NewDay Counseling

2014 for was a good year, but a frustrating and trying year. We started putting together NewDay last January, and it took almost a year to do all the things that needed to be done. At times I didn’t think it would happen. I met a lot of new people in Savannah as I went from here to there making sure we had all the regulation requirements and licenses. NewDay has had a great opening. The response has been greater than I could imagine. Sadly, there are many people in Savannah who need treatment for alcohol and drug problems — fortunately, now there is another resource to provide addiction treatment on an outpatient basis. Yes, there’s sadness in addiction, but there can be great joy in recovery. We want to serve the community well in 2015. We invite all who are interested to stop by our office at 1805 Abercorn Street. And, for all who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas. My six year old granddaughter is anxiously awaiting Santa, so I’m off to experience her joy this Christmas Eve. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

This is a time of year for gratitude, to be thankful for what we have, understanding that even if life is difficult, we can use the support of other to deal with it and come out the other side stronger than before.

Here are some articles from Hazelden related to the Holidays and recovery.

If daily you feel a sense of gratitude for the blessings of this life it will be a cushion & buffer when challenges arise. -Rose W-T

Neurological scientists are gaining more knowledge regarding addiction and brain chemicals. This report shows small similarities between addiction and eating disorders, although the authors are not calling eating disorder an addiction, per se.

So says a CASAColumbia report. Here is an excerpt:

The time has come for addiction medicine to be fully integrated into health care systems and medical practice. Health care providers, especially physicians, are our front line in disease prevention and treatment. They must understand the risk factors for addiction, screen for risky substance use and intervene when needed, and diagnose, treat and manage addiction just as they do all other diseases.

Other health care providers, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists and social workers, are critical parts of the solution as well. We need national, evidence-based standards that stipulate who may provide addiction treatment, and core competencies for all health care providers integrated into their education and licensing requirements. We must regulate addiction treatment facilities and programs as health care providers and hold them accountable for treatment consistent with medical standards and proven practices.

The Journey
By Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice —
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do —
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Young people using drugs can progress quickly, experiencing severe problems that are hard to imagine. Here is a story of a young girl named Savannah who’s story gives hope for recovery. It also highlights the family dynamics of addiction that can stretch through generations.

Because the majority of people who drink alcohol drink moderately and don’t have a problem with alcohol, they don’t know how damaging alcohol is to those who do have a drinking problem. What seems harmless to most social drinkers is damaging and deadly to around the 10% or so who have a drinking problem.

Here are some statistics from 2012 presented by NIH, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Some of these facts are astounding, like alcohol-related deaths are the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, and the cost to society from alcohol-related problems is $223.5 billion.

A new, comprehensive study regarding cocaine’s potentially devastating damage to the heart shows that cocaine use is more deadly than we realized.