The Book for The Other Cancer Called Addiction

Chapter One: The Dominican Republic

It costs a person Two Hundred Dollars to have another person killed in the Dominican Republic.  If you run a casino, many will kill you for free just to put you on their resume or impress the girl that wanted the casino man dead.   If you are the casino guy and you can’t find the cash on the financials that you protected all night long, every night, there is a problem.  You know it’s not only a problem, it’s a set up.  You now find yourself trying to tell “Wall Street” about sweet success while wondering where the cash went.  At the same time, the big boss wants to raise more money from the humble market off of small trusting shareholders that believe in the dream, and want to be part of your excitement.  It is then that you finally realize you are definitely not working a job.  Everything about you, every muscle and every thought stops with the exception of one pressing thought, you have to stay alive while you try to get out of this situation.  You don’t know where to turn or who to trust, Fear now runs the show.

Slow motion or fast motion, you can never stop looking to make sure you know everything going on around you.  You act strong, live in fear and begin to fall for a beautiful woman from Canada to help you feel safe.  But now your fear only continues to grow as you are now responsible for protecting two lives.  It wrecks your own sense of humanity because you want to be perfect for that person and just simply enjoy a piece of life, but instead you find yourself locking yourself into the hotel room for safety and gasping for air in private. You hide the fear day in and day out.  You must look strong while your insides have been torn to pieces.

You don’t know if you are dead or alive.  You are just a machine trying to keep a smile while seeking truthful answers from the Boss, like, “where did all the cash go that I protected?”, and “How would you like me to raise more money if the cash disappeared after discussing the profits with investors?”   You talk to the boss about those questions while keeping your back to the corner of the room while expecting security to whack you any moment.  You have become only fear.

Chapter Two:  Diagnosis and Intervention

That little story is part of my past life.  It is no different from what kids who are lost may feel.  No matter what the story is, it is traumatic to the one who is living the story and trying to figure it out.

Prevention in this day and age is so important because the transitions involved in triggering addiction can be sparked in a person rapidly, in fact it can be fast and furious.  The addiction can be triggered simply by having ordinary products in your home.  I’ll never forget how sick I got from taking a shot of mouthwash from my grandfather’s medicine cabinet.  I was lucky, I got sick minutes later.  I  remember watching him as he would shake it around in his mouth like it was fun and I wanted to try it myself, but I didn’t know what I was doing could actually hurt me.  Now picture a similar scenario where a kid is watching someone they love pop pills with Oxycodone, how tempted will they be to try one?

If your family is able to perform an intervention successfully, meaning they took away all of your cash, froze all of your bank accounts, secured your passport, and left you with nothing more than a 9 year old empty wallet and a plane ride to your rehab destination, then they  have done great, they have thought out the process and have done the right thing for you. You accept the deal knowing or respecting that everyone else must be right but are elated by the idea that people cared so much about you that it would be inappropriate to reject their offer because you did not feel you had an addiction problem.  They are the family that I was a crutch for as they seemed to want to be the crutch for me as I wondered what the hell was going on after being the only one who had pulled out their ?????vices the night before at a party.

Upon accepting the intervention, you are offered beer and cigarettes.  Something you had quit.  You see the smirk that says “take it now to relax you.  You like both and you won’t ever have it again for 28 days.”  Politically, I took a cigarette because my forethought was not in a chess game mode, but I wouldn’t take the beer at 9 am because I certainly didn’t have anything to celebrate after watching the party the night before and partaking in my limited way… I was literally annoyed.

If he wasn’t triggered, the kid heading to rehab as I did will be picked up from the airport and learn more about every drug he never knew about.  He will fear the driver.  As He gets driven he will wonder if the driver is using.  He will wonder how the driver guy could do all those drugs and be driving you.  He will start to negotiate with himself thinking if this guy is getting paid to drive me, what did I miss, why am I in a car with him.  I have never been around someone who has done all of this.  Should I start using drugs to be a great guy or should I run for my life?

You start to build a confidence with the driver you are sitting next to and let down your guard because you have no idea what you got yourself into.   You don’t even have enough money in your pocket to get a cab back to the airport.  You are owned.  It reminds you of being with celebrities crawling across the floor chanting, “the cops are coming, hide. The COPS are coming, HIDE.”  So you have to make a decision because if it isn’t the cops, that are coming it is going to be people with drugs coming after you.  You simply have to play the part.

When you finally get delivered to rehab, everyone is all smiles, then you are put against the wall and patted down for weapons.  You have to pull everything out of your pockets and then you have to pee in a cup in front of people.  That is the entrance fee after they collected the cash.  You are treated like a convict because a majority of all crimes in America are drug related, and you are now lumped into that category.

So suddenly, you have nowhere to go, no money in your pocket and you remember that you were promised a vacation with palm trees on a sandy, waterfront beach that might actually give you time to think and instead find you are in a prison you never thought of.  It is a wild transformation of trust to move forward but the doubt in family and friends becomes a distraction that you don’t want to think about.  You think you are going for medical attention to your arms ???? and to fix sleep deprivation and you are treated like a criminal.

After you are processed, you finally get a room.  You finally get your bed, one of five in an 12x 12 room with 4 roommates.  You can’t talk or think anymore but you try to be cordial to figure out where to put your toothbrush and figure out what to expect for the next month.  Again, the roommates were very nice guys who helped you understand the system.  You are exhausted, decide to accept it, and try to get some much needed sleep.  You have to accept it because you have more than 3 days to go until you can use a phone for a maximum of 20 minutes to call family and say what the hell is this?

As the same time you are trying to be cordial you realize the pills they gave you to be sober after already being sober are taking effect and you can’t seem to figure out what is going on.  You go down for the count after a long day, pills that were forced on you when you tried to reject them and you are out like a light.  You sleep soundly… right up until time that the room is raided.  You wake up in a daze, not remembering where you are, you have pills in your system that you did not want, and you are so deeply exhausted that you simply can’t figure out what is going on.  Then you finally understand what happened, the roommates jumped the wall for “freedom”.  Suddenly there you are, stuck in the middle of an inquisition as if you had arranged or somehow facilitated the “prison” break.

To expand… the reality of luggage searches,  room searches, body searches, gay against straight mediation, girlfriends being snuck in, medication trying to be stolen,  parents delivering a helper, sneaking parents in, and then you find out the guys giving the clients rides back from a meeting are selling to your client to get the insurance money with everything planned out. I thought I was paranoid for a while but I saw it all.  It was one weird mess how I got exposed to all this.

I’m not against the measurements that need to be taken during treatment to ensure adequate safety for both clients and staff, I am very much in agreement that they are extremely important.  However,  I often wonder why I was put in the situation where I was exposed to so much when parents could have prevented the disease of addiction in those kids by practicing the same type of discipline they have for work as a discipline they should have when raising these kids.  Like saving money on heat or air conditioning, by respecting the cost, none of us deserve anything until we know we don’t deserve anything and take accountability for our priorities in life.  The more time and energy we waste in comfort, the more we teach our kids to assume it will always be there.  Let’s change the game.

In my case, sleep deprivation was a huge symptom.  It turns out it was also the diagnosis. Sleep deprivation is nearly untreatable without some kind of pill or through constant physical exertion.  In fact, I was introduced to the addiction industry because I and my family knew I was drinking too much to calm my overactive nerves and sleep soundly.  I’ll get back to that again but my initial diagnosis was Bi-Polar 1 because that was all the rage then to charge the insurance companies with.  With no disrespect to the women that create humanity for us, sleep deprivation is a little less powerful than the body’s ability to create chemicals during a typical menstruation cycle but it lasts 30 days a month.  I’m passionate, emotional, excited, fearful, sarcastic and a Gemini if that helps you relate to two sides of the street when I’m being human, in other words, I wear my feelings on my sleeve.  Bi-Polar II is completely different and I have the highest respect for how amazing people afflicted with this are able to keep fighting. (add a sentence on what bi-polarII is).  What I had was a diagnosis simply to apply a diagnosis. This was simply a diagnosis which was needed to legally make a treatment plan, which warrants insurance premiums.  This was a diagnosis made after I was about to be kicked out of the treatment center because I was not truly afflicted by THE OTHER CANCER CALLED ADDICTION.  I’m not saying I can’t be, I am just saying that I was not.  Just like pre cancer cells that need to be triggered, addiction can be as well, there are many stressors that can trigger addiction to show its ugly face.

My treatment for bipolar I, other than talking to a beautiful lady with smarts, honesty and integrity that made me feel safe from the world I had left, consisted of (and she didn’t condone most of this but did offer it), take sleeping pills,  drink alcohol or stop life as you know it and do full time physical labor.  Occasionally I would have some spit fire erupt in me and I  would say, “I just told you what I went through in the Dominican Republic and you dare to say it isn’t Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome that I have?  You told me to pop pills or drink alcohol but you never offered to take a nice quiet vacation together with that package?  Listen, I walked into this joint as sober, or more sober than you did.  Do you even hear or pay attention to what is going on in the treatment sessions?  This experience was the scariest and most enlightening thing I had never heard about.  That is my diagnosis, take it or leave it.  Take 24 more days and connect the dots of my life.  That’s what I love to do and what relaxes me if I don’t have to be worried about being shot because my boss stole money or that my boss was trying to pin the theft on me after wanting me to sign the documents that would help him to alleviate his crime. It helps me focus on where I am going and what I want to do next.

Days of treatment seminars later, after studying all night, I went back to my therapist and said, “TOCCA…  The Other Cancer Called Addiction”.  (EXPAND) That is my treatment plan because there are kinks in every part of what is preached and I have to connect the dots so I can relax.  I had no idea this world existed and now I might need a therapist.  I need to connect the dots because I was 1600 miles away from family, sight unseen for over a year, and diagnosed with an intervention.  I came here and was told to pop pills, drink alcohol or give up on me so I can be what everyone else wants me to be.   I continued to get involved in the program.  I felt like a liar because, I was more like an undercover boss than a confidant.  It helped to do this back then but I certainly paid my dues thereafter.

Chapter Three:  A vision of TOCCA through Intervention

While trying to figure out one this thing called sleep deprivation/stress, I learned every way to find drugs, learned what each drug can do for you, learned how to pick out hookers in a crowd, learned where to go to enjoy these hookers and drugs and also learned how to pull a gun off my head while being mugged as I talked the lingo (which includes inviting the mugger over for a free night stay).  I kind of liked the guy, he just got trapped into a rough lifestyle).   Since I entered this business I have been cornered by my own tenants, three at a time, who couldn’t pay rent.  I have literally pulled the needles out of their arms in my own back yard.  I have pulled them out of motel rooms when they finally realized it was me or death, and I have sat in emergency rooms for hours on end without answers and wondered what had happened to the 80 year Industry that started with a passion to help others and wound up being an industry just looking for a paycheck.

How did I get into this situation? I had inadvertently entered a world that I never believed existed because my family was trying to help me out from sixteen hundred miles away. There were no visits from them, just one request… make it home for Christmas.  When I was then told not to come home for Christmas, and told that it was in effect cancelled on me I was crushed. But when I was told that I had to make sure I was home for my father’s birthday, I found myself twitching and looking over my back.

So what did I do to shake it off you ask?  Well I threw the biggest party that I’ve ever thrown. I provided lobster on the house for local families from a little restaurant I owned in the Dominican Republic.  I knew something was wrong aside from my two torn rotator cuffs and felt that I might not be around for much longer.  Casino threats, subcontractor of casino threats, DR politician Threats, Investor threats that I still get nearly 6 years later because of lost cash at that casino…Did I  grand stand by partying up a storm while hanging from a chandelier?  No, I simply recognized that I could make a few families happy with lobster that I felt I might not have the chance to sell.  That is my type of party.  It was quite a celebration.

