Governor Brown is currently entertaining the petition of nine California cities asking to extend the legal hours of alcohol service another two hours past the current mandatory end time of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. San Diego is not one of the cities on the list.

While some are irritated by what they view as government control of commerce and personal choice, others are relieved that they will not have to face the issues that come with a shift in the law. If Governor Brown does sign the bill passed by state senators by the September 30 deadline, many in San Diego will be paying close attention to how things change in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Palm Springs, and West Hollywood among others and using that information to determine whether or not they should push for a similar bill here in San Diego.

No matter what Governor Brown decides, it will take time. If passed, the bill would not take effect until 2021 at the earliest.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher tweeted that San Diego was not included in the bill because “no SD legislator has expressed interest” and that “extending bar hours has shown to correlate with increased drunk driving and domestic abuse”.

Why People Want a Later Last Call

The debate over whether or not last call should be pushed to 4 a.m. in California has come up before. In 2013, it was proposed as a statewide resolution and a means to increase tax revenue through increased alcohol taxes, and legislators voted it down. In 2017, the idea was brought back into the spotlight by State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco.

Rather than pushing for a statewide change this time around, State Sen. Wiener is pushing the city’s rights angle. That is, he is proposing that individual cities should have the right to choose how they want to handle last call, suggesting that cities that are tourist destinations have a vested interest in keeping alcohol accessible as late as possible.

Wiener says that increasing access to alcohol translates into increased revenue for local businesses, which in turn boosts the local economy and increases tax revenue which has the potential to serve everyone. He points out that 15 other states across the country allow for the sale of alcohol after 2 a.m. already.

Wiener, D-San Francisco, is the bill’s author. He and its proponents argue that by extending nightlife hours, businesses and cities could benefit from extra generated revenue. At least 15 other states across the US sell alcohol past 2 a.m.

Tweeted Wiener: “The Legislature just gave final approval to our bill allowing cities to extend last call to 4 a.m. The bill now heads to the Governor. We will make the case to the Governor that cities should be able to decide for themselves what kind of nightlife makes sense.”

Why So Many Oppose

What Wiener does not address is how the increased risks associated with drunk driving and domestic violence will be addressed, the toll that a 4 a.m. last call will have on neighborhood bars, and the increased burden on law enforcement, the court system, and public areas surrounding early morning establishments.

The highest rates of drunk driving accidents occur between midnight and 3 a.m. with 66 percent of all fatal car crashes during this period caused by someone who has been drinking. It stands to reason that this statistic will shift by either lengthening the time period (e.g., from midnight to 5 a.m. or later) or by increasing the numbers of fatal crashes due to the likely increased level of intoxication of drivers on the road. This means that commute traffic will likely be impacted, especially in the Los Angeles area where commuters start early and spend longer in the car to get to work in the morning.

Gonzalez Fletcher was joined by 21 other legislators in voting against the proposal. She says that social impact far outweighs the potential for increased revenue: “I’m looking for a net positive.”

Additionally, law enforcement officers and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are not in support of the bill.

Will Changing Last Call Impact Rates of Addiction?

For families already living with alcoholism and those who are actively in recovery, increased exposure to or access to alcohol and other drugs often available at bars is a serious threat. The risks of domestic violence and abuse, accidental death, death to innocent people on the road, and other issues related to ongoing substance abuse are too high as it is.

Do you think it’s worth the risk to lengthen last call hours in or near San Diego?

The post San Diego Not Included in New CA 4AM Last Call Bill appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

For some people in recovery, spending time alone is preferred. Rather than make conversation or deal with other people’s unexpected choices, they feel safer being by themselves. For others, the idea of being alone with their own thoughts for too long is terrifying. They prefer the ability to interact, focusing on social dynamics rather than having to live in their head.

So, which one is better for you when it comes to growing stronger in your ability to stay sober? Should you spend time alone or immerse yourself in the company of others in order to be your best self in recovery?

Sober Support

In recovery, there is a huge focus on avoiding isolation. Spending too much time alone means spending too much time in your head with thoughts that often steer you in a bad direction, and not spending enough time learning and growing in recovery. Your support network of peers in recovery can be all that stands between you and relapse when you are in crisis or starting to lose focus on your sobriety. Though it is not easy to jump into a new group of people and find your way comfortably, especially in early recovery when you may be nervous or unsure of yourself, it is an essential piece of the puzzle when you are putting together a new life for yourself that doesn’t include use of drugs and alcohol.

