Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from December 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from December 2007

N-SSATS shows rise of for-profits, decline in managed care contracts.(National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services)
December 3, 2007... The number of patients getting care in private for-profit facilities is increasing--29 percent up from 26 percent in 2002--according to data in an annual federal survey of treatment facilities. This lends support to what observers have seen as...

NESARC study finds abstaining doesn't protect young people from relapse.(National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions)
December 3, 2007... Younger alcoholics in recovery relapse at a higher rate than any other age group, regardless of whether they are abstinent, according to a study by federal researchers looking at data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and...

State Medicaid policies impede access to naltrexone.
December 3, 2007... State Medicaid policies are impeding access to naltrexone, a medication that helps treat alcohol dependence by reducing craving, making it easier for alcoholics to stay sober, according to a study that appears in the online journal Health...

Successful prisoner reentry: San Diego's second chance.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
December 3, 2007... Jurisdictions across the country are struggling with the challenges associated with community reentry following a period of incarceration. In California it estimated that 70 percent of released prisoners recidivate and are returned to prison...

NY creates medicine cabinet inventory.(New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services)
December 3, 2007... The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) has created a Medicine Cabinet Inventory to track prescription and over-the-counter medications in the home. The inventory is designed to help prevent prescription...

Alcohol dependence linked to number of sexual partners.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... A new study has linked the diagnoses of alcohol dependence and conduct disorder to the risk of having a high number of sexual partners. According to the study, published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the...

Aversion Technology under development for painkillers.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Acura Pharmaceuticals and King Pharmaceuticals)(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... King Pharmaceuticals and Acura Pharmaceuticals have entered into a license, development, and commercialization agreement for "Aversion Technology" opioid painkiller products. These products would be "abuse-deterrent," according to the...

Johns Hopkins program receives Codman award.(AWARDS)(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... Last month the Addiction Treatment Services of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center was awarded the 2007 Codman Award by The Joint Commission. The award was conferred on November 12 at the Joint Commission's annual Resources' Conference on...

Coming up ...(conferences)(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... The Joint Commission & Joint Commission Resources will hold a national conference on behavioral health care in Chicago on December 12-13. For more information, go to www.jcrinc.com. Wyoming will hold its fifth annual state-wide...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... An investigation by the Government Accountability Office into the cause of methadone overdose deaths may shed some light on the problem--at least in West Virginia. The report, expected sometime next year,was requested by the office of Sen. Jay...

SECAD conference attendees urged to transform thinking about treatment.(National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers)(Conference notes)
December 10, 2007... In a blunt presentation peppered with references to a specialty addiction treatment sector in trouble, the co-founder of the Treatment Research Institute told attendees of last month's SECAD 2007 conference that dramatic system change is needed...

Illinois treatment providers facing late payments and rate cuts.
December 10, 2007... A delay in payments from the comptroller's office, gubernatorial vetos of expected new money, and a history of poor rate increases have created a perfect storm for Illinois treatment providers this holiday season. "The state owes us...

Prometa studies out of pilot stage; placebo effect in the spotlight.(Hythiam)
December 10, 2007... Ongoing double-blind trials of Prometa, a treatment for alcohol or stimulant addiction, have moved from pilot (30 patients) to expanded sample sizes to give researchers a better idea of the placebo effect of the protocol, ADAW has learned. Five...

FDA investigates behavior and mood changes in Chantix patients.(Food and Drug Administration)
December 10, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating possible serious side effects of Chantix (varenicline), a medication indicated for smoking cessation. In an "Early Communication," the FDA says that manufacturer Pfizer recently...

Will addressing parity and stigma matter?(FROM THE FIELD ...)
December 10, 2007... Much effort has gone into the crusade for parity legislation for addictions treatment. The assumption behind such efforts has been that parity coverage will provide greater access and more appropriate funding to treat substance use disorders....

Military concerned about rising health costs related to obesity, tobacco and alcohol.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... The costs of obesity, tobacco use and alcohol abuse add up to 16 percent of the $12.8 billion spent by the military health plan, according to a new study. The authors of the study, published in the November-December issue of the American...

