AllBetter

S.A. Blair is a woman in long term-recovery since September 9th, 2016, rebuilding her life after over a decade of self-destruction. With her passion for writing in one hand and her passion for helping people in the other, she wrote her first book, The Difference: a memoir. This book details the heart-wrenching downward spiral into her heroin addiction, recalling multiple expulsions and arrests, self-harm and suicide attempts, she strives to capture the essence of the human experience, providing proof that while our experiences may vary, our feelings are the same. She now resides in Denver, Colorado, where she studies Biology and Environmental Science, and is participating in an internship conducting genetics research in a lab. She has begun work on her second novel, which, acting as a sequel to the first book, will dig into her spirituality and recovery journey.

"This dream-like (and at times nightmarish) sequence of events offers deep insight into the perils of intense drug use. Through it all, the author is able to navigate through her stark past with wit, grace, and an overt compassion for her family and friends. Gut-wrenching yet cathartic, “The Difference” depicts the plight of modern desperation with utter poignancy."

-William L. Karp, review on Amazon

Check out her Memoir on Amazon;
https://www.amazon.com/Difference-memoir-S-Blair/dp/B0BF2Q763C?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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 Meet Lori Chaffers, M.S.W., is the new Executive Director for Outreach – Center for Community Resources. Previously, Lori served as the Program Director of the Office of Social Service Research & Development at Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services. Lori was one of the founding co-chairs for the Lackawanna County System of Care, and served on a number of community coalitions and task forces addressing needs in the areas of housing, substance use/abuse, services for older youth, and others.  Lori also teaches when her schedule allows as an adjunct instructor at the Marywood University the School of Social Work.  Lori has over fifteen years of child welfare experience including working with families in their own homes, working with children in placement, working with transitioning youth, and most recently cross-systems collaboration and evaluating practice. Lori also has five years of experience in community-building and community organizing within low-income and at-risk populations in Camden, New Jersey and believes that building community and concern for our neighbor is key to addressing social issues. Lori is happy to return to non-profit work at Outreach and is excited for the next chapter in the organization’s history of moving today’s families forward.

Margy Durkin graduated from Wilkes University with a BA degree in Psychology. She was hired in 1989 by BBVS, a state agency serving blind and visual impaired individuals. For the next 25 years, she worked as a social worker with children covering eight counties throughout the Commonwealth. Along with her counterpart in Altoona, she developed the BBVS children’s program which is currently being utilized throughout the state.  After her early retirement in 2014, she returned to the State to work part time as an annuitant. As an annuitant, she was asked to return to train new staff, develop a handbook, and provide counseling to students attending a summer transition program at Penn State University. After the annuitant positions were dissolved during the pandemic, she was then hired as a Community/ School Liaison for Outreach. Margy is also working part time as social worker for the Hanover Area School district. Margy attributes her initial passion for social work to her parents who were a powerful example of service to others.  She reports being beyond grateful for the daily inspiration and opportunity to have a positive impact on those less fortunate. 
In 1995, Margy received an award from The American Council for the Blind for her work with visually impaired children. This past May, eight years after her retirement, she traveled to Harrisburg to be awarded Educator of the Year from the Penn/ Del Chapter of AER(Association and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually impaired Individuals. Margy was the first social worker to receive this award since its inception in 1975.

Margy attributes any success she has had to her 12 step program, the loving support of family and friends, and most importantly  divine intervention and guidance.

Today we discuss over a dozen new programs Outreach has launched to support parents. 

Outreach’s evidence-based programs focus on promoting the social, emotional, and academic competence of children, working with parents and caregivers to ensure kids are ready to succeed in school and life.

Please visit the link below
https://outreachworks.org/

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Adam Zbegner (PART 2) is a father, husband, and intellectual in recovery. We became friends over twenty years ago from our involvement in a recovery community. We have spent many hours chatting, reviewing books, music, and playing Risk (The Game of Global Domination). Today we meet to discuss a book we decided to read and review this winter titled "The Case Against Reality" How Evolution hid the truth from our eyes by Donald D. Hoffman. See Links Below.

BOOK ON AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ADonald+Hoffman&s=relevancerank&text=Donald+Hoffman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

Can we trust our senses to tell us the truth?

Challenging leading scientific theories that claim that our senses report back objective reality, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that while we should take our perceptions seriously, we should not take them literally. How can it be possible that the world we see is not an objective reality? And how can our senses be useful if they are not communicating the truth? Hoffman grapples with these questions and more over the course of this eye-opening work.

Ever since Homo sapiens walked the earth, natural selection has favored perception that hides the truth and guides us toward useful action, shaping our senses to keep us alive and reproducing. We observe a speeding car and do not walk in front of it; we see mold growing on bread and do not eat it. These impressions, though, are not objective reality. Just like a file icon on a desktop screen is a useful symbol rather than a genuine representation of what a computer file looks like, the objects we see every day are merely icons, allowing us to navigate the world safely and with ease.

The real-world implications for this discovery are huge. From examining why fashion designers create clothes that give the illusion of a more “attractive” body shape to studying how companies use color to elicit specific emotions in consumers, and even dismantling the very notion that spacetime is objective reality, The Case Against Reality dares us to question everything we thought we knew about the world we see.

DONALD D. HOFFMAN :
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/case-against-reality

This is Part two of a book review that progresses into many more topics, and eventually we land on the lap of Immanuel Kant. 

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

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Adam Zbegner is a father, husband, and intellectual in recovery. We became friends over twenty years ago from our involvement in a recovery community. We have spent many hours chatting, reviewing books, music, and playing Risk (The Game of Global Domination). Today we meet to discuss a book we decided to read and review this winter titled "The Case Against Reality" How Evolution hid the truth from our eyes by Donald D. Hoffman. See Links Below.

BOOK ON AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ADonald+Hoffman&s=relevancerank&text=Donald+Hoffman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

Can we trust our senses to tell us the truth?

Challenging leading scientific theories that claim that our senses report back objective reality, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that while we should take our perceptions seriously, we should not take them literally. How can it be possible that the world we see is not objective reality? And how can our senses be useful if they are not communicating the truth? Hoffman grapples with these questions and more over the course of this eye-opening work.

Ever since Homo sapiens walked the earth, natural selection has favored perception that hides the truth and guides us toward useful action, shaping our senses to keep us alive and reproducing. We observe a speeding car and do not walk in front of it; we see mold growing on bread and do not eat it. These impressions, though, are not objective reality. Just like a file icon on a desktop screen is a useful symbol rather than a genuine representation of what a computer file looks like, the objects we see every day are merely icons, allowing us to navigate the world safely and with ease.

The real-world implications for this discovery are huge. From examining why fashion designers create clothes that give the illusion of a more “attractive” body shape to studying how companies use color to elicit specific emotions in consumers, and even dismantling the very notion that spacetime is objective reality, The Case Against Reality dares us to question everything we thought we knew about the world we see.

DONALD D. HOFFMAN :
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/case-against-reality

This is Part one of a book review that progresses into many more topics, and eventually we land on the lap of Immanuel Kant. 

Give us a Review!

📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Meet Kati Mckendry
Clinical Director, MS, LPC, CCS

Katie’s primary role is to oversee the clinical programming and staff at Little Creek Lodge and Little Creek Outpatient Services. Katie works to constantly improve the treatment offered at LCL and LCOPS, in order to meet with individual and community needs of the clients we serve. She works closely with the staff to ensure clients and their families are getting the best care possible. Katie finds it essential to spend time getting to know all clients and their families and enjoys working directly with them throughout their treatment experience.

Katie resides with her husband and two young daughters in Clarks Green, PA. In addition to Little Creek Lodge, Katie in her free time enjoys riding her road bike.