Finding Your Authentic Self

As important as it is to connect with positive people who support you in recovery, it is just as important to bond with yourself and figure out who you really are now that you are not focused on substance abuse. For many people, it can take a while to determine what kind of music they really like now that they aren’t “making the scene,” where their true goals and interests lie, and even what style of dress makes them feel the most comfortable. Sometimes it is easier to figure this out somewhat on your own, taking into consideration the suggestions of people around you but giving yourself the time to experiment and decide for yourself.

Dealing with Discomfort

Whether you prefer a crowd or would rather be alone, it is a good idea to find balance with both. Spending all your time around others or all your time alone can be equally destructive, so if you feel uncomfortable with one or both of these, then your first focus can be to address that discomfort.

You can do this by:

Setting a minimum time limit for yourself. If you are particularly uncomfortable with being by yourself or being around people you don’t know well, schedule the activity for a minimum time period and stay the whole time. For example, if you start out by scheduling yourself 10 minutes of social time every day after a 12-Step meeting or a therapy session, you can begin to work your way up to more extended periods as you feel more comfortable.

Being persistent. Over time, if you repeatedly engage in the activity that causes you discomfort, you will begin to find ways to manage that discomfort healthfully. Consistency is key, however. The act of repetition is part of how you will build your confidence and sense of ease, whether you struggle with time with others or alone time.

Asking for pointers. If you are unsure how to handle yourself or what exactly to do in either situation, ask for help. Your therapist can give you some ideas and then follow up with you as you put them into action and determine how useful they are for you personally.

Reveling in the happy. As stressful as it may be to become more balanced in your relationships with yourself and others, there are still a thousand incredible things going on in your life that can inspire you. You are breathing. You are sober. You have options. You can choose your journey forward. In this moment, you might be able to opt to have your favorite sandwich, watch your favorite TV show, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, take a nap, or go outside and just be for a few moments.

How do you work on discomfort associated with being with yourself or others? How has your process helped to improve your ability to stay sober?

The post Alone Time in Recovery: Will It Help You or Hurt Your Ability to Stay Sober? appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

Civica Rx is a new pharmaceutical company structured as a nonprofit, the first of its kind in the industry. Supported by the Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego among others, the hope is that this groundbreaking organization will be able to turn things around in the generic drug-making market and improve patient care while also lowering rates of new cases of addiction in the process.

Their initial goal is to produce 14 medications that are in common use at hospitals by 2019, but that’s just the first step in a larger plan. Ultimately, the goal is to increase access to the generic version of drugs that are commonly in low supply and to keep prices low on drugs that have skyrocketed in price in recent years.

Profit before Patients vs. Patients before Profits

Dan Liljenquist is the vice president of one of the seven founding healthcare organizations within Civica Rx. He says: “We tried to create a mechanism where nobody can benefit from the operations of Civica except by making use of the affordable generic drugs it produces. There is no way to pay out a single penny for profit to anybody, and that’s by design.”

This ethical foundation is what has garnered interest and funding from investors adding up to millions of dollars from San Diego’s Gary and Mary West Foundation, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in Houston, and the Peterson Center on Healthcare based in New York.

Putting the company’s bottom line before the welfare of patients has long been pinpointed as a problem with the Big Pharma companies, a problem that has contributed to the overselling of addictive painkillers. This is said to have spawned a huge increase in opiate prescriptions responsible for the high rates of addiction and overdose across the country today. If Civica Rx is successful, then Big Pharma companies may lose a great deal of income and influence if they do not choose to follow suit and clean up their act.

Ethical Responsibility

Companies that create any product are expected to take responsibility for how that product is produced and the impact it has on the end user when a problem becomes apparent. When it became clear that cigarette smoking caused cancer, tobacco companies were held accountable and paid out millions to families that were negatively impacted. It stands to reason that the pharmaceutical companies that may have engaged in shady marketing practices in order to push a drug they arguably did know or should have known to be addictive should be held responsible for at least part of the devastating fallout.

Many believe that resistance to take responsibility on any level is a self-protection mechanism put in place to protect them from class action lawsuits and other costly litigation from private parties demanding lost earnings, pain and suffering, and more. However, in the spirit of Civica and what will hopefully become the overriding trend in the industry, big pharmaceutical companies can and should:

What Do You Think?

