NY Times Seeking Sobriety in Brooklyn

Check out what the The New York Times has to say about our sober living home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: Seeking Sobriety in Brooklyn.

What Does an Intervention Look Like?

Interventions are as unique as human fingerprints.  Here’s my view.

NY Pix Morning News – Spreading the Word on Addiction

Joe appears on the morning news to discuss Addiction and the new website, TheFix.com.

NY Times Covers The Fix.Com Launch!

Some cool coverage for the new website.  Addiction and Recovery, straight up!  NY Times Article

Ted Williams – Pipe Dreams?

Ted Williams

What’s wrong with this story? Homeless guy gets sudden fame, cleans up his act, his mother goes on TV to proclaim her “prayers have been answered”. There is nothing wrong with this, everyone loves a second chance, a redemption, a transformation and it could be that’s what we are seeing. Maybe not. Williams is a self disclosed addict, to me, without knowing the man he looks like he smokes crack. There is a very distinct look that crack smokers have, and he has it. He says he has been clean for two years. Maybe. Hate to be the cynic but…a crack smoker with inaccurate reporting (lies), just wouldn’t be that weird. I am all for addicts getting a second chance and fair treatment in alignment with other chronic recurring diseases, so I am happy the guy caught a break. I guess what is wrong with this is that, if he makes some money, he is VERY vulnerable. Addicts can’t tolerate currency, crack addicts more so. It is likely he will burn this chance, pure intentions and all, the addiction, left unmonitored will win. It will beat him, beat the The Cleveland Cavs, and put more “how could he?” stories into the media. Is there a solution? You bet there is. A plan, a recovery plan, complete with expectations, mental health treatment, accountability, verification, a system of fund disbursement that gives him no more that 20 dollars at a time without a process and a good reason to get more. The solution is being honest about what he can realistically handle right now, grow what he is able to self regulate, expect set backs and imperfections and get rid of the idea that the treatment for an addict is a job and his mother crying on TV. While somewhat heartwarming to give a guy a break, I don’t think the NBA will handle this well. It could be a great underdog made good story but I kind of doubt it. Maybe he can be on the next round of “celebrity rehab”.  I wish the GM of the Cleveland Cabs would call me, I’ll help them out with this, so in the unlikely event they read my blog, nobody but my mom and her bridge group does, call me, let’s make this a big win for addicts everywhere.

 

Four Loko Part Two

I just can’t shake my fascination with the stuff. I think it’s because 20 years ago I would have been on the phone to the ACLU at the suggestion of banning it, not to mention I would have drunk more than my share of the stuff, vomited whatever McDonald’s food I had just eaten and looked for more. I think the fascination is also because thinking about this isn’t really an exercise in aversion therapy, it’s more of a youthful longing. What fun! Sounds crazy, I guess, unless you’re an alcoholic and loved those “killer parties that almost killed me” ( that’s Crag Finns’ description).
Working on another project I pitched the idea of a video blog to the editor where I would camp out at a Bodega near NYU and interview NYU students who bought Four Loko. His response was priceless, “NYU students drink Four Loko? It sounds like a more “uptown beverage” and no, he didn’t mean that Columbia students like it. For those of you who don’t speak northeast liberal, and for those of you who can’t accept that we all have racist aspects of ourselves, what he meant to say was “malt liquor with grape kool-aid? Aint that for black people?”
Act II, in which, the race card comes into the Four Loko debate.

As I have said before, one of the things that bothers me the most about the alcohol and other drug policy in America is that black people pay a much higher price for the same behavior as white people.  It seems that there has been some measure of success in banning Four Loko, enough that it got the attention of the FDA and whatever white people public official who jumped on the “demonize the stuff bandwagon” have forced the producers of this stuff to change their formula. I guess we can all sleep better knowing that the youth of America is safe from Four Loko, except that they will brew something else so I’m not sure what really has been accomplished. How is this racist? The vast majority of those people protected from Four Loko are college students at State run Universities, largely middle class and largely white, ok maybe exclusively white. In sheer numbers, relatively few of them and yet, this has been a media project, topic of discussion, enough to foster change, merits of the change debate-able. Where is the public outcry and attention on Old English 800, cheaply sold in ghetto (black) communities? Any studies on the damage done by that shit? How about how many kids have been hospitalized after drinking it? How is it that Old English 800 gets a free pass regarding the damage it does and Four Loko is depicted as semen of Satan in a can? It’s simple. White kids drink Four Loko and go to college and need protection. Black kids drink OE, are likely headed to prison and marginalized. What’s even more annoying is nobody seems to be talking about this; not even Spike Lee or Reverend Al? Are we so accepting of the alcohol policy that we don’t even talk about it?

