Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from September 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from September 2007

NSDUH: underage drinking, prescription drug abuse emerging as primary problems.(National Survey on Drug Use and Health)(Survey)
September 10, 2007... The good news is that underage drinking has not gone up in the past year, but the bad news is that it has not gone down either, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the annual report that serves as a finger on the...

Recovery Month events seek to boost community and advocacy.
September 10, 2007... As groups ranging from seasoned coalitions to recovery community novices plan their largest community events of the year as part of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, many say they consider these events' benefits to...

DARE may be cut from Florida budget; program could still exist.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
September 10, 2007... The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is planning to end DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) as a state program. DARE is a classroom based program in which police officers provide drug prevention training in public elementary and...

New MRI findings indicate deficits in decoding negative emotions among alcoholics.(magnetic resonance imaging)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
September 10, 2007... Brain-imaging research has already suggested a link between alcoholism and cognitive processing, and the most recent research indicates that alcoholics can't process some emotional information. According to a new study published in the...

Pay hike for Illinois treatment programs vetoed.
September 10, 2007... Addiction counselors in Illinois saw their hopes for a pay increase dashed last month. On August 23, Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed $463 million in what he called "pork," $6.6 million of which would have gone to a 3-percent raise for treatment...

Illinois law imposes penalties for underage drinking in homes.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Under a new Illinois law, adults who allow underage drinking in their homes could be fined up to $125,000 and receive a three year prison term if the underage drinking leads to serious injury or death. The law was signed by Gov. Rod...

Researchers link cirrhosis to brain damage.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Clinical report)
September 10, 2007... By examining brain tissue samples, researchers have found that the frontal cortex of the brain was more scarred in people with cirrhosis of the liver than in people without cirrhosis of the liver. About 10 to 20 percent of heavy drinkers...

Analgesic effects of opiates separated from addictive effects.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
September 10, 2007... Pain researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that the analgesic effects of opioids can be separated from the effects of tolerance and abuse. For the study, mice were genetically engineered to lack the...

Arrest for selling liquid methadone in Pennsylvania.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for selling a $50 container of liquid methadone to an undercover police officer. The arrested man was in methadone maintenance treatment, according to a report in phillyburbs.com. The August 28 court hearing...

Judge sends alcoholic DWI offender to prison.(Christopher J. Burns decision on William M. Collins' case)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... After four arrests for DWI this year, 38-year-old William M. Collins was sentenced to up to 13 years in prison by New York Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns. The minimum sentence he will serve is 4 1/3 years. The most recent arrest...

$74 million awarded in DFC grants.(drug-free communities)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... The ONDCP has awarded $74 million in Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grants to 736 communities across the country. The awards, announced last month by ONDCP director John Walters, include $8.9 million to 90 new local anti-drug coalitions, and an...

Coming up ...(substance abuse conferences)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... The National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors will hold the 20th annual National Prevention Network research conference in Portland, Oregon on September 16-19. For more information, visit http://swpc.ou.edu/npn. The...

NREPP adds information to web site.(RESOURCES)(National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Website overview)
September 10, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is expanding its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) web site (www. nrepp.samhsa.gov) by providing information from the agency's Model Programs...

An Emmy for NIDA/NIAAA.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Congratulations are in order for the people at National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They received the highest honor of the television industry for their work in putting the HBO Addiction...

In case you haven't heard ...(heroin addicted elephant)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... You may think some patients are difficult to get through withdrawal, but imagine trying to treat an elephant with heroin addiction. An elephant in China had been fed heroin-laced bananas to make him easier for illegal animal traders to control....

Rapid opioid detox remains under fire amid accusation against California doctor.(Clifford A. Bernstein)
September 17, 2007... A tough sell to the addiction treatment community became even more challenging in 2005 after a widely read study stated that opioid detoxification assisted by anesthesia was no more effective than other forms of detox and posed greater health...

Manufacturers respond to opioid abuse through risk management programs.
September 17, 2007... Pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working on the problem of prescription drug abuse by creating post-marketing risk prevention management programs. Unfortunately, there's a lesser standard for generic...

FDA on new drugs.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Review's Office of New Drugs, told a congressional committee in July 2006 that the FDA is "actively involved" in preventing prescription drug abuse, as part of its drug...

NSDUH adjusted to focus on non-prescription methamphetamine.(National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
September 17, 2007... The annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released this month (see ADAW Sept. 10) includes a new way to measure methamphetamine use. While this new method makes comparison with past years impossible, it sets a new, more accurate...

Marijuana not the biggest parental worry.(Survey)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Many parents report that they are more worried about their teenage son or daughter driving a car while intoxicated, shoplifting, or having sex than about their using marijuana, according to a recent national telephone survey of parents of...

Wyoming facility loses state contract due to safety problems.(Jeffrey C. Wardle Academy)
September 17, 2007... The problems at Jeffrey C. Wardle Academy, a substance abuse and mental health facility for juveniles operated by Frontier Correctional Systems in Cheyenne, Wyo. erupted last month, when half the young people had to be removed due to safety...

Methadone arrest leads to no take-homes.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Warminster, Pennsylania was where liquid methadone was reportedly sold to an undercover officer last month. This is the same town where Karl Hottenstein bought methadone on the street and then died of an overdose. His mother, Mari Hottenstein,...

Health food supplement may curb gambling addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
September 17, 2007... A new study has found that the amino acide N-acetyl cysteine, sold as a health food supplement, may help treat gambling addiction. Published in the Sept. 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry, the study, by Jon Grant, J.D., M.D., and colleagues,...

No room in Mississippi public treatment programs.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina, but some treatment centers are still are suffering. For example, Singing River Services had 168 employees for 3,000 patients prior to Katrina. Most of the staff left the ravaged coastal area after...

New addiction counselors in Florida.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Florida Addictions Institute (Cape Coral))(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... The counselor field will have new recruits from Florida as of next week, when the Florida Addictions Institute in Cape Coral will graduate its first class of addiction counselors. There are six graduates, and each will take the state...

CRC opens new detox center in Pennsylvania.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(CRC Health Group)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... CRC Health Group has added a new program to its White Deer Run chain in Pennsylvania by opening a "national model" Medical Services and Detoxification Center in Allenwood. The program will provide comprehensive services for addiction to...

New mice might help find treatments for addiction, other problems.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(The Collaborative Cross)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. are creating genetically engineered mice under a grant from the Ellison Foundation that will help researchers learn about drug abuse, pain, and other problems. The project, called...

CADCA's Lozano is new Freedom Corps head.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Henry C. Lozano of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Henry C. Lozano, board member of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, was named Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of USA Freedom Corps. Since 1985, Lozano has been President and Chief Executive...

New TAP available from SAMHSA.(RESOURCES)(Technical Assistance Publication of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Competencies for Substance Abuse Treatment Clinical Supervisors)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced earlier this month that its newest Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) is available. Called Competencies for Substance Abuse Treatment Clinical Supervisors (TAP...

Coming up...(substance abuse conferences)(Therapeutic Communities of America, American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence and International Association of Addiction Medicine)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Therapeutic Communities of America will hold its fall meeting September 24-25 in Baltimore. Go to www.therapeuticcommunitiesofamerica.org, e-mail tca.office@verizon.net, or call (202) 296-3503 for more information. Seabrook House will...

In case you haven't heard...(Jose Morales' lewdness and possession of drug paraphernalia charges)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... When 18-year-old Jose Morales ran naked across a football field during a game in Provo, Utah last month, he thought it was funny. But he was arrested, and last week sentenced to 60 days in jail. He pled guilty to the lewdness charge, and also...

Senate and House parity bills take giant steps forward.
September 24, 2007... Action in the House and Senate last week made it likely that there will be some form of parity legislation this session. This is a victory for the field, although the biggest hurdle--getting the House version instead of the Senate version into...

Physicians can bill for screening and brief intervention starting in 2008.
September 24, 2007... The addiction treatment field walked into the coding world and handed physicians the tools with which to bill for addiction screening and brief intervention (SBI). Thanks to the Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP), there are...

BDA starts NC contract for gambling helpline and treatment.(Bensinger, DuPont & Associates)(North Carolina)
September 24, 2007... A Chicago-based contractor long known to the addiction field for its EAPs and student drug-testing programs last week started work on an expanded contract with the state of North Carolina to provide in-person treatment for pathological and...

Leading TC program named in sexual harassment lawsuit.
September 24, 2007... Odyssey House, the New York City-based addiction treatment organization that is a national leader in the therapeutic community (TC) approach, is being sued by a former outreach worker who says she was fired last January by a supervisor who...

Ariz. providers strain to meet needs of child welfare families.
September 24, 2007... A substance abuse treatment program established at the start of the decade to promote stability in Arizona families in the child welfare system continues to make progress, despite the acknowledgement by some leaders that it would take a much...

Father charged in drinking death of daughter's friend.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Timothy E. Parent)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... In the first such arrest in Massachusetts, a father has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after his daughter's 15-year-old friend died, allegedly due to drinking vodka he had bought for the two girls. Timothy E. Parent pleaded not...

Lawyer sues casino on behalf of gambling addict.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Terry Noffsinger and his client Jenny Kephart's case against Caesars Indiana)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Personal injury lawyer Terry Noffsinger first represented David N. Williams, a gambling addict, against Casino Aztar, a riverboat casino in Evansville, Ind. According to Williams, the casino knew he was addicted and banned him, but then lured...

Doctors warned against off-label use of Fentora.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Fentora, a fentanyl medication that is indicated for breakthrough cancer pain in opioid-tolerant patients, can lead to death when prescribed off-label for pain in patients who are not tolerant, the Food & Drug Administration and manufacturer...

New law in Illinois calls for prison, fines for adults who let kids drink.(IN THE STATES)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Under new legislation signed in Illinois last month, adults who knowingly allow underage drinking in their homes and are convicted could get 1-3 years in prison and a $125,000 fine if the drinking leads to injury or death. In signing the law,...

DEA trains NJ police officers on diversion.(IN THE STATES)(Drug Enforcement Administration)(New Jersey)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Recognizing that prescription drug abuse is outpacing illicit drug abuse, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is conducting training for law enforcement officers on pharmaceutical diversion. This month, 140 officers completed the DEA New...

Ramstad to retire from Congress.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Jim Ramstad of Minnesota)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... One of the strongest addiction treamtne tadvocates in the U.S. Congress announced his retirement last week. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) will leave a spot open after he finishes his term next year in Congress. Congressman Ramstad has been in that...

Coming up ...(addiction and substance abuse workshops and conferences)(American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, International Association of Addiction Medicine and Association of Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Seabrook House will present a one-day workshop,"Breaking the Cycle: Sex, Love and Relationship Addiction," with Primary Therapist Terra Holbrook, LCSW, CADC, on Friday, September 28 from 8:30am to 1pm, at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia,...

In case you haven't heard ...(medical marijuana festival in Santa Cruz, California)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Santa Cruz, California has lifted a citywide ban on marijuana for 5 hours on Sept. 29. That is the time of the annual medical marijuana festival. Last year about 2,000 people attended, and some of them smoke marijuana at the event which is held...