Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from August 2003

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from August 2003

NASADAD criticizes commission's dual diagnosis recommendations: organization also focused on SAMHSA reauthorization.(National Association of State Alcohol/ Drug Abuse Directors)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )
August 11, 2003... In an interview with Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly last week, National Association of State Alcohol/ Drug Abuse Directors Executive Director Lewis E. Gallant, Ph.D. voiced concern that the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health final report's...

L.A. County launches research institute for treating co-occurring disorders.(Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, California)
August 11, 2003... Citing poor treatment outcomes associated with a lack of integration for treatment for co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) has created a progressive, evidence-based model of...

Ohio program provides integrated services, training for dual disorders.
August 11, 2003... As more programs and initiatives to address the treatment of persons with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders continue to emerge around the country, one such program in Ohio is providing continuous training and education in...

Ariz. recovery center offers array of peer-delivered support services.(Casa Grande-based Recovery Activity Center, Arizona)
August 11, 2003... Bringing much-needed recovery-and peer-support services to a population recovering from alcohol and drug abuse and other issues is the mission behind a federally funded, innovative drop-in center located in rural Arizona. The Casa...

Silver Hill Hospital. (Names in the News).(community outreach coordinator)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Conn., has appointed Julia Schwartz-Leeper, C.S.W., as community outreach coordinator. Schwartz-Leeper most recently served as the acting director of community affairs at New York United Hospital in Port...

Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. (Names in the News).(director )(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Ohio Governor Bob Taft has appointed Gary Q. Tester as the director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS). He replaces Luceille Fleming who retired July 11. Tester has served as chief of prevention services for...

ONDCP fact sheet covers youth drug use. (Resources).(Office of National Drug Control Policy)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is offering an eight-page fact sheet entitled "Juveniles and Drugs." The fact sheet, prepared by ONDCP's Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, summarizes current information on juveniles and...

Boston sees increase in drug-related deaths. (Briefly Noted).(Massachusetts)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The number of deaths from heroin and other illegal drugs has risen sharply in Boston, the Boston Globe reported. The annual health report for the city showed a 76 percent increase in the number of drug-related deaths between 1998 and 2001. The...

Alcohol-related deaths increases among Danes. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... A study published by Denmark's national health board shows that alcohol consumption and alcohol-related deaths among Danes have increased significantly since the 1960s, the Agence France Presse reported. In 1998, one in 20 Danes over age 14...

Hazelden program achieves "model program" designation. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has designated Hazelden's school-based prevention program, Class Action, as a "Model Program," according to a Hazelden press release. Class Action involves eight to 10 weeks...

NIH establishes steering committee. (Briefly Noted).(National Institutes of Health)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will form an NIH Steering Committee to give "crisp strategic direction" to the agency and streamline its decision-making processes, NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., announced. The committee will help...

Company makes donation to rehabilitation center. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Ricardo Artigas, president and chief executive of GE Energy Services, has presented a $25,000 donation from GE to Nuevo Caminar, a nonprofit drug rehabilitation program in Hialeah, Fla., Business Wire reported. Earlier this year, Artigas...

Many heroin addicts attempt suicide before seeking help. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... An Australian study has found that about one-third of people who sought treatment for a heroin addiction had attempted suicide at some time prior to seeking help, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. reported. Thirteen percent of the heroin...

Ecstasy use could lead to Alzheimer's disease. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The Australian government is concerned that people who use Ecstasy and other psychostimulants may account for future cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD), AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. reported. Experts advised Trish Worth, parliamentary...

Vietnam passes resolution to extend rehabilitation. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Vietnam's National Assembly has passed a resolution that will keep drug addicts in rehabilitation for up to five years in an effort to reduce the country's high relapse rate, the Associated Press reported. Under the resolution, drug addicts...

Black smokers discuss habits and attitudes. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Findings published in the March/ April issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion indicate that many low-income blacks smoke to relieve stress, Health Behavior News Service reported. Researchers discussed smoking habits and attitudes...

Coming up.(substance abuse treatment conferences and seminars)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 11, 2003... The New England Institute of Addiction Studies Inc. will hold its 11th annual New England Advanced School of Addiction Studies Aug. 25 to 28 in Waterville Valley, N.H. For more information, call (207) 621-2549; e-mail neias@neias.org; or visit...

