Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from May 2005

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from May 2005

CRC Health plans to buy Sierra Tucson, expand reach of its residential facilities.
May 2, 2005... CRC Health Group (CRC) is expected to purchase Sierra Tucson by the end of May, an acquisition that would bring to 18 the number of private residential treatment facilities within the ever-expanding fold of CRC programs. The purchase agreement...

ValueOptions preparing to take reins of New Mexico purchasing collaborative.
May 2, 2005... New Mexico is embarking on a groundbreaking initiative July 1 that will combine the resources of 15 state agencies involved with substance abuse and mental health services into one purchasing collaborative. Under the new arrangement,...

Prop. 36 would be strengthened by one bill, undermined by another.
May 2, 2005... Proposition 36, the groundbreaking 2000 California voter initiative that requires treatment instead of incarceration for first- and second-time drug offenders, is under fire from proposed legislation. Under SB 803, a bill authored by state Sen....

Survey: one-in-five teens abuse prescription drugs.
May 2, 2005... In its 17th annual study of teen drug use, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America has found that one-in-five teens has abused a prescription painkiller to get high and one-in-eleven has abused an over-the-counter (OTC) product, such as cough...

NIAAA awards college alcohol grant to The Change Companies.(Resources)(National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse)
May 2, 2005... The National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), through it's SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) initiative, has awarded The Change Companies a research and development grant focused on expanding the reach of proven...

Medical marijuana bill fails to pass in N.M.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... Despite being passed in the New Mexico State Senate, a bill allowing the medical use of marijuana failed to pass the state's House of Representatives last month, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported. The bill was skipped over during the last...

Study: psychiatric care improves abstinence.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... In a study published in the journal Psychiatric Services, researchers predicted that even minimal use of psychiatric services among patients with chemical dependency would result in better long-term abstinence outcomes. Study authors pointed...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 2, 2005... The second UK/European Symposium on Addictive Disorders," To Match or not to Match: Enhancing Client Outcomes," will take place May 19-21 in Central London, England. For more information, visit www.ukesad.org. The National Association of...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
May 2, 2005... In Statesboro, Ga. a man was arrested for marijuana possession after asking a police officer for a ride, boston.com reported. Sgt. Joseph Kearney was parked in his police cruiser when Ron Stone approached him for a ride. Kearney agreed to give...

Methamphetamine takes center stage at Senate appropriations committee hearing.
May 9, 2005... On April 21, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on methamphetamine abuse and the need for treatment. The hearing, with its specific attention to methamphetamine, was a reminder...

Alcohol exclusion laws preventing screening for alcohol and drugs in emergency rooms.
May 9, 2005... In many states, a statute known as the Uniform Accident and Sickness Provision Law (UPPL)--commonly called the "alcohol exclusion law"--is preventing people with alcohol problems from getting help. This law allows insurance companies to deny...

Admissions for drug treatment increase for older adults: SAMHSA, FDA start prescription drug campaign.
May 9, 2005... Admissions for substance abuse treatment increased by 32 percent among older adults over the eight-year period from 1995 to 2002, according to a study released last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)....

SAMHSA makes available treatment program guide.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) updated guide to finding local substance abuse treatment programs is now available. The guide, National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2005,...

SAMHSA, ONDCP to start campaign linking marijuana, mental illness.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(White House Office of National Drug Control Policy )
May 9, 2005... Officials with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) last week announced a joint public awareness effort linking marijuana and mental illness....

Offender re-entry bill shows bipartisan support.
May 9, 2005... A bill to fund demonstration projects to help ex-offenders get substance abuse and aftercare treatment is now under consideration in Congress. The bill, called the Second Chance Act of 2005, was also introduced last session but failed to get a...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 9, 2005... The Institute for International Research will present the 13th Annual Medicaid Managed Care Congress," Bringing States and Health Plans Together to Improve Quality and Control Costs," June 13-15 in Baltimore. For more information, visit...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 9, 2005... In Massachusetts, a dichotomy is occurring between Gov. Mitt Romney and his own Department of Public Health over the legalization of over-the-counter hypodermic needles, the Boston Globe reports. Proposed legislation would put clean needles in...

