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COVER

From Smoking To Drinking Finding the link

No Woman No Cry

Still Effective After all These Years

Recovery U Building Community

AAStill Works

Anti-Smoke Signals Tobacco Statistics

Still Effective After All These Years After 80 years, AA still works

For those seeking to break free from addiction to drugs and alcohol, one of the most widely used -- and easily accessible -- tools has been the Twelve Steps, first published in 1939 in the book,”Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism.” Not much has changed since 1939, in what the Twelve Steps require of individuals, in order to regain control of their lives.The process, known to its adherents as “working the steps,” involves taking individual responsibility for one’s actions, admitting that one is powerless to control the addiction, and seeking the help of a higher power in order to heal. The benefits of the Twelve Step method are widely known: acceptance into a fellowship of non-users who regularly attend meetings to discuss their addictions, face their actions, and atone for them through spiritual practice and forgiveness. Although Alcoholics Anonymous and its many offshoots do not conduct or allow others to conduct research into the effectiveness of the methods, the military has produced studies that show individuals who attend meetings are 60% more likely to achieve sobriety than those who do not.

Millions of men and women around the world have used the Twelve Steps to break free from a wide variety of addictions and compulsions. More than 200 self-help organizations around the world have adopted twelve-step principles for help with compulsion for, and/or addiction to, gambling, crime, food, sex, hoarding, debting and over-working, among others.

Where did the Twelve Steps come from? According to an article published by AA co-founder Bill W. in 1953, there were three primary sources of inspiration: the Oxford Groups, Dr. William D. Silkworth of Towns Hospital and the famed psychologist, William James, widely considered the father of modern psychology. The Oxford Groups, an evangelical movement which became popular in the 1920’s and early 30’s, preached concepts like absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness and absolute love. “The Twelve Steps could be considered a personal roadmap for achieving sobriety and serenity.”

Combining science and spirituality William James’ major contribution to the philosophical underpinnings of AA was his book “Varieties of Religious Experience.” In his book, James provided scientific validation for the concept of spiritual experiences, which he said could transform people and enable them to overcome personal defeat and find recovery. The Twelve Steps could be considered a personal roadmap for achieving sobriety and serenity and living a life of freedom from addiction to alcohol and drugs. Each of the steps is only one sentence in length, but each one contains enough universally applicable wisdom and power to fill a book. While the 12 steps has provided a path to recovery for countless alcoholics, drug addicts and others seeking to break free from addictive or compulsive behavior, they have also sparked controversy and debate over the decades. The major source of controversy is AA’s longstanding emphasis on a belief in God. AA supporters point out that, in the AA context, that means belief in “a higher power,” a belief in something larger than the self.The phrase was coined in the early years of AA.

They also practiced a type of confession, which they called “sharing,” the making of amends for harms done they called “restitution.”They believed in the value of “quiet time,” a form of meditation and seeking of God’s guidance, practiced in both group and individual settings. Dr. Silkworth spent years helping alcoholics dry out at Towns Hospital in New York City. One of his core beliefs, which he often spoke on, was the disease concept of alcoholism -- defined as an obsession of the mind combined with an allergy of the body.

“’Higher power’ doesn’t necessarily mean a deity, and those who use the steps are free to interpret that phrase as they see fit.”

“Higher power” doesn’t necessarily have to mean a deity, and that those who use the steps are free to interpret that phrase as they see fit, based on their personal beliefs.The phrase could be applied to mean the power of the group, or nature. Some AA members around the world who don’t accept faith in a god as a necessary tenet have formed their own agnostic AA groups. More than 90 unofficial, self-described “agnostic AA” groups now meet regularly in the U.S., according to Patheos.com. The debate continues. Some think the 82-year old organization has drifted away from its core principles and become too lenient, Lee Ann Kaskutas, senior scientist at the Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, Calif., told CharismaNews.com. “Others think it’s too strict, so they want to change AA and make it get with the times.” Newcomers to AA are often advised to “take what you need and leave the rest,” Kaskutas points out.That flexibility allows participants to put together a recovery program that fits their needs. It’s one of the reason AA still works for people, eight decades after its founding. 15