Federal court rules prison program violates church-state doctrine.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... A federal appeals court ruled last week that Prison Fellowship Ministries, an anti-drug group, violated the constitution. The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in St. Louis, said that the InnerChange Freedom...

Co-occurring disorders due to brain damage, rat study says.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... New animal research has shown that the link between mental and addiction disorders may be due to a common cause: changes in the amygdala, a part of the brain linked to emotions such as fear and anxiety. The research, published in the December...

Federal report finds most methadone deaths related to diversion from pain programs.(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... A new report from the Justice Department says most methadone deaths are the result of methadone diverted from hospitals, pharmacies, practitioners, and pain management physicians. "To a much lesser extent," the report says, opioid treatment...

New York county to drop DARE.(State Watch)(Drug Abuse Resistance Education)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Suffolk County in New York will drop the DARE program starting Jan. 1, if police commissioner Ricahrd Dormer has his way, The Associated Press reported last month. The DARE program doesn't work, Dormer told county legislators. For the past 20...

Drug tests for some Illinois contractors.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... As of Jan. 1, members of the Mechanical Contractors Association--people who install and service heating, ventilation, air condition, and refrigerator systems, as well as plumbers and pipe fitters--will be subject to substance abuse monitoring....

Coming up ...(conferences)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Wyoming will hold its fifth annual state-wide methamphetamine and substance abuse conference in Casper on January 9-11, 2008.For more information, go to www.cityofcasperwy.com/Content/Departments/Police/Meth/documents/2008%20Meth%20Brochure.pdf....

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... We were first with the story about SAMHSA's pilot program working with some pharmacies to advise patients how to dispose of unwanted prescriptions--by mixing them with coffee grounds or kitty litter, for example, to deter abusers (see ADAW Oct....

Methadone patient advocacy movement gathers steam with federal grant.(National Alliance of Methadone Advocates)
December 17, 2007... If patients in recovery from addiction have an uphill battle as advocates, methadone patients are facing Mt. Everest. Many in the public think of methadone as just a "substitute" for another addictive drug, and some in the addiction field...

Innovative physician network selects Hanley for M.D. education, referrals.(Hanley Center)
December 17, 2007... The time appears ripe for working partnerships between primary care and addiction treatment organizations, particularly given the emergence of screening tools and reimbursement options for physicians seeking to explore substance use issues in...

Monitoring the Future: smoking and drug use down in 8th graders.
December 17, 2007... The stars of the 2007 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey released last week were young people in 8th grade, who showed a significant decline in illicit drug use and in smoking for the past year, as well as a substantial long-term decrease in...

Presidential candidates respond to recovery issues.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
December 17, 2007... On a frigid Sunday afternoon, four score recovery advocates gathered at a New Hampshire Town Hall Forum, Recovery Voices Count, to hear presidential candidates speak to issues related to addiction and supporting recovery in our communities. For...

Friends of SAMHSA holds first meeting.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Friends of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) got off the ground with its first meeting Dec. 13. The brainchild of Andrew Kessler (former lobbyist for NAADAC) and former SAMHSA administrator Charles Curie, Friends of...

Prometa under scrutiny in Pierce County, Washington.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Hythiam)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... The Prometa protocol has been under the gun lately, even as clinical trials proceed. And the biggest source of the problem is that Hythiam, the company that licenses the protocol, has forged ahead on marketing despite any evidence that it...

GAO finds evidence on steroid abuse prevention programs lacking.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Government Accountability Office)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Not enough is known about the long-term effects of anabolic steroid abuse in teenagers, and evidence that prevention programs are effective is lacking, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report...

School district surveys first grade students for FASD.(STATE WATCH)(fetal alcohol spectrum disorder)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Great Falls, Montana moving ahead to assess the district's first grade students for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the Great Falls Tribune reported last week. Students whose parents or guardians agreed were surveyed in the spring. According...

CASA receives grant to evaluate New York's Housing First program.(STATE WATCH)(National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has received a four-year, $1.6 million grant to fund CASAHOPE--Housing Opportunities Program Evaluation. The program will evaluate the Housing First program...

Massachusetts legislator seeks 90-day civil commitment.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Steve Tolman, state senator from Massachusetts, has filed legislation that would allow someone to be held at a secure treatment facility for 90 days, up from 30, the Boston Globe reported. Under the state's civil commitment statute, substance...

