Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from September 2004

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from September 2004

AATOD project aims to increase methadone access in jails.(American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence)
September 6, 2004... Since the 1980s, the Rikers Island jail in New York City has made methadone available to people addicted to heroin and other opiates during their incarceration and provided referrals to treatment programs upon discharge from jail. More...

RAND: community-based treatment effective in reducing adolescent SA.(substance abuse treatment)
September 6, 2004... Community-based drug treatment programs can help troubled teens reduce substance abuse and improve their psychological health, according to a new study released by the RAND Drug Policy Research Center last week. RAND researchers call the...

Maine pilots national program for co-occuring disorders.
September 6, 2004... Four facilities in Maine have been selected to participate in a two-year national pilot to improve treatment for patients with mental illness and substance abuse problems. Maine joins a host of other states to use a system of care model for...

D.C. metro begins to display marijuana reform advertising; U.S. government preserves right to appeal.
September 6, 2004... Washington, D.C.'s transit authority last week began displaying at two subway stops an advertisement that urges reform of marijuana laws. Meanwhile, the federal government has preserved its right to appeal the court opinion that sanctions the...

Binge drinking more harmful than consistent consumption.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Findings published in New Scientist magazine suggest that binge drinking may be more harmful than consuming the same amount of alcohol over several days, The Dominion Post reported. According to the New Zealand report, most alcohol-related...

Alcohol misting device appears to be legal.(Briefly Noted)
September 6, 2004... The New York State Attorney General's office has concluded that a device designed to vaporize alcohol appears to be legal, Newsday.com reported. The Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL) device is designed to vaporize alcohol so that it can be inhaled...

Anti-drug program barred from S.F. schools.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... The Narconon Drug Prevention & Education Program has been barred from San Francisco schools due to questions about its scientific accuracy, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Superintendent Arlene Ackerman became concerned about the Narconon...

AlcoholScreening.org screens over 200,000 people.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Over 200,000 people have been screened for risky drinking at AlcoholScreening.org, according to a recent press release. AlcoholScreening.org is a free service of Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health....

Coalition pushes technology to prevent underage drinking.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... America's Partners to Prevent Underage Drinking (AP), a campaign of the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness (IIAA), is pushing for the installation of age-verification technology in retail stores, bars and restaurants to prevent...

Illinois to combat meth, expand use of drug courts.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a bill that will limit the sale of cold medications that can be used to produce methamphetamine, the Associated Press reported. Under the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, drug stores will have to keep...

Seattle's marijuana initiative appears to be effective.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Seattle's I-75 initiative, which made marijuana the city's lowest law enforcement priority, appears to have effectively reduced prosecution for marijuana in the city without leading to increased use, the Seattle Times reported. Last year,...

Number of uninsured residents reaches all-time high.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... U.S. Census Bureau figures released late last month show that the number of U.S. residents without health insurance coverage has reached an all-time high, kaisernetwork.org reported. The number of people with health insurance coverage rose from...

Nictoine replacement therapy may help women less.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) may work as well in teens as in adults, but may be less effective in women than in men, according to findings published in the August issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. In one study,...

Prenatal cocaine exposure affects boys more.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Findings published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics suggest that gender may play a role in the effect of prenatal cocaine exposure, Health Behavior News Service reported. Researchers found that boys who had prenatal...

Hempfest to take anti-Bush stand.(Briefly Noted)
September 6, 2004... Organizers of this year's Hempfest, a large pro-marijuana gathering in Seattle, are pushing attendees to vote for presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry, The Boston Globe reported. The festival mixes politics with entertainment,...

Coming up.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 6, 2004... The Latino Behavioral Health Institute will hold its 10th annual conference, "A Decade of Progress, Legacy of Change, A Vision for the Future," Sept. 21 to 23 in Universal City, Calif. For more information, call (818) 831-3395 or visit...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Wyoming has launched an aggressive public relations campaign against methamphetamine use, the Associated Press reported recently. New billboards throughout the state show the health effects of methamphetamine addiction. The billboards include...

