Deadly Drug Overdose Leads to Pill-Pushing Doctor

 

Montgomery County doctor and his son surrendered to police Thursday morning after investigators discovered that they were supplying known drug addicts with large supplies of narcotics, according to authorities. At least one person died of an overdose on Dr. Richard Ruth's drugs, police say. Ruth, of Souderton, was performing insincere medical exams for drug seekers and then providing them with prescription drugs that often ended up being sold in large quantities on the street, police say. Ruth has been running this drug operation for years, authorities say. The lengthy police investigation into Ruth's alleged crimes was called "Operation Pill Pusher." "We know that this community has been plagued by prescription drug abuse and overdoses and this was the go-to guy in the community," said District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. Ruth’s son, Michael Ruth, was his medical assistant. "For them to come in and say he’s unlawfully doing things is just an atrocity," a teary-eyed Michael told NBC Philadelphia’s Denise Nakano. Michael also faces charges in the drug scheme that involved charging patients for the narcotic prescriptions and insurance companies for the bogus office visits, police say. Police were tipped off to Dr. Ruth’s drug dealing scheme when sources told them last September that they were able to obtain large amounts of oxycodone from the doctor. In addition to providing drugs to people who dealt them on the street, Dr. Ruth ignored pleas from family members of the drug-addicted patients who asked him to stop prescribing drugs like Percocet and Oxycodone, police say. Dr. Ruth was charged with more than 40 counts of fraud, knowingly prescribing to drug addicts, prescription fraud, and conspiracy, among others. His son Michael was charged with similar crimes.

Is it possible to effectively treat addiction without addressing the spiritual aspects of the problem

The public struggles of celebrities like the late Amy Winehouse reveal how insensitive our society has become to drug and alcohol abuse. But the problem is real, says therapist LaTonya Mason Summers, and we need to reject the ugly trend of laughing at its destructive effects.

LOST SOUL: Amy Winehouse in London on July 23, 2009, exactly two years before her death. (Photo by Shaun Curry/Newscom.)

This week, Amy Winehouse’s official cause of death was finally announced, three months after the singer was discovered dead in her London home on July 23. After initial autopsy results came back inconclusive, the coroner determined that Winehouse died from consuming an extreme amount of alcohol. According to test results, the 27-year-old singer’s blood alcohol level was five times the drunk-driving limit. Her doctor said the troubled star had resumed drinking in the days prior to her death, after a short-lived period of sobriety.

Besides being a talented artist, Winehouse was emblematic of the numerous celebrities today whose public battles with substance abuse are regularly in the headlines. By the end of her life, Winehouse’s struggles had stretched to the point of becoming fodder for jokes and riddles (“Q: What was Amy Winehouse’s biggest hit? A: Her last one!”). Sadly, our society has grown so accustom to addiction that we now laugh it off. But for those in its grips, it’s no joke.

We asked LaTonya Mason Summers, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based mental health therapist, to comment on the realities of drug and alcohol addiction and what we can do to help those affected by it.

UrbanFaith: After Amy Winehouse’s death, the Huffington Post featured a commentary by Rabbi Shais Taub which asked the question, “Was the World Powerless to Stop Amy Winehouse?” In other words, are there addictions so strong and pervasive that they’re beyond human understanding and control? How would you answer that?

LaTonya Mason Summers: The word choice is interesting here, and I agree: the “world” was powerless to stop Amy Winehouse. But it was the “world” that fueled Winehouse’s addictions. Not “world” in the sense of the “earth,” but “world” as defined by Winehouse’s frame of reference — the background, culture, and lifestyle out of which she lived. Addictions are strong, pervasive and hard to understand and control, but it’s even more difficult when one tries to stop addiction by their own strength and understanding. It is reported that Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning. Drug and alcohol abuse is a byproduct of something far deeper. Oftentimes, it’s a symptom of low self-esteem, unresolved trauma and abuse, rejection and abandonment, and mostly fear. We do a great disservice to addicted persons when we focus on their addictions and ignore the underlying problems.

We see so many celebrity drug and alcohol addicts today that our culture has almost grown cold and callous to it. For instance, before her death there was a website devoted solely to the question of “When will Amy Winehouse die?” We see celebrities such as Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, Whitney Houston, and Charlie Sheen, and we make jokes about them. How does this affect our culture’s understanding of addiction?

