Holiday Strategies for Staying Clean and Sober People in early recovery bring all sorts of hopes and fears into the holiday season. One minute we can be excited to be part of the family again. The next minute we flood with shame about the past. We can still struggle with inner loneliness and often feel […]
Solo No More — The Riverbank House Recovery Community Retrospect August 30, 2018 by Jessie Brooks-Janzen, MSW (reprint, lightly edited for format) I work with Individuals and Families impacted by Addictive Behavior. That work often entails exploring treatment options for loved ones. Finding the right recovery community or program can be difficult and overwhelming. There […]
Karen Franklin of Family Intervention & Recovery Services Riverbank House recently sat down with Karen. We spoke about the help available to families through addiction intervention. RBH: Many families don’t know about interventions or about working with a professional interventionist. Why and when would a family want to speak with a professional? And what does […]
How Addiction Affects Parents When a son or daughter struggles with addiction, parents become secondary victims of the unprecedented opioid epidemic that kills 90 Americans each day. The experience of parenting through addiction can be devastating to the powerless parent, to a marriage, to the family as a whole. The downloadable resource guide “Waiting Between: When […]
Riverbank’s Pat Anderson Recognized for Work in Recovery by the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative On June 28, PAARI honored the law enforcement partners, public health leaders, and elected officials who have helped grow its mission nationwide. PAARI encourages opioid drug users to seek recovery, distributes life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses, connects […]
Addiction took everything from me but bones and a beating heart. The disease sucked in every good thing in my life and spat it out. What’s worse, I couldn’t even recognize the good when I had it. I lost my dad when I was 11, and I looked for something or someone to blame. I […]
As a kid I was always smiling, always active with my friends. In high school, I didn’t even notice when sports were replaced by partying. Same friends, same fun. I went to college and partied my way right into dropping out. When I was 21 I had surgery and ended up with a huge surplus […]
Ever wonder how to make BIG MONEY from the opioid epidemic? Large financial firms have discovered that investments in suffering offer reward over risk. One example firm —Deerfield Management — shows how it’s done, if you can follow the money* Invest in Addiction Recovery Care $38M: value of Deerfield’s stock ownership in American Addiction Centers […]
RCA Hopes to One Day Create Neighborhoods Much Like Riverbank House Drug Rehab in New Hampshire Recovery Centers of America, the up and coming chain of commercial addiction treatment facilities backed by the Big Pharma investors at Deerfield Management and headed up by a real estate developer and former pharmaceutical executive, is hoping to establish recovery […]
National Newspapers Huffington Post Pulitzer nominated eight chapter expose “Dying To Be Free” by Jason Cherkis. Print There’s A Treatment For Heroin Addiction That Actually Works.Why Aren’t We Using It? The Washington Post Cheap Fix: Heroin’s Resurgence: “And Then He Decided Not to Be” by Marc Fisher. Print David McCarthy briefly got clean on his own after […]
Opioid Dependence and Opioid Addiction In the context of drug treatment, we seem to understand that you can be opioid dependent without being opioid addicted (in, say, the case of a terminally ill cancer patient). We seem to understand that opioid dependence and opioid addiction are directly linked. But sometimes we forget – with the […]
Successful Drug Addiction Treatment takes 90 days or more A great article published in PsychCentral a few years ago outlines the benefits of long-term drug treatment by asking “How Long Is ‘Long-Term’ Drug Rehab?” The article, written by David Sack, MD, is a near-prophecy for the comprehensive program developed by Riverbank House in Laconia, NH. […]
Before Riverbank House, merely existing as an active alcoholic felt like a 24/7 job. Real employment or working towards any kind of a future interfered with my drinking. I lied, I cheated, I manipulated, and I stole, mainly from my parents and those closest to me. I felt worthless, hopeless and alone. Addiction destroyed every […]
