A new Smoke Shop has opened on Main Street in New Canaan, and retailers including Stew Leonard’s and Whole Foods are selling THC-infused seltzers by CANN. Why do I mention this? Because it goes against the spirit of the cannabis legalization bill of 2021 (aka Public Act 21-1, an Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis (“RERACA”). The …
I have been test driving recoveryeducation.com, a parent-focused website for families affected by addiction. The full name of this website tool is REAL, Recovery Education & Applied Learning. It’s the brainchild of New Canaan resident and REAL Founder & CEO Todd Lampert, who was inspired by a recovery journey in his own family. The Town of New Canaan has graciously …
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, we hosted Tim Walsh of Adventure Recovery (AR) for an in-person Pathway Session on how outdoor movement and skills can promote recovery. There was a good mix of recovery coaches and parents in attendance. For some time it has been recognized that the brain can be impacted by community, moving in the outdoors, and spending …
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, we hosted Raquel Harrison, MD, a local Lifestyle Medicine and emergency physician, for an in-person Pathway Session on managing cortisol for health and recovery. Lifestyle Medicine is a relatively new medical specialty based on the vital role that lifestyle choices play in preventing and reversing chronic diseases. Thee are six pillars of lifestyle medicine: plant-forward …
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, we hosted Ethan Hershman and Colleen Delaney, co-founders of the nonprofit group Move to Heal (MTH). It was an insightful session about a recovery approach that is growing rapidly from 1 outlet in 2021 to 24 locations by the end of the year. I first became aware of Move to Heal when Ian Parker, in …
On Wednesday, January 17, 2024, we hosted Jordan Davidson, Government Affairs Manager at Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a man in long-term recovery from THC addiction. I first became aware of Jordan because his mom who used to attend our parent support meetings when Jordan was in the early days of his recovery. He a recent graduate of American …
On Monday, December 11, at St. Mark’s Church, our guest speaker Frank Bartolomeo, PhD, spoke on setting boundaries to promote recovery. Frank is s a nationally-recognized expert in mental health amd substance use. Frank has a private psychotherapy practice in addition to being the Founder and Director of the Well Center for Development, both based in New Canaan. In addition, …
On Wednesday, November 20, we hosted Erika Long, co-Founder of the Community Mindfulness Project (CMP) for a fascinating in-person Pathway Session. During the session, Erika went through a number of concepts about the power of mindfulness. Among the ideas were these: 1) Taking deep breaths sends a signal to the brain that we are safe; 2) We have the power …
Our October 18 Pathway Session on Addiction Studies with Shane Murphy, PhD, was a big success. Shane, who founded and heads the graduate-level program in Addiction Studies at WestConn State University, gave us some background about the program and why it is needed. The program serves different individual needs including: 1) credit hours (37) to pursue a career as an …
On Wednesday, August 30, 2023, at NCPSG’s 7th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil, Ian Parker shared his story of recovery from addiction. His parents, Melody and Roger, introduced him. To view the video recording of his Vigil speech click here. We also share his testimonial in full below. Thank you, Ian, for being so open about your recovery! Families empower …
