As an air traffic controller in Chicago for nearly 24 years, Will Crump made a lot of money. He was never exposed to the hopelessness of alcoholics, addicts and the homeless.

“They were not part of my world,” said Crump, 59.

But in 2009, Crump, a divorced father of four, moved to Madison to overcome his own addictions to alcohol and drugs and, eventually, homelessness.

“It was my first exposure to a segment of society I never knew existed,” he said. “It was a stark and rude awakening.”

A Wisconsin native, Crump said he started drinking as a freshman at UW-Madison. He credits the homeless services agency Porchlight Inc. for helping him turn his life around. 

In turn, Crump was one of six formerly homeless people honored by Porchlight Thursday night at its annual recognition dinner attended by more than 400 supporters in Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center.

Crump said it was painful to be around others who were struggling because he wasn’t used to seeing that kind of suffering. “Then I realized I was one of them. I was an alcoholic — without help I would have been homeless, in jail or dead,” he said.

After getting treatment, Crump applied to Porchlight’s Partnership for Transitional Opportunities supportive living program. He now lives in a one-bedroom Porchlight apartment on the North Side and worked himself up from a part-time janitor at Porchlight to a full-time maintenance worker for the organization’s more than 230 housing units in 25 Madison-area locations. 

“Porchlight saved my life,” Crump said. “Thank you is completely inadequate.”

Also recognized were Bryan Wobig, Karla Krajco, Frederick Sanders and Dontate and Melissa Pollard. 

Porchlight also celebrated a successful capital campaign that raised $4 million in the past three years. The proceeds will help “the most stigmatized of the homeless groups — adults suffering from mental illness,” said Steve Schooler, the group’s executive director.

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire -11/10/11)- Fresh Start Private Management Inc. (OTC.BB: CEYY.OB – News), a leader in the alcohol treatment and rehabilitation industry, is pleased to announce that it is working with Jeremy Miller, the legendary Star of the 80s Hit Sitcom, “Growing Pains,” in promoting Fresh Start Private though public awareness campaigns.

Former child actor Jeremy Miller of the TV show ‘Growing Pains’ has agreed to become a public spokesperson and patient advocate for the Fresh Start Private recovery program. His endorsements of the Company with spots airing in Southern California on Clear Channel Radio stations are part of a strategy to raise the national profile on the power and the effectiveness of the Fresh Start recovery program.

A sample of the advertisement may be heard at http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/107771/Jeremy%20Miller%20Audio

In a recent interview, Mr. Miller said, “I finally found something that worked for me. Fresh Start was actually something my Mom found on the Internet. I went ahead and had the procedure done and the simple bio-degradable medical implant blocked all my cravings for Alcohol. I have to tell you it has worked amazingly. It’s absolutely saved my marriage, and my wife thanks God for it each and every day.”

The radio ads voiced by Mr. Miller have already begun and are to continue to be aired over eight stations owned by Clear Channel that reach over 8 million listeners each week across Southern California including KFI 640 AM, KLAC 570 AM, KTLK 1150 AM, HOT 92.3 FM, 98.7 FM, KOST 103.5 FM, MyFM 104.3 & 102.7 KIIS FM.

‘Growing Pains’ was an Emmy winning and Golden Globe nominated TV series that ran from 1985-1992, which at its peak, averaged close to 20 million viewers an episode.

About Fresh Start Private
Fresh Start Private is an alcohol addiction, alcohol withdrawal, alcohol abuse treatment and alcohol detox rehabilitation company on the leading edge of alcohol addiction treatment. The Company has licensed a highly effective treatment and delivers target therapeutic levels of Naltrexone that significantly reduce patients’ cravings for alcohol. Please visit www.freshstartprivate.com

Safe Harbor
The information in this release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this release. Although the Company believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements, specifically statements relating to expectations regarding commercial viability of it products and services well involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, fluctuations in third party pricing and services; the timely receipt of necessary permits and approvals; market demand for, and/or available supplies of, alcohol treatment related products and services; unanticipated delays, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, government regulation and taxation. You should carefully review the information disclosed within the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8K filed on November 4, 2011, as well as the information contained in this release, when assessing the Company and its business. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Forrest Church was a leading light in Unitarian Universalism, a religion that is often said to be “about the questions” and surprisingly difficult to describe in a few sentences at a dinner party. Yet Church was able to cogently frame this intricate expression of humanism and social justice through original sermons, meditative books, good stories and self-deprecating humor, thus making it more comprehensible and accessible, and, thereby, more consequential. 

