Michael Cartwright's Blog, page 3

Treatment & Rehabilitation Pioneer Dies at Age 77

You may not have heard the name Riley Regan, but you should: the authority figure on drug and alcohol abuse, provider of hope to many and founding director of the New Jersey Division of Alcoholism, died of liver cancer this past Friday at the age of 77. While many today advocate for treatment over incarceration, Regan was a pioneer. He unabashedly fought for recovery through rehabilitation and treatment throughout the 80s – a time when stigma, and the War on Drugs, reigned.

Regan was a passionate and committed recovering drug addict and alcoholic who is credited with the implementation of the Alcoholism Treatment and Rehabilitation Act. The Act decriminalized public drunkenness and established a statewide (New Jersey) system for alcoholism treatment and prevention. His efforts also led to the development of court-sponsored diversion systems.

More of Riley’s amazing accolades:

Instrumental in developing legislation that established the nationally recognized Intoxicated Driver Resource Center to help reduce drunk driving in NJ.
Served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
For more than 20 years he taught at numerous colleges and universities throughout the country on alcoholism and drug abuse.
Honored five times by resolutions from the New Jersey General Assembly for his ongoing work in the filed of addiction.
Helped develop the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling.
Came out of retirement in ’02 to become the Director of the New Hampshire Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Recovery.

Tom Graham, Regan’s best friend and former deputy director of the division, says, ”He had the ability to reach into people and get them to connect to what he came to New Jersey for — to set up systems so wherever someone was addicted or an alcoholic presented themselves there was a hand to reach out to them.”

Regan is survived by his wife and stepchildren.

Source: NJ.com

5 Reasons Writing Leads to Believable Hope

A quiet room. A computer. A pen and paper – the ingredients of writing. Writing can be such a lethargic process during one’s recovery. At our facilities, we encourage writing as an integral part of our built-in scheduling and provide our patients with time to reflect, keep journals or incorporate Sobriety Calendars to help keep track of progress along the way. When you let go and allow your mind to spill out onto the screen or paper, writing can be therapeutic, personal and even revelational.

Everyday individuals benefit from 12-Step Recovery Journals, writing exercises and the act of writing itself, in which the potential for raw self-discovery can lead one directly to Believable Hope, and thus lifelong sobriety. All you need is compassion and honesty within. Here are 5 reasons why writing is a key tool in recovery:

1. Addiction becomes less shameful and more real. The simple act of writing something down can make the embarrassing, shameful or even painful seem more real, and less overwhelming.

2. Encouragement of responsibility. When you write from the heart, you write for yourself – and when you let your thoughts take the wheel, honest words often emerge. This is your conscious pushing you to face your limitations, then reach beyond what you thought possible.

3. Spiritual enlightenment. Writing can be meditative because it takes stillness and intuition, and a connection between mind and body – a connection to the soul, even. Hours of writing can feel like ten minutes. Finding and accepting a higher power and sense of spirituality is made possible.

4. Connecting the dots. You never know where your thoughts will lead you. Releasing yourself from boundaries and restrictions through writing makes it possible to connect personal stories of how, when and why addiction took hold – and how the elements of Believable Hope have or can come together for lifelong sobriety. Writing makes it easy for the lightbulbs to go off, and you may just have an epiphany that changes everything.

5. YOU are in control. Oftentimes it feels as though addiction has all the control. Writing, however, puts the individual in control. We are able to challenge and speak directly to addiction, thereby setting in place what we actually want from life.

What does writing mean to you?

Source: Psych Central

Running Toward Recovery: Taylor Ellsworth Has Believable Hope

In an article entitled “Twenty-Six Miles to Recovery,” Taylor Ellsworth of Portland, OR candidly details her battle with alcoholism and an eating disorder – and how training for a marathon, while it wasn’t enough to miraculously “fix” her addictions, helped open the door to a newfound sense of hope and peace.

Using her own words, I can’t help but relate her story to one of Believable Hope.

With two years of sobriety under her belt, Taylor took up running. Her friends in recovery were doing it (Essential Element #3: Surround yourself with winners) and she had a naturally competitive spirit.

“After beginning my quest to recover from both alcoholism and my eating disorder, my health began to be a priority. I’d spent so much time self-destructing that compensating for lost time seemed natural.”

Running became a challenging journey all in itself. 

“Whatever it was, I made the dramatic decision that I would keep at it until I could run five continuous miles; if I still hated it at that point, I told myself, I could quit and never pick up another pair of running shoes again.”

