Sober N Clean

Sober N Clean Forums

2009-05-30T20:29:00.002-04:00

Sober N Clean

While alcohol addiction is a difficult problem when you are addicted, staying sober can be even more of a problem. However, if you are supported by a large group of people, including family, friends and fellow alcoholics you have a much greater chance of staying sober for a long period of time.

Sober N Clean is a small group of recovering alcoholics who support each other through their recoveries. While there are currently just under 200 members, most members login at least several times a week to participate in conversations on how to better themselves and keep on a sober path. Some of the top members on Sober N Clean have thousands of posts. They help keep the forum active and able to help the addicts who turn their lives into something positive. Sober N Clean is mainly focused to be a forum, but it provides so much more information to people who need help with their addiction. There are resources for how to quit, how to stay sober and how your loved ones can help your overcome your addiction. In addiction, Sober N Clean has links to knowledgeable products such as The Addicts Guide and Getting Sober: What to Expect.

There are plenty of ways that you can bond as a community on Sober N Clean as well. With an on-site arcade, chat, and site directory you can find plenty more information no matter what time of day that it is. While there are still relatively few members on Sober N Clean, some posts and threads have racked up thousands upon thousands of views. Not only can your story help a recovering alcoholic who is a member on Sober N Clean, but you may be able to help an alcoholic who has never been sober before.

You do not have to be addicted to alcohol to join the Sober N Clean community, there are addicts of substances who posts as well. There are many similarities between addictions that you can see as a visitor on Sober N Clean. Addicts of all kinds who are trying to get their lives back on the right path need constant support and mentoring in order to avoid going back to their previous addiction filled lives. There are sections of Sober N Clean for family of recovering addicts as well. Being a family member or a friend of an addict can be extremely difficult. Some families try to distance themselves from the addict or even push the addict out of their lives. However, on Sober N Clean you can remain a vital part of your addict's life and allow them to crush their addiction throughout their recovery. Whether you are an addict, recovering addict, or family member of an addict, Sober N Clean has a section that can help you turn your life around.

Visit the forums at www.sobernclean.com

The Addicts Guide

2009-05-25T16:21:00.002-04:00

The Addicts Guide

Do you hate your addiction? Are you ready to kick it for good? Do you have no clue where to start? The Addicts Guide is here to help you kick your addiction for good. While The Addicts Guide was originally written for readers who had difficulty with alcohol, it's information can be applied to many other addictions, especially with drugs.

Millions of people have suffered from addiction in the past one hundred years. Luckily, with the methods included in The Addicts Guide you no longer have to be one of those suffering. There are simple ways that you can stay sober and live a perfectly normal life. However, to begin real sobriety, the type that will last more than a few weeks, you need to be willing to take the next step. Just thinking that you want to quit is not enough, your alcohol addiction needs serious treatment, and it will require serious effort on your part.

Emotions are a huge part of your addiction. Whether your addiction was to a substance that made you feel on top of the world, or at the bottom of the gutter, you can control your emotions with several techniques that are in The Addicts Guide. Experts have helped pour their professional careers into The Addicts Guide in order to assist you with the emotional impact of your addiction.

Physical reactions to addiction are often the hardest part of an addiction to overcome. Not only will you feel like you need the substance you are addicted to, you will feel constant cravings and desire to go back to your addiction for years, if not for the rest of your life. The Addicts Guide lists some great tips on how to suppress cravings and manage your addiction.

Six years of blood, sweat and tears have been poured into The Addicts Guide in order to help you get the information that you need about becoming sober. An addiction recovery plan, which is necessary in order to fully recover from your addiction is also key to The Addicts Guide. Drug addiction recovery is not done in one day, or even one month. You will need to work at your addiction treatment for many years to come. The Addicts Guide will give you hundreds of helpful tips that will make sure you stay on the right path while you are recovering from your addiction.

There is help out there for addicts. Whether you are addicted to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin The Addicts Guide is here to help you. Through expert knowledge, and helpful advice you can conquer your addiction. The Addicts Guide also provides plenty of support for you after you have beat your addiction, to prevent you from ever relapsing! Get The Addicts Guide today to save yourself and your loved ones from further pain and suffering from your addiction.

What's in the budget for addiction scientists? Scientists were among the likely beneficiaries of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment

2009-03-10T12:31:00.000-04:00

The conventional wisdom used to be that alcoholics had to hit bottom before they got better. But it can be a long, slow way down. A new government Web site called "Rethinking Drinking" aims to help people recognize problem patterns earlier and catch themselves before they fall.