“Cryer…provides a superb overview [of Church] with this very manageable..biography of consistently engaging, incisive prose that can be easily understood by any lay person.”

Even better, Church wasn’t articulating a set of religious beliefs so much as having a discussion about how to live in a world filled with poverty, discrimination and violence. In fact, he was most at home where politics and religion intersected. “The Falwells, Robertsons, and their ilk failed to grasp that deist leaders like Washington and Jefferson were more akin to Forrest Church than to any fundamentalist,” writes author Dan Cryer. 

So Church is a man most of us want to know more about, but his oeuvre is overwhelming as it contains hundreds of remarkable sermons, dozens of articles, and14 books. Cryer (a Pulitzer Prize finalist) provides a superb overview with this very manageable (307 pages) biography of consistently engaging, incisive prose that can be easily understood by any lay person (despite the author’s PhD in U.S. History). You get the life of an extraordinary man (complete with scandal — alcoholism and an affair that almost derailed his ministry), a trip back to the hot-button political issues that dominated the second half of the 20th century (the subject’s father was Senator Frank Church of Idaho), and wind up with Rev. Forrest Church leading the charge against a religious right determined to make the U.S. into a Christian nation. 

That said, the Reverend’s mission was never to tell us about himself so much as to help us plumb the meaning of our own existence, and while this biography is as far as one can get from a self-help book, it’s exactly that. Church challenged people to understand, to love, and to “live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for.” He attempted to alleviate our fears by exploring why we were fearful.  Most of all, he was an enthusiast whose shared quest through history, philosophy, and religion for understanding, compassion and action continues to inspire. And this comes through on every page, just as it did from the pulpit.

Disclaimer: Laura Pedersen attends Unitarian Church of All Souls, where Forrest Church served as Senior Minister from 1978-2006 and Minister of Public Theology from 2006-2009.

November 10, 2011

Cut the Effects of Substance Abuse, or CESA will be holding a dinner at the Methodist Church in Bishop to celebrate Drug Court graduates and raise funds for another year of programs. CESA is a program under the umbrella of Spirit of Recovery one the many programs supported by United Methodist Social Services. File photo

