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Celebrating the spirit of the holiday season often means drinking holiday spirits. Most people celebrate responsibly, but during this season, more people are likely to drink beyond a safe limit than at other times of year. The consequences can range from fighting to falling to tragic car accidents. Despite knowledge of the dangers, myths around drinking abound, some of which can prove fatal.

Myth: Decision-making abilities and driving skills are not impaired until intoxication occurs.

Fact: Even a few drinks can diminish decision-making (including the decision of whether or not to drive!) and driving skills well before physical signs of intoxication. Though many people initially feel stimulated by a drink or two, alcohol can rapidly decrease good judgment and reaction times as its depressant effects take hold. Though one may not feel or appear drunk, the sharpness needed for good decisions and responsible driving can be compromised by even a small amount of alcohol.

Myth: If you’re not slurring your words or acting inebriated, it’s okay to drive.

Fact: Coordination needed for safe driving is compromised long before the signs of intoxication occur. Additionally, the sedative effects of alcohol increase the risk of losing attention or falling asleep behind the wheel.

Myth: After drinking all evening, it’s okay to drive after “sobering up.”

Fact: When people finish drinking, they often misjudge how long alcohol affects their driving abilities. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol’s effect on the body and brain may persist long after the final drink. Despite a cup of coffee or cold-shower, alcohol in the bloodstream can continue to impair judgment and coordination for many hours.

Myth: A couple of cups of coffee will sober you up.

Fact: Though caffeine may help avert drowsiness, it doesn’t affect the alcohol that’s still in your bloodstream impairing judgment or coordination. It may take hours for the body to return to normal after metabolizing alcohol. In this way, time (without additional alcohol) provides the only way to truly sober up.

Though there are many myths about drinking, driving, and other behaviors, the facts readily dispel each one of them. The Council on Recovery wants everyone in our community to be safe during this season and recommends adherence to the old adage, “Don’t Drink and Drive”, especially around the holidays. And, if you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive behaviors, call The Council today and give the gift of recovery.

On November 30^th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 21^st Century Cures Act, a medical research and innovation bill that includes $1 billion to help combat heroin and opioid addiction. Funding in the bill is aimed at prevention and treatment, as well as training health care practitioners in best prescribing practices for reducing misuse, abuse, and overdose prevention. While the funds are spread over two years and available to states in the form of federal block grants, it’s not clear how states will receive funding with regard to locations with higher incidence or prevalence of opioid abuse.

Though passed with wide bipartisan support, the 21^st Century Cures Act does not address issues related to the production, distribution, or marketing of opioid painkillers by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Big Pharma’s support of the bill also raises important concerns about the prospect of future regulation of the manufacture of opioids, as the bill provided regulatory rollbacks long-sought by the industry. It remains to be seen exactly how Congress will gain meaningful assistance in fighting the opioid epidemic from the producers of prescription painkillers.

Despite the uncertainties of how the 21^st Century Cures Act will ultimately play out, The Council on Recovery still recognizes the House’s passage of this bill as an important step toward preventing and treating opioid abuse. The bill is expected to garner bipartisan support in the Senate when it is debated this week and we support its passage.

Making Food Your Friend Again: Looking Back to Move Forward
An Evening with Jessica Setnick
Thursday, January 19, 2017 | 6:30 – 8:30 pm | Free
Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD, envisions a world where no one is ashamed to talk about emotional eating. After recovering from her own eating disorder and nearly two decades helping others as an eating disorder dietitian, Jessica now shares her insights with health professionals, educators, parents and students.

On January 19th join The Council on Recovery as Jessica leads us on the journey to understand, manage and improve our
own unwanted eating behaviors. Whether your relationship with food is confusing, frustrating or downright dysfunctional, Jessica provides an inspiring new perspective to support the process of acceptance leading to change.