Upon my arrival to New York, as I mentioned, I was happy, but I knew something was a little off.  It was a great way to take a few days off without feeling the need to look over my shoulder.  I wasn’t drinking or smoking.  I was relaxed and enjoying the party.  I was happy to be in a situation again where I could truly relax, and I loved that feeling.

The next morning at 9AM on the first day off I had taken after nearly two years of working seven days a week, nineteen hours a day, I’m suddenly awakened and nearly dragged out of bed.  I’m really not a morning person unless I work through the night. My whole family knows I’m not a morning person.  That fact is well known but my sleep deprived self was directed to go to the basement.  I don’t think I was even offered a cup of coffee first.

When I arrived in the basement I saw there was an intervention set up for me.  It was priceless, perfect and loving.  Almost everyone I loved was there.  It was like Christmas without the pressure of buying gifts.  Stupidly, I couldn’t figure out why we were having a surprise party at 9AM.

Not one of these wonderful people had ever spoken publicly at a podium, but they all stood up to pour out their thoughts, feelings, and ideas like champions.  The time, the stress, emotion and frustration that everyone exerted that day, for them, hurts me. I never wanted to be the cause of any pain in my loved ones.

I have been gifted with an amazing family.  We can beat each other up verbally, pick each other up physically and always make sure we are safe.  It’s not about the big win.  It’s about the basics.

To this day, I know no one had a right to judge me from far away.  It took me four years to find out why my brother so caringly set up that intervention from sixteen hundred miles away.  It turns out it was the old boss.  The casino boss called him and told him…….  The same guy I fired 13 years before though I took in his son as a protégé. The son that called me 13 years later to ask me to help his father because his father was in over his head, but “had changed his ways” was apparently someone I could trust now.

I got into this industry and gained the knowledge because some Casino Boss found out I’m a hard target to hit.  He used me, my family, my friends to try to get a handle on files that I still have in possession.  He did it after he drunked up so much that he fell down the stairs, cracked his head and had to show up at the casino the next day for meetings and explain why he looked like he was.  Excuses and motive were in play thereafter.

To this day, I am grateful.  I have worked through everything no one wants to hear about and have helped kids at the same time.

Here’s the thing that this book is about.  Another reason I don’t want clients, I want people that need help.  WE don’t know what is really going on in someone’s life until we sit down and spend time with them.  Texting, Instant Messaging, Email, even phone calls are really a means to hide from yourself or the person you are talking to.  Keeping up with the Jones and bringing in dual incomes are all an excuse to do what you want to do while selfishly texting to say you are there and get the “job” of parenting done.  These jobs don’t end.  There is no excuse to not provide accountability for your kids in your own home.  This industry is no summer camp that is paid for by insurance, it is a rough, scary place to be in while trying to solve the problems that have been developed over the course of years.

An intervention, (which is a greater effort than most kids receive), is a morbid and horrific experience where you judged by family who were “incarcerated” by third party views that were sold to them.  It’s worse to be obligated to do the right thing for them because they cared so much but didn’t know where or how to start.  An intervention can rip years out of someone’s life if you are successful, it can also rip a family apart if you are not successful and it can tear down family connections that may never be built again if you are right there in the middle.  I’m terrible at sayings, but “Every Good Deed Deserves a Slap in the Face”, Right?

Skip my lack of talent with sayings though.  Just think of a text message, there is no intonation, connotation, rhythm, emotion, understanding or sincerity expressed when you reach out to someone via text or social media.  It is a selfish stalemate to feel like we tried.  It’s the closest we can come to expression when we are looking at a excel spreadsheet, drafting legal documents or simply trying to email someone who might bring us up the ladder.  That is what we portray and model to our kids, and that I believe is a root to the epidemic.

Subconsciously, we know what we are doing when we do it but we all have to keep up with the Jones’ and be efficient, so we text, or instant message to communicate with each other.  After all, the whole idea of texting, instant messaging and email is to communicate without invading privacy or interrupting a business or personal life.  If someone responds, it gives us minute to think.  It’s a tool for yes, no maybe, let’s talk.  It isn’t a good way or the right tool to use to raise our kids to be happy and to feel supported in their lives.

As much as innovation, technology and capitalism have improved our lives, we are still in shell shock, in a type of culture shock if you will.  We are adapting to the next best thing, then the next, and then the next, and we are losing focus on what it means to be a family.  You may have kids.  I don’t for a reason.  We have got to start working this out before it is too late for more kids.

When I was a kid, I was taking the odds from a roulette table, and creating a program on DOS  BASIC  from a Commodore 64 computer, I did this when I was 13 and running a yacht cleaning business.  My parents loved it.  But look at what I just wrote:  Commodore 64.  That means 64 kilobytes of ram memory.  How could I create the hardest, most expensive game in a casino with 64 bytes, get compliments and still make it to dinner on time to talk about everything real with my parents.  I’ve got all the technology in the world right now and I have a hard time seeing parents when they are only a couple miles away.   Is it technology, family values or a mistake we all made trying too hard instead of getting the job done, the right job done?  Our first job is supposed to be family and community.

What we do seems like it should be acceptable to us because we are working hard to buy the next overpriced computer game to keep our kids happy.  When we do have a break from trying to do the right thing for our kids, WE DESERVE IT and we ask them why they aren’t happy with the things that we got for you?

In a world in which we buy into everyday that provides more methods of communication than there has ever been, we look at efficiently trying to respond to all the texts, emails and instant messages we get. They are annoying, and time consuming.  As a result, we grow more dependent on the services than the heart we have to share.  We keep making contact via technology but the contact lacks real emotion.  We keep making contact to feel good and pay that bill, so we feel that we can’t be wrong.  The demise of real true communication and understanding starts here per so many clients’ stories.  I didn’t dream this stuff up.  Thousands of stories from your kids enlightened me to try helping you.

“Dad/Mom, I didn’t burn up your text messaging today. I was looking to speak to you when you had time.  I’ve taken some pills that my friend said would help me.“

“That’s great honey, I’ll be home later… gotta keep the boss happy so we can get you that new video game.  Do you have any McDonalds’s left over?  If not, I defrosted some hot dogs for you.  Always there for you… I’ll call you later.”

I wish that was an exaggerated story, but sadly, it is fact.  I’ve witnessed these stories, and I’ve been on the phone to be part of it, and worked to help with a passion, thereafter.

It is a reason to live, love and learn.  As we say here, it only takes an extra 10 minutes to change your life, but you have to want to learn.  Parents should understand that before they ask our industry to fix their problems.

I’m going to tell you the good and the bad of being a saint in the world of addiction when you text instead of call, when you send kids to be fixed up when they only needed a hug and when you turn them into a world they didn’t know because you guessed while texting, to make the boss happy.  If you can’t relate yet, give it a go and try to learn before the disease of Addiction takes your family.  No one needs to admit mistakes because there is no rule book.  There is merely an epidemic that we can protect each other from by sharing knowledge and humility before we judge a family member or friend.

Chapter 4:  The addiction crisis in our midst

I’ll try to help with my story, which will put doubt upon me from every business merger, job, friendship or family I have ever known or will know.  It is that important for you to start to learn as I take another risk to help you learn. $650 Billion a year is wasted on the drug industry and drug related crime. That budget is in place, however now the government flaunts $1 Billion in tax revenue from Marijuana sales. Who is working for your kids?

Parents have an amazing ability to tell you what you can aspire to be, who you really are inside, and how to get there.  Sometimes, it is similar to telling you to eat vegetable s so you can be on the baseball team where you are so young but the best player.  Then later on, they come back and talk about how they over sold the everything to make you catch a few rules.   America may be the greatest land in the world with innovation, and ethics but it can many times be describe as a “pursuit of happiness” with no guarantees.

I was brought up within a strong family where mind and body created the dream pursuant to the rules we all got prescribed to us by our founding fathers.  They believed that they had in their idea’s the ability to launch a great nation which contained the ideals and values that we needed to help our future generations to feel safe or like they did something right.  Although I was primed to believe I could be the next President of the United States, I was also primed to fight without recognition for my work.  I had a beautiful family.  A simplistictic happiness growing up which makes me wonder about how hard my father actually had to work to make it so simplistic for us.  How hard it was to pull it together to make sure we had a smile on our faces as he took the punches and made the sacrifices.

Good Ole Sylvester Stallone came out with the Rocky movies that have more wisdom in them than winning the battle.  It is about heart, spirit, fear, hope, love and a reckoning with knowing yourself.   Now granted, the character only had to prepare to fight someone he could see in a single boxing arena, and the new America of pushing paper is like throwing punches that don’t give answers.  We all fight in our own way and I believe we all fight together for the best.   However, I think we spend more time fighting for a way to stop working than we do getting the work done.  We don’t even take the risk anymore, no, we just want what we want now instead of deserving it through earning it. Having kids like I almost did, seems like a “Hail Mary” attempt to save a relationship, get  an alimony check and ensure a child support payment.   Then and thereafter the relationship comes an insurance policy to send the kid away before any true accountability is taken to protect the child.  We learn, love and preach but we don’t do.  We want to buy happiness and get everyone to shut up.

I believe it has truly hurt our next generation of genius kids.  These kids, most of whom I don’t see until they are at least 21, are brilliant.  They know the game faster than we can create it but they don’t know the fight.

They don’t know the fight because we are so tired of fighting and shoving a video game in their mouth that they can’t even feel it.  They don’t know it.

I’m always inspired by Rocky movies.   Those movies represent something similar to the 12 Steps of AA and added all together, are very similar to how I grew up.  I’m not perfect, but I think my parents were.

If you’ve been in this industry long enough, if you got stuck in this industry for the wrong reasons, if you are offered pills from doctors who decided who you were by telling family, there are always other ways out.  There are ways to fight back.   Then again, one wrong pill and there is no coming back.

Most times, I don’t even get a chance to work with your kids before they took that one wrong pill one too many times.  It is a relentless amount of hope and vision that you have to put together for them .  Faith keeps you going but they disappear unlike  how I was brought up and a Rocky movie can testify to.  It’s obvious but oblivious to most because no one wants the work.  “It isn’t about how hard you get punched, it’s about how many punches you can take and keep moving forward. “

Our country has become so politically correct that we don’t know how to fight anymore.  We always look up to the Jones to find a path.  I’ll promise you that the Jones have things going on behind those closed doors they don’t want anyone to know about.  We all do.  We need to reach within ourselves and decide who we are, what we want for ourselves as a family, and build our kids up to be fighters.

After all, if your kid makes it to a meeting with Hillary Clinton and doesn’t get bankrupted by Trump but they decide he should quit… do you want your kid to believe them?  Do you want your kid to give up, try again, do it different, be more political, change toilet paper after trying to learn or do you want him to believe?  Do you want him to be right?  Do you have the ability to try on his behalf?

I’ve got a bit of a gift for business because I have a support system called family.  I could have fallen into the epidemic.  I had reason to fall into the epidemic because I paid to fight, I fought, and I was there for any commitment I ever made.

Many things I am bringing up are everything I can’t believe this world has turned into. It concerns me for what we all may have seen and swept under the rug.  I had the privilege of living in Florida and seeing my home town change from a third point of view.  I had the privilege of living in a third world country that reminded me of family life and was saddened at seeing what America became upon my return.  What I mean is, if the perfect family (2 kids, mother and father) has listened, they would have realized that they have been a part of or are involved in this epidemic through use or enablement, while pushing it aside to keep moving personally.  This isn’t a charity.   You can’t throw some change in a bucket and feel like you made a difference.  This is everyone.

