Addiction is a disease that is fatal when untreated. RIP, Amy Winehouse. Hopefully her untimely death will help save the life of another. For further information about drug addiction and treatment, or to make a donation to support women struggling with addiction, please visit Breakthru House's website or call us at 404-284-4658.
About Me
- Breakthru House
- Breakthru House, Inc., is a member of the Action Ministries family of ministries. Action Ministries, Inc. is an independent, faith-based, Georgia non-profit corporation with roots in the United Methodist Church. As the first long-term residential recovery program for women in Georgia, Breakthru House is designed to meet the unique needs of women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Utilizing the 12 Steps and a Therapeutic Community, Breakthru House provides a safe, structured drug free environment to foster a life of recovery while therapeutically addressing addiction as a disease, unresolved grief, trauma, and poor self-esteem issues commonly associated with female addicts. Since its founding in 1969, Breakthru House's founding principle remains constant: physical, emotional, and spiritual healing through recovery is possible when each woman's treatment program is designed to meet their individual needs.
Monday, July 25, 2011
A fatal disease
by Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator
Addiction is a disease that is fatal when untreated. RIP, Amy Winehouse. Hopefully her untimely death will help save the life of another. For further information about drug addiction and treatment, or to make a donation to support women struggling with addiction, please visit Breakthru House's website or call us at 404-284-4658.
Addiction is a disease that is fatal when untreated. RIP, Amy Winehouse. Hopefully her untimely death will help save the life of another. For further information about drug addiction and treatment, or to make a donation to support women struggling with addiction, please visit Breakthru House's website or call us at 404-284-4658.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Step by Step - Step One
by Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator
Step One: We admitted we were powerless over __________ - that our lives had become unmanageable.
For some, alcohol fits best in the blank. For others, it's addiction, or cocaine, or narcotics, or just drugs of any kind. For most of us, (and I don't mean just the addicts and alcoholics), we can fill that blank with a lot of behaviors.
Getting an official psychiatric diagnosis of dependence on a substance requires that a certain number of specific criteria are met: Increased tolerance, withdrawal in the absence of the substance, significant time spent getting, using, and recovering from the substance, using more than you intended to or for longer than you intended, unsuccessful attempts at ceasing or limiting use, missing out on important job or relationship functions due to use, and continued use despite negative consequences.
Often the most baffling of those characteristics to those viewing addiction from the outside, and also to the sufferer themselves, is the continued use despite negative consequences. Common sense and behavioral laws alike tell us that when we experience negative consequences for a behavior, that we should STOP IT!
When I first got involved with addiction treatment, the first step sounded oh-so-simple to me. I thought, "Well, these people are in treatment and asking for help - so it's obvious that they are powerless and their lives are unmanageable." Thankfully, my clinical supervisors and mentors at the time encouraged me to do a first step assignment myself. I put this off for a long while, but eventually sat down to write 10 very specific examples of the consequences I'd suffered in my life from my nicotine addiction. I struggled very much with the idea of powerlessness - my thoughts went something like this, "I could stop if I really wanted to, I just don't really want to right now." And my life was certainly not unmanageable - no one was going to arrest me for smoking a cigarette after all. As I wrote the examples, they got progressively more shocking to me, and painted a picture that - "Oh yeah... my life is pretty unmanageable in certain ways. Why haven't I stopped doing this? ... oh yeah, because I can't. I am powerless." Even though the consequences of nicotine addiction do not begin to compare in any way to the consequences of drug and alcohol addiction - the exercise was powerful. It is hard to 1. see your powerlessness and unmanageability, and 2. to acknowledge it. And this is only the first step!
Maybe you can relate to some of the following...
I knew that I was powerless over cigarettes and that my life had become unmanageable when I smoked in the car with my nephew even thought I knew it was harmful to him, and a bad example.
I knew that I was powerless over drugs and alcohol and that my life had become unmanageable when I allowed my electricity to get cut off because I spent all of my money getting high.
I knew that I was powerless over other people's actions and that my life had become unmanageable when my attempts to control others left me alone and resentful.
I knew that I was powerless over other people's thoughts and feelings and that my life had become unmanageable when I realized that I was unable to make a decision on my own and didn't know who I was anymore.
I knew that I was powerless over my depression and that my life had become unmanageable when I missed out on my child's growing up because I was in my bed avoiding the world.
I knew that I was powerless over my anxiety and that my life had become unmanageable when I could not attend my best friend's wedding.
If these statements, or others like them sound familiar to you, there are 12-step programs that can help you deal with many problems, not just drugs and alcohol.
Alcoholics Anonymous - http://www.aa.org/
Narcotics Anonymous - http://www.grscna.com/
Codependents Anonymous - http://www.coda.org/
Emotions Anonymous - http://www.emotionsanonymous.org/
Overeaters Anonymous - http://www.oa.org/
Al-Anon - http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/
Adult Children of Alcoholics - http://www.adultchildren.org/
Step One: We admitted we were powerless over __________ - that our lives had become unmanageable.
For some, alcohol fits best in the blank. For others, it's addiction, or cocaine, or narcotics, or just drugs of any kind. For most of us, (and I don't mean just the addicts and alcoholics), we can fill that blank with a lot of behaviors.
Getting an official psychiatric diagnosis of dependence on a substance requires that a certain number of specific criteria are met: Increased tolerance, withdrawal in the absence of the substance, significant time spent getting, using, and recovering from the substance, using more than you intended to or for longer than you intended, unsuccessful attempts at ceasing or limiting use, missing out on important job or relationship functions due to use, and continued use despite negative consequences.
Often the most baffling of those characteristics to those viewing addiction from the outside, and also to the sufferer themselves, is the continued use despite negative consequences. Common sense and behavioral laws alike tell us that when we experience negative consequences for a behavior, that we should STOP IT!
When I first got involved with addiction treatment, the first step sounded oh-so-simple to me. I thought, "Well, these people are in treatment and asking for help - so it's obvious that they are powerless and their lives are unmanageable." Thankfully, my clinical supervisors and mentors at the time encouraged me to do a first step assignment myself. I put this off for a long while, but eventually sat down to write 10 very specific examples of the consequences I'd suffered in my life from my nicotine addiction. I struggled very much with the idea of powerlessness - my thoughts went something like this, "I could stop if I really wanted to, I just don't really want to right now." And my life was certainly not unmanageable - no one was going to arrest me for smoking a cigarette after all. As I wrote the examples, they got progressively more shocking to me, and painted a picture that - "Oh yeah... my life is pretty unmanageable in certain ways. Why haven't I stopped doing this? ... oh yeah, because I can't. I am powerless." Even though the consequences of nicotine addiction do not begin to compare in any way to the consequences of drug and alcohol addiction - the exercise was powerful. It is hard to 1. see your powerlessness and unmanageability, and 2. to acknowledge it. And this is only the first step!
Maybe you can relate to some of the following...
I knew that I was powerless over cigarettes and that my life had become unmanageable when I smoked in the car with my nephew even thought I knew it was harmful to him, and a bad example.
I knew that I was powerless over drugs and alcohol and that my life had become unmanageable when I allowed my electricity to get cut off because I spent all of my money getting high.
I knew that I was powerless over other people's actions and that my life had become unmanageable when my attempts to control others left me alone and resentful.
I knew that I was powerless over other people's thoughts and feelings and that my life had become unmanageable when I realized that I was unable to make a decision on my own and didn't know who I was anymore.
I knew that I was powerless over my depression and that my life had become unmanageable when I missed out on my child's growing up because I was in my bed avoiding the world.
I knew that I was powerless over my anxiety and that my life had become unmanageable when I could not attend my best friend's wedding.
If these statements, or others like them sound familiar to you, there are 12-step programs that can help you deal with many problems, not just drugs and alcohol.
Alcoholics Anonymous - http://www.aa.org/
Narcotics Anonymous - http://www.grscna.com/
Codependents Anonymous - http://www.coda.org/
Emotions Anonymous - http://www.emotionsanonymous.org/
Overeaters Anonymous - http://www.oa.org/
Al-Anon - http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/
Adult Children of Alcoholics - http://www.adultchildren.org/
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Gardening at Breakthru House
Wow! What a garden!!!
Breakthru House utilizes a garden for our client for both therapeutic reasons as well as to save money on nutritious foods!
We'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us with our garden:
Shanna Wood - for working weekly with the clients to research, plan, and prepare the garden plots - THANK YOU!!!
To our nurse volunteer, JoAnn Akers and The Pilot Club, along with Bob and Martha Forrest - for donating garden supplies - THANK YOU!!
To Kim Little, St. James UMC, and their FABULOUS volunteers for teaching us about composting and organic gardening, donating supplies, full-size plants and tools, and for a lot of hard work - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
The garden is an exciting, therapeutic, and tangibly useful project for our clients! Check out this zucchini - the clients were amazed!!
The clients are reporting some squirrel issues - they are eating our tomatoes!!! Anyone have great organic remedies for keeping squirrels and other critters away?? Leave us a comment!!
by Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator
Monday, June 13, 2011
Board Members Admitted to Breakthru House!
by Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator
Last Wednesday, Breakthru House staff held a board member training event where board members were "admitted" to treatment!
Thank you so much to our board for attending and learning more about addiction and the excellent therapeutic services that we provide at Breakthru House! We hope that you all enjoyed the evening and learned a lot! Leave us a comment to share about your experience!
Last Wednesday, Breakthru House staff held a board member training event where board members were "admitted" to treatment!
Board members arrived at our office,
and had their wallets, cell phones, and keys confiscated by Kaysha Corniffe, our Administrative Coordinator and Jessica Jenkins, one of our Counselors.
Then they were drug screened,
and breathalyzed.
They all passed, so they were admitted to treatment and proceeded to our group room where they reviewed consents with our Resident Manager, Gail Whitton.
Their bags were searched, and any contraband items were confiscated. No cleansers, lotions, perfumes, or items containing alcohol allowed!
Board members were then paired up with clients, and received a tour of the residences, highlighting first aid and emergency procedures, and an overview of program rules and schedules.
We then had a working dinner - our Clinical Coordinator, Melanie Storrusten reviewed various assessment tools used in our Assessment Phase to assist us in providing individualized treatment to each client. Then Kate Boyer, our Executive Director, joined in to lead a very information Question and Answer session. The board members' passion was evident - they had lots of questions!
After the Q&A, Sarah Postich, our newest staff member and Lead Counselor, joined Jessica in co-leading a group in which board members and clients could share about the experiences of coming to treatment.
Each board member left with a Big Book, AA's 12-Step book, which is one part of the Recovery Kit that incoming clients receive.
Thank you so much to our board for attending and learning more about addiction and the excellent therapeutic services that we provide at Breakthru House! We hope that you all enjoyed the evening and learned a lot! Leave us a comment to share about your experience!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
ELO - Mr. Blue Skies, a great client theme song!
...
Runnin' down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly in the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mister blue sky is living here today hey, hey
Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?
See how the sun shines brightly in the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mister blue sky is living here today hey, hey
Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?
...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Pearl Jam - Latest Client Theme Song!
Here's our latest client theme song - Rock out to Pearl Jam's Given to Fly:
And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Alumni Picnic
On May 14th, Breakthru House held its annual Alumni Picnic. Clients, board members, volunteers, and alumni gathered on our campus to celebrate Breakthru House and how their lives have been impacted through it.
The shared time began with a celebration moment for the life of Laura Z., a Breakthru House board member and long-time volunteer who was instrumental in establishing our weekly Big Book volunteer group.
There was good food, fellowship, volleyball, and even some hula hooping! At Breakthru House, we are so grateful for all of our supporters, but especially for our Alumni who remain actively connected with Breakthru House, and can provide a living, breathing example to our current clients of a changed life that is possible through treatment at Breakthru.
Thank you volunteers, supporters, and Alumni!!
*Note - no clients are pictured above. All volunteers, alumni, and board members provided consent for their pictures to be posted. If you are pictured above and would like to removed from the blog, please contact Breakthru's resident blogger and Clinical Coordinator, Melanie Storrusten.
The shared time began with a celebration moment for the life of Laura Z., a Breakthru House board member and long-time volunteer who was instrumental in establishing our weekly Big Book volunteer group.
There was good food, fellowship, volleyball, and even some hula hooping! At Breakthru House, we are so grateful for all of our supporters, but especially for our Alumni who remain actively connected with Breakthru House, and can provide a living, breathing example to our current clients of a changed life that is possible through treatment at Breakthru.
Thank you volunteers, supporters, and Alumni!!
*Note - no clients are pictured above. All volunteers, alumni, and board members provided consent for their pictures to be posted. If you are pictured above and would like to removed from the blog, please contact Breakthru's resident blogger and Clinical Coordinator, Melanie Storrusten.
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