When we have a culture entertained by reality TV shows, court and crime TV, and sensationalized Web broadcasting — not to mention today’s popular music — we can’t help but have a desensitized society. We are no longer afraid of or empathetic toward anyone or anything because we’ve been there and done that through TV and the media. So, why wouldn’t we have a “When will Amy Winehouse Die?” website?

Unfortunately, we live in a society that “dumbs down” addictions but tacitly gives a “thumbs up” to its portrayals. Remember when there used to be cautionary documentaries on drugs and alcohol, and on people who struggled with them? Now, we have reality shows that glorify dysfunctional behavior. No wonder we are ignorant. Understanding addictions is no longer newsworthy.

How do you counsel a person with a serious drug addiction? Where do you begin, and what kinds of things should family and friends understand as they’re trying to help that person?

I used to set up and run treatment programs for adolescent and adult substance abusers. I absolutely loved that line of work, but it was emotionally tough. After 11 years of doing it, I stepped away to work solely with mentally ill people. The public sees addicted persons as weak people who lack self-control and deserve every consequence they face. But can you imagine the level of shame, guilt, frustration, and hopelessness that those substance abusers felt by the time they got to me? Imagine having failed everyone, including yourself, family, friends, employers, and the legal system — not to mention God. I always started treatment by instilling hope and restoring the addicted person’s sense of worth. It was much easier to establish rapport, trust, and motivation that way.

God forbid I say this, but oftentimes the families were more sick than the addicts. In fact, family members would wind up on my couch before the addict would. Family work is important in substance-abuse treatment, because the family members can make recovery hard. They help too much. Their helping sometimes hurts the addict. When my patients had toxic families, I’d send my patient to a treatment program in another city or state so they could get better.

Over the summer, former NBA star Jalen Rose was sentenced to 20 days in jail for drunk driving. Some wondered if the treatment was overly harsh because he was a black celebrity, since others have gotten off easier. Do you think jail time is an effective way to steer people clear of destructive behavior involving alcohol and drugs?

In my experience working in the court system as an advocate for my clients, the courts made it worse. The punishment given rarely fit the crime. The probation officers were inconsistent. The judges sent mixed messages by punishing minor crimes with maximum sentences and vice versa. Jail time is punitive, and punishment does not work when the drug or alcohol use is secondary to something else. Addicts don’t mind punishment because they typically feel useless and worthless anyway. That kind of punishment affirms what they believe about themselves. However, I am not saying they should not suffer consequences for drunk driving, drug use, etc. I am saying that offering them rehab while they’re incarcerated might yield greater results.

What kinds of miracles have you seen in your work with people battling addictions?

LaTonya Mason Summers

Goodness, the stories I can tell. I’ve had a hand in imparting into the lives of addicted persons who are now pastors, business owners, and even addictions counselors. I had a 15-year-old girl whose parents brought her to me as a last resort. She had refused other counselors, and I assumed she would do the same with me. After I asked her parents to leave, the girl opened up to me like a book. (It wasn’t because of anything special that I said to her, but other professionals simply had failed to remove the parents.) The girl was a cocaine user and held me by her confidentiality rights, so I could not tell her parents. We made a pact that if she stopped using I would keep her secret. I cannot tell you the anxiety I had for weeks thinking something would go wrong. I collaborated with her physician to drug test her weekly to ensure the girl’s abstinence. After three months, her parents called thanking me for my help. The girl had returned to a healthy weight, her appetite had been restored, and her mood had improved. Today (four years later) she is a successful college student studying psychology.

Among the celebrity success stories that stand out are Robert Downey Jr.’s eventual victory over substance abuse. It only came after several stints in jail and a long, public battle. What kinds of things contribute to a successful road to recovery, and when do you know that someone is legitimately recovered?

My biggest weapon is instilling hope. I do this by challenging the addicted person’s mentality and perspective. I am a cognitive behaviorist, which means I help change the way people think. I do not know what works, as I have often thrown up my hands on clients who later recovered. Then I have lost clients whom I thought had arrived. All I really know is, pray hard in each session. I ask for God’s help. I ask Him to give me the words to say, and I hold on toIsaiah 50:1-7, believing I am called as a therapist.

I honestly don’t know when a person is legitimately recovered, as I believe it’s a lifelong process. Like those of us who are not addicted, we have our own lifelong battles — we try to stop lying, cheating, stealing, yelling, cursing, overeating — everyone has a Goliath they must face. And can any of us say we’ll ever arrive in this world? From my perspective, messing up is just as much part of the recovery process as getting it right is. And, if you get it right all the time, how do you know you’re recovered?

