Drug-Use Dreams and the Addiction Recovery Process

Recovery Research Institute
Image: recoveryanswers.org

Based in Indiana, Thomas Stoughton has extensive experience in areas such as education and business development, and as a public policy consultant. Community focused, Thomas Stoughton has engaged with homeless shelters and half-way houses in Indiana, and has a personal commitment to addiction recovery support.

As reported in Science Daily, a recent study led by a Harvard Medical School professor who guides the Recovery Research Institute brought focus to the way in which vivid dreams about drinking and using drugs are part of some former addicts’ recovery processes. The study enlisted more than 2,000 participants, who had successfully stopped using drugs or alcohol. A common thread in these dreams, whatever root cause exists, involves a sense of disbelief, coupled with emotions such as fear and remorse. This lasts until the recovering addict wakes up with a feeling of relief that what was experienced was only a dream.

The frequency of drug-use dreams diminishes the longer individuals engage in the recovery process. One theory is that the dreams are part of a brain-mind stabilization process associated with healing, as the body and mind gradually become used to abstinence.

A surprise finding is that while anecdotal accounts of these dreams are prolific in recovery support settings, a relatively small percentage of study participants reported having them. However, it was noted that participants who did have relapse dreams also had the most severe histories of substance use. A key question warranting further research is what relationship such dreams have with relapse risk.

Indiana and International Films Make Impact at Heartland Film Festival

 

Heartland International Film Festival
Image: heartlandfilm.org

A longtime Indiana entrepreneur, Thomas Stoughton maintains a respected consulting services business that meets client needs in areas such as technology, education, and business development. Having helped launch a number of community programs in Indiana, Thomas Stoughton was a driving force in the development of the Heartland Film Festival.

Celebrating its 28th anniversary in 2019, the festival lasts 11 days and encompasses more than 300 film screenings, with approximately 100 filmmakers attending.

One unique film with a local angle, premiered at the 2018 festival, was Palace. Directed by a native Floridian who relocated to Indiana and became interested in patterns of rural life in the state, the film takes place in a bar called the Palace, where three unlikely characters meet and trade cross-generational stories. The film earned Heartland Film Festival official selection and has been shown throughout the country at theaters such as Fort Wayne’s Cinema Center.

Earning the Foreign Language Contender Award was Yomeddine, an Egyptian film about a man cured at a leprosy colony. The director uses this film to take a close look at the inhumane treatment of those with leprosy by society at large and within treatment facilities.

Three Top Vacation Destinations in the U.S. for 2019

Grand Canyon National Park
Image: nps.gov

A contributor to the development of multiple nonprofit boards and educational safety initiatives in Indiana, Thomas Stoughton is an Indiana business consultant and the former president of Business Consulting Incorporated. Beyond his professional work, Thomas Stoughton enjoys traveling outside of Indiana. The new year brings a number of enjoyable vacation destinations from around the country, some of which are listed below:

– Grand Canyon National Park. In honor of Grand Canyon National Park’s 100th anniversary, there will be an assortment of special events in the area throughout the year. Families in particular may enjoy the Centennial Summerfest and Star Party, which takes place in June, while individuals looking for the full celebration experience can sign up for an all-inclusive, multigenerational trip.

– New Orleans. A number of new attractions are expected to open in New Orleans this year, including multiple restaurants and Sazerac House, a museum dedicated to the history of the cocktail. The Louisiana Children’s Museum also recently opened in City Park and provides families with outdoor and indoor experiences, such as a floating classroom and the Mighty Mississippi exhibit.

– New York City. Another city celebrating 2019 as a memorable year, New York has dubbed it a Monumental Year due to the multitude of new hotels and attractions coming to the city. Two notable sites include Hudson Yards, the largest city development since Rockefeller Center, and the Statue of Liberty Museum. The latter will explore the Statue of Liberty’s history and feature artifacts such as the original torch.

International Tours Program at INVS Lets Students Explore the World

Indiana Virtual School
Image: indianavirtual.com

The former president of Business Consulting Incorporated, Thomas Stoughton is an Indiana-based business consultant with a history of developing nonprofit boards and initiatives. These efforts include the 2011 creation of the Indiana Virtual School (INVS) on whose Board Thomas Stoughton served until 2015.

INVS enables students to earn their high school diploma and prepares them for success in college. The only public charter school in the state using the Codie award-winning Pearson & Florida Virtual curriculum, it offers exclusively fully online courses and options for advanced placement and honors classes.

INVS also partners with Academic Excellence in Travel (AET) to give students the chance to expand their education beyond the virtual classroom and explore the real world through opportunities such as the International Tours program. A nonprofit organization, AET provides the means for individuals from all economic levels to travel to foreign countries. Participants will visit Great Britain, the ruins in Rome, and castles throughout Germany and France while learning about their cultural significance. Furthermore, their experiences will draw from their school studies, thereby broadening their horizons and understanding of the world.