In case you haven't heard ...(Songs of Hope, Awareness and Recovery for Everyone to benefit recovery and treatment programs)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... A new music compact disc from country music artists promotes recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and benefits treatment and recovery programs. The Songs of Hope, Awareness and Recovery for Everyone (SHARE) CD was coordinated and produced...

County renews tax that funds treatment, prevention: voters pleased with program's efforts to address drug problems.(Jackson County, Missouri)
August 18, 2003... A unique anti-drug sales tax program for funding prevention, treatment and law enforcement efforts was renewed this month by county voters in Missouri for the third time since the program's inception 14 years ago. County officials use the...

Report highlights impact of welfare reform on addicted population.
August 18, 2003... An ambitious project known as the "SSI Study" has found that two years after welfare reform laws brought an end to Supplemental Security Income for poor people with addiction-related disabilities, this group showed continued levels of high drug...

Study prescribes heroin in combination with methadone: results show relative improvement in participants.
August 18, 2003... While a study of this type would generate great controversy in the United States, researchers in the Netherlands have published results of their clinical trial involving the co-prescription of heroin with methadone for treatment-resistant...

Addiction, "willful misconduct" and the Supreme Court, round 2. (From the Field).
August 18, 2003... On October 8, 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in the case of Raytheon v. Hernandez (Docket No. 02-749). How the justices rule in this matter will have profound implications for people in recovery from...

Partnership for a Drug-Free America. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... The Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) has appointed Kathleen Hill Zichy as executive vice president, development, and has promoted Robert Caruso to chief financial officer. Zichy previously served as senior vice president for corporate...

Drug Enforcement Administration. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... The United States Senate has confirmed Karen P. Tandy as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Tandy has been employed by the Department of Justice since 1979, rising to the position of Associate Deputy Attorney General and...

Craig Fry, senior research fellow at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne, Australia, has been awarded the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Research in Ethics, which includes $10,000, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. reported. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Craig Fry, senior research fellow at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne, Australia, has been awarded the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Research in Ethics, which includes $10,000, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd....

Scholarships available for NAADAC conference. (Resources).
August 18, 2003... NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals, will award scholarships to qualified counselors to attend NAADAC's annual conference Sept. 14 to 17 in Washington, D.C. The scholarships will be made possible through an educational grant...

Australian study: most inmates have history of MI or addiction. (Briefly Noted).(mental illness)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... A study conducted by Corrections Health Service (CHS), a division of New South Wales (NSW) Health in Australia, found that a majority of NSW jail inmates had a history of psychiatric illness or addiction, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd....

Face-to-face support groups still popular. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Earlier this month, psychologist Keith Humphreys told the American Psychological Association that nearly one in five Americans attend face-to-face support groups at some time in their lives, despite the availability of online support groups,...

Alaskan courts face conflicting marijuana laws. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... An Alaska Superior Court judge has dismissed a marijuana conviction, on the grounds that the right to possess a small amount of marijuana for personal use in one's home is protected under the state constitution, according to the Drug Policy...

Gambling awareness program to begin in Kentucky schools. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... The Kentucky Lottery Corporation and the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling have launched a program and a campaign to help educate youth on the risks of gambling, the Associated Press reported. The program, "Beat Addiction," will be tested in...

Council to vote on neighborhood restrictions. (Briefly Noted).(Lancaster, California)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Last week, the Lancaster, Calif. City Council was scheduled to vote on an anti-crime program that would prevent parolees and probationers from entering certain neighborhoods, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Lancaster Community Prosecution...

The Change Companies seeks national training director. (Help Wanted).
August 18, 2003... Outstanding career opportunity. The Change Companies[R], with clients in all 50 states, has an immediate opening for a national training director, based in the beautiful Carson City/Lake Tahoe region. Individual will provide training in...

Iran to distribute free syringes to addicts. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... An official in Iran's health ministry has said that the ministry will begin distributing free syringes to drug addicts in Tehran, the Agence France Presse reported. Mohsen Vazirian told the Iran Labour News Agency that mobile teams will...

