Grinion HCMSS Member Reflection

MHP met with the member at Cass House. The member report that he has no money and has been staying at Cass House. The member states that he does have an appointment with Southwest Solution on 12/23/15 for housing. MHP asks the member if he was still using drug? The member states that is why he does not have any money or his phone because of his addiction to crack. MHP ask the member if he was still attending NA/AA meeting? The member states he sometime goes but that does not stop him from using. The member states that he does not think he has hit rock bottom and is not ready to give it up because he help him feel better about himself. The member states that he is under a lot of stress in dealing with his mother and other things that

Problem # 5 Illicit opiate use Goal(s): to be free from illicit drugs. Status: Active Objectives/Progress: Pt. has struggled with continued use of illicit drugs (marijuana, opiates and amphetamines) and his last quarter UDS reflect a pattern of heavy substance use. Pt. was encouraged to work with the medical staff to achieve a stable dosing level. Pt. is regularly taking his medication as prescribed by AMS Doctor and he stated his current prescribed methadone 90 mg is working "well". During the last quarter, Pt. made progress on developing a therapeutic relationship with his new AMS counselor for the upcoming quarter. Also, Counselor focused therapy session on establishing rapport and building trust with him. Pt. is currently in the contemplation stage of change because he more open to receiving information about his negative habits and willing to use educational interventions which he agreed with this assessment. Pt. was reinforced for any statement that reflected acceptance of his chemical dependence and acknowledgment of the negative consequences that opiates has had on his life. During the upcoming quarter, Counselor will assist Pt. to discuss and weigh the pros and cons of continuing his addictive

Today there were only two staff members that were working on the unit FBC Unit. Today I had the opportunity to observe a counselor answer several crisis phone calls that come into the crisis unit and referred them to the MSW level social worker who was on call. I talked with several patients on the unit and asked them how was their recovery going. Many of them responded by saying that detoxing of drugs is rough, but they were determined to stay here. Most of the patients’ that I talked with were satisfied with services that the FBC Unit in Greenville has provided them with. Most of the patients’ have their aftercare in place, and ready for use the day that they are discharged from the unit. Before the shift changed I was required to type,

Objectives/Progress: As the Pt. has participated in the AMS program since 8/24/16 and he has been able to maintain abstinence from all illicit drugs for 6 months straight t. Pt.'s UDS has shown no evidence of drug use or lapse/relapse. Pt. is currently in the action stage of change as indicated by reminding himself of how much progress he has made and ability to change his behavior and achieve goals during the past quarter. He has currently obtained a full-time job as a shelving installer. Patient reports as scheduled to receive maintenance medication services as instructed by AMS Doctor and attends all mandatory one therapy session once a month. He continues to share his understanding of being powerless and unmanageable over his addiction. During the next quarter sessions, Counselor will support a realistic view of change through small steps.

This meeting was focused on finding a “support person”, a friend that can help keep you accountable and strong through an addiction recovery. For the past few months, I had been my friend’s support person (even though I didn’t really know what that meant until this meeting). We discussed the benefits and advantages of having someone to carry your burden, and how they can keep the individual accountable and progressing. They then went around the circle and introduced themselves, like in the movies, “Hi, my name is ____ (the group responds

As a friend, I feel as though we were close enough for him to tell me if anything was wrong or if he could not handle the stress of the job, and I want him to get the help he needs in the hopes that he will one day be back to the best friend that I had in college. It was so shocking finding out that he was using such a harsh drug that he was stealing from the clinic. As Drug Info states, ketamine is a drug that can change thinking, the way you feel, and timing; it can also cause personality and mood changes with depression in users who have been using it long-term (2014). Alex’s irrational behavior towards me when I asked him about the situation was because he is on this hardcore drug and if he acted like that towards me, who knows what else that drug will cause him to do. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association principles, Section II N, veterinarians who are under the influence should not act as a veterinarian and should seek help from qualified personnel or organizations (2014).

When I walked into the meeting, I was a little apprehensive. It was only a small group of about ten people, which was held at a local hospital. Knowing that I had to explain I was there to observe as a student studying social work, I was worried that the participants would hold back from their real behaviors in the group and that they would be cold to me. However, that assumption could not have been farther from the truth. All my apprehension flew out the window, as the members of the small group all welcomed me with open arms. Apparently, these were regulars. Most in the group attended every meeting, and continued to use the support of the group to deal with the continuous chaos and trauma of living with an addict. I was welcomed to sit and observe the behavior of the individual members of the group express their grief, fear, and

The meeting consisted of twenty-five people including myself. The leader began by welcoming all returning addicts and non-addicts to the NA meeting. The meeting started with a moment of silence followed by everyone reciting the serenity prayer. After the prayer, the leader asked for volunteers to read the short messages about what the meeting is about and why they were there. Each person that volunteered to read one of the short messages began by saying, “Hi my name is (blank) and I’m an addict.” This was something that the group members did so that they could face the truth and admit that they had an addiction. The meeting continued by a volunteer reading the Twelve Step Traditions. This was a list that the members followed to achieve recovery from their addiction to narcotics. The leader then spoke aloud to the group about which of the twelve steps they were focusing on for the night. The leader then left it open for any group member to share a personal story about where they were on their road to recovery. Everyone who shared their story was open with the group and shared very personal experiences that they had. Everyone listened to each personal story that was shared. No one judged anyone from where they came from or what they had done in the past. Everyone was there to receive help and support those who were on their way to recovery as well. The meeting ended with

