America's Silent Crisis: Addiction -- Downturn Fuels Rising Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Phoenix House Study Reveals

NEW YORK, June 23 // -- "Addiction is on the upswing, fueled by pressures from our economic downturn," says Howard Meitiner, President and CEO of Phoenix House, the nation's largest non-profit alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention facility. "Eighty-eight percent of the population feels that drug abuse is at either serious or crisis levels today, reflecting the devastating impact that addiction is having on individuals, families, and communities."

Says Mr. Meitiner: "When people lose their jobs, lose their homes, lose their savings, lose their pensions, they can often lose their self-respect, as well. And they can often escape into substance abuse and addiction. At Phoenix House, we have been seeing strong signs of an increase in addiction among those who have been hurt in the financial crisis. This is fueling a secondary crisis in many American homes - the crisis of addiction."

To gauge public perception and awareness of addiction levels since the economy's sharp turn last fall, Phoenix House commissioned market research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates to conduct a study that analyzed public attitudes toward various aspects of substance abuse. The study, which gathered data from more than 400 respondents, reveals the vast number of people affected by addiction:

• 34% have friends or family members who are currently struggling with a substance abuse problem.
• 40% stated that drugs have been the cause of troubles in their family at some point during their lifetime.
  

"These numbers demonstrate that addiction is indeed at a crisis level," says Mr. Meitiner, "but the majority of people surveyed admitted that they know only a little or nothing at all about substance abuse treatment. We know that truly only 1 in 10 individuals with addiction receive the treatment they need."

The economic downturn is having serious repercussions in the rising use of drugs and alcohol, the study found:

• 29% feel that younger people are abusing illegal drugs more than usual, and 26% think younger people are drinking more in this economy.
• 18% feel their friends and neighbors are drinking more than usual, and 17% say that is true of their co-workers.
• 8% admit they are abusing drugs more than usual, and 7% admit they are drinking more.
  

"What these rising numbers underscore is a dangerous, and growing, gap between the need for treatment and the community resources that are available. States, local governments, and non-profits are all facing tremendous budget shortfalls -- and they are cutting the resources to help this growing group of addicts in trouble, just when they need it the most," warns Mr. Meitiner.

"We must recognize and address the debilitating effects of addiction on all of us -- whether the addict is a family member, neighbor, or co-worker. Re-allocating resources to treatment is vital not only to the well-being of our communities but to our very ability to weather the severity of this downturn."

Phoenix House has launched a blog on its website (www.phoenixhouse.org) entitled "Rising Above Addiction" (http://phoenixhouse.wordpress.com). The blog will address a wide variety of issues related to addiction and treatment, including news and trends affecting or affected by addiction.

If you would like to speak with Mr. Meitiner, or other experts at Phoenix House, please contact Davia Temin or Suzanne Oaks of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.

Phoenix House is one of the nation's leading non-profit substance abuse prevention and treatment service organizations, serving close to 7,500 men, women (including women with children), and teens each day at more than 152 drug and alcohol treatment and prevention programs in 10 states - California, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont. For information, visit www.phoenixhouse.org.

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Howard Meitiner

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Coming Clean About The Cleaner - Phoenix House's Chief Clinical Officer David Deitch on Intervention, and the Recovery Process That Follows

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, July 16 // -- "Back for a second season is A&E's hit series The Cleaner, with Benjamin Bratt starring as an 'extreme interventionist,' a character based on the life of the show's co-executive producer Warren Boyd. What's encouraging about The Cleaner is the exposure the series gives to drug misuse and the nature of addictive behavior. With more than 23 million Americans misusing drugs these days, there's a vital public safety purpose served by bringing to light the dangers to health and safety when drug misuse leads to addictive behavior," says David Deitch, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Phoenix House, the nation's largest non-profit alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention facility.

"The great strength of The Cleaner is the show's ability to dramatize the downward spiral of addiction, showing how drug misusers 'get stuck,' and the difficulty they have of getting 'unstuck.' In life, as on TV, an 'intervention' is often the means of 'unsticking' someone deep in drug misuse. Interventions may indeed be as dramatic as kidnapping or substituting sugar for the user's drug of choice. But, while bringing together a team of 'significant others' to 'confront' the user makes for good viewing, it actually occurs rarely. There is an extraordinarily broad range of intervention strategies and they are employed every day in any number of different venues -- family dining rooms and kitchens, therapist's offices, business offices, factory floors, lecture halls, and hospital emergency rooms.

"The process of getting the drug misuser 'unstuck' can begin in any one of these settings -- but it only begins there. An intervention just starts the process, because getting unstuck requires serious engagement of the individual in a program of treatment responsive to his or her unique needs -- a process pursued in an appropriate setting and involving others. These others may be trained professionals. They may be men and women with similar histories of drug involvement. A community of faith may be a critical part of this recovery process, as well as friends and family. Medications may be involved, cognitive behavioral therapies, prayer, hope, encouragement, and opportunities to learn about oneself and master the skills needed to offset the long-lasting craving that comes with addictive behavior.

"In short, while 'intervention' may be as dramatic as those of The Cleaner or -- as is more often the case -- slow and guided, what counts is what follows!

"We at Phoenix House have learned that what follows is a process of learning how best to achieve lifestyle change and continuing recovery. It is a process that varies from person to person. Each day, Phoenix House cares for more than 7,000 people in various settings and stages of recovery. We pledge that each receives the help he or she needs and each is treated with professionalism and respect. We recognize differences in need and our service delivery continuum is designed to respond to these differences.

"And, while The Cleaner deserves our applause, viewers also deserve to know that, no matter how getting unstuck begins, the greater need is for the rest of the process, which is what most of our field is there to provide."