Is it possible to effectively treat addiction without addressing the spiritual aspects of the problem? 

Absolutely not! I’ve had to learn how to minister without saying “God” and “Jesus,” so that I can reach everyone. However, I know how to make others want what I have. I was mentored by a man who told me, “I may not be able to make a horse drink the water, but I should be able to make him thirsty.” And that’s the approach I take in therapy. I see myself as sowing seeds, believing someone will come behind me and water them, and eventually increase will come.

Addiction is spiritual. I believe an addict’s zealousness can be indicative of the great calling on his life. He just needs to move that zealousness away from destructive behavior to purposeful, life-giving behavior.

The singer was found five times over the drink-drive limit, with three empty vodka bottles next to her.

Troubled: Amy Winehouse on stage in Serbia a month before she died

TRAGIC Amy Winehouse died after a killer booze bender following weeks on the wagon, her inquest was told yesterday.

She suffered alcohol poisoning but had told her doctor the night before: “I don’t want to die.”

The Back to Black star, 27, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was discovered lifeless in bed at her North London home on Saturday, July 23.

In June, she had stumbled around the stage during a shambolic concert in Belgrade, Serbia, where she was booed off after slurring through songs.

And as tearful parents Mitch and Janis listened yesterday in the public gallery, the hearing was told Amy did not drink for the first three weeks of July.

Tears: Amy's dad Mitch Winehouse and stepmum Jane arrive at the Coroners' Court (Pic: Getty)

But she then hit the bottle days before her death – and the Mirror reported at the time she was spotted necking shots at the Roundhouse venue near her Camden home after dramatically falling off the wagon.

Giving evidence yesterday, her GP Dr Christina Romete said this fitted a pattern in which Amy would abstain from alcohol for weeks, only to drink again. The doctor revealed she warned the star of the many dangers if she kept drinking.

Dr Romete said: “The advice I had given to Amy over a long period of time was verbal and in written form about all the effects alcohol can have on the system, including respiratory depression and death, heart problems, fertility problems and liver problems.”

Amy, who won five Grammy awards in 2008, was taking medication to cope with alcohol withdrawal and anxiety. She was reviewed last year by a psychologist and psychiatrist about her drinking but “had her own views” about treatment.

The GP, who treated her for several years, said her patient fully understood the risks of continuing to drink. Dr Romete said the night before her death, Amy was “tipsy but coherent” and said she did not know if she was going to stop drinking but “she did not want to die”.

Amy had no illegal drugs in her system when she died but police found three empty vodka bottles in her bedroom – two large and one small.

She was using alcohol withdrawal drug Librium and sleeping tablets but the inquest heard they had not played a part in her death.

At St Pancras Coroner’s Court in London, it emerged she had 416mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system, with the legal driving limit being 80mg

Enabling drug addicts

 

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Vancouver’s Insite program, where addicts can “fix” in a “safe” environment.   As a result of this ruling, other Canadian cities may follow suit, to the delight of some and the significant uneasiness of others. So as not to be close-minded about the idea, a friend of mine suggested maybe Ottawa should be next in line for an Insite, and proposed an ideal location: an underused spacious building in the Ottawa city core on Wellington Street where Insite could be opened on the same floor as offices that are in temporary use. The building is called the Supreme Court of Canada. This way, our cabal of esteemed justices can experience first-hand the profoundly beneficial societal effects of their latest decision. Wishful thinking, no doubt. Most of us realize the next Insite will be in some neighbourhood far removed from the environs of the Supreme Court offices. The true and practical repercussions on a community will no doubt be some average working stiff’s problem. Like it or not, addicts are responsible for inordinate amounts of crime. Any recovered addict will openly tell you, drug addiction dehumanizes to the point where there is no concern for oneself, and thus no empathy or concern for anyone else. The only purpose and urge is to obtain the next fix, the next high, through any means necessary. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt. This very point is made every day in courtrooms across this country, in support of leniency for those claiming to be under the influence of various chemical intoxicants when committing their crimes. Insite, and programs like it, enables addicts to fix more frequently in an environment that protects from arrest, ensures medical treatment will be on hand to deal with overdose, and provide the necessary mechanics to inject (needles, etc.). The program reduces negative consequence to extremely dangerous behaviour and it becomes much more comfortable to be an addict. Does anyone seriously think this will somehow cause addicts to surrender their addictions? Hardly. We intuitively understand addictions will be attenuated. The only thing accomplished is fostering an environment that implies a societal acceptance of drug addiction. Addicts are now more comfortably able to destroy themselves by degrees. If this is where we are headed, why not just remove the middle man and have taxpayers supply the drugs, too? I seriously wonder if this isn’t the ultimate goal. Most recovering addicts I have spoken to only changed because they had finally realized there was no lower to go: it was rehab or death. Given the limited resources in these challenging economic times, why not use our funds to create greater rehab opportunities? Funding true rehabilitation seems to me to be an altogether better idea, benefitting both society and addict. In the meanwhile, we’re left to wonder where the next Insite will arrive, thanks to the ruling of judges that will never get anywhere near being confronted by the street level consequences of their decision.