I want a world back where people smile at their neighbor instead of question if they are one of the 25% of Americans directly affected by Drugs. Apparently, home has turned into walls as opposed to sitting on the porch and saying hello to neighbors walking their dog.  We choose to live in fear while hiding behind technology.  We pretend to communicate.  We swipe things under the rug to function while not understanding the implications and the affect it has on our own watch for the very kids we needed to validate ourselves with.  Do you have a spoiled brat or are you a spoiled brat?

In turn, the kids swipe it under the rug because they can’t swipe it with a credit card.  When they ask for help, we swipe it under the rug.  It’s a never ending circle unless we start understanding, learning and begin building in the home first.  Trying to help without understanding is a path to destruction when you think everything is right and you got the job done.  Everything takes practice and we should all practice together.

Chapter five: The sober living industry

There is an extremely important concept in the industry called, “Changing People, Places and Things”.  It refers to what is needed to get clients to think about their survival as opposed to working through the loop holes of a system.  If you place someone affected with the other cancer called addiction into a community far from family, friends and dealers,  if you have a proper intervention and the client is away from everything he knows and sober living house rules define the terms of housing, terms better than anyone with the worst credit or ability to pay can wager with mere hope, those willing to become a productive member of society take their genius and apply it to safety as opposed to risk.

Without offering statistics as of yet, a majority of people afflicted with addiction are non-conformists who see every angle and exactly where they will end up based on today’s near socialist society mixed with mere connections to rise their way to the top without connections.  They choosee to enjoy life while they can.  The current system used by a firm I once worked for as a subcontractor was different from traditional sober living.  If a person was afflicted, they were not taken in unless they had insurance.  If the client had insurance and relapsed, their punishment was to move from one house to another house 2 miles away.  Candidly I just said that a client could relapse and have a punishment of packing up and moving 2 miles away.

Traditional sober living took on the liability of all the other clients and was forced to put the client into the streets of homelessness to ensure safety for all the other clients and staff.  The precedence was set originally, and previous to this litigious world, to put a fear factor in place that would help teach the accountability for your actions and repercussions of breaking the rules.  It essence, it worked.

Nowaday, there are networks and methods to find the cash if a client has a bad day and doesn’t die from an over dose.  As long as they stay alive, they have housing.  There isn’t much motivation.  There isn’t even the client of coming from Philadelphia to South Florida and being transferred to Texas if they don’t follow the rules, learn the way of life or relapse.  They move down the street and stick with the same people, places and things as the family thinks they are still doing it right.

As I started out the book, I got into a bad position working for a casino in a third world country, a place where you can’t break the rules.  I was asked to break American rules under threats of Americans in that country and I couldn’t get out.  Upon my intervention which was put together from family, I gave them my passport so I couldn’t leave the country.  Thereafter I was treated like a prisoner from the second I entered the treatment facility in a town I hadn’t known.  I had no outs.  Reversing that trend, utilizing the Caribbean where the second language is English is a portion of where I think we can bring back the traditional sober living program to get people started and motivated to get back to America.  That would add the true motivating factor, another rule in sober living called, “Being Selfish for Unselfish Reasons.”

“Being Selfish for Unselfish Reasons” consists of reminding clients that they can’t help anyone unless they help themselves first.  It means that you were triggered with one wrong drug because you undertook too many thoughts of responsibility and problems everyone else had.  Thereafter, you learn by metaphor, “Don’t Drown Trying to Save Someone Else Because You Will Sink.”  In the program, it is a fantastic rule because we are talking about someone drowning in drugs.  Yet, for the clients practicing the program correctly, it applies to everything in life and many times distances them so far from humanity that they get stuck in one job, one thought, one ability and one hope; to stay sober for a day.

To reproach the thought, it isn’t a bad way to live the thought of it however takes away the passion, the hope, the genius, and the ability of the client.  The stigma of sobriety and fighting off all the careless ways that have resulted from their program makes them complacent until they get bored.  The boredom is what they many times experienced and started using drugs as a replacement for.  That puts the client right back into the risk of relapse.  It is almost a countdown to the next episode.

Is this where you want your child to be?  Is that the life that you envisioned for your children?  Sometimes working hard to buy them a car or a sweet 16 party is a waste of time unless you have taken in the basics of parenting during this day and age.  The more confidence you have that your family is not one of them offers your children a greater complacency to make them one of the clients that you can’t handle.  In this day and age of synthetic drugs that create carnivorous children, I ask to you want to worry about being eaten to death or own up to parenting issues such as making drug testing a responsible regiment with your family so that you know Sweet 16 parties are actually SWEET.

The sober living industry changed so quickly.  The industry was about a passion to help others while hoping for a paycheck.  It was about taking in the worst tenant in the world per paper and developing someone who wanted to learn.

The implications and liability faced personally as you struggle to help others may be unfathomable for many and definitely rejected from the real estate industry I had commanded change in.  To take the risk to do what the passionate people do in this industry is a beautiful thing, especially when they aren’t part of big business.

One of my favorite clients in history came to my home via referral from another business I worked with in the hopes of a real merger and learning more about all the money the owner was after as the industry got out of hand.  Talk about being naïve.  I was there because I had heart.

The gentleman that was referred to me by the previously mentioned firm, needed to be picked up from the hospital. It was a little more than a hospital.  It was a suicide ward.  At that time, I believed anyone who attempted or committed suicide had just quit on themselves or society because I have had close friends do it.  I thought they left us all with more work because they couldn’t handle it.  I thought they had no right to be part of my home because they weren’t even trying to make good so the idea of taking them in and hoping for a paycheck was the worst business move I could make.  It was also the highest level of liability.  Even more so than the guy I had spent 22 hours straight trying to find on the streets after he got kicked out of treatment and his mother begged me to find him and the needle in his arm.

No joke, the mother gave me the worst review on Yelp about 5 minutes after I charged her a ridiculously low amount of money to help her son. It’s still up there until I buy advertising from Yelp and get it removed, per all the advice given to me by sales representatives.  Upon a contract with them, they will release 13 other 5 star recommendations for our work. Apparently, Yelp doesn’t have a passion to help others.

With understanding and fright after learning the gentleman’s story, I was even more concerned.  I called the company that had made a verbal agreement with us as I took on the personal liability.  I was advised to kick him out onto the street.  I resisted saying if he tried to commit suicide 3 days ago, he will definitely do it better today if I kick him out on the street.

Let me tell you something about the great people of the sober living industry before the money became the new addiction.  These people truly care, take risks beyond comprehension and make it all work for your community.  Then they work harder when the program doesn’t work.

Chapter 6:  The watch

I wouldn’t accept the answer from the “big company” telling me to kick the kid into the street.  I sat with him.  I talked to him and watched over him.  I didn’t watch over him for 8 hours a day, I watch over him, lived with him and lived my life on 20 minute power naps to make sure he was okay.

In so doing, I learned everything I could from him that he would divulge including he had been in the system for more than a decade to say the least.  This is a little piece of my life that feels good.

I took him down to basics.  Utilize the program but think small as I grew up.  Be a survivor.  Appreciate the hardship so the money means something when you get it.  Appreciate the back yard and wild life around us, the people you live with, the stories to share and your reason for trying again today.  Produce and be accountable but never limit yourself from doing so.

He shared with me that there was great fears that he had hidden within his mind, the biggest one was the thought of losing another roof over his head.  The mere fact that I was talking to him almost as a friend instead of in a therapeutic way seemed to work really well for him, he opened up and began to try.

Thereafter, he was riding a bicycle nearly 13 miles a day, to stand on his feet for 8-12 hours a day making pizza and then riding 13 miles back on his bicycle.  His life consisted of AA meetings, house chores, rent, helping others via service work, everything combined into a day that was just energizing to me.  The energy and obligation to do right by his self, society and humbly me was and still is a true inspiration.  It is an inspiration to me because he was so constrained and stigmatized about his real problems that he could never tell anyone what his real problem was.

It hurts me to this day because I could pay a profession $2000 dollars a week and not see results.  I certainly couldn’t see results even after attempts that this gentleman made to help himself, our company, pay his rent and develop into a great member of society.

Personally, I had been through a lot for the 7 months since I took the gentleman in.  This guy had the best bad luck in the world.  He could eat old jelly to save money 2 hours before hand, sit around be the entire time and test negative on a drug test.  In this industry, many times you eat old food to keep alive, no less keep the roof over your head.  We found out Jelly ferments.

He was in a constant strive.  Seriously, the math didn’t add up.  I pressed him with interrogation to make sure he was okay, as the company who said to kick him out onto the street was worried about their liability and advising me to kick him on the street AGAIN.

The pressure that arose for each of us was once again, “on the table.”  He told me, “if this happens again, I will relapse.  I’m working too hard to do everything right and come home to this.”

Chapter 7: The relapse

He relapsed months later after 3 more times of interrogation.   I’ll admit he did it like a soldier.  He walked into the house with a 6 pack in his hands and said I’m not doing this anymore. I wasn’t there but I raced back when I heard.  I could not find him on the streets even after hours of trying.

A few days later, he finally called me.  As a preface, numbers are easier than anything you can try to do in this industry.  I love numbers because they are just there without emotion.  This guy wasn’t a number nor was I to him unless you consider he remembered my phone number.

I’ll admit that I was heartbroken.  I also recognized how tired I was and that my will was a low point.  I tried to take a break when I went to a casino just to sit in and watch.  It had been years since I had a day off.  Years, since I had 4 hours to myself.  I drove to the Seminole Classic Casino.  It was across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  It was quaint with easy parking after a 45 minute ride.  I wanted to be far enough away that I could treat any emergency as if it was a business, not a passion.  I needed to focus on some alone time.  I had just sat down with my coffee and the phone rang.  It was my favorite client that had disappeared. I had to pick up the phone.

He could barely speak.  He begged for help.  All he could say was a motel off of 10^th Ave and Federal Hwy in Lake Worth.  To say I didn’t finish my coffee, no less get a sip of it, would be an understatement.

I raced so fast.  I don’t know how I didn’t get a speeding ticket.  I don’t know how I didn’t get arrested for invasion of privacy hitting every motel room door in the area while pushing the occupants out of the way to find out if he was there with them.  It’s a horrific experience as so many are when you didn’t realize that this world existed.

I finally found him.  My entry was so freakish that it must have given him an adrenaline rush to pick himself off the bed.  Needles and all the paraphernalia… remember, I didn’t even know what a need looked like or was when I found one in back yard years ago.  To me, this was scary.  The hardest part is switching gears from fear to confidence.

You have to learn to switch those gears so quickly.  As much as we like to think that people who self-medicate with drugs are out of their realm, they understand everything going on around them.  If you try to help with half fast statements, resentment, discrimination, worthy instruction, a wrong tone, fast speaking for a cause, lack of empathy or a lack of confidence it usually turns into a game of Texas Holdem.   It becomes a stand-off with wasted time.   It doesn’t matter if you are holding pocket Aces or a Royal Flush.  If you give a client any type of “tell” it turns into their feeling strong standing up from the death bed.  It turns into a never ending fight when time is the only bet on the table.   Your mind spins so fast that you start to shake out of control but you can’t show that either.

Remember, this isn’t the typical job description, it is what it takes to be there 24 hours a day 7 days a week for clients while living with them only a bedroom door for safety if they take on a synthetic drug proposed to them by a local deal.  It is because of a synthetic drug that may take them into a deranged state of mind where they eat you.