"Most people don't know what 'drink responsibly' means -- they think it means not getting tanked," says Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "But there are levels of drinking that raise your risk for alcohol problems just like high cholesterol raises your risk for heart disease."
Discuss

* Are you drinking too much? Join the discussion at Journal Community.

Health Mailbox

* Columnist Melinda Beck answers readers' questions about "textile dye dermatitis" and "empathetic pain" syndrome.

Behind the NIAAA's effort is a new understanding that there is a spectrum of alcohol-use disorders, which some experts hope will replace the current criteria for "abuse" and "dependence." The old definitions were based on observing addicts in treatment. Several large studies of drinking in the general population show that some patterns clearly pave the way for future problems.

The NIAAA say you are at "low-risk" for serious problems if you consume no more than four standard-size alcoholic drinks a day for a man or no more than three for a woman. That may sound like a lot, but you can't drink like that every day. The weekly "low-risk" limit is no more than 14 drinks for a man or seven for a woman. Drinking more daily, or weekly or both carries higher risk of abuse or dependence.

At www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov, you can plug in your average consumption and see how you compare with the general population and problem drinkers. Since this is anonymous, you can try different amounts and see what they mean.

Some 37% of Americans always stay within the daily and weekly limits, according to the site. Only two in 100 of them progress to serious alcohol problems.

But 19% of Americans exceed either the daily or weekly levels; one in 12 of those people has already progressed to alcohol abuse or alcoholism. About 9% of Americans exceeds both the weekly and daily limits; half of them have alcohol problems.

Very few Americans exceed the weekly limits without exceeding the daily limitations, according to Dr. Willenbring. That contrasts with drinking patterns in Europe, where people are more likely to have wine with lunch and dinner on a daily basis.

About 35% of Americans don't drink at all. "That can be a real eye-opener for people who drink heavily and surround themselves with other people who drink a lot," says Ann Bradley, an NIAAA spokeswoman.

Even "low-risk" drinking can be risky for people with bipolar disorder, liver disease, abnormal heart rhythm and chronic pain, the Web site notes. It also links to a list of dozens of medications that can react adversely with alcohol, including drugs for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pain and depression.

The limits are lower for women than men not just because of their size. According to the NIAAA, women's bodies tend to have less water so the alcohol tends to become more concentrated and more damaging to organs like the liver.

The Web site also notes that being able to "hold" a lot of liquor is actually a warning sign of dependence. And driving and judgment can be impaired even if you don't feel a buzz.
Safer Spirits

Most people are at low risk for alcohol problems if they stay within these limits:

* Men: No more than four standard-size drinks on any single day and no more than 14 weekly.
* Women: No more than three standard-size drinks on any single day and no more than seven weekly.

*Source: NIAAA

Knowing the size and strength of a "standard" drink is critical, so the site has a size chart and a content calculator. Some cocktails contain as much alcohol as three standard drinks. A wine bottle usually holds five 5-oz. glasses.

"Rethinking Drinking" leaves it up to you whether and when to change your habits, though it notes that alcohol is a factor in many fatal accidents and increases the risk of heart and liver disease, depression, sleep disorders, diabetes and many cancers. One section discusses the merits of cutting down versus quitting completely. Another lists pros and cons to consider—including "I'd need another way to wind down."

In focus groups when the site was tested, "some people got very quiet and engaged when they got to this part. It turned into an intervention," says Maureen Gardner, who co-authored the program.

The site also lists strategies for changing drinking habits, from "space and pace" (no more than one per hour) to "avoiding triggers" (recognizing external situations and internal emotions that tempt you to drink). An "urge tracker" lets you record times when you wanted a drink and why, what you did and what you might have done differently. A section on "refusal skills" helps you plan ahead to say no in social situations.

Dr. Willenbring hopes the site, and a downloadable print version, provides a tool for doctors, clergy and others who counsel people concerned about their drinking habits.

Awareness already seems to be rising, says Eileen Travis, director of a New York City Bar Association program that assists lawyers with substance abuse. "We get calls all the time from people who say they think they have a problem and want to stop before it gets bad—many more than in the past, when the only people we dealt with were in trouble in some way," she says.