I talked to the man, who asked to go by “Richard”, after the meeting concluded. We sat outside the conference room and drank coffee while he told me about his lifelong battle with alcohol and drugs. I think what struck out the most to me was just how sad and regretful his tone of voice was as he told his story to me. He recalled how he first shot up with heroin at the age of fourteen, and how his life was a vicious cycle of drugs and depression afterwards. “Richard” told me that he was in and out of juvenile halls throughout his teenage years and how, when he was supposed to be in school, would skip classes to drink on the curb or inject himself with heroin in some dirty gas station bathroom. “I was in and out of prisons too, once I got old enough.” I remember him telling me. After two three year stints in prison on drug and alcohol related charges, the correctional

and interview with Mr. Martinez was not only an enjoyable experience, but informative as well. Program planning was demonstrated with real world applications. I was able to gather enough information to conclude my ideas on the pros and cons of the agency. Perhaps most importantly, some avenues of career opportunities were demonstrated with a Health Promotion degree in the substance abuse field. Since I closed my Three Quarter Way House in Miami in late 1997 and drifted away from the recovery community, I have had a longing to be involved again. This has formed part of my reason for continuing my educational pursuits. Mr. Martinez and his staff were generous with their time, interaction, and advice. On Mr. Martinez’s advice, I plan to pursue to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist to compliment my degree. Also, I plan to attend the Burke County Substance Abuse Network breakfast with Mr. Martinez on the last Friday of the month. This assignment proved to be a most valuable

is currently working on establishing a healthy social support system. Pt. has been attending all AMS TX activities and dosing on a daily basis. Pt. has not yet begun to gain the knowledge of the assistances and organization that are available to him such as peer mentors, recovery coaching, self-help meetings, etc. Pt. doesn't attend any outside groups such as AA/NA meetings. Counselor will continue to encourage Pt. to get out into the community, discuss the activities he can become involved in and talk about the importance of not isolating for his recovery and from positive family members. During this upcoming session, Primary Counselor will assist Pt. to learn and identify ways to get help from supportive others at home, work, and in other settings. Pt. needs to find sponsor(s) and set of emergency numbers of supportive

Over the past several decades the atmosphere around drugs has changed around the globe as each country attempts to resolve the issue of drugs differently, but with the same hope to better the health of the people that live there. The Wire is a politically charged television show that comments on the war on drugs in America. In The Wire, Major Colvin sets up a safe place, based in education and aid, for people who are drug afflicted. This system better reflects the Canadian and Portugal culture, where they have drug houses, instead of the criminalization of drug users and dealers in the American culture. In the show, the culture has been positively affected by this aid and education because of a decrease in violence, an overall improvement

Queer is a term that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people use to describe the entire LGBT community. It has made them feel like they have their own community where heterosexist people won’t judge them. “The term is used positively to say it is okay to be different and it serves as an inclusive category that encompasses the shared political and social experiences of the group (classnotes, 2016). Basing on this assertion, Queer Theory through the theme of lesbian isolation in a heterosexist world is seen in “Don’t Explain” by the ways the protagonist Letty recognizes her sexual orientation but denies it, demonstrates internalized homophobia, and the way Letty interacts with Delia and Terry. In addition, the articles “We’re Here, We’re Queer, Y’all” by Karen L. Cox and “The Paradox of coming out” by Steven Petrow further proofs how queer theory is evident in “Don’t Explain.” It is clear that stereotyping basing on sexual orientation has led to negative perceptions of different LGBT community members (McDonald, 2013). In most cases, lesbians have been painted as men haters or over-feminized just as gays have been portrayed as haters of women. These stereotypes do not apply to all lesbians but creates undue pressure on characters like Letty forcing then to live in fear because of being different. The fact that fictional lesbian visual representation has being distorted by heterosexuals males has caused Letty and her lot to conceal their true

I am writing out of concern that the medical influence of our southern neighbour - the US - is gaining ground in our country. The American Medical Association, in particular, aims to influence our doctors towards changing how we do medicine in Canada. The recent annual Halifax meeting last August 23 to 26, for instance, conducted under the leadership of the Canadian Medical Association, has an 80,000 member group ready to lobby for mandatory vaccinations (Mihalovic n.p.). If their influence among legislators is strong enough, they can eventually force parents to vaccinate their children in order to access educational institutions.

As being a family support attendee for my stepfather, the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group, this group main focus is to stay clean from drugs. The members of NA learn and expressed ways on coping, to staying away from drugs, and live a drug-free life with the help of their 12 Step Program. When present at the meeting, the support group was on Step Seven, reading about asking God to remove their shortcomings. Even though the support group is near the end of reading and using the 12 Step Program as part of their lives, an individual wanting to go into recovery is an attempt in making a change. However, the goal is to stay clean and away from drug to keep from having a relapse to alcohol and substance use. An onset to alcohol and substance