“The Physiology of Addiction” was presented on Tuesday May 19, 2015 by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, FASAM. Addiction is a chronic brain disease involving complex physiologic processes. Inherent physiologic characteristics influence how individuals response to substances and individual vulnerability to addiction. The physiology of the brain and body are altered by use of alcohol and other drugs and also changes when a person enters into recovery. This program explores the differences in neurochemistry between the addicted brain and the normal brain, the progression of physiological changes that occur in chemically dependent individuals, the mechanisms of physiologic tolerance and withdrawal, medical complications of alcohol/other drug addiction and the effects of treatment on the addicted brain. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual workshop series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

The Physiology of Addiction - May 2015

The Dawn Farm Education Series is a FREE, annual workshop series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues; and to dispel the myths, misinformation, secrecy, shame and stigma that prevent chemically dependent individuals and their families from getting help and getting well.  The 2012/2013 series marks the TWENTY-SECOND year of Dawn Farm providing this educational resource for our community!

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“Addiction and Families“ was presented on September 24, 2019; by Dr. Lynn Kleiman Malinoff, Ed.D. Alcohol/other drug addiction is often described as a “family condition.” This program will describe ways in which each family member is affected by addiction in the family, roles and behaviors that family members often acquire when living with addiction, and options for family members to obtain help to cope with addiction in the family. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about substance use disorders, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Lynn Kleiman Malinoff, Ed.D Lynn is the director of Eastern Michigan University 21st Century Community Learning Centers Bright Futures out-of-school-time programs. Lynn has worked with challenged youth and their families, teaching, counseling, and leading for over 40 years in K-12 education as well as developing and directing an adolescent outpatient program for substance abusing youth and their families. Lynn has a deep knowledge of the challenges of children of alcoholics, family systems as they relate to addiction and the process of recovery. She is a strong supporter of Twelve-Step recovery. Lynn received her doctorate in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She co-authored a book chapter published in Women as Leaders in Education (Praeger, 2011), entitled “Both Sides of Mentoring: A Leader’s Story”. She has two grown sons and loving daughters-in-law, a husband and two Shetland Sheepdogs. She is passionate about photography and preparing delicious meals for family and friends.

Addiction and Families - September 2019

“Does Addiction Treatment Work?” was presented on September 17, 2019, by Dr Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, D-FASAM. Recent publications claim to define research-supported definitive truths about the root causes of addiction and efficacy of treatment modalities; however, conclusions are conflicting and have been subject to divergent interpretations. Feel confused? Dr. Christensen will review the recent criticisms of treatment for addiction including Twelve Step, residential, and medication assisted therapy, the scientific studies that do and do not support their use and other controversial issues. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about substance use disorders, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. About the Presenter: Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, D-FASAM, cMRO Dr. Christensen obtained his MD and a PhD in Biochemistry at Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hutzel Hospital. He then completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center in 1988. He returned to Wayne State, practicing both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, and was Associate Residency Director of the OB Gyn Residency until 2012. He retired from WSU in 2012 and continues as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and OB Gyn. While working with the late Dr. James Wardell, one of the first obstetricians to treat pregnant addicted women, he became certified in Addiction Medicine in 2004 and later Board Certified in Addiction Medicine in 2009. He served as the Medical Director of the Eleonore Hutzel Women’s Recovery Center, founded by Dr. Wardell in 1969, an outpatient program dedicated to caring for pregnant, chemically dependent women from 2004 to 2018, as well as the Medical Director at the Tolan Medical Research Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at WSU from 2009 to 2018. He continues his work with pregnant chemically dependent women at SJMH in Ann Arbor. He is the past president of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine and the current Medical Director of the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program, which monitors impaired nurses, pharmacists and doctors. He was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society Addiction Medicine in 2013. He is also the Medical Director for Dawn Farm Treatment Center in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, returning to that job when Dr. Pat Gibbons passed in 2014. Dr. Christensen also specializes in the treatment of chronic pain patients who are trying to detox or taper off opioids and works at SJMH at Recovery Specialists. He has received numerous teaching awards. He has been named one of the “Top Docs” in Addiction Medicine in Hour Magazine for 2006 through 2018. Dr. Christensen currently works with the US Attorney’s office, the DEA, and local law enforcement as an expert witness for opioid prescribing cases. He lives in Canton with his wife Cathy, a Nurse Practitioner also specializing in chronic pain and addiction, their therapy dog Olive, and 3 rescue cats.

