Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from January 2006

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from January 2006

Stigma and its associated financial problems in spotlight for 2006.
January 2, 2006... While most of medicine moves into 2006 with mounting concerns about how to finance treatment for diseases, the addiction field is still struggling with how to get people to understand that addiction is a disease. Then, that it is a chronic...

Congress almost finished with 2005, with level funding for block grant.(Washington news)
January 2, 2006... Just before Christmas, the massive funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education finally passed by voice vote in the Senate--but before it is sent to the President it must still be approved in final form by...

Marijuana down, painkillers/sedatives up for high schoolers.(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Good news about the future from the Monitoring the Future survey, a measurement of drug, alcohol, and cigarette use among adolescent students across the country. Past-month illegal drug use went down almost 19 percent between 2001 and 2005,...

New hope for a nicotine vaccine.(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... A study published in the November issue of the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics suggests the efficacy of a nicotine vaccine, reported Reuters on December 1. Researcher Dr. Dorothy K. Hatsukami of the Tobacco Use Research Center in...

Parents influence children's drug use.(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... According to Stephen Bahr, a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University, "Much of the previous research... shows that adolescents make their decisions about drugs based on influence from their friends." In a prepared statement, Behr...

Cocaine use could raise risk of Parkinson's.(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... The results of a new study suggest that the abuse of cocaine could increase an individual's risk of developing Parkinson's disease in later life, reported the Guardian on December 14, 2005. Lead researcher Richard Smeyne, a neurobiologist at...

Co-occurring substance abuse in one third of depressed patients.(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a "News and Numbers" item on December 13 that summarized the state of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues, as well as hospital admission trends, in the year 2003....

The California Department of Education.(Resources)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... The California Department of Education has announced $6.5 million in grants to fund school-based tobacco education programs, in support of efforts that work to prevent and reduce tobacco use among public school children. Local education...

Coming up ...(i)(Calendar)
January 2, 2006... The American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics will hold its 2006 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., on March 7-1, to include lectures, symposia, poster presentations, award and exhibits. The focus is on spanning the continuum...

In case you haven't heard ...
January 2, 2006... Here's a story with relevance for this year, when efforts against underage drinking will move into full swing. Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, NCAC II, CCDC III, executive director of NAADAC, is a parent and an instructor to parents. She recently told us...

Primary care physicians still challenged by lab tests, AUDIT.(Alcohol screening)
January 9, 2006... When primary care physicians screen all of their patients for alcohol dependency or abuse, some of these patients will likely be referred to substance abuse treatment. But primary care is still some distance away from doing this universal...

Causal link shown between alcohol ads and increased drinking in young people.
January 9, 2006... Exposure to alcohol advertising increases the alcohol consumption of young people, according to research published in the January 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The study, which is the first ever of a national...

Injectable naltrexone moves closer to final approval.
January 9, 2006... Two companies partnering on the development and marketing of an injectable form of the anti-alcohol medication naltrexone learned last month that they are a couple of procedural steps from being able to launch their much-anticipated product....

Mobile clinics seen as improving access to methadone.
January 9, 2006... News that a state that once was a stubborn holdout against methadone treatment is now finding success with use of mobile methadone clinics has supporters of the treatment feeling optimistic about widening access to the medication. The...

DOT Caring Centers celebrate 25 years of treatment.(Briefly Noted)(Dynamic Outpatient Treatment)
January 9, 2006... The Dynamic Outpatient Treatment (DOT) Caring Centers just celebrated a 25th anniversary, honoring a journey from a single outpatient treatment center known as Tri-County to five outpatient clinics and a 36-bed residential treatment centers....

Substance abuse among older adults growing.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... The federal government's 2004 survey of nationwide substance abuse, released in September 2005, suggested that drug use among the baby boom generation is prevalent and by some estimates, growing, reported the New York Times on December 16. "In...

Adolescent gambling addiction on the rise.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... A survey recently conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that among 900 young people aged 14-22, nearly 42 percent of males said they gamble on cards at least once a month. The Cincinnati Inquirer reported on December 28 that...

Sleep aid abuse getting more attention.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... Although adults aged 65 and older are still the largest users of prescription sleeping pills, according to a Medco Health Solutions study conducted in October 2005, use among younger adults (between 20 and 44 years) has doubled in the past four...

Coming up ...(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) will hold its 12th Annual Meeting on February 15-18 in Orlando, Fla. The meeting program seeks to provide the healthcare professional with the knowledge regarding the most recent trends...

