Light The World day 23 2017: Visit Those In Prison

"I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

—Matthew 25:36

The short film with this day shows a prisoner receiving a photo album from home.  Sometimes any little something can make some one's day.  However, those in a penitentiary are not the only ones in prison.  there are those in prison to drug or illness; things that take away choice.  Jeffrey R. Holland reminded us to show compassion to all God's children.  I work with people with mental illness.  A big issue facing persons with mental illness is that of Stigma.  Sometimes a person will not get needed and available help because of stigma.  

LDS 12 Steps: Step 12: Service - Erik’s Story about Drug Addiction Recovery

Step 12 - Service: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, share this message with others and practice these principles in all you do.

Here we have the story of someone who over doses on drugs, and then jumps off a three story balcony.  He is rebuilding his life by serving as a facilitator.
My own nephew had problems with drugs.  After he was able to maintain his recovery, he too served as a facilitator, and in doing so was able to help many people who were having problems.  

LDS 12 Steps: Step 11: Personal Revelation - Lindsay’s Story about Heroin Addiction Recovery

Step 11 - Personal Revelation: Seek through prayer and meditation to know the Lord’s will and to have the power to carry it out.
In this story we see a woman who is choosing her drug over her children, and in fact gives them to her mother while she pursues her habit.  However, she does eventually enter recovery, and is able to teach her children primary songs, and to pray.  Prayer doesn't have to be formal, but just directed to God who wants to hear us.

LDS 12 Steps: Step 10: Daily Accountability - Adrienne’s Story about Cocaine Addiction...

This is a story of a labor and delivery nurse, who is also a Cocaine addict.
You can't help if a bird lands on your head, but you don't have to let it make a nest there.
I can do scary things; I can do hard things.
Step 10 - Daily Accountability: Continue to take personal inventory, and when you are wrong promptly admit it.

LDS 12 Steps: Step 9: Restitution and Reconciliation - John’s Story on Drug Addiction ...

Through the process of reconciliation we can receive God's mercy.  This individual relates the difficulties he had in putting his life back together.
Step 9 - Wherever possible, make direct restitution to all persons you have harmed.

LDS 12 steps for addiction recovery: Step 9: Restitution and Reconciliation - John’s Story on Drug Addiction

Through the process of reconciliation we can receive God's mercy.  This individual relates the difficulties he had in putting his life back together.
Step 9 - Wherever possible, make direct restitution to all persons you have harmed.

LDS 12 Steps for Addiction Recovery: Step 8: Forgiveness - Larry’s Story about Drug Addiction Recovery

Larry describes giving and getting forgiveness as a poison draining from your body, from your heart and mind.
Step 8 - Seeking Forgiveness: Make a written list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make restitution to them.

LDS 12 Steps for Addiction Recovery: Step 7: Humility - Holly’s Story about Drug Addiction Recovery

Finding Humility can be hard, but a necessary part of recovery.  In this story, Holly begins her climb to recovery after a suicide attempt.
Step 7 - Humility: Humbly ask Heavenly Father to remove your shortcomings.

LDS 12-steps for Addiction Recovery: Step 6: Change of Heart - Aram’s Story about Drug Addiction Recovery

This portrays a man who turns to drugs to deal with the grief of the death of his parents, and the murder of his younger sister.  He goes through the steps; but feels something is still missing.  He then comes back to step 6:
Step 6 - Change of Heart: Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses.
It is difficult to turn your weaknesses over to God.  
He finishes with what he says is an African proverb, "If there is no demon within, the demon outside can do us no harm."

LDS 12 Steps for Addiction Recovery: Step 5: Confession - Jessica’s Story about Food Addiction Recovery

Jessica tells her story of addiction to food.  She also talks about how confessing her misdeeds to her bishop was like losing 50 pounds and enabled her to move on with her life.

Step 5 - Confession: Admit to yourself, to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of your wrongs.

LDS 12 Steps for Addictions: Step 4: Truth - Austin’s Story about Addiction Recovery

Step 4 - Truth: Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself.
One thing to remember about step four is that being truthful in your inventory includes taking an honest look at your strengths as well as your weaknesses.