Eminem talks addiction, says 'The bigger the crowd, the bigger my habit got'

Eminem hasn’t exactly avoided the topic of his relationship with a variety of illicit chemicals. After all, his last two albums were calledRelapse and Recovery. But the man born Marshall Mathers has rarely been as candid about his struggles with addiction in the press.

In the pages of GQ, where he was named a “God of Rock” next to the likes of Keith Richards and Robert Plant, Em let the world know exactly why he is so prone to addiction. “I’m very much a creature of habit,” he told GQ. “If I’m used to waking up in the morning and having [a Red Bull], I could do it every morning for the next ten years straight until I find something else to move on to. So if I’m used to taking a Vicodin when I wake up in the morning because I’m hungover from ­drinking or taking pills … The bigger the crowd, the bigger my habit got.”

Eminem also explained that his drug problems could be traced over the course of his discography, noting that The Slim Shady LP was written almost entirely sober, the dark experiments on The Marshall Mathers LP were the result of more experimentation with substances, and Encore was hampered both artistically and practically thanks to his addiction to prescription medication (including Valium and Ambien).

After a failed stint in rehab (“Every addict in rehab feels like everyone’s staring at them. With me? Everyone was staring at me”), he had a traumatic overdose experience and finally made the decision to get clean when he realized he was killing himself. “I had a feeling in my arm that was weird, man,” he said. “Like, it really freaked me out. So I went to some people I trust and said, ‘Look, I know I need help. I’m ready now.’ I got a room in the same hospital where I overdosed, and I detoxed.”

His revelations fueled Recovery, which returned him to the top of the sales mountain and ranks among his finest work. The most revealing part of the interview involves his moment of clarity. “Sometimes [sobriety] sucks, and I wish I was wired like a regular person and could go have a f—in’ drink,” he told GQ. “But that’s the biggest thing about addiction: When you realize that you cannot f— around with nothing ever again. I never understood when people would say it’s a disease. Like, ‘Stop it, d—head. It’s not a disease!’ But I finally realized it really is.”

It’s refreshing to hear a star as huge as Eminem talking about his drug woes so frankly. And it’s refreshing to know that the reason why Encore is such a mess is because Ambien, as he puts it, was “[eating] a hole through my brain.” That certain explains this.

What do you think of Eminem’s thoughts on addiction? Where do you rank Recovery in his discography? Sound off in the comments!

 

Addiction Recovery:

Addiction Recovery: Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn't work. You can easily see why.

We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn't work. You can easily see why.

Addiction Recovery: age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!

 

age of miracles is still with us.  Our own recovery proves that!

Addiction Recovery

 

However mean your life is, meet it and live it: do not shun it and call it hard names. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble your- self much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Things do not change, we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do want society.

12 steps to destruction

 

Some say that A.A.'s Steps are based on the Bible. And they are: www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml Some say that most came from the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Jr., Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. And they did: www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml. Some say they are "12 steps to destruction," and the contention is about as valueless as the erroneous documention behind the contention. Some say A.A. is not a Christian Fellowship. It isn't - today. Some say A.A. could not have had its origins in Christianity. But those who argue for that just haven't come close to looking at the history of the Christian Recovery Movement, the Christian upbringing of A.A.'s co-founders, the requirement in early A.A. that all profess belief in God and come to Him through Jesus Christ. www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml, www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml, www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml, www.dickb.com/realhistory.com. Are all these "Christian issues?" Only among those who are blinded by their own lack of understanding, their own lack of research, and their own desire to cast down any and all who walk in the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. There is a strong and growing Christian Recovery Movement moving forward today. Part of it is grounded in International Christian Recovery Coalition www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com. Part of it is grounded in the fact that early AAs were, called themslves, and were called a Christian Fellowship. www.dickb.com/IFCR-Class.shtml. Part of it is grounded in the frequent statements that early AAs considered the Book of James, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 to be "absolutely essential" to their program. www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml. Correctly viewed, the only "modern Christian issues" are flawed by not beginning with the facts and then laying out a picture of error that certainly concerns the thousands of Christians who have been and presently are devoted members of Alcoholics Anonymous. We've provided 42 titles and over 675 articles that enable a viewer to see and decide for himself. That's how to deal with the "modern Christian issues," and find they are just drifting puffs of smoke. www.dickb.com. www.dickb.com/titles.shtml. We Christians in the recovery arena are not alone!