Four Loco is the new Jungle Juice

These kids, what will they think of next? In my day we made “jungle juice” a no recipe concoction which was basically, punch of some kind and whatever booze could be found to be dumped in it. Vodka and kool aid? Yum!! Tequila and Hawaiian punch. The result? Technicolor vomit in teenage wasteland. I have never actually had one but given the number of young people I see with drug and alcohol issues, I have heard all about the “red bull and vodka” mix, I guess every generation thinks they invented something and this is generation Y’s (is that what they are called?) gift to us all. I think there was even an episode on happy days when they “spiked the punch”. In a way, this all looks like some kind of Chevy commercial and for some, it may be wholesome teenage rites of passage. So whats all the media attention about “Four Loko” which as near as I can tell, is packaged jungle juice made with an energy drink. I guess, its kool aid flavored malt liquor with caffeine, in otherwords, its puke in a can but it sure does help that prom dress come right off. Combing the internet for stories about this stuff, you would think it was bottled by Satanist and sold on playgrounds. Whats so new about this? Why now? kids have been getting drunk and sick since way back, why single out this beverage and what is wrong with doing that?
I am not sure why “Four Loko” is the new boogie man, there have been some reports of hospitalizations from alcohol poisoning but this is not new as a result of bottling this stuff. One of the common themes with the stories written about it is that it contains caffeine. So does rum and coke, so do many other cocktails.
What I think is Four Loko is a cheap high, marketed to kids that is detrimental to their health and safety but I certainly don’t think banning it is the answer. Banning it sends a message that the people who makes this stuff are responsible for the behaviors associated with it. Where is the personal responsibility? How about the community? As I often say, we all have a responsibility to the drug and alcohol problem, assigning blame to one faction of the larger problem does very little if anything to address the problem in a real way.
Even if I were still able to drink, I doubt I would be drinking four loko, it sounds vile, although I did wonder if it could be consecrated into the blood of christ, you, know just to add a little spice to mass. As a side note, I looked at their website and they have a page of all the philanthropy they do, they give to cancer, a worthy cause but how about giving to Hazelden youth and family for some four loko enthusiasts who end up in alcoholism treatment? I’m kind of fascinated with the stuff, thinking of doing a video blog and asking kids who buy it what it’s like, maybe I’ll camp out in the parking lot of a high school dance and interview consumers of four loko, I’ll be sure to wear rain boots so I can hose the puke off of me. Kids! When will they learn?

Texas Rangers Win World Series

NYC is the only city in America, maybe the world, without an inferiority complex. Of course we think we should win the world series every year. There was no joy in the Bronx today, the Yankees were beaten, soundly, by the Texas Rangers.

A few short months ago, Texas manager, Ron Washington put his job in jeopardy by turning up positive for cocaine. Of course people were calling for Washington to be fired and for “zero tolerance” policy in sports because after all, what kind of example does this set? Children are watching and learning so what kind of example did the Texas Rangers led by Nolan Ryan set? A very good one actually.

Nolan Ryan stuck by Washington, apparently, the Texas Rangers don’t quit on people when they present with alcoholism and chemical use disorders. The series MVP was Josh Hamilton, who has very publicly struggled with his alcoholism, sometimes losing the struggle but always being forthcoming about his mistakes, not blaming anyone and getting back on the beam. Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers, by design or maybe default, have an excellent policy and program, they give second chances to addicts and the result, this time, was spectacular. A coke snorter and an alkie are going to the World Series, imagine that. Take this is an example of the possibility of what stable addicts can achieve.

