Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from July 2003

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from July 2003

Florida passes legislation to create a behavioral health corporation.
July 14, 2003... Florida lawmakers have passed legislation that creates a non-profit behavioral health corporation housed within, but independent of, the state Department of Children & Families (DCF). Some behavioral health advocates see the move as a...

Funding cuts close doors at innovative abstinence program.(Abstinence Until Marriage course loses government funding)
July 14, 2003... A novel five-year-old program to teach sexual abstinence to some Phoenix-area men and women while they recover from alcohol and drug addiction came to an abrupt halt this month when the program's funding ended. The Abstinence Until...

Online prevention company targets high school students.(AlcoholEdu College-Bound program from Outside the Classroom Inc. )
July 14, 2003... A Boston-based health education company that creates prevention programs for colleges and universities has expanded its program to include high school students beginning this fall. The new AlcoholEdu College-Bound program will enable high...

Access to Recovery: providing hope. (From the Field).(proposed substance abuse treatment funding program)
July 14, 2003... The knowledge that substance abuse is a treatable illness and that recovery is possible is the product of years. of research, community-based experience, and countless personal success stories. Our studies at the Substance Abuse and Mental...

Silver Hill Hospital. (Names in the News).(Sigurd H. Ackerman appointed president and medical director)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Conn., has named Sigurd H. Ackerman, M.D., as president and medical director. Ackerman is a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and served as chief...

Phoenix Houses of California. (Names in the News).(appoints Winifred B. Wechsler)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Phoenix Houses of California, headquartered in Lake View Terrace in Los Angeles County, has appointed Winifred B. Wechsler to oversee its expanding operations in the state. Wechsler spent 14 years with the Walt Disney Company and, most...

Toolkit to help providers improve health of older adults. (Resources).(Get Connected! Linking Older Adults with Medication, Alcohol and Mental Health Resource toolkit )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Administration on Aging and the National Council on the Aging have developed a toolkit to help service providers for older adults identify, educate and screen the...

Many doctors don't follow alcohol treatment guidelines. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Many doctors fail to follow recommended treatment guidelines for alcohol addiction, the Associated Press reported. Elizabeth McGlynn, a researcher with the Rand Corp., found that people who were addicted to alcohol received the least...

California legislature passes medical cannabis resolution. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... The California State Senate has passed a resolution urging the federal government to allow states with medical cannabis laws to regulate medical cannabis without interference, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. The resolution also asks the...

SAMHSA grants to support state SA, MH response systems. (Briefly Noted).(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced the release of nearly $3.5 million to help 35 state governments develop effective mental health and substance abuse response systems for use in emergencies....

CADCA announces winners of Workplace Initiative Contest. (Briefly Noted).(The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, Salem-Keizer Together, and Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati win the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's Best Workplace Initiative Contest)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) recently announced the winners of the Best Workplace Initiative Contest. The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston will receive the first place prize of $500 and a one-year CADCA membership....

AMA adopts new alcohol policy, seeks stronger tobacco warnings. (Briefly Noted).(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted a new alcohol policy and will seek stronger health warnings on tobacco products, the Associated Press reported. The new alcohol policy calls for increased awareness for underage drinking and...

In case you haven't heard.(methamphetamine users commit mail theft in Salt Lake City)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... According to the Associated Press, Salt Lake City postal inspectors are waging a growing battle with methamphetamine users, who are stealing mail to finance their addictions. The thieves steal personal checks from mailboxes, apartment panels...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 14, 2003... In the June 30 issue of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, a journal referred to in three of the "Briefly Noted" items was misidentified. The correct name of the journal is Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Texas to divert offenders to treatment; funding picture remains unclear.
July 21, 2003... Texas has joined a host of other states that have enacted legislation aimed at diverting nonviolent, first-time drug offenders to treatment. State officials are praising the new law for its potential in helping the state come to grips with a...

CSAP director: agency plan stresses infrastructure, accountability.(Beverly Watts Davis, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention)
July 21, 2003... The federal substance abuse prevention agency must help communities build an infrastructure capable of addressing any substance-related problem that surfaces, and then evaluating whether their response actually worked, the agency's new director...

Report: field underutilizes effective alcohol treatment practices.
July 21, 2003... Addiction field professionals have had many of the tools for effective alcohol treatment at their disposal for a long time, but application of these best practices remains lacking in most cases, according to a report released last month by the...

Program aims to treat homeless American Indians.(Totah Behavioral Health Center)
July 21, 2003... The Navajo word totah loosely means "a gathering" or "a coming together." As part of the Totah Behavioral Health Center in Farmington, N.M., the word's use signifies the intention to bring parties together around the shared goal of helping...

