Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from May 2010

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from May 2010

Getting ready for 2014: integrate with medicine and get a mix of payers.(Health Reform Update)
May 31, 2010... In three years, health reform will be fully operational, and many providers are working on adapting to the new law, which will result in an increase in access to treatment and in the number of people coming into treatment. Medicaid and private...

Faces & Voices seeks to strengthen recovery community's role in election.(Health Reform Update)
May 31, 2010... As the recovery movement grows in states across the nation, organizers expect to see individuals in recovery asserting a stronger presence in many aspects of civic life, including election campaigns. If the 2008 version of Faces & Voices of...

When is it time to stop medication-assisted opioid treatment?
May 31, 2010... "Terminable or interminable?"--referring to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction--was the title of one of the most popular workshops sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the American Psychiatric Association...

NIH proposes rules to avoid big pharma bias.(National Institutes of Health )
May 31, 2010... "The public may not always understand the intricacies of rigorous science, but most individuals quickly grasp the concept of bias," wrote Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in last week's online...

Anchorage moves to non-sober housing to fight homeless-alcoholism problems.(Brief article)
May 31, 2010... The alcoholism problem in Anchorage, Alaska is inextricably tied to the city's homeless problem, but only recently have leaders there moved to create housing projects. Triggered by a spate of outdoor deaths of street alcoholics, some in their...

Buffalo audit finds lack of financial controls in treatment program.(Brief article)
May 31, 2010... Andrew A. SanFilippo, comptroller of Buffalo, N.Y., has found that three city-run clinics had lax handling of finances, with cash left unguarded and a theft of $585 from one clinic's front desk, the Buffalo News reported last week. The findings...

Web-based self-help program works.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 31, 2010... A web-based, interactive, anonymous self-help program can help adult problem drinkers cut back on their alcohol consumption, according to a Heleen Riper and colleagues in the Netherlands. For the study, reported by the Research Society on...

Alcohol companies use new media to market to young people, report charges.(Briefly Noted)
May 31, 2010... A report issued earlier this month week by the Center for Digital Democracy sharply criticized alcohol companies for using new media--cell phones, social networking sites, YouTube and so on--to reach young people. The authors are asking the...

Michelle Dirst.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 31, 2010... Michelle Dirst is the new director of public policy for the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). As a staffer for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Dirst worked on the STOP...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
May 31, 2010... The National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) will hold its 2010 Annual Meet ng, "Fostering Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment," on June 2-5 in Norfolk, Virginia. Visit www.nasadad.org for more information....

In case you haven't heard ...(federal privacy rules )(Brief article)
May 31, 2010... A now-deleted Facebook group called "Did you know this alcoholic Indian" reflected a violation of federal privacy rules by Tri-City hospital workers in Chicago who used the page to discuss a patient, even posting photos and making fun of him,...

NAATP cites $500,000 in credit card charges in Hunsicker firing.(National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers)
May 24, 2010... Earlier this month, Ronald J. Hunsicker was fired from his longtime position as president and CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) (see ADAW, May 18). Last week, in an extraordinarily detailed e-mail sent by...

Research findings assist prescribers in spotting risk factors for Rx abuse.
May 24, 2010... The lead author of a new study that identifies seven independent risk factors for prescription drug abuse says the science is catching up to clinical practice in helping physicians achieve a balance between treating pain and preventing addiction...

To integrate addiction treatment, physicians call for collaboration.(Report)
May 24, 2010... The drumbeat of "integration"--incorporating addiction treatment into medical care--is getting louder, with the growing input of physicians themselves. The White House drug strategy states that physician involvement is needed for substance abuse...

Calif. budget proposal would eviscerate methadone treatment.(State Budget Watch)
May 24, 2010... By proposing to cut Drug Medi-Cal by $54.4 million, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this month has effectively cut publicly-funded methadone treatment by 94 percent, ADAW has learned. In interviews with Tom Renfree, Executive Director of the...

WHO calls for restrictions on alcohol marketing.(World Health Organization)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... The World Health Organization (WHO) has ratified a strategy aiming to cut down an alcohol-related health problems by ending drink discounts, regulating sponsorships, and banning advertising promoting to young people. The initiative, approved by...

Light drinking not necessarily good for health.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... Just because moderate drinkers are healthier than heavy drinkers--or non-drinkers--that doesn't necessarily mean a glass or two of wine is good for your health, researchers from Paris cautioned in a study published last week. The correlation may...

Project on computer modeling for nicotine drugs wins first prize.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Intel International Science and Engineering Fair)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... A project using computer modeling to identify medications for nicotine abuse won first place at the world's largest science competition for high school students--the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The award was presented last...