Addiction Recovery’s 1st Step When chronic drug users and alcoholics separate from an addictive substance they often need help coping with withdrawal. Detox is a popular umbrella term in the lingo of addiction recovery services, but new terms are emerging. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines crisis stabilization as a direct service […]
Dead is Dead When you walk into a drug rehab in Laconia, New Hampshire, there’s a bulletin board posted with activity schedules, inspiring quotes about recovery, and facts about drug addiction. Beneath the bulletin board there’s a shrine of sorts, remembrances for a former resident who left addiction treatment and died of a heroin overdose. […]
WHEN CHRONIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE ROBS US OF THE CHILD WE ONCE KNEW Parents of drug addicts can feel caught in a nightmare with too probable an ending. Experts tell us that drug addiction is a chronic disease that will require life-long management and that relapse is common. They tell us a drug addict doesn’t have to […]
PARENTS OF ADDICTS: WHAT’S WRONG WITH US A mother is only as happy as her saddest child — Chinese Proverb The brittle stress, the penetrating fatigue, the stunned loneliness and social isolation, and the impotency of our parental love has a name. Well before the opioid epidemic scorched New Hampshire and Maine and Massachusetts and […]
Drug Rehab Also Unavailable for Many Throughout All New England 1,256 people in Massachusetts will have no shot at opioid addiction treatment because they died in 2014 of a drug overdose. And drug related death in 2014 will make addiction rehab no longer possible for 326 drug users in New Hampshire, 208 in Maine, 92 […]
There’s a new game that people play with television commercials: mute a pharmaceutical ad and guess what the drug treats. Erectile dysfunction (middle aged couple, arms around each other, walking the beach, sunset)? Depression (single middle aged woman, wrapped in an oversized sweater, walking the beach, cloudy day)? Fibromyalgia (more than middle aged woman, white, […]
Drug Addiction Making BILLIONS for One Family On July 1, Forbes Magazine’s announced its 2015 list of “Richest U.S. Families,” and a few hours later the New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner announced its tally of 132 drug overdose death thus far in 2015. There seems to be is a connection between the $14 billion fortune […]
People-First Language for Drug-First People Are we part of the problem if we call our addicted child an addict or alcoholic? Because, they say, such labels perpetuate the moralistic stigma that cascades into less accessible drug addiction treatment, prison overcrowding fueled by the opioid epidemic, public resistance to needle exchange programs, and maybe even drought […]
I can Google the April 2015 slaughter of young people, the latest victims in an epidemic that costs us all, and I will come up with the horrific and heartbreaking news stories, the boldly brave statements of grieving parents, the groundbreaking obituaries. Jessica McCassie in New Hampshire, Molly Parks in Maine, Cathleen Melanson Wyman in […]
How to Stay Clean and Sober Through the Holidays
/in Addiction Recovery /by kathyHoliday Strategies for Staying Clean and Sober People in early recovery bring all sorts of hopes and fears into the holiday season. One minute we can be excited to be part of the family again. The next minute we flood with shame about the past. We can still struggle with inner loneliness and often feel […]
Recovery Community Review
/in Addiction Recovery /by kathySolo No More — The Riverbank House Recovery Community Retrospect August 30, 2018 by Jessie Brooks-Janzen, MSW (reprint, lightly edited for format) I work with Individuals and Families impacted by Addictive Behavior. That work often entails exploring treatment options for loved ones. Finding the right recovery community or program can be difficult and overwhelming. There […]
Intervention Help for Families Ready to Confront Addiction
/in Addiction Recovery, Intervention, Miscellaneous, Parents of Addicts /by kathyKaren Franklin of Family Intervention & Recovery Services Riverbank House recently sat down with Karen. We spoke about the help available to families through addiction intervention. RBH: Many families don’t know about interventions or about working with a professional interventionist. Why and when would a family want to speak with a professional? And what does […]
A Resource for Parents Dealing with Addiction
