Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from January 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from January 2007

Tempered hopes for federal progress have field leaders looking inward for '07.
January 1, 2007... One might expect all of the addiction field's goals and projections for 2007 to rest on the promise of new direction from a Democratic majority in Congress. Yet a number of leaders interviewed by ADAW about their outlook toward the new year...

Field faced uphill battle for funding in 2006; recovery movement strengthens.(The Year in Review)
January 1, 2007... Stigma and finances were top concerns for the field going into 2006, and the year ended with some progress on both fronts. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence launched its "Hope, Help, and Healing" campaign in June,...

Congress sets buprenorphine cap at 100.(medical laws)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Before leaving for the holiday last month, Congress passed legislation extending the per-physician cap on buprenorphine patients from 30 to 100. Previously, the law allowed each individual physician to treat no more than 30 patients at a time....

Prescription drug abuse still rising, illicit drug abuse still falling.(Monitoring the Future survey)
January 1, 2007... Marijuana use is down but non-medical use of painkillers, tranquilizers, and sedatives is up, according to the federal government's Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey released December 21. Over the past five years, there has been a 23.2...

Reader survey: survival and funding are top challenge.
January 1, 2007... Last month, in an insert, ADAW invited readers to submit their thoughts on the past and future. Two key questions were: 1) What was your biggest success in 2006? and 2) What will be your biggest challenge in 2007? Below are some of the...

The Seabrook House and Realization Center, Inc.(Coming up)
January 1, 2007... The Seabrook House and Realization Center, Inc. will hold the workshop "Healing the Mind, Body and Spirit: The Traditional and Holistic Treatment of Addiction" on Friday, January 12, 8:30am-12pm, at the Realization Center in New York City....

Children and Family Future and the Children's Research Triangle.(Coming up)
January 1, 2007... Children and Family Future and the Children's Research Triangle will sponsor "Putting the Pieces Together for Children and Families: The National Conference on Substance Abuse, Child Welfare and the Courts," to be held January 30 through...

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx).(Coming up)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) will hold its first annual summit, "Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment," on April 23-25 in San Antonio, Texas; in partnership with the...

Correction ...(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... The date for the Seabrook House conference was incorrect in the December 18 issue. The correct date is January 12.We regret the error.

In case you haven't heard ...
January 1, 2007... The past year had more than its share of politicians and celebrities getting in trouble and then blaming it on an addiction. This could help destigmatize recovery, but not when, as David Goldbloom, M.D. of the Centre for Addiction and Mental...

Medication-assisted treatment, medical therapy, pharmacotherapy.(A Tale of Two Drugs)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Medication-assisted treatment, medical therapy, pharmacotherapy--whatever you call it, the addiction field is making hard decisions about whether and how to incorporate these treatments into counseling. In this issue, we focus on two relatively...

Marketer of Vivitrol focuses on addiction profession, shuns primary care for now.
January 8, 2007... If Alkermes has decided to avoid the biggest potential market for its alcoholism treatment drug Vivitrol--a once-monthly injection of naltrexone--it's only because it wants the drug to succeed. "We're not going to primary care in our initial...

Congress sets buprenorphine cap at 100; role of counseling unclear.
January 8, 2007... Before leaving for the holiday last month, Congress passed legislation extending the per-physician cap on buprenorphine patients from 30 to 100. President Bush signed the bill, which amends the Controlled Substances Act, December 29....

Updated guide from NIAAA for physicians on helping patients with alcohol problems.(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Last week the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) released its updated version of Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guide, produced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)....

An oral alternative to Vivitrol?(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... It may be back to the future for naltrexone for alcoholism treatment. Oral naltrexone is now generic, and costs about $120 a month, according to Mark L. Willenbring, M.D., director of the division of treatment and recovery research at the...

Oregon joins small group of states with comprehensive parity.
January 8, 2007... Oregon last week became only the fifth state in the country to guarantee equal insurance protections for addictions and mental illness in private health plans with no significant limits or exceptions. A full parity measure that state...

Maine treatment advocates urge balanced DUI approach.(driving under the influence)
January 8, 2007... Publicity surrounding several fatal accidents related to driving under the influence has some members of the addiction treatment community in Maine anticipating a heavy focus on punitive measures in this year's state legislative session. These...

Methadone vs. buprenorphine.(comparisons)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Based on a 2005 evaluation done by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, buprenorphine patients are different from methadone maintenance patients, said Martin. "They're better educated, more likely to be employed, and many of them are...

Buprenorphine and alcohol.(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Because alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, patients are "encouraged not to drink" when on buprenorphine, also a (CNS) depressant, said Ullman. For the same reason, benzodiazepines must be prescribed with caution, she said....