You never know what is coming but you have faith in the person you met.  You find out that they are some of the greatest people in the world but there is an amazing pain going on inside that forces some client’s actions that may appear crazy.   It is why I love Sober Living establishments run by small business/People with a Passion to help and hope for a paycheck.  We see the whole picture after all the preaching, ideas and information the client receives in Treatment.  We see them for real.

However, remember what I was told by the company I was working on a merger with.  I was told, “oh well, if you picked him up from a suicide ward, throw him on the street.”  By taking the risk to keep this client, he became a great client that everyone should be proud of and a friend.

I got him out of the motel room with a half fast hold on him to get down the stairs and he was feisty.  It might not have been one of my better days because I showed more fear than empathy or confidence.  Yet, it got the adrenaline running to keep him awake.  Getting him in the car wasn’t any grand stand for me either.

We went to a county Detox Center first.  “you have to be sober to enter.”  We went to another, “Can you prove you’re intoxicated?”  I almost bought him a 6 pack of beer to get him more screwed up so we could get him help.  Talk about government help???   I took him to the emergency room at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach knowing he would never be able to pay the bill but as cool as he tried to keep it, neither he or I knew what he injected into his arm.  One wrong natural reaction could spike from a heroine injection that may be made of anything including rat poison, to a combination that could kill him.

Once again, Kudos for St. Mary’s, they got him in pretty quickly but I was left to pray.  I was not family and I had no right to find out if he was living or at a death bed.  It is a sick feeling waiting for hours and not having access to information. All you can do is get into your head and wonder.

(FIRST DAY OFF IN YEARS, 45 MINUTES A WAY, SEARCHING FOR HIM IN AN UNKNOWN MOTEL, FINDING HIM AFTER A HEROINE  OVERDOSE…. PULLING HIM IN THE CAR, GOING TO THE HOSPITAL AND BEING TOLD I WASN’T FAMILY AND WAITING HOURS FOR RESULTS…. FEELING WORTHLESS WHILE WAITING.  SITTING, PRAYING AND NOT ABLE TO HELP.  LEAVING BECAUSE I GOT ANOTHER CALL FOR SOMEONE I’D COULD HELP IF ONLY TO BE THE DELIVERY GUY WHILE WONDERING WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND HOSPITAL CLOSED DOORS THINKING ABOUT THE FIRST GUY……

Chapter 8: The hospital side of addictions

Twenty years of experience in nursing brings you just that, experience with the human existence, and sometimes just when you think you have seen it all, something new comes along and surprises you.  The first couple of years of your career are startling, especially if you come from a small rural town whose biggest problems are nosy neighbors and a few kids smoking a little pot.  Seeing a patient who is admitted with a heroin overdose is a huge eye-opener to the newly graduated nurse.  Trying to understand this twenty years ago was a bit different because then the users were considered junkies and lost causes.  This judgmental reasoning was sad, but it was true.  But although they were sad cases, healthcare professionals really did still try to help them.  Many patients came back in over and over again for treatment.  Because of this, they were often referred to as “frequent fliers”.  These repeat visits were a source of constant frustration for the nurses because they felt like they weren’t making a difference in these patients lives, and that the lives of these poor souls were hopeless.  One of the highlights for the nurses was when a patient came into the hospital again, but instead of having a full blown infection in her arm, she had recognized the early signs of an abscess and came in for first aid.  The nurses celebrated this as a small victory, in effect, the patient had learned from the education that had been provided on her last visit, and as a result, she was able to be sent home by the end of the day, which prevented a long stay in the hospital.

Another eye opening moment for the new nurse is the first time you check a patients pockets in their jacket when they ask you to get something for them, and you naively comply.  You may pull out a pipe, you may pull out a little cellophane baggy with some sort of substance in it, or you may pull out a needle (if you are lucky it is capped or unused).  After that first experience, there is rarely a second one.  You simply hand the jacket or bag to the patient and have them take it out themselves, thus protecting your own life.  And when in doubt, you call security to help you.  Years ago, these were the things you worried about, these were the scenarios you dealt with as far as drug abusers went.  Oftentimes if people overdosed on heroin, they were unable to be reversed, so they died in the field (wherever they were found), or on the way to the hospital.

Jump ahead ten to twenty years, and you start to see an epidemic emerging in front of your eyes, just when you thought you had seen it all.  While in the past drug addicts were described as low life losers and junkies, presently we are seeing a whole new generation of addicts.  They are the kids next door, they are young teenagers just beginning their lives, they are the kids of your neighbors, and they are young adults who should have led happy and productive lives.  Instead, these kids and young adults are living a life of drug addiction and the thought of a happy and productive life is outside of the realm of possibility.  Now when these patients come into the hospital those old judgements (if we’re honest) come back to haunt us.  Why is it that only when these “good” kids are affected do we suddenly decide it is an epidemic?  But that is neither here nor there, and it’s another story that should be told some time.

Chapter 9:  A typical night in the hospital

The first time you witness a young kid coming into the Emergency Room or the ICU after they overdose, you can’t believe what you are seeing.  This could be your child, this could be your niece or nephew, this is scary.  However, you can’t stop and think about things like that, you have to focus on bringing this kid back to life.  You have to try to reverse the drugs that they have in their system, and you have to hope that you know what it is they overdosed on.  The people who bring them into the system aren’t always forthcoming with information.  They may be users themselves and just do a “drop and run” where they leave the person in the emergency room, hope for the best, and hightail it out of there.  It’s understandable that they are afraid, but they had vital information that could have saved the person’s life.  Other people that bring them in may be friends of the patient, and the team will get as much information out of them as they can, but unfortunately because of HIPPA regulations, those friends or acquaintances are simply not privy to healthcare information pertaining to that patient. This lack of communication unfortunately leads to frustration and increased anxiety for the friend/acquaintance.

So, that first time you witness a young kid dying from an overdose, your heart goes into overdrive.  You struggle to find access to a vein, and you wind up having to bore a hole into his leg bone so that you can get lifesaving drugs and fluids into him as fast as you can.  It is a race against time as you ensure that you are able to get an airway established so that you can oxygenate his brain and vital organs.  The healthcare team provides chest compressions to keep his blood pumping, and to circulate the narcan through his system in the hopes of reversing the huge amount of heroin in his bloodstream.  When he actually does come out of it, you are elated, you saved this young kid!  Your adrenalin is really going now, but you have to be sharp and on your toes, because the narcan dose doesn’t last very long.  You may be giving the kid dose after dose to get him through the crisis.  With repeated doses of Narcan, come unfortunate side effects such as vomiting, pain, delirium, etc. This scene is not a pleasant sight, it is not fun for anyone, and it certainly does not explain why anyone calls these drugs recreational.  This experience sucks the life out of you, and when the parents show up and have no idea that there child was even using heroin, you want to strangle them.  Which takes you back to your judgmental days, so, you bite your tongue, and start teaching them about signs and symptoms of drug use.  Unfortunately, in most cases your breath is wasted because they are truly simply trying to understand what happened to their happy family.

On the same night, just when you started trying to get over the experience of bringing this poor kid back to life, in walks, or stumbles, the next guy who is going to be your challenge for the evening.  This guy has been out drinking all day, probably for a week or so, most likely has a sky high blood alcohol level, hasn’t showered in a week, and has a funny look in his eyes like he is going to either pass out flat or rip the place apart.  You hope and pray for the passing out part!!   Having had some experience dealing with “these guys”, you know that there are ways to talk them down and get them past their anger stage.  But that takes some talent which comes from experience.  You can’t just tell them to “calm down”, or “sit down now sir”.  That does not work.  You have to respond to them like another drunk person would… I kid you not!  You joke around with them, get them some food, give them a warm blanket, and oftentimes the crisis is averted.  Obviously, there are times when these tactics don’t work, and you see that the person is about to go out of control, whether they are angry at another person, a situation, or because they stubbed their toe.  In these cases, you need to enlist the help of the security team, and any young strapping men that respond to your call for help.  Most hospitals have a system which when activated, brings people to the scene that can assist you with the situation, it is an alert that can save the lives of healthcare professionals, and prevent injuries.

Chapter 10:  Alcohol withdrawal up close and personal

Chronic alcoholics pervade the healthcare system, some come back to the emergency room every eight hours, no exaggeration!  The problem with these guys (most of them are male, though some are female), is that this behavior becomes a pattern.  They come in, you sober them up, the doctors admit them for some minor diagnosis, and they wind up staying for a few days, and then they go home and start the process all over again.  Staying in the hospital for a few days is a big problem, because within 72 hours that guy is going to start going through withdrawal symptoms, it is like clockwork.  They start getting a little antsy, begin perspiring, and their blood pressure starts to elevate as does their heart rate.  When left untreated, their breathing accelerates, and their mental state deteriorates.  They literally don’t know where they are, what they are doing, who they are doing it to, or where they are.  If they were allowed to be left untreated, they might incur heart damage or death, so we must treat these reactions with lifesaving medications.  Most hospitals have a protocol that they utilize to combat the DT’s (delirium tremons). Some prefer to use the drug Ativan, some prefer Librium, some use both, and others use altogether different protocols.  The choice of medication really depends on what the physicians find work best for the situations.

So, since you know this person came in inebriated or with a history of alcohol abuse, you have to be on the alert for any signs of withdrawal from alcohol.  If you do not recognize these signs, you risk injuring the patient, yourself, your co-workers, or other patients.  There was one night when a patient woke up in the middle of the night to find his roommate standing at the foot of his bed yelling at him to help him get the criminals.  His roommate had jumped out of bed in a moment of fear, inadvertently ripped out his intravenous line, and ran to the first person he could find (his poor unfortunate roommate).  Unfortunately for him, he awoke to a raving lunatic waving his arms around in big circles which resulted in blood being spewed all over the room because of the dislodged IV.  Not exactly a pleasant stay in the hospital for this poor guy.  Had the healthcare team paid closer attention and assessed his roommate correctly, early symptoms would have led to an early alarm that this guy was going to withdraw from alcohol.  Early recognition of these symptoms would have ensured that the nurse notified the medical doctor about the need for immediate treatment, or if pre-ordered protocols were written, the RN could have administered the medications to get the patient through the withdrawal phase with as little upheaval as possible.

Avoiding harm to another patient is a big goal for all healthcare personnel, but looking out for our own safety unfortunately comes into play more times than we like.  A fellow nurse was unfortunately a subject of the violence that sometimes comes from drug or alcohol induced delirium.  She entered a patient’s room and started speaking quietly to the patient.  He at first only grunted or murmured answers to her.  The nurse then stepped closer to try to understand what it was that he was saying.  When he still didn’t really respond, she decided to open the shade to let a little sunlight in so the patient would see it was daytime.  However, this idea truly backfired on her.  As she turned back to the patient, she was dismayed to see that he had gotten out of bed and was quickly coming toward her.  She literally had no time to react, and before she knew it his hands were wrapped around her neck, and they were squeezing the life out of her.  As she fought for her life, she realized that it was futile, there was no way she could fight him off.  The lights started to go dim, and the pain was excruciating.  Luck was on her side that day however, because a male orderly happened to walk by the room and see what was happening.  He was able to pull the patient off of her and save her life.  The nurse had to have emergency surgery to repair the vertebrae in her neck.  To this day she has not truly recovered from the emotional trauma or the physical trauma she suffered that day.  In the end, the patient that perpetrated this crime woke up out of his delirium and had no idea that he had inflicted such pain and damage on another person.  He was truly a nice man when sober, but once under the influence he became a different person.  When he went through withdrawal symptoms the man had absolutely no control over his actions.  This happens more than it should, this happens to good people, this happens people!!

