Better Decisions Article

By Bob Cox

The world of entertainment was forever changed when music legend Michael Jackson was pronounced dead on June 25, 2009 at 2:26 pm while at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. The cause of his death was a lethal dose of propofol, lorazepam and midazolam, which was administered by his personal physician Conrad Murray. Murray would later be convicted of involuntary manslaughter and serve two years of a four year sentence.

Less than seven years later, music lovers around the globe were rocked again when another member of pop royalty, Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as Prince, died on April 21, 2016 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. Tragically, just one day earlier, a representative of Prince had reached out to Dr. Howard Kornfeld, an addiction specialist. Dr. Kornfeld’s son placed the 911 call when he found Prince unresponsive in his home.

The deaths of these two icons of music has shined a light on the dark subject of the escalating crisis of legal and illegal drug addiction in America. Many public health officials have declared the current opioid epidemic as the worst drug crisis in American history. From 2000 to 2014, American rates of death from opioid overdose have tripled from three deaths per 100,000 people to nine per 100,000, according to an article published on February 3, 2016 by Pacific Standard. In 2014 alone, 28,649 deaths from opioid overdoses occurred, with the vast majority of the lethal overdoses involving prescription opioids.  Just one year later, those numbers have risen to over 33,000 deaths, according to an article in the New York Times on January 6, 2017.

The heroin crisis has been closely linked to prescription drugs, as many users go on to become addicted to a prescription opioid before switching to the oftentimes less expensive and more potent illegal street drug heroin. So, who might become our next opioid overdose victim? Could it be the local high school football star who suffers a painful injury during the big game, an elderly family member that’s fallen or perhaps the quiet girl next door who winds up in the hospital for over three months with traumatic third degree burns all over her body?

I recently spoke to Janina Guarino, the founder and owner of Better Decisions Counseling Services, who many years ago, was that quiet girl next door. Here is her story, which is amazing and inspiring!

Q: What was your experience like in the hospital after that tragic motorcycle accident where you suffered third degree burns all over your body?

A: I was in the hospital for three months and they helped me manage extreme pain by putting me on a morphine drip. I got to push a button every time I needed more. Within about three or four days, I was completely addicted to it. They stopped giving morphine to me three months later and I went through terrible withdrawal symptoms and had no idea what was happening to me. I actually thought I was going to die and even told them my hair was hurting! That’s how psychologically addicted I became.

Q: It must be incredibly satisfying to help empower people to live a healthy and addiction free lifestyle, especially in light of the fact that you once stood in their shoes and truly understand their struggles.

A: Absolutely. I had such devastation as a young single mom coming out of the hospital. I went through a divorce, I didn’t have the money to afford an attorney, my car was vandalized by my ex and we didn’t have grocery money. I didn’t even know how to go down to social services and ask for food stamps or sign up for job skills training to find the perfect job. These are all the things we’re helping young people learn how to do and that feels great!

Q: Your counseling program has an extremely high rate of success (86%) helping clients stay addiction free. How have you accomplished this?

A: We address the psychological and physical symptoms of withdrawal at the same time with our intensive outpatient services. I’ve counseled many people that were addicted to opioid prescription medications who had no idea what they’re going through when they experienced extreme withdrawal symptoms. Many become severely depressed and some suicidal, because those drugs release serotonin from the central nervous system, which helps people feel a greater sense of euphoria. Also, we offer customized counseling plans that meet the very unique and specific needs of our clients. The conventional cookie cutter programs offered by many other counseling services are simply not as effective. In addition to that, we encourage our clients to deal with their emotional problems by replacing negative addictions with positive addictions.

Q: What is the purpose of Better Decisions Counseling Services?

A: Our intensive outpatient services are designed to help people live independently as they stabilize and move toward progress. These services are provided in partnership with community-based agencies and mental health care centers. The services are based on a needs evaluation and an Individual Treatment Plan which is monitored, reviewed and modified as needed on an on-going basis.

Q: What services do you offer?

A: Our dynamic intensive outpatient services include core mind and health services such as counseling, individual and group therapy, and medication monitoring. They also include community support in getting and holding a job, finding a place to live, enrolling in higher education, improving social relationships and gaining access to benefit programs. Clients receiving intensive outpatient services may also receive forensic evaluations (court required) and treatment, including prescription medications. We also provide case management services. We have a recovery coaching program for long term care and we also offer a very effective intervention service.

Q: What are some of the most common behavioral symptoms and signs that someone in your home is becoming addicted?

A: Anger, lots of outrage and major changes in the personality. Another common symptom is discovering that items are missing from your home, like medicine from your medicine cabinet, jewelry and a variety of other items from your home and garage. There may be more frequent requests for financial help, especially if they keep asking you for the same amount every day.

Q: Do you offer assistance to clients who are feeling vulnerable to relapsing?

A: Yes, we offer a sober companion, which is their recovery coach. If a client is feeling the urge to use or drink, they can reach out to someone by phone to talk them through it.

Q: What’s the relapse rate with opioid drugs?

A: It depends on which opiate. If it’s heroin, the chances of relapse is pretty good. You’re almost 99% sure that you’ll have at least one or two relapses. Relapse; however, is not a bad thing. It’s like riding a bike; it takes time to learn how to be successful.

Q: Can you tell us about your Michael Jackson and Prince Scholarships?

A: Yes, these are scholarships we’ve put into place to help kids who are addicted get the counseling they need, including those who might not be able to afford it. So instead of going out on the street and prostituting themselves to fund their next fix, they can get the counseling they need to change those destructive behaviors. Simply put, no individual can withstand prolonged stress indefinitely and we want to be there for those who desperately need counseling, in loving memory of Michael Jackson and Prince.

Q: Are you accepting donations for the Michael Jackson and Prince Scholarships?

A: Yes, and it’s great because we directly apply those donations towards reducing our counseling fees from 50% to 100%. With these scholarships, a child in need will never get turned away from receiving counseling for stabilization once they get out of the hospital. We are now 501 (3) c, which means we can now accept large donations and we’re tax exempt! Also, if somebody wants to donate a house to Better Decisions so that we can offer residential treatment, we have the programs written up and are ready to go.

Q: Do you accept Drug MediCal?

A: We have submitted all the paperwork and are waiting for approval. Hopefully, we’ll be approved very soon.

Q: Is there anything else that you want people to know about?

A: If you have a loved one that is currently struggling with or has passed away from drug addiction and want to speak to someone that understands, feel free to contact me.

Editor’s notes: To get help and/or donate to the Michael Jackson and Prince Scholarships, contact Better Decisions at (916) 368-0700, visit their office at 10366 Rockingham Drive in Rancho Cordova or email us them at betterdecisions724@gmail.com.