Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert, author and dynamic speaker expresses his concern for children and young adults exposed to drugs who find comfort in them when they can’t find comfort elsewhere and are then treated as criminals.

ROCKVILLE, MD. April 13, 2022: Dr. John Rosa, dynamic speaker, national opioid crises expert, and co-author of The Recipe for Success with Jack Canfield, posted a new blog on his website entitled “Our Children Deserve Compassion Not Criminalization.” Dr. Rosa points out that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are at the root of most drug addiction which is not acknowledged nor taken into consideration as part of the problem.

Dr. Rosa states, “Without having personal experience, most people cannot imagine the life of those who live in poverty, those who witness parental abuse, or suffer any kind of physical or sexual abuse.” He continues, “As human beings we all suffer from traumatic events of varying degrees, be it the divorce of parents, death of a loved one, witnessing or experiencing bullying, seeing on social media that your “friends” are always hanging out together, but no one invited you. Everything I’ve mentioned above represents stressors that can cause neurochemical disruption.”

As Dr. Rosa notes, “Early traumatic events in life that result in chronic stress are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs.” He elaborates, “The problem of drug addiction arises when a young person living with stress is exposed to drugs through an injury, a friend, or a search for self-medication, the drug falsely gives them the spike in neuro chemistry that normalizes their world. Imagine the pull one would feel to use again and again and again. The root of most drug addiction is emotional. It’s a mental health problem.”

According to Dr. Rosa, “Everyone doesn’t respond the same way to life’s stressors. Yet instead of having compassion for those who end up depending on drugs for a sense of comfort, we arrest them and consider them criminals. We inflict more abuse and more damage. We fail to acknowledge and address the real issue.”

“If we don’t address mental health and addiction simultaneously,” Dr. Rosa states, “we will never get out of the mess we are in. And as if we didn’t already have adverse childhood experiences at every turn let’s add political hatred, strife in our streets, a deadly virus and war.”

Read the entire blog at: link here

About John P. Rosa

Dr. John Rosa owns and supervises ABC Management, which is comprised of 21 integrative health clinics in Maryland and Virginia that sees over 60,000 patient visits per year. ABC Clinics combine medicine, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, and behavioral medicine to give a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to pain syndromes and musculoskeletal disorders. Active in sports medicine with consulting/treating college, professional and Olympic athletes. Founder of Accessible Wellness Solutions – an onsite corporate wellness program offering consulting, lectures and management of onsite clinics.

Education:

• Northeast College of Health Sciences – DC 1992
• Rutgers University – BS 1989

Integrative Medicine Specialist:

• Current Board Chair to Maryland University of Integrative Health
• Trustee of Northeast College of Health Sciences for over 15 years serving final 3-year term as Chairman of the Board and given the honor or Board Emeritus post service.
• Consultant on Integrative Medicine to hospital cancer center
• Reduced opioid prescriptions up to 70% by integrating Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine in a primary care setting
• Expert/Speaker – Educating medical community on the Integrative Medicine approach to treating pain
• Executive Medical Director – Nu-Life Solutions – maker of a neuromodulation devise to treat pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and withdrawals form opioid addiction
• Medical Advisor – Outreach Recovery – a group of expert clinicians and health care professionals who specialize in substance abuse and drug addiction treatment, mental health counseling, and psychiatric management. Largest addiction treatment group in the Mid-Atlantic region
• Chief Science Officer – Get A-Head – a SaaS platform company that provides a telehealth application in training and delivery of mental health care while incorporating cutting-edge AI technologies

Opioid Crisis Expert:

• White House Surrogate/Consultant
• Law Enforcement Consultant (Homeland Security, CBP, DOJ, DEA, FDA, FBI and U.S. Postal)
• State, National, and International Consultant to Opioid Task Forces
• Corporate and professional organization consultant
• Currently working on PSA music and cinema projects with the Russo Brothers (directors/producers of the Marvel Avenger films)

Current Research and Publications:

• New-Life Solutions – Research medical director for “The H.O.P.E. Initiative for Addiction”
• Italian Chiropractic Association – Member of the Scientific Research Committee
• Publication:
  • Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
  • “Changes in Opioid Therapy Use by an Interprofessional Primary Care Team: A Descriptive Study of Opioid Prescription Data” by John Rosa, DC and Jeanmarie R. Burke, PhD
  • Published: April 17, 2021

Community Leadership:

• Founder of “Overdose Free America” a nonprofit which uses the power of celebrity and entertainment to bring the Opioid Crisis the visibility and support it deserves
• Lectures to community, corporations, universities and medical community on the opioid and mental health crises have reached over 100,000 people.
• Production of “BACKBONE” The story of proactive healthcare vs. reactive disease care that was focused on our active and retired military. A documentary by Wellbeing Films
• Co-Producer of “It’s Happening Right Here” The story of how sex trafficking has infiltrated our country with almost no public awareness
• Volunteer at Crossroads Freedom Center – a residential facility in Maryland to help overcome addiction
• Board member – #Same Here Global Mental Health Movement – 501c3 dedicated to delivering resources and programing on better ways to treat mental health other then medication

www.drjohnrosa.com