Community Reflection

Civics is a Grade 10 course where students learn about our political system, how public decisions are made, and the entitled rights and responsibility for a citizen who legally belongs to a country. In a course like civics, students critically investigate local, national, and worldwide issues with a political perspective. One aspect of the curriculum is personal action on civic issues, by which means students are to analyze a civic issue and develop an action plan to address it. Through this, our class worked with an organization named DILA (A Day of Information for a Lifetime of Action), an organization that aims towards engaging youth in Ottawa by encouraging hands-on engagement in their communities, addressing civic issues that individuals are passionate towards, and to increase the importance of the democratic decision-making process. A DILA project main objective is to simply empower the young millennials, by giving them a chance to let their ideas, imagination, and voice shine.

The need for a substance abuse recovery home in Starke County, Indiana is a need that is unmistakable in the county based on the hefty number of individuals that suffer from substance abuse and dependency in the county which is clearly displayed by the recent number of crimes that are related to or involve illicit and prescription drugs. In attempt to meet this need and create an opportunity for individuals suffering from substance abuse and dependency to receive local substance abuse treatment in a recovery home the proposal will be presented to several stakeholders within the Starke County community. The term stakeholder “refers to those people who are affected, or could be affected, by the service” (Canadian Career Development Foundation, n.d.) that is being proposed. The proposal for the creation of a substance abuse recovery home will be presented to five key stakeholders including Ms. Becky Anspach the director of Community Services of Starke County, Starke County Community Corrections director of operations Mr. Robert Hinojosa, Ms. Dee Lynch the director of the Indiana Department of Child Services of Starke County, Porter Starke Services facilitator of intensive outpatient program treatment (IOP), and Ms. Rhonda Adcock the director of Starke County CASA.

Opioid abuse is extremely prevalent in today’s society. Many public health professionals are calling it the worst drug crisis in the nation’s history. (DeGarmo, 2017) Opioid abuse and addiction is an issue that goes beyond adults, it is plaguing juveniles as well. Juveniles are feeling the negative effects of this issue in many different ways. Some are watching their friends or family go through addiction, some have lost loved ones, and some juveniles are addicted themselves. I volunteered at the EB HOPE drop-in center which is located in East Bridgewater. The mission of the drop-in center is to provide resources to those affected by opioid addiction. They have an abundance of resources including retreats, rehabilitation centers, support groups, as well as faith based healings. They also have various support groups for family and friends of those addicted to opioids.

If one traveled through the small quiet community of Monroe, MI you would probably never think that this town has a drug problem. From the outside it seems like a nice middle class suburb that might be ideal to raise a family. For those that reside here however, they know that there is a growing problem. There aren’t many families that haven’t been affected by heroin addiction in this small town. The drug has literally swept through this county like an angry mob of rioters bringing crime, death, and destruction with it, leaving many people in the community asking, “Why?”

“Chris Orr was a good respectful young kid, there was nothing wrong with him except he was a heroin addict” stated Rick Anderson, local pier bowl merchant and longtime San Clemente local. Personally, I remember growing up in San Clemente, CA and waking up each morning and walking out on to my family deck and looking out onto the beach, thinking to myself how lucky my family was for the opportunity to be by the beach. I loved the beach, the feel of the ocean’s spray upon my face, the sand beneath my toes, but it wasn’t until heroin began to directly affect the lives of people around me that I truly began to understand that something darker lingered along the shoreline. For example, Chris was my friend, we grew up together, we played together as kids, and as we got older, we partied together. For a short while Chris even lived at my house. His sweet personality and loving heart made him hard to resist. No matter how much we loved him, he had a problem and he just couldn’t seem to overcome it. Finally, Chris lost his struggle with addiction in 2002. Many people mourned the light that was extinguished on that day, thought of what could have and what should have been done differently to prevent such a tragic death. Since his death, I have lost several friends to heroin use and the numbers are growing in this small beach community. In examining the reasons behind the recent increase heroin use in Orange County, including the impact on the youth, available medical

The usage of heroin in the Oswego area is visible to law enforcement, but not noticed as much by ordinary residents. Due to the unseen interactions between buyers and sellers, it is easy to believe drug use is non-existent in a community such as Oswego. The truth of the matter is, this is not true. In retrospect, many of the residents use drugs in part because the neighborhood they reside in is expected to be free of such activity. The people who recognized drug use was a problem became advocates to stop the issue. For instance, there is Tim and Shannon Ryan, who are the parents of a son who overdosed from heroin. Tim Ryan, introduced his son Ryan to the world of heroin, would spend $400-$500 a day on his addiction, causing his family to lose their Oswego home and forcing his wife to file for divorce. Hoping to save her family, Shannon Ryan videotapes her husband and son while under the influence believing if they viewed the tape while sober it would cause them to quit the drug. Unfortunately, this was not what happened. The Ryan’s lost their son Nick to heroin usage. Consequently, Tim and his now ex-wife publicly speak out against heroin usage. Tim who is now clean runs a non-profit organization called A Man in Recovery.