If you, or your loved one, are wrestling with the fallout of addiction and trying hard to get back on track, what do you think that pharmaceutical companies should do to assist in the healing process for your family and families like yours across the country? What do you think should be done differently in the future to prevent more cases of addiction, and how should families be supported so they can take an active role in the prevention of new cases and/or assist in intervening when a loved one is in crisis?

If addiction is an ongoing struggle for your family, what support do you need know to forge a positive path forward?

The post Are Nonprofit Drug Manufacturers the Way to Lower New Addiction Rates? appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

Never too old… to smuggle drugs? Two women were busted by a border patrol drug-sniffing dog when they tried to smuggle 92 pounds of heroin into the United States through the Tecate Port of Entry. One of those women was 81 years old. The estimated street value of the 34 parcels of heroin found hidden in the rocker panels of the sedan is $870K+.

It is not believed that the elderly woman is the head of drug cartel or a cartel associate of any kind, though she was arrested and transferred into the care of Homeland Security.

Says Pete Flores, the San Diego CBP Director of Field Operations: “Cartels will try and manipulate anyone to smuggle their narcotics through the ports of entry. CBP officers are aware of the many tactics used by the cartels and remain ever vigilant to stop anyone attempting to smuggle narcotics.”

From his statements, it appears that the belief is that she was told to attempt to smuggle the drugs and that whoever made that decision within the cartel thought that an elderly woman would not arouse suspicion. They were wrong, and the hope is that the elderly woman gets the support and assistance she needs.

By Any Means Necessary

It is clear that drug cartels respect nothing when it comes to making the money associated with drug sales. From the horrors committed on both sides of the border to force people into service to the cartel to the impact of illicit drug use across the country – especially when it has been laced with fentanyl – it is clear that the sole priority is money and nothing else.

In any other business, this underlying philosophy would wipe out an organization within months, but when it comes to addiction, the customer base is ill-equipped to objectively recognize that they are endangering their own lives and at the same time contributing to the rise of unscrupulous people.

A Single-Minded Focus

Someone living in active addiction is often unable to fully grasp or care about the impact of any of their choices that are driven by cravings for drugs and alcohol. Long-term use of mind-altering substances can physically change the structure of the brain, and in turn change the way the brain functions. Over time, drug use can cause the brain to put the need to quell cravings for the drug of choice above all else, even if the individual objectively understands that what they are doing to get that drug (e.g., stealing from a loved one, breaking someone’s trust, or contributing to the harm of innocent people) is harmful. It is not until they are free from the grip of the physical addiction that they can begin to work on the issues driving the psychological dependency on their drug of choice and begin to fully wrap their minds around what is happening to them.

Live, Learn, Forgive, Move Forward

It can be a devastating process. Many people battle with guilt in recovery related to their choices while under the influence or in the pursuit of getting more of their drug of choice. It is not easy to understand the full scope of what occurred in active addiction and to then turn that knowledge into the incredible tool it can be. Acknowledging your part in harming yourself and others provides you with the opportunity to:

Are you doing the work necessary to understand the impact of addiction? Are you staying connected to substance abuse treatment professionals who can help you to make the most of all that recovery has to offer you?

The post 80-Year-Old Woman Caught Smuggling $860K of Heroin across the Border appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

Alcohol intake is woven into American traditions during the summertime. Baseball games, picnics, campouts, outdoor festivals and concerts – almost all of these are characterized by heavy alcohol use by patrons. It is considered normal to overindulge in alcohol on the weekends and at events. The entire season has the feeling of one long celebration, and many take it to an extreme.

At what point does alcohol intake stop being a social behavior and start being a threat? It’s not always easy to tell when everyone around you seems to be able to drink heavily without any severe repercussions. Here’s what you need to know.

Everyone else may not be okay either. Just because it seems like the people you are drinking with are imbibing as much as you are and doing okay, it does not make it true. You do not know the personal details of people’s lives, and it may be that they are struggling even more than you are.

Alcohol takes a physical, emotional, and mental toll. When you drink heavily or regularly, alcohol impacts every system in your body. It is more difficult for your immune system to function and ward off illness. When you are not feeling well, your stress levels will be higher, which in turn may make it more difficult to maintain functional relationships and handle issues that come up at work. All of this works together to wear you down emotionally, making it seem like your only recourse is to drink.

