Last Call with Dan Murphy

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Last Call
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Thanks to the many people who listen to Last Call both locally and on the Internet. Because of you Last Call is the success that it is!

Last Call is a live radio talk show that offers help to people suffering from addictions. Dedicated to finding solutions to the age old problem of addictions, Last Call is a forum for individuals whose lives have become unmanageble due to substance abuse and related issues.

ad-dic-tion [uh-dik-shuhn] –noun
The state of being enslaved to a behavior or practice that is psychologically and/or physically habit-forming due to a dependency on certain substances: eg., narcotics, alcohol, prescription drugs, nicotine, etc. Cessation of intake of some substances can cause severe withdrawal which may result in emotional, psycholological or physical trauma, and may even be fatal. An obsession of the mind coupled with an allergy of the body can be associated with addictions.

I often refer people to this website to listen in to my radio program. It occured to me one day, that perhaps I could offer something to those of you who tune into the show on the Internet. I wasn't quite sure what to offer because it is a very difficult subject. So many people are negatively affected by substance use and abuse, that it is almost impossible to comprehend.

I decided to try to add some links that would offer to visitors some idea of how many resources are dedicated to finding solutions to this all encompassing problem. These links are oriented toward subtance abuse and addictions, and hopefully the answers you may be looking for can be found here. Loved ones and family members often do not know where to start, when they need help with someone suffering from an addiction. So it is my intention that this Website will be a useful resource.

When I first got sober I went to AA meetings, aa.org although the Internet did not exist then, I was "12 stepped" to an AA Meeting. It is called this because sober members of AA show up and intervene to try to help someone suffering from this terrible affliction. My late sister Ann Marie was the responsible party and set up a 12 step call. I was escorted to many, many AA meetings in the first few months. This turned out to be an everyday occurance and this loving support brought about by total strangers was instrumental in saving my life.

But of course, if you have a problem with cocaine, ca.org would be more helpful. Likewise, if methampheramine was your favorite drug crystalmeth.org would be the place. And if marijuana is the subject, many people consider marijuana a harmless weed; an innocuous substance that doesn't hurt anyone. Others think it is highly addictive. briancbennett.com marijuana-anonymous.org

I never met anyone who had a wish list at age 12 or 13 that included wanting to become an alcoholic or drug addict. I never met anyone who wished to become dependent on a particular substance. It just doesn't happen.

Having said that, consider that an addiction to anything is a very complex matter. If there was a simple solution, I wouldn't be writing this. And the referenced links would not be necessary. Nor would many therapists, counselors, doctors, or police, NA or AA either. The fact is, that addictions are the number one health problem in the United States today. samhsa.gov

On another note, consider the number one most violent preventable crime in the the country: DUI. A DUI Offender does not have to be an alcoholic or a drug addict. As a matter of fact, many are just folks who drank a little too much and made a mistake. Most of those people will never drink and drive again. However, those are not the ones who do the most damage on the nation's highways. It is the chronic hard core drinking driver who creates the most havoc. centurycouncil.org

MADD-Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, is a widely known non profit organization, madd.org that has brought a lot of pressure on the drinking driver. In doing so, MADD has no doubt saved many lives and eliminated a lot of serious injuries. But consider that MADD has been around since 1980. The Century Council and many other organizations also have had a profound impact on reducing some of the devastation on the highways.

But, the deaths continue almost unabated. ntsb.gov One alcohol related death occurs every 31 minutes and every 2 minutes there is an alcohol related injury. There were 17,036 traffic fatalities on our highways in 2007, and about the same number the year before, and the year before that. These are unacceptable numbers considering DUI is preventable. ntsb.gov/alerts/sa_004.pdf

It is an unfortunate fact today that many young people, age 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are experimenting with alcohol and drugs. Where are they getting the alcohol and drugs? Parents are so busy trying to survive today that they are unaware of the dangers that lurk inside their own medicine cabinet. niaaa.nih.gov

Researchers and experts agree that Television has played, and continues to play a profound role in setting the stage for underage drinking and drug use. The advent of the Internet has further eroded the values and mores of the last generation to a point where instant gratification seems to be an accepted norm.

The primary purpose of Last Call is to help educate and enlighten people who are suffering from addictions. And of course, many people are victimized: spouses, children, parents, neighbors, fellow employees, I am sure you can think of others. The addict negatively affects the lives of at least 35 others.

Are you addicted? What if you don't know you are an addict or alcoholic, but everyone else does?

What if you think you don't relate to someone with an addiction. Have you really thought about it? Surely you must know a friend of a friend. We are all affected in myriad ways, and it is costing us dearly.

Be honest with yourself. I challenge you to call me on my radio show and tell me and my listeners how you have been able to avoid the problem of addictions, when nobody else has been able to. I work with many people on a daiy basis, who are ensconced deeply in the disease of addiction. Those, and those around them suffer from uimaginable emotional pain.

