In Maine, a little alcohol is still alcohol

Houlton, Maine has been making international headlines lately. And it’s not because of their ideal location for snowmobiling. Recently, a high school student brought attention to the fact that the Fentimans Lemonade he was drinking contained a small amount of alcohol, less than 0.05% according to the label. Fearing he would get in trouble at school (since underage drinking is illegal), he told school administrators. Those school administrators then alerted local police, who turned the issue over to state officials to determine whether or not the lemonade should be sold to minors.

Since then, the Maine attorney general’s office has declared that because of the small amount of alcohol, the lemonade cannot be sold to minors in Maine. The lemonade in question would be considered an “imitation liquor.” Not a surprising conclusion when you consider that in Maine any beverage containing a trace amount of alcohol (think O’Doul’s) can only be sold to adults 21 or older. (Under state law, “imitation liquor” means “any product containing less than one half of 1 percent alcohol by volume which seeks to imitate by appearance, taste and smell liquor or which is designed to carry the impression to the purchaser that the beverage has an alcohol content.”)

End of story, right? Not for Fentimans. Apparently, they think Maine is being a bit prudish. According to Fentimans’ managing director Eldon Robson, “Maine is, of course, where our puritanical forefathers went because Britain was not strict enough, and it has been said that Puritans are people who are always worried that someone, somewhere, might be having fun.”

Bottom line, Fentimans Lemonade is a beverage that contains a small amount of alcohol. Alcohol should not be in the beverages of minors. Period. Saying a small amount of alcohol is okay sends the message that it’s okay to drink alcohol at a young age.

Fentimans own website has an ad on its home page (see above) with a headline that reads “another year on the wagon” with a tagline that touts their “botanically brewed beverages” as the “Original Adult Soft Drink.”

Says Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin, “It wasn’t so much that we were trying to give Fentimans a black eye. We just want to make parents aware it contains alcohol. I’ve never had it; it’s probably very good, but their Web site says it can be used for mixed drinks.”

Seems pretty straight forward to us. What do you think?

Read More
Tiny bit of alcohol brews up a real brouhaha (Portland Press Herald)
Brewed lemonade stirs up controversy (Bangor Daily News)

What I Have Learned About Being A Woman

The following poem was written by Rachael O’Donnell, LCSW, LADC, an outpatient counselor at Crossroads for Women. Rachael provides mental health and substance abuse counseling on an individual and group basis at Crossroads for Women’s outpatient office in Kennebunk and can also be found leading IOP groups in Portland (Maine).

What I Have Learned About Being A Woman

I have learned that other people’s judgments can keep us from doing a great deal of things, including loving ourselves, being who we truly are, and taking chances.

I have learned that regret is a river that runs deep and that forgiving ourselves can be our greatest challenge.

I have learned that a woman’s power is not measured by how loudly she speaks or how confident she appears –
It is measured by how much pain she can endure,
how much disappointment she can take,
and yet still have the capacity to love, to dream, & to hope

I have learned that sometimes just surviving means you are doing the best that you can

I have learned that the thoughts we think and the words we speak have the power to propel us forward or keep us stuck

I have learned that other women can be both our greatest allies & our worst adversaries

I have learned that true beauty is not always something you can see, It is more often a feeling. One that exists in fleeting moments- an expansion of our hearts that pushes the breath right out of us

I have learned that more than anything, we all just want to feel loved and accepted

I have learned that the journey to find safety, when it is something you have never had, can be a long, long road.

I have learned that even the best of intentions can be crushed by the weight of reality and responsibility

I have learned that a good laugh can lift even the lowest of spirits

I have learned that truly listening to another woman who needs to be heard can change her life, even if it is in ways that you cannot see

I have learned that friendships with other women are both necessary and complicated

I have learned that FEELING is something we MUST do ….
If we choose to run from it, the more it takes control and keeps us from getting anywhere at all

I have learned, that all of my other dreams and goals aside, if I have one moment in which I have touched another woman’s soul, where I have helped her feel loved or hopeful or worth something –
Than my life has purpose and meaning… And that is my greatest lesson of all.

~Rachael O’Donnell, LCSW, LADC

technorati tags: inspirational poem, women, Crossroads for Women

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Parents: Hearing About Your Past Acohol and Drug Use May Make Your Teen More Responsible About Their Own Use

Hazelden, a national nonprofit organization that helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction, recently launched a campaign called “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction.” The campaign was inspired by a national survey, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for Hazelden, that found parents’ honesty about their own drug and alcohol use when they were young actually made the teens more responsible about their drug and alcohol use.