The Real "Power" Behind Alcoholics Anonymous

 

AA is Faith-Based, Not Evidence-Based Is it? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to Old Testament miracles? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to the countless healings by Jesus? Did someone apply an evidence-based test to the signs, miracles, and wonders of First Century Christians? Did someone look into the evidence-based test when writing about the Evangelists like Dwight Moody, the Rescue Mission leaders like Jerry Mc Auley and S.H. Hadley, the origins of the Salvation Army founded by General Booth, the 4.5 million membership of the Young People's Christian Endeavor Society, in which Dr. Bob was active, the successes of the YMCA brethren during the Great Awakening of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont? Did someone apply the evidence based test to the complete cure by the power of God of Bill Wilson's grandfather William? Did someone apply the evidenced base test to the miraculous cure of the first three AAs when there were no Steps, no Traditions, no drunkalogs, no textbook, and no meetings like those today? Did someone really look at the documented 75% and 93% success rates in Akron and Cleveland? Let the "evidence-based" writers begin looking at documented history instead of counting the number of alcoholics and addicts wandering the slums without ever turning to God for help? It's time for those who believe in God, rely on Him, and have been healed by Him to just close the book on the "evidence-based" nonsense when it comes to the power of God. And just keep fellowshipping and witnessing with time-honored and century-old victories in the hands of God!

Anne Ripley Smith (Dr. Bob's wife) and the Holy Spirit - Alcohol and Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums

 

A few anti-A.A. Christians--folks who can be called psychoheretics--seem to have launched a well-financed series of comments that try to distance early A.A. from the Bible. One of the erroneous claims is to say that A.A. never mentioned the Holy Spirit - even in its beginning, pioneer days in Akron. Without making a case for or against making mention of the Holy Spirit, it is important to get the facts straight: There are plenty of Christian books that Dr. Bob and early AAs read about the Holy Spirit. And those by Oswald Chambers and E. Stanley Jones, as well as The Runner's Bible, are just a few. Rev. Sam Shoemaker, a co-founder of A.A., as well as many many Oxford Group writings (Sam being an American leader of the Oxford Group) discussed the Holy Spirit. And Sam's last major book had a title about With the Holy Spirit and With Fire. Soon, however, we will get down to cases: The cases being the actual teachings that Dr. Bob's wife, Anne Ripley Smith, conducted each morning at the Smith Home for AAs, their wives, families and kids. And she regularly shared from what I have called "Anne Smith's Journal 1933-1939" www.dickb.com/annesm.shtml. We will not cover the important teachings she shared on the Holy Spirit. Instead, we will soon be publishing a series of articles on some important ideas Anne taught early AAs. And the series will first be posted on our blog www.mauihistorian.blogspot.com. Stay tuned.

What the Bible Says About Alcohol and Alcoholism

 

