to keep going. No matter what, keep going.
Challenge All Of Your Assumptions Regularly
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake at Harvard Law School on May 23:
From my cautionary tale to you today, I urge you to challenge all of your assumptions, regularly. Recognize the good in your opponents. Apologize every now and then. Admit to mistakes. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness. Listen more. Speak up more, for politics sometimes keeps us silent when we should speak. And if you find yourself in a herd, crane your neck, look back there and check out your brand, ask yourself if it really suits you. From personal experience, I can say that it’s never too late to leave the herd. When you peel off from the herd, your equilibrium returns. Food tastes better. You sleep very well. Your mind is your own again. You cease being captive to some bad impulses and even worse ideas. It can strain relationships, to be sure, and leave you eating alone in the Senate dining room every now and then. But that’s okay. To revise and extend a remark the President himself may recognize: You might say that I like people whose minds weren’t captured. That one was for you, Senator McCain. We’re all pulling for you.
Above All Else, Do Not Lie
Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at Harvard University on May 23:
If I were asked the title of my address to you today, I would say: Above all else, do not lie. Or don’t lie too often. Which is really to say, tell the truth. But lying — the word, the idea, the act — has such political potency in America today that it somehow feels more apt. Above all else, do not lie. I grew up in Nigeria through military dictatorships and through incipient democracies. And America always felt aspirational. When yet another absurd thing happened politically, we would say, ‘This can never happen in America.’ But today, the political discourse in America includes questions that are straight from the land of the absurd. Questions such as, ‘Should we call a lie a lie? When is a lie a lie.’ And so, Class of 2018, at no time has it felt as urgent as now that we must protect and value the truth.
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