After devoting the past 36 years to leading and growing MCCA, Joe Sullivan has stepped down. Last month John D'Eramo took the reigns as MCCA's new CEO.

When Joe Sullivan arrived at MCCA in 1980, the agency consisted of two small locations in Danbury with 11 employees. A true visionary, Joe grew the agency into one of the most  highly-respected and top-rated substance abuse providers in the state. Today MCCA is a full-service addiction treatment center with 12 facilities around the state and serves close to 10,000 clients annually.

A search committee comprised of MCCA Board of Directors made the announcement after a comprehensive search spanning several months for a candidate they believed met MCCA's vision for the future of substance abuse treatment. "John's plan is to build on the outstanding work that his predecessor, Joe Sullivan has accomplished," said William Suess, MCCA Board Chairman. "He has a very clear understanding of today's complex and rapidly changing environment for substance abuse and mental health providers in Connecticut."

Joe Sullivan will be continuing with the organization in a consultative capacity to help ensure a very smooth transition. He is impressed with Mr. D'Eramo's qualifications and experience. Sullivan said, "John is well positioned to lead MCCA forward in a challenging fiscal climate and a rapidly changing service delivery environment."

Detoxing from substances can be hard on the body. MCCA is now offering clients the opportunity to utilize Acudetox - a supportive accupuncture therapy to aid the recovery process. Clinicians and clients are excited about this new tool as it opens up the possibility of treating the whole person - body, mind, and spirit.

Acudetox therapy involves gently placing five small sterilized disposable stainless steel needles in specific sites in each ear and leaving them in while clients sit quietly for 30 to 45 minutes. Stimulation of these ear points reduces stress and anxiety, lessens depression and insomnia, and alleviates the craving for substances, helping to aid in the recovery process.

Unless you are a monk living in monastery, chances are good you have heard of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). Although it has been around for several years, it really burst onto the scene with a large advertising blitz at the beginning of the 2015 NFL Season.

DFS works at a much faster pace than traditional fantasy sport games. It allows gambling every day or weekend, either in head-to-head match-ups against other players or at tournaments offering the potential of bigger payouts. The companies that run them - most notably FanDuel and DraftKings - make their profits by taking a percentage of entry fees. So the million dollar question is, Is DFS Addicting?  According to Scott Nelson, Director of Problem Gambling Services at MCCA, "The quickness that we have begun to see people accessing our services because of problems related fantasy sports games has surprised even us."

Sam, a 25-year old professional, engaged to be married, found himself about $40k in credit card debt due to DFS losses.  Read Sam's story and full article here.

 

	Watch Carrie's Story: Mother, Counselor and a Recovering Opioid Addict

For individuals working towards recovery who are struggling with the persistent cravings of opiate and alcohol addiction - Vivitrol can be the ideal tool that enables them to stay sober.

Vivitrol is a long-acting, injectable form of naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that is frequently prescribed to help dampen cravings in people who are physically dependent on opioids or alcohol. It is a relatively safe and effective medication and has been around for decades. The goal is to help highly motivated patients get through the early recovery cravings until they have stabilized their lives.  Most people remain on Vivitrol for 6-12 months.