New novel looks at the redemptive value of art and music

A new heart-wrenching novel, Sleep Before Evening, tells the story of the teenager's struggle against aself-centred artist mother, a succession of drive-by stepfathers, her desperate escape into a nightmare of drugs and sexual degradation ...and her struggle not to Sleep Before Evening.

Critically acclaimed non-fiction author, poet and reviewer Magdalena -born and raised in New York and now living in the Australian outback, via a British Oxford college - draws on her own rich life experience asa daughter and a mother to bring Marianne startlingly to life in her debut novel.

Set in and about New York, the gritty, relentless tale unfolds with the the layers of her life and expose the painful scalding within. There are lonely vigils in city parks and subway journeys to oblivion. In the city she meets Miles, a hip musician busking the streets and playing seedy venues with a rock band.

Her new, exciting, dissolute world challenges Marianne's preconceptions about art and life. Here, in contrast to her prescribed upbringing, she finds anarchic squalor, home grown music and poetry, substance abuse, sex and crushing disappointment and fear; but above all, exhilarating personal freedom.

Addictions - of all kinds - and the redemptive power of art and music, love, loss and beauty are all explored in a young girl's difficult journey from sleep to awakening.

Of the book, reviewer and author Carolyn Howard Johnson said: "No, "Sleep Before Evening" isn't a how-to book for either teens or parents. It does, however, give insight into the horrors of drug addiction, how it can happen to anyone and how it can escalate. We are all affected by it and it may some day creep up on us with silent paws to become part of our lives in a personal way. Having some understanding of the disease, how it can escalate and how it is not a cause for shame but for action can make a difference if and when that happens. This is a wonderful book, a story told with compassion and one that, as a volunteer drug counselor, I know rings so very heartbreakingly true."

Getting sober isn't easy

It's not easy to get sober. The ChicagoTribune.com reports, "Despite decades of research and dozens of potential treatments, alcoholism, America's most common addiction, remains notoriously difficult to overcome."

"More than 30 percent of American adults have abused alcohol or suffered from alcoholism at some point in their lives, according to a new study released this month by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a branch of the National Institutes of Health."

"Yet only a quarter of those afflicted received any treatment. And other studies show that, at best, only a quarter of those who seek treatment manage to abstain from alcohol for a year."

"'Alcohol problems are not just something that affects Hollywood stars,' said Dr. Robert Swift, a psychiatrist at Brown University who specializes in alcoholism. 'We're talking about a chronic, relapsing condition. And we still have a long way to go in treatment. It's like treatment of cancer-some people can be helped but others just cannot.'"

"There are traditional '12-step' treatments for alcoholism, such as the program pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous, that rely largely on peer support to encourage abstinence. There are a variety of behavioral and cognitive therapies employed by psychologists and psychiatrists to help patients avoid the triggers and thought-patterns that impel them to drink. There is a new generation of drugs available to help curb an alcoholic's craving to drink."

"And there are posh, in-patient rehabilitation centers—the fashionable retreats of choice for infamous celebrities, disgraced politicians and other well-heeled alcohol abusers—that sometimes sound more like spa resorts than rigorous treatment clinics."

"But despite all that variety, experts say there is no unambiguous, foolproof treatment for alcoholism that can ensure success."

Video Game Addiction

The IndyStar.com discusses one student's experiences with getting hooked on the games.

"Parke Dieckmeyer's addiction began his freshman year at Purdue University. To feed his habit, he found himself skipping classes and staying up all night isolated in his dorm room."

"Things got so bad that during finals week, he asked his resident assistant to lock up the source of his addiction so he'd be forced to study."

"It wasn't alcohol or a crack pipe that had to be hidden away. It was Dieckmeyer's computer."

"He was addicted to video games."

"Addiction to video games, particularly the online interactive variety, is a growing phenomenon that affects people of all ages and professions."

