Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from August 2008

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from August 2008

Parity bill misses Senate passage by narrow margin; field buoyed anyway.
August 4, 2008... A filibuster in the Senate last week stopped passage of the federal parity bill, which was attached to the huge tax relief bill under fire from Republicans. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, added the parity...

N.Y. providers guardedly optimistic on minimizing problems from smoking ban.
August 4, 2008... Having had about a year's notice on New York state's plan to ban use of all forms of tobacco at the buildings and grounds of addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs, providers interviewed by ADAW last week say they were largely...

CAADAC splits from NAADAC in bitter end to contract dispute.(California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors)(National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors)
August 4, 2008... A dispute that has been brewing for several years has resulted in the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) ending its affiliation with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) effective...

Fentanyl report shows need for case definition of overdose deaths.
August 4, 2008... The fentanyl overdose epidemic of 2005-2007, as chronicled in the July 25 issue of Morbality and Morbidity Weekly Report (MMWR), killed at least 1,013 people during that time frame. The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and...

At-home deaths from prescription drugs surge.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... The first large-scale study of at-home prescription medication consumption found a 3,196 percent increase over 20 years in fatal medication errors involving alcohol and/or street drugs. The University of California San Diego reported on July 28...

Study identifies changes in brain relating to drug-seeking behavior.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... A study in rats has identified specific long-term adaptations in the brain's reward system that contribute to drug seeking behavior, wrote the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which funded the study. The findings provide an improved...

Marin Institute tabulates 'annual catastrophe' of alcohol in California.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... The Marin Institute has completed a study estimating the annual cost of alcohol problems in California to be at $38 billion annually. The number of lives lost is 9,439, and the quality of life costs are estimated at $48.8 billion, according to...

SAMHSA adds new resources to NREPP.(RESOURCES)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has added two new programs to its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) (www.nrepp.samhsa.gov). The new programs are #99 Cocaine-Specific Coping...

SAMHSA launches Homelessness Resource Center Web site.(RESOURCES)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(www.homeless.samhsa.gov)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has launched a new Homelessness Resource Center Web site (www.homeless.samhsa.gov) to support individuals working to improve the lives of people affected by homelessness. A...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 4, 2008... The State Systems Development Program (SSDP VIII) Conference, "Partnering to Support Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care," will take place August 20-22 in Washington, D.C. It is presented by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 4, 2008... Sixty-one year old Marc Benno, who played guitar with the rock band the Doors on their classic album "LA Woman," has opened a new private chemical dependency clinic in Kerrville, Texas, reported the AP on July 25. Benno said he started drinking...

Las Vegas-area Salvation Army forced to curtail uncompensated offender care.
August 11, 2008... A weak economy that is resulting in deferred donations from even its strongest supporters is forcing The Salvation Army in Clark County, Nev., to cut back services in its continuum of addiction treatment, and offenders referred from the justice...

Getting out the recovery vote: Recovery Voices Count moves into high gear.
August 11, 2008... The Obama-McCain race is the first presidential campaign test for Recovery Voices Count, the voter participation initiative of Faces and Voices of Recovery, which is focusing on a three-pronged strategy: voter registration, voter education, and...

House approves giving FDA authority over tobacco.
August 11, 2008... Amid the busy last days of Congress before the August recess, during which field groups were focused on parity legislation (see ADAW Aug. 4), the House of Representatives voted to allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco...

An Inch From the Heart: Art and recovery come together.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
August 11, 2008... What do you hold an inch from your heart? Is it a wound or a loved one? Recently, A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), in collaboration with Realize Creative Social Action presented An Inch From the Heart, a showcase of...

CADCA and CHPA support National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America)(Consumer Healthcare Products Association)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) have announced their support for Senate resolution 614 designating August as National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month. The bill was...

