Vol. 1 • Issue 2 • May 2014N E W S L E T T E R

First Step RecoveryMay 2014 Page 1

A Program of The Village Family Service Center

NEWS FROM 3201 FIECHTNER DRIVE

First Step Recovery staff is settled into their new office building at 3201 Fiechtner Drive in Fargo. The large space will allow us to accommodate additional programming needs, staff offices, and alumni events throughout the year.

If you are interested in receiving our monthly newsletter, sign up at our website, www.FirstStep-Recovery.com. We hope to provide helpful information on “Substance Use Disorders” and “Keys to Recovery,” along with other current topics of the day. Please share any ideas or suggestions you may have to help make this resource helpful.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:Nurse’s Corner .............................2Bookstore Open ...........................3Timely Topic ................................3Our Logo ......................................3Quote of the Month ......................4Upcoming Events .........................4

OpEN HOUSEThe First Step Recovery Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 1-3 p.m. Please stop by for refreshments, tours of

our new building, and conversation. We will draw for door prizes which will include books on recovery from the newly opened bookstore in the beautiful gathering space at First Step Recovery.

NURSE’S CORNER Donita Kaspari, RN, First Step Recovery

If They Sell it in the Gas Station, it Must be Safe, Right?They are everywhere; the shiny cans, the glittering promises,

and the sexy ad campaigns. They’ve got “grab you” names like Monster, Rockstar, No Fear, and Red Bull (which, contrary to urban myth, does NOT contain bull sperm or urine!).

I am talking about energy drinks, one of the fastest growing products in the market ever. It is anticipated that energy drinks will result in 21.5 billion dollars in sales by 2017. And they’re not any worse for you than coffee. Or are they?

The usual argument is that there is more caffeine in a cup of brewed coffee than there is in a power drink. That may be true, although some brands of energy drinks on the market have up to 500 mg per serving, compared to 160 mg in an 8-ounce cup of coffee. A maximum safe dose of caffeine is 450 mg a day.

What an energy drink has that coffee doesn’t is guarana, a caffeine-related stimulant. And theobromine, a mild stimulant found in cocoa beans. And ginseng, an herb with stimulating properties. And what about sugar, that classic energy booster and stimulant that every parent of toddlers knows about? One Rockstar energy drink can have 63 grams of sugar which is the same amount as two regular size Snickers candy bars! Additional ingredients in energy drinks are stimulating as well, including taurine, ephedrine and L-Carnitine. And while most people sip coffee, energy drinks are often consumed quickly, putting more caffeine in the body at a faster rate.

To top it off, we don’t really know what we’re getting. Because they are considered a supplement, and not a food or a drug, there is no regulation by the FDA or anyone else.

Some of the side effects from too much caffeine with energy drinks are: jitteriness, fast heart rate, heart palpitations, headache, seizures, vomiting, drug interactions, insomnia, mood and behavioral disorders. There can be fatal side effects for people with heart conditions, as well as for children and adolescents who are not accustomed to a high caffeine intake..

A very real hazard with energy drinks is their use as “mixers” with alcohol. Although the federal government banned combination drinks such as Four Loko, Joose and Tilt in 2010, it doesn’t prevent anyone from dropping a shot glass of Jägermeister into a glass of Red Bull. The resulting drink can result in the Wide Awake Drunk Syndrome.

The Wide Awake Drunk is an at-risk person. They tend to think of themselves as less impaired than those who drink alcohol alone, largely because they are not feeling the depressant effects of alcohol. They are more alert than their alcohol-only peers, but their judgment is more impaired. Individuals who mix energy drinks and alcohol are four times more likely to drive a car and twice as likely to require medical attention, ride in a car with a drunk driver, or to be on either side of a sexual assault.

And, because the drinkers feel they are more sober than they really are, they drink more in search of the buzz. This results in increased incidences of alcohol poisoning, which is a medical emergency. Hangovers tend to be worse because of the combination of two diuretics, caffeine and alcohol, and the increased alcohol consumption, which leads to dehydration, a fast heart rate, and a really bad headache!

The recovering population is at unique risk with the whole energy drink culture. Caffeine is a psychoactive, addictive, stimulant, and used to excess, can trigger cocaine and methamphetamine cravings and relapse in former users. The restlessness, irritability, and discontentedness that are symptoms of caffeine withdrawal can be a trigger for alcohol or drug relapse.

Besides these physical triggers, the marketing and advertising campaigns geared toward selling energy drinks have evocative language for former drinkers. “Clean, crisp taste,” “smooth flavor you can pound down,” “energy brewski,” and “chugger-friendly bottle,” is crossover language to the alcohol world and is dangerous for people in recovery.

Energy drink advertising is directed at high school and college-aged people, and since the explosion in sales, many studies have been done looking at the impact of the drinks on young adults. One study suggests that consumption of energy drinks is associated with increased use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco. Another found that second-year college students who drank energy drinks were more likely to abuse prescription drugs.

So the jury is still out on energy drinks, but one question to ask is how does an industry go from $0.00 in 1997 to a projected $21.5 billion dollars in 20 years? Repeat business. And how do they guarantee repeat business? They addict you.

First Step RecoveryMay 2014 Page 2

TIMEly TOpIC: Spring is Here, Summer is Near

For many individuals in Recovery, it is important to establish new routines and traditions for the summer months that once were connected to a using lifestyle.

From those newly in recovery to those who have been sober and clean for years, a common suggestion is to create fun and interesting things to do—things that appeal to you. It is also about taking risks to discover new things that have been on the infamous “back burner.”

Spring and summer…wonderful opportunities to enjoy the sunshine, the outdoors, and the people you love. Sober.

OUR lOGO The Camel Logo is a Symbol of Hope

“The camel each day goes twice to his knees. He picks up his load with the greatest of ease.He walks through the day with his head held highAnd stays for that day completely dry.”—Anonymous Spiritual Principles• Sobriety—One Day at a Time• Faith• Prayer• Spirituality

A Program of The Village Family Service Center

The Bookstore has opened for business at First Step Recovery. We offer many titles for you to choose from. Please feel free to stop in and a staff member will assist you. A few of the books available include:

• A Woman’s Way Through the 12 Steps• Sober But Stuck: Obstacles• Waiting: A Nonbeliever’s Higher Power• Everything Changes: Help for Families of

Newly Recovering Addicts• Codependent No More• Just for Today: Daily Meditations for

Recovering Addicts• Twenty-Four Hours A Day

BookSToRE NoW opEN!

First Step RecoveryMay 2014 Page 3

A Program of The Village Family Service Center

‘‘Quote of the Month’’Contest

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The tradition at First Step Recovery with clients sharing inspiring quotes at the end of the group session has risen to new heights as current clients, family, alumni, referents and friends have been invited to submit quotes for our newsletter. Quotes can be original, or a quote/saying attributed to another person (famous or not).

Here’s how it works:1. Fill out form provided at First Step office and hand in

to our extraordinary Office Coordinator: Judy.2. Email your submission to patti@firststep-recovery.comWe will award a prize to the winning quote each month

and publish it in our monthly newsletter. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing you have contributed to inspiring others on this journey of Recovery.

Winner of the March “Quote of the Month” Contest:Gail M.

—Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.

Open HouseWednesday, May 21, 20141-3 p.m.3201 Fiechtner Drive, Fargo Alumni GatheringFriday, June 13, 20145 – 8 p.m.3201 Fiechtner Drive

UpCOMING EVENTS

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All alumni and their families are welcome to attend. Pizza and refreshments provided for all!

First Step RecoveryMay 2014 Page 4