Alcoholics can't control their drinking. If you are an alcoholic, you have a compulsive desire to drink. When you drink, your negative personality traits, such as anger, may be intensified and your problems may seem magnified. In order to cover up your alcoholism, you may tend to overdo in other areas of your life. Chances are, you need a drink at certain times of the day in order to get going, to face your problems, or to relax. And you may even drink on the job. Of course this means that your work and efficiency is slacking off. And your home life is probably suffering as well. You are enslaved by the sin of alcoholism. Yet there is hope. God is able to deliver you completely by cleansing, sanctifying, and justifying you (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Though alcohol abuse is a failing of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), the Holy Spirit can, and will, produce the self-control you needto overcome it (Galatians 5:22-23). What Scripture Says "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13). "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16). "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:8,9). "Your wickedness will punish you. Your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me" (Jeremiah 2:19). "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17). "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water'" (John 4:10). "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). (Here is the key to beating alcoholism -- through the power to overcome.) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22, 23). (God will produce will power for the powerless.) "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler: whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). Is There Hope? If you have a drinking problem, you have probably felt condemned by yourself and others. Rather than condemning, however, God emphasizes how to overcome by receiving salvation, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit. With these you will have the ability to become free and stay free of alcohol. The saying "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic" is based on the fact that a recovered alcoholic can never go back to drinking in any amount without being controlled by it again. Therefore, you need to ask God to deliver you from the desire to drink at all. Practical Help You probably have tried to stop drinking before and it has not worked for you. You may have tried religion or you may even be a Christian. What you need is practical spiritual help. Seek out a Spirit-baptized counselor. Ask him to pray for deliverance for you -- especially from compulsiveness, psychological and physical dependence, and even from the desire to drink. You may have been told, "You must stop drinking and never drink again." But the pressure of having to face life without drinking may be overwhelming. Focus on the present. Decide that you will not have a drink right now. "Live one day at a time. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). You need to modify and change your lifestyle. The Bible speaks of being transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans12:2). You can renew your mind through your reading and thinking habits. The Bible and devotional testimonial books will be most helpful. Dwell on God and His Word rather than on your problem. Learn and follow the principle of praise (honor and respect) to God each time you are tempted to drink. "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise -- the fruit of lips that confess his name" (Hebrews 13:15). It is important to change your perspective from yourself to God, and from the drink to God. Praise God the Problem-solver rather than the problem. Remember that you can be just as chained to sin by trying not to do it as you are by doing it. As long as your attention is on the sin, you are honoring it. But if your attention is on God, you are honoring Him. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Contact a Spirit-filled church, or prayer group, and Alcoholics Anonymous. The 700 Club or a local church pastor can help you do this. You may have a spouse, relative, or friend who is not an alcoholic and wants to help you. He or she may need salvation, the baptism of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit for their own sake. They can then better intercede for your deliverance from alcohol. Your close relatives may need to know how to help spiritually in your effort to recover. They should know that openly condemning an alcoholic is not effective. It may just feed your sense of "joyous agony" because you are "getting what you deserve." Jesus came to save, not to condemn (John 3:17). That's not to say that they should tolerate your alcoholic behavior. Instead, they should offer to help you. Your spouse, friends, or relatives can find out how to help you by contacting a Spirit-filled fellowship, AA, or ALANON, an organization for friends and relatives of alcoholics. As You Pray If you are not yet a born-again Christian, ask God to forgive you, save you and fill you with the Holy Spirit. An unforgiven, unclean drunkard cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:10; I John 1:8,9; Romans 10:13; Luke 13:5; Acts 1:8).

Holy Spirit as the "Breathe of God!"

 

Old Testament the Hebrew word (ruwach, pronounced roo'-akh) was used when talking about the Spirit. This word literally means WIND, even the wind associated with a BREATHE! In the New Testament the Greek word (pneuma, pronounced pnyoo'-mah) was used which means the BREATHE or a BREEZE! We can literally think of the Holy Spirit as the "Breathe of God!" Most Christians today understand Jesus the Son, and God the Father as two very distinct Persons within the Godhead; however, there has been much confusion over the identity of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of this dates back to the King James translation of the Bible where the word "Spirit" or "Ghost" was used instead of "Breathe" or "Wind" of God. In any case, many people throughout the ages have thought of the Holy Spirit more as a thing than a Person. Nothing could be further from the truth, and in fact as we begin to know the Person of the Holy Spirit we will want to have a closer relationship with Him just as we would the Father or Son. Although the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, we know God is three in one. There are three very distinct Person’s that make up the Godhead. They are all equal in every way. They (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are all: Omnipotent – All powerful. Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. Omnipresent – At all places at once. Psalms 139:7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? Omniscient – All knowing. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. Eternal - Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Equal - Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your heart? you have not lied unto men, but unto God. The Holy Spirit was part of all things, from the very beginning of scripture to the very end of scripture Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (elohiym (pronounced el-o-heem') created the heaven and the earth. Elohiym is the plural form of God. Therefore, as scripture was inspired and man began to write the Word, it was evident to the writers that God was made of more than 1 Person but at the same time there was one Godhead.

Madchild: not so mad after all

Now sober, the Swollen Member tackles his music with renewed creativity and determination

 

Madchild's back, but not back just putting out records. He's, like,back. Now sober, he's the creative and disciplined artist he was 10 years ago, before the fame, the gangs and the drugs.