Providence Summit attendees strongly endorse destigmatization concept: annual meeting focuses on public campaign.
May 23, 2005... Two themes swept through the third Providence Summit on Addiction, held May 10-11: * The treatment and recovery fields are not in agreement on the exact wording to be used in a campaign to destigmatize addiction, but they are very much in...

Congress looks to change 30-patient limit on entities prescribing buprenorphine.
May 23, 2005... When buprenorphine was approved for use by private physicians in the treatment of opiate addiction, a 30-patient limit was set. This restriction, a provision of the Drug Abuse and Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA), was supposed to apply to...

Bills target alcoholism and binge drinking among military personnel: would require screening of all soldiers.
May 23, 2005... Young single people on a military base may in drinking terms be more like young single people in civilian life--specifically, in college life--than like soldiers. According to a 2002 Department of Defense study on drinking, that's exactly...

Missouri survey finds increase in 10th-grade illicit drug use.
May 23, 2005... While national surveys have found declines in drug use among American teens over the past several years, a survey of Kansas City, Mo. teens funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has found an uptick in drug use among 10th-graders. ...

SAMHSA reaching out to potential grantees.(Resources)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(Brief Article)
May 23, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last month announced that it is sending an email to persons known to be interested in the agency to inform them that they can apply for grants online at www.grants.gov. ...

Medical marijuana bill fails to pass in N.M.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2005... Despite being passed in the New Mexico State Senate, a bill allowing the medical use of marijuana failed to pass the state's House of Representatives last month, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported. The bill was skipped over during the last...

Vermont debates lowering drinking age to 18.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 23, 2005... Vermont Republican State Rep. Richard C. Marron has introduced a bill that would lower the state's drinking age from 21 to 18, the New York Times reports. Marron was prompted to introduce the bill after reading a column by retired Middlebury...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 23, 2005... The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors Inc. will hold their 2005 Annual Meeting, "Connecting Science, Service and Policy for Addiction Free Communities," June 2-5 in Bal Harbour, Fla. For more information, visit...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
May 23, 2005... Years of physical comedy took its toll on legendary comedic actor Jerry Lewis, who revealed to ABC's "This Week" that years in constant physical pain led to an addiction to painkillers, the Associated Press reported. "In 1965, they gave me one...

Proposed expansion of services in Mass. includes recovery schools.
May 30, 2005... On May 16, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey issued a blueprint for a substance abuse plan that, if developed into legislation, would promise far-reaching improvement for the state's treatment needs. Despite the attention given...

Association guidelines to require alcohol screening in trauma centers.
May 30, 2005... In a major step forward for the health care industry, trauma and burn centers will be required to screen patients for problem drinking. The requirement will be incorporated into new guidelines expected out by early next year from the American...

Two studies offer evidence of dopamine connection to alcoholism.
May 30, 2005... Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory published two studies on how dopamine receptors affected drinking behavior in mice and rats. "Stopping alcohol abuse will never be as simple as turning on or off...

Two studies show effectiveness of online alcohol prevention.
May 30, 2005... A University of Illinois researcher has concluded that students who completed AlcoholEdu, an online prevention program, reported 50 percent fewer health, social, and academic consequences from drinking. In addition, a National Institute on...

McLean study links herb to reduced binge drinking.
May 30, 2005... The Chinese herb kudzu appears to be an effective treatment for managing excessive alcohol consumption, particularly binge drinking, report researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. In a paper published in the May issue of...

NIAAA awards college alcohol grant to The Change Companies.(Resources)(United States. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)(Brief Article)
May 30, 2005... The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), through it's SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) initiative, has awarded The Change Companies a research and development grant focused on expanding the reach of proven...

Study: psychiatric care improves abstinence.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
May 30, 2005... In a study published in the journal Psychiatric Services, researchers predicted that even minimal use of psychiatric services among patients with chemical dependency would result in better long-term abstinence outcomes. Study authors pointed...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)
May 30, 2005... The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors Inc. will hold their 2005 Annual Meeting, "Connecting Science, Service and Policy for Addiction Free Communities," June 2-5 in Bal Harbour, Fla. For more information, visit...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
May 30, 2005... British pub owners are acting responsibly and ditching certain Happy Hour practices, the Associated Press reports. The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents 70 companies that own about half of Britain's estimated 60,000 pubs,...