beth@methadonetoday.org or call (810) 250-9064
ARM--Web Site: http://hometown.aol.com/ARMMAT/index.html
beth@methadonetoday.org or call (810) 250-9064
ARM--Web Site: http://hometown.aol.com/ARMMAT/index.html
ARM--New Methadone Advocacy Group!
ARM--Getting Started, Planning for the Future
With one very large voice, composed of many individual voices,
we will be spreading our message by disseminating information and
engaging in activities designed to simply force policy makers do the right
thing, both under the law and in accordance with medical standards of care.
With the addition of YOUR voice, we can fulfill our mission much more quickly,
effectively, and with greater authority as a group that will soon become
well-known to all these entities and with a reputation that we have credibility
and mean business.
Despite the fact that methadone, the most common form of OA treatment, is endorsed by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Medicine, American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and even the current Drug Czar, as well as dozens of other well-respected and well-known medical societies and individuals with expertise in the field, only about 1 in 10 addicts avail themselves of this treatment. We believe that is in part due to unavailability of treatment slots in many areas (and even entire states), but also because the "clinic system" as it now exists is not designed to meet the needs of those who are serious about recovery and who demonstrate long-term compliance with the most stringent regulations imaginable.
Methadone and LAAM have been totally segregated from the rest of the medical community and are thereby stigmatized. The medical community is woefully ignorant about the true facts of OA therapy, which is well established because of the decades of research done on the effects of methadone.
The result of this has been to further lower the self-esteem of MMT
patients in general and to discourage many individuals who are most in
need of this treatment from seeking it out.
Active addicts in some areas, who cannot commute the 75-200 miles
to the nearest clinic, are not able to conform their hours of employment
to many clinics' unusually short, nonnegotiable hours of operation.
They also may not be able to afford the $50-$100 weekly clinic fee.
These addicts comprise the majority of the market for illicit methadone--not
the person who has never taken opiates. And, like a Catch-22,
anti-methadone groups frequently point to incidents of methadone diversion
as a reason not to increase the availability of this highly effective medication.
Of course, this is completely backward. This is just one of the many
disenfranchised groups ARM seeks to help by fully integrating OA treatment
into the wider medical community. We believe that by removing many
of these barriers, we can greatly enhance the lives of so many people who
need this treatment but simply cannot live with the daily intrusion of
clinic attendance, especially after proven stability has been reached.
And if an opiate addict does make the choice to treat his/her
chronic and fatal (if untreated) disease with OA therapy, then that treatment
should be as patient friendly as any other legitimate medical treatment
for any other chronic, relapsing disease. Many people seem not to
know, or are unwilling to accept, the fact that the field of medicine has
identified narcotic addiction as a disease. Many of these people
would like to keep "the argument" on a moral plane rather than the health
issue that it is.
If you are interested in helping ARM achieve these goals, we have two areas of activity:
(1) First, we need volunteers at the state and regional levels (our current plans call for 5-6 "regions" managed by a Regional Manager who will have to be a very committed and talented volunteer.We are then seeking volunteers from each state, and we can use several in each state because there is so much to do. People in all these positions will have access to real support at the national level, particularly in terms of getting you the materials you need to do the job (we are currently in the process of preparing those materials, but it shouldn't be long before we are ready to take applications for specific volunteer positions).
These positions are not limited to methadone patients exclusively. We would like to involve the families and friends of patients when possible. If you as a patient have a good relationship with your family doctor, counselor, spiritual advisor, or other person, we welcome all who are in harmony with ARM's mission to become involved in this endeavor.
Please look to future editions of Methadone Today for specific "job descriptions" and how to apply. But if you already think that such a position might appeal to you, please send us some initial contact information so we know how to get in touch with you when we begin filling these slots and just in case you miss the MT edition that contains the job YOU want.
(2) Although we are going to be operating under some grant monies, they will by no means cover all the expenses we will incur. We are looking for people who are willing to pay dues or have fundraising experience or ideas. There are several levels of membership, including clinic membership, but details are being worked out. If you think you might like to help ARM in this way, please contact ARM arm-org@home.com or call (615) 354-1320.Remember, you do not have to give a lot of time to ARM. You may only have a few hours a month available to donate. We can still use you as long as you are reliable. Everyone needs to help a little for this to work.
ARM is staffed by a number of very experienced and dedicated people. Please feel free to write to ARM in care of Methadone Today (address and E-mail on last page), and one of the staff will at least attempt to answer any specific questions you might have about our exciting new organization!
Thank you for your interest,
From the current active members of the Board of Directors: Carole
Larsen, Esq.; Beth Francisco, Editor; Malcolm Dickson; & Robin Robinette.
ARM is planning to operate as a methadone advocacy organization as opposed to a patient advocacy organization. NAMA has always been, and will continue to be, the pre-eminent patient advocacy organization, and ARM plans to be a cooperative entity designed to hasten the goals on which NAMA has been working so diligently for years.
It is obvious that many, many people across the country need to be educated as to the facts about methadone, and ARM hopes to become an integral part in the educating of America. With a cooperative effort, there will undoubtedly be more attention focused on our plight. That attention from the public and the mainstream medical community is our chance to educate them both and end the ignorance and fear that surrounds methadone treatment.
ARM is proud of the fact that it was started strictly over the Internet. Even though some of the original people involved in getting things started lost interest over time, a core group believed so much in what we were doing that we overcame the obvious obstacle of being geographically separated by thousands of miles and persevered. It proves just how dedicated ARM is to seeing methadone maintenance become a routine medical treatment instead of an anomaly so abhorrent it must be practiced in a separate building under totally separate rules and regulations!
The meeting in Detroit, held March 12-14, was a very successful session. Since ARM's plan is to take its effort nationwide, some very intricate planning will be involved. It was agreed upon that a national effort, with media participation, coupled with a local effort in every possible town and city, would be an effective way to educate the greatest number of people possible. While such a plan is obviously very ambitious, ARM believes that enough people already exist who are aware of the facts and are willing to share those facts with their friends and neighbors.
ARM feels that one way to educate the masses is to put a face on methadone. If the Special Education Teacher in Illinois, the Medical Doctor in Pennsylvania, the College Professor in Michigan, and the PTA President in Florida would all come forward and talk about how methadone saved their lives, the public's opinion would change a great deal.
In other words, it is up to us--the patients and the family and friends of methadone patients. Those of us who are living a stable life, working and supporting a family, integrated in our community, tasked with responsibility that we live up to all because we found methadone at a desperate time in our lives--it is up to us to come forward and tell people. Stop hiding that part of our lives and step up and admit that methadone helped us become stable citizens. This will make it much easier on the next person to admit. Think of how many people didn't get help because methadone maintenance is so burdened with regulations that are needless and oppressive. You can change that fact. Join ARM and help us make methadone normal medicine.
Even if you are not able to "go public," there will be other focused efforts to educate groups of people. We still need members who can help us with daily tasks, planning, organizing, etc.
If you would like to help, please notify ARM arm-org@home.com or call (615) 354-1320. We need you if you have two hours a week or sixty hours a week to donate. The main qualification is reliability. If you are reliable and do what you say you will do, we need you.