A conversation with Lyle Prouse on the importance of acceptance and surrender in recovery

Dr. Javanbakht discussed ways we can protect ourselves against too much anxiety in our world, whether from inside ourselves, or via too much exposure to the media.

David and Chase describe how the federal government is supporting harm reduction, prevention, and recovery support services across the nation.

The desire to make a fresh start in life is central to those in recovery from substance use disorder. Thanks to
a series of new laws in Michigan that make it easier for people to clear their old criminal records, it’s now
possible to make a fresh start with a clean slate.

While diet and exercise trends come and go, one strategy has been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation. This powerful tool, along with mindfulness and yoga, can offer a host of health benefits. And, for individuals in recovery who may also have a history of trauma, it can be life changing.

At our May Family Forum, you were invited to hear a visiting faculty lecture at the University of Michigan
(U-M) presented by Keith Humphreys, Ph.D., the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Health Sciences at Stanford University.

For our April Family Forum, we took a closer look at Portugal’s experience ameliorating its national opioid crisis and attempt to better understand how these successes could apply to U.S. approaches. The important role of community organizations in those efforts, including immigrant civic organizations, to reduce stigma and promote education will be discussed.

For many individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), three letters can make all the difference in helping to set them
up for long-term success: DBT.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, commonly known as DBT, is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy developed to treat people with multiple mental health conditions. For our February Family Forum, we’ll explore how DBT may also be effective in treating those with SUD and other co-occurring disorders.

To explain the DBT approach and its benefits, we’ll welcome guest speakers Jill Polisano, CTRS, McKenzie Luker, CTRS, and Kristen O’Dwyer, LCSW — the co-owners of Wise Practice PLLC in Troy — as well as Wendy Besler, MD, a psychiatrist and the founder of Advanced Neuropsychiatric Specialists in Farmington Hills.

These experts will discuss how DBT teaches skills that are empowering for individuals in recovery, as they can be used to regulate emotions and cope through distress in real time. Utilizing the modules of Mindfulness, Emotional Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance, people can learn how to be present in the moment and accept their emotions and actions as valid.

Some of the benefits of DBT may include:
• A decrease in substance use
• A decrease in the physical discomfort associated with withdrawal symptoms
• A drop in substance-related impulsivity, cravings and temptations
• Creating and enforcing boundaries necessary for abstinence
• Avoiding triggers and precipitating events that could lead to substance use
• Reducing problematic behaviors that contribute to substance use
• Increasing healthy interpersonal relationships

While there’s no single path to recovery, DBT can be an effective tool in promoting positive outcomes for those suffering dual diagnoses and those who have been unsuccessful with other evidence-based therapies.

For our December Family Forum, we’ll welcome Harris’s mother, Stephanie Marquesano, founder and president of the Harris Project, the only nonprofit in the nation committed to the prevention and treatment of co-occurring disorders — the combination of one or more mental health challenges and substance misuse and/or addiction. Stephanie will discuss why it’s crucial for these disorders to be managed together, especially in teenagers and young adults.

Joining Stephanie will be Kenneth Minkoff, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist with additional qualifications in addiction psychiatry, a dedicated community psychiatrist and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Minkoff is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on integrated treatment of individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance disorders or “dual diagnosis.”

The in-person panel discussion led by Dr. Vereen featured people of color and other professionals who shared their SUD-related expertise and personal recovery stories.

MAT refers to FDA-approved medications to support individuals in their treatment of SUD, while abstinence often means the complete avoidance of mood-altering substances. So, how do you know which approach is right for you or your loved ones? And, what are the most important things to know about both MAT and abstinence?

In our July Family Forum, we separated fact from fiction regarding NA and its mission to help anyone with
SUD — regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion or lack of religion — to stop using drugs, lose the desire to use and find a new way to live.