David Deitch is the Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Phoenix House. He has more than 45 years of national and international experience in the development of drug abuse treatment systems for adolescents and adults.

Phoenix House is one of the nation's leading non-profit substance abuse prevention and treatment service organizations, serving close to 7,500 men, women (including women with children), and teens each day at more than 152 drug and alcohol treatment and prevention programs in 10 states -- California, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont. For information, visit www.phoenixhouse.org.

This piece is the third entry in Phoenix House's new blog, "Rising Above Addiction" (' target='_blank' title='http://phoenixhouse.wordpress.com'>http://phoenixhouse.wordpress.com). For more information, or to speak with Dr. David Deitch, CEO Howard Meitiner, or other experts at Phoenix House, please contact Davia Temin or Christine Summerson at Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com' target='_blank' title='style="color:0000FF;">news@teminandco.com'>style="color:0000FF;">news@teminandco.com.

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Howard Meitiner

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DJ AM: Why He Went Too Far - Phoenix House Thought Piece for National Recovery Month by Dr. Deni Carise

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 // -- The following is a heartfelt opinion piece about the tragic death of celebrity spinner DJ AM, written by Dr. Deni Carise for the Phoenix House blog. A Phoenix House consultant, as well as an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of Treatment Systems at Treatment Research Institute, Dr. Carise writes from the perspective of a leading substance abuse treatment and research professional - but more importantly, from her own personal experience with addiction and her ongoing challenge to manage her recovery. At the beginning of September's National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, Dr. Carise's words are a reminder that sustained recovery requires a lifetime of hard work and commitment.

To see readers' reactions to this post, or to engage in Phoenix House's ongoing discussion about the implications of DJ AM's overdose and the importance of managing one's own recovery, please visit Phoenix House's blog at http://phoenixhouse.wordpress.com. For more information about Phoenix House or to schedule an interview with CEO Howard Meitiner or Dr. Carise, please contact Davia Temin, Allison Bennett, or Lauren Balog of Temin and Company at 212 588 8788 or news@teminandco.com.

When I learned about the death of DJ AM - the celebrity spinner who struggled with addiction, but stayed sober for over 11 years - I felt the tragedy at the gut level.

I have been in the substance abuse field for over 20 years, first as a treatment provider and then as a researcher. But it is through the eyes of a person in long-term recovery who has buried family members and close friends (one who was sober over 17 years prior to relapsing) that I understand the battle DJ AM faced.

Recovery, no matter how many years one has nurtured it, is never fully self-sustaining. It needs continued attention and dedication, just like any other chronic health problem. So, I ask, can someone in recovery ever be 100 percent confident they will not go back to drugs or alcohol?

Last year, DJ AM suffered critical injuries when a Learjet carrying him burst into flames during an aborted takeoff in South Carolina. He and Travis Barker of Blink-182 were the only survivors. After more than a decade of clean living, he found himself needing pain medications with abuse liability; he reportedly developed problems with opiates and benzodiazepines.

Then, he shot MTV's Gone Too Far - an intervention-style reality show set to premier on October 5. He said his inspiration was to work with other addicts in recovery, his passion since the beginning of his sobriety.

I, like DJ AM, believe it's important that people with past addiction problems commit to helping others. But he may have truly "gone too far." The drug-using world might not have been one he was prepared to re-visit, given his recent losses and difficulties with pain medications. "I have to calm down after every shoot," he was quoted as saying. "It's very intense." In video excerpts, he described buying a crack pipe to show how easy it was. Then he said, "I walked out. . .holding [the pipe]...and I realized my palms were sweaty and I was like, 'Wait a minute, this is not smart for me.'"

Even after 11 years of sobriety, this isn't unusual. Ask any one of us in recovery when someone inadvertently changes the TV station and a scene from Scarface shows a group of people snorting cocaine. It's been over 24 years since I've snorted coke, but suddenly, I'm holding my breath - as if I'd just done a line.

So, should DJ AM have done the show? Is MTV at fault for his relapse and death? Here's the bottom line: Just as people with diabetes are responsible for eating a sensible diet and exercising, we are also responsible for managing our recovery. But, just as the spouse of a diabetic assists their partner in managing their illness, we need people to help us, too.

Based on my research, my clinical background, and my own recovery experience, if I had been DJ AM's friend, I would have told him, "Examine your motives. Think ahead to any emotions that might arise. Make plans to have the folks who support your recovery nearby when you're taping and after each session. Talk to them, tell them what you're feeling, and renew your commitment to your recovery each night. Most importantly, promise you will call me before you pick up a drink or a drug."

And if I had worked for MTV, I would have advised them, "Make sure DJ AM has someone with him during filming - a long-term recovery mentor who knows him well and will help him process any cravings. Don't ask him if the show is bothering him; he might be the last to notice it."

We have to wonder if this type of support might have saved his life.

This Saturday, September 12, I will think of him when I represent Pennsylvania as the state delegate at the A&E Recovery Rally - one of the key events for National Recovery Month. An expected 10,000 of us will march across the Brooklyn Bridge. I will walk in memory of my stepson, who died of an overdose just 15 months ago at the age of 30, and my old friends Mark and Mike, both of whom lost their battles with addiction.

And I will walk in honor of DJ AM, who wanted so deeply to offer meaningful support to those in recovery.

It's now up to us to carry his mission forward.

About Phoenix House

Phoenix House is one of the nation's leading non-profit substance abuse prevention and treatment service organizations, serving close to 7,500 men, women (including women with children), and teens each day at more than 152 drug and alcohol treatment and prevention programs in 10 states - California, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont. For information, visit www.phoenixhouse.org.

Available Topic Expert: For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

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