So when these guys are finally “detoxed”(though this is not true detox, these procedures are ones that should happen in a facility that is fully trained to help these patients get through this trying time), the nursing staff and the social workers attempt to find placement for them to get some rehabilitation for their alcohol addiction.  Unfortunately for all involved, it is sometimes difficult to find a “spot” for them in a facility that accepts their insurance, that will open their doors to them, or that will actually have an empty bed for them to take up.  This is a source of frustration for the patient, the staff, and the families and friends of this person who really needs help.  The sad part is that this individual  is finally willing to get help, but can’t get it because of the lack of decent insurance and a lack of good local detox centers out there that could help him.

Chapter 11:  Heroin in the healthcare scene

Another source of concern with the infiltration of intravenous drug use in our society is that the world of drugs is literally being brought into our healthcare facilities.  Years ago it would have been unthinkable to imagine drug deals occurring in small community hospitals, yet it is happening more and more frequently, in fact, it likely happens every day in America.  A young man was admitted to the hospital for a blood infection after using a dirty needle.  While hospitalized, he apparently felt the need to continue his drug business from the bedside.  He enlisted his mother to help smuggle in his supplies, and to help bring his clients in to his hospital room so they could make some deals.  After a few days, the staff started getting suspicious of the steady stream of visitors coming into the room, and enlisted the help of the security guards to the bottom of what was happening.  Through conversations with the patient, they confirmed that he was indeed dealing right out of his room.  The deals were immediately stopped when visitors were banned from visiting with him.  The police were waiting for him on the day of discharge and arrested him as soon as he left the hospital.  Don’t know what happened after that.

Incredibly, people have been found in public restrooms in these small hospitals lying on the floor with needles hanging out of their arms.  This is truly inconceivable to the general public.  People have inadvertently interrupted drug deals in the parking lot, putting themselves at risk of personal harm.  Needless to say, these situations are dangerous and could lead to an injury or even death to a non-suspecting staff member or hospital visitor or patient.  It is extremely disconcerting to feel unsafe in a hospital, this is a feeling I have never felt in my entire career.  It is not the fault of the hospital or the security personnel, this all started happening seemingly out of the blue, and nobody was prepared for the widespread effects of this epidemic.  Each new scenario is one nobody ever predicted.  We do our best to survive, we fortify our doors, we increase the surveillance, but truth be told, we don’t know what’s going to happen next.  We don’t know what is going to make us say “I thought I had seen it all.”  This epidemic isn’t something that can be swept under the rug anymore, we can’t pretend that it isn’t happening, and we can’t give up on the kids of our nation.

Heroin’s effects are simply devastating.  Not only does it ruin the lives of anyone who uses it, the effects on one’s health are enormous.  One of these afflictions is the development of infections or abscesses at the injection sites.  One tragic case was a young woman who had developed abscesses in both of her hands after multiple injections with unclean needles.  As the infection festered, this girl tried to heal her hands without seeking medical attention.  Her choice to fight it was not using antibiotic or antimicrobial creams, rather, she decided to soak her hands in peroxide day in and day out.  Now, peroxide has its place in cleaning out wounds when they initially occur, but if used as the sole treatment of an injury, it starts to cause severe tissue damage.  With excessive use, the skin and underlying tissue start to deteriorate.  When the young woman finally decided that she couldn’t treat her hands by herself, she had already incurred some serious damage to both of her hands.  Upon arrival to the hospital, her hands resembled raw meat.  The tissue had been destroyed down to the tendons and nearly to the bone.  Had she come to the hospital when the infection first started she could have been in and out of the hospital after a few days of antibiotic treatment, however her decision to self-treat led her into a nightmarishly long stay, and lifelong disfigurement of her hands.

When she was admitted, part of her plan of care had to involve dealing with her addiction to heroin.  She had been using up the drug up until a few hours before going to the hospital.  In her case, the drug methadone was utilized to prevent withdrawal symptoms, broad spectrum antibiotics were utilized to fight the super-infection that she had in her system, and painful dressing changes were performed twice a day on her mutilated hands.  Several weeks into her treatment, she was finally ready for some surgical intervention to help try to improve the state of her hands.  She finally underwent skin graft treatments to both hands, but unfortunately the first grafts did not take.  She underwent further surgeries to remove the grafts and debride the wounds again.  Debridement entails removing dead tissue from a wound to stimulate healing.  After that surgery, this poor girl’s hands looked worse than ever.  After another week or so, she was finally ready to undergo another skin graft surgery, and thankfully for her, this one took.  Now, when you think of skin grafts, you envision that the site will look close to normal again.  In her case, the best hope was that the wounds on her hands would actually be closed and her hands could function well enough for her to perform normal daily activities.  So basically, her surgery was more for returning function to her hands than for restoring the appearance of her hands to their pre-mutilated state.  Upon discharge, the tops of her hands looked like they had huge craters in them.  They did not look normal on any account.  This young woman had two young children, two deformed hands, and one big addiction to heroin.  Now, she did get started on the methadone, but methadone is not the wonder drug that many thought it would be.  It simply replaces one drug with another.  Granted, it takes some of the dangers out of a drug lifestyle, but make no mistake, it does not cure addiction.  One thing about working in a hospital is that you don’t get to follow through with the people that you take care of, so we may never know what happened to this young woman.  We can only hope that she learned from this horrible experience and wants to turn her life around, if not for herself then for her children.

Chapter 12:  That semi-legal substance:  Marijuana

Another drug that patients test positive for in the hospital is marijuana.  Many people in our country feel that this drug should be legalized, and indeed, more and more states are legalizing it for medicinal purposes and for recreational purposes as well.  Though it is becoming more accepted in our society as a legal substance, marijuana like alcohol is addictive, and can lead to negative consequences.  One day when I received report from the off-going charge nurse, I found out that a patient on the unit had a “small amount” of marijuana in his possession.  Upon hearing this, I felt that this was not a safe situation, and did not feel comfortable allowing the drug to be present on my nursing unit.  Apparently the night supervisor had “let it go” because it was a small amount and the patient had stated that he used it for medicinal purposes.  The patient did have prostate cancer, but had not obtained the drug through a prescriber.  So, I contacted the day shift supervisor who notified security.  When the security guard arrived the three of us entered the patient’s room.  We asked the patient if he had an illegal substance in the room.  He admitted that he did, but that he was taking it to prevent the nausea that he was experiencing from his cancer treatments.  When asked whether this was legally obtained through a prescription, the patient explained that it was not, but that he needed it to decrease his symptoms.  While we all sympathized with him, we could not allow an illegal drug to be kept on the unit.  So we asked him to surrender the marijuana to us for destruction.  This brought on a small argument, as the patient thought that we could just hold it for him and return it on discharge.  It is illegal for the hospital to do so, so we could not honor this request.  Finally, the patient removed the pot from his jacket pocket.  This “small amount” of marijuana nearly filled a quart size ziplock bag.  It consisted of what appeared to be several large bud-like clusters and many loose leaves.  The patient was clearly (and understandably) upset that he was being forced  to surrender his stash to the security guard, and he begged us to not take it from him.  According to him, he had saved up for 3 months to buy it, and he would not be able to afford to buy any more when he left the hospital.  Now, we all felt bad for this guy, since we understood that he was using it to help relieve his symptoms, but we had to do the right thing, which is the legal thing.  Besides, we didn’t know for sure that he was truly using the drug for medicinal purposes.

Afterwards, while we felt that we did the “right thing”, the three of us all felt a little uneasy about what we had just done.  This guy was sick, he was likely going to die in the next year or so from his disease, and we had taken away the only thing that he felt helped him feel better.  We did get the physician to prescribe a synthetic marijuana for him, but the patient stated that he had tried it before and it did not help.  This is where the world of illegal substances and the world of caring healthcare professionals come crashing together.  Should these drugs be legalized for those who are suffering?  Many of us do believe that as it has been proven to be helpful for the relief of disease symptoms.  However, we are bound by law to protect the lives of all of our patients and staff members, so we cannot allow such substances to be allowed into our institutions.  If it is legalized for medicinal purposes, how do we deal with the patient when they are hospitalized?  Most medicinal marijuana is in liquid form, so smoking would not be an issue. The problem we see with medical marijuana is that it interferes with the effects of many prescription drugs, which brings about even more issues such as increased side effects, and drug-drug interactions.  Another issue is, hospitals in many states cannot store the medicinal marijuana in their pharmacies legally even if the substance was obtained legally.  This just shows how complicated things can get when an illegal drug is seen to have positive attributes along with its negative attributes.  What many people don’t realize is that an addiction to marijuana can definitely lead to the use of other illicit drugs.  It might start with prescription pain medications which seem to be great way to deal with chronic pain, but the more you use them, the more addicted you get.  Once you start on this road it is a battle to get off of them.  Once you exhaust your physician sources for the drugs, you find yourself seeking another way to feel better or to feel less.  Before you know it, you are seeking out a new source who can supply you with something that will make you feel the same way, that thing is heroin.  It is an insidious process, and without the right support you are simply sucked into it.  I have seen this with a close friend who started taking pain meds after surgery.  The need for the drug led to overuse, and then to desperation when the prescription ran out and her doctor wouldn’t refill it.  My friend called me in the middle of the night crying that she ran out of pain meds because she dropped them in the toilet.  It wasn’t until years later that she admitted that she had not actually  dropped the pills, she had simply used too many of them, and she was in a place where she simply needed more.  Thankfully my friend had a strong support group who helped her get through the experience which is why she was able to stop the cycle of addiction.

Chapter 13:  The high price of addiction

The most difficult experience for a nurse occurs when dealing with death and dying.  It is never easy, even if the patient lived a full life.  However, when death comes to a young person, the experience is simply hellacious.  Imagine a young kid no more than eighteen years old comes into your unit from the emergency room on a ventilator, with IV’s everywhere infusing medications that were meant to save his life.  This young adolescent came in with an overdose of heroin.  To us, he looked like the typical high school quarterback, young, good looking, and physically strong.  We’ll never know the whole story of why this boy decided to start using heroin, we nurses don’t usually find out that type of information.  What we do see in front of us is this poor kid lying on hospital bed weak, pale, and seemingly lifeless.   He was surrounded by the machines that kept him breathing, and the ones that infused the intravenous medications that were keeping him alive.  We settled him in, and started thinking about his plan of care.  Suddenly, his heart rate plummeted and the monitors started screaming.  We rushed into the room and started trying to figure out what we could do to save this kid.  We administered emergency medications, but he was just not responding, to our dismay, his heart rate plummets even further.  Next thing you know we are in a full blown “code blue” situation.  His heart has stopped and we are powerless to get it going again.  We deliver chest compressions and electric shocks to try to get his heart pumping again.  Unfortunately we are not able to bring him back.  Normally we stop a code after several minutes of cardiac arrest.  Most codes don’t last more than an hour.  With this kid, we couldn’t stop trying.  This code lasted almost three hours.  We followed every possible algorithm to no avail.  Once or twice we got a rhythm on the monitor, but when we checked we realized it was not a true pulse, just electrical activity in his heart.  His heart just would not beat again.  When we finally called the code (this is what we call it when we give up on emergency measures), we had gone through three fully stocked code carts, and every staff member that tried to save the boy was physically and emotionally exhausted.  It is not easy to deliver chest compressions for three hours straight, though we took turns doing them.  Nobody wanted to stop, but it was finally decided that our efforts were futile.  A feeling of despair filled the room, and there was nowhere to turn to escape the reality of the scene in front of us.  Now the hard part, now we had to let the family know what happened and bring them into the room to say goodbye.  How do you tell a family that their pride and joy is now gone.  How do you tell a family that they will never see him smile at them ever again?  How do you tell them that they will never see that twinkle in his eye that represented his spirit again?  Nobody wants to be the one to tell them, but it must be done.   We did our best to make him look peaceful, but it is difficult when you can’t remove all of the tubes and wires that are connected to him.  He looks like a little boy lost in a sea of medical equipment.  When a person dies after an overdose, the deceased is required to have an autopsy.  Because of this, we are not able to remove any of the tubes or IV’s that were placed into the body.

