Alternative Therapy Services for Addiction Freedom

President Biden's son has achieved "Grace" by his ability to get and remain sober for, 4 years so far ... May the god's of grace, allow him to continue ... and may they allow those who suffer, to also find the grace of sobriety.

Over four years ago, I chose life over the slow strangle-death grip of addiction, which in my case consisted each day of a bottle of vodka and as many hits on a crack pipe as possible. I am prouder of that choice and of my recovery than anything I’ve ever done.
My experience is not a unique one. At least 20 million Americans today suffer from substance abuse disorder. I don’t know a family that hasn’t been impacted in some way by addiction. What is distinct about my situation is that I’m the son of the president of the United States.
My struggles and my mistakes have been fodder for a vile and sustained disinformation campaign against him, and an all-out annihilation of my reputation through high-pitched but fruitless congressional investigations and, more recently, criminal charges for possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days five years ago – charges that appear to be the first-ever of their kind brought in the history of Delaware.
I am not a victim. By any standard, I grew up with privilege and opportunity, and fully accept that the choices and mistakes I made are mine, and I am accountable for them and will continue to be.
That is what recovery is about.
What troubles me is the demonization of addiction, of human frailty, using me as its avatar and the devastating consequences it has for the millions struggling with addiction, desperate for a way out and being bombarded by the denigrating and near-constant coverage of me and my addiction on Fox News (more airtime than GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis) and in The New York Post (an average of two stories a dayover the past year).
Someone once told me, “Getting clean is easy, all you have to do is change everything.” That is one of the most profound truths I know today.
The weaponization of my addiction by partisan and craven factions represents a real threat to those desperate to get sober but are afraid of what may await them if they do.
Mental health care:My mom's su***de wasn't a personal failure. When she needed community, the system let her down.
It is not hard to see why: My recent haircut turned into a wild conspiracy to evade drug tests, tabloids steadily splash n**e pictures of me on their covers, and even a member of Congress displayed revenge p**n of me on national television.
My addiction doesn’t justify Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui posting altered n**e photos of me with “editorial creativity over the pictures.” My addiction shouldn’t permit the likes of Rudy Giuliani or a former Peter Navarro aide to debase and dehumanize me for their own gains.
It is already a near-impossible decision for addicts to get sober, and the avalanche of negativity and assault of my personal privacy may only make it harder for those considering it.
VOICES
Hunter Biden: I fought to get sober. Political weaponization of my addiction hurts more than me.
My struggles and my mistakes have been fodder for a vile and sustained disinformation campaign against my father, President Joe Biden, and an all-out annihilation of my reputation.
Hunter Biden
Opinion contributor
Over four years ago, I chose life over the slow strangle-death grip of addiction, which in my case consisted each day of a bottle of vodka and as many hits on a crack pipe as possible. I am prouder of that choice and of my recovery than anything I’ve ever done.
My experience is not a unique one. At least 20 million Americans today suffer from substance abuse disorder. I don’t know a family that hasn’t been impacted in some way by addiction. What is distinct about my situation is that I’m the son of the president of the United States.
My struggles and my mistakes have been fodder for a vile and sustained disinformation campaign against him, and an all-out annihilation of my reputation through high-pitched but fruitless congressional investigations and, more recently, criminal charges for possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days five years ago – charges that appear to be the first-ever of their kind brought in the history of Delaware.