As if this weren’t cool enough for our people, the system shows genuine understanding and support by spraying each other with ginger ale, unprecedented in the alcohol fueled sports world. I am a dedicated Yankee fan, but tonight, live from Tokyo, I am genuinely happy for the Texas Rangers and I might be the only one to see this as a victory for the recovering community but there it is. Somehow, I think Nolan Ryan knows something about all of this. He should give MLB a seminar.

Courtney Love and Recovery

Iconic grande dame of rock and roll Courtney Love played at the recovery rally, a celebration of recovery from drug abuse recently in NY. Love is known for her on and off stage antics, largely connected to her long time on and off recovery. Love has had a stormy history including the suicide of her husband, Kurt Cobain. It’s been a very public experience, one that easily asks the question, is she an example of recovery?

The media has long been telling the same story about recovery, the same story arc of fall from grace, lesson learned, never did it again. It’s a fine story, the kind that after school specials and Republican social policy is made of, not to mention the DARE program. Is there anything wrong with this message? No. It’s a happy tale and representative of about 2 percent of people currently in remission from addictive disease and some of them may be lying.

In a way, Courtney Love is the perfect recovery story and one that is closer to more stories than the media approved neatly tied up story. She has been up, down, in rehab, stable, funny and charming, glimmers of artistic brilliance consumed by tragedy, back recording and touring, fall again, loved, hated, the story continues. Most of us don’t live our lives under the watchful eye of the media nor do we have the unique life of Courtney Love. At many levels, she is an inspiration, she reduces the shame that many addicts feel by letting us watch her very flawed and imperfect life, she gives misfits permission to live, to feel they have a place in a complicated and often isolating world. So yes, Courtney Love is a role model for the recovering community, and I enjoyed her show and was there to say thank you for advocating for our cause.

Deciphering the War on Drugs

I was in a hotel room in Canada recently. Mercifully, I found an old movie to watch amongst the bizarre Canadian programming. The movie was from 1972 and was adapted from a Joseph Wambaugh novel, “The New Centurions” starring George C. Scott as an LAPD police officer who develops his own brand of justice, which is a mixed bag, but he defends the rights of the immigrants and protects them from an exploitive slum lord.  The character argues that they do jobs nobody else is willing to do and they are humans seeking a better life for their children (what is a more American value than that?).  It struck me that the film was almost as old as I am and yet we have the same arguments today as we did then, it’s a forty-year argument, other than most marriages, who has a forty-year argument?

I have wondered about how the drug war is connected to the immigration problems we face. It must be, the border towns are bloodbaths, more people killed there than in Iraq (I swear, check it out). If we had a stable regulated drug trade would we have immigration problems? Yes. If we had a tax and regulate system of decriminalized free choice intoxicant would we have more secure boarders? Yes.

President Obama just signed a $600 million bill for border security. I am a huge Obama fan and am hesitant to be critical, but, is this  time to pander to the right?  Not to mention, I thought the Obama administration ended the “war” on drugs? They said they did, they said they wanted to change the language of it, move more toward the treatment and prevention. Did I miss the $600 million for treatment bill? Must have skipped CNN that day or maybe I was in Canada?

Am I crazy or is this thinly veiled funding for the war on drugs? Call it what you want, but I think if there are more people killed in an effort than the war on terror, it’s a war too. There is clear and present danger along the border of the US and Mexico and it’s not all housekeepers sneaking across, its drug traffic.

Lets enter Joe’s fantasy world and decriminalize Marijuana, tax it ( how a $40 billion industry doesn’t pay taxes I will never know), regulate it, sell it at 7-11. The violence along the border is greatly reduced, money is made instead of spent and we help the immigration problem. Oh, and some people get really high, giggle at comedy central and eat twinkies and chips.  How is this a choice? People shot and killed or people high, stupid, and complacent? I really don’t get it and I am fairly irritated with the President for not taking a bolder step with this. I am sure he will be really worried when he hears about how upset I am. I say it frequently. Humans like to get high, they like intoxication, no amount of money will change that.