The anguish on the faces of his parents is forever seared into our brains.  His Mother and Father were understandably distraught and overwhelmed with grief and disbelief.  When their son left for school that morning he seemed healthy and strong, now hours later, the last time they would ever see their son was here, dead on a hospital bed with a bunch of strangers trying to help assuage the pain of his death.  This family knew he had a problem, and they were trying to get him into some kind of program to help him with his drug use.  Though their hearts were in the right place, and they were trying, they weren’t able to help him in time.  Could this tragedy have been averted? Maybe, if his family had found a place that could have helped him to get past his addiction.  Real true rehabilitation options need to be made available to these parents.   These kids and their families deserve that.

Chapter 14:  Finally, a diagnosis

We think this is like sobering up but until recently, most clients come in after the death bed with desire.  This guy, nor the other guys game in off the death bed because of drugs alone.

The depths of this industry continually intrigue me.  I waited for answers for longer than I can explain and finally gave up hoping.  It took 9 months to hear back from the client.  He was finally had a diagnosis.  He was schizophrenic.

To clarify, being schizophrenic isn’t like having multiple personalities.  One serious symptom is hearing voices that aren’t there and trying figure out if one is real.  It is like trying to hear directions and having multiple conversations going on at the same time.  Of which each conversation is related to the question you asked.

This client never should have been put in the “system” long enough to start self medicating.  He self medicated because no one could get him to talk about what was really going on.  It is similar to parents not accepting answers from children who get sent into this industry to learn the worst things they could ever imagine.   It is all about family time, communication, understanding and working out problems together as a team.

Can you imagine living with schizophrenia and trying to be the Good son?  He had started self medicating as a teen.  He spent over 20 years without understanding what was going on.  Over 20 years of trying to do it right for others.  Over 20 years of trying to become someone society wanted while fighting harder and smarter than society.  The only solution for him was to use drugs and alcohol on the job to get the voices out of his head.  Can you imagine having the dexterity it takes to flip pizza for 8 hours a day?  Can you imagine the talent it takes to do it while using drugs and alcohol while doing the same because you need to know the boss is really talking to you?

He amazes me and motivates me to push forward with this business.  Our focus on prevention division is my pride.  It is where you can find the early signs of “addiction” or mental illness.  Further, it is the least expensive and easiest way to win the war on drugs while building family values.

Chapter 15:  TOCCA

America’ by the New York Times, Delray Beach is home to hundreds of ‘halfway houses’, yet only a few are still focused on a properly structured safe living environment that truly sets them apart as a facility focused on transforming addicts into productive members of society while maintaining sobriety. Utilizing the extremely high profit margins provided by the business model, coupled with the reoccurring subscription revenue received for testing and rental income, TOCCA has the ability and extensive knowledge to lead the market in organizing a nationwide chain of ethical, safe and structured living environments for the 24 million known addicts in America. TOCCA Life Coaching, Inc. (“TOCCA” or the “Company”) is in the process of organizing and systemizing sober living facilities in the South Florida area initially and then expanding nationally through internal growth and acquisitions which will capture the inherent 500% gross land lord tenant margins while complementing the network with a state of the art laboratory that provides prescribed medication monitoring that escalates gross profit margins potentially over $700 per test per client up to 3 times a week.   To visualize the business model ( SOMETHING MISSING HERE)

Company Profile:

TOCCA Life Coaching, Inc. Industry:

Sober Living. Clinical Laboratories.

Financial Info:

Stage:  Early Stage

Capital Seeking:  Up to $3 Million

Contact: Tyler Cornell, CEO Email: emergingmarkets3@gmail.com Direct: 561.271.0672

(Something missing here)easily, combine Marriot Fairfield Suites offering long term leases and Lab Corp clinical testing services performing long term prescribed toxicology tests for the residents, multiple times per week. Eliminate the high cost furnishings, front desk, waiting rooms, endless marketing costs and room cleaning service.  Now, take the market cap of Marriot currently at $20 Billion and Lab Corp.’s current market cap at $8.5 Billion, and combine the two services with lower marketing costs, reoccurring revenues, and a streamlined operations model grants TOCCA a potential future market cap of both Marriot and Lab Corp combined.

For the first time in the sober living industry’s 100+ year existence, TOCCA will organize a chain of branded sober living facilities across the nation.  Further, it will be successful through the largest marketing campaign the industry has ever seen, but has no direct cost because TOCCA will use direct response marketing for its home product sales to gain mass market awareness and product sales that self perpetuate the marketing campaign ad buys with an expected $50 Million in revenue via direct sales which result with a funnel down effect to its core business inclusive of margins typically not seen from a publically traded company.

The recent inclusion of highly profitable insurance revenue streams for clinical laboratory testing that is required to safely monitor the residents of sober living facilities has turned the industry into a greed-based chaotic race for clients instead of an altruistic-based commerce of small business owners who entered the industry to serve their passion, not just their profits. Further, the clients are not being serviced in an accountable manner that helps them grow thru sober living, but instead are being enabled and indulged by business owners to increase client retention and insurance revenues.  In addition to its own internal growth, TOCCA will organize the ethical and highly profitable existing sober living facilities through M&A transactions into one organization while branding its status as a public company offering stable corporate business operations to the existing small business owners.

Initially, TOCCA’s facilities will be based near the Delray Beach community because the demographics provide for such a unique sober living community with access to hundreds of meetings, sober events, training facilities and therapists. Once called the ‘Rehabilitation Capital of

As the first public company in the sober living clinical lab industry, TOCCA is dedicated to greatly increasing its expansion thru the funding of its clinical laboratories and increasing its brand image through community awareness campaigns and celebrity endorsed direct marketing that will enable it to obtain and sustain an unstoppable leading edge on the industry. Additionally, and in part through the TOCCA Foundation, by developing its name recognition via public relations thru community awareness and the mass marketing of its products bearing the TOCCA name, the Company will hugely expand its growth rate while providing a much-needed service to society that includes scholarships for the uninsured and employment to clients who successfully complete the 1 year TOCCA Life Sober Living Commitment.

TOCCA has developed an effective sober living program that is focused on the transformation of addicts into productive members of society which creates a positive local economic impact on the areas served. New legislation legalizing marijuana coupled with advances in science throughout the synthetic drug market has created an overwhelming need for Clinical Laboratory Toxicology Reports to maintain a safe sober living environment. While addiction directly affects 25% of the American population, it remains a topic that is clouded with shame and secrecy.

TOCCA Life is in a position to implement strengths throughout the industry that include:

• Rapid expansion with protection afforded by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act utilizing residential real estate markets and its status as a public company
• A true industry standard of safety, housing and accountability
• Media, celebrity endorsements and a built-in nationwide affinity group that includes 1 in 4 families that have been directly affected by this disease
• A Community Awareness public relations campaign to reshape the industry’s stereotype
• A Branding Campaign to promote the idea of early detection through practice by clients family, friends, co-workers and employers
• Opportunity for recovering clients to revisit and practice lost portions of their life
• Company’s staff and advisors directly involved with volunteer groups, treatment centers and institutions
• Motel/Hotel Lodging to prove credibility before they enter the most desirable housing for clients throughout the country
• A management team and advisors that have practiced and performed in all aspects of the company’s specific market

Chapter 16: The sober living industry

Although challenged numerous times in court, Sober Living Residences are protected by federal laws that supersede local, county and state zoning requirements. Protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Fair Housing Act Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Amended in 1988, there is little government regulation on Sober Living Residences and their expansion into new residential and mixed use communities.  This opens the opportunity for rapid expansion that enables TOCCA to acquire heavily discounted properties while participating in an investment that is focused on healing individuals, communities and society as a whole.  As sober living residences do not have local licensing restrictions, the ease of entry into the market place is significantly much faster and easier compared to addiction treatment centers such as AAC Holdings, Inc. that have all the time constraints and cumbersome costs associated with therapy licensing, liability, and zoning requirements.  AAC recently had a successful $75 million IPO with only 6 locations nationwide.

• The large societal costs from illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco impact every major developed count

Each imposes about $200 billion per year in social costs in the US, effecting costs in very different forms depending on the legal system and enforcement policies. Each of the three substances share similar characteristics since many Americans have a serious attachment to one or more of them, with a significant portion of consumers using one or more of these in a responsible manner, which is not negatively affecting society.  It is the non-trivial subset of Americans that use them irresponsibly that create very high social costs. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that imposing minimal social costs on these offenders is extremely difficult without influencing responsible Americans, as well.

• In 2002, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (“ONDCP”) sought to estimate the economic costs of illegal drug use in the The study focused on lost productivity, health effects, and crime-related costs inducing policing expenditures and incarceration. As a result, the estimated illegal drug use cost is $217 billion in 2008 dollars.  Another similar study closely confirmed these findings at $244 billion in 2008 dollars; with the subsequent cost of smoking at $195 billion.

• Additionally, the cost of illegal drug use related to crimes was about 56%, with over two-thirds causing lost productivity for those incarcerated on drug charges and the cost impact on the criminal justice system. Interestingly, only 8.7% influenced health costs from the total estimated cost of drug us Clearly, there is an exchange between enforcement and health-related costs since more enforcement will reduce health and consumption-related costs while increasing law enforcement costs. Abstinence is essential in overcoming the war on substance abuse.

• Several collaborating medical professors assembled a panel of scientific, legal and law enforcement experts for analyzing and rating 20 various legal and illegal substances along three dimensions: physical harm, dependence and social harm The correlations of scores between psychiatrists and independent experts was fairly high, pointing towards a consensus between the two fields, with the final averaged scores ranking alcohol and tobacco numbers as three and ten, respectively on the scale of the most harmful drugs. Marijuana ranked twelfth.1

3.00                                M EAN HARM S CORES

2.50

FOR 2 0 S UBS TANCES

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

–

Source: Nutt et al.  The Lancet

While this study points to many of the traditional illicit narcotics available, it does not encompass all of the latest wave in street drugs and synthetic drugs.  The metabolic cycle for many of these synthetic drugs is much faster which has led to difficulties in producing accurate on-site drug testing results without clinical laboratory technology.

• towards a consensus

• It is estimated that there are over 24 million people abusing substances currently and over 100 million people directly affected, which makes this niche market a strong affinity based mass mar According to the former Deputy Director of the White House office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. McLelan said,

• “Currently, just 2.3 million Americans receive any type of substance abuse treatment, which is less than one percent of the total population of people who are affected by the most serious of the substance use disorders—addiction.”2

• In a survey of over 67,500 persons interviewed by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (“NSDUH”), the results were surprisi Overall substance users of illicit drugs in 2013 totaled 24.6 million Americas (12 years and older) are as follows:3

1,300,000

615,000

2013 Illicit Drug Users by Category

681,000

1,500,000

595,000 1,909,000

19,800,000

marijuana cocaine heroin hallucinogens

psychotherapeutic drugs methamphetamines other drugs

Source: US Dept of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration

As part of the survey, adolescents from 12 to 17 years old that used illicit drugs represented 8.8%, and the 18 to 25 years old group represented 21.5% of the total 24.6 million users.  According to the survey, most illicit drug users were employed either full time or part time (68.9%). About 9.9 million persons reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year, with young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 being the largest group of offenders.