Taylor surpassed her five-mile goal and decided to train for and complete a 10k race, though she continued to battle with self-and-body image.

“The life I had lived before sobriety was largely composed of poisoning my bloodstream with foreign chemicals and stuffing and subsequently emptying my stomach to exhaustion to avoid the fact that I felt obligated to apologize upon walking into a room because that’s how much I hated myself. Even after getting rid of the chemicals, there was still a severe degree of disconnection between mind, body and soul. Instead of filling the void that I’d formerly poured alcohol into, I’d been stuffing it with food…”

“With a nod to the sponsor-sponsee relationship,” as she says, Taylor began a tedious 4-month training schedule developed by a runner friend. She planned her days around her workouts. She felt freer and began to eat without guilt, ”continually proving to myself that the body I used to abuse so regularly was capable of incredible feats.”

In the pages of Believable Hope, I describe the day my wife and I walked into our daughter’s room and saw she had decorated her mirror with positive affirmations such as, ‘I am smart,’ ‘I am amazing,’ and ‘I am strong!’

The day of the marathon came, and during those last difficult miles, Taylor saw a sign on the sidelines that read something like, ‘You’re Amazing.’ She said to herself, ‘I am amazing. I am strong.’ 

“In that moment, I believed that I was worthy human being, with no reservations about how my wide hips compromised my intelligence or how my thighs negated the attractiveness of my face.”

To this day, Taylor affirms that recovery is a process. It’s a way of life, forever.

“…I’m still a work in progress and recovery is a slow, tedious and emotional journey, no matter how much I wish it were a single, 26.2-mile sprint … I can’t control my thoughts of unworthiness but I can try to manage them and running has become a key component of doing this. Though I know without a doubt that I have more work to do, for now I’ve found a key to the proverbial castle in recovery land. I am, however, still looking for the one that belongs to the kingdom.”

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Ray Lucas: Giving Back the Gift of Hope

Ray Lucas is an NFL veteran who played for the Jets, Ravens, Dolphins and Patriots. In ’03, physical injuries ended his impressive 7-year career – an event that heightened his already high tolerance to painkillers and depression meds and resulted in full-blown addiction. Eventually Ray was taking more than 100 pills and 19 different medications per month, a mix of OxyContin, Percocets, Roxys and others. He was losing his family and was on the brink of suicide.

Today, Ray Lucas has been clean and sober for nearly two years. He’s a wonderful family man, a respected studio analyst for SportsNet New York and a spokesman for opiod addicts.

Ray Lucas is a prime example of Believable Hope.

Find what works for you

I’m a big advocate for the 12-Step program; it helped me, and countless others that I’ve in turn helped see through to recovery. Ray has spoken publically about his treatment experience, and how the 12-Step program didn’t work for him. “What worked for me, might not work for you. The fact that you’re trying to get help, that’s the biggest step in the world.” And he’s so right.

The driving factors for Ray were his wife (his “angel and rock”) and kids. “Being a father and husband,” he says. Plain and simple. His family, along with his experience at a residential rehabilitation facility, brought him back to life and gave him the Believable Hope he needed to “feel reborn.” And while I firmly believe the 12-Step program can lead one to lifelong sobriety… as long as you can find Believable Hope, hope that is real and leads to actual, positive change… you’re golden.

Facebook hero

During his time in rehab, Ray posted personal, raw accounts on his Facebook page. He described his daily experiences and opened up about his addiction. He was hesitant to do so at first, but soon realized his voice was helping others fighting similar battles find the hope they needed.

“When you receive the gift of sobriety, if you don’t give it back, you don’t get to keep it. It’s a sin not to share success stories, because a lot of people don’t think they can do it. I tell my story because I know there’s somebody out there like me, that is in the hole, in the deep depression, and he thinks there’s no way out. “

Athletes (and anyone active, for that matter) it is so important that you know the side effects and risks of any pain medication prescribed to you. If information isn’t given to you, ask. As Ray says, injuries are inevitable when your job or hobby requires you to be physical. Awareness and education is key. Ray is proof that addiction can take you to hell and back, but you have all the power in the world to reclaim your life, then help others find hope.

Source: The Fix

Tangible Goals For Losing Weight the Healthy Way

Back in June, Science Daily posted an article that sparked my attention, about a new drug that increases sensitivity to leptin – a hormone in the body that acts as a natural appetite suppressant Researchers, who have only tested the drug on mice, are hopeful that it will help treat obesity, manage metabolism and maintain weight long-term loss.