SAMHSA, ASAM launch new buprenorphine mentoring program.
September 13, 2004... The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the federal government are launching a ground-breaking mentoring program designed to help physicians feel more comfortable with prescribing buprenorphine to people with opioid addictions....

Study: treatment for adolescents lacking in key areas.
September 13, 2004... A landmark study of the top 144 adolescent substance abuse treatment programs in the country found that key elements of effective adolescent treatment were not being addressed. "The Quality of Highly Regarded Adolescent Substance Abuse...

Adolescent treatment admissions increased in 2002.
September 13, 2004... The number of admissions to substance abuse treatment for adolescents ages 12 to 17 increased in 2002, continuing a 10-year trend, according to data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The...

Audio conferences series on coding and reimbursement.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Manisses Communications Group, Inc., is offering an invaluable series of four interactive audio conferences on practical coding strategies for maximum reimbursement. Presenter Derek Jansen, Ph.D., MPH, is head of the well-respected Practice...

Stop perpetuating the "crack baby" myth.(From the Field)
September 13, 2004... After 16 years of research and more than a decade of following the development of children thought to have been at serious risk, medical experts have not identified a recognizable condition, syndrome or disorder that should merit the label...

Study examines link between alcohol use and suicidal behavior.
September 13, 2004... Suicidal behavior has often been associated with the acute use of alcohol, although the causal mechanism for this relationship remains unclear. A study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research explored this relationship. ...

Gene linked to both alcoholism and depression.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have identified a gene that appears to be linked to both alcoholism and depression, according to findings published in the Sept. issue of Human Molecular Genetics. Using DNA analysis, the...

N.J. legislators consider needle exchange bill.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... New Jersey legislators are discussing a bill that would allow needle-exchange programs to be established in the state, nj.com reported. The bill would allow needle-exchange programs to reduce needle sharing, but would not permit...

Family sues school, city over alcohol-related death.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The family of a young college student who drowned after a night of drinking has begun filing a lawsuit against the city of La Crosse, Wisc. and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, ABC News reported. Jared Dion, a student at the University of...

Financial workers may have higher risk of alcohol abuse.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The risk of alcohol use may be higher among financial workers, Business Week reported. Alden Cass, president of Catalyst Strategies Group, looked at alcohol use during and after the Iraq war. He found that 32 percent of 151 respondents had six...

Medical students join together to combat drunken driving.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Several students at the Bronx-based Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City have initiated a program to combat drunken driving, the Bronx Times Reporter reported. The program, Doctors for Designated Drivers (DFDD), is dedicated to...

Amended Calif. bill will allow voluntary student drug tests.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... A bill intended to ban student drug testing in California public schools has been amended to permit voluntary testing, the Drug Policy Alliance reported. The amendments adopted by the State Assembly will allow voluntary drug testing programs...

Survey links drivers' license to teen substance use.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Findings published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol suggest that high school students are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke after they obtain their drivers' licenses, nbc4.com reported. A survey of high school students found that...

Alcohol may reduce damage after heart attack.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Researchers have found that moderate amounts of alcohol may be able to reduce the damage to the heart following a heart attack, Newswise reported. Following a heart attack white blood cells attach to damaged tissue in the affected artery walls...

Stable home can benefit children with FAS.(Briefly Noted)(fetal alcohol syndrome )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... A stable and nurturing environment may help reduce social problems associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the Associated Press reported. Scientists found that children who were diagnosed with FAS or fetal alcohol effect early and came...

Drunken-driving deaths declined in 2003.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is crediting increased seat belt use and fewer drunken-driving accidents with reducing the number of traffic deaths in 2003, MSNBC.com reported. The 2003 data also showed that...

Coming up.(calender)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 13, 2004... National TASC (Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities) will hold its 11th Conference on Drugs & Crime, "Building Safer Communities Through Partnerships to Restore Individuals and Families," Sept. 26 to 29 in Arlington, Va. For more...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Young people are spending a lot of time at the casinos, taking in some poker, roulette and live music--not for pleasure, but for college credit--the Associated Press reported. As states turn to casinos for gambling revenues, public colleges...