Treatment industry profile from market research firm.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Research and Markets has released an industry profile offering on mental health and substance abuse services. The Dublin, Ireland-based firm produces industry profiles for marketing purposes. The report, released Dec. 6, includes about 15,000...

Coming up ...(conferences)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Wyoming will hold its fifth annual state-wide methamphetamine and substance abuse conference in Casper on January 9-11, 2008.For more information, go to www.cityofcasperwy.com/Content/Departments/Police/Meth/documents/2008%20Meth%20Brochure.pdf....

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Another reason for physicians to perform screening and brief intervention emerged with a recent widely publicized report to the urology community about excessive drinking and bladder ruptures. When people are too intoxicated they don't realize...

Spending bill a mixed bag for addiction treatment field; Losses could have been worse.
December 24, 2007... The omnibus spending bill passed last week and expected to be signed by President Bush almost completely eliminates the increases Congress had put in. "President Bush had vetoed the first spending bill for two reasons: it went beyond his...

Poor performance yields changes in treatment for young Texas offenders.
December 24, 2007... Along with a broader effort to reform rehabilitative services for young offenders in the custody of the Texas Youth Commission, officials at the troubled state juvenile justice agency are designing a significant revamping of substance use...

President's abstinence highlights treatment-no treatment issue.
December 24, 2007... President Bush attributes his success in life to having quit drinking, and he quit drinking on his own, he told ABC News earlier this month. "I had too much to drink one night, and the next day I didn't have any," President Bush said. "The next...

Broward County prepares to launch prescription database.
December 24, 2007... As overdose deaths due to methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl, and other prescription painkillers top overdose deaths from illicit drugs like heroin, legislators in Florida are attempting to combat "doctor shopping" for pain medications by...

Sentencing guidelines relaxed for crack.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... In the wake of a Supreme Court decision that reduces the disparity between cocaine and crack sentences, the U.S. Sentencing Commission has made the new guidelines retroactive beginning March 3. That means that up to 20,000 people in federal...

Older people don't need to cut back on drinking, researchers say.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Researchers in the U.K. found that people over 65 can engage in moderate drinking, contrary to the widely held belief that they should cut back on drinking as they get older. "We are not advocating that elderly people should go out and get...

40-mg methadone tablets no longer for pain treatment, says DEA.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Manufacturers of methadone have voluntarily agreed to restrict distribution of 40-mg tablets to opioid treatment programs, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported last month. The 5-mg and 10-mg formulations which are indicated for...

Successful Mexican trial reported for vigabatrin candidate.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners has a vigabatrin-based drug product in Phase II trials for treatment of cocaine addiction in pursuit of approval in the United States, but a different study in Mexico found last month that the drug was three...

Alcohol ban on probationer must be linked to crime, says court.(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... A federal court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to require probationers to avoid alcohol if there is no connection between the crime and drinking. "Moderate consumption of alcohol does not rise to the dignity of our sacred liberties, such...

New York student theater group travels to NCADD.(STATE WATCH)(National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... The Chautauqua Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council's Awareness Theatre (AT) troupe went to Washington, D.C. last week to participate in the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence's (NCADD) annual affiliate's national conference....

Baltimore Sun investigates dark side of buprenorphine.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... The Baltimore Sun's series on buprenorphine last week shone a light on some of the darker sides of this treatment medication, including abuse, diversion, and deaths. Abuse of buprenorphine was a central them of this investigative report....

New luxury transitional program in Pennsylvania.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Seabrook House)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Seabrook House opened its new transitional living facility last week. The 90-day program, called Seabrook West, is for men transitioning from inpatient programs. It is on a newly renovated 14-acre estate outside of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania....

Coming up ...(conferences)(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Wyoming will hold its fifth annual state-wide methamphetamine and substance abuse conference in Casper on January 9-11, 2008. For more information, go to...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
December 24, 2007... Addicts sometimes use buprenorphine the wrong way for the right reason, and may know more about how to use it than physicians. And the fault lies with physicians who don't know how to prescribe the drug for addiction, according to addiction...