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WELCOME TO
THE Recovery Radio FLASH! |
Week of February 2 2006 |
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Welcome...to the
FLASH! This weekly e-newsletter will keep you informed of what's
new at Recovery
Radio Show...and
at Recovery Media, Inc., our affiliated service corporation. We
are dedicated to taking the hope of RECOVERY to you, your
family, and to all persons afflicted with- or affected by - THE
DISEASE OF ADDICTION. There IS a better way....
1.
SEX
ADDICTION: WE WILL "OUT" IT!!
Five Part Special Series
Understanding ~
Accepting ~ Healing
 This
month we will feature Sex Addiction as our focus. Human
sexuality is a normal and essential aspect of life; it can and
should be meaningful, enjoyable, endearing, bonding, and of
course, procreating. Finding a balance between normal and
addictive sex can be problematic for those individuals who
have the genetic make-up of predisposition to Addiction.
Dr. Patrick Carnes, author of the groundbreaking book,
“Out
of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction”
will join us on March 4th for the conclusion of our 5-Part
Series on Sex Addiction. As one of the earliest pioneers in
this field, he is widely acknowledged to be the “father of sex
addiction treatment”. Also joining us this month will be
Sharon O’Hara, MA, in private practice and formerly
Director, Sexual Dependency Unit at Del Amo Hospital in
Torrance, CA, Rob Weiss, LCSW, Clinical Director of the
Sexual Recovery Institute, Los Angeles, and Maureen
Canning, MA, Clinical Consultant with the Sexual Disorder
Service at The Meadows in Wickenburg, AZ. Rounding out our
stellar guest line-up for the series will be “Frank L”.
As a form of compulsive behavior or addiction, Sex Addiction
is in position of public awareness, understanding, and
acceptance that alcoholism and drug addiction were 20-30 years
ago. We as a nation can and must come to grips with this
widespread form of addictive behavior. Recovery Radio will do
so during the month of February with this 5-Part Series.
Robb Weiss has written two excellent books on the
subject as well:
Cybersex Exposed (2001) and
Cruise Control
(2005). Both are
good sources of information about Internet Sex Addiction and
gay issues and Sex Addiction, respectively.
Special Thanks go to Kay Poggi, MA, private practice
sex addiction therapist based in Orange County, who served as
our content technical consultant for this series. She has
worked extensively with Dr. Carnes, and welcomes new patients
to her practice: 949.498.5018 or 949.230.3515
Don’t miss this exciting and informative series!!
Join us "LIVE!!" every Saturday night, 6 - 8P Pacific Time
99.5 KKLA Los Angeles, or, in 10 other cities, or, Streaming
on the Web. On-Air Call-in Number: 888/995-5552
RECOVERY WORKS!!
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2.
THIS WEEK'S SHOW: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH
Part I of our Special February Series: Sex Addiction-
Understanding, Accepting, Healing
 S.A. 101: A QUICK PRIMER ON SEX ADDICTION
Special Guest: Sharon O’Hara, MA, LFMT, Private
Practice Sexual Addiction Therapist and Former Program Director,
The Sexual Disorders Unit, Del Amo Hospital, Torrance, CA
Sex Addiction is arguably the biggest emerging addiction in the
USA today. It is characterized by shame, hiding in the shadows
for years; unknown, unaccepted, and under-treated. Sex Addiction
destroys lives and families in a manner no different from
addiction to alcohol or drugs.
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Sharon O'Hara, MA, LFMT
Special Guest |
Addiction is a brain disease, and is a disorder of how a person
perceives and processes pleasurable experiences…be they induced
by alcohol or drug or a behavioral experience. Other so-called
“behavioral addictions’ include gambling, eating disorders,
shopping, and a host of others. Regardless the source of
pleasure, dopamine accumulates in the areas of the brain that
process those feeling and emotions…and we want MORE!! Same can
be true with sexual activities.
What makes Sex Addiction so difficult to address is twofold: 1)
Sex is a natural and normal part of human existence; sex addicts
and "normies" alike must deal with it in a healthy fashion- one
way or another, and 2) It is profoundly shame-based; we have
kept it suppressed from our collective consciousness for years.
As an issue of societal concern it is now in a position of
awareness and acceptance that drug and alcohol addiction was
20-30 years ago.
This week we will define just what Sex Addiction is…and what it
isn’t.
Is it truly an addiction? Does it affect mostly men, or, are
both sexes affected? If both are affected, how does this
addiction differ in how it is manifest in each sex? How does the
Internet tie-in to all this? We will see that “Sex Addiction” is
probably better described as being “Sex and Sexual Relationship
Addiction. The fact that there are five (5) separate 12-Step
support groups for Sex Addiction underscores this observation.