TRI holds meeting on integration addiction and medical care.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Treatment Research Institute)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... Last month, the Treatment Research Institute (TRI) held a federal-state meeting on how to foster integration of substance use services into medical settings. The exploratory meeting, funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of...

Overprescribing of benzodiazepines warned in Canadian study.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... Although benzodiazepines are meant for short-term use due to risks of dependence, many patients in British Columbia, Canada are getting prescriptions for extended periods of time, according to a study published online May 20 in the journal...

Binge-drink risk drops dramatically after age 25.(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... The highest rates of binge drinking--five or more drinks at one sitting--occurs at age 18, and drops off gradually until age 25, when it drops dramatically. Unfortunately, those young years are the time when the brain is still developing, and...

$210 million increase requested for SAPT block grant.(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... Last week, 157 groups signed a letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee requesting a $210 million increase for the block grant for fiscal year 2011. There were 42 national and 115 state and local groups. Individuals...

Pain clinics targeted in Florida bill.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... A bill passed by the Florida legislature would give law enforcement officials easier access pain clinic records, and limit dispensing of pain medications by clinics that don't take insurance to a 72-hour supply. Legitimate pain physicinas...

MassHousing gives $180,000 for sober homes for women.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... The affordable housing bank of Massachusetts, MassHousing, has awarded $180,000 to create new units for affordable sober housing in three cities, the Boston Globe reported May 15. Included in the funds: $75,000 for the New Bedford Council on...

Coming up ...(National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors)(C4 Recovery Solutions, Inc.,)(College on Problems of Drug Dependence)(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 24, 2010... The National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) will hold its 2010 Annual Meeting, "Fostering Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment," on June 2-5 in Norfolk, Virginia. Visit www.nasadad.org for more information....

In case you haven't heard ...(smuggling methamphetamine )(Brief article)
May 24, 2010... A woman tried to smuggle methamphetamine to a jailed inmate in Louisiana this month by hiding it inside a Bible. Law enforcement officials told reporters that the inmate has been incarcerated since last October on drug-related arrests. He was...

Treatment leaders move to recovery focus, but warn of potential misuses of concept.(Report)
May 17, 2010... Many leaders in the addiction treatment community bristle at the suggestion that they are stubbornly holding on to an acute-care model of treatment that has been found lacking. At the same time, while pointing to numerous inroads they have made...

New York comptroller finds $20 million in overpayments; OASAS disagrees.(Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse)(Report)
May 17, 2010... Three programs in New York City--Daytop Village, Palladia, and the Queens Child Guidance Center--overcharged the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS) by $11.5 million, $8 million, and $346,223 respectively, according to audits...

NAATP terminates Ron Hunsicker's employment.(Breaking News)(National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers)(Brief article)
May 17, 2010... Last week the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) sent a message to its members notifying them that longtime president and CEO Ron Hunsicker's position would be terminated, and that he would be replaced by Dennis...

Strategy moves drug use into public health arena.
May 17, 2010... The White House has issued the federal drug strategy at last, and while the budget still has to catch up to the rhetoric, the rhetoric is good for treatment and prevention. Instead of declaring a "war on drugs" as past strategies have done, this...

Illinois legislature still out; Governor cuts treatment 8 percent.(State Budget Watch)
May 17, 2010... The Illinois legislature has less than two weeks to come up with a budget, and the field hopes that it will be an improvement over the Governor's proposed budget which cuts addiction treatment by 8 percent and prevention by 10 percent. "These...

Parity lawsuit: both sides rest their case and await court ruling.(Report)
May 17, 2010... When the Coalition for Parity--a group consisting of three managed behavioral healthcare organizations (MBHOs)--sued the federal government to prevent the parity interim final rule (IFR) from taking effect (see ADAW, April 12), it focused on two...

SAMHSA: rise in drug-only admissions.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
May 17, 2010... While most patients admitted to addiction treatment abuse both alcohol and drugs, the trend is an increase in drug abuse only and a decrease in alcohol abuse only, according to a study released last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health...

Jail treatment program in Maryland to be cut.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
May 17, 2010... It's a sign of bad times: of the 12 inmates at the Wicomico County Detention Center in substance abuse treatment, only two will finish the program as a result of cuts from the Maryland Department of Corrections, the Delmarva Daily Times reported...

Coming up ...(National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers )(National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors)(State Associations of Addiction Services )(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 17, 2010... The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) will hold its 2010 Annual Conference on May 22-25 in San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.naatp.org/conferences/annualconference.php for more information. The National Association of...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 17, 2010... Setting the stage for a conflict between California voters and the Presidency, the White House expressed its opposition to the legalization of marijuana last week. California, of course, can go its own way and, judging from the polls, they may...

Recovery advocates pressure treatment system to cast aside acute care model.
May 10, 2010... For more than a decade, the country's most prominent addiction researchers have been saying that the disease can't be treated adequately by one episode of treatment. And a growing grassroots recovery movement is focused on having peers, not...