Education:
Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Pennsylvania

• MS, Rehabilitation Counseling, University of Scranton, 2011
  • Outstanding Rehabilitation Counseling Student, 2011
  • Member of Chi Sigma Iota honor society
• BS, Counseling and Human Services, University of Scranton, 2009
  • Graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors
  • Member of Tau Upsilon Alpha honor society

Prior Work Experience:
Prior to joining Little Creek Lodge, Katie worked as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor at Pyramid Healthcare, an inpatient adolescent drug and alcohol facility, and at R.A.F.T., an adolescent IOP program. She also worked for Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, where she worked with adolescents and adults with developmental, mental, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Katie has worked at her private practice since completing her Master’s program in 2011.

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

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Patrick Sandone (Founder and CEO) of Guide App – Patrick is a successful entrepreneur who built and sold his SaaS startup, Net Driven, after building a 100-person team. Prior to Net Driven, he ran his family business, Sandone Tire, for three years and nearly doubled revenues adding more than $10 million by implementing new technology solutions. He is also a former venture capitalist with Monitor Clipper in Boston and an investment banker with DLJ in NYC. He graduated from The University of Pennsylvania (Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa) with a BA in Biology and an MBA from Columbia (with Honors). Patrick’s five-year self-discovery and wellness journey helped him discover what living your best life means, learning the right mindset, emotional intelligence, purpose, and self-mastery.

For more information on GUIDE APP visit,

https://theguideapp.com/

Download GUIDE AT APPLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0itI_lZWvc

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

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Michael Arcangeletti, Executive Director of Clearbrook and Banyan Philadelphia has been working in the field of addiction treatment since 2010. He is a licensed social worker that completed his graduate degree at Marywood University, an undergraduate drgree in Philosophy from Miserordia University and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the Pennsylvania Certification Board.
He has held numerous titles throughout his years in the field, including Residential Tech, Intake Coordinator, Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, and Assistant Clinical Director. Michael joined the Banyan Clearbrook team in November, 2018, and states that his passion for helping others comes from his own personal experience in recovery.

I really enjoy Mike's company and our chats, so to describe this podcast I just wanted to note some of the chapters below, Hope you enjoy the Chat!

7:56How did drug and alcohol treatment get its start?

12:58Where do you see freewill in this?

16:49What attributes of the creator can be identified if there is a creator?

21:00Milgram’s experiment.

28:24What is the role of a “companion”?

32:33What it’s like to not have access to your own self.

36:59What’s the universal thread that works the fastest?

47:10How do you break the cycle of trauma?

53:46The Milgram experiments on obedience to authority figures.

57:47The evolution of the recovery industry.

1:10:40How does an organization that’s new acquire a large treatment center?

You  can also access chapters in the Tab left of Transcript of show.

For more info on Clearbrook please visit the link below,

https://www.clearbrookinc.com/

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

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Meet Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters 

Joe Peters rose from street cop to serving two presidents as a leader in the efforts to
combat drug trafficking and battle international terrorism.

As a Federal Prosecutor, Joe’s accomplishments include the convictions of Philadelphia Mob Boss “Little Nicky” Scarfo, his underboss, and 16 mob soldiers in a 3-month trial before an anonymous and sequestered jury. Conducted by Joe and four other Federal Prosecutors, this trial resulted in one of the most significant Mafia family convictions in U.S. history. As a result, Joe received the U.S. Department of Justice’s John Marshall Award. The Associated Press called Joe and his fellow prosecutors the “Modern Day Untouchables.”

Joe has presented and consulted to law enforcement officials and others in Israel, Italy, the UK, Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar and has trained military and civilian personnel in Panama.

A resident of Lake Winola, Joe has devoted his career to public service: he served for more than 15 years in the Pa. Office of Attorney General, rising from an intern to become the state’s top drug prosecutor. In the White House he served as Assistant Deputy Director for State & Local Affairs in the Drug Czar’s office.

