 |
Friends of Recovery - New York (FOR-NY) is committed to demonstrating the power of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, as well as the value that recovery brings to individuals, families and communities throughout New York State. We're delighted to share examples of that power and value in this newest issue of Recovery Talk.
|
|
A Letter from Robert J. Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
Friends,
As I write this letter, we've just recently learned of the additional $37 million in funding added to the State budget just before it passed on April 1st. Clearly, a step forward for the people who will access addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services as those funds are added to the OASAS budget!
|
|
FOR-NY Advocacy Day
FOR-NY held its 7th Advocacy Day in Albany on February 2nd. Mother Nature cooperated and the hundreds of Recovery allies who came to Albany from throughout the state were greeted with sunshine and mild temperatures. (Not something we see a lot of during Albany winters!)
The day kicked off with a Recovery rally at Emmanuel Baptist Church with welcoming remarks from FOR-NY CEO, Robert Lindsey, Board President, Charles Devlin, and Public Policy Chair, Richard Buckman; and a powerful invocation from Pastor Paul Mead from Friends of Recovery - Warren & Washington. Next came the premiere of FOR-NY's new video, "The Power of Community. The Power of Recovery."
Click
here to see how the Albany Times-Union covered the event.
|
|
| Recovery allies marching to the Capital to advocate for additional funding for Recovery services and supports during FOR-NY's 7th Advocacy Day |
|
|
| FOR-NY CEO, Bob Lindsey; Assembly Member Linda B. Rosenthal; FOR-NY Policy Director, Stephanie Campbell; FOR-NY Board President, Charlie Devlin; FOR-NY Board Members Joe Turner and Laurie Lieberman |
|
|
| FOR-NY Public Policy Chair, Richard Buckman |
|
|
| NYS OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez |
|
|
Recovery Story
Formerly of Cooperstown, NY
I'm Betty Currier and I'm in long-term recovery from alcoholism. I haven't needed a drink to change how I think, feel or act since January 6, 1976. Getting there was not easy.
For as long as I can remember, I never felt like I fit in. But all that changed when I found a group who accepted me - the drinkers - and I was introduced to alcohol. I was 16 and I vividly remember my first drinking experience.
If you're a person in Recovery (or the family member of someone in Recovery) and interested in sharing your story with our readers, we welcome your submissions! Please contact our Communications Director, Susan Murphy at smurphy@FOR-NY.org for more information.
|
|
|
|
Julie Dostal, Executive Director, LEAF, Inc;Immediate Past-President, CANYS;Board Member, NCADD |
Multiple Pathways of Recovery*
Mutual Aid Groups
In this, the second installment in our "Many Pathways of Recovery," series, guest columnist, Julie Dostal writes about what has traditionally been the most widely recognized path, Mutual Aid Groups.
Stay With the Herd
by Julie Dostal
While the term "herd mentality" is often perceived as a negative, for a significant number of people in recovery from addiction, the herd mentality can be lifesaving. In fact, finding a stable support group is a crucial step to finding recovery from the disease of addiction. And, sticking together through good times and bad is essential to learning the skills necessary for sustaining that recovery. People in long-term recovery have the opportunity to teach those who are newest to the group. In fact, mentoring and leading by example are at the core of the group's value system.
* Until recently, most in the Recovery arena have used the phrase "Multiple Pathways to Recovery." However, Recovery writer, William White, has pointed out that phrase references finding recovery, rather than both finding and sustaining it. Further, the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery has chosen to title it's upcoming conference - Many Pathways OF Recovery. As such, we are also embracing that verbiage.
|
|
New Research
Survey Says Few Americans Believe Their Communities Are Doing Enough to Address Substance Abuse
The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in Bethesda, Maryland just released the results of its recent survey "American Attitudes Toward Substance Abuse," and the results are clear -- few Americans believe their communities are doing enough to address substance abuse. In a time when Americans are facing the greatest public health crisis since the AIDS epidemic, this new report demonstrates great support for policies to address the problem, including better access to treatment, more research, and increased law enforcement.
|
|
April is Alcoholism Awareness Month
April 2016 marks the 30th National Alcohol Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). While it seems that the focus has been almost exclusively on the heroin and opioid epidemic in the recent past, it's critical to remember that excessive alcohol use causes 88,000 deaths in this country each year, while all other drugs cause 44,000. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) show that in 2014, slightly more than half of all Americans over the age of 12 (52.7% or 176.6 million) reported being current drinkers of alcohol. Although most people drink in moderation, an estimated 17 million people have an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). And, while the minimum drinking age in this country is 21, the NSDUH study also revealed that 24% of eighth graders and 64% of twelfth graders used alcohol in the past year.
|
|
Recovery Community Organizations
Supporting & Sustaining Recovery at the Community Level
Spotlight on FOR-Rockland
We're delighted to be partnering with Rockland RCO, FOR-Rockland, on our next "Recovery Talks: Community Listening Forum" scheduled for April 28th. For those who may not be familiar with this terrific RCO, here's a little background.
- What is FOR-Rockland's mission?
Our mission is to promote a positive view of recovery from addictions and to educate communities about the effective outcomes associated with receiving appropriate information, treatment, and support. Our goals are for all community members to have a common language, an understanding of how recovery works, and to gain community support for this positive movement.
|
|
Recovery Community Outreach Centers
Providing Information, Support, & Education to Sustain Recovery
As of this writing, we're anxiously awaiting the announcement of the six organizations selected (from more than 40 applicants) to receive funding for the establishment of Recovery Community Outreach Centers (RCOCs). As you may remember, OASAS issued an RFP late last year. We expect the announcement will be made shortly and look forward to working with these groups to build their RCOCs!
|
|
Youth Clubhouses
Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo awarded $1.6 million in annual funding to support new clubhouses for teens and young adults battling addiction. These first of their kind adolescent substance use disorder clubhouses will be established in seven regions across the state.