Field fares well under proposed fiscal 2005 spending bills.
September 27, 2004... The House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committee this month approved their respective versions of the fiscal 2005 Labor/Health and Human Services (HHS)/Education spending bill, calling for modest to significant increases and...

Researchers call for new approaches to reduce rate of underage drinking.
September 27, 2004... Borrowing a page from the methodology books of cancer researchers, a new National Institutes of Health study analyzes three decades of alcohol-use trends among the nation's young people. The results affirm what three ongoing, nationally...

Comprehensive strategy to reduce college drinking shows promise.
September 27, 2004... In an evaluation of a 10-campus effort to reduce high-risk alcohol consumption, a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study released this month found reductions in drinking rates and alcohol-related harms at colleges that most fully...

'The Recovery Channel' coming soon to a TV near you.(From the Field)
September 27, 2004... Marshall McLuhan once said that the medium is the message. However, the message of recovery is largely missing from the medium of television. What is present on both network and cable TV are lots of jokes about drinking and drug use, clever ads...

Fourth year of double-digit increase in insurance premiums.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... In 2004, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums rose an average of 11.2 percent, marking the fourth consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to the 2004 Annual Employer Health Benefit Survey released by the Kaiser Family...

Bill would allow state to test welfare recipients.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... A Michigan House committee has approved legislation that would give the state the authority to require welfare recipients suspected of substance abuse to submit to a drug test, the Associated Press reported. Under the bill, the Family...

Study finds link between sweet-tooth, alcoholism.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Findings in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggest that a preference for sweets and an inability to control harmful behavior may be predictive of alcohol dependence, Health Behavior News Service reported. Researchers...

Early puberty may increase risk of substance use.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Findings in the September issue of Pediatrics suggest that early puberty may be a risk factor for substance use and abuse, HealthDayNews reported. Researchers found that early puberty was more important than age or school grade in influencing...

Drug, alcohol abuse may affect patient's response to anesthesia.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Oral and maxillofacial surgeons need to be able to recognize signs of drug abuse in order to prevent potentially hazardous interactions between illicit drugs and anesthesia, according to Sue Carlisle, Ph.D., M.D., a speaker at the American...

Reasons for not receiving treatment among persons ages 12 or older: 2003.(Briefly Noted)(Correction Notice)
September 27, 2004... Reasons for not receiving treatment among persons ages 12 or older: 2003 Not ready to stop using 41.2% Cost/insurance barriers 33.2% Stigma 19.6% Did not feel need for...

Researchers show rats can become addicted.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Findings from two studies published in the journal Science indicate that rats can become addicted to cocaine, the Associated Press reported. Researchers have known that rats will take drugs, but until now they had not been able to prove that...

Small amounts of alcohol may harm developing fetus.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Researchers in the United Kingdom have suggested that even small amounts of alcohol may harm a developing fetus, AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. reported. Children whose mothers drank as few as one or two drinks per week during pregnancy may...

Private health coverage for children declines.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Rising health insurance costs may have played a role in the decline of private health coverage for children, according to findings published in the current edition of Health Affairs. The proportion of children with private health insurance...

Alcohol may not protect against heart disease.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology raise questions about alcohol's effect on heart-disease risk, Reuters reported. Researchers found that while alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of heart diseases among...

Coming up.(Calendar)
September 27, 2004... The Consortium of Behavioral Health Nurses & Associates will present "Behavioral Health 2004: Addiction, Co-Occurring Disorders, Culture" Oct. 2 and 3 in Orlando, Fla. For more information, call (800) 876-2236 or visit www.cbhna.org. The...

In case you haven't heard...(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... A recent survey out of Yale University found that recreational gambling among retirees has some health benefits, the Associated Press reported. According to the Yale study, recreational gamblers 65 and older report being in better health than...