Joe’s expertise on terrorism and related intelligence and prosecution issues has been
recognized by Fox News  where he serves as a commentator as well as television
networks as far away as London and Italy which have asked for his expert on-air
commentary.

He graduated from King’s College and later the Dickinson School of
Law. He is a member of the International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police, where he served on its Terrorism Committee for 10 years. 

Joe is the oldest of five children of Gene and Peg Peters and is the proud father of his son Max. His father Gene served two-terms as a GOP Mayor of Scranton. In 2004 Joe was the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania Auditor General.

For more INFO on LETI visit wyoming county at  https://wycopa.org/

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

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Danelle Marushock is a Certified Recovery Specialist Supervisor with six years of experience working in the drug and alcohol field. Danelle is committed to connecting with individuals by meeting them where they are at in their own journey by offering support, compassion and understanding
Sober since December 26 2015, Danelle is active in her recovery community. When not at The Recovery Bank, you can find Danelle spending time with her husband Chad and their two children, Chad & Lindsey, who inspire her daily to work hard to be of service to others. Danelle also enjoys long car rides, and reading and spoiling her 4 dogs: Mack, Elly, Stella and Archie

Recently, Danelle has been accepted to SUNY Empire to continue her education in Human Services Management, B.S.

Danelle is committed to bringing hope to others and helping individuals recognize that they are not alone.

“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable” 

Counselor Assistant at The Retreat at White Birch Outpatient

March 29, 2019 - Present

Counselors Assistant at The Retreat at White Birch Outpatient

February 18, 2019 - Present
·Carbondale, Pennsylvania

Operations /IT Coordinator at Clearbrook Treatment Centers

December 12, 2018 - Present
·Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Give us a Review!

📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

allbetter.fm
Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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      About 14 years ago, I found myself in car with my friend Mark Loughney. I picked him up randomly as he was completing a hike through Dunmore, PA, and we decided to hit a meeting. He had a backpack & supplies, but the pack wasn't filled with granola. It was unexpectedly filled with many insects, and foraged beatles collected with great care, and affection. We discuss this today, beatles being a species he puts intense focus on expressing in his art.
 Our connection with each other was immediate, and also facilitated by a friend we both loved and lossed this year. Our friend Chris passed before Mark was released from prison, and their planned reunion never happened. In the atmosphere of grief Mark was released from prison with another distinct problem most newly free men don't encounter. He was famous. This fame rose from his unique, skilled and empathetic portrait art he expressed inside. This seemly started as a way in which he can combat a growing desire to take his own life in prison.
We also discuss the unlikely voice on NPR that saved him one afternoon in his cell, and propelled him into a direction of portraiture Art. In this practice of immersing himself in the details of other inmates faces he had an awakening. What can one wake up to by intensely studying other peoples faces and drawing that image?
  It's funny to think our faces are essentially objects for others to experience. We never get to experience reality from the context, and optics of our own faces. What was it about getting lost in the details of others' inmates faces that brought a tidal wave of empathy and purpose for Mark.....
I think he tells us clearly today that the idea of "subject & object" disappears in this deep focus, and one only can experience the moment when creating this type of portraiture. Time is intangible when existing in this flowstate, even in prison. It was here that Mark found connection and a new purpose.
Mark’s Show at currently at Brown University
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/09/marking-time-art-in-the-age-of-mass-incarceration-comes-to-campus?fbclid=IwAR3_qtM2_-tLjcaRfXVvAcDORVicCOLrMr2lhMZAuq2x9CvpsfWDQ-1-Jss

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📢 **Announcement!** 📢. We want to introduce our new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline for crisis or substance use treatment. Whether you are seeking help for the first time or are an alum in need of immediate assistance, our team is here for you around the clock. 📞 **Call 1-800-HELP-120 anytime, day or night.** #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery #ScrantonRecovery Fellowship House
As a treatment center, Fellowship House offers both residential and outpatient treatment services to

allbetter.fm
Discussions on addiction and recovery. We interview clinicians/researchers, legislators, and individ

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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