Mike Baude and Susan Drake took us inside Acadia Hospital’s methadone treatment programs during their presentation and question-and-answer session during this morning’s meeting. Both counselors have extensive experience working with teens (Mr. Baude) and adults who have drug addictions and treatment withdrawals.
Addictions begin with pain that leads to pain/opiod use and then to addiction to the opiods. Long-term use of opiods reduces the brain’s natural pain moderating capabilities. Hence the reliance by a patient on opiods grows stronger. Methadone helps the brain restore its pain-relieving function. Ms. Drake defined this as a brain disease. When opiods are no longer available to the patient through legal channels, their desperation to acquire the drugs often turns them to street sources.
Acadia’s methadone clinics see the maximum permissible number of patients- 500. Their average ages range from 35-44, although Ms. Drake said they have a patient who is 75. Some of the misinformation about methadone clinics includes wait time to get into the appointment.
“Clients are required to get one hour of counseling when they receive their methadone dosage,” Ms. Drake said. She defined the difference between methadone and suboxone. A client receives a daily dose of methadone through the clinic, but must be in the program for ninety days and be drug-free during that time. Suboxone is available through doctors who can write prescriptions for 2-week or monthly supplies.
The strength of methadone requires a slow tapering-off from the drug. In addition, clients have access to support groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous and peer support groups.
We present a check and check on birthdays
The check that never bou
The Club took pleasure today in returning to Rangeley Hall for our meeting and taking our assigned seats. We presented a check for $1,000 to Dana Mosher, Executive Director of Camp Capella. His gratitude included mention of some of the activities at the camp. He invited us to visit. “In fifteen minutes, you will know what it’s all about,” and see how the Club’s donation works to help special needs children.
We moved from Camp Capella to a capella in the form of “Happy Birthday” sung to David Zelz and Karen Schaller. The singing was made possible, in parts, by all three trio members being present- Les Myers, Lisa Wahlstrom and Dick Cattelle. Paul Miragliuolo fined David for appearing in print. David could afford it: he won the weekly drawing ($9). The Joker card remains elusive.
President Kristy Kimball (it was observed that her husband Ken Kimball does not sit with her at the president’s table) announced that the Club’s new website work is progressing nicely. She thanked Ken Nagle’s son for transferring a lot of data from the old website. Kristy seeks a “sponsorship chairperson” to head up the annual dinner/auction sponsorships. The event will be at Spectacular Events in December. The successful volunteer has some time to work on this.
Bless be the bonds that tie our hearts in wealth. However, as Joe Pratt explained in one reason why the stock market averages are rising, bonds pay lower interest rates but are more secure than stocks. Apparently, more investors are moving bond money to stocks and taking the risk, but the yield is higher. A 5-year bond yields 1 percent interest; the stock market gives you 2.2 percent. Joe did not venture into the other reasons.
Lisa Wahlstrom described the joy at the opening of the Downeast Community Hospital Emergency Room in Machias that coincided with the news that the fundraising campaign reached its $1 million goal.
Speaking of money, Larry Diehl will take his family to banks of a different kind next week, the Outer Banks. In an unrelated note, John Cheney will gavel the auction activities to order as the Old Town/Orono Kiwanis Club holds its annual auction tonight and tomorrow night. Les Myers- July 21, 2016
Larry Diehl greets Mike Baude and Susan Drake
Club Information
Service Above Self
Thursdays at 7:00 AM
Eastern Maine Community College at Rangeley Hall
268 Sylvan Road
Bangor, ME 04401 United States of America
Zoom option available. President sends link each week.
July 21, 2016
Larry Diehl greets Mike Baude and Susan Drake