College campuses becoming active site for array of recovery support services.
May 10, 2010... With some estimates pegging the recovering student population on the nation's college campuses at a total of 50,000 or more, addiction treatment centers and professional counselors could begin to envision college and university settings as a...

Leaked strategy further exposes weaknesses of ONDCP.(Office of National Drug Control Policy)
May 10, 2010... Last month was a bad month for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Amidst calls for release of the delayed drug strategy, due out February 1, a Congressional subcommittee lambasted ONDCP director Gil Kerlikowske for the...

Florida SSA shares advice on budget issues.(State Budget Watch)
May 10, 2010... Last week the Florida substance abuse treatment budget was set for a vote, leaving services level funded (see ADAW, May 3). The legislature did vote April 30, and the total substance abuse budget increased by $184,000-so treatment and prevention...

SSAs to ask pregnancy test makers to include alcohol warnings.(National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors)(single state authorities)(Brief article)
May 10, 2010... The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) announced April 28 that its member single state authorities (SSAs) would send letters to the makers of home pregnancy tests asking them to place a warning about the...

FDA requires medication guide be given to Vivitrol patients.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
May 10, 2010... Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced strengthened language in the warnings section for Vivitrol labeling about the risk of injection site reactions, which in some cases "may be very severe," and lead to significant...

HRSA funding in budget for training addiction specialists.(Health Resources and Services Administration)(Brief article)
May 10, 2010... The president's proposed budget includes substantial funding to expand the integration of addiction services into existing primary health care systems. Under the proposal, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would support...

HIT bill would provide ARRA funding to addiction treatment.(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)
May 10, 2010... Legislation introduced last month would make certain addiction and mental health service providers eligible for HIT (health information technology) funds, including those provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of...

Study examines child consumption of tobacco products.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 10, 2010... Ingestion of tobacco products by children younger than 6 was responsible for 13,705 cases of toxic exposure between 2006 and 2008, according to a study by led by Gregory N. Connolly, M.P.H. Greater than 70 percent were by infants under one year...

Coming up ...(National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers)(College on Problems of Drug Dependence)(State Associations of Addiction Services)(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 10, 2010... The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) will hold its 2010 Annual Conference on May 22-25 in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, visit www.naatp.org/conferences/annualconference.php. The College on Problems of...

In case you haven't heard ...
May 10, 2010... Individuals struggling to stay sober may find it easier if they focus on the good old days, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bedfordshire, U.K. Among one hundred Alcoholics Anonymous members, individuals with a positive...

Treatment program and book 'addiction cure' claims raise hackles.
May 3, 2010... A treatment program and a book are creating a stir by promoting that they have a "cure" for addiction--and doing so via a national advertising campaign that includes television commercials. Some researchers are outraged, but officials seem...

Powerful, yet elusive: field tries to maximize energy of program alumni.(Report)
May 3, 2010... Some members of the addiction treatment, research and recovery communities think the field is sitting on a huge idea that if ever fully unleashed could reverse disappointing long-term recovery outcomes. These individuals see treatment programs'...

States take steps to train workforce to treat veterans: NASADAD.(National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors )
May 3, 2010... Veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with substance use disorders are adding demand to an already stressed public treatment system, with many providers not fully prepared to treat this population, according to a report...

Report from NIDA's Blending conference.(FROM THE FIELD...)(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Conference notes)
May 3, 2010... Last month, the National Institute on Drug Abuse hosted its 8th "Blending Conference," a sold-out meeting which took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Focused on the translation of addiction science research into practice, the April 22-23...

Treatment breaks even in Florida at last stage of budget.(State Budget Watch)
May 3, 2010... Florida substance abuse treatment programs did not do as badly as had been expected in the almost-final $69 billion budget, printed by the legislature last week. The legislature was set to vote on the proposal April 30-after this issue went to...

Brain imaging could detect risk for alcoholism.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 3, 2010... While it is understood that opiate receptor binding is heightened in individuals who are alcohol dependent, a new study seeks to determine whether this is a result of long-term heavy drinking, or an inborn quality that could confer risk. With a...

Resources.
May 3, 2010... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 51: Substance Abuse Treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women. TIP 51 is available for download at...

Coming up ...(National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors)(C4 Recovery Solutions, Inc.,)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 3, 2010... The National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) will hold its 2010 Annual Meeting,"Fostering Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment," on June 2-5 in Norfolk, Virginia.Visit www.nasadad.org for more information....

In case you haven't heard ...
May 3, 2010... In a recent study, university students described themselves in the following terms:"In withdrawal.""Frantically craving.""Jittery."These were not individuals in withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Rather, 200 students at the University of Maryland...