Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from August 2006

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from August 2006

Once-a-week buprenorphine in physician's office found effective.(Office-Based Treatment)(Clinical report)
August 7, 2006... Thousands of physicians give take-home buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid addiction in their offices, but until now, the frequency for visits had not been established. A new study has found that once a week dispensing is as effective as...

Drug court audit finds lack of data on outcomes.(Wyoming Report)
August 7, 2006... Wyoming's new case management system to track outcomes for drug court clients came too late to help gain the drug courts a line-item on the state's budget. A recent state legislative audit has found that the drug courts don't have the outcomes...

Senate committee votes to add $30 million to block grant.
August 7, 2006... As the funding bill continues to move through the committee process, there is some good news: the full Senate Appropriations Committee voted July 20 to add $30 million to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant. See box...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
August 7, 2006... Dear Editor: I was encouraged to read the recent article about the Prometa treatment protocols for methamphetamine, cocaine or alcohol dependence. I would like to provide additional information: * To make treatment more effective we...

Illegal activity at Maine clinic puts methadone in spotlight.
August 7, 2006... Kim Johnson, director of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, has no doubts about calling methadone the best opiate treatment option for most of the people served in the state's treatment system. So it pains her to be in a consistent position...

NAADAC 2006 award recipients announced.(National Association of ADA Coordinators )(Awards list)
August 7, 2006... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, announced the winners of its 2006 annual awards last month. Mel Schulstad Professional of the Year The Mel Schulstad Professional of the Year award was created in November 1979 and...

'Addiction transfer' theory gaining attention.(Compulsive behavior trends)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... There is growing attention to a phenomenon that some call an "addiction transfer," wherein patients who have undergone bariatric surgery for weight control develop a new addiction in place of compulsive eating, such as alcohol abuse, compulsive...

Studies to examine novel uses for naltrexone.(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... The University of Minnesota is currently funding two studies investigating the efficacy of naltrexone, a drug approved in 1994 to treat alcoholism, for treating methamphetamine addiction and kleptomania. In an interview published in the Pioneer...

Grants to evaluate juvenile drug courts.(Resources)
August 7, 2006... The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has announced a $1.15 million grant to fund an independent evaluation of juvenile drug-court programs and how they impact the youth involved. Government...

Dr. Mark S. Gold, M.D.(2006 Drug Abuse Resistance Education America Distinguished Service Award)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Dr. Mark S. Gold, M.D., a distinguished professor and chief of addiction medicine at the McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida, was awarded the 2006 DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) America Distinguished Service Award at...

Catalyst files for IPO.(Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners)(Initial Public Offering)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... The four-year-old Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, based in Coral Gables, Fla., has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering. Catalyst's drug candidate, CPP-109, is a candidate for treating a...

Vincent P. Dole, M.D.(Obituaries)(Obituary)
August 7, 2006... Vincent P. Dole, M.D., the founder of methadone maintenance treatment, died August 1. Along with his partner Marie Nyswander, M.D., Dole experimented with switching heroin and morphine addicts to methadone in the 1960s at Rockefeller University...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 7, 2006... The Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group will hold its 4th Annual Benzodiazepine Study Group and 3rd Annual Unused Drug Return Conferences on October 23-24 in Portland, Maine. Critical issues addressed will include the effects of over-prescribing...

In case you haven't heard ...(Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center sexual activity among admitted patients)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... A patient in court-ordered treatment at the state-run Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center in St. Paul, Minnesota became pregnant while in treatment there, according to an August 3 report by state regulators. The incident was called...

Broderick, new SAMHSA administrator, pledges to stay the course: long-time HHS official sees himself as a 'steward'.(Eric Broderick)
August 14, 2006... When Charles Curie's resignation from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) took effect last week, the Acting Deputy Administrator, Eric Broderick, D.D.S., stepped in to take his place--temporarily. A well-liked...

New grant cycle for ATTCs could mean different regions, centers of excellence: SAMHSA calls for comments.(Addiction Technology Transfer Centers)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )
August 14, 2006... The Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTCs), federally funded centers that serve as a training resource for treatment providers in evidence based practices, may be in for some changes. The program, part of the Center for Substance Abuse...

Test for heavy alcohol use could help in diverse settings.(carbohydrate-deficient transferrin test)
August 14, 2006... A blood test that can accurately detect heavy alcohol use in about 60 to 70 percent of subjects has received little attention in the U.S. addiction treatment community, but a research expert who has studied the test for years believes it could...