He's making up for the time he lost addicted to painkillers, devoting each day to writing and recording new material. He's released one EP , Banned From America, and a mixtape M.A.D.E, which he is currently supporting on tour, with more new music on the way.

"I feel like I kind of wasted four years of my life - not kind of, I did - and now I'm trying to make every day count for four days," he says.

Madchild, born Shane Bunting, rose to prominence in Swollen Members. They were Canadian mainstays for the first third of the 2000s, perhaps best known for Madchild's nasal delivery.

After a string of successful singles and cross-Canada tours, Madchild's well-documented affiliation with the Hell's Angels (and the inclusion of patched members appearing in Swollen Members music videos) lead to Nettwerk Management dropping the group from their roster.

That incident, paired with the commercial flop of 2006's Black Magic, led Madchild into a depression he masked with painkillers. His creativity floundered. His career stalled. He lost everything - his cars, his 11 properties. All told, he says the addiction cost him $3 million.

He's been sober for just over a year but the first few months were anything but sunshine and rainbows.

"Coming out of your addiction, instead of being like 'Woo-hoo! I'm sober this is great,' you're like, 'Oh, this is the reality that I've created for myself,'" he says. "It took me to a very, very dark place. I was straight up suicidal a year and a half ago."

He threw himself into writing new material. The music became his therapy. Each verse from his recent releases is a heaving of troubling emotions, expelling every awful feeling that he had pent up throughout his drug addiction.

Paired together, Banned From America and M.A.D.E. (an acronym forMisguided Angel Destroys Everything), are like two chapters of a book documenting the life of a battered Shane Bunting, who was once riding the crest of success, and now bleeding before a world that is forcing him to confront the pain he'd been masking with pills and cocaine.

In real life, though, Madchild has found the perspective he's needed to put the past behind him and move on. He's happy to have been given another chance - not just at music, but at life.

"The last eight months have been amazing, dude," he says. "It's so rewarding. It's like I wish I could just grab people and let them see inside my head so they could see that once you get past the hard part (of recovery), how rewarding it is, how good God is, how good life is, how many rewards there are on a daily basis."

He's candid about his former gang affiliations and the hassles it has caused for him. Banned From America was written in the six days after he was barred from entering the U.S. because of his Hell's Angels connections. The event made national headlines.

Last week, Abbotsford RCMP shut down his scheduled gig over fears that the show would be a magnet for criminal activity and, in light of the recent shootings in and around the area, they didn't want to take any chances.

"You make your own bed, you sleep in it, right? Let's be honest, in videos before I have glorified certain lifestyles - and please use my exact words - I have glorified a certain lifestyle," he says.

"It was for entertainment facto," he continues, "but let's be honest. I was still glorifying a certain aspect of life and maybe I overdid it a little bit. Maybe it wasn't appropriate and I let it out, like I say now. I think I can have the same edge and still be the same crazy Madchild."

He's taken on a role-model approach to his younger fan base, working with high school liaison officers to share with students his experiences with gangs as a way to "shed some light on things."

"I know that I can relate to them more than some tactics that are made right now to try to steer kids in the right direction. I just feel like I might be able to have more of a heart to heart with kids or young adults and it might sink in a little deeper because I went in one end of the whole thing and came out the other end," he says.

But first comes his work. He's speaking to Pique from the set of an Edmonton video shoot, one of seven he has yet to release. He has enough songs for another EP and another mixtape. His debut full-length, Dopesick, is also ready for release but he says nobody will hear it until he's built enough hype for himself that people beyond the Swollen Members fan base will want to hear it.

"(Dopesick) is not going to be an explosive impact," he says. "Let's be honest. I'm not at that point in my career. Even though I'm a veteran in the game, I'm a new artist. I'm a brand new artist. I've only been a solo artist for 10 or 11 months as far as the public is concerned."

So he's going to work this second chance the best that he can. He's going to keep writing and play shows until he can't take it anymore, and then write some more. With four years wasted, it seems he'll stop at nothing to get back on top. And he has the confidence that might just take him there.

"I don't think that a lot of people have my work ethic right now," he says. "I don't think a lot of people are messing with me, lyrically, song-wise. This is my whole life. I'm putting everything, my heart and soul, into this so I don't want it to just come out and have nobody know about it."