/in Drug Addiction, Opioid Addiction, Parents of Addicts /by kathyHow Addiction Affects Parents When a son or daughter struggles with addiction, parents become secondary victims of the unprecedented opioid epidemic that kills 90 Americans each day. The experience of parenting through addiction can be devastating to the powerless parent, to a marriage, to the family as a whole. The downloadable resource guide “Waiting Between: When […]
Riverbank House Community Member Receives PAARI Award
/in Addiction Recovery, PAARI /by kathyRiverbank’s Pat Anderson Recognized for Work in Recovery by the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative On June 28, PAARI honored the law enforcement partners, public health leaders, and elected officials who have helped grow its mission nationwide. PAARI encourages opioid drug users to seek recovery, distributes life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses, connects […]
Another Recovery Success Story: Johnny, 26
/in Addiction Recovery, Drug Rehab /by kathyAddiction took everything from me but bones and a beating heart. The disease sucked in every good thing in my life and spat it out. What’s worse, I couldn’t even recognize the good when I had it. I lost my dad when I was 11, and I looked for something or someone to blame. I […]
Another Recovery Success Story: Alex, 31
/in Addiction Recovery, Drug Rehab /by RBH AdminAs a kid I was always smiling, always active with my friends. In high school, I didn’t even notice when sports were replaced by partying. Same friends, same fun. I went to college and partied my way right into dropping out. When I was 21 I had surgery and ended up with a huge surplus […]
Getting Rich Off Addiction, Reward Over Risk
/in Big Pharma, Drug Addiction Treatment, Opioid Addiction /by RBH AdminEver wonder how to make BIG MONEY from the opioid epidemic? Large financial firms have discovered that investments in suffering offer reward over risk. One example firm —Deerfield Management — shows how it’s done, if you can follow the money* Invest in Addiction Recovery Care $38M: value of Deerfield’s stock ownership in American Addiction Centers […]
Recovery Centers of America Catches on to Recovery Neighborhood Concept of Care
/in Addiction Recovery, Drug Addiction Treatment, Recovery Neighorhood /by RBH AdminRCA Hopes to One Day Create Neighborhoods Much Like Riverbank House Drug Rehab in New Hampshire Recovery Centers of America, the up and coming chain of commercial addiction treatment facilities backed by the Big Pharma investors at Deerfield Management and headed up by a real estate developer and former pharmaceutical executive, is hoping to establish recovery […]
The Drug Addiction Epidemic in the News
/in Drug Addiction Treatment, Opioid Addiction /by RBH AdminNational Newspapers Huffington Post Pulitzer nominated eight chapter expose “Dying To Be Free” by Jason Cherkis. Print There’s A Treatment For Heroin Addiction That Actually Works.Why Aren’t We Using It? The Washington Post Cheap Fix: Heroin’s Resurgence: “And Then He Decided Not to Be” by Marc Fisher. Print David McCarthy briefly got clean on his own after […]
Why Drug Addiction Requires Long-term Treatment and Extended Recovery Care
/in Addiction Recovery, Long Term Drug Alcohol Rehab, Opioid Addiction /by RBH AdminOpioid Dependence and Opioid Addiction In the context of drug treatment, we seem to understand that you can be opioid dependent without being opioid addicted (in, say, the case of a terminally ill cancer patient). We seem to understand that opioid dependence and opioid addiction are directly linked. But sometimes we forget – with the […]
Why Long-Term Addiction Treatment Works
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Long Term Drug Alcohol Rehab /by RBH AdminSuccessful Drug Addiction Treatment takes 90 days or more A great article published in PsychCentral a few years ago outlines the benefits of long-term drug treatment by asking “How Long Is ‘Long-Term’ Drug Rehab?” The article, written by David Sack, MD, is a near-prophecy for the comprehensive program developed by Riverbank House in Laconia, NH. […]
12 Tips to Stay Clean and Sober this Holiday Weekend
/in Addiction Recovery, Drug Addiction, Drug Intervention /by RBH AdminRiverbank Success Stories: Ryan, 23 How Fear and Anxiety Transformed Into Curiosity and Optimism
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Drug Rehab NH, Long Term Drug Alcohol Rehab, New Hampshire Drug Rehabs /by RBH AdminBefore Riverbank House, merely existing as an active alcoholic felt like a 24/7 job. Real employment or working towards any kind of a future interfered with my drinking. I lied, I cheated, I manipulated, and I stole, mainly from my parents and those closest to me. I felt worthless, hopeless and alone. Addiction destroyed every […]