Study finds increase in deaths from opioid analgesics.
August 14, 2006... New evidence supports the suspicions of many in the field that prescription opioids, not illicit drugs, are causing an increase in overdose deaths. Unintentional drug poisoning deaths in the United States increased an average of 5.3 percent per...

Methadone treatment programs seek relief from restrictions on take-home buprenorphine.
August 14, 2006... Physicians are allowed to treat opioid addiction in the office because DATA gave them a federal waiver from the federal regulations which bind methadone treatment programs. And methadone treatment programs, having watched physician offices...

Do casinos target gambling addiction?(Shibley Horaney lawsuit against MGM-Mirage properties )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... California resident and businessman Shibley Horaney has filed a complaint in federal court after MGM-Mirage properties threatened to sue him for $475,000 in unpaid gambling debt, reported the Associated Press on July 29. Horaney is seeking a...

Cigarette sales lowest in 50 years.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland reported on July 24 that cigarette sales in the U.S. are at the lowest point since 1951, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Sales peaked in 1981 at 640...

Increased IRS scrutiny of nonprofit politicking.(Internal Revenue Service )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson said in a statement that increasing numbers of nonprofit organizations engaged in prohibited political campaigning during the 2004 election cycle, reported the Associated Press on July...

PIRE study supports utility of AA model.(Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation)(Alcoholics Anonymous)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) reported on August 1 the results of a three-year study suggesting that attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous or other group therapy helps the recovery process regardless of age, sex,...

Childhood clues to teen risk behavior.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... A study published in the July/August issue of the journal Child Development suggests that a children's behavior as early as age three is linked with their use of alcohol and other drugs in adolescence. Researchers followed over 500 children of...

NIDA's new tool: brain imaging.(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The National Institute of Health (NIH) reported August 7 that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) helped to support a new brain imaging study, which found that the nicotine inhaled in just one puff of a cigarette is enough to fuel an...

IRETA's primer for recovery.(Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions releases monograph)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... On July 21 the Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA) announced the release of a monograph, "Recovery: Linking Addiction Treatment and Communities of Recovery--A Primer for Addiction Counselors, Recovery Coaches...

GSK's IMPACT awards.(Grants and Funding)
August 14, 2006... GlaxoSmithKline has announced its Tenth Annual IMPACT Awards, which it writes are "designed to reward excellence in the delivery of nonprofit community healthcare." The company will award a total of $400,000 to small and mid-size community...

NIH grants for behavioral/integrative research.(Grants and Funding)
August 14, 2006... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced grants of up to $200,000 to support behavioral and integrative research with the goal of improving alcohol and other drug treatment. Schools, governments, nonprofits and others are eligible....

Coming up ...
August 14, 2006... The 23rd World Federation of Therapeutic Communities Conference will take place September 1-5 in New York City. The scientific program will be designed with the goal to foster Therapeutic Community (TC) appropriateness and effectiveness in...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 14, 2006... The mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in order to prove to the public that he is no longer using cocaine, had his hair tested in his office on August 3. Last week, the results were released by the testing company, Compliance Network of New...

Public opinion poll shows deep-seated conflict about addiction as a disease: family members point to lack of willpower.
August 21, 2006... When Gallup released its latest analysis of a poll on attitudes toward addiction in America, it did so under two headlines: 1) "Americans with Addiction in Their Family Believe It Is a Disease" and 2) "Addicts' Family Members Say Lack of...

Internet addiction gains attention as it intersects with other problems.
August 21, 2006... Although the addiction field is not close to a formal incorporation of compulsive Internet use as a major area of focus, more clinical professionals and treatment agencies are considering the concept of "Internet addiction" as they observe an...

GAO recommends monitoring funds made to faith-based organizations.(Government Accountability Office)
August 21, 2006... In a recent examination of the Administration's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that closer watch be kept on safeguards of programs receiving this funding. The GAO found that in...

Substance abuse counseling written into federal disaster response bill.(www.disasterplanningresources.com)
August 21, 2006... Before Congress left for August vacation, two committees filed important legislation reforming the federal Stafford Act (the law governing disaster response) that would benefit substance abuse treatment. Under the proposed revision, the...

New CASA survey finds most parents don't know teens are drinking or using drugs.(Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse)(Survey)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Underage drinking and drug use is going on mostly unknown by parents, even when parents are present in the house, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XI: Teens and Parents, an annual back-to-school survey...

