In a recent article on Thrive Global, Our co-founding Exec. Dir. David Vandervelde discusses the intersection of his own recovery journey through the 12-Steps, connection and community with current trends for AI alignment so that we can all work together for a better future.

Read the entire article on Thrive Global here.

In a recent article on Thrive Global, Awakening Recovery Founder and Executive Director David Van Der Velde weighs in on the great news that fatal opioid overdoses have declined in the past year. After this metric had grown rapidly for most of the last two decades, at times feeling like a runaway freight train, the reduction in overdose deaths is a much-needed relief.

But according to David, beneath the encouraging drop in fatal overdose numbers, there is a foreboding possible increase in non-fatal overdoses. The numbers of reported non-fatal overdoses have remained flat but the increased availability of overdose-reversal medications like naloxone has caused many overdoses to be self-treated and therefore go unreported.

Digging deeper, David discusses the very serious repercussions and danger that a survivor of a non-fatal overdose finds themselves in. They are 'at-risk' for a brain injury or another more serious overdose, among other things.  And these survivors on the whole are not getting nearly the recovery support he'd like to see them receive.

David continues with several proposed solutions that could improve outcomes for those who experience a non-fatal overdose. These focus on more support pathways, and more opportunities for the person to receive ongoing help toward recovering from their problematic opioid use.

Read the entire article on Thrive Global here.

David Van Der Velde shared a post to Thrive Global about how to approach the holidays this year for those in need of recovery and their families. David, as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Awakening Recovery, really understands what it's like to be in early recovery. He acknowledges that this time of year can be difficult to pursue recovery due to the unease that many feel with the many interactions that are expected by family, work, and friends.

But his uplifting conclusion is that the holidays are the perfect time to begin your recovery, as, in fact many have. He points out that there is a huge recovery community available to support us that need it and they know that this is their time to shine. Read the entire article on Thrive Global here.

In David Van Der Velde's latest post to to Thrive Global, he warned about a very serious danger that opioid-using people face - fentanyl. The hyper-potent drug is increasingly found in the illicit drug supply and has resulted in thousands of fatal overdoses.

As for a solution, David recommends a variety of interventions, with the goal seeming to be for an at-risk individual to build a recovery support network. This network may include mental health support groups, enrollment in medication-assisted treatment programs, and participation in peer support groups like 12-Step meetings (or the many non 12-Step alternatives). The opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) is also a potential weapon in the battle against fentanyl overdose.

Read the entire article on Thrive Global's website here: https://community.thriveglobal.com/fentanyl-has-upped-the-stakes-of-substance-addiction-relapse/.

David Van Der Velde shared a post to Thrive Global about how to approach the holidays this year for both those in recovery and their families. David, as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Awakening Recovery,  definitely has his finger on the pulse of the substance recovery community in Los Angeles as he discusses how the drugs that are being abused this year have evolved to include: hyper-potent THC dabs, fentanyl, and polysubstance abuse combining methamphetamines with opioids. David shares in the article that more than 107,000 lives were lost to drug overdose deaths in the past year driven by illicit fentanyl and other opioids.

However, there is much reason for hope, as more people are in recovery from substance abuse than ever.  David provides some great advice both for those in recovery and their families about how to approach holiday get togethers without undue stress and tempting a relapse.  He also advocates for some proactive steps we can take for the good of all, which include expanding the availability of naloxone (most commonly known as brand-name Narcan®), the nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses.

Read the article here on Thrive Global.