I accept that the choices and mistakes are mine
I am not a victim. By any standard, I grew up with privilege and opportunity, and fully accept that the choices and mistakes I made are mine, and I am accountable for them and will continue to be.
That is what recovery is about.
What troubles me is the demonization of addiction, of human frailty, using me as its avatar and the devastating consequences it has for the millions struggling with addiction, desperate for a way out and being bombarded by the denigrating and near-constant coverage of me and my addiction on Fox News (more airtime than GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis) and in The New York Post (an average of two stories a dayover the past year).
Conspiracy theories:GOP's Hunter Biden hysteria makes even less sense after plea deal gets put on hold
The science of addiction and recovery has made great strides in just the past decade. However, far too few will ever experience the miracle of recovery unless we change the stigma around addiction.
For those of us who live in recovery and for those who love someone in recovery, we know how hard fought our newfound lives are in letting go of the shame and making amends.
'Getting clean is easy, all you have to do is change everything'
Someone once told me, “Getting clean is easy, all you have to do is change everything.” That is one of the most profound truths I know today.
The weaponization of my addiction by partisan and craven factions represents a real threat to those desperate to get sober but are afraid of what may await them if they do.
Mental health care:My mom's su***de wasn't a personal failure. When she needed community, the system let her down.
It is not hard to see why: My recent haircut turned into a wild conspiracy to evade drug tests, tabloids steadily splash n**e pictures of me on their covers, and even a member of Congress displayed revenge p**n of me on national television.
My addiction doesn’t justify Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui posting altered n**e photos of me with “editorial creativity over the pictures.” My addiction shouldn’t permit the likes of Rudy Giuliani or a former Peter Navarro aide to debase and dehumanize me for their own gains.
It is already a near-impossible decision for addicts to get sober, and the avalanche of negativity and assault of my personal privacy may only make it harder for those considering it.
I am blessed with a family that gave me the support and space to seek sincere redemption – and they too endure this shaming and humiliation of their father, son, brother and uncle. After what I have gone through since my brother died in 2015, and the perpetual public humiliation of me, I am now certain I can survive anything (except a drink or a drug).
And I am certain that part of my living amends is to not only survive this, but to also use my experience to be a living example of the promises we are told await us in sobriety.
The effort of recovery is something that should be celebrated, and I hope that despite my role as the punchline and punching bag for some, others will also make the effort I have made, one day at a time, and get honest with themselves and the people who love and rely upon them.
The effort is worth it. You are worth it. I am living proof of that.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, you can call theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) any time of day or night.
Hunter Biden is the son of President Joe Biden.

CNN Health, newsletter:

Experimental brain surgery could help treat drug addiction

In high school, Gerod Buckhalter was a basketball and football star, fielding Division I scholarship offers in 10th grade. But a shoulder injury at age 15 led to a prescription for opioid painkillers. His doctors prescribed the pills for six weeks. After that, Buckhalter found them on his own.



But an experimental surgery has helped keep him on a path of sobriety for more than two years.



Buckhalter became the first patient in a four-person research study testing the safety and feasibility of deep brain stimulation, or DBS, as an addiction treatment.



DBS has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease and depression, but Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at the University of West Virginia, believes it can help the most severe forms of addiction.



"When you first take drugs, you get the dopamine high," Rezai said. "But the more drug you take, there's less and less." In susceptible individuals, the result is intense craving and obsessive behavior. The part of the brain that manages motivation and craving, the nucleus accumbens, is overactivated -- constantly seeking dopamine.



By placing an electrical probe into the nucleus accumbens, Rezai hopes to restore normal function. The wire also stimulates a second region of the brain, the frontal cortex, which is vital to higher thought and decision-making.



The research is still early, but considering we’ve lost more than 100,000 people to drug overdose in a single year, we need to look at all avenues of treatment.

“THIS IS FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T GET IT:
You drank the same alcohol I drank. You smoked the same w**d I smoked. You even tried the same line of white stuff someone put in front of you at a party. You were able to walk away and not take it to the extreme. As children, we don’t decide we would rather be an addict instead of a cop. When is the last time you talked to a little girl who told you she couldn’t wait to grow up so she could turn tricks to feed the insatiable hunger of her drug addiction? My best friend didn’t tell me about exciting plans to become homeless. My friend didn’t blow out her candles as a child wishing for a substance use disorder because she couldn’t wait for the day her children were taken into foster care.

Nobody wants to have substance use disorder. Some of us just do. So please always remember:
You made those same choices, too. You just got lucky that it was me and not you.
If you still have doubts, you can take those up with the Center for Disease Control or the United States Surgeon General. They have classified addiction as a disease, but then again... I am sure you know more about it than they do, right?

I pray that you don’t have to reevaluate these opinions because you find out your child or parent is an addict. If you do, just know that we will accept you into our community. We will help your loved one. Do you know why we would do that? Because we are good people who just want the chance to live like everyone else. So please, before you write another post bashing people who are suffering, think about it. Not only are you hurting the people who have the disease, you could be hurting everyone that loves them. You have people on your friends list or might overhear you at work who have children who are suffering right this moment from addiction. What did they do to deserve the awful things you put out into the universe that do nothing but perpetuate hate and judgment?
You have a right to your opinion. But no matter what, hurting people is wrong. 📷📷📷

Being an addict made me who I am today, I help people who want help and even those who don’t. I post things like this on my fb wall for the simple fact that it might help one single person. The thing is, I was lucky enough to survive and I am grateful for my life and every one who I allow to remain in it.

You can do it too, I believe in you.🤞🏽💙


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