These issues and more will be discussed. Your questions are and
comments are welcomed.
Sharon O’ Hara, MA, LFMT will join us for the first of
our five-part series, which will conclude on March 4th when
Dr. Patrick Carnes will be our featured guest. In between,
we will have sex addiction therapists Rob Weiss, LFMT of
the Sexual Recovery Institute Los Angeles, Maureen Canning,
MA of The Meadows, and Frank L, one of the founders
of Sexual
Compulsives Anonymous (SCA).
Sharon O'Hara currently is engaged in the private practice of
sex addiction therapy in Torrance, CA. Previously, she was
Program Director of the Sexual Disorders Unit at Del Amo
Hospital in Torrance, CA, one of the earliest and treatment
centers for sex addiction. She has worked alongside Dr. Carnes,
who is widely acknowledged to be the “father of sex addiction
therapy and treatment. His sentinel book, “Out of the Shadows:
Understanding Sexual Addiction” brought sex addiction out into
the open at last, and has allowed our society to begin to
understand this long-shunned disorder.
Sharon is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual
Health (SASH), formerly the National Council on Sexual Addiction
and Compulsivity (NCSAC). She is former president of the
California Chapter of NCSAC, 1999-2004, and a licensed marriage
and family therapist (LFMT) in the State of California. She is
accepting new patients and can be reached at 310-326-5534 or at
sharonohara@aol.com. Her website is
www.sharonohara.com .
Don’t miss this exciting and highly informative show! Live!!
This Saturday night, February 4th 6 – 8P Pacific Time on 99.5 FM
KKLA Los Angeles and 10 other cities…and…streaming on the web.
Our show call-in number is 888/995-5552 for your questions and
comments. Remember….. RECOVERY WORKS!!!
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3.
STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE
DOC by Dr Steve
Sex Addiction? You MUST be Kidding Me!!!!
 Sex
Addiction is no joke. Many people think that the term ‘sex
addict’ simply connotes a person who loves sex.
Sex addiction ruin lives and relationships in a manner no
different from drugs or alcohol. It is a compulsive behavior
that is akin to such other so-called “behavioral addictions”
as gambling, eating, shopping, and the like.
But HOW can that happen????? How can a behavior be an
addiction?
Addiction is a disease….a brain disease. I have said this many
times before. It is a dysfunction of the brain’s
pleasure-experiencing centers, where the end result is a
build-up of dopamine in the brain synapses that process our
experiencing of pleasure. Just like a drug, which does the
same thing here….the sex addict wants more….and more….and
more. The selected “acting out” behavior becomes an
obsession….seeking newer and better and more intense
iterations of the act or experience that causes the exuberant
“HIGH”.
With drugs, it’s a chemical molecule that causes the build-up
of dopamine. With Sex and other behavioral addictions, it is
an experience that impacts our brain in a slightly different
manner, but both with the same end result.
Dual Addictions are common among all addicts. In fact, among
Sex Addicts, approximately 45% are dually addicted to drugs,
most commonly speed, marijuana, or alcohol.
Among Sex Addicts, a very large percentage were abused as
children…either physically, emotionally, sexually, or a
combination of all any and all. It is common that abusive
sexual behaviors are handed down from generation to
generation.
So…there is little doubt that Sex Addiction is REAL.
What can be done to help Sex Addicts? Are there any
medications or treatments that help??
In distinction to drug and alcohol addiction, there are no
known medications that help. Rather, the approach to this
particular addiction is primarily through therapy and 12-step
support groups. Fortunately, there are many 12-Step Support
groups to choose from. Not all sex addicts have the same
issues, as there is very much a complex interplay of sex per
se, plus the emotions and relationships which normally
accompany sexual liaisons.
Sex Addiction is no joke. If YOU just THINK YOU may have
problem with Sex Addiction…you just very well might. Get
help….NOW!!
This is Dr Steve….giving it to you Straight!!!
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4. THOUGHT FOR RECOVERY- by BOB MUNCK
 Each
week on our show this past year, Bob has shares his "Thought
for Recovery", a unique personal reflection meant to inspire
those of us in Recovery. This is from a man with 15 years of
personal sobriety, and with many years of recovery leadership.
He has seen and heard it all. He has sponsored hundreds of men
during that time. Bob's "Thoughts" will focus on pearls of
wisdom that all alcoholics and addicts in Recovery can use to
enhance their own Recovery. We reprint this week's Thought for
Recovery here:
Male Sexuality
 For most
men, sex is one of the most central issues in recovery. Our
addictive and codependent selves have been fed by an
overemphasis on physical sex, satisfaction, and performance.
Sex is so limited by this emphasis, such that many men have
become more unhappy, even as they have more sex.
We need to learn how to deepen our sexual experiences. We can
allow ourselves the vulnerability of learning from our wives.