A full year has passed since determined community members announced their intention to make a difference in the lives of residents recovering from addiction, and in the community as a whole.
With the arrival of this anniversary comes another opportunity to help those trying to combat the diseases of drug and alcohol abuse in Inyo County. The group with the goal of reducing the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on the community by 2020, known as Cut the Effects of Substance Abuse, or CESA, will be holding its second annual dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 15 to honor those who have graduated from Drug Court in 2011.
The dinner is more than just an evening of praise, said Caddy Jackson, CESA organizer, retired pastor of the United Methodist Church in Bishop and founder of Spirit of Recovery, under which CESA operates. Jackson said the dinner is also a forum for those in recovery to share their story with the community and for the community to learn about the struggles of addiction from those living through it.
Allowing those in recovery to be a part of a program that helps others and allowing them to share their stories with fellow addicts as well as to those who do not know recovery or addiction is cathartic for the person in recovery, Jackson said. And, he said, it is educational for those hearing the stories. Empathy and understanding are key to recovery, Jackson said.
The dinner is also a fundraiser, with proceeds from ticket sales going towards supporting a faith-based sober living program.
The goal of CESA and Spirit of Recovery is to reduce the effects of substance abuse in the county by half by 2020. Jackson explained that addiction permeates every aspect of someone’s life and the community. He said there is a vast amount of resources spent on the effects of addiction, from emergency room visits to divorce and domestic violence, petty and employee theft and lack of focus and progress in children who live with addicts.
“If we can effectively reduce addiction by 50 percent,” Jackson said, “we can transform this community.”
Jackson has been involved in the recovery community for many years and started the Spirit of Recovery program at the church before he retired. The CESA program is a part of the Spirit of Recovery but with an emphasis on sober living – for the individual and for the family, Jackson said.
A major project for CESA is a faith-based sober living program, helping to provide housing and a leg-up for those in recovery. The majority of those who have taken advantage of the program are Inyo County Drug Court participants. Drug Court is an alternative to incarceration for repeat drug and alcohol offenders, but demands participants be highly involved in and dedicated to recovery. Drug Court, in cooperation with Inyo County Probation, also drug tests participants regularly and provides ample counseling opportunities. Jackson said the CESA now only accepts Drug Court participants for its sober-living programs.
Drug Court demands such a high level of dedication to recovery that everything else in a person’s life can take a back seat to that rehabilitation, sometimes even family. Jackson explained that this is where recovering addicts come onto the scene. He said successful participants of the program are sometimes brought in to share stories and struggles of addiction with family members. He says it is healing for those in recovery to share and those listening can have a greater understanding of addiction and its many side-effects. Jackson said he knows there is a big contingent of family members of addicts that are seeking help with how to cope with and understand the disease of addiction.
CESA is also working on helping with another “major challenge” facing recovering addicts and those fresh out of jail or prison – finding a job. Jackson said he hopes CESA can act as a liaison between those in the program and those in the community looking for manual labor. Active employment is good experience for those in the program who may need some help with work ethics. Active employment is also a requisite of Drug Court.
The work experience is also valuable for the folks doing the hiring as they gain a greater understanding and empathy for recovering addicts.
CESA is part of the United Methodist Social Services program whose ministries include the Friendship Center, Soup Kitchen/“Join Us For Lunch,” Spirit of Recovery, and Independent Living. CESA also has a council comprised mostly of people in recovery.
“My philosophy is that the best resource we have are the people that have gone through being an addict and recovery,” Jackson said.
Cut the Effects of Substance Abuse will celebrate recent graduates of Drug Court and hear from special guest speakers starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the Methodist Center, 205 N. Fowler St., Bishop. Dinner is just $20, “but, if someone wants to give more, that’s OK, too,” Jackson said.
For more information or to reserve tickets, call Jackson at (760) 920-3485 or Barbara Crockett at (760) 872-3511. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Iraq war veteran Joe Butler stands next to a display case with some of his military items outside the new Veterans Resource Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead. David Samson / The Forum

Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito

Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito

RICHMOND, Va. — For more than 20 years, Bob Reese was a self-described high-functioning drunk while working as head athletic trainer for the New York Jets. He realized that had to end when he began suffering blackouts even after moderate drinking.

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He switched from his beloved Scotch to bourbon in hopes of cutting back, told himself another drink would kill him, and finally turned to rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous. Reese has been sober since 1991 and now he’s sharing his success story on a national registry intended to collect and share the experiences of “recovery heroes.”

“It goes beyond sobriety to really have a wonderful life, and that’s what I want to share with others in recovery,” Reese said.

Those such as Reese who have turned around their addictions to alcohol, drugs and other abusive behavior for at least one year are being asked to share their strategies with researchers as part of the National Quit & Recovery Registry. Using social media and other tools, the registry is gathering the lessons of people who have quit tobacco or have been in recovery for addictions that also include gambling, overeating and excessive sexual activity.

It started in October by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke.

Warren Bickel, director of the Advanced Recovery Research Center at the institute, said the first-of-its-kind registry will shine a light on the recovery process through the unique experiences of those who have shed their addictions.