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When you are addicted to tobacco, you are not in control. So says the main message of Fresh Empire, an Internet and TV campaign designed to inspire teens and young adults to stay away from cigarettes. Fresh Empire’s website—freshempire.betobaccofree.hhs.gov—has infor- mation and informational videos all about the consequences of smoking. Here, young people can learn about the chemical content of cigarettes, health risks associated with tobacco use and social drawbacks. Fresh Empire, sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), puts on events with performers such as rappers Silento and Stuey Roc, who deliver posi- tive, tobacco-free messages. “Being fresh is about yourself. The empire is yourself, man,” says radio per- sonality ET in video footage of a Fresh Empire concert. And Rock had this to say about tobacco use on a Fresh Empire video: “Smoking is not cool.” a nti-smoke Signals “Being fresh is about yourself. The empire is yourself, man.” - Radio personality ET Fresh Empire’s anti-tobacco appeal is all about staying independent

Tobacco statistics “What’s the deal with tobacco?” asks a Fresh Empire graphic. With this ques- tion, it launches into the ingredi- ents found in cigarettes, along with the health and social side effects of smoking. Images on Fresh Em- pire’s website show freshfaced youth looking directly into the camera as a way to deliver a straightforward and relatable source of information for young people. Fresh Empire does not rely on imag- ery alone. It also provides poignant statistics and cites research conduct- ed by the HHS and Internal Agency for Research on Cancer, among other organizations: •Cigarette smoking causes 480,000 deaths per year. • Smokers die, on average, 10 years younger than non-smokers. • 16 million people have at least one disease caused by smoking. A graphic on the site shows what Fresh Empire calls “all sorts of nasty chemicals” in tobacco, along with unsavory facts about those substanc- es. Listed first is carbon monoxide, which is found in car exhaust. Cig- arettes contain arsenic, Fresh Em- pire informs readers, which is used in pesticides. And there’s benzene, found in gasoline. Another header states simply “keep your cash,” which leads to a statistic that smoking half a pack a day costs an average of $1,000 per year. “That’s a lot of cash to blow on cig- arettes,” Fresh Empire states. “What would you rather spend $1,000 on?”

Online videos and TV ads The website has a series of short videos and TV ads, all with poignant soundbites and stories about the self-empowerment that comes from staying away from smoking. In a 30-second TV spot, young people, one after another, repeat the mantra, “I reject anything—including tobacco—that tries to control me.” Jayy Starr, a young hip-hop musi- cian, stars in a commercial where she tells the story of her grandfather. He smoked cigarettes for many years and died of lung cancer. “Losing my grandfather has influ- enced my whole musical being, because it makes me more passionate,” Starr says in a behind- the-scenes video for the ad. “I’m not going to lose

young man in sunglasses and a scarf. Throughout the videos, television ads and web content, Fresh Empire implores young people to think of cigarettes as an affront to autonomy. Surrendering to nicotine is not being in control, they say. Therefore, smoking is not fresh. “Losing my grandfather has influenced my whole musical being, because it makes me more passionate. I’m not going to lose another person to cigarettes. To me, being a leader means being

In another video, young people stand in the middle of the frame as messages flash on the screen alongside then. One reads “Long live Fresh Empire. Long live you. Live tobacco-free.” Another spot flashes empowering words for young women—“fresh,” “strong,” “boss,” “royal,” and “queen”—before a female voice-over says, “Fresh Empire is flippin’ the script in fash- ion, in hip-hop, in life.” Another video opens with the question “What’s Fresh Empire?” followed by a group of young people defining the tobacco-free movement. “It means looking out for you,” the first young man says. Another adds, “And your fam, too.” “When you are doing you, looking fresh, people follow,” says a stylish

tobacco-free.” -Singer Jayy Starr

another person to cigarettes. To me, being a leader means being tobacco free.”

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STUDY METHODOLOGY Studying mice genetically modified to be without the Nav1.7 channel, Wood found that such mice had bodies that dis- played a large increase in certain genes responsible for creating opioid peptides. Opioid peptides occur naturally in the body as the body’s painkiller and have a similar effect as opioids. In making more of the opioid pep- tides, the mice were blocking any feelings of pain, which might be the reason people suffering from CIP also don't feel pain. Wood thought that if he gave mice a medicine that reversed the effect of the opioid peptides, it may reverse the disorder. He gave the mice naloxone—a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses—and it worked. Wood figured the same could be done for humans. “After a decade of rather disap- pointing drug trials, we now have confirmation that Nav1.7 is a key element in human pain,” Woods says. “The secret ingredient turned out to be good old-fashioned opioid peptides, and we have now filed a patent for combining low dose opioids with Nav1.7 blockers. This should replicate the pain- lessness experienced by people with rare mutations, and we have already successfully tested this approach in unmodified mice.” CONGENITAL INSEN- SITIVITY TO PAIN (CIP) is a very rare genetic mu- tation that prevents mes- sages of physical pain from reaching the brain.

