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WELCOME TO
THE Recovery Radio FLASH! |
Week of April 20, 2006 |
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....
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Our newsletter is a free, weekly update on what's
going on here at
Recovery Radio Show and includes valuable resources and tools for any
 one affected
by the disease of addiction.
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1.
THIS WEEK'S SHOW:
SATURDAY, APRIL 15th, 2006
-
April Pot
Pourri
DUAL ADDICTIONS
POLY-PHARMACY IS THE NORM AMONG ADDICTS
 There
really is no such thing as a "pure alcoholic". Nor is there
such thing as a, "pure drug addict". Rather, most all addicts
are in fact poly-drug abusers. Alcohol IS a drug, and an
alcoholic IS a drug addict. An addict is highly prone to use
any and all substances that will alter our perception of
reality.
In years past many members of Alcoholics Anonymous projected
to newcomers the gravely mistaken impression that alcohol was
unique as a substance of addiction. They gave the impression
to them that there is a special distinction between an
"alcoholic" and a "drug addict". This is fallacious.
As most all would agree, alcohol indeed IS a drug (albeit a
legal one), and differentiating one specific drug of addiction
from another is not only a bad idea, but one that perpetuates
antiquated thinking about the disease of addiction. The
reality today, in 2006, is that nearly 100% of people who seek
recovery in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous will admit to
having so-called "other issues".
 "Other
issues" is a pejorative term commonly heard in meetings of AA
in the context of referring to "drugs" other than alcohol. It
is usually said in a way that creates a very uncomfortable
feeling in the person hearing that message, and to most all
addicts who know inwardly that we are in fact poly-addicted.
That such an odd term as "other issues" even exists is a
bizarre thought when one considers modern science's
understanding that addiction indeed is a brain disease. In
actuality, the concept of poly-addiction has been around since
the days of the founders of AA. To wit: Dr. Bob, one of the
co-founders of AA was himself also a Demerol, barbiturate, and
amphetamine addict as well as a hopeless alcoholic!! This is
all clearly recorded in the Big Book.
What I am discussing here is known as "Dual Addictions".
Perhaps a better term for this concept is "Cross Addictions",
meaning that an addict will cross over to other drugs if his
or her drug of choice is not available. An addict is extremely
likely to use any substance that will change his or her sense
or reality.
 No
question that many addicts will gravitate to a "drug of
choice", such as stimulants (meth, cocaine), sedatives
(alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates), opiates (heroin,
Vicodin, Oxycontin) or hallucinogens (LSD, PCP, ketamine). But
we in the absence of our drug of choice we will seek and use
any suitable drug.
Key to understanding this concept is that addiction is very
much a brain disease which affects the region of the nucleus
accumbens. The end result is altered perception of- and
response to- pleasurable experiences.
Addiction is characterized by excessive build-up of the
neurotransmitter dopamine in that area and nearby brain
regions. Any number of exogenous substances ("drugs") can
affect the addict's brain in a way that results in the
addict's perceiving pleasure in a way that is markedly
different from normal people (non-addicts). Simply stated,
once an addict has experienced a pleasurable mind-altering
effect, he or she wants MORE. The development of physiologic
tolerance makes it such that achieving the first euphoric
"high" again is impossible. But the addict keeps trying to
re-create that first high...until he or she dies trying.
This week we will discuss DUAL ADDICTIONS, POLY-ADDICTION,
and why there is no such thing as a "pure alcoholic" or "pure
drug addict. We will explain why this is. We will take your
calls on ANYTHING having to do with drugs of all sorts, and,
of course, RECOVERY. Abstinence and recovery are the only
options for addicts...Death is invariably the alternative.
Don’t miss this exciting and highly informative show! Live!!
This Saturday night, April 22nd, 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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2.
STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE
DOC by Dr Steve
Other Stuff for
Alcoholism: Antabuse
 I’ve been
talking in recent weeks about various medication adjuncts for
sobriety maintenance from that grand-daddy and biggest drug of
all: Alcohol. Many alcoholics are totally unaware that
medications DO exist that help maintain their sobriety.
Last week I talked about Campral, a very new medication that
improves sobriety rates by 2-4 times as compared with placebo
(IF accompanied by participation in behavioral therapy).
Other medication for alcohol addiction do exist: They are
Antabuse , or disulfuram, and Revia, or naltrexone. Tonight I
will talk about Antabuse.
Antabuse works by making a person acutely sick and completely
miserable if they take a drink while using it. Is is a so-called
“deterrent”, much like Pavlov’s dog, only in reverse.
Disulfuram inhibits an enzyme in the blood stream that catalyzes
the conversion of alcohol into acetaldehyde, which in turn is
oxidized into acetic acid, and then into carbon dioxide and
water. The result of drinking alcohol while taking Antabuse is
the build-up of acetaldehyde in the body, causing severe nausea
and wretching, body-wide blood vessel dilatation (flushing and
burning sensation), palpitations, and headaches.
You get the picture!! Drinking while taking Antabuse causes the
alcoholic to immediately become miserable and it goes on for
hours. You wish you would die- but you don’t. The theory goes
that having experienced one such reaction while drinking, that
the person will never drink again.
Does this work? Unfortunately, no. Many determined hard core
alcoholics will knowingly go full speed ahead and "drink though"
Antabuse regardless the horribly unpleasant task of getting to
the "other side" of this reaction. Their only adjustment is to
buy cheaper whiskey and to drink harder and faster. Some who are
on Antabuse will surrepticiously throw away their medication or
simply not take it.
My opinion? Some alcoholics may benefit from the deterrent
effect of Antabuse. Most will not. Other better options exist.
This is Dr Steve, giving it to you Straight!!!
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3.
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:
This week Bob shares with us in its original iteration the
well-known "Serenity Prayer"
 The
Original Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom
to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus
did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to
your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and
supremely happy with You forever in the next.
AMEN
- Reinhold Niebuhr –
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4.
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. continues as our partner and sponsor!!!
 We
are pleased to announce that
HYTHIAM, Inc. continues to
partner with Recovery Radio as one of our sponsors!!! Purveyor
of the new and extremely exciting methamphetamine treatment
protocol called "PROMETA"
(TM), Hythiam was founded in 2002 and is located in Los Angeles.
The PROMETA (TM) protocols are currently being evaluated in a
large placebo-controlled, random, double-blind clinical study.
Results thus far are VERY promising. BUT...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 (866) 426-3741, or visit
www.overcomeaddiction.com. |
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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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