A Half-Day Workshop for Clinicians
with Jessica Setnick MS, RD, CEDRD and Ann Spataro, LCSW
Friday, January 20, 2017 | 8:00 am – 12:00 pm | $25
3 CEUs Available to Participants

Jessica Setnick – Adapting Addiction Treatment Strategies to Manage Eating Issues
Dysfunctional eating behaviors sometimes resemble addictions so closely that our clients may describe themselves as “addicted” to food. In this presentation, Jessica Setnick will give examples of the similarities and differences between eating disorders and addictions and how we as professionals can help our clients channel their addiction recovery skills to manage and heal their eating issues.

Ann Spataro – Mindful Eating; Food for Thought
Mindful eating is not a diet. It is about changing our relationship with food, getting back in touch with our hunger and satiety signals and recognizing what emotions often hijack our commitment to improved health. Mindful eating explores the impact of how an individual eats rather than what an individual eats. In this presentation, Ann Spataro will provide experiential exercises designed to inspire a Mindful Eating practice.

Click here to register!

HOUSTON, Texas (November 21, 2016) – The Council on Recovery hailed the release of U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s report on drug and alcohol addiction as a critical turning point in one of Houston’s biggest health crises. The landmark report, “Facing Addiction,” is the Surgeon General’s nationwide call to action for an addiction epidemic that affect tens of thousands of Houstonians every year.

Mel Taylor, President & CEO of The Council on Recovery, welcomed the Surgeon General’s report. “Since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on tobacco, these reports have had a major impact on public awareness and action,” Taylor said. “This is the first-ever such report on alcohol and drug abuse and it will help Houstonians finally grasp the devastating impact that addiction is having on our community. Addiction is a deadly and pervasive disease.”

According to Murthy’s report, substance-abuse disorders affected 20.8 million people in the U.S. in 2015 — as many as those with diabetes and 150 percent of the total with cancer. Yet, Murthy told USA Today, only one in 10 people receives treatment. “We never tolerate a situation where only one in 10 people with cancer or diabetes gets treatment, and yet we do that with substance use disorders,” he said.

Mel Taylor agrees. “Addiction help is available, yet too often we see people in severe crisis,” Taylor said. “We want families to reach out to us early when they see the need for treatment.”

A section of the report presents findings from neurobiology research of addiction, describing the pleasure and pain functions of parts of the brain that combine to make overcoming a drug habit so difficult.

The Council on Recovery has spearheaded similar local research on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain, especially in adolescents. That work informs much of The Council’s prevention and treatment work targeting adolescents and young adults. “We’ve done a significant study of our own on this, and concur with the Surgeon General,” Mel Taylor said, “especially his assertion that a person who begins drinking before the age of 15 is four times more likely to become addicted than someone who starts after 21.”

The Surgeon General’s report suggests that policy makers must put resources into prevention, treatment programs, and professional counseling. “I’ve just understood that addiction really touches everyone’s life,” Murthy said. “It’s a disease that doesn’t discriminate, and it’s one that’s taking an extraordinary toll on our communities across the country.”

The Council on Recovery applauds the understanding of addiction and empathy voiced by the nation’s top medical doctor. “Surgeon General Murthy’s seminal report will make a huge impact on public awareness of the problem and the availability of solutions right here in Houston,” Taylor said. “The Council on Recovery stands ready to assist the Surgeon General in the bold actions recommended in his report for prevention, education, treatment, and recovery.”

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About The Council on Recovery: Founded in 1946, The Council on Recovery is Houston’s oldest and largest non-profit organization providing the full spectrum of prevention, education, intervention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals of all ages. The Council on Recovery is committed to helping Houston overcome the addiction epidemic through a focus on family healing and long-term support that is equally accessible to all in need. Directly touching over 50,000 lives each year through prevention programs for children and youth, in-school and clinical counseling for teens, outpatient substance abuse treatment for adults, and more, our mission is to provide the highest quality of care at affordable rates for individuals and their families. Affiliated with the United Way of Greater Houston, The Council receives funding from private contributions and grants, special events, and program fees. For more information, visit www.councilonrecovery.org.