Empowering Your Sober Self -- the Class

As I noted here earlier, Prof. Arthur McCullough in Belfast announced a class on Empowering People Against Addictions at Queens University's Open Learning Centre. Now Prof. McCullough kindly sent me an email with a short report on how the session went:

Dear Martin,

The course Empowering People Against Addictions - 5 weekly two-hour sessions at Queen’s University Belfast Open Learning Centre – was completed last night. Its main inspiration is its recommended text Empowering Your Sober Self.  ...

As described in the Open Learning Programme, for Spring  2010: OLE1097 -  “This course is about how and why people get into addictions, and about how to get out of them. It covers major areas of addiction such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex; and related ones, such as isolation, suicide, physical and mental illness. Discussions involve perspectives in science, culture and society, and will focus on the recovery model.

There were 16 students mostly community, care and social work professionals or semi-professionals. About a quarter had had addictions. It’s been an exciting and interesting course, with LifeRing a point of departure all along. Two of the students say they are interested in a LifeRing in Belfast, and are in touch with Dennis Stefan (Dublin), who is interested and very willing to help. I think it could be very valuable here.  Every member of the course thinks so. ...

I thank Prof. McCullough, who appends this short bio:

Arthur McCullough was a Researcher in Organizational Studies at the University of Bradford, and Bradford Management Centre. He was Senior Lecturer at the University of Ulster, and later Head of its Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology. He is currently an Open Learning Tutor at Queen’s University Belfast providing courses on World Cinema, Tribal Art, Irish Art, Sacred Places Objects and Art in the Province of Ulster, and Empowering People against Addictions.

Needless perhaps to add, I hope that other educators find a place for Empowering Your Sober Self in their addiction-related classes.

Nice short book review

A tip of the hat to James in Ireland who posted a review of Empowering Your Sober Self on the goodreads.com website, here.

Ireland Leads the Way

A number of people have told me that my new book, Empowering Your Sober Self, would make a good classroom text in addiction recovery, but no one has done it  -- until now.  The pioneer is Arthur McCullough, BSc, BSSc, MA, at the Queen's University in Belfast.  The University has announced a new class beginning April 28, as follows:

Empowering People Against Addictions [OLE1097]

Arthur McCullough, BSc, BSSc, MA 5 weekly sessions on Wednesdays 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm, starting 28 April This course is about how and why people get into addictions, and about how they can get out of them. It covers major areas of addiction such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex; and related ones, such as isolation, suicide, physical and mental illness. Discussions involve perspectives in science, culture and society, and will focus on the recovery model. Recommended Textbook: Empowering your Sober Self, Martin Nicolaus, (Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Imprint). 5 CATS Points (Level 1) (concession rate £19.00) Full Price: £30.00

Here's the link if you want to sign up.  I'm grateful to Dennis S., LifeRing area convenor for Ireland, for spotting this web item and alerting me to it.

France clears air in offices, public buildings

The haze of smoke in France will begin to clear this month as France adopts a nationwide smoking ban in offices and public buildings. By the end of this year, smoking will also be banned in cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, and casinos.

The clean-air legislation follows the lead of Spain, Italy, and Ireland. More than 65,000 French people die each year from smoking-related illness or effects of second-hand smoke.

The move follows a steep decline in the popularity of smoking in France. In the 1950s, about three quarters of French males smoked. Today, about three quarters do not smoke.

Government policy had a hand in the change. Federal taxes raised the price of cigarettes by more than half in the past three years. They now cost about $6.66 a pack.

Starting in February, the ministry will give would-be quitters $66 coupons redeemable for the purchase of nicotine patches, chewing gum or lozenges. Read more.

Irish sportsman urges action on sponsorships

Dominic McCaughey, secretary of the Tyrone county section of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), has called the club's national leadership on the carpet for failure to curb alcohol sponsorships. Citing an official report on the worsening alcohol and drugs problem in Ireland, which recommended that alcohol sponsorships be phased out, McCaughey called the national leaderships' progress on the issue "pedestrian."

“Faced with the ever-increasing problems associated with substance and alcohol abuse across the entire nation, the reasons or arguments put forward for inactivity by our association do not stand up to scrutiny.” Source.

Ireland: Middle class cocaine epidemic

From the Irish Sunday Independent: COCAINE abuse among the young middle classes is so widespread that the Government believes it is now a "borderline crisis". A new draft government report says "it is already clear that cocaine abuse among well-heeled 18 to 35-year-olds has developed into a major national problem." Source.

Liver disease rising in UK, Ireland

The number of deaths from liver disease is rising rapidly in Ireland and Britain, Irish researchers have warned.

According to researchers at the National Liver Transplant Unit in Dublin's St Vincent's University Hospital, liver disease death rates have doubled over the past 20 years and with current trends in alcohol consumption, 'are likely to increase further'. Source.

UK women worst binge drinkers in world

Women in England and Ireland are officially the world's biggest binge drinkers, according to a unique study of global alcohol consumption.

One in three 17- to 30-year-olds is now classed as a heavy drinker, bingeing on four or more drinks in one session at least once a fortnight. Source.