A new compound called JD5037 was tested for this drug that targets CB1R — anti-obesity drugs created to help stave off the “munchies” produced by marijuana. JD5037 suppressed the appetite of obese mice, causing them to lose weight loss and get their metabolism back on track.

Look, everyone who knows and follows me knows how passionate I am about helping to beat obesity. Millions are overweight and risk heart disease, diabetes and other horrible diseases, not to mention the emotional and mental implications of food addiction. I’ve lived this myself — when I was 40, I lost more than 70 pounds. And while new drugs like the one mentioned in Science Daily may sound exciting in this modern age of amazing advancement in science and technology, the only guaranteed solution to weight management is a change in mindset. A lifestyle change. Believable Hope!

Just as crash diets don’t usually work, quick fixes and diet fads don’t, either. At FitRx, we don’t recommend these things. We recommend time and commitment. What appetite suppressants don’t take into account is that weight loss is about transforming your emotional life just as much as it is your physical.

Here are some tried-and-true tips straight from Believable Hope:

See yourself as slender. Visualize your ideal body weight – see yourself succeeding!
Remove all the junk food from your house! Yes, I know… it’s hard… but you have to!
Come up with a game plan, and keep track of your food intake and goals.
Walk before you run. Don’t start by running 6 miles a day… start by walking and gradually create a more intense workout that fits into your game plan.
Surround yourself with positive influences, not people who feed into your addiction or encourage you stay unhealthy and/or unhappy.
Instead of saying, “Oh no! I gained 3 pounds this week!” say, “Okay, I will do better next week!”
Go to support meetings where other people are fighting similar battles.
Find a sponsor, mentor or someone who will share insights with you and serve as a role model who keeps you accountable and motivated.
Integrate healthier eating and regular exercise into your lifestyle.

Tangible goals and belief in yourself are crucial to losing weight the healthy, lifelong way, and if you don’t have Believable Hope, you won’t have tangible goals or self-motivation. When you change your mindset, you change your life, and while appetite suppressants, meal replacement programs and diet pills all may find you skinny on the outside for a while, it’s the stuff within that equally matters.

Words of Wisdom… Josh Shipp has Believable Hope!

At 30 years old, Josh Shipp “Teen Whisperer” is a behavioral expert, author, TV host and motivational speaker who, in just over 10 years as a professional, has become one of the most internationally in-demand teen speakers in the world. Parents, schools and mental health counselors turn to Josh because he truly gets and gets through to teens all over the country.

Josh provides young people and their parents with awareness, encouragement and motivation — and an amazing dose of Believable Hope when it comes to overcoming substance addiction and living the lives we’re meant to life. He has spoken at hundreds of high schools, middle schools and universities, and with more than two million students and their families at events like the National Student Council, National Youth Summit, National FFA and SADD Conventions. His latest book The Teen’s Guide to World Domination was released in 2010, and he hosts his own television series on Halogen called Jump Shipp, where he speaks with real people about crises and issues faced by twenty-something adults.

I’ve said many times before that my grandmother, who really helped shape the foundation of my book, guided me along my life’s path.

My grandmother would say:

“Everyone has something.  Everyone has some challenge to overcome,” she’d say. “It is how we deal with that challenge that determines our future and makes all the difference in our lives.”

During one of his lectures, Josh said:

“All of us this room face things that are unfortunate, that we shouldn’t have to go through. Something in your life is going try to hold you down, make you stop, make you quit. We all have that. Yours is different than mine, but we all got it… we can choose to get bitter or choose to get better.” 

For Josh, his something was family — for a big chunk of his life, he never knew his real mom or real dad. He’d never met one person related to him, and rather than exist in bitterness, he learned to use his experiences to help others. I love how this ties into exactly what my grandmother knew to be true – that everyone deals with an obstacle specific to him or herself, but it’s how the obstacle is dealt with that matters most. She instilled in me Believable Hope, and Josh instills that same hope into the millions of teens he connects with each time he speaks.

 

Way to Go, “Weight of the Nation”

HBO may be home to blood-sucking vampires and New Jersey mobsters, but it’s also now home to The Weight of the Nation: an amazing four-part documentary series and campaign aimed to fight obesity in the U.S. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have already grasped onto this powerful campaign; I’m so proud that the Lifestyle Intervention Conference honored The Weight of the Nation last week by presenting the team behind it with the highest honor the convention has to offer – the Lifestyle Intervention Leadership Award.