In case you haven't heard ...(Briefly Noted)(about New York State Commission on Judicial )(Brief Article)
January 9, 2006... The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct last month opted to censure Judge James Gilpatric for being under the influence while conducting traffic court in September 2004. The part-time judge, from Kingston, entered a 21-day treatment...

New N. D. methamphetamine treatment program created to prevent incarceration.(Treatment instead of prison)
January 16, 2006... The North Dakota legislature is pinning its hopes on a new 20-bed methamphetamine treatment program in Fargo, which is meant to keep addicts out of jail. The program, which opened January 3, is funded by $500,000 from the state and an...

Antabuse found to produce long-term abstinence due to psychological effects.
January 16, 2006... While all eyes in the United States are on newer medications like injectable naltrexone and acamprosate, an older medication, disulfiram (Antabuse) is still effective, even years after termination of the medication, according to a study...

Teach your children well ... parents, drinking and current prevention ideology.(From the Field ...)
January 16, 2006... Public discourse in America about controversial subjects is increasingly polarized. Little room is made for shades of gray as we strive to overstate our case and work to undermine and demonize the opposition. Complex public problems are reduced...

Testing for performance enhancers begins in hockey league.
January 16, 2006... The National Hockey League (NHL) begins random testing of its players for performance-enhancing drugs this week, making the NHL the last of the four major sports leagues in this country to test athletes for anabolic steroids and other...

RI passes medical marijuana law.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Rhode Island has become the 11th state to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, in particular to ease the pain of those suffering from chronic illnesses such as AIDS and cancer, reported the Providence Journal on January 4. The...

NJ to randomly test for steroids among student athletes.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... The results of a task force investigation of steroid use among student athletes in New Jersey found that use climbed from 3 percent in 1995 to around 5 percent in 2001, and Gov. Richard J. Codey believes that today's rate could be as high as 8...

Grants for college drinking prevention.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... The U.S. Department of Education has published a new grant opportunity: The Grant Competition to Prevent High-Risk Drinking or Violent Behavior among College Students. The program was created to "develop or enhance, implement and evaluate...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
January 16, 2006... The American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics will hold its 2006 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., on March 7-11, to include lectures, symposia, poster presentations, award and exhibits. The focus is on spanning the continuum...

In case you haven't heard ...(Judge Mabel Jasper management)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Some judges have a way with words. In Cleveland, 73-year-old municipal court judge Mabel Jasper recently told a man to "stay away from them drugs." She asked how old he was; when he responded "37," she said," Shoot, you're old enough to know...

Opiate deaths rising in Maine, while meth addiction top concern in Twin Cities.
January 23, 2006... Based on reports from two very different locations--one, a major metropolis, the other, a sprawling rural state--two very different kinds of drugs are taking hold. In the State of Maine, which released data on its drug deaths last week, the...

IOM report eyed as boost to workforce.(Institute of Medicine)
January 23, 2006... Field reaction to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report released last fall is gelling, with workforce issues emerging as a top priority for leverage for funding, especially in terms of recruitment and salaries. Reaction to the report was...

Lifetime analysis breaks ground in evaluating treatment benefits.(addiction treatment cost analysis)
January 23, 2006... A study conducted by researchers at RTI International offers a strong indication that most analyses of addiction treatment's economic benefits have vastly understated the extent to which clients and society gain from treatment. Published...

Business group releases guide to effective workplace services.
January 23, 2006... Stating that workplaces are still falling short in managing the cost and quality of employer-sponsored behavioral health services, the National Business Group on Health last month released a guide designed to improve coordination of care and...

Interim methadone maintenance appears effective.(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... The results of a recent trial, reported in the January issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry (Vol. 63), suggest that interim methadone maintenance resulted in significantly more patients entering comprehensive treatment. In their report,...

Family-made documentary depicts impact of lung cancer.(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... When Susan DeWitt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in January 2004, she and her husband decided that they would do something to raise awareness about lung cancer and the related risks of smoking, reported ABC News on January 10. Inspired...

AA plus treatment encourages remission.(Alcoholics Anonymous)(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... A recent study finds that higher rates of remission are correlated with past participation in both Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and professional treatment, reported Alcohol and Health: Current Evidence in its Jan.-Feb. issue. The study included...

Florida boys drinking less, girls drinking more.(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... An annual survey of over 8,000 young Floridians in the sixth through the twelfth grades suggests that drinking, tobacco and illegal drug use declined in 2005, reported the Tallahassee Democrat on January 6. Jim McDonough, who heads the...