Frequent consumption of 'energy drinks' linked with risky behaviors.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... New National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded research finds that young adults who frequently consume "energy drinks" are three times as likely as non-consumers to have smoked cigarettes or abused prescription drugs, and twice as likely to have...

Alcohol dependence in Mexican border population to be examined.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Survey)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... A large survey of drinking behaviors of 1,500 Mexican American males living in Los Angeles and Houston will be followed up with a survey of 1,500 Mexican males living along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California....

'Ready to Change' program curbs problem gambling.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Bensinger, DuPont & Associates (BDA) reported that its Call to Change (C2C) employee assistance program, which focuses on techniques like Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change, is effective in curbing problem gambling. In a recent...

Brief Alcohol Intervention studied in postpartum women.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... In their study published online July 9 in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Michael Fleming and colleagues write that the postpartum period--a "time of transition" in a woman's life--may provide an "ideal opportunity" for a brief...

University of Va. uses 'social norms' approach with incoming students.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... This summer the University of Virginia offered its first freshman orientation session on the topic of alcohol abuse: "Is Everybody Drinking?" The Daily Progress reported on July 20 that when students and parents were asked to rate the drinking...

Texas recovery program encourages long-term goal setting, education.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... Lubbock, Texas is the home to a new six-month residential recovery program for young men who have completed treatment but require additional support in their transition to living in the community. The STAGES (Sobriety Through Aftercare Guidance...

Department of Health launches MySpace campaign for N.Y. youth.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... The New York Department of Health it has launched it first Web-based effort to engage teenagers struggling with health issues including depression, drug and alcohol use, and violence. The online campaign, called NYC Teen Mindspace, is located...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 11, 2008... New research suggests "mankind is suffering from an evolutionary hangover," reported the University of Bayreuth on July 28. University researchers led an international team who for the first time recorded chronic alcohol intake in the wild. The...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 11, 2008... The State Systems Development Program (SSDP VIII) Conference,"Partnering to Support Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care," will take place August 20-22 in Washington, D.C. It is presented by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the...

Alcohol use study, national meeting bring focus to veterans' problems.(Survey)
August 18, 2008... An alcohol use survey published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association is receiving attention in an addiction treatment profession that knows of unmet needs for persons returning from military combat but has difficulty...

Two surveys on teen motivations for drug use focus on parents and stress.(Survey)
August 18, 2008... Two surveys released this month of teen perceptions and use of drugs both found that there's a disconnect between parents and teens, but come to very different conclusions about the reasons for that disconnect and in fact the reasons for teen...

Appalachia has highest rate of opiate treatment admissions.
August 18, 2008... Hospital admission rates for opiates are higher in Appalachian than they are in the rest of the nation, according to a study of health disparities in the region. The study, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) for the...

Binge drinking most affected by environment, says Wechsler.
August 18, 2008... In a review of the landmark Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), study director Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., concludes that environment is the driving force contributing to binge drinking on campus. Colleges with a drinking...

Study tests relapse prevention by 'erasing' drug-related memories.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... University of Cambridge researchers have piloted a new relapse-prevention technique in rats that "erases" drug-related memories. At a specific point during recall, rats were given a chemical interfering with "reconsolidation" of drug-related...

College women experience more sexual aggression on binge drinking days.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... The odds of college women experiencing sexual aggression is 19 times greater on days when they have been drinking heavily (four or more drinks) compared with non-drinking days, according to a report in the June issue of Psychology of Addictive...

Variations in same gene linked to nicotine addiction and lung cancer.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... The University of Michigan reported on August 8 that new findings from its Nicotine Research Laboratory support the key role of the CHRNA5 nicotine receptor gene in current smoking patterns. Study leader Ovide Pomerleau, Ph.D., and colleagues...

Pediatrician arrest illustrates Florida's prescription drug problem.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... Following his arrest last month, West Palm Beach pediatrician Sergio Rodriguez faces multiple counts of trafficking oxycodone and distribution of methadone and alprazolam. Police were first tipped off by shopkeepers who watched lines of adults...

