Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from June 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from June 2007

Trial of OxyContin: an opportunity for treatment field to educate; removing one drug won't remove addiction.
June 25, 2007... Even as a federal judge in Virginia is now mulling over whether to ask Purdue Pharma to pay for treatment for OxyContin addicts, and is even considering putting three company executives behind bars, medical experts and public health officials...

Audit: Iowa in-prison treatment falls short in stemming recidivism.
June 25, 2007... Six of 10 imprisoned Iowa offenders with substance abuse needs are not receiving any treatment services while behind bars, and those who are receiving in-prison services are still reoffending at rates similar to those who go untreated,...

Child welfare agencies urged to use screening tool for substance abuse in families.
June 25, 2007... With as many as 80 percent of foster care caseloads attributable to family substance abuse, child welfare authorities need a way to detect substance abuse problems in families and get them treated. The Screening and Assessment for Family...

Substance abuse appropriations continue in Senate.
June 25, 2007... The news last week from the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies--the subcommittee with oversight over most substance abuse related funding--was not as good as the previous...

When surveying methamphetamine, two questions may be better than one.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
June 25, 2007... New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows that use of methamphetamine among young adults ages 18-26 was at 2.8 percent during 2001-2002--double the percentage rate reported by NIDA's Monitoring the Future (MTF)...

Luxury rehab centers chart new waters.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... Reliable statistics about success rates in drug rehabilitation programs, even those as well-established as Alcoholics Anonymous, are hard to come by, reported The New York Times on June 17. And so it is doubly difficult to measure the value...

Hazelden report: meth abuse down in Twin Cities.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... On June 19 the Hazelden Foundation released its bi-annual report on metro area drug abuse trends in the Twin Cities, with findings that report author Carol Falkowski called "very encouraging." According to Falkowski, Hazelden's director of...

NY communities want say in treatment facility location.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... The New York State Assembly has passed legislation, authored by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) that would alter the mental-hygiene law, giving community boards a say in the establishment or relocation of substance abuse treatment...

Traveling exhibit aims to educate, battle stigma.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... Live Outside the Bottle is "a national campaign created to educate the public about alcoholism, one of society's most misunderstood, and deadly diseases" (www.liveoutsidethebottle.com). The project features as its centerpiece a traveling...

July 20, Seabrook House.(Coming up)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... On July 20, Seabrook House will offer a seminar led by therapist Terra Holbrook, LCSW, CADC, titled "Breaking the Cycle: Sex, Love & Relationship Addiction." The seminar will take place from 8:30am to 1:00pm at The Manor Restaurant in West...

International AIDS Society (IAS).(Coming up)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... The International AIDS Society (IAS) will hold its 2007 conference, "Bringing Together The World of HIV Science to Address the Challenges of Research, Prevention and Treatment," in Sydney, Australia on July 22-25. For more information, visit...

International Association of Addiction Medicine.(Coming up)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... The International Association of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) will hold its Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference on October 22-25 in Cairo, Egypt. More information will become available on ISAM's website at www.isamweb.com.

American Public Health Association.(Coming up)
June 25, 2007... The American Public Health Association (APHA) will hold its Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. on November 3-7. For more information, visit www.apha.org/meetings.

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... Firefighting can be addictive--especially if the flames you're dousing are giving off the smoke from 2,000 pounds of marijuana. All joking aside, it took 35 firefighters, 1,000 gallons of water, and 5 gallons of chemicals to put out a fire in...

SAMHSA says money is tight and NOMs is key to accountability: budget office scrutinizes block grant.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Outcome Measures)
June 18, 2007... States are at a critical juncture for National Outcome Measures (NOMs), the joint program between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors...

As federal parity debate intensifies, report hits weakness of state measures.
June 18, 2007... As ADAW was going to press last week, supporters of comprehensive insurance parity legislation that includes strong provisions for substance abuse coverage were eagerly awaiting hearings on a U.S. House bill and details of possible changes to...

NY state ready for a comeback: workforce and prevention.
June 18, 2007... Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo came to New York's Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) as Commissioner this year with a desire to make changes quickly in a treatment system that had been stagnant--and she has realized that...

Most treatment programs are serving special needs: SAMHSA.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Most treatment programs are providing specialized programs for certain populations, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to data from the 2005 National Survey of Substance Abuse...

Study evaluates naltrexone based on drinking patterns.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... While naltrexone is approved for the treatment of alcoholism, researchers with the Yale University School of Medicine write that clinical findings regarding its efficacy are highly heterogeneous. In their recent report in the journal...

Vancouver mayor continues to push drug substitution.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Sam Sullivan )(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan continues to push his plan for reducing illegal drug use in the city, reported the Vancouver Sun on June 6. Most recently, Sullivan has been trying to convince the federal Conservative government that the city can...