Summary: The video and associated article are primarily the first-hand account of an opioid addict who had attempted to detox alone unsuccessfully and then found medical assistance. Aside from the first-hand account the information mentioned in the video and article is insinuated to be from University of Kansas Health System Addiction Center and their staff. The link to the addiction center is provided and for further resources the audience is directed to another webpage on KMBC for other withdrawal and treatment centers. The audience of this news segment is those suffering from opioid addiction and their family members. The segment is also targeted in combination with a series other articles sharing the same overall title “State of Addiction” at the local community to create awareness of opioid addiction. The video expressed a tone of hope

Today I visited a treatment facility in Dayton OH. On James H Mcgee Blvd. This is a methadone based facility that has more than 800 clients currently receiving a daily regime of methadone; this is an agonist substance used in the treatment of opiate addiction. My interview today is with Lakisha Russell, a Licensed Social Worker: she also carries a MHT degree and a LCDC III. Furthermore acquiring a portion of this education at Sinclair.

The primary stakeholders who are affected by the issues I illicit drug use at Better Way of Miami that are the clients, the therapists, Staff members, administration, and outside funding sources such as the Department of Children and Families (DCF), South Florida Behavioral Health Network (SFBHN), Homeless Trust, and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

As we entered the dim living room we immediately noticed my uncle. He sat there on the ugly floral sofa looking lifeless. Today was his twenty-fourth birthday and we had come over to celebrate. My mother and I brought over cupcakes and streamers. Today was supposed to be a celebration of his life but he was so much closer to death. My mom could tell how alone and scared he was without him even speaking. I looked up at her and could see all the anger in her eyes. She wasn’t mad at her only brother, instead she was mad at heroin. That’s what brought him to this state after all. My uncle is not the only person that’s been brought to this state. Its an epidemic and the only way to win the battle against drugs and addiction is to support the government in finding a solution.

The mission statement for Reflective Treatment Center is “To provide comprehensive treatment services to adults dependent on Opiates, while ensuring recovery and integration back into family and community life through increased socialization, emotional and vocational skills. We are here to make a difference in the lives of the individuals we serve” (Reflective Treatment Center, 2016). Ms. Barnes indicated that the purpose and goals of the agency were included in the mission statement and that she found it well put. She also believes the agency to be meeting its goals which are providing comprehensive treatment services to adults with opiate dependency. By doing this the agency is aiding its clients to ensure recovery and integration back into

Take a look around at some of the problems in our world. Of course, some are more obvious than others to the average human eye. Issues such as abortion, gun control, and the war on terror are three of the most blatant problems our wonderful country faces on a day-to-day basis. But my mind goes to one which unfortunately in a lot of cases unless it has personally affected you, you might not think of it as a huge problem in our world. When I was prompted this question my mind went to one problem, heroin. Did you know that heroin usage has more than doubled among young adults ages 18-25 in the past decade (cdc.gov)? How about that Heroin-related overdose deaths in the U.S. have increased by nearly 300 percent in recent years (usnews.com)? The creation, transportation, and usage of heroin is destroying the lives of Americans and it needs to be stopped.

Team A has chosen to visit and conduct an interview at CRI-Help. Located in North Hollywood, California, this non-profit agency specializes in providing optimal prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services to chemically dependent individuals. Also, CRI-Help offers individual and group counseling, as well as assistance to the families facing the challenges of living with someone who is chemically dependent. They are committed to providing individualized care to individuals struggling with alcohol, drugs or both by involving their clients in a 12-step program that is appropriate for them. CRI-Help is also involved in helping clients

For years, I have desired to work within the addictions industry, as I am aware through my upbringing that substance abuse is a barrier that keeps a person from being who they truly are. But not only this, it stops them from feeling the pain of their life and the world. While attempting to protect themselves from the pain, it ultimately causes worse pain and detriment to their lives: being incarcerated and losing their freedom. What is worse, is never getting the help needed while incarcerated and then being released back into the community unchanged. Hoping to change this cycle, The John Howard Society developed and implemented with the Nanaimo Correctional Centre, a unique therapeutic community (TC) program called the Guthrie house in Nanaimo BC; it supports inmates with addictions who want to change their life (Nanaimo John Howard Society). The Guthrie program has assisted in developing skills needed for inmates to beat their addictions, learn the skills they are lacking and successfully reintegrate back into their community with ongoing support. There is further need for this program in all correctional institutions, as it is the first and only prison-based therapeutic community of its kind in Canada. (BC Ministry of Justice).

This pretreatment program operates as a therapeutic community, providing the opportunity for chemically dependent inmates to start their lives over by providing access to inpatient AOD treatment. This program allows the inmates to obtain a new point of reference while preparing for their transition to AOD treatment. This unit is for inmates who require the support of a positive intense therapeutic environment, where the process of recovery can occur without distraction. The goal of the program is to reduce the rate of relapse, reunite inmates with their families, re-integrate inmates into society and their communities. There were group sessions and individual therapy group sessions which were led by experienced counselors. When I arrived