“People who have been in recovery for years or for a substantial period of time, they probably have specific things they do that help maintain it, and no one’s catalogued that,” Bickel said. “We could share that information with people struggling with different addictions or even with the treatment community.”

Besides researchers, the registry’s collection of strategies is accessible online to anyone attempting to break the bonds of their addictions.

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the registry represents a new tack in dealing with addiction.

“Most of the research that has been done up to now has focused on that immediate intervention that would allow a person to stop taking drugs,” she said. “Much less is known about recovery.”

The stories will be solicited from social media sites such as Facebook that relate to recovery and shared on the registry’s Web page. Alcoholics Anonymous has a Facebook page, and Bickel said there are an “amazing” number of other recovery sites to draw from.

Some in recovery may be asked to volunteer for more detailed studies at Carilion Research. The people behind the stories remain anonymous.

“We’re inviting people to come and participate in any way they’d like to,” said Bickel, who has studied addictions for nearly 30 years. “Given the enormity of the problem, we’re hoping this database will become a national resource for researchers.”

They only want recovery stories from those who have been clean for at least a year because many people fighting addiction relapse quickly.

“We figure if they have a year or more under their belt, well, then they’ve learned some techniques they are able to bring to bear to sustain their recovery,” he said. “We’d like to know about those.”

A typical challenge for a recovering alcoholic, for instance, is the holidays when beer, wine and spirits are in abundance.

Besides its human toll, addiction in has a huge price tag. Substance abuse costs the United States more than $600 billion annually, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The costs include health care and lost productivity, among other expenses.

For Reese, a two-month stay in rehab and the full Alcoholics Anonymous regimen — 90 meetings in 90 days — put him on the road to recovery. Over the years, he has studied stress management, hypnosis and advanced his education into addiction.

Reese said he accepts the fact that he will never drink gain.

“I created a mental picture for myself that if I took a drink, it would be poison, it would just kill me,” he said.

He now teaches psychology at Jefferson College of Health Sciences and is part of Bickel’s team.

Thomas McLellan, former deputy director of the office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama administration, said addictions are chronic illnesses that require a lifetime of attention.

“They have not been treated that way,” he said. “They’ve been treated like bad habits or low morals or poor character,” he said.

“The idea was to get the toxins out of your body and then you should have learned your lesson, you should have learned some insight,” McLellan added. “They’re not recovered, they’re recovering.”

Janelle Wesloh, executive director of recovery management at Hazelden, a nonprofit alcohol and drug addiction treatment center based in Minnesota, described the registry as “another tool to increase the hope of recovery as we work to decrease the stigma of this disease.”

“Putting a face on recovery and creating an opportunity for the sharing of recovery success stories is a key factor in this mission,” Wesloh wrote in an email.

“Recovery does not happen in 28 days at a treatment center,” she wrote. “It’s an ongoing process, with the ultimate goal of lifelong sobriety.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The nation’s bars and restaurants can expect a modest uptick in alcohol sales for 2012, according to forecasts released earlier this month by Technomic. Citing slowly improving traffic numbers at many of the major chains and operator expectations for better conditions in 2012, Technomic forecasts that overall consumer expenditures on alcohol away from home will increase 2.4 percent next year.

“While the underlying recovery in bars and restaurants remain fragile, we’re starting to see consumers return to having a drink or two while they’re out,” stated David Henkes, Vice President at Technomic and the director of the firm’s on-premise practice. “Wine sales are poised for the strongest growth, but beer and wine will also see slightly higher consumer sales. While the industry has a long way to go to full recovery, it’s nice to see things moving slowly in the right direction.”

However, Henkes cautions that alcohol sales will still slightly lag behind broader restaurant and bar sales, and notes volume in the industry will likely remain flat, adding that “growth is driven largely by pricing increases and by gains in certain categories like craft beers and premium spirits.” Bars and clubs, one of the biggest drivers of alcohol sales, is expected to underperform many other parts of the industry, holding down overall industry growth expectations.