If you are questioning your alcohol intake, there is likely a problem. People who have a healthy relationship with alcohol do not ask themselves if they have a problem. They know they do not. If you are questioning whether or not you drink too much or too often, then it is a likely a good idea to consider what options for change are available to you.

Binge drinking is just as dangerous as heavy chronic drinking. Though it may be normal to drink heavily on the weekends only or during a game and go to work the rest of the week, the fact is that binge drinking is exceptionally hard on the body. Lifelong health problems, acute health issues, accidents, and more have been attributed to binge drinking, making it just as dangerous as other levels of alcohol intake.

Alcohol use disorders occur on a spectrum. There are those who have been living with full-blown alcoholism for decades at one end of the spectrum and those who drink more than the recommended one or two drinks a night at the other. For this reason, there is a spectrum of choices in treatment as well. Many begin the process of recovery by attending therapy with a substance abuse treatment therapist on an outpatient basis while others begin with alcohol detox followed by long-term and intensive residential treatment. It is important to consider all contributing factors when deciding what type of treatment is best, and this is most easily accomplished under the care and supervision of a treatment team.

Alcohol contributes to life-changing and/or deadly accidents. Even low levels of regular alcohol intake or occasional binge drinking can lead to devastating events. Getting behind the wheel while intoxicated may seem like no big deal until it ends in a fatal car crash. Grilling out while drinking may sound like a normal weekend, but if there is too much alcohol and care is not taken, burns and fires can and do happen. It is not just the risk of addiction that should be considered when weighing the risks of heavy drinking but the potential for other life-altering outcomes as well.

If you cannot stop on your own, you need help. If you have tried to limit your drinking in any way or tried to quit drinking entirely and been unsuccessful, it is time to seek help. If you have a genuine desire to stop drinking and find that the cravings are too powerful, the safest way to stop drinking and start a new life in sobriety is to ask for help.

Are you ready to learn more about the options available to you in alcohol addiction treatment?

The post Wasted: Does Your Summer Drinking Make You an Alcoholic? appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

When Estaban Loaiza, former all-star picture in Major League Baseball pled guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, he joined a long line of people famous for playing a professional sport who have similarly found themselves in the headlines for drug-related charges.

Likewise, when Demi Lovato ended up in the hospital for almost a week when she experienced an overdose after years of working on her sobriety, she became one of many famous artists and musicians who have publicly struggled with relapse, addiction, and overdose.

Both of these stars will be followed closely by the media in the coming months as they work to sort out their lives. Loaiza will wear an electronic monitoring bracelet pending his November court date and could end up spending 10 years or more in prison as a result of transporting 44 pounds of cocaine. Lovato has always been very open about her struggles with drugs and alcohol, and that will likely continue as she seeks to find balance and regain a foothold in sobriety. All along the way, people across the country and perhaps around the world will be following along with their stories.

Why It Matters: Courts and Public Eye

When someone in the media faces drug-related issues, people who are currently grappling with addiction – both the individual living in addiction and their loved ones – pay attention. They are watching to see what happens and using it to gauge the risks they face with continued drug use.

For example, someone watching Loaiza’s case might watch the legal process carefully. What does he do between the time of arrest and his court date? Why did he plead guilty and how will that impact his case? What sentence does he receive?

A celebrity’s fame is something that the court system will often take into consideration as well. In some cases, it may seem that they get special treatment that no one else could possibly get because they have fame, money, or the most expensive lawyers. In many cases, however, the celebrity is treated severely and given the highest penalties because the court is well aware that the world is watching and they want to send a message.

Why It Matters: The Influence of Stardom

Pop stars and famous actors have a profound impact on culture and social behavior. People all over the world mimic their style of dress, the diets they follow, the workout routines they do, the catchphrases they use, and their attitudes and behavior. This happens whether or not the star’s behavior is admirable.

For better or for worse, American tweens and teens follow the comings and goings of their favorite celebs on every social media platform available, and when one of them is publicly grappling with a substance use disorder, it can broaden their ideas of what is possible and okay concerning drug use. Kids who might not have otherwise tried drugs like cocaine or heroin might purposefully seek them out when they hear that their idol has used them and survived. They also may want to have that war story in their pocket, thinking that it makes them as cool as the star they idolize.