"Though not officially recognized as a medical condition, game addiction has fostered a tidal wave of anecdotal evidence about people who shun families and careers to devote huge chunks of their lives to games. More academic evidence is cropping up, as well as clinical treatment programs."


And more evidence of the problem, reported by eCanadaNow.com, "Last Monday, a Reno, Nevada couple were charged with child neglect for being engrossed in online games so much that they almost starved to death their 2 babies."


"The parents, Michael and Iana Straw, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. 'They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games,' prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal."


"According to prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria this case highlights a growing concern with internet and video game addiction."

What makes an addict?

Check out this video by Promis Recovery Centre about what makes an addict...

Alcohol and Bowel Cancer

New reports warn of the link associated between alcohol and bowel cancer. The BBC News online reports "The Cancer Research UK study found that the more you drink, the more the risk of the disease increases."

"Those who drank more than 30 grams of alcohol - less than a couple of pints of strong lager - raised their risk by about 25%."

"The study, based on data from almost 480,000 people, features in the International Journal of Cancer."

"The lifetime risk for bowel cancer is one in 20 for men, and one in 18 for women."

Sex Addiction?

Is sexual addiction for real? Health24.com takes on the question of sexual addiction.

"Sexual behaviour becomes a problem when it is harmful and hurtful to the individual or others when it is repeated or engaged in inappropriately when you feel out of control of what you are doing (not at the height of orgasm but when it comes to choosing what, when, where and with whom) when you find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about what you have done and what you plan to do, to the extent that it interferes with your usual work and social life."

"As with any other normal aspect of a fully rounded life, if your sexual activity has become so overwhelming that it is a preoccupation that takes precedence over your usual work and family or social duties, things have gotten out of proportion."

"Typical of many other self-defeating patterns of behaviour, the more you do it, the less you get whatever it was you were originally seeking by doing it. The Don Juan is like the unhappy millionaires I've known, who were sure that just another 10% further wealth would be completely satisfying, but could never meet that elusive and retreating target. At first it may seem to relieve stress, depression, anxiety or loneliness; soon it clearly only underlines and emphasises these uncomfortable states of mind."

Marijuana making you crazy?

According to the London Free Press,"Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous."

"The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 per cent."

"Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana's long-term risks."

And according to the Times of India, "British researchers have found that regular use of marijuana could increase the risk of mental illness such as schizophrenia."

"A news study has found that using marijuana increases the risk of one day developing a psychotic illness-a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted, reported the online edition of the New Scientist."

"The study provides some of the strongest evidence yet linking the drug to a mental disorder."

Myths of Addiction

There are many myths concerning addiction. HBO's show Addiction looks at two common myths.

"'There are two main misconceptions that really drive me crazy when it comes to addictions,' says Dr. Kathleen Brady, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. 'One of them is this whole idea that an individual needs to reach rock bottom before they can get any help. That is absolutely wrong. There is no evidence that that's true. In fact, quite the contrary. The earlier in the addiction process that you can intervene and get someone help, the more they have to live for. The more they have to get better for.'"

"The other big myth, says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the federal government's National Institute on Drug Abuse, is that you have to want to be treated in order to get better. Even as an internationally respected researcher, she once believed that to be true, Volkow says, but she knows now that people who are forced into treatment do recover. Addicted people may be pushed to enter a treatment program by an employer, a companion or the criminal justice system. Employers may threaten to fire a person unless treated; a spouse may threaten to leave the relationship, or the court may offer treatment in lieu of prison. (In this case, people convicted of nonviolent, drug-related crimes may go through specialized alternative courts, called drug courts, in which they can reduce their sentence or avoid jail altogether by getting intensive addiction treatment.) In fact, research has shown that the outcomes for those who are legally mandated to enter treatment can be as good as the outcomes for those who entered treatment voluntarily."

Support Groups Work for Overeaters

About.com's Debra Manzella reports this week on the dangers of obesity and the hope of 12-step programs like Overeaters Anonymous.