Insite facility faces end of exemption.(Briefly Noted)
August 21, 2006... The fate of the controversial Insite facility in Vancouver, British Columbia hangs in the balance over the next few weeks, as Ottawa's new Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper considers opposing viewpoints surrounding North America's only...

Survey shows alcoholism misunderstood.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Commenting on a German study of discrimination against individuals with alcoholism, Joseph Conigliaro, M.D., M.P.H., associate editor of Alcohol and Health: Current Evidence (July/Aug), said the results "highlight the public's lack of...

Report finds zero-tolerance flawed.(juvenile justice system needs restructuring)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... A task force convened by the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a report finding that zero tolerance policies of discipline in the schools may actually be backfiring, fueling bad behavior, upholding racial biases in discipline, and...

SAMHSA publishes Matrix treatment package.(Resources)
August 21, 2006... Treatment professionals now have access to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) new publication package, Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment for People with Stimulant Use Disorders, which SAMHSA calls a...

Funds for in-school drug testing.(Grants and Funding)
August 21, 2006... The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has announced funding for local educational agencies to develop and implement, or expand school-based mandatory random or voluntary drug-testing programs for students in one or more grades 6 through 12....

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 21, 2006... The 23rd World Federation of Therapeutic Communities Conference will take place September 1-5 in New York City. The scientific program will be designed with the goal to foster Therapeutic Community (TC) appropriateness and effectiveness in...

In case you haven't heard ...(drug users treatment against criminal justice system has more dropouts)(Brief article)
August 21, 2006... Coerced treatment = more patients, but less success? New research from England shows that drug users who were coerced into treatment by the criminal justice system were more likely to drop out than if they had entered voluntarily. According to...

Treatment programs balance amenities with focus on therapy.
August 28, 2006... It is no accident that the largest concentration of high-cost addiction treatment centers in the United States has clustered in the mountains of Malibu, Calif., where clients of prominence can find both the luxurious surroundings and the...

A tale of two reports: the 1st is killed, and the 2nd may be diluted.(Workforce)
August 28, 2006... Two reports on the addiction counselor workforce have been in the review process at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The first, "Strengthening Professional Identity," was prepared by the Center for...

Summit launches efforts against illicit fentanyl use.
August 28, 2006... Regional outbreaks of fentanyl-associated deaths prompted the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to hold a demand-reduction forum on fentanyl-laced heroin last month in Philadelphia, the site of one of the...

Recovery month: no speeches for people newly in recovery.(rallies on substance abuse treatment programs)(Brief article)
August 28, 2006... Next month, thousands of Americans will take part in commemorations of Recovery Month, including recent graduates of treatment programs. These are important gatherings for those in the treatment community. But for those who are newly in...

Report highlights successful state innovations in behavioral health care.
August 28, 2006... The Commonwealth Fund issued a report last week focusing on successful efforts made by states to deliver quality behavioral health treatment in the face of reduced budgets. The report builds on two earlier reports, from the President's New...

Halfway house gets cool reception in residential neighborhood.(Briefly noted)(Brief article)
August 28, 2006... Although nobody seems to dispute that there is a real need for another substance abuse treatment option in Henderson County, Kentucky, some residents of the town of Croydon feel that a new million-dollar facility does not belong in their quiet...

WHO seeks views on alcohol-related health issues.(World Health Organization)
August 28, 2006... The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an invitation to academic institutions, research departments, professional associations, nongovernmental organizations, and representatives of the trade, industry and agricultural sectors to...

Website for co-occuring disorders.(Mental Health Association of New York State website)(www.cooccurringdisordersnys. org)(Website overview)(Brief article)
August 28, 2006... The Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS) has launched a new website--www.cooccurringdisordersnys. org--to provide the general public and clinicians with education, resources and information on co-occuring mental health and...

NIH grant: the science of addiction.(Grants and funding)
August 28, 2006... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award (SEDAPA) Program, created to fund the development and evaluation of innovative model programs and materials for enhancing knowledge and...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 28, 2006... The 23rd World Federation of Therapeutic Communities Conference will take place September 1-5 in New York City. The scientific program will be designed with the goal to foster Therapeutic Community (TC) appropriateness and effectiveness in...

In case you haven't heard ...(injection site at Vancouver)(Brief article)
August 28, 2006... Fears that a safe-injection site in Vancouver might lead people to initiate drug use are unfounded, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of British Columbia reported that of the 1,000 people interviewed who had used the...