We can help you become free from drugs or alcohol. Don't let your head continue to tell you it is hopeless. You are receiving bogus information. Help is available, but you have to want it. If you don't want it, go ahead and continue with your drugging and drinking behavior, but be sure to check back here when you really need some help.

HELP IS AVAILABLE!

More people are addicted to various substances today than ever before in recorded history. America has never known a worse scourge than the chemical dependency so many now face.

Throughout history a certain percentage of mankind has had a problem with substance abuse, dating back to early recorded history. But ancient history doesn't necessarily mean much to someone who has a particular problem at the moment. Most people today are more concerned with what’s going on TODAY! HERE AND NOW!!

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Unfortunately, addiction is not a problem that humanity has managed to leave in the past. The sad truth is, that addictions continue to kill countless people every day. Even sadder, most people in the throes of addiction cannot seem to fully grasp the complete scope of the effects of their behavior.

Addiction is a problem because it pervasively affects all of us directly or indirectly. Contemporary society has become molded in a “quick-fix” mentality, setting up seemingly endless potentials for addiction: If it ails you, take a pill. If you don’t feel good, take a pill. Depressed? Take a pill. Things not going right? Erectile Dysfunction? Take something for it. Various companies utilize TV, radio, the Internet, and printed media, spending billions of dollars annually to encourage you to buy their products – products designed to help you self-medicate. Is their strategy working? Look around. Is anyone you know using or abusing drugs or alcohol?

Who can become addicted?

Recent studies bear this out. A person who has no propensity for alcoholism can become alcoholic by continued drinking over a period of time. If it happens to be a stimulant drug, e.g. cocaine, methamphetamine etc., the cycle of addiction happens much more quickly.

Children as young as 9 or 10 years old and younger are experimenting with alcohol, and kids around the same age are trying mauijuana for the first time. The latest research and some of the most diligent studies ever recorded indicate, the proliferation of drugs and alcohol abuse in our society are not slowing down. We must take a different approach if we are to be successful.

Education and prevention are keys to gaining a foothold on the insidious and perplexing problems associated with drug addiction in our communities.
The “War on Drugs" is not working, so it is up to us to continue finding newer and better ways to help those afflicted and put an end to the circumstances that proliferate the stigma that addiction is a moral issue.

A 35 year-old male professional who likes to drink. He has been drinking on a daily basis for several years without any apparent problems. Suddenly, he acquires a DUI, replete with the night in jail, humiliation, attorneys' fees, strained relationships, court appearances, fine, mandatory DUI Program, other costs and inconveniences, and a lot more.

A working single mother of three pre-teens is using methamphetamine to help her work extra hours and maintain her second job. Her teeth are rotting out due to her addiction and she is physically challenged due to exhaustion. She is broke, and occasionally must resort to selling herself to earn money for survival.

A 12-year old introverted boy has much trouble communicating with pretty much everyone. He finds that when he smokes a little pot, he is an entirely different person, one who he can accept and be comfortable with, but also one who can no longer participate in some of the most basic activities required for a safe and balanced lifestyle.

I am sure you understand that I can go on with this ad infinitum. In my profession as a Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor, I see many, many of the above types of cases each week. It is a sad commentary of just what our society has become. And I reiterate, I never met anyone started out wanting to become dependent on any substance. It just happens.

If you have never taken a drink, smoked a joint, sniffed any fumes intentionally, dropped any mind or mood altering pills, or slammed a hype in your arm, this particular subject may escape you.

The purpose of this site is to try to provide some relative logic that can be comprehended by people seeking to change their addictive behavior. No mean feat. However, this change is being attempted by many - by thousands and perhaps millions on a daily basis, by people who are tired of living a lifestyle that is deleterious in many ways and that can only lead to jails or emergency rooms or death. Sadly, many find their ends in such environments. What is most tragic, though, is that it doesn't need to end that way! If only they could see!

Except for cigarettes, every drug on the list is used to enhance mood or attitude in some way. Reality remains the same, but the users' perceptions are altered, sometimes profoundly. If the first association with the substance is a pleasant or euphoric experience, a user may continue to use periodically or regularly, ever seeking the same experience. However, due to the natural heightening of levels of tolerance within the individual, after the first few experiences that level is never achieved. Not ever.

If, for biological, social, psychological, physiological or all of the above reasons the user finds a degree of comfort, the chances are great that he/she will continue to seek the same results, despite the possibility of negative consequences.

Such is the nature of addictions. The consequences only increase in severity over time as a user’s life enters an ever-downward spiral. The causal observer cannot help but to scratch his head in absolute dismay over the apparent lack of logic often displayed by the addict.

As time marches on, it seems there is always more to report when it comes to addictions. We are in the grip of methamphetamine epidemic in this country. It is literally tearing communities apart, yet there are many people who are seemingly unaware of it. Nevertheless, we must continue our fight against addictions, and education and prevention seem our best allies in this battle, as they are the most cost-effective methods and are conducive to forming long-term solutions to this ongoing problem.