LDS 12 Steps for Addictions: Step 3: Trust in God - Sharon’s Story about Crystal Meth Addiction Recovery

Step 3 - Trust in God: Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This story presents a middle age woman, who is obsessed with losing weight.  As a result she tries crystal methamphetamine and becomes addicted.  She struggles with pride, and applying step three.  She does not want others to tell her how to do things.  This is a very good presentation.

LDS 12 Steps: Step 2: Hope - Preston’s Story about Drug Addiction Recovery

Step 2 - Hope: Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete spiritual health.
This short portrays a young man who is hooked on heroin and cocaine.  He and his brother were drug partners.

LDS 12 Steps: Step 1: Honesty - David’s Story about Sex Addiction Recovery

Here is the first of twelve videos presenting the twelve-steps form a Mormon point of view.  These videos are available through Mormon.org.  This step is a struggle with honesty.  "Step 1 - Honesty: Admit that you, of yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable."  I do not know if these are people telling their own stories or actors making the presentation.  The wife seems very familiar.

Documentary Review: National Geographic: World's Most Dangerous Drug

It's Incredible How Deep the Hooks Go: Methamphetamine Addiction

I watched a documentary on Netflix Instant, "National Geographic: World's Most Dangerous Drug."  It indicates methamphetamine is 3.5 x more addictive than cocaine.  It talks about the cost of this drug, which has really burst upon the scene in the past 25 years.  This corresponded with the use of ephedrine in cold medicines.  Now most states limit the access to this medications, and some require a prescription.  This had the desired effect of limiting manufacture in the United States, but has not reduced the supply, as Mexican drug cartels have filled this void.
This documentary showed what happened to one's health over time with the use of this drug.  It showed this by showing different mug shots of the same people over time.  The sores and the emaciated faces where undeniable.  They also interviewed addicts, who talked about the delusions and hallucinations that accompany the use of methamphetamine.
They told the story of a young couple that became disoriented with their first use.  They were driving in a storm, and because of illusions and paranoia, and poor thinking as a result of the drug, they did not survive the storm.  This was likely their first use.  The effects of methamphetamine last longer.  The high can last for twelve hours.  This makes the drug more desirable but also more dangerous, because the drug messes up your logical thinking.
It also tells the stories of a couple people with recent sobriety.  One woman destroyed her good looks and her teeth.  The other was putting his life back together, after being in a fog for twenty years, and basically twenty years behind his classmates from high school.
WHAT I AM SAYING IS DON'T USE DRUGS, AND ESPECIALLY METHAMPHETAMINE.

Consequences of Illicit Drug Use in America

As part of completing my CEUs for licensure I did some online courses.  One of these was on the consequences of illicit drug usage.  This training explored many different types of drugs, where the drug supply was coming from, the prevalence of the drug, and the consequences of drug use on people's lives.
Consequences of drug use include: Child neglect; over 8 million children live in households where a parent is abusing drugs or alcohol. 
School performance; children using marijuana perform poorly in school, college students using prescription stimulants nonmedically also perform poorly in school.
Economic costs; the cost of drug use in the United States is close to $200 billion annually which includes both resources used to address criminal and health costs, as well as lost production.
Addiction and treatment needs; Over nine percent of those twelve and older needed treatment for a substance abuse problem.  Just over ten percent of those needing treatment received treatment.
Acute health effects; two million emergency department visits in 2008 were the result of drug usage.
Criminal justice involvement; well over half of all those arrested in the United States test positive for illicit substances, the most common being marijuana.  Of inmates in federal and state prisons, over a third admit to using drugs at the time of the offense.
Environmental impact and dangers; the most worrisome effect of drugs is the toxic methamphetamine labs around the country, in an apartment, trunk of a car or wherever.  Also of growing concern is the marijuana growing on public lands, often sponsored by Mexican drug cartels.
The training including specific effects of different drugs, including cocaine, club drugs, methamphetamine, marijuana, misuse of prescription drugs etc.  It is all nasty.  The bottom line is don't start.  If you are using drugs get help.  This is an illness for which there are effective treatment strategies.  There is a better life available.
May I recommend my son's song dealing with addiction available through this blog:
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2013/01/addictions-what-is-cost.html

Book Rieview: Dynamic Health: Dual Diagnosis

David Wright interviewed Dr. David Mee-Lee about dual diagnosis services.  This is treatment for people with co-occurring substance us and mental health problems.  Dr. Mee-Lee consults with Santa Clara County departments of Alcohol and Drugs as well as Mental Health.  As such I have had the opportunity to attend his trainings as well as sit in consultation of cases with him.  He is a pioneer of motivation interviewing, and he works with the call center on being able to figure out what people would like to get from mental health.  “You start at the door they open and where they let you in rather than telling them they have to work on a problem they don’t think they have.  Work on what they’re there for and from that point move to how their substance use and their mental health problems have been shooting themselves in the foot, preventing them from getting what they really want. 