Studies show that just five minutes of discussion with a primary-care doctor can reduce heavy drinking by 25%. Exploring online all by yourself might be just as useful.
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source: Wall Street Journal

New Zealand drinking more in 2008

2009-02-20T07:39:00.000-05:00

New Zealanders are drinking more according to the latest figures, and that means more weekend binges and young people lured onto alcopops, says the agency promoting responsible use of alcohol.

During 2008 the total volume of alcohol available for consumption increased 3.4 percent to 486.4 million litres from 2007, Statistics New Zealand said today.

The volume of pure alcohol available per person aged 15 years and over increased 3.3 percent to 9.5 litres. It was the highest volume since 1994.

Spirits and spirit-based drinks now represent 14.3 percent of the total alcohol available for consumption, continuing a steady increase since 1996.

Consumption of spirits increased to 8 million litres, up 5.5 percent on the previous year and now accounts for 25 per cent of the total consumption of alcohol per capita.

"People are drinking more; on one level it is as simple as that, said Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) chief executive Gerard Vaughan.

The figures on their own, if they showed people were increasing their drinking across the week and in a responsible manner, would not be a concern, but ALAC knew that wasn't the case, he said.

Other statistics showed the huge harm and cost on the police and hospital systems, he said.

With its drinking age, alcohol availability and drink-driving restrictions, New Zealand had a liberal drinking environment, he said.

While acknowledging that alcohol was an enjoyable part of New Zealand life, the big harm was from our drinking patterns. "Unfortunately New Zealanders do not drink in a sophisticated manner. We are a country that tends to save up our drinking for a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and drink large amounts."

Mr Vaughan said increase in spirit consumption was driven by the emergence of the relatively-recent ready-to-drink products, or alcopops.

That was concerning because of its packaging, high sugar, masking of the alcohol taste and high alcohol content made them attractive to younger drinkers. They were also priced to appeal.

"If your intention is to get out of it then it won't cost you that much."

ALAC had tracked community attitudes over the last five years and seen significant shifts in understanding of problems of binge drinking.

"But I think we haven't really made the impact into the binge drinking culture.

"It's taken us 100 years to firmly establish a problematic drinking culture. We need to think this is about generational change."

The Statistics NZ figures are taken from the New Zealand Customs Service, based on duty paid, and indicates how much is actually released to the market but not what is actually consumed.

Beer was still the most popular type of alcoholic beverage in New Zealand and last year there were 322.5 million litres of beer available, which makes up 66.3 percent of the total beverage available for consumption. Wine was up 2.3 percent to 94.2m litres

Meanwhile, the number of cigarettes available for consumption was up 4.3 percent, to 2.5 billion in 2008.
This increase in cigarettes contrasted with a decrease in the amount of tobacco available for consumption, which was down 3.7 percent to 870 tonnes in 2008.

One In Five Men End Up Hooked On Alcohol

2009-01-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

At least one in five men in developed countries are at risk of abusing or becoming dependent on alcohol during their lifetimes, researchers in the United States said on Sunday.

The risk is about half that for women, who have an 8% to 10% chance of becoming dependent on alcohol. And despite the popular belief that nothing works, there is help in the form of several effective treatments, they said.

"This is a serious problem," Dr. Marc Schuckit of the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California said in a telephone interview.

He said men have roughly a 15% lifetime risk for alcohol abuse, and a 10% risk for alcohol dependence.

"Once you carry one of these diagnoses regularly, you tend to cut your life short by 10 to 15 years," he said.

His findings, published in the journal Lancet, are meant to guide doctors on how to spot and treat their patients for alcohol dependence disorder.

This includes a range of problem drinking behaviours such as spending too much time drinking, having trouble stopping once started, skipping important life events to drink or recover from a binge, and setting and exceeding a self-imposed limit on the number of drinks a person plans to consume.

The definition also includes more classic signs of alcohol addiction such as withdrawal.

They said repeated heavy drinking increases the risk of a temporary bout of depression by 40%. And 80% of people who are dependent on alcohol are regular smokers. Some 40% to 60% of the risk of problem drinking can be explained by genes, and the rest by environmental factors, Schuckit said. That may explain why women have a lower lifetime risk.

"This is a cultural issue. More women than men are lifelong abstainers. A higher proportion of women than men never open themselves to the possibility of alcoholism be-cause they never or very rarely drink," Schuckit said.

He said heavy drinking raises the risk of heart disease and cancer, even in those who do not smoke. And despite perceptions that treatments do not work, he said most patients with alcohol-use disorders do well after treatment.