Study: group therapy should be integrated for patients with co-occurring bipolar disorder and substance abuse.
January 8, 2007... Patients with co-occurring bipolar disorder and substance abuse do best when they are in group therapy with both conditions addressed in an integrated format, according to a study published in the January 2007 American Journal of Psychiatry. In...

Former party organizer starts coalition.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Last year, with from federal funding under the Access to Recovery initiative, former vice chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party Gail Skolnick and her son Grant started the nonprofit Palm Beach Recovery Coalition. The Sun Sentinel...

Recovering smoker and alcoholic funds addiction shelter.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... After decades trying everything from patches to hypnotism, Marvin Foster of Grand Rapids, Michigan finally gave up his multiple-packs-a-day smoking habit, reported the Grand Rapids Press on December 30. Based on what he'd learned in fighting...

Canadian drug policy begins to mimic U.S.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Canadian drug policy is beginning to look more like that of the United States, the Vancouver Sun reported on December 12, and records show that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government continues to consult with U.S. officials. The...

Betty Ford re-enters the spotlight.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... As a first lady of legendary candor, one historian said that Betty Ford "set up a new paradigm for first ladies." As the country re-examines the legacy of former president Gerald R. Ford, who died December 26, they can't help but consider Betty...

Adolescents' motivation for illicit prescription drug use.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... In her recent report in the journal Pediatrics, Carol J. Boyd, Ph.D., writes that there has been little research into adolescents' motivations for engaging in illicit use of prescription medications. Boyd and her colleagues administered a...

NIDA study examines genetics of tobacco addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Institute of Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) expects that the results of its recent large-scale study of tobacco addiction will ultimately lead to better treatments for a range of addictions. As Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director of National...

Thomas Siebel.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation will donate $5 million to the Montana Meth Project)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Thomas Siebel, who is stepping down as chair of the Montana Meth Project, has announced a $5 million challenge grant to the Missoula-based organization from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, reported Philanthropy News Digest on November...

The 2nd National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis.(Coming up)
January 8, 2007... The 2nd National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis: Science and Response 2007, sponsored by the Harm Reduction Project, will take place February 1-3 in Salt Lake City. For more information, visit http://www.methconference.org.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).(Coming up)
January 8, 2007... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hold its 2007 annual meeting, "Science and Technology for Sustainable Well-Being," on February 15-19 in San Francisco. For more information, visit...

The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT).(Coming up)
January 8, 2007... The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) will hold its 13th annual meeting on February 21-24 in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.srnt.org/meeting/2007/index.html.

In case you haven't heard ...(research on alcohol)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... A new study has shown that moderate alcohol consumption improves cognitive function in mice. The catch? The alcohol must be wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, to be exact. The study, published in the FASEB (Federation of American Societies for...

California outcome measurement forges ahead with all 58 counties on board.
January 15, 2007... The California Outcomes Management System, or CalOMS, has entered a new phase: implementation. Three years in the making, CalOMS goes much father than seven domains measured by NOMS, the National Outcome Measurement System run by the Substance...

Maryland audit charges single state authority with accountability problems.
January 15, 2007... The payer need for accountability means treatment providers--and the states that fund them--are being called upon to produce data showing not only that what they do works, but that they are doing what they are paid to do: treat patients. Even...

Texas county boosts capacity to treat probationers.
January 15, 2007... The Bexar County, Texas Adult Probation agency and the offender population under its authority have become the beneficiaries of a justice system more likely than ever to embrace treatment-focused alternatives to incarceration. Support from a...

Mass. agency to bring efficiencies to new outpatient services.
January 15, 2007... Well aware that outpatient addiction treatment generally represents the most difficult level of care to sustain financially in today's environment, a Massachusetts provider agency is nonetheless eager to begin offering outpatient services on...

Addictive diseases chair funded at University of Florida.(Donald R. Dizney Chair in Addiction Medicine )(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... A gift of $1.5 million from Donald and Irene Dizney of Windermere, Fla. has established the Donald R. Dizney Chair in Addiction Medicine at the University of Florida, the school announced last week. The announcement was made by Mark S. Gold,...

Methamphetamine treatment admissions decline in Minnesota.
January 15, 2007... In Minnesota, methamphetamine admissions went down in 2006, according to a research report from the Hazelden Foundation released January 11. Hospital emergency room cases related to methamphetamine, and the incidence of clandestine labs, went...

SAMHSA considering relief for methadone programs.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Currently, when methadone programs dispense buprenorphine, they must do so under the same take-home restrictions that apply to methadone. Methadone programs have applied for regulatory relief from this rule, and according to Nicholas Reuter,...

Treatment programs lacking for incarcerated women.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... According to the Women's Prison Association, the mandatory minimum sentencing law has had a "profound effect" on women, who now represent the fastest growing prison population nationwide for drug offenses. Meanwhile, there are only a dozen or...