Battle rages in Alabama over prosecuting drug use while pregnant.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... Alabama's rural Covington County is the latest legal battleground for groups protesting the imprisonment of women who use drugs during pregnancy, according to an August 1 Associated Press report. Nationwide, groups like the Association of...

Grant to OHSU supports alcohol-related research.(STATE WATCH)(Oregon Health & Science University)(Brief article)
August 18, 2008... Oregon Health & Science University reported on August 7 that a $1.3 million trust established by businessman John R. Andrews before his 2006 death will provide critical support for its alcohol-related research. Andrews was particularly...

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.(CALL FOR PARTICIPATION)
August 18, 2008... The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) in partnership with A&E Network, is seeking Recovery Delegates from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. to participate in a Recovery Rally in New York City on September...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 18, 2008... The State Systems Development Program (SSDP VIII) Conference,"Partnering to Support Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care," will take place August 20-22 in Washington, D.C. It is presented by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the...

In case you haven't heard ...(Calendar)
August 18, 2008... Until the August 6 publication of a study in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, only generous anecdotal evidence supported the phenomenon called "Beer Goggles," in which consumption of alcohol has the effect of making others appear more...

States and providers face increased accountability on how block grant is spent.
August 25, 2008... As the federal government increases the demand for accountability in spending public dollars, states and addiction treatment providers are facing the possibility that National Outcome Measures (NOMs) will be used to penalize states for not...

Agencies progress in veterans' care by embracing military culture.
August 25, 2008... Residents of the therapeutic community program for veterans run by Samaritan Village on 43rd Street in Manhattan usually refer to their home with a name resembling that of a military unit: "The 43rd Herd." The language reflects the success...

Alabama to investigate 112 uncertified programs.
August 25, 2008... Alabama's Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation will pay site visits to 112 programs that have been advertising themselves as treatment providers for substance abuse but are not certified to provide such services. The possible...

DASIS report looks at differences between first-time, repeat admissions.(Drug and Alcohol Services Information System)(Report)
August 25, 2008... Differences between 18-25 year olds who are admitted to treatment for the first time and those who are repeat admissions could hold clues to better outcomes for both groups, according to a report released by the Drug and Alcohol Services...

Six-month methadone maintenance more effective than 21-day detox.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... Methadone detox is not as effective as maintenance, according to a study from the University of California, San Francisco. The study found that six-month methadone maintenance with counseling was more effective than 21-day methadone...

SAMHSA announces smoke-free meetings policy.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... Meetings and conferences sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must be held in states, counties or cities that have adopted a "comprehensive smoke-free policy," according to a policy announced...

Substance use policies, education vary among Conn. schools.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... Connecticut mandates that schools educate "every student, every year" about substance abuse, said a Department of Education spokes-woman. School systems approach this task very differently, the Westport News reported on August 8. Trumbull...

Kim Johnson.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(NIATx)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... Kim Johnson has been named co-deputy director of NIATx, the organization officially announced on August 15. In this role Johnson will oversee the pioneering learning collaborative's operations and communications, along with the Adopting Changes...

Recovery Month kits available online.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported on August 14 it has made available a National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Planning Kit, to be used for the observance of the 19th annual Recovery...

Pain drug Remoxy granted priority review status by FDA.(BUSINESS)(Brief article)
August 25, 2008... Pain Therapeutics, Inc. announced on August 12 that its new drug application for Remoxy, submitted June 10, was accepted and granted priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Remoxy is an investigational controlled-release...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 25, 2008... National Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) will hold its 15th National Conference on Drugs & Crime on September 3-5 in Chicago.For more information, visit www.nationaltasc.org/ntasc-2008-conference. The Substance Abuse...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 25, 2008... Adolescents who understand the distinct contrast between the positive media portrayals of smoking and the actual health effects are less likely to become smokers, according to a new study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Lead...