Win this Book!
To launch the new SWALLOW Blog facebook page, I’m announcing our first Book Giveaway (More to come!).
To win this one, “The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin” by Max Furek, just join the SWALLOW Blog facebook page by 5/15.
All you have to do to be eligible is click on the facebook badge in the right-hand column of this site, or follow this link to facebook, and join/follow my page on facebook… by May 15th, 2010.
That’s it!
A little over a week ago, I had a chance to attend what I am now respectfully-referring-to as “The Maxim Furek Show”. The occasion was a lecture on the subject of Prescription and OTC Drug Abuse presented by Maxim at the Swartz Center for Spiritual Life on the campus of Marywood University.
If you are working in the recovery field or perhaps even, like myself, are simply interested in the subject matter, I would highly recommend attending one of Maxim’s talks. He is a very engaging speaker, and is able to convey all of the relevant survey and study data without overwhelming. But most importantly, he knows his stuff.
Though in principal I loathe “litmus tests”, I still (of course) end-up utilizing them, and Maxim passed one of my big ones straight-away.
Namely the “Hillbilly Heroin” myth. Hillbilly Heroin and Poor Man’s Heroin are some of the ill-applied media-monikers for the opioid analgesic OxyContin which came into use because some of the earliest reports of abuse of the drug had come from rural areas of Appalachia.
The use of this terminology has led some to believe (incorrectly) that OxyContin is cheaper than heroin, and it was interesting—if not a bit shocking—to see how many of those in attendance seemed not to have been aware of this (false) perception.
There were many other interesting revelations of course, and it was clear by the end that most everyone in attendance would be leaving not only armed with the hard stats, but also with a deeper understanding of the complex issues surrounding prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse.
Maxim is also author of the book The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin. I happen to be a member of “America’s 13th Generation”, and I found the book to be incredibly insightful.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I highly recommend it. You can order a copy directly from Maxim’s Garden Walk Recovery website, or online from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
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SWALLOW Flashback: My April ’08 riff on “Hillbilly Heroin”
DUNMORE, PA —You people have to see this. Please visit this page* on The Scranton Times-Tribune website, scroll to the bottom, and see the idiotic comments from Dunmore, PA residents regarding the NIMBY opposition to a proposed Methadone clinic in the area.
The story was in the paper this morning, so the comments are getting pretty active. My comments are under the name “Brian”.
I will have more to say on this story shortly.
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*The Scranton Times-Tribune: Methadone clinic hearing continued after ownership questioned
Methadone (C21H27NO)
UPDATE 6/23/09: I have started another post on this topic – Ed.
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Expect the usual armies of NIMBY’s, naysayers, and nincompoops to be out in full force on this one. The great enemies of the misunderstood, craving misunderstanding, anxious to misunderstand. – Ed.
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From the Scranton Times-Tribune
by Megan Reiter
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A Boston-based health care organization is looking to open a methadone clinic in Dunmore.
Debby Schmidt, director of business development for Habit OPCO, said the “medication-assisted treatment” facility pegged for 116-120 Monahan Ave. will be licensed by the state to initially treat 105 patients, and eventually 250.
Methadone is an opioid medication used to treat pain and addictions to heroin, OxyContin and synthetic opioids.
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Image courtesy Wikipedia.
These words of wisdom were proffered to me not so long ago by a good friend of mine, Vince. And by good friend I mean someone who will tell you like it is. These types of people are rarer than you might think. Ask yourself how many of your friends fit this description.
What Vince meant by this is, “you have a pretty good life… and a lot to be thankful for… a lot to be grateful for… so quit bitching”. Take a minute, take a breath, and take stock of your own life. I bet you’ll come to pretty much the same conclusion.
Now, pick your chin up and get on with the rest of your day. And don’t forget to shut the fuck up.
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