Angelina County cuts D.A.R.E. program.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education program budget cuts)(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... Last week, roughly 300 Lufkin, Texas students graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, reported KTRE on January 6, about the half the number that graduated in previous years. The disparity was due in part to the...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) will hold its 12th Annual Meeting on February 15-18 in Orlando, Fla. The meeting program seeks to provide the healthcare professional with the knowledge regarding the most recent trends...

In case you haven't heard ...(books on drug abuse treatment)(Brief Article)
January 23, 2006... Did you know there is magazine called Modern Drunkard? Started by Frank Kelly Rich a decade ago, it includes articles such as "The 86 Rules of Boozing." Well, now Rich has a book, called "A Handbook for Drinking in the 21st Century. "We haven't...

Counties hit hard by need for treatment and funds for methamphetamine.
January 30, 2006... Methamphetamine is responsible for the need for increased treatment in almost two thirds of counties, and in almost as many counties there isn't enough capacity--beds or outpatient slots--to meet the need. The chief reason for the gap between...

Underage drinking debate: zero tolerance vs. harm reduction.
January 30, 2006... The federal government is in the early stages of an all-out effort to stop young people from consuming alcohol before they're 21--something that is illegal in every state. Citing evidence that someone who drinks before the age of 15 is 5 times...

Doctors worry over increased scrutiny of painkiller prescribing.
January 30, 2006... While physicians traditionally have cited multiple reasons why pain tends to be undertreated, many in recent weeks have pointed to stepped-up scrutiny by drug regulatory agencies as creating a chilling effect on the prescribing of pain...

Recovery grants will be awarded; SAMHSA corrects mix-up.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
January 30, 2006... Grants under a federal program that has helped build local communities of recovering people and establish peer-led recovery services will be awarded this fiscal year, after an unexpected Internet posting this month angered and then mobilized...

Scottish addiction expert calls for return to temperance.(drinking laws to be scrutinized)(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... A study recently published in the Lancet suggests that nearly 3,000 Scots a year are dying from cirrhosis of the liver, a disease synonymous with chronic alcoholism, reported The Times on January 8. Leading alcohol and addiction expert Dr....

Material reward motivates addicts to quit meth.(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... A growing body of research is lending credibility to a new approach to addiction treatment: behavior modification through material reward. The Los Angeles Times reported on December 28 that in 2005, UCLA researchers found that methamphetamine...

Alcohol abuse with MDD could increase suicide risk.(major depressive disorder)(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... The results of a recent study suggest that the likelihood of a suicide attempt climbs when a man with clinical depression is also a heavy drinker, reported Reuters on December 23. Gustavo Turecki, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues examined the...

Resources.(grants for substance abuse treatment )(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... Two SAMHSA Grants: On January 19 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the availability of fiscal year 2006 funds for two grant programs to be awarded by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment:...

Dr. James S. Dorsey.(Nyswander-Dole Award )(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... Dr. James S. Dorsey, medical director of the Adult Addictions Clinic in the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Department of Health, has been selected to receive a Nyswander-Dole Award from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid...

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).(Coming up ...)
January 30, 2006... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) will hold a conference titled "Women Under the Influence: Substance Abuse and the American Woman" on March 2, 2006 in New York City. The keynote address will be...

The National Council for Community Behavioral Health Care (NCCBH).(Coming up ...)
January 30, 2006... The National Council for Community Behavioral Health Care (NCCBH) will hold its 36th Annual Training Conference, April 8-11 in Orlando, Fla. Attendees will include leaders of community mental health and substance abuse agencies around the...

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence will hold its 2006 National Conference on April 22-26 in Atlanta.(Coming up ...)
January 30, 2006... The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence will hold its 2006 National Conference on April 22-26 in Atlanta. The weekend will include comprehensive pre-conference training sessions, workshops, poster and plenary sessions,...

The College on Problems of Drug Dependence will hold its 68th Annual Scientific Meeting on June 17-22 in Scottsdale, Ariz.(Coming up ...)
January 30, 2006... The College on Problems of Drug Dependence will hold its 68th Annual Scientific Meeting on June 17-22 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hotel rooms must be booked by April 10 for the special rate. The meeting schedule is not yet posted. For more...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
January 30, 2006... James Frey's book "A Million Little Pieces" has wowed Oprah Winfrey, but the recovery community is angry. For once, all of America is reading a true story about addiction... except it isn't true. The book is supposed to be a "memoir" of...