This article is best when it talks about rehabilitation of mental health and substance abuse problems.  “Recover doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cured when you’re talking about a chronic illness—no more than if somebody with diabetes  or hypertension or asthma. … A person suffering from a mental illness as well as a substance problem won’t be able to be cured in the sense that they will never have a mental health problem or substance problem again.  They can recover, meaning they can live beyond just the fact that they have alcoholism or a mental illness.  They can have goals and aspirations and be empowered to have hope to change their life in terms of their relationships, in terms of productivity in the community, and reaching their dreams and aspirations. … Recover really means stabilizing their mental health and substance problem, but then living and growing to have an identity beyond just their illness.”

Dr. Mee-Lee concludes with advice for family and community.  The first is to realize that mental illness is not unusual.  There is “nothing bizarre or weird about…having substance problems or mental health issues.  The second point he makes is that there is help for mental illness.  Getting treatment sooner rather than later leads to a better result. 

Mormon Movie Review: Uncle Ben

This is a very good Mormon Movie.  Sure the acting isn't the best, but the message is one that reaches the heart.  The power of repentance is the message in this movie, and that power even applies to an old drunk.  Ben is a drunk, and borrows money from his sister, and is often arrested.  However when his sister passes away, he stands up as their only living relative, to ask that the court allow him to take the children.  The judge gives him a 30-day trial.  Later he was asked how he could keep sober.  He says as soon as he got home with the children, he bowed down to pray with the children to offer thanks.  "I promised God that if He held onto me, I would hold on to the kids, and the five of us have being on together ever since."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmsA8xoVLHA
this is the movie on You Tube.  It is in two parts. 

Documentary Review: It's Incredible How Deep the Hooks Go: Methamphetamine Addiction

I watched a documentary on Netflix Instant, "National Geographic: World's Most Dangerous Drug."  It indicates methamphetamine is 3.5 x more addictive than cocaine.  It talks about the cost of this drug, which has really burst upon the scene in the past 25 years.  This corresponded with the use of ephedrine in cold medicines.  Now most states limit the access to this medications, and some require a prescription.  This had the desired effect of limiting manufacture in the United States, but has not reduced the supply, as Mexican drug cartels have filled this void.
This documentary showed what happened to one's health over time with the use of this drug.  I showed this by showing different mug shots of the same person over time.  The sores and the emaciated faces where undeniable.  They also interviewed addicts, who talked about the delusions and hallucinations that accompany the use of methamphetamine.
The told the story of a young couple that became disoriented with their first use.  They were driving in a storm, and because of illusions and paranoia, and poor thinking as a result of the drug, they did not survive the storm.  This was likely their first use.  The effects of methamphetamine last longer.  The high can last for twelve hours.  This makes the drug more desirable but also more dangerous, because the drug messes up you logical thinking.
It also tells the stories of a couple people with recent sobriety.  One woman destroyed her good looks and her teeth.  The other was putting his life back together, after being in a fog for twenty years, and basically twenty years behind his classmates from high school.
WHAT I AM SAYING IS DON'T USE DRUGS, AND ESPECIALLY METHAMPHETAMINE.

Addictions: What is the Cost?

I do not claim myself to be an expert on addiction, but I have seen enough of the effects of addiction to say that the cost is too high.  I work in the mental health field, and addiction seems to haunt those with mental illness.  I have seen the effect of all types of addiction, alcohol, methamphetamine, heroine, PCP, cocaine, pain killers, cigarettes, marijuana and other drugs.  I have seen addictions to caffeine, or food.  I carry over 80 pounds too many.  I have also seen the results of sexual addiction.  When I worked the graveyard shift, I received calls from those with sexual addictions.  This might be the hardest addiction of all.  My son Mark and his band put into music their view of addiction.  It is a very appealing song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AawBczU6FrY