The seven clubhouses will help individuals in recovery develop social skills that promote prevention, long-term health, recovery and a drug-free lifestyle. A variety of services and activities will be available including homework help and tutoring, college and job preparation, community service opportunities, sports and fitness activities, group entertainment activities, and peer mentoring. Youth and family advisory board members will help to shape the programming at each clubhouse. The grant winners are:
|
|
On The Road
The FOR-NY team continues to host and partner on recovery-focused events, conferences and trainings, and to meet with local RCOs and RCCs throughout New York. Here's a sampling of where we've been lately.
|
|
More than 70 Recovery advocates from throughout the state gathered in Albany, New York City and Rochester for our Community-Based Recovery Supports teleconference on March 10th. NYS OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez addressed the audience from NYC and participated in a very productive Question & Answer session.
|
|
|
|
Recovery Allies in New York City posed for a group shot following the Community-Based Recovery Supports teleconference in March.
|
|
|
|
| FOR-NY Director of Policy, Stephanie Campbell, joined FOR-NY Board member Rob Baum and other FOR-NY allies at the Senate Heroin & Opioid Addiction Task Force hearing in Oneonta on February 23rd. Ms. Campbell spoke at an additional hearing in Penn Yan later that day, and at a third in Brooklyn on February 26th. |
|
|
| Stephanie Campbell represented FOR-NY at Families Together Advocacy Day on February 9th at the Empire State Plaza. |
|
|
FOR-Warren & Washington's Ashley Livingston joined FOR-NY CEO, Bob Lindsey at the Granvillle Recovery Forum on March 23rd. You can read more about the event and FOR-NY's participation in this Granville Sentinel article.
|
|
|
| FOR-NY held another of its Recovery Talks: Community Listening Forums on March 31st; this time at Brooklyn's Borough Hall. |
|
|
| Faces & Voices of Recovery's Flo Hilliard presented The Science of Addiction & Recovery Train the Trainer workshop in New York City on March 29th and in Albany on March 30th. |
|
|
| Science of Addiction & Recovery Train the Trainer workshop participants pose for a photo in New York City. |
|
|
FOR-NY's Nicole Carey (left) and Stephanie Campbell (right) with Faces &Voices of Recovery's Flo Hilliard in NYC
|
|
|
| NYS OASAS' Director of the Bureau of Recovery, Susan Brandau, addresses the audience at the Science of Addiction & Recovery workshop in Albany on March 30th. |
|
|
| Participants in the Albany Science of Addiction & Recovery Train the Trainer workshop pose for a group photo. |
|
|
|
Meet the FOR-NY Board & Staff
We're delighted to introduce you to FOR-NY's Board Treasurer, Susan Laporte!
Susan Laporte has been in Recovery for more than 40 years; a period she says "seemed impossible at the outset." Following long-term residential treatment, Ms. Laporte attended Brooklyn College, and later, Brooklyn Law School. She attended law school in the evenings while holding down a full-time day job. From there, Susan went on to work with a prominent Wall Street law firm.
After a time on Wall Street, Ms. Laporte made a mid-career decision to return to her roots and went to work at Daytop Village in Rhinebeck -- where she had found recovery so many years earlier.
Today, Ms. Laporte works at Ulster County Family Court as an assigned lawyer for children and family members who can't afford to hire an attorney. When she's not working at Ulster County Family Court, Susan is actively involved in community service and volunteering. She also participates on a number of Boards in addition to FOR-NY.
For a complete list of FOR-NY's Board members and staff, click
here.
|
|
Coming Events
Mark Your Calendars!
April 28th:
Recovery Talks: Community Listening Forum -
Rockland County
RCADD - 25 Smith Street, Nanuet -- 6:00pm
May 14th: FOR-NY Family Recovery Forum
May 17th: Supervision for Recovery Coaches Training
May 19th: Community-Based Recovery Supports Meeting -
Albany - NYC - Rochester
May 21st: FOR-NY Youth Recovery Forum - New York City
June 7th: Screening of The Anonymous People - Guilderland Public Library
2228 Western Avenue. Presented in partnership with FOR-Albany
Aug. 31st -
Sept. 1st: New York State Recovery Conference - Presented in partnership with ASAP
For additional information on any of the events listed above, email info@for-ny.org
|
|
Do You Believe In Recovery? Donate Now
Do you believe in Recovery? If so, please consider making a donation to FOR-NY. Your tax-deductible contribution will help to maximize the reach and impact of our critical work. Donations may be made in the form of a gift of general support, memorial, bequest, or tribute. Click here to learn more.
Here's what Frank in Plainview, NY recently wrote in a note included with his donation:
"Bob - It was wonderful seeing you last week and wonderful to share my recovery story for the first time publicly, as part of the FOR-NY Recovery Talks event. Enclosed is a check for $110. Ten dollars for every year of my recovery. Peace, Love and Gratitude."
Thank YOU, Frank. What a terrific way to mark your precious, long-term recovery!
|
|
We'd Like to Thank Our Fans.....
We're closing in on 1,000 Facebook Fans! That's more than double the number we saw just a few months ago! We have to thank those fans for not only engaging with our posts on the page, but also for sharing those posts with their own networks and essentially expanding our reach and attracting new friends to the FOR-NY Facebook page.
If you haven't yet visited and/or "Liked" our page, please take a look. We regularly share a variety of educational and inspirational posts relative to Recovery and think you might find them both valuable and shareable! Click on the Facebook icon below to "Like" us.
|
|
Friends of Recovery - New York (FOR-NY)
1529 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203| 518-487-4395 | info
@FOR-NY.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
