There is no wealth but life. ~John Ruskin
Patrick Kennedy missed an awards gala in Washington, D.C. this week honoring his late father, Senator Ted Kennedy. The reason for his absence was his reported indulgence in vodka shots with a friend at the Capitol Lounge.

The Rhode Island congressman spoke about his own experience with substance abuse hours before the incident at a fundraiser for a local D.C. charity. The charity helps low-income women conquer homelessness and drug addiction.

Kennedy, 42, spoke to those at that dinner about the night in 2006 when he crashed his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill and then went to treatment for an addiction to prescription pain medications. Kennedy announced in February that he will not seek re-election for Congress. Since his father’s death in August of 2009, Kennedy has been exhibiting erratic behavior, prompting speculation that he is once again struggling with substance abuse.

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A Man in Al-Anon’s Reactions to "When Love Is Not Enough," the Hallmark Movie.    

As a man with over 30 years in Al-Anon I watched Hallmark’s production “When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story” with tremendous ambivalence.

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I represent Centennial Rehabilitation Associates, and we are a provider of Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Services.   We offer two programs for patients dealing with Chronic Pain. 

The Pain Wellness Program is an interdisciplinary, six week Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), meeting 3 times per week.  In the program we provide education about the nature of chronic pain, pain medications, exercise, and body mechanics, and work with adjustment issues, coping skills, and relaxation techniques, to help patients take control over their pain. 

All patients in the program see a Pain Medicine/Addictionologist provider, Dr. Richard Stieg, and Dr. Stieg is able to provide medication management up to and including detox should that be indicated.  Also available as coordinated, affiliated services to the program are Psychiatric, Physical Medicine, and Psychological care.  Of note, we are adding an Addiction component to the program so that patients may also participate in an Addiction IOP, facilitated by a Certified Addiction Counselor, on site and at the same time as they are working on Chronic Pain issues.  This program “track” offers the only dual diagnosis Chronic Pain/Addiction IOP in Colorado; it lengthens the program to eight weeks.  The Pain Wellness Program is covered by most medical insurance policies.

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April 29th, 2010

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Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.
Robert H. Schuller, Author and Minister

The bad behavior of sports stars has little or no effect on young people’s drinking habits, according to new research.

Researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Western Sydney (Australia) say that their information debunks the idea that sports stars act as role models.

“The perceived drinking habits of sports stars and its relationship to the drinking levels of young people has never been examined empirically, despite these sporting heroes often being touted as influential role models for young people,” said lead researcher Dr. Kerry O’Brien, a professor at Manchester’s School of Psychological Services.

“Our research shows that young people, both sporting participants and non-sporting participants, don’t appear to be influenced by the drinking habits of high profile sportspeople as depicted in the mass media.”

The research suggests that sports and its stars are much more likely to influence the drinking behavior of fans when used as marketing tools by the alcoholic beverage industry, such as through sponsorship deals.

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The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend. ~Aristotle




The results from two French studies presented last week at the International Liver Congress 2010 will help educate physicians about the treatment of patients with severe or acute alcoholic hepatitis.

The first study demonstrated the positive potential of performing liver transplants in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis earlier than the suggested 6 months rule of sobriety. The patients who do not respond to treatment with steroids have a 6-month survival of about 30 percent. Most deaths happen within the first two months after a liver transplant. The study shows that early liver transplantation could be proposed to non-respondents after a diligent evaluation of selected patients.

Acute alcoholic hepatitis is a contraindication for a liver transplant. It has a low survival rate, with mortality remaining at approximately 35 percent at six months, despite treatment with corticosteroids. The second study will help educate a potential new treatment option for those patients who do not do well with corticosteroid treatment. Treatment with these drugs plus N-acetyl cysteine (C+ NAC) proved to have an increase in survival rates. This latest study contributes to the benefits of treatment with C+NAC in patients with acute liver disease.

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Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~Margaret Young


Actor Jeremy London recently revealed a battle with prescription drug addiction. He has been talking honestly about the effects his addiction had on his marriage, parenting　 and career. London starred in TV shows “Party of Five” and “7th Heaven.”

”There were times I didn’t care if I died,” London said. “I felt like I was losing everything.”

London is going through a divorce as a result of his addiction, despite going to treatment last September. He has also experienced significant financial troubles.

Despite this, London is celebrating his newfound sobriety.”I’m learning it’s much easier to deal with life with a clear head. There are so many things I wish I could have done differently.”

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Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. ~Doug Larson


Scientists have found a link between alcohol consumption, cancer and aging that begins at the cellular level with telomere shortening. The results of this new research were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. this week.

Telomeres are found at the region of DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome, and are important for the genetic stability of cells. As people age, the length of the telomeres shorten. Excessive alcohol use has been connected to oxidative stress and inflammation, which increase the shortening of telomeres. Telomere shortening is believed to increase cancer risk, the researchers thought that people with shorter telomeres due to heavy alcohol consumption would have an increased risk of cancer.

”Heavy alcohol users tend to look haggard, and it is commonly thought heavy drinking leads to premature aging and earlier onset of diseases of aging. In particular, heavy alcohol drinking has been associated with cancer at multiple sites,” said lead researcher Andrea Baccarelli, M.D., Ph.D.

“All the cells in our body have a biological clock in telomeres,” said Baccarelli, who is head of the Center of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, Ca’Granda Hospital Foundation at the University of Milan in Italy.

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Men, like nails, lose their usefulness when they lose direction and begin to bend. ~Walter Savage Landor


Actor Michael Douglas believes that his family’s fame and history of substance abuse helped his son plummet into drug addiction and crime, and now Douglas is asking a judge for leniency in his son Cameron’s case.

”I love my son, but I’m not blind to his actions. I don’t want to see him break,” Douglas wrote in a five-page letter sent to the judge. The handwritten letter was made public the day before Cameron Douglas is due to be sentenced.

Cameron Douglas was arrested last July at a Manhattan hotel. He admitted in January that he dealt methamphetamine and cocaine. He pleaded guilty to a drug charge that carries a mandatory 10 years in prison. His lawyers and family are arguing and hoping for less prison time.

Cameron Douglas developed a substance abuse problem at 13 and refused treatment every step of the way. He began dealing methamphetamine in 2006 to support himself and fund his addiction to heroin. He was cut off from the family money after refusing treatment for his drug addiction.

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If you don’t start out the day with a smile, it’s not too late to start practicing for tomorrow. ~Author Unknown


Recovering alcoholics who focus on positive experiences in their past may be more successful in controlling their addiction. This is according to a new study from England presented at last week’s British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference.

A hundred and one members of Alcoholics Anonymous finished surveys that examined the extent to which they were oriented towards the past, present or future, and whether this orientation was primarily positive or negative. They were also asked about their spiritual experiences, level of abstinence, compulsion to drink and anxiety level.

The survey results showed that problem drinkers who were oriented towards the past and who had a positive view of their previous life experiences were more likely to be successful in managing alcohol dependency than those with a more negative focus on the past. Those who focused on the present seemed to experience stronger compulsions to drink alcohol.

High levels of spirituality were found to be a protective factor in helping recovering alcoholics stay sober and manage the anxiety and stress associated with addiction and withdrawal.

”Our findings suggest that therapeutic interventions that help problem drinkers view their past experiences more positively might aid recovery,” said Sarah Davies, from the University of Bedfordshire, who led the study. “It is also likely that helping addicts develop a more balanced time perspective, where they are not exclusively oriented towards the past, the present or the future, will be helpful.”

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