About 50% to 60% of men and women with alcohol dependence abstain or show substantial improvement in a year after treatment, which can include drugs such as Forest Laboratories Inc's Campral or acamprosate, naltrexone, also known as Revia and Depade, and disulfiramacamprosate or Antabuse. Schuckit said these should be used in combination with therapy aimed at helping people change their behaviours.
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source: The National Post

Alcohol control at home parties

2009-01-16T09:22:00.000-05:00

Adults who supply booze to other people's children without parental consent will soon be liable for a hefty fine.

Police Minister Jim Cox yesterday announced the crackdown to prevent the "horrific, unpleasant and sad" effects of underage binge drinking at private parties.

The law changes were prompted, in part, by the case of Penguin boy Taylor Forward who was supplied with vodka and fell into a campfire at a friend's party in 2005.

"Too often we hear and see the effects of young people being supplied with alcohol and left unsupervised," Mr Cox said.

"Not only can this result in direct harm from excessive alcohol consumption, it also means young people are at risk of forming binge-drinking behaviours and not learning responsible drinking."

The change means the adult supervisor at the party would take full legal responsibility for the actions of underage drinkers at the event.

That could create a scenario where invitations to underage parties could go out with parental consent forms granting children permission to drink.

"I think if invitations went out and parents were prepared to take responsibility for other under 18s, and a permission slip was put in there, that would be a great idea."

Mr Cox rejected suggestions the laws would have the effect of normalising underage drinking, but would allow parents to introduce their children to alcohol in a controlled way.

Assistant Commissioner Phil Wilkinson was confident the new legislation could be policed.

"As it stands at the moment, on private premises it is legal for underage people to drink, so this extends it and gives parents an additional level of control over what their children do," Assistant Commissioner Wilkinson said.

Taylor Forward's mother Vicki welcomed the move, which follows a 3 1/2-year fight for legislative change.

"This is not to stop everyone drinking when they are under 18 but it is about having more control and accountability to protect kids," Mrs Forward said.

State Schools Parents and Friends Associations president Jenny Branch said underage parties were still a big problem.

In 2007 the National Drug Strategy household survey found 22 per cent of teenagers over the age of 14 drank alcohol on a weekly basis.

"I have heard of cases where kids go out every weekend -- parents feel like they are losing kids to places they don't want them to be and a life they don't want their children to be in," Ms Branch said.

"Hopefully these new laws will give children and parents the opportunity to negotiate what is responsible and what is not."

Australian Hotels Association state manager Steve Old lauded the proposed crackdown.
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source: The Mercury

Parental tips to curb teenage binge drinking

2009-01-05T09:16:00.000-05:00

Teenagers die from alcohol related illness or injury more than anything else.

With that in mind the Sydney Western Area Health Service is desperatley pleading with parents to educate their teens about the risks of excessive drinking.

Sydney West Area Health Service Drug and Alcohol Network Acting Nurse Manager Cathleen Addison-Wilson said it was estimated more than 40 per cent of 16-17 year olds occasionally binge drink.

Furthermore, up to 22 per cent of boys and 18 per cent of girls aged between 12-16 years old reported drinking on a weekly basis. .

"Alcohol impacts upon an individual’s capacity to make rational choices and evidence is clear this is even more so for adolescents, placing them at further risk of harm and injury from misadventure," said Ms Addison-Wilson.

"Over recent years, we’ve seen an increase in `alcohol-pops’ – pre-mixed alcohol and soft drinks. When young people consume these drinks, which are in effect a stimulant and depressant mix, they are more likely to black out and take part in anti-social behaviour."

Ms Addison-Wilson said parents should know where their teenage children were when they out for the evening and who they were with.

"Most alcohol related issues occur when young people are returning home," she said.

Ms Addison-Wilson suggests parents make a 'contract' with their adolescent to pick them up, regardless of their level of intoxication.

"This has been shown to reduce the chance of injury, assault and anti-social behaviour," she said.

Ms Addison-Wilson said it was vital for parents to communicate with their teenager as they became more exposed to alcohol – through their mates, peers and the media.

"The attitudes and actions of teenagers are often heavily influenced by what they see and hear at home. If you choose to discuss your own alcohol use with your teenager, it is important not to glorify your own behaviour," she said.