Opium use increasing in Afghanistan. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Opium use is increasing among all ages in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported. The increase has been seen particularly among refugees and returning refugees, said Adam C. Bouloukos, U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), deputy...

Expert warns that cannabis may lead to mental illness. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... A leading drug expert in London has warned that a rise in cannabis smoking may lead to an increase in mental illness, the Press Association Limited reported. Professor John Henry, a toxicologist at Imperial College London, told the BBC Radio 4...

Coming up.(workshops and meetings)(Calendar)
August 18, 2003... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will host "Blending Clinical Practice and Research: Forging Partnerships in the Rocky Mountain States to Enhance Drug Addiction Treatment" Sept. 8 and 9 in Westminster, Colo. For more information,...

In case you haven't heard ...(public toilets attract addicts)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Municipal police in Boston say that the installation of public toilets on the streets of the city has attracted heroin addicts, among others, to the commodes, the Boston Globe reported this month. Police say they have found people passed out on...

Pa. gives referring physicians final word on SA treatment: notice could reduce managed care's role.(substance abuse)
August 25, 2003... In a development that health insurance companies say would eviscerate commercial managed care for alcohol and drug treatment in Pennsylvania, the state insurance department has issued a notice declaring that a treating physician's referral to...

CASA study links stress, boredom, money to teen substance abuse.
August 25, 2003... The eighth annual "back-to-school" survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) found that teens who are highly stressed, frequently bored or have substantial amounts of spending money...

Study: ADHD in children increases subsequent risk of drug use.
August 25, 2003... Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more at risk for using illicit drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes in their adolescence, according to a study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Abnormal...

SAMHSA proposes changes to current grant formats.
August 25, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is soliciting comments on proposed changes in the way grants will be announced. SAMHSA is proposing to issue four standard grant announcements that will describe the general...

Book looks at effect of gambling on youth. (Resources).(Futures at Stake: Youth, Gambling, and Society)(Book Review)
August 25, 2003... The University of Nevada Press has published Futures at Stake: Youth, Gambling, and Society, a collection of articles on topics from the North American Think Tank on Youth Gambling Issues' conference at Harvard Medical School. The 344-page book...

CADCA to hold videoconference on faith-based prevention.(Resources)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will air a videoconference, "Faith Community Involvement in Substance Abuse Prevention," August 28 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET. The videoconference will provide an overview of President George...

Safety net providers show resilience.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... Many community health care safety nets for low-income and uninsured people have grown stronger in recent years, according to findings released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Between 1996 and 2001, safety nets, which are...

Synthetic cannabinoid may help improve appetite in AD patients.(Briefly Noted).(Alzheimer's Disease)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... Findings presented at the annual meeting of the International Psychogeriatric Association in Chicago suggest that dronabinol (Marinol), a synthetic cannabinoid, may reduce agitation and improve appetite in Alzheimer's patients, The Press...

The Change Companies seeks national training director.(Help Wanted)
August 25, 2003... Outstanding career opportunity. The Change Companies[R], with clients in all 50 states, has an immediate opening for a national training director, based in the beautiful Carson City/Lake Tahoe region. Individual will provide training in...

Harm Reduction Project opens drop-in center in Denver.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... The Harm Reduction Project (HRP) has announced the opening of a drop-in center for at-risk drug users in Denver. The center will offer a variety of services including individual harm reduction counseling, acupuncture and referral services. The...

Meth abuse increases burden on Idaho foster care system.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... Idaho Health and Welfare Officials say methamphetamine, which is easily made using chemicals and fertilizers commonly found on Idaho farms, is increasing the burden on the state's overloaded foster care system, the Associated Press reported....

Coming up.(Calendar)
August 25, 2003... The Alcohol and Drug Problems Association of North America (ADPA), will sponsor the 15th annual ADPA Women's Issues Conference, "Women, Trauma, and Addictions," Sept. 14 to 16 in Buffalo, N.Y. For more information, contact Jacqui Hamilton at...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
August 25, 2003... The Associated Press reports that two University of Florida psychiatrists, writing in Depression and Anxiety and Current Psychiatry, suggest that to determine whether someone spends too much time on the Internet, doctors should remember the...