The survey polled 603 boys and girls aged 15-18 online and 620 parents of teenagers by telephone. Here are some of the key findings:

• Half of teens say it would make them less likely to use drugs if their parents told them about their own drug use when they were younger.
• Two-thirds of teens (67%) say their parents have already told them about their experiences with alcohol and other drugs when they were young – and these teens almost unanimously (95%) said that kind of honesty about drug use is a good thing!
• 74% of teens say they’d turn to their parents as their No. 1 source of advice about the use of alcohol or other drugs, even though 26% have seen their parents drunk or high on alcohol or drugs.
• Teens who are aware of their parents’ experiences with alcohol or other drugs as teenagers are nearly as likely as those who are not to consider their parents to be role models (90% vs. 93%).

Looking at some of the gender differences in the survey, it was interesting to find that:

• Teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to wish their parents would share information about their past alcohol or drug use (74% vs. 61%).
• Parents of a teenage daughter are more likely to say that they had this discussion because their child asked them about their past alcohol or drug use (48% vs. 31%), while parents of a teenage son are more likely to say that they just brought it up on their own without prompting (82% vs. 71%).
• Dads are more likely than moms to have spoken with their teenage child on their own initiative without prompting (82% vs. 70%), while moms are more likely than dads to say they were motivated to have a conversation on this topic because a friend or family member had experienced problems with alcohol or drugs (51% vs. 34%).

Brenda Iliff, clinical director of Hazelden’s Women’s Recovery Center, wasn’t too surprised by the differences that came out. Says Iliff, “Women more wired for communication and connection.” That may explain why the girls bring the subject up more than boys and why mothers relate the conversation to other experiences rather than just bringing the topic up without prompting. Iliff also pointed out the shame that women have when it comes to addiction. The stigma attached to women abusing drugs and alcohol may prevent a mom from simply bringing the topic up, while dads might not think twice about it.

When asked what advice she would give to mothers who are also in recovery regarding talking to their kids about their past use, Iliff suggests starting the conversation when they’re young and keeping the conversation going. “Timing is important,” she stresses. “Share information when it is helpful, not just when you get the urge.” For many, these conversations are a part of their own recovery.

So, what’s the message here? Talk to your kids about your past experiences with drugs and/or alcohol. They look to you as a role model and will appreciate your honesty! And don’t be afraid to bring the subject up with your daughter. If she hasn’t brought it up yet, she might be thinking about it.

Hazelden’s “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction” campaign, which also coincides with Hazelden’s 60th anniversary, features a “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction” website offering free videos and conversation guides about drug use and abuse, addiction treatment and recovery; an online library of podcasts featuring personal accounts from four generations of Hazelden alumni, talking about their experiences with addiction and recovery; and Hazelden’s first-ever Recovery Resources Blog, an online home base for news about addiction and recovery.

technorati tags: Four Generations Overcoming Addiction, Hazelden, Teens, Alcohol, Drugs, Parenting

STAR-SI Accomplishments in the State of Maine

Crossroads for Women recently wrapped up its participation in the Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention-State Implementation (STAR-SI) Initiative. STAR-SI, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was initiated in 9 states, including Maine, over 3 years with the goal of improving access and retention in outpatient (OP) substance abuse treatment. The agencies used the Network for Improving Addiction Treatment (NIATx) Process Improvement model.

The 3-year grant was so successful, the director of the Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) in Maine, Guy Cousins, is recommending the state of Maine continue to use the NIATx model. Here are some of the successes the state of Maine has seen through participation in the STAR-SI grant:

• Wait times for OP substance abuse treatment were reduced by 71% in the first year
• Admissions were increased by 41% in the first year, 10% in the second year and 90% per month in the third year
• 57% of the STAR-SI admissions were completing treatment in the first year
• Retention in services improved by 52% in the second year
• Clients staying in treatment for 28 days or more increased by 27% in the third year

These are all great accomplishments for the state of Maine’s substance abuse treatment providers. Crossroads for Women continues to use the NIATx model as a way to continually improve its access and retention to all of its programs. We have seen tremendous results by making simple changes in the way we provide services to women.

Read more about a few of the changes Crossroads for Women has implemented using the NIATx model:
Positive Incentives Help People Stay in Treatment Longer
Breaking Barriers and Increasing Access to Substance Abuse Treatment for Women