“We continue to encourage our restaurant and bar clientele to focus on improving their overall beverage program,” Henkes concludes. “Sales are starting to move forward, and as operators try to differentiate themselves, the beverage program can and should play a major role.”

For questions about other factors impacting future on-premise alcohol sales or Technomic’s services for adult beverage suppliers, contact David Henkes at 312-506-3927 or dhenkes@technomic.com.  

About Technomic

Technomic provides clients with the facts, insights and consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. Its services include numerous publications and digital products, as well as proprietary studies and ongoing research on all aspects of the food industry.

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SOURCE Technomic, Inc.

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A new study of Canada’s homeless veterans shows many military personnel tumble into a spiral of alcoholism and other addictions after their service in the army, air force or navy.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, focused on 54 homeless veterans.

Most of the subjects struggled with alcoholism that developed through years of heavy drinking in the military, but many also lacked everyday skills such as financial planning that simply weren’t developed during their regimented military life.

When they left the military they often felt abandoned and didn’t know where to turn for help.

The findings don’t come as a surprise to a group of former military personnel who are reaching out to their fellow veterans to offer help and support as they adjust to civilian life.

“It seems like when you get out of the military, that’s it, you’re on your own. If you have a claim you can put into Veterans Affairs they will help you but other than that you go back to the provincial system,” said Jim Lowther, a veteran of two tours to Bosnia and part of the first wave of Canadian troops to enter Afghanistan after 9-11.

Lowther is the founder of Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS), a movement that has chapters established in all the Maritime provinces with new locations starting in Ottawa, Calgary and B.C.

Their purpose is to help veterans struggling to adjust to normal life.

“We figure we’re working with a couple of hundred homeless vets across the country, it’s a lot,” Lowther told CTV’s Canada AM.

And that number will only increase, Lowther predicts, with the return of Canada’s combat troops in Afghanistan who are now adjusting to life back on home soil.

In addition to addictions, he said, many troops come home struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and other mental illness resulting from their experiences overseas.

Lowther and his team use a “boots-on-the-ground approach” — searching for veterans among the homeless, rather than waiting for them to come through their doors.

Once they find them they provide the immediate necessities of life, such as food, shelter and clothing. After they are stabilized they connect them with programs and transition services available through Veterans Affairs Canada that fit their specific needs.

The eventual goal is to set up transitional housing to help homeless veterans get off the street, find work, and adjust to normal life.

Roland Lawless wasn’t homeless but admits he was in a bad place when he first met Lowther.

Lawless, a veteran who served in Bosnia and had a 20-year military career before he was released for medical reasons, suffers from PTSD, alcoholism and a gambling addiction.

That perfect storm turned his life into a desperate roller coaster ride after he left the military in 2002, he told Canada AM. Finally, at a particularly low point, he called Lowther after his doctor gave him his number.

That decision may have saved his life.

“My last trip down I grabbed onto the hand of Mr. Jim Lowther and he helped me back up onto my feet, straightened me out, gave me a purpose in life that I had been looking for… without him I shudder to think where I might be today,” Lawless said.

Since that first meeting Lawless has gotten involved with VETS, working to help other former military personnel dealing with similar issues. He is now the vice-president of the organization.

Susan Ray, a nursing professor at Western who interviewed 54 homeless veterans in the first academic study of its kind in Canada, found there is a gap in the support services offered to those returning home.

But often, she said, the problems don’t emerge until a few years after they come home, long after Veterans Affairs has moved on.

“For a lot of them it was from drinking, which started in the military, escalated over time and 10 years later you would see the alcoholism, and through that they would lose their job, their relationships, their housing,” Ray said in a news release.

Her research was funded by the federal government and the results were submitted to Veterans Affairs. Among the recommendations, Ray said transitional services should be extended into years, rather than the current six months.

The transition plan should include the teaching of life skills, improving mental health and identifying addiction and alcoholism early on, she recommended.

The vets Ray spoke with also said they would benefit from more visits from outreach workers from Veterans Affairs, helping them navigate the red tape required to qualify for government support.