Chestnut Health Systems to manage Habitat EAP. (Business Notes).(employee assistance program)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... Habitat for Humanity International has selected Illinois-based behavioral health organization Chestnut Health Systems to provide domestic and international employee assistance services to more than 750 employees, Chestnut Health Systems...

Court: OxyContin suit may proceed as class action. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... The 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals last week ruled that a lawsuit filed against the makers of the painkiller OxyContin may proceed as a class action on behalf of Ohio residents who claim they were injured by the drug, the Associated Press...

Drug overdose bill becomes law in Conn. (Briefly Noted).(Connecticut )(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... Late last month, Connecticut Gov. John Rowland signed a bill that will allow licensed health care practitioners to prescribe, dispense, distribute, or administer opioid antagonists to a drug user in need of intervention without being civilly or...

Kentucky jailer wants SA program for inmates. (Briefly Noted).(substance abuse)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... A jailer in Daviess County, Ky., is gathering support for a plan that would turn a vacant jail building into a substance abuse program for inmates, the Associated Press reported. The proposed program would allow 24 nonviolent county offenders...

Poll finds increasing support for legalizing marijuana. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... A poll conducted by Zogby International has found that 41 percent of Americans agree that "the government should treat marijuana more or less the way it treats alcohol," according to a news release from the Drug Policy Alliance. This represents...

Developmental changes may play role in addiction. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... Findings published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry suggest that rapid brain changes that occur during adolescence may make teens more vulnerable to the effects of drugs and alcohol, The New York Times reported. During...

In case you haven't heard.(online information on smoking cessation )(Brief Article)
July 21, 2003... As is the case with much of what's on the Internet, professionals might want to do a little research before recommending various websites to smokers who are motivated to quit. A study led by Julie A. Cheh, M.P.H., of the National Cancer...

Proposition 36 giving offenders first opportunity for treatment: enrollees have longer drug use histories; cost concerns linger.(Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000)
July 28, 2003... The first independent study of California's Proposition 36 has found that of the more than 30,000 offenders diverted from jail to drug treatment during the law's debut year, half were exposed to treatment for the first time as a result of the...

Research summary on relapse makes case for tailored treatment.(drug abuse counseling for those who relapse)
July 28, 2003... A report issued last month by the Caron Foundation summarizes years of research into the phenomenon of relapse with several broad conclusions, including that former patients who have relapsed benefit from a mix of treatment options that are...

Study: social norms programs do not reduce student drinking.
July 28, 2003... The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study last week released results from a study that found no drop in student drinking on university campuses that use social norms marketing techniques in their prevention efforts. The report,...

Those in treatment need to work! (From the Field).(employment assistance for recovering substance abusers)
July 28, 2003... Attempting to build consensus and collaborate across multiple sectors are some of the most difficult endeavors for policy makers and practitioners. The incentives to venture outside our silos and seek linkages with other disciplines are small....

In case you haven't heard.(touch screens in medical history taking)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... A computer-based multimedia program called the video doctor that asks patients about their smoking and alcohol use has been well received by patients, according to a study in the July issue of the Health Promotion Practice journal. The video...

Kit to help SA programs reach out to clients' children. (Resources).(substance abuse )(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is offering a new Children's Program Kit designed to help substance abuse programs initiate educational support programs for their clients' children. The kit includes...

UN report shows changes in drug production, use. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... A United Nations (UN) report released last month showed that drug production is down in some areas, but that the use of cannabis and synthetic drugs is increasing, the Agence France Presse reported. The report from the UN Office on Drugs and...

Canada approves safe-injection site. (Briefly Noted).(preventing overdose and spread of blood-borne diseases)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... Late last month, Canada approved North America's first sanctioned "safe injection site" for drug users, the Boston Globe reported. The facility will be located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood. Drug users will be able to take their...

Study finds genetic link to drug use, drinking. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... Findings published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry show that genes may play a role in shaping personality traits that are linked to behaviors such as smoking, drinking or drug use. Researchers found that a particular version of the human...

Minimal side effects found in long-term marijuana users. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... Researchers found little evidence that long-term marijuana use has a substantial effect on users' neurocognitive performance, according to findings in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. The only negative side effect...

Survey: parents think teens are overexposed to alcohol ads. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... A recent survey found that a majority of parents (66 percent) think that exposure to alcohol ads makes teens more likely to drink, and almost three-quarters of parents said alcohol companies were not doing enough to limit teens' exposure to...

Diuretic may improve brain blood flow in addicts. (Briefly Noted).(amiloride)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2003... A diuretic commonly used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure may also be beneficial for cocaine addicts who have decreased blood flow to the brain, according to findings published in the June issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol...