Get ready to "Run for Your Life!"

Mark your calendars! Our 6th Annual Run for Your Life 5K and Recovery Walk will take place on Saturday, September 24th at Icahn Stadium. Join us in celebrating Recovery Day in New York City with music, entertainment, children's activities and more! Online registration will open in early July. Check back soon for more details.

The premiere of "It's A Different Day"

The Odyssey House Theatre Project 2011 debuted their original production, "It's A Different Day," to a standing room-only audience at 320 Studios on May 9, 2011. The play, written and performed by an ensemble comprised of teens in treatment at Odyssey House, blends hip hop, dance, jazz, classical music, beatboxing, rap, art, spoken word, and short scenes together, and takes a look at the creation of our world from the beginning, to the middle and onward.

The performance was the culmination of a three month workshop in which the teens learned all stages of the playwriting process, from concept development to stage production. The Odyssey House Theatre Project is funded by a grant from the Elizabeth and Barets O. Benjamin Foundation. This is the third year the Foundation has funded the project.

The workshop was directed by Tom Demenkoff of PossibleArts. For more details on the project, visit the Odyssey House Theatre Project website. Visit our website to see a slideshow of photos from the workshop.

From fast food to whole grains: CHEF program teaches healthy eating

Our Creating Healthy Eating Families (CHEF) program, which focuses on improving the basic nutrition and eating habits of parents and their children, wrapped up its first cycle at Family Re-Entry with a potluck dinner. Residents each prepared several vegetarian dishes demonstrating what they learned during the program. Dishes included bok choy and mushroom stir fry; kale lasagna with whole wheat noodles; and brown rice with broccoli.

At the potluck, participants raved about the program and talked about the changes they had made in their diets as a result. One resident, Teresa, was able to reduce her cholesterol medication by making healthy substitutions, like baking instead of frying. Bernadette, who said she was skeptical of the program at first – “I like fried foods and large portions!” – started using fresh herbs to flavor her food and reduced her sodium intake. Gilbert said CHEF taught him to be mindful of what he was eating and how it affected his health.

Participants met with nutritionist Paulette Sinclair-Weir twice a week for six weeks and learned about topics such as reading nutrition labels, reducing portion sizes, increasing fruit and vegetables, and food safety. Sessions included hands-on cooking instruction to let participants implement their new skills.

The CHEF program was created with a $25,000 grant from Aetna. For more information on the grant, click here.

Senior drug abuse continues to rise

Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet and older clients in treatment in our ElderCare program were interviewed by the Associated Press for a national story on the dramatic rise in drug and alcohol abuse among older Americans. Between 1992 and 2008, treatment admissions for adults 50 and older more than doubled in the U.S., a number that is expected to grow as the baby boom generation ages. Click here to read the full article on our website and view the accompanying video below.

Odyssey House opened the ElderCare program in 1997 to specifically treat substance abusers age 55 and over. The first of its kind, the program has helped more than 200 seniors successfully re-integrate into their communities and regain productive, drug-free lives. Visit our website for more information on our ElderCare program.

Treating newborns dependent on painkillers

At the Odyssey House Family Centers of Excellence, we treat a range of women with substance use disorders, including those who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are taking care of young children. In his letter in today's New York Times, Dr. Peter Provet, President of Odyssey House, comments on a recent front page article that highlights the lack of educational and treatment resources for young women who become pregnant while addicted to prescription opiates.

To the Editor:

It is troubling to read how little progress has been made in understanding the impact in utero exposure to addictive drugs can have on babies born to pregnant substance abusers. In the 1990s concern was expressed over a potential lost generation of "crack babies." Treatment organizations responded as best they could with programs for women and children that provided links to medical and child development services and with programs that tackle the mother's poverty, poor education and lack of job skills.

But despite data supporting increased financing of prevention services and treatment programs that target pregnant substance abusers, limited resources and stigma discourage women from seeking treatment for fear of having the baby removed from their care.

Renewed effort must be made to reach drug-troubled women before they get pregnant, and in the event they are expecting a child, community clinics and hospitals need to be educated about addiction treatment and where to refer both mother and baby for long-term care.

PETER PROVET
President, Odyssey House
New York, April 11, 2011

Click here to read the original article, "Newly Born, and Withdrawing from Painkillers" (April 9, 2011), on The New York Times website.