September is Recovery Month
The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance
abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the
message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible.
Recovery Month provides a platform to celebrate people in recovery and those
who serve them. Each September, thousands of treatment programs around the
country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and
colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for
whom, and why.
Recovery Month also serves to educate the public on substance abuse as a national
health crisis, that addiction is a treatable disease, and that recovery is possible.
Click here to see what’s going on in your area.
Live Suboxone® help: 1-866-956-9204
The Here to Help™ program is a free service launched by Reckitt Benckiser, Inc., the maker of
Suboxone. "Care Coaches" and "Care Coordinators" are available to help patients
find a doctor who accepts their insurance, answer questions about their treatment
and even call and check in on them (if they want that) to help ease the anxiety of
starting this new phase of life. A personal Care Coach can offer guidance and
encouragement, help find a
counselor, and help patients find
educational materials and peer
support. A companion website has
other tools for patients including a
journal and scheduled emails that
offer tips and inspiration.
With all of the misinformation
about buprenorphine treatment
in the media or on the web, having
a credible source of accurate
information from a live person
can be a lifesaver.
Hours: Monday through Friday:
8:00am – 11:00pm, Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm ET.
1-866-956-9204
This service is currently free to patients seeking buprenorphine treatment or
already in treatment and patients can maintain anonymity if they choose.
Although NAABT.org has answers to questions concerning buprenorphine
treatment and AddictionSurvivors.org allows patients to communicate with other
patients, talking to a live expert when unsure or concerned about something can
make all the difference.
Educating patients will create realistic expectations and will save time in office
visits. Some physicians are making the Here to Help™ care coaching and
AddictionSurvivors™ peer support part of their treatment protocol.
Treatment Match: NAABT’s Patient Physician Matching System (PPMS)
To automatically have a local buprenorphine
physician contact you when there is a treatment
opening go to TreatmentMatch.org.
- Over 80% connection rate
- Anonymous
- Free
- Over 23,500 patients contacted so far
Map of participating physicians (not for dial-up internet)
Map of patients seeking treatment now
Patient registration
New from SAMHSA/CSAT: TAP-30 for nurses
This guide is intended to provide nurses – including Registered Nurses
(RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
– with general information about buprenorphine products – Suboxone®
(buprenorphine and naloxone) and Subutex® (buprenorphine) – for the
pharmacological treatment of opioid addiction. The guide can also serve
as a resource to help nurses working with community physicians to
improve treatment outcomes for individuals receiving office-based
treatment for opioid addiction.
Click here to order a free hardcopy
The late Michael Jackson
Of the doctors reported to be caring for Michael
Jackson, none had the DATA-2000 waiver which qualifies them to prescribe buprenorphine
for addiction.
According to the DEA Dr. Conrad Murray or MJ's other doctors Dr. Alimorad Farshchian
and Dr. Metzger, do not have the proper credentials to prescribe or administer
Buprenorphine for opioid addiction. Although his death was not the result of opioids it was
discovered that he had a long-term opioid addiction and investigated treatment at one time.
Create your own practice/clinic/meeting library
An educated patient
and educated patient’s family members, make for a better treatment experience for all
involved. Consider creating a library of educational materials that patients, clients or
members can sign out and take home between appointments or meetings. This can be an
inexpensive way to educate and reduce the stigma that still plagues this disease. Here are
some suggested sample materials:
Dr. Richard Gracer – A New Prescription for Addiction
Dr. Harold Urschel – Healing the Addicted Brain
HBOs Addiction – (Book and DVD)
SAMHSA/CSAT – TIP-40 – Free
NIDA – The Science of Addiction – Free
Dr. Michael Stein – The Addict (see review below)
A Book Review by Kathleen Thompson-Gargano, Buprenorphine research nurse at Yale
University & Co-founder of NAABT, Inc.
Dr. Michael Stein, a community health physician, seasoned in treating the disease of
addiction over the past 20 years, is also the author of several other books, mostly fiction. The
title of his book, The Addict, elicited a visceral response of repulsion and urging in me. What
was a physician with Stein’s credentials and notoriety thinking by choosing such a stigma
reinforcing title? In this book Stein shares his thoughts, insights and professional
experiences in caring for one particular addicted young woman, over a one-year period with
mention as to her sustained recovery three years later. In order to protect the identity of his
main character he blends the true stories of other patients into this character he calls Lucy.
Stein’s writing style is excellent and engaging. He makes the argument that the disease of
addiction is in part about wanting more and wanting fixes. On pages 26 and 27 he explains
his unapologetic use of the term "addict." Although his compelling explanation is not sufficient
to convert me to using that term, I appreciate his rationale and feel he explained it very well.
Stein states "Heroin has a certain lingering glamour (Pulp Fiction) as well as a darker
cultural stigma." While reading this book I felt that I was submerged into the dark side so
much that I couldn’t plow through it with the enthusiasm with which I usually read a book.
However, I found it a good and interesting read. The question is who would most appreciate
this book? I think professionals who treat addiction, are considering treating it and family
members who are befuddled by the recidivism of the illness might find it very insightful. The
most significant contribution this book makes, in my opinion, is the effectiveness of the
medication, Suboxone, in the treatment of opiate addiction. |