Celebrating Native American Indian Heritage Month

November 13, 2015
Lena Thompson, MPH
Research Associate
National American Indian and Alaska Native ATTC

November marks the celebration of Native American Indian Heritage Month, a time to honor the many achievements and contributions made by a group of people who are rising above grief and trauma. Within the American Indian culture are many different practices, legends, and people to celebrate. While flipping through American Indian Myths and Legends, a book of American Indian stories selected and edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, I came across a Cherokee tale, reported by James Mooney in the 1890s. The tale is of how Grandmother Spider stole the sun.

UNITE to Face Addiction: Celebrating Recovery and Fighting Status Quo

November 10, 2015
Dr. Gary Fisher
Founder, Center for the Application of Substance Use Technologies (CASAT)
University of Nevada Reno
Former Principal Investigator and Director, Mountain West ATTC 

UNITE to Face Addiction Rally concert-goers.
Photo: UNITE to Face Addiction

For those of us in long-term recovery, the UNITE to Face Addiction Rally was powerful on so many levels. On October 4, 2015, an estimated 30,000 recovering individuals and our allies gathered at The Mall in Washington, D.C. The speakers included well-known public figures such as U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Director of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Senator Edward Markey, and Dr. Oz; public figures affected by family members’ addiction, like Allison Janney, whose brother died of an overdose; and “ordinary” recovering folks like those in the audience. Recovering musicians provided incredible entertainment:  Joe Walsh, Steven Tyler, Sheryl Crow, and Paul Williams.