The same survey reported that slightly more than half of Americans drank alcohol, with one quarter being binge alcohol users (5 or more drinks on the same occasion), which translates to about 60.1 million people. Among young adults between 18 and 25 years old, binge drinkers represented at 37.9%, with heavy drinkers (binge drinking on at least 5 days in the past 30 days) were 11.3%.  Youths between 12 and 17 years represented 11.6%. An estimated 10.9% drove under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past year. Around 8.7 million underage persons (12 to 20 years old) were current drinkers (5.4 million binge drinkers, and 1.4 million heavy drinkers).

Chapter 17: TOCCA Life

TOCCA offers a unique “oasis” of sobriety. The only real changes have been the increase in drug epidemics and licensed Treatment facilities for Southern Florida.  Investors with a passion and means for the industry gravitate toward the high priced treatment end of the industry while leaving the low risk, low maintenance and low overhead spectrum of the industry untapped by any one brand. Sober Living Halfway Houses are an integral part of the recovery process and properly managed facilities are sought after by therapists and recovering addicts alike.

Similar to the growth model of the affluent treatment centers entering the area, the Sober Living Residence Industry is primed for exponential growth.

‘As providers and health insurers work together in the future to find the “sweet spot” when it comes to what type of care – residential/inpatient, IOP, PHP, etc… – delivers the best outcomes bang for the buck, we here at Treatment Magazine see big potential on the sober living side of the addictions industry to deliver strong outcomes within a highly flexible framework that is strongly consumer friendly…. The sober living transitional care subsector of the addictions industry has grown in the last half century into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse that is overwhelmingly dominated by small entrepreneurial players whose business models are closely tied to the alternating boom and bust fortunes of the residential real estate industry ‘4

The existing, mostly unstructured Sober Living Residences in the South Florida community consist of around 3000 homes and small apartment type complexes that are not utilizing their growth potential. The simplicity of creating infrastructure and enforcing a common set of standards to create a brand presence has been over shadowed by ease of ‘walk in’ demand for small business owners. This offers TOCCA the opportunity to stage a full out branding campaign to gain nationwide treatment center referrals by highlighting its prominent standards and its structured environment.

• Vimont, Feb 26, 2013. Affordable care act to provide substance abuse treatment to millions of new patients. Partnership for drug-free kids. http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/affordable-care-act-to-provide-substance-abuse-treatment-to-millions-of-new-patients/
• US dept of health & human services, substance abuse & mental health services administration: Results from the 2013 national survey on drug use

and health: summary of national findings. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf

KEEPING YOUR KIDS SAFE AND BUILDING A FAMILY AS USED BY PROFESSIONALS (SERIOUS EDITING NEEDED)

WELCOME TO TOCCA LIFE

TOCCA Life for men is a transitional sober living facility located in Lake Worth, Florida where residents can learn to recover from alcoholism and chemical dependency—both diagnosable and treatable diseases. Our program is designed to help you live in a sober environment; immerse yourself in the program of AA or NA, and to help you live a healthy lifestyle. Recovery is possible if you are willing to follow the principles of any 12-step program.  TOCCA Life requires residents to commit to a minimum of 7 months. Research shows that duration of stay increases the odds of staying clean and sober over a lifetime.

In any group of individuals, there must be standards for behavior and expectations for participation. At TOCCA Life, these standards are based on practical needs. We want to help you build self-respect and foster self-discipline. Establishing a chemical-free community life with other residents is essential.

At TOCCA Life, you are responsible for your own treatment and recovery. You will become a part of a community with other recovering people. The respect that you deserve will be earned. Each of the other residents must be equally respected. You will join a community where cooperation and consideration for others are the cornerstones of this program. This program is designed to immerse all residents in the 12-step way of life. We encourage you to find employment, obtain a sponsor and attend frequent AA/NA meetings as well as follow all the house rules and guidelines during your entire stay.

TOCCA Life standards promote self-discipline, which is required for full acceptance

of any 12-step program. These standards are essential to your health, safety, and welfare. They are not to be viewed as disciplinary or punitive measures but as a reintroduction to your core values and lifestyle.

We sincerely want you to be an active participant in your own recovery process. There is one goal at TOCCA Life – SOBRIETY. Do not try to change the program; try and change yourself.

TOCCA Life MEMBER HANDBOOK IS TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AND AS PART OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES MEMBERS HAVE WITH THE MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT WITHOUT DISPUTE OR CAUSE FOR INTERPRETATION IN THE EVENT OF ANY TEMPORARY CONFLICTING INFORMATION.

THE STANDARDS OF TOCCA LIFE

Introduction

TOCCA Life affords the time to acquire the necessary skills to effectively transition into a healthy sober lifestyle and return to work while residing in a structured environment.

Addiction Treatment and Chemical Dependency Professionals stress the importance of long-term client exposure to recovery and addiction treatment. Alcohol and drug addiction studies have shown that the chances of achieving long-term sobriety are greatly increased by an extended stay in a sober living home that offers 12-step support. If a client forgoes an alcohol and sober living home, the result is all too often a return to alcohol and/or drug abuse, thus leading to further costly addiction treatment.

Everything you are asked to do at TOCCA Life has a therapeutic value. The

standards are a therapeutic tool written and adhered to by residents for their protection and care. At first, you may not understand the value of these standards, but as your time at TOCCA Life increases, it will become clear. Here, life in the community may be difficult at times, but you will soon find the meaning and strength that comes with being a part of a community of individuals working together in their recovery program.

Standards will be discussed periodically by the residents of TOCCA Life to ensure understanding and compliance.

Failure to comply with house standards will lead to one of the following interventions:

1) Meeting with the Area Manager to develop a resolution.

2) Depending upon the seriousness of the problem and the frequency of the offense,

a decision for a discharge may be made.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

Any male 18 and over is eligible for admission if the applicant agrees to the following criteria:

1) No sex offenders, violent crimes, or arson charges/convictions.

2) Not currently using any mind altering substances including but not limited to: Suboxone, Vyvanse, K2 (Spice), any other controlled substance, Valerian Root, Kava, diet pills or bath salts.

3) Dating house members of ANY TOCCA Life community is strictly prohibited.

4) TOCCA Life prefers applicants come directly from an in-patient treatment program or have had at least 30 days clean and sober from any mind-altering chemical. We will take into consideration personal hardship or special requests on

a case-by-case basis.

5) Commits to at least 7 month length of stay.

6) Is in recovery and wants to live in a community with others for the purpose of remaining clean and sober and practice the 12-step way of life

7) The ability to pay the following non-refundable fees:

• $200 entrance fee
• $195/week or $844.35/month Rent

8) Willing to attend at least Seven 12-step meetings a week; get a sponsor, and work on a 12-step program of recovery.

9) Willing to do daily chores.

10) Understands upfront that they will be discharged from TOCCA Life if there is any use or abuse of drugs (illicit or over-the-counter ) or alcohol on or off premises.

11) No act of violence or threats of violence or racial slurs towards other residents, staff, or visitors will be tolerated.

12) Understands upfront that there is no sexual activity of any kind on or near TOCCA Life property. Female visitors are allowed to pick-up and drop-off residents only.

13) Understands upfront that TOCCA Life is not responsible for lost or stolen property. We strongly discourage you from bringing valuables during your stay.

14) Willing to accept curfew policy: for the first 30 days, no overnight visits are allowed. Weekday curfew is 10:00 PM, weekend curfew (Fri & Sat) is 10:00 PM.

After 30 days and up to 90 days, overnight visits are allowed with family only and prior staff approval.

Financial Responsibility

1) The entrance fee is non-refundable and due upon admission.

• $200 Entrance Fee
• $195/week or $844.35/month Rent; Acceptable forms of payment include: cash, check, Visa or Mastercard.

2) Credit card information must be provided upon move in. Unless other arrangements have been made in advance, the credit card on file will be used for rent payment. If other arrangements have been made, but payment is late, the credit card on file will be used for rent payment.

3) Residents who have an outstanding balance on their accounts, regardless of what stage they are in, will have a 8:00 pm curfew seven (7) days a week until account is paid in full.  Further, this is not an excuse to miss meetings.

4) Residents who relapse or are asked to leave TOCCA Life will not be reimbursed any funds.

5) Residents are responsible for all fines incurred while at TOCCA Life.

HOUSE RULES AND STANDARDS

Zero-Tolerance Policy

Violation of any of the following will result in immediate dismissal from TOCCA LIFE:

1) Violence or threats of violence

2) Weapons of any kind

3) Stealing of any kind

4) Sexual Harassment

5) Destruction of property

6) Use or possession of drugs, alcohol and/or banned substances on or off property

7) Sexual intercourse on property

8) Racial or sexual slurs

9) Abuse of over-the-counter or prescription medication

10) Repeated rule violation

11) Smoking, Vapes (or electronic cigarettes), lighting candles, or incense in any and all houses

12) Dating men or women from TOCCA Life houses is not tolerated

AA / NA Groups

1) All residents must attend at least Seven 12-step meetings a week.

2) TOCCA Life does not provide transportation to 12-step meetings.

3) All residents must obtain a sponsor within two weeks of admission**

4) Working the 12-step program is not negotiable.

5) You are responsible for recording your meeting attendance on the TOCCA LIFE Accountability Sheets.

6) Three IOP classes count as one meeting towards your required Seven 12-step meetings per week.

7) All residents are required to attend a weekly house meeting.

**Within 2 weeks of admission, residents must provide office staff with the name and telephone number of their sponsor for verification. Client will also provide the same for his home group and employment. There is ZERO Tolerance for not accomplishing these tasks.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

1) Use of alcohol, drugs or banned substances will result in immediate dismissal.

Banned substances include, but are not limited to: Suboxone, Vyvance, K2

(Spice), any other controlled or manufactured substance, Valerian Root, Kava

Kava, diet pills, bath salts and energy drinks.

2) Refusal to give a urine analysis (UA) or Breathalyzer (BA) will result in immediate dismissal.

3) If you are asked to submit a UA or BA, you must stay at main office until completed.

4) Tests are conducted at random on a daily basis.

5) A Positive result on a drug screen will result in an immediate dismissal.

6) After an overnight pass or extended curfew, all residents must find the house manager on duty to submit a UA & BA.

7) If you know or suspect another resident of using drugs or alcohol, it is your responsibility to report this matter immediately to staff. Knowledge of others using mood altering chemicals and not notifying staff may result in discharge from the program.

8) Anyone dismissed from the house will not be permitted to return to the premises for a minimum of 30 days and/or after attending a Professional Detox Center with the exception of picking up personal belongings.  Pickup of belongings must be done within three (3) days of dismissal or personal belongings become the property of TOCCA Life.

Please note: You can make special arrangements in advance with the House Manager if you need longer than three (3) days.

Safety

1) In case of a true emergency, call 911 and then notify the manager on duty.

2) Safety is the primary concern for TOCCA Life; therefore any suspicious activities should be reported to the manager on duty immediately.

3) In case of a fire drill, all residents and staff are to evacuate the buildings immediately closing all windows and doors behind them. All residents and staff are to assemble in the front yard of their house. Roll call is to be taken to assure that no one remains inside. As residents, your responsibility is to be outside in the quickest possible manner.

4) Fire extinguishers are located throughout all the buildings. Please familiarize yourself with their location.

5) Residents cannot share razors or cut each other’s hair. This is for your own protection from infectious diseases transmitted through blood-borne pathogens.