Each installment of the series – Choices, Consequences, Children in Crisis and Challenges — features real Americans struggling with obesity, plus interviews with the experts. Topics covered in the films include health consequences, the science behind weight, lunches in today’s schools and food marketing, among many others.

It’s no secret that weight issues and obesity is a cause very close to my heart, and one that I’ve struggled with myself. I’ve dedicated my career to helping people discover the underlying causes of their food addictions, get healthy and live the lives they love – and, of course, I created FitRX, a weight and wellness retreat in Nashville, TN, led by top physicians and fitness/wellness experts. The 5 Essential Elements I apply to all of my treatment programs work for any addiction, food included…

…which is why it’s so fitting that we chose the team behind The Weight of the Nation to receive the Leadership Award this year, an award presented to individuals who work with the media to spread awareness about crucial health/lifestyle issues faced by Americans today. The WOTN team not only accepted the award live at the Lifestyle Intervention Conference, but also hosted a special screening for all of this year’s attendees.

The Weight of the Nation is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

Watch The Weight of the Nation for free — right  here.

Hero to Speak at the Lifestyle Intervention Conference

Between 1996 and 2001, 4-Star General Barry R. McCaffrey served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He was groundbreaking – a major proponent of treatment and recovery. I’m so proud that this fearless man will be speaking at the Lifestyle Intervention Conference.

During his “Drug Czar” days as leader of U.S. drug policy, McCaffrey emphasized treatment and prevention — this was huge at the time, because McCaffrey followed in the footsteps of the Reagan administration which declared the War on Drugs, commonly viewed as counter-intuitive and worked to “solve” addiction, rather than treat addiction. He said that drug abuse requires a “systems-based approach and a long-term commitment… “Treatment, prevention, education, enforcement, and interdiction must all be synergistic components of that policy.”

And so McCaffrey made it his mission to shift the public’s view of addiction away from the “War on Drugs” and towards the more modern belief that addiction is in fact a disease, and must be treated as such — a process that includes medically-administered medications, intervention, counseling and therapy, and whatever else an addict needs to successfully recover.

Here are just a few of General McCaffrey’s accolades:

He was the Commander of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during Desert Storm.
He served in a combat capacity in Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.
He’s been awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.
He served as a member of the President’s Cabinet and the National Security Council for drug-related issues.
He was Professor of International Affairs at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
He currently serves on the Board of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

I can’t wait to hear General McCaffrey speak at this year’s Conference… no doubt he will WOW us with a speech full of Believable Hope and inspiration!

Recovery Rocks!

I am so excited to host the 2nd annual Lifestyle Intervention Conference, and for so many reasons. We’ll have the best behavioral health experts under one roof…  the top intervention experts in the field on one panel for the first time ever …and it’s all happening at the beautiful Bellagio in Las Vegas. I mean, come on! But we have something else up our sleeves: our musical guests, the legendary all-star band Rockers In Recovery, who will be performing at the Conference.

TheRockers in Recovery Band is a super group led by legendary rock musicians who have played with some of the biggest bands in history. They continue to lend so much to the addiction community by lending their voices to the addiction and recovery field.

The band includes:

Ricky Byrd (2012 Rock &Roll Hall of Fame Nominee, formerly of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)
Richie Supa (Aerosmith and Richie Sambora)
Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren)

With frequent appearances by:

Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel band)
Mark Stein(Vanilla Fudge)
Christine Ohlman (SNL band)

Fame, fortune and addiction create an unfortunate combination all too common in the music business. Addiction wreaks havoc, regardless of money, fame, power or prestige. In many cases, those things only inflame an underlying issue(s) that must be addressed, and without substances — just think of all the iconic musicians we’ve lost to addiction.

In my book, we meet Tony Newman, a drummer who has toured with The Beatles, Little Richard and played with Jeff Beck and David Bowie. He was sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll personified and full-blown cocaine addict until he found Believable Hope through a 12-Step program. He’s committed to his recovery and his faith in God, and has been sober for nearly three decade. “I’ve made amends as best I can,” Tony says, “so I don’t live in the past.  I can’t change the insane things I have done.  I can only make good choices in the future.” Tony is a rocker in recovery!

The Rockers in Recovery Band truly represents some of the greatest musicians in history, and I’m so proud to have them at the conference — proof positive that incredible things happen in recovery.

On October 1, Ricky Byrd and Richie Supa will appear and perform at Desert Hope, an American Addiction Center facility in Las Vegas, as part of a special invitation-only event to promote the Lifestyle Intervention Conference and raise awareness about the magic of recovery.