On the other hand, when a celebrity goes to rehab in order to get help for a substance use disorder, even if they relapse at some point down the road, it sends the message to young people who are living in families that are facing addiction that addiction is a medical disorder that can strike anyone, and there is hope through treatment and long-term perseverance. If they are living with a substance use problem themselves, it can encourage them to acknowledge their own need for treatment and ask for help. Everything depends on how the star reacts to their own drug use issues. Those who openly drink and get high send the message to young people that it’s possible, and even a fun and positive choice, to live their life in the haze of heavy substance abuse.

What Do You Think?

Do you think that the choices of celebrities have an impact on how people perceive drug use and abuse? Do you think that their drug-related choices deter the wider public from drug use or encourage it?

The post What Happens When a Celebrity Gets Busted on Drug Charges? appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

Despite the problems for store owners associated with onsite drug use by patrons, many say that blue bulbs (or red bulbs, in some cases) cause a new set of problems. Though the hope is that drug users will go elsewhere to get high, early studies showed that drug users were willing to take the risk if it meant avoiding withdrawal symptoms. However, with the light obscuring their vision, they are missing veins, which causes health problems and can contribute to an unsanitary mess that is hard to see in the lighting.

Read Hayes is the director of the Loss Prevention Research Council in Los Angeles and a researcher investigating the efficacy of these lights. He says: “The hardest-core opiate user still wants to be accurate. They want to make sure the needle goes in the right spot.”

For long-term drug users, the blue light is no deterrent at all. There are ways to get around it pretty easily, making the blue lights little more than an inconvenience for all patrons and one more tool that serves to stigmatize addiction.

However, shop owners point out that they cannot stand idly by while this continues. They feel that they have no other option, and they say that it’s working for them so far. According to some reports, before installing the lights, they frequently would not know that a drug user in the bathroom was in crisis until someone else wanted to use it. When the door was opened, they would find people slumped over due to overdose, already deceased. Since the installation of the lights, many store owners report that in six months, they have not had a single overdose in their stores.

Is This a Long-Term Solution to the Opioid Epidemic in San Diego?

Though a number of stores and mini marts around San Diego have installed red and blue lights in their bathrooms with the goal of cutting down on drug overdose deaths and risk of harm to employees and customers, many health experts are encouraging other options. For example, many suggest installing “sharps containers” or safe disposal containers for people to throw away their needles without putting them in a trash can where they may stick an employee who is taking out the trash or break the toilet if flushed.

The goal for many health experts is to normalize the disorder of addiction. It is estimated that tens of millions of Americans are struggling with an addiction disorder at any given time, in addition to the tens of thousands who die of drug overdose every year. Every year, the problem grows, stealing more and more lives and destroying more and more families. Clearly, continuing to stigmatize the disorder or criminalize those who suffer from it has done little to quell the problem.

The only research-based path to overcoming an addiction that has been proven time and again is comprehensive and intensive drug addiction treatment. Because addiction is a medical and psychiatric disorder, research-based care is necessary. Criminalizing drug-related behaviors and creating social stigma by installing blue lights in public bathrooms rather than sharps containers may only serve to stop people from admitting the problem in its early stages and asking for help.

What Do You Think?

Do you think that stigma against addiction and those who struggle with the problem is driving the addiction epidemic in the United States? What do you think can be done to make positive changes that help save lives and assist families in crisis in connecting with the help they need to heal?

The post Will Blue Lights Stop Drug Abuse in San Diego? appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

With summer comes lots of outdoor time via sports, beach fun, camping, grilling, and more. Unfortunately, because of all the activity and focus on fun, injuries abound this time of year. This can put a damper on the summer for anyone, but for someone in recovery who is trying hard to avoid use of all substances, it can also cause some pretty turbulent emotions.

If you are injured in the summer or at any time, you need to think carefully how you will handle your pain management during recovery. This is no small thing. Using any kind of substance, even if medically prescribed, can trigger abuse of the substance and a return to active addiction.

Here are some of the things you need to know to help you figure out the best path forward for you.

Talk to your doctor about your past in addiction. If you are admitted to the emergency room, make it clear to the people who are taking care of you that you want the lowest dose of painkillers as possible due to an addiction history. They know better than almost any other medical professionals just how serious that is and should proceed accordingly.