6) No smoking, Vapes, electronic cigarettes, burning candles or incense will be allowed in any of the houses.

Smoking is permitted within the screened porch area ONLY.  No smoking or loitering in the front yard is allowed.

Overnight Passes:

Overnight Passes Must be issued by staff in writing no less than 2 weeks prior.  Upon return, the member must test negative prior to resuming any type of residency.  An additional $25 fee, paid in advance, must be paid to cover additional drug testing.  Overnight passes are at the complete discretion of staff and WILL NOT BE ISSUED during the first 30 days of a client’s membership.

Visitation

1) Visitors are not allowed “hang-out” in bedrooms. Females are allowed to pick you up and drop you off only. Family members may be shown bedrooms for a maximum of 10 minutes, but are always welcome in common areas with advance notice.

2) Residents must respect the anonymity of all other residents. Resident information is confidential. Any personal problems can be discussed with the Executive Director, a house manager, a sponsor, or a counselor.

Chores / Fines

1) All residents are expected to keep their room and bathroom clean. This includes

making of beds immediately upon waking up, keeping your belongings neatly organized, and keeping the bath, toilet, sink, and floor cleaned daily. Room checks will be conducted twice a day or at random. There is a 2-hour community service fine for rooms and bathrooms that are messy and unkempt.

2) Every Sunday afternoon before the mandatory house meeting is a mandatory deep cleaning. This is a chance for residents to pay attention to cleaning details that do not usually take place during the busy work week. No one leaves the facility Sunday night; AA/NA meeting should be attended Sunday morning or early afternoon.

3) Cleaning-up after your self is mandatory. You are required to wash your own dishes/pans immediately after use and before you eat so other clients can cook after you. Do not leave dishes for someone else to clean up for you.  Dishes are to be cleaned immediately after eating so you can enjoy the rest of your night without worrying about finishing the job.

4) There is no food allowed in the living room or bedrooms. If dishes or cups are found in your room, you will receive a 2-hour community service assignment.

5) If bedrooms and bathrooms are kept in poor condition, the staff will reserve the right to halt any plans and organize a mandatory deep cleaning in addition to the 2-hour community service assignments.

6) If you get more than four (4) hours of community hours you will be responsible for a $25.00 fine.

7) If your window is found open and the heat or air conditioning is on, each person

in your room will be fined $25.00.

8) All Community Hours will be made up Friday nights at 6PM.

Medication

1) All prescription medication will be turned into the office upon arrival.

2) Over-the-counter medications or mouthwash containing alcohol are prohibited.

3) Narcotic pain medications, including but not limited to: Methadone/Suboxone, Vyvanse and/or benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, etc.) are strictly prohibited.

4) Use or possession of banned substances including but not limited to: K2 Spice,

Valerian Root, Kava Kava, diet pills and/or bath salts is strictly prohibited

5) Clients are responsible for obtaining their own medication refills. You are not

allowed to stop taking your medication(s) without a doctor’s note.

6) Residents will self-administer medication as directed by a physician. All prescription medications must be locked in the office and dispensing of daily doses by clients will be overseen by staff.

7) Abuse of over-the-counter medication and/or prescription medication will result in immediate dismissal from the house.

Employment/School/Volunteer

1) All residents must work, volunteer, and/or enroll in school full time or a mixture of these as close to a full-time basis as possible. If you do not have a job (and don’t intend to go to school or volunteer full time), and you do not have the funds on

hand to support yourself during this transition, you must agree to work for a day labor company at least 4 days a week in order to pay rent. If you do have the

funds on hand, and do not need to work to provide for yourself, you must volunteer your time somewhere in the community at least 30 hours a week.

2) You are responsible for getting yourself to and from work each day. TOCCA Life

Recovery is not responsible for your transportation to and from work. Buses run on an hourly basis and arrive right out front of all our facilities.

3) Every resident must be up at 8:00 am Monday–Friday. TOCCA Life will provide job search assistance for the first 30 days up to 3 times per week, Monday–Wednesday.

4) Every resident who does not have a full-time job, volunteer, or school schedule

MUST be must be out of the house following up on leads, applying to jobs, in school, serving in volunteer positions, etc. from 10:00am–5:00pm.

General Guidelines

1) It is understood up front that you are a guest in our home and not a tenant.

2) You are allowed to have your own car provided you have a valid driver’s license and a valid insurance policy. Only Street Parking is provided, and as such, you must move your vehicle every 12 Hours to avoid towing or tickets.  TOCCA Life will not be responsible for Towing or Tickets.

3) You are not allowed to enter or take things out of your car after curfew.

4) You are not allowed to loan your car to another resident for any reason.

5) You must see a physician or psychiatrist if required by the Director and the referring agency.

6) TOCCA Life is not responsible for stolen or missing property. We encourage residents not carry large sums of money or bring items they cannot replace.

7) All residents are required to purchase and prepare their own food.

8) Laundry facilities are provided on site at no extra charge.

9) No illegal downloads, cable hook-ups or illegal cable boxes. Illegal downloads from the internet can be grounds for dismissal.

10) Shoes and shirts must be worn on property at all times. Nudity is unacceptable in common areas. Clothing advertising drugs, alcohol, or with double entendre or offensive messages are not permitted.

11) All residents must adhere to all the rules of their assigned stage.

12) Radios and televisions are to be kept at a reasonable volume.

13) Borrowing or lending money is not permitted (if residents need to borrow money they can ask the director for help).

14) Gambling of any kind is strictly prohibited and grounds for dismissal.

15) “War stories” are not permitted – we are more interested in you.

16) Residents are expected to comply with the daily schedule. Participation in the full spectrum of community life is expected.

17) Confidentiality provides the basic structure of trust within our community as well as the safety for residents to do the work necessary for healing. Revealing the

issues of residents, even to other residents, is a breach of confidentiality and may result in discharge from the program.

18) I understand that TOCCA Life may search my belongings, including but not limited to: luggage, room, closet, dresser, bathroom, vehicle, nightstand, etc. for contraband items.

19) ADDITIONAL HOUSE RULES WILL BE POSTED ON THE CALK BOARD FROM TIME TO TIME AND ARE CONSIDERED PART OF YOUR CONTRACT AND MUST BE ADHERED TO.

RECOVERY STAGES

In order to move up a stage, you must fill out and turn in a request form to the office for approval (advancement to another stage is not automatic).

Stage l

1) First 30 days, all resident will have a 10:00 pm curfew if RENT IS PAID IN FULL.

2) Residents must attend at least SEVEN AA/NA meetings per week.

3) Residents must obtain a sponsor within the first two weeks.**

4) Attendance at all house meetings, life skills classes, and relapse prevention groups

is required.

5) Resident must obtain employment, go to school, or be volunteer full time.

6) TOCCA Life will provide job search assistance up to 3 times per week, Monday–Wednesday. Thursday’s will be committed to orientation.

7) All residents must participate in volunteer activity (Saturdays or nights) and outdoor adventures (Sundays and/or mornings).

8) No overnight or extended curfews will be permitted.

9) No use of a car is permitted except for work.  Keys must be retained by staff.

**Within 2 weeks of admission, residents must provide office staff with the name and telephone number of their sponsor for verification.

Stage ll

1) Eligible after 30 days, residents will have a curfew of 11:00 PM Sunday–

Thursday, and 12:00 AM Friday and Saturday.

2) Residents must attend at least SEVEN AA/NA meetings per week.

3) Residents must maintain a sponsor and maintain 12-step work.

4) Attendance at all house meetings, life skills classes, and relapse prevention groups

is required.

5) Resident must obtain employment, go to school, or be volunteer full time.

6) Overnights and extended curfews will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Residents must turn in a request form one week in advance for an overnight pass.

Extended curfews will not be approved (in advance) by a manager on duty.

Stage lll

1) Eligible after 90 days, residents will have a curfew of 11:00 pm Sunday–Thursday and 1:00 am Friday and Saturday.

2) Residents must attend at least Five AA/NA meetings per week.

3) Residents must maintain a sponsor and continue with 12-step work.

4) Attendance at all house meetings, life skills classes and relapse prevention classes are required.

5) Resident must remain employed, be a student, or be volunteering.

6) Overnights and extended curfews will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Residents must turn in a request form two weeks in advance for an overnight pass.

Extended curfews must be approved (72 hours in advance) by a manager on duty.

Stage lV

1) Eligible after 6 months, residents will have a curfew of 11:00 pm Sunday-Thursday and 2:00 am curfew Saturday- Sunday.

2) Residents must attend at least Four AA/NA meetings per week

3) Residents must maintain sponsor and continue 12-step work.

4) Resident must remain employed, be a student or be volunteering.

5) Attendance at house meetings, life skills classes, or relapse prevention classes is

not required but welcome.

6) Resident Manager Training; TOCCA Life Executive Management Program Available

WHAT TO BRING

1) Two forms of identification (i.e., driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate, passport or military identification)

2) Toiletries (i.e., toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, deodorant)

3) Prescribed medication you are currently taking

4) Clothing (suitable for current weather)

5) Automobiles are permitted (proper insurance and licenses required)

6) Cell phones are permitted (we highly recommend new numbers)

7) TV and stereos are permitted

8) Bicycles are permitted (bring locks with you)

9) Bedding: twin-sized sheets, comforter and pillow

10) Bath towels and washcloths

11) Computers are permitted

What NOT To Bring:

1) Any products containing alcohol (including mouthwash)

2) Narcotic pain medications or any other controlled substance

3) Including but not limited to: K2 /Spice, Valerian Root, Kava Kava, diet pills or

bath salts

4) Anything that can be considered a weapon

5) Pets of any kind

6) Offensive clothing

7) Items that cannot be replaced

8) Large sums of personal cash (which can be a relapse trigger)

*If there are any questions about what to bring or not to bring – please contact our office

COMPLAINTS/GRIEVANCES

TOCCA Life is committed to meeting the needs and expectations of our residents.

We will work with you to try to resolve any conflict and try to provide a satisfactory outcome for all parties involved within seventy-two (72) hours whenever possible.

If you have a complaint and/or grievance or wish to participate or convey your feelings regarding any ethical issues during your stay at TOCCA Life, please follow the procedures outlined herein.

Residents

Copies of the Complaint/Grievance form are enclosed in your admissions packet. These

forms are also available in the office. The form is to be completed, signed and placed in a sealed envelope. The envelope is to be given to the Executive Director of TOCCA Life.  If you are making a verbal complaint to a staff member, the staff member must complete the complaint form. The form is to be signed by both you and the staff member. The form is to be read back to you for accuracy and completeness.

The form will be forwarded to the Area Manager for review. If necessary, the

Area manager will meet with you to discuss potential resolutions. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may forward your complaint to the Board of Directors for review.

RESIDENT RIGHTS

Admission into a sober living house does not constitute the surrender of your rights as a human being. TOCCA Life supports and protects the fundamental human, civil, constitutional and statutory rights of each resident. We want you to be involved in your care, and as such, you, as the resident have the right to:

1) Reasonable access to adequate and humane services regardless of your race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, handicap, or financial status. TOCCA Life does not discriminate against residents on the basis of color, national origin, or marital status.

2) Provision of services within the least restrictive environment possible that preserve personal dignity.

3) Communication and information regarding your stay at TOCCA Life.

4) Attention that is considerate and respects your personal value/belief system, by an adequate number of competent staff.

5) Freedom from censorship of mail or phone calls, unless therapeutically contraindicated.

Signature of Responsible CLIENT Member:  Date: _______________________________

Signature of TOCCA Life House Manger:      Date: _______________________________