Tobacco quitlines appear cost effective for states.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... In their study published online on December 20 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Paula Keller, MPH and her colleagues write that tobacco quitlines are generally considered an effective, evidence-based strategy to deliver smoking...

Some minorities less likely to seek alcohol treatment.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... While some studies have indicated that minority groups are overrep-resented in treatment settings, Laura Schmidt published a report to the contrary in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Schmidt and her...

SAMHSA grants: substance abuse/HIV treatment/outreach.(CALL FOR APPLICATIONS)
January 15, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a call for applications on January 4 for a grant program to "enhance and expand substance abuse treatment and/or outreach and pretreatment services in conjunction...

The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.(Coming up)
January 15, 2007... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will hold its National Leadership Forum XVII, the nation's largest training conference for community drug prevention leaders, treatment professionals and researchers, on February 12-15 in...

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment.(Coming up)
January 15, 2007... The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) will hold its first annual summit, "Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment," on April 23-25 in San Antonio, Texas, in partnership with the...

The National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.(Coming up)
January 15, 2007... The National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse will hold its Twenty-third Annual Conference on June 3-7 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. For more information, visit www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/nri.

In case you haven't heard ...(working of emergency departments)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Scarce--and expensive--hospital beds don't need to be used for people who just need to "sober up." That's the rationale behind a new program funded by Genesee County in Michigan, in which adults will have up to 23 hours to stay after being...

Recovery support by peers: a low-budget movement with a mission: a threat to treatment, or a way to improve outcomes?
January 22, 2007... The recovery support movement is here to stay, according to advocates. But even the advocates say it is a new movement with big challenges, despite the support of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The...

As opioid prescriptions increase, so does abuse: physicians urged to screen, but not deny medications to patients in pain.
January 22, 2007... With physicians who say patients who are undertreated for pain on the one side, and anti-drug advocates who urge tighter prescribing restrictions on the other, pain patients and addiction treatment professionals are caught in the middle. There...

Advocacy events in D.C. may focus on non-budget items.
January 22, 2007... Although federal funding concerns are never far from the minds of addiction field advocates who operate in the Washington, D.C., area, a somewhat uncommon policy landscape this year is creating a different dynamic as two national organizations...

Student testing summits attract variety of parties, including foes.
January 22, 2007... For the third consecutive year, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is conducting a series of Student Drug Testing Summits to address program development issues for school districts interested in implementing random...

New COD certification from IC & RC.(co-occurring substance use and mental disorders)(International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (IC & RC), based in Harrisburg, Penn., announced January 18 that it will offer a new certification for providers working with co-occurring substance use and...

Deadline coming up for recovery-focused community grants.(Funding Alert)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Community-based organizations and coalitions are eligible for the new round of Science to Service awards from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Awards will be made to groups that have implemented...

Potent Afghan heroin on the rise.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... In what an Orange County, California sheriff calls the community's "biggest rising threat in the fight against narcotics," an increasing supply of potent Afghan heroin is findings its way into the U.S., amid growing concern about addiction and...

Treatment facility deemed not responsible for collision.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Alliance Medical Services case)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... A Blair County, Pennsylvania judge has ruled that a methadone clinic can not be sued for an accident caused by one of its patients, reported The Associated Press on January 10. The lawsuit in question was filed by Matthew Stever, who was...

Treatment center sees more heroin admissions.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(White Oaks treatment center )(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Last year, the White Oaks treatment center in Peoria, Illinois reported that 14 percent of all patients admitted listed heroin as their primary or secondary addiction, wrote the Paramus Post on January 15. An increase in heroin-related...

Predictors of substance use disorders in adolescents.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... In their study in the January issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers with the Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Taiwan prospectively examined the psychosocial and psychiatric predictors of adolescent substance use disorders....

NIAAA updates clinician's guide.(RESOURCES)
January 22, 2007... The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has updated and expanded its guide, Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guide. Updates include a new medications management program and a handout listing strategies to help...

Grants to prevent high-risk drinking on campus.(CALL FOR APPLICATIONS)
January 22, 2007... The U.S. Department of Education has announced that institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for grants of up to $150,000 to evaluate, develop, enhance and/or implement programs to prevent high-risk drinking and violent behavior...

Ontario problem gambling research centre grants.(CALL FOR APPLICATIONS)
January 22, 2007... The Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre has announced a call for applications for funding for research into problem gambling. A Stage 1 letter of intent is due by February 12, 2007. For information and application guidelines, visit...

Linda Roebuck.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative chief executive officer appoitment)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Linda Roebuck has been appointed CEO of New Mexico's Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative, a role in which she'll act as Gov. Bill Richardson's point person on all behavioral health issues, reported the Office of the Governor on December...

Karen Carpenter-Palumbo.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Karen Carpenter-Palumbo was nominated by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to become commissioner of the state's Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, reported the Business Review on January 12. Carpenter-Palumbo has been vice president of the...