We need to know how they relate to us, and how we can have
both a spiritual and a physical connection. We can allow
ourselves to be in a loving, nurturing relationship and enjoy
the pleasure of touch. Consummation may not always be in the
climax, but in the intimacy of the relationship itself.
Today, I need to express my sexuality in a spiritual way.
Dear God, I pray that my spiritual growth will continue to be
in your will and plan on how I can learn to be sexual in a
loving, nurturing and spiritual way. Amen
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5.
MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
WITH RECOVERY RADIO
Recovery Radio Seeks
Show Sponsors
 The
Recovery Radio Show is more that just a radio show.
We are a comprehensive set of resources for addicts and their
families. Our uniqueness is that each week we reach hundreds of
thousands of addicts and their families who are still
suffering…over 500,000 people each week. We do this in many
ways, the most obvious of which is over the airwaves every
Saturday night in Los Angeles and 10 other cities,
coast-to-coast.
In addition, we will soon be publishing “California Together”,
a monthly newspaper targeted at the recovery community
throughout Southern California. We will be publishing this in
partnership with Bill and Barbara Brown, publishers of “Arizona
Together”, which periodical has been meeting the needs of
the Arizona recovery community for over 15 years. The two will
be sister publications.
We maintain one of the most popular “recovery radio” websites in
the world! Both Google and Yahoo have rated ours to be #4, and
this after only 6 months of existence! That is phenomenal, and
testimony to the fact that we are “doing something right!” Our
weekly e-newsletter, the FLASH! reaches many people each week as
well, with timely updates on what is happening with Recovery
Radio and the recovery world in general.
Future projects include an “800 HELPLINE”, the HOW Program USA
“recovery scholarships”, Fourth Step Workshops with Bob and Dr
Steve, and “The Art of Recovery- Southern California” recovery
community annual convention.
What does this all mean? It means that those organizations whose
business is related to recovery and/or recovery products have a
unique opportunity to engage- at the ground-floor level- in an
extremely effective marketing alliance with The Recovery Radio
Show.
Ours is a highly-targeted audience. We reach over 500,000 people
each week (conservative estimate). Approximately 60% of our
callers are family members or loved ones of an alcoholic or
addict who NEEDS RECOVERY. They are looking for solutions to get
their loved on into recovery. About 30% of our callers are from
addicts or alcoholics who are IN RECOVERY, and want and need
recovery-oriented products.
More so, ALL of our listeners are learning more about a
societal problem that in reality affects essentially every
single person in this nation. Addiction is by far the #1 public
health problem in the nation today, costing our society over $4
Billion/year. It is long overdue that our nation accepts
addiction for the medical disease that it is. We are doing our
part to effect that change.
If you are with a business or organization that might benefit
from a marketing relationship with Recovery Radio, please
contact us. We will be happy to discuss the many ways that you
can benefit from joining our team…and at the same time help AND
benefit from our growing fan and listener base.
CONTACT US
if you would like to explore sponsorship or marketing
opportunities with Recovery Radio Show. Toll-Free:
866.334.0471., ext. 102 (Bob), or ext. 111 (Dr Steve).
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HYTHIAM, Inc. joins us as our corporate sponsor!!!
We at the Recovery
Radio Show are pleased to announce that beginning Saturday,
October 8, 2005
HYTHIAM, Inc. joins us
as our corporate sponsor!!! A health services
management company that licenses an
exciting methamphetamine treatment protocol called "PROMETA"
(TM), Hythiam was founded in 2002 in Los Angeles.
The PROMETA (TM) protocols are currently being evaluated in a
placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical study. This radical approach
to the once dismal treatment of "speed" addiction- which likely
will revolutionize the world of addiction treatment- is
available to addicts NOW!! Hythiam also has PROMETA (TM)
protocols for cocaine and alcohol, too!! For more information,
call
(800) 700-SOBER, or visit
www.overcomeaddiction.com |
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PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK"S SHOW TOPIC, and much, much more.
Forward this email to your friends and
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RECOVERY RADIO
A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
The
Recovery Radio Show is organized as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit
public benefit corporation under the IRS tax code: Our Mission
is to provide education about addiction to our fellow human
beings, and to do what we can to allow those still suffering to
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tax-deductible donation to the RRS, you may do so with our
profound thanks and appreciation by clicking on the link above,
or by going to the "DONATE" button on our website on the
HOME page. Or, you may call our very own Melissa Stewart at
866.334.0471 M-F between the hours of 8A - 5P.
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That's it for
this week....Join us this Saturday Night, won't you?????.....6-8
Pacific Time...on-air, or on the web.
Yours very truly, and in sobriety,
Dr Steve, Bob, and the Recovery Radio Crew |
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