Anecdotal evidence suggests cocaine resurgence.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Although substance abuse and mental health data suggests that lifetime prevalence of cocaine use by young adults has not increased significantly over the past few years (based on the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health), the New York...

Ohio teens visit parents' liquor cabinets.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... The most recent Lucas County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ADAS) Youth Survey (www.co.lucas.oh.us/MHRSB/StudentSurvey2006.pdf), conducted in 2006, found that roughly 70 percent of Lucas County, Ohio high school seniors had used alcohol...

Michigan could dip into substance abuse funds.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Since 1985, Michigan's Liquor Excise Tax has provided guaranteed funds for substance abuse treatment and related services for state residents, as four percent of all liquor purchases are levied for this purpose. However, the Grand Rapids...

Kentucky College to offer Chemical Dependency Certification.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Kentucky's Union College reported on May 31 that although substance abuse and addiction are a significant problem in the state, there is a shortage of professionals equipped to provide treatment. Thus, the creation of a Chemical Dependency...

Meth Training and Technical Assistance.(GRANTS AND FUNDING)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, a program of the U.S. Department of Justice, has announced the Methamphetamine Training and Technical Assistance program, which will award grants of $5,000 to $500,000 to nonprofits,...

State Associations of Addiction Services.(Coming up)
June 18, 2007... The State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) will hold the 2007 SAAS National Conference for Executive and Senior Managers in Addiction Services on July 8-11 in Chicago. Register and reserve hotel rooms at www.saasnet.org.

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.(Coming up)
June 18, 2007... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) will sponsor a conference," Double Jeopardy: Substance Abuse and Co-Occuring Mental Health Disorders in Young People," on October 18 in New York City. Keynote...

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)(National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, will hold its annual conference in affiliation with the Tennessee Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors and the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals...

American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence.(Coming up)
June 18, 2007... The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) will hold its 2007 National Conference on Oct. 20-24 in San Diego. For more information and to register, visit www.aatod.org/aatodnational.html.

In case you haven't heard ...(National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... When the alarm system went off during the NASADAD presentation by Gov. James Douglas of Vermont the morning of June 8, the room was full of the most important officials in substance abuse: Terry Cline, Ph.D., H. Westley Clark, M.D., Acting...

Field making peace with use of psychiatric and anti-craving medications.
June 11, 2007... Traditional abstinence-based addiction treatment--such as that espoused by the Betty Ford Center, Hazelden, and Caron--has in the past had an uneasy relationship with psychotropic medications. This is no longer the case, and anti-craving...

New billing codes may boost physician screening and referral to treatment.
June 11, 2007... Primary care physicians may soon find addiction screening and intervention becoming a part of their work with almost every patient, thanks to the development of new codes they can use to bill this service. And that means an increase in...

California Senate backs bill to combat opiate overdose deaths.
June 11, 2007... Many harm reduction advocates across the country would like to see opiate addicts routinely receive access to the medication naloxone as a way to prevent opiate overdoses from becoming fatal. The California state Senate has unanimously...

Wisconsin governor's stand calls attention to tobacco spending.
June 11, 2007... Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle last month issued an unusual but unmistakably firm warning to state legislators when he said he would veto the entire state budget for fiscal 2008 if the legislature uses tobacco settlement monies to shore up funding...

Two new blending team products from NIDA.(National Institute on Drug Abuse )
June 11, 2007... As part of its initiative to move treatment interventions from research to clinical practice, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released two new products May 31. One is to help supervisors implement motivational interviewing...

Exchange of opinions: diagnosing ADHD in presence of substance abuse.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... An exchange of letters in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry illustrates the difficulty of diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the presence of a substance use disorder. In their response to an...

Caron to open Bermuda center.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Fair Havens Christian Care Association and Caron Center to open drug treatment facility)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... In July, a partnership between Fair Havens Christian Care Association of Bermuda (Fair Havens) and the Caron Center will culminate in a new Bermuda center that builds upon the 12-step community already present in the country. Caron U.S....

Washington State sales tax increase could boost treatment.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Washington State's Whatcom County could boost spending on substance abuse and mental health programs if it moves forward with a proposed one tenth of one percent increase in the sales tax, reported the Bellingham Herald on June 1. The...

Report promises growth in smoking cessation/addiction treatment market.(BUSINESS)
June 11, 2007... Global sales of smoking cessation drugs and other addiction treatments are expected to more than double between 2005 and 2010, from just over $1.1 billion to over $2.3 billion. This according to a report titled Smoking Cessation and Addiction...