Does Addiction Treatment Work? - September 2019

“Spirituality in Recovery: The Many Paths to Spiritual Fitness“ was presented on June 25, 2019; by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Personal Medicine Therapist and Didactic Group Facilitator. Spirituality can play an important role in recovery initiation and maintenance. Research has demonstrated that self-identification as a “spiritual” person correlates positively with successful abstinence regardless of whether the person self-identifies as a “religious” person. Twelve Step recovery programs challenge participants through the Eleventh Step to “seek through prayer and meditation to improve their conscious contact with God as they understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.” The literature points out that recovering people have "tread innumerable paths" in this process. This presentation will encourage participants to clarify their personal understanding of a Higher Power, examine the quality of their relationship with that Power, and explore vehicles to build their conscious contact. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about substance use disorders, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. ABOUT THE PRESENTER Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, Sp.A., CADC Jerry Fouchey has extensive experience in the field of education as an administrator, facilitator, strategist, teacher and practitioner in the areas of educational administration, curriculum, instruction and staff development, and has played leadership roles in many initiatives in various public school districts. After several years as a Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center Counselor and later as an Outpatient therapist, Jerry Fouchey currently serves as a Lifestyle Medicine therapist and didactic group facilitator for Dawn Farm. He earned his BS, MA, and Sp.A. from Eastern Michigan University, has received additional training in substance use disorder prevention and treatment procedures, and is a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC). Jerry was instrumental in the implementation of Dawn Farm’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Lifestyle Medicine programs.

Spirituality in 12 Step Recovery: The Many Paths to Spiritual Fitness - June 2019