Discuss a long-term pain management plan before release. Before you leave the emergency room, whether or not you have a script for painkillers in hand, talk to your doctor about your options in pain management with minimal or no medication and get a step-by-step action plan to carry you through. You can always alter it later, but in the event that you begin to feel triggered before you can get to your primary care physician, it is a good idea to have a solid plan available to you.

Learn more about holistic treatment options. There are a number of ways you can ease your pain without taking medications. Learn as much as you can about what these options are and how to make the most of them, make sure they are safe and recommended for your personally, and then make use of them regularly.

Medication may be needed. For serious injuries, it may be necessary to take some amount of pain medication. However, if you are engaging in holistic treatment and taking over-the-counter, nonaddictive pain medications (e.g., ibuprofen, acetaminophen) regularly, you can minimize your dose as much as possible. Additionally, make your doctor aware that you want a stepdown schedule that is as rapid as possible, making sure that the dose of painkillers drops continually until you are free of them completely.

Have an accountability partner. It is a good idea to have someone you trust in sobriety go with you to appointments and assist you with all your pain management. Make sure they hear all the doctor’s recommendations and take notes on holistic pain management, so they can remind you about the specifics later. Also, ask them to check in with you daily regarding how you are sticking to your pain management regiment.

Have someone with no addiction history hold your medications. It can also be helpful if you have someone who supports you in recovery hold your medications and give them to you as needed to ensure that you stick with the dosing schedule and do not misuse the drugs.

Ignore people who undermine your pain management plans. If it is necessary for you to take some dose of painkillers in order to manage extreme pain, do not let anyone tell you that you are no longer sober, or that they knew so-and-so who had a “way worse” injury than you and that person NEVER took a single drug because that’s how committed they were to sobriety. Give yourself permission to ignore every single word. Their opinions have nothing to do with you and what you and your doctor have determined is the best course forward in recovery.

Injury is a huge risk for relapse. If you take painkillers to address an injury, there is a risk that you will abuse the medications and trigger an avalanche of cravings that feel impossible to shut down. If you avoid painkillers because of your sobriety and the pain becomes too overwhelming to bear, you may relapse on anything you can get your hands on just to escape the pain.

As with every part of addiction and recovery, the right choice for you in managing pain is a personal one that is best decided with a medical and treatment team by your side. If you feel that the course you have chosen is not working for you and your sobriety is at risk, do not wait to take action and seek the therapeutic addiction treatment you need.

The post Injury and Recovery: How to Manage Pain Without Relapse appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

The woman who pleaded guilty two to felony charges of administering drugs and involuntary manslaughter in the heroin overdose death of a Google executive in California in 2013 is about to go before a judge yet again on the exact same charges. Though she reports that she is currently drug-free after serving three years in prison and then being extradited to Canada, the heroin overdose death currently being reviewed in the courts happened to her boyfriend in Fulton, Georgia, just two months before the death of the Google executive in California.

What do these two deaths say about the heroin overdose epidemic in this country? Does her guilty plea and potential for a second trip to jail for manslaughter or murder for causing a fatal heroin overdose play into the nationwide discussion about whether it is appropriate for drug dealers to face federal charges for murder when connected with an overdose death?

Her Side of the Story

For her part, the woman claims complete innocence in terms of intent when it comes to the death of the Google executive. According to an interview, she said that when she gave him the heroin, she was unaware that he had been drinking and had taken a Valium earlier in the day. While she admitted to drinking and getting high with the Google executive because he hired her to meet him on his yacht, she was adamant that her intention was not to take his life.

She said: “He seemed perfectly sober to me. If I had known both of those pieces of information, I would have never let him take the drugs. He was very adamant about doing the drugs. Despite what police say, we never had sex. He was more interested in partying.”

She also said in the interview that she struggled with whether or not to call 911 and that she regrets not calling. In another interview, she recounts: “I tried to revive him. I was very upset and crying trying to wake him up. The police said I ‘calmly and coldly’ walked around the boat, packed up my stuff, and left. I was in a complete panic. I knew he was a married man. I had injected myself first, I was not thinking correctly. I didn’t know he was in immediate distress, it looked like he was still breathing and had just passed out.”