Thomas Kosten.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Thomas Kosten, M.D., has been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board at Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. Catalyst reported on January 12 that Kosten is Waggoner Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine....

Children and family future and the children's research triangle.(Coming up)
January 22, 2007... Children and Family Future and the Children's Research Triangle will sponsor "Putting the Pieces Together for Children and Families: The National Conference on Substance Abuse, Child Welfare and the Courts," to be held January 30 through...

The harm reduction project.(Coming up)
January 22, 2007... The Harm Reduction Project is sponsoring the Second Annual National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis: Science & Response 2007, to take place February 1-3 in Salt Lake City. For more information and to register, visit...

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment.(Coming up)
January 22, 2007... The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) will hold its first annual summit, "Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment," on April 23-25 in San Antonio, Texas; in partnership with the...

In case you haven't heard ...(methamphetamine dumped in a compactor at Arkansas)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... It's hard to get rid of the evidence of methamphetamine production. Someone allegedly trying to do just that in Arkansas last week proved that the drug even contaminates garbage. A bag tossed into a compacting station was a methamphetamine...

Addiction medication marketplace: opportunities for drug developers.(Market overview)
January 29, 2007... Only a handful of medications are approved for the treatment of addiction disorders, and a relatively small percentage of people with these disorders get those medications, according to a new report from Decision Resources, a company which...

New SAMHSA administrator says addiction field not secondary to MH.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Mental Health)(Terry L. Cline)
January 29, 2007... The new administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a background in mental health, not addiction. But Terry L. Cline, Ph.D., who was previously the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of...

Prospects seem promising for addiction's inclusion in parity bills.(www.equitycampaign.net)(Survey)
January 29, 2007... It has been more than a decade since addiction coverage was negotiated out of a limited federal insurance parity law as a practical move to win passage of some form of parity legislation. As members of Congress prepare for a major push toward...

Co-dependent no more celebrates 20th anniversary.(FROM THE FIELD)(evaluating of Codependent No More)
January 29, 2007... Except for the gold seal on the cover that announces its 20th anniversary, Melody Beattie fans will notice no difference in the recent edition of her much-loved book, "Codependent No More." That is no accident. "I've seen many a person at...

Nicotine content in cigarettes has steadily climbed.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... A research team from the Tobacco Control Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) recently announced their analysis finding that between 1998 and 2005, major brand name manufacturers have steadily increased the levels of...

Pharmacogenetics could refine methadone maintenance.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... In the introduction to their study recently published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, lead researcher Janet Coller and colleagues from the University of Adelaide explain that pharmacogenomics is an effective "determinant...

Baltimore home to counseling program for deaf.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... For a deaf individual with a substance use problem, finding a physician who offers an interpreter can be nearly impossible, reported the Examiner on January 22. "The fight is unbelievable," said Laurie Jaffe, founder and director of Deaf...

Grandparents weigh in on burden of meth addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(methamphetamine)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... In a report released this summer, an advocacy group for grandparents, Generations United surveyed 13 states where methamphetamine-related placements are on the rise, including California, Colorado, Minnesota and North Dakota. Forty percent of...

Utah women battle meth addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... On January 21 the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Utah continues to see an increase in the number of female addicts, and for the last five years meth has been their top drug of choice, exceeding even alcohol. While Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr....

Study intervention reaches homeless youth.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... A study among homeless youth suggests that comprehensive intervention is effective in reducing substance abuse and improving mental health. Ohio State University reported on January 19 that few studies have examined how to help youth living on...

Workshops for drug free communities applicants.(RESOURCES)
January 29, 2007... The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has extended an invitation to prospective applicants for the federal Drug Free Communities (DFC) grants program to attend a series of free workshops around the program. General workshops...

The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.(Coming up)
January 29, 2007... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will hold its National Leadership Forum XVII, the nation's largest training conference for community drug prevention leaders, treatment professionals and researchers, on February 12-15 in...

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)
January 29, 2007... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals will hold a 20th Anniversary Advocacy Action Day on March 4-6 in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit http://naadac.org.

The California institute for Mental Health.(Coming up)
January 29, 2007... The California Institute for Mental Health (CIMH) will host the Seventh Annual California Information Management Conference: Addressing the Needs of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Programs on April 11-12 in Manhattan Beach, Cal. A...

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment.(Coming up)
January 29, 2007... The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) will hold its first annual summit, "Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment," on April 23-25 in San Antonio, Texas; in partnership with the...

In case you haven't heard ...(CompCare acquired by Hythiam)(Brief article)
January 29, 2007... Hythiam has acquired CompCare, a managed behavioral care organization based in Tampa, Fla. Hoping to find a captive audience for its Prometa treatment, Hythiam expects the purchase to strengthen both businesses. Prometa is a combination of...