“Coordinating a Community Response to the Opioid Epidemic” was presented on June 18, 2019; by Molly Welch Marahar, MPP; WHI Opioid Project Coordinator, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation; and Carrie Rheingans, MSW, MPH; WHI Project Manager, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, and a panel including Marci Scalera, ACSW, LMSW, CAADC, Director of Clinical & SUD Services, Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan; Matt Hill, Program Manager, Washtenaw Recovery Advocacy Project, Home of New Vision; and Dr. John Hopper, MD, Addiction Medicine Specialist, St. Joseph Mercy Medical Group. Opioid overdose was described as an “epidemic” by CDC Director Thomas Frieden in 2011.  Since then, this epidemic has had a catastrophic impact on families and placed tremendous strain on communities, and our Southeast Michigan community is no exception. What is being done to change this?  The WHI Opioid Project is a cross sector coalition that was formed to address the opioid crisis in Washtenaw County. The Opioid Project has members from the health systems, local substance use agencies, government, schools, law enforcement, academia and the recovering community who come together to collectively design and implement policy changes to stem the tide of opioid overdose. From Red Barrel Events, to Naloxone trainings, to prevention education in schools, the Opioid Project is the touchpoint for initiatives at all levels of public health intervention, from prevention to treatment to harm reduction to policy advocacy. This program will discuss coordinating a community-level response to the opioid epidemic from a public health perspective, and ways for all to get involved.  This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about substance use disorders, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. ABOUT THE PRESENTERS: Molly Welch-Marahar, BA, MPP  Molly Welch-Marahar is a Policy Fellowship Program Manager at CHRT. She manages CHRT’s Policy Fellowship and provides analysis of issues and trends in healthcare policy. Before signing on with CHRT, Molly worked in substance use treatment for four years as both a counselor and a Recovery Support Specialist with Dawn Farm in Ann Arbor, MI. She was also an Omen-Darling Health Policy Fellow with Breast Cancer Action in San Francisco, CA where she supported their advocacy with her scholarship. Molly holds a Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and a Bachelors of General Studies also from the University of Michigan. Carrie Rheingans BS, MPH, MSW Carrie Rheingans is a Project Manager at the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT, pronounced ‘chart’) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She manages the Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) and other community implementation activities through the State Innovation Model and the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance. Carrie manages the work of more than 200 social and clinical service providers, and manages 15 community-based projects to increase outreach and enrollment into health insurance, and improve access to mental health, substance use, dental, and primary care for low-income residents. As part of her work with the WHI, Carrie helped facilitate the first-ever joint hospital Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan for three nonprofit hospitals, and she helps implement Michigan’s State Innovation Model in one of the five test regions in the state.  Carrie is also an adjunct lecturer in the University of Michigan School of Social Work, teaching courses on health care policy, community organizing, management of human services, and social policy and evaluation. She also serves as a board member for Communities Joined in Action, which is a national membership organization of community coalitions working to improve health in communities across the country.  Carrie is a June 2016 graduate from the Leadership Detroit program at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, which trains mid-career professionals to be regional leaders. Before her current roles at CHRT and adjunct lecturing, Carrie was a co-founder, the Director of Civic Engagement, and most recently, the Executive Director of Casa Latina, Washtenaw County’s first Latino community center, which existed from 2011 – 2015. Carrie has experience working with the Washtenaw County Public Health Department and Unified, which is the AIDS service organization for ten counties across southeast Michigan. She was an AmeriCorps member with Team Detroit for the national AmeriCorps program on HIV and AIDS in 2008-2009. In addition to these local activities, Carrie has worked with HIV and AIDS organizations in Peru and China, a microfinance organization in Bangladesh, a developmental biology lab in Germany, and conducted youth violence research in South Africa. She worked with the national Campaign to End AIDS as a leader and peer trainer with their Youth Action Institute from 2008-2012.  Carrie holds master’s degrees in public health and community social work from the University of Michigan, and received her bachelor of science there as well. She was born and raised in Michigan, and has spent the last seventeen years based in Washtenaw County.

Coordinating a Community Response to the Opioid Epidemic

“Intervention to Durable Recovery: The Power of Family” was presented on April 16, 2019, by Debra Jay (with the first section of the audio presented by Jeff Jay in a previous presentation on November 21, 2017.) Addiction is often described as a “family condition” – but families have often been left out of the recovery equation. Involved, supportive families play a critical role in the recovery process, from initiation through long-term recovery, and families provide an important reservoir of influence and support towards making lasting sobriety a reality. Through extensive work in intervention and family recovery, Debra Jay and Jeff Jay have developed highly effective, detailed Intervention and Structured Family Recovery™ processes that unlock the secrets of lasting sobriety – techniques that help addicted physicians and pilots attain lasting recovery - and make them available to families. The intervention process starts with a concerned family and the Structured Family Recovery™ process ends with a family recovery team that maximizes the potential for a successful outcome for all involved. This presentation will describe how to do an intervention and how to build a recovery team that unites the person with addiction and his/her family in working towards the common goal of sustained recovery. The presentation will provide practical, helpful, hopeful information about intervention and family recovery that will both revolutionize recovery and bring recovery back to its roots. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about substance use disorders, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. ABOUT THE PRESENTERS: Debra Jay and Jeff Jay Debra and Jeff Jay are best-selling authors, speakers and clinicians. Their best-selling book "Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention" has helped thousands of families to help their loved one initiate recovery, and Debra’s new book “It Takes A Family” is helping families come together to form a recovery team that maximizes the potential for a successful outcome for all involved. Jeff's most recent book, “Navigating Grace," recounts a gripping journey through perilous ocean waters and through his own soul to finding hope and serenity. Jeff and Debra have a national private practice that provides clinical services and training, including Intervention and Structured Family Recovery. For more information please see their Love First web site: https://lovefirst.net/.

The Physiology of Addiction - May 2015

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