Scottish supermarkets face extra tax on selling alcohol

 

Plans to hike business rates for major retailers of alcohol and tobacco in Scotland could see supermarkets pay around £110 million in tax over the next three years.   Finance Secretary John Swinney announced the new levy yesterday, as part of the Scottish government’s Spending Review.   Swinney said the review contained “tough choices, because of the cuts from Westminster that go too far, too fast”.   “We have had to restrict pay costs, reluctantly implement pensions increases on public sector staff, and maximise the income gained from asset sales,” he said.   He outlined that part of the extra revenue brought in would come from a tax on major retailers who sell alcohol and tobacco.   The measure was a surprise announcement, as during the last parliament a proposal to introduce a “Tesco tax” was voted down and it was not included the SNP’s manifesto.   Scottish Retail Consortium director Ian Shearer said: “This new tax is a blatant fund-raising exercise which is illogical and discriminatory. It targets a part of the retail sector which funds Drinkaware, rigorously prevents under-age sales with Challenge 25 and has led the way on clear alcohol labelling, giving it an exemplary record on the sale of alcohol and tobacco.   “Supermarket margins are already cut to the bone as stores compete to offer the best deals to cash-strapped consumers. The UK already has some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. This tax would make it harder for food retailers to keep prices down for customers, and makes Scotland a less attractive place to do business, invest and create jobs.”   The WSTA's Jeremy Beadles said he was "disappointed" the meaure had been announced with no consultation.   "The tax on large retailers will place an additional burden on Scottish businesses and push the price up for all consumers regardless of whether they consume alcohol at all,” he added.   “At a time of financial constraint, when many businesses in Scotland are already feeling the pinch and paying increase rates, we do not believe that punishing responsible consumers in Scotland with another tax is either fair or justified.”     Minimum alcohol unit pricing could become as reality north of the border by next summer, although the price has not yet been set. The Scottish government claims it is the “most effective and efficient way” of reducing consumption and alcohol related harm.

Spain's latest answer to a rock star isn't one for smashing guitars or snorting illegal drugs

- and he'd just as soon chase down his fans as be chased by them.

"Mouse," a 1,213 lb. black-and-white bull who resides in Sueca, Spain, is now the nation's most feared and famous beast, thanks to his reputation as a human skewer on hooves.

The bull got his unlikely moniker because he intially seemed to be anything but a fighter - as a young calf, he was tortured by several local youths and even gored by another bull.

But now, the beast's reputation has done a complete 180. The fighting bull most recently took the life of a 29-year-old victim in Xativa on Aug. 14, and prior to that, a 56-year-old man back in 2006. In addition, he's seriously injured five other people over the years.

So it's any wonder that the bull still receives a rock star's welcome every time he trots around the farm town of Sueca. The crowd stands at attention and cheers for him when he charges into the bull ring and "the eerie strains of the soundtrack to 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'" blare from the loudspeakers, according to the Associated Press.

The reason for all the hoopla?

A strange fascination with the risks involved with bull-run culture.

"We go to entertain people so they'll have fun, but unfortunately they are fighting bulls, and there is always a percentage of risk," said Gregorio de Jesus, Mouse's owner.

De Jesus, 42, says he is forced to field as many as 60 calls a day from reporters about his beloved Mouse.

The raging bull may be nearing his retirement, which is even more reason for fans to gather by his holding pen or see him in action in the arena.

Critics will be glad to see the rock-star rabble-rouser go, however.

"Mouse is the proof that the bull runs are barbaric and medieval," Leonardo Anselmi of PROU, an animal rights group, said.

"It's excessive and cruel violence. The culprits are the politicians who allow the bull runs

The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14

 

The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14, and the late singer’s family are now hoping to channel their grief into... Washington, Sept 7 (ANI): The Amy Winehouse Foundation will be launched on September 14, and the late singer’s family are now hoping to channel their related stories Simon Cowell’s a serial cheater: ex-wife Sinitta Amy Winehouse died during detox? Amy was at her funeral: Winehouse’s dad Now, Will Smith-Marc Anthony on boys' night out! Winehouse foundation launch put on hold grief into “positive action” by providing assistance to young addicts. Amy’s father Mitch Winehouse, who has set up the charity in memory of the late singer, made the announcement on his Twitter page. “The launch of Amy’s foundation 14th September. We will turn our grief into positive action.” Contactmusic quoted Mitch as writing on his twitter page. Amy - who battled drink and drug addictions throughout her career - was found dead at her London home on July 23.