Research researcher and his team of researchers studied a 39-year-old woman with CIP. Using a laser beam and a dose of naloxone, Wood helped the woman, who elected to partici- pate anonymously, feel pain for the first time in her life. “Used in combination with Nav1.7 blockers, the dose of opioid needed to prevent pain is very low,” says Wood in an UCL release. “People

Using a test subject with a ge- netic mutation that prevents her from feeling pain, scientists have conducted research that shows promise in creating more effec- tive painkillers—and potentially decreasing the need for addictive opioids. Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) is a very rare genetic muta- tion that prevents messages of physical pain from reaching the brain. Sufferers of the disorder, as babies, will chew their lips until they bleed. Toddlers have to deal with more potential for falls, bumps and being hurt by hot or sharp things. Adults are at a high- er risk of dying prematurely. The disorder leaves those afflict- ed without channels known as Nav1.7, which carry sodium to sensory nerves. Understanding this disorder and channels of pain reception and delivery has led re- searchers to study the disorder for ways to block pain in those who don't have the disorder. Research- ers thought they could block pain transporting channels in people without CIP so they can help those with chronic and painful ailments like arthritis. HELPING A WOMAN CRY In a study published by the journal Nature, John Wood, a University College London (UCL) Wolfson Institute for Biomedical

with nonfunctioning Nav1.7 produce low levels of opioids throughout their lives without de- veloping tolerance or experiencing unpleasant side effects.”

As for this work leading to com- plete cessation of pain, Wood tells the New Scientist that some research has found success, but nothing has led to the complete pain loss found in those that are naturally without Nav1.7 channels.

who doesn’t feel the Woman WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.... As for people with CIP, Woods says he doesn't know if treatment using nalox- one is an option. Long-term use of naloxone could have side effects. What Woods can say, definitively, is that the mice in the experiment felt as little pain as mice who did not have the Nav1.7 channel naturally. Woods, his team, and the rest of the field are working to fill in the re- search gaps to start answering these questions for humans. “We hope to see our approach tested in human trials by 2017 and

Could help in making better painkillers.

we can then start looking into drug combinations to help the millions of chronic pain patients around the world,” Woods says. Imperial College London professor Kenji Okuse reacted to Wood’s findings to the New Scientist, saying that the research will provide more information to doc- tors about pain.

We hope to see our

“Opioids and Nav1.7 blockers could provide much stronger analgesics, but they will not necessarily be better for patients,” Okuse says. “If we take the combination therapy route, people would have to take opioids throughout the lifetime, which is not a welcome thing.”

approach tested in human trials by 2017 and we can then start looking

into drug combinations to help the millions of chronic pain patients around the world. — John Wood, University College London Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research researcher

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INSERT 5

“It’s really just about being around like-minded people and developing that ‘we’ as a support system.”

– Dr. Gerard Love, Slippery Rock University

INSERT 5 “It’s really just about being around like-minded people and developing that ‘we’ as a support system,” Dr. Love says. Dr. Love says simply having a recovery space

“Universities are supposed to be about dialogue, and having this is a great opportunity for dialogue,” Dr. Love says. “Bringing this whole notion of addiction out of the shadows and increasing understanding, I think will be a good byproduct of this.”

on a college campus could help change perceptions about recovery and remove the stigma surrounding addiction.

Of cials at the University of Minnesota – Rochester will also be opening a new recovery LLC for the fall 2016 semester. Of cials say it’s necessary to provide recovering students with the tools they need to succeed academically and in their personal lives. “Historically, students who are in recovery really struggle to come back to campus without that [supportive housing] program,” says Kris Barry, the school’s health and wellness advocate. The LLC will house six to 10 students and feature evidence-based recovery programming. Of cials say the LLC speaks to the school’s mission as a health-focused university. But more than that, they say they hope to foster a culture of personal growth among all students, particularly those in recovery. “I see them as being leaders here on campus and then taking that and changing the dialogue about addiction,” Barry says. “We know that the traditional college experience can be hostile to the goals of anyone in recovery, and we want to support them as much as possible.”

Boyd Austin says student communities centered on recovery provide a welcome relief for students to explore their university in a supportive and positive way. “It o ers a space, it o ers a culture, it o ers a community of people who are engaging in college in the same way,” Boyd Austin says.

Experts say universities are increasingly adding recovery programs focused on creating a community among students, but ones incorporating housing are still few and far between. “This started about 30 years ago, but it has really taken off in the last 10 years,” says Amy Boyd Austin, president-elect of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.

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