When it comes to the death of her boyfriend in Georgia, she reportedly maintains that she had nothing to do with it, but with the case pending, it is unlikely that she will be doing any interviews on the subject any time soon.

Does This Case Impact the Discussion About Murder Charges for Dealers Connected to Overdose?

To many people, the two very similar deaths so close together look suspicious. In fact, many are wondering if her felony guilty convictions in relation to the Google exec’s heroin overdose death will inevitably contribute to her conviction in the case of her boyfriend’s death. Others say that it will be impossible to have a fair trial due to the media coverage of the California case and the fact that it is unlikely to find a jury of her peers who have not heard of her in relation to that case and conviction.

In general, however, this new case is happening at an inauspicious moment in our country’s legal treatment of people convicted of drug-related crimes. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made it clear that he expects prosecutors to apply the death penalty in any case where a drug dealer is connected to an overdose death. Potentially, had the woman’s 2013 case been tried today, the outcome might have been very different since it is clear that she was hired to be there and bring drugs with her, she created the dose and injected the man who almost immediately died as a result, and she did not call 911 on his behalf.

The outcome of this case may very well contribute to the discussion on murder charges in the case of overdose deaths in the U.S. What do you think? Is it appropriate to charge someone with murder if they gave drugs to someone who later overdosed on the drugs? What if they are personally living with an addiction? Should that factor into the decision?

The post CA ‘Call Girl Killer’ Extradited to GA for Another Heroin Death appeared first on San Diego Addiction Treatment Center.

Chris Ahrens is almost 70 and has been making a living by writing stories for most of his adult life. His most recent publication, however, will not be available at bookstores and is not even currently available for download on Amazon. Instead, it is a self-published labor of love created for the sole purpose of helping to inspire people living in active addiction to get treatment that will help them to start over in recovery.

Called Gods and Gangsters, his book is a collection of 21 stories detailing the lives of 21 gang members who lived lives defined by murder and drug addiction and ultimately turned their lives around through religion. He prints out copies and gives them away for free to at-risk youth and youth who are actively taking part in gangs and using drugs. His hope is that juvenile offenders who read the book will hear the true-life stories of criminals who turned themselves around and be inspired to do the same.

This month, Ahrens will head to Calipatria State Prison, a high-security facility in the Imperial Valley, and hold a book release party. This is the very place where many of the people whose stories are highlighted in his book served their time behind bars. He will follow this appearance with book releases at Donovan and Chuckawalla Valley state prisons.

It is not the first effort that Ahrens has put toward helping people in prison who are struggling with addiction to connect with treatment and turn their lives in a new direction. He created a documentary in 2008 that included the story of a drug-addicted champion skateboarder who lost everything to addiction and found his redemption in religion and recovery.

Additionally, Ahrens spent years working with a ministry that supported men in prison through letters and visits. It was this exposure to the firsthand stories of people living with the consequences of drug use and other related choices that caused him to focus more heavily on helping people behind bars connect with treatment.

He also found that that many of the people whose stories he wrote shared a number of things in common in addition to gang life, drug use, and crime. Many suffered from physical or sexual abuse at home, grew up in harsh conditions, and had parents who were absent, criminal, or abusive. Many who joined gangs reported that they did so in their early teens as much to feel like they were part of something as for the adrenaline rush that came with engaging in the activities that the criminal organizations took part in. Everyone reported that their regular use of substances began with marijuana use and their substance abuse played a role in the crimes they committed later.

In addition to sharing their stories of active addiction, the people interviewed also share their religious journey, their favorite Bible verse, and their personal path into sobriety. Many of the interviewees now spend their time counseling prisoners or serve as pastors, and all have the goal of stripping away the lies and glamour that often accompany stories about gang life that can be so seductive to young people. Their goal is to make it clear that gang life is deadly, it is not glamorous or honorable, and addiction is a deadly disease that is relentless and miserable.

Says one interviewee: “Young people … think in prison they can get a name for themselves by being aggressive, violent. But all those guys that have lived and died in prison, nobody knows their names. When they die, they’re shipped home in a cardboard box to their families. Their bodies aren’t even washed off — they’ll still have blood on them.”

If you are concerned that death, overdose, or prison is in your future or the future of your loved one due to untreated addiction, the time is now to reach out and connect to the treatment that can jumpstart the healing process.

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