"A study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) outlines another possible reason for the dramatic increase in obesity over the last 30 years. Obesity appears to spread from person to person. Siblings, spouses, friends of obese people tend to also be obese."

"The NEJM study points out that both bad and good behaviors might spread over a range of social ties. People who quit smoking or stop drinking alcohol do better in group settings, such as 12-step programs and support groups. Organizations like Overeater's Anonymous also offer group support."

"There are a lot of opportunities to make weight loss a group effort. At-work programs such as 'Fit Club' or 'Biggest Loser' style programs, neighborhood walking clubs, and 'support group' style weight loss plans are an opportunity for people to band together and lose weight, while enjoying the camaraderie of others with the same goals."

Mockery of Rehab?

The Boston Herald reports, "Hollywood hellcat Lindsay Lohan is making a mockery out of rehab programs, 12-steppers warned yesterday."

"Lohan, who proclaimed her innocence about this week’s DUI and drug charges to 'Access Hollywood' host Billy Bush via e-mail late Tuesday night, entered two rehab programs this year. And she has been flaunting her alcohol-monitoring ankle bling to clubs and beach parties since being sprung from Promises on July 13."

"Between the 21-year-old actress’ antics - and those of fallen pop princess, Britney Spears - some experts are crying foul."

“'In some ways it’s starting to make rehabs look like a joke,' said Harris Stratyner, a psychologist with Caron, a nonprofit addiction treatment organization, 'and that’s very sad because hundreds of thousands of people a year are saved.'”

Lindsay Lohan... I can't ignore it

It's difficult enough to watch what happens to someone in their active addiction, but here is what Ted Casablanca of E! News Online had to say.

"Oh, Lindsay Lohan. You never fail to shock us with your outrageous antics and subsequent denials. But even so, imagine how hard our jaws hit the friggin’ floor when we heard your statement via text message to Access Hollywood. Ya know, the one claiming your innocence and that the coke found in your jeans wasn’t yours. You don’t say! We got to wondering, just how exactly, then, did the white powdery substance get into your pocket in the first place?"

The starpulse.com reports support for Lindsay from Christian Slater apparently blaming Hollywood for her problem.

"Former Hollywood hellraiser Christian Slater has offered Lindsay Lohan 'a million per cent' support following her arrest for driving under the influence. Like Lohan, Slater was caught driving under the influence before he had turned 21 - and he followed that with a string of convictions and a spell behind bars."

"Speaking this week, the actor sympathised with Lohan - and blamed Hollywood for leading stars astray."

Rocker discusses sobriety

Check out this interview TheWest.com.au had with former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver bassist.

"After Guns N’ Roses fell apart in 1994, McKagan’s alcoholism became a serious health issue. Acute alcohol-induced pancreatitis forced his pancreas to explode and he underwent emergency surgery. Doctors told him he would be dead within a month if he did not quit drinking. He claims he has been sober since."

"'There’s groups for people like me who have each other’s backs (covered),' he says."

"'We talk about it. I’m an alcoholic. I’m a drug addict. If I was to think myself into a place where I could have a glass of wine, that would start a downward spiral.'"

"In line with his sobriety, McKagan completed a degree in finance: 'It’s something that always interested me.'"

Get Sober!

You can get sober today!

So, do you want to get sober? Really? It is possible to live in a new sober way. Here’s the deal: It is very simple to get sober, not easy, but very simple.

Step 1: Put down the drink, pipe, bowl, donut or whatever it is that you use to get high.

Step 2: Go to a 12-step meeting TODAY. Right now if possible. (check out this link for a meeting near you.)

Step 3: Ask someone at that 12-step meeting for help.

Step 4: Do what they tell you to do to stay sober for today.

Step 5: Report back to me what happens.

Step 6: Go to sleep. Wake up and repeat Steps 2-6. Repeat again.

You can get all caught up looking up the sobriety rates of all of the methods of recovery and then THINK about what to do and stay drunk?? Or you can take steps to change your behavior today.