Drug Detox is Not Drug Treatment
/in Alcohol Detox, Drug Addiction, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Drug Detox, Long Term Drug Alcohol Rehab /by RBH AdminAddiction Recovery’s 1st Step When chronic drug users and alcoholics separate from an addictive substance they often need help coping with withdrawal. Detox is a popular umbrella term in the lingo of addiction recovery services, but new terms are emerging. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines crisis stabilization as a direct service […]
6 Risk Factors in Opiate Overdose
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab, Overdose /by RBH AdminDead is Dead When you walk into a drug rehab in Laconia, New Hampshire, there’s a bulletin board posted with activity schedules, inspiring quotes about recovery, and facts about drug addiction. Beneath the bulletin board there’s a shrine of sorts, remembrances for a former resident who left addiction treatment and died of a heroin overdose. […]
Drug Addiction: Why Parents Need Support
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Parents of Addicts /by RBH AdminWHEN CHRONIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE ROBS US OF THE CHILD WE ONCE KNEW Parents of drug addicts can feel caught in a nightmare with too probable an ending. Experts tell us that drug addiction is a chronic disease that will require life-long management and that relapse is common. They tell us a drug addict doesn’t have to […]
HEROIN ADDICTION AND PARENTAL GRIEF
/in Drug Addiction, Parents of Addicts /by RBH AdminPARENTS OF ADDICTS: WHAT’S WRONG WITH US A mother is only as happy as her saddest child — Chinese Proverb The brittle stress, the penetrating fatigue, the stunned loneliness and social isolation, and the impotency of our parental love has a name. Well before the opioid epidemic scorched New Hampshire and Maine and Massachusetts and […]
DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR MANY IN MASSACHUSETTS
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Drug Intervention, Overdose /by RBH AdminDrug Rehab Also Unavailable for Many Throughout All New England 1,256 people in Massachusetts will have no shot at opioid addiction treatment because they died in 2014 of a drug overdose. And drug related death in 2014 will make addiction rehab no longer possible for 326 drug users in New Hampshire, 208 in Maine, 92 […]
The Evil Genius of OxyContin Marketing
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Drug Detox /by RBH AdminThere’s a new game that people play with television commercials: mute a pharmaceutical ad and guess what the drug treats. Erectile dysfunction (middle aged couple, arms around each other, walking the beach, sunset)? Depression (single middle aged woman, wrapped in an oversized sweater, walking the beach, cloudy day)? Fibromyalgia (more than middle aged woman, white, […]
Addiction Epidemic from Financial Greed
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Drug Detox /by RBH AdminDrug Addiction Making BILLIONS for One Family On July 1, Forbes Magazine’s announced its 2015 list of “Richest U.S. Families,” and a few hours later the New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner announced its tally of 132 drug overdose death thus far in 2015. There seems to be is a connection between the $14 billion fortune […]
Addictive Disorder or Chemical Dependence: Labels That Won’t Ease Heartache
/in Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Parents of Addicts /by RBH AdminPeople-First Language for Drug-First People Are we part of the problem if we call our addicted child an addict or alcoholic? Because, they say, such labels perpetuate the moralistic stigma that cascades into less accessible drug addiction treatment, prison overcrowding fueled by the opioid epidemic, public resistance to needle exchange programs, and maybe even drought […]
The Drug Addiction Epidemic: Help for Parents
/in Drug Addiction, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Drug Intervention, Drug Rehab, Long Term Drug Alcohol Rehab, New Hampshire Drug Rehabs /by RBH AdminI can Google the April 2015 slaughter of young people, the latest victims in an epidemic that costs us all, and I will come up with the horrific and heartbreaking news stories, the boldly brave statements of grieving parents, the groundbreaking obituaries. Jessica McCassie in New Hampshire, Molly Parks in Maine, Cathleen Melanson Wyman in […]