Grants support children of meth users.(GRANTS AND FUNDING)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families has announced the availability of more than $20 million in grants intended to improve the "well-being" of children of methamphetamine and other drug users....

State Associations of Addiction Services.(Coming up)
June 11, 2007... The State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) will hold the 2007 SAAS National Conference for Executive and Senior Managers in Addiction Services on July 8-11 in Chicago. Register and reserve hotel rooms at www.saasnet.org.

International AIDS Society.(Coming up)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... The International AIDS Society (IAS) will hold its 2007 conference, "Bringing Together The World of HIV Science to Address the Challenges of Research, Prevention and Treatment," in Sydney, Australia on July 22-25. For more information, visit...

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)(National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, will hold its annual conference in affiliation with the Tennessee Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors and the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals...

In case you haven't heard ...(case against Sheila Martines Pina for drunk driving)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... When the former district attorney in New Bedford, Mass. asked the courts last month to commit his wife to a treatment program after a series of drunk driving charges, there was a chance that she would receive help. However, Ronald A. Pina...

Abuse in south Florida may be tied to buprenorphine expansion: maintenance vs. detox at issue.
June 4, 2007... Just as buprenorphine treatment is at the brink of a major expansion, a report from southern Florida is raising questions about whether this growth is going to lead to an increase in abuse of buprenorphine itself. The report, published in the...

Vermont grant project seeks family-driven adolescent treatment.
June 4, 2007... Using a modest portion of a federal grant designed to improve Vermont's adolescent treatment infrastructure, state officials and community advocates are making strides toward involving family members in the design and implementation of...

Similarities between obesity and addiction under study at NIDA.(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
June 4, 2007... Obesity may be just as much a brain disease as drug addiction, with similar behaviors and treatments, according to federal drug abuse researchers. But first, the treatment establishment--including psychiatrists--have to recognize that it is a...

Oregon to design prevention strategy based on new data.
June 4, 2007... Armed with new prevalence statistics that surprised officials in the state, Oregon is embarking on a new approach that will redesign prevention strategy. "In the past we've undertaken preventive measures based on good rationale but with...

NASHO supports IOM report.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Association of Specialty Health Organizations)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The National Association of Specialty Health Organizations (NASHO) has released a position statement whichExecutive Director Julian Roberts said "illustrates (its) vision for improved mental health and addiction care." In its statement,...

Florida Corrections introduces new re-entry program.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Although an estimated two-thirds of Florida's roughly 900,000 prison inmates have a substance abuse problem, in recent years the state's Department of Corrections has not supported a policy of rehabilitating prisoners, reported the Palm Beach...

NIDA research explores plant extract for cannabis addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Researchers believe their recent research in rats will lead to progress toward developing a drug to treat cannabis addiction in humans, reported the New Scientist on May 22. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) researcher...

Texas House votes in favor of pilot needle exchange.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The Texas House voted 71-60 in favor of establishing the state's very first needle-exchange program, a provision to a broad Medicaid bill, Senate Bill 10, sponsored in the House by Rep. Dianne White Delisi (R-Temple). Rep. Ruth McClendon...

SAMHSA seeks applicants for directors of OAS, CSAP.(CALL FOR APPLICANTS)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
June 4, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced it is currently conducting a search for a strong and diverse applicant pool to fill the positions of Director, Office of Applied Studies (OAS) and Director,...

OJJDP: Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention grants.(GRANTS AND FUNDING)
June 4, 2007... The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that June 8 is the deadline to apply for FY2007 Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Program grants, a program of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Government...

Preventing underage drinking: guides for action.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Based on the Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu's recent Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has produced three specific action guides for families, communities and...

National Council on Problem Gambling.(Coming up)
June 4, 2007... The National Council on Problem Gambling will hold its national conference, "Gambling and Co-Occurrence: Improving Practice and Managing Consequences," June 9-11 in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.ncpgambling.org.

National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors.(Coming up)
June 4, 2007... The annual meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN) will take place on June 7-10 in Burlington, Vermont. For more...

State Associations of Addiction Services.(Coming up)
June 4, 2007... The State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) will hold the 2007 SAAS National Conference for Executive and Senior Managers in Addiction Services on July 8-11 in Chicago. Register and reserve hotel rooms at www.saasnet.org.

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.(Coming up)
June 4, 2007... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) will sponsor a conference, "Double Jeopardy: Substance Abuse and Co-Occuring Mental Health Disorders in Young People," on Oct. 18 in New York City. Keynote...

In case you haven't heard ...(pain physician arrested )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... When authorities arrested pain physician Warren Stack in Salt Lake City earlier this month for inappropriate prescribing of Oxycontin, methadone, Xanax, oxycodone, and hydrocodone, the mayor and prosecutor there warned of a possible crime...