At about 8 o’clock on the morning of April 9, Columbus Abrams called me as he has every year since we met at an AA meeting at Baptist Hospital nearly 40 years ago. Columbus died this week at age 73, and I have lost a friend and literally thousands will not be getting his birthday calls at least not by phone. Near the end, Columbus was calling about 5,000 recovering people on their “birthdays” every year in four states and a foreign country or two. That’s an average of a dozen or more calls … [Read more...]

Every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering from opioid withdrawal in the United States. Lily’s Place, an infant recovery center that helps families contending with addictions to opioids, is at the top on the list of places to deal with the problem. First lady, Melania Trump, recently visited Lily's Place in Huntington, West Virginia and spoke with Rebecca Crowder, executive director, at length about her special interest in the effect of drugs on children. "I want to be here to support … [Read more...]

“Something startling is happening to middle-aged white Americans. Unlike every other age group, unlike every other racial and ethnic group, unlike their counterparts in other rich countries, death rates in this group have been rising, not falling,” a recent article began. Two Princeton economists, Angus Deaton and Anne Case. Analyzing health and mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from other sources, broke the news. They also concluded that rising annual … [Read more...]

              One of the challenges facing the recovering drug addict is getting a job. No surprise there. Addicts are high risk, and business is business. Why take a chance on an addicted loser? Simple. Helping to restore lives is a noble pursuit, and, in the long run it’s good for business and saves the taxpayers money. Under the circumstances, more businesses should seriously consider investing in the sobriety of its … [Read more...]

I liked the tidy optimism in a headline in my Arkansas Democrat Gazette this morning. “2 DWI offenders finish sober program” it said. It reminded me that we can do a lot to reduce alcohol and other drug abuse problems with small programs in individual communities, and not a big nationwide “War on drugs,” a war we are losing. The dealers, let's face it, are too resourceful, the drugs are too powerful and fences and physical walls can be breached. Our best option is to focus more on drying … [Read more...]