"Be careful not to sound hypocritical. If you drink, try to avoid getting drunk in front of them."
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source: Street Corner

Middle class over 45-year-olds now the most frequent drinkers

2008-12-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

The middle class people over the age of 45 are now the most frequent drinkers in England, new NHS figures show.

The findings add to growing concern over middle class drinkers and the damage their habits are doing to their bodies.

Earlier this year a report by the National Audit Office, the Government watchdog, warned that 10 million Britons were now drinking to "hazardous" levels.

A survey conducted by the NHS Information Centre shows that 30 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women in the highest earning bracket admitted that they had drunk alcohol five nights or more in the previous week, twice as much as in the lowest wage bracket.

The middle aged were also much more likely than young people or thirtysomethings to drink frequently.

The highest rate was among men aged 55 to 64, 33 per cent of whom said that they had drunk five or more days out of the last seven.

Among women, 19 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds admitted that they drank that often.

By contrast just 12 per cent of male and 5 per cent of female 16 to 24-year-olds said that they drank that frequently.

And overall 22 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women said that they had gone without alcohol for two days or less in the previous week.

While previous studies have concentrated on younger binge drinkers this is the first to suggest so starkly that middle class over 45-year-olds top the league table for frequent drinking.

The survey also found that levels of obesity have almost doubled in 14 years, from 16 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women in 1993 to 24 per cent of both sexes in 1997.

The breakdown of the figures on alcohol contained in the annual Health Survey for England report also show that almost one third of men and more than one quarter of women admit they drank excessively at least one day in the previous week.

It also discloses that few people know the recommended daily alcohol limits.

Men are advised to drink no more than three to four units a day, the equivalent of two pints of beer, and women two to three glasses of wine, the amount contained in one and a half standard glasses of wine.

Less than a third of people knew their safe limits, the study shows.

The survey also showed that while most knew that they should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, only 14 per cent of men and 11 per went of women knew how much should be contained in a portion, the survey also found.

Dr Mark Davies, medical director of the NHS Information Centre and a practising GP, said it was of "concern" that messages of safe alcohol intake, as well as those on exercise levels and healthy eating, did not seem to be getting through to all sections of the population.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "Labour's neglect over issues like obesity and alcohol abuse will leave a terrible legacy for the next Government to try and fix" and called for urgent action on public health problems.
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source: Telegraph

Binge Drinking Clogs Arteries With Plaque

2008-12-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

The specific pathway through which binge drinking contributes to clogged arteries has been identified by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, which is mostly converted into acetaldehyde. The Rochester team found that binge drinking-related levels of acetaldehyde make immune cells called monocyctes more likely to stick to blood vessel walls and cause inflammation that contributes to blood vessel blockage — atherosclerosis.

The study contributes to a growing body of evidence that drinking patterns have as much, or more, impact on cardiovascular disease risk than the total amount of alcohol consumed. The findings also may help efforts to develop new treatments to counter atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart attack and stroke, the researchers said.

“Factors like binge drinking have been linked to increased risk for heart disease, and the newer inflammatory model is beginning to explain how,” study leader John Cullen, an assistant professor in the department of surgery, said in a medical center news release. “One of our experiments found that acetaldehyde, at levels found in the blood after binge drinking, increased the number of monocytes that can adhere to cells lining blood vessels by 700 percent.”

The study was published in the current issue of the journal Atherosclerosis.

Binge drinking means having five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in two hours, according to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Some studies have suggested that an irregular pattern of heavy drinking increases the risk of heart attack about two-fold.

An estimated 65 percent of Americans drink alcohol, and 15 percent reporting binge patterns, the researchers said.
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source: health.com

Group pursues rules to discourage alcohol abuse

2008-12-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

A group that spent 10 months reviewing Wyoming's alcohol laws advocates increasing state alcohol taxes and using the money to fund programs aimed at cutting underage and binge drinking.

The Wyoming Prevention Framework Communities group also recommended to state lawmakers that the state require mandatory training for alcohol servers and ban sales to drunk people.

The group, which is made up of representatives from all 23 Wyoming counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation, released its report Thursday.

Binge and underage drinking are two of the state's top health issues, according to Ernie Johnson, a University of Wyoming criminal justice instructor who managed the review effort.

"We have minimized the concerns for too long," he said.

The report recommends "substantially" increasing the tax on all alcohol products to equal the national average, with top priority going to a beer tax hike. Beer in Wyoming is now taxed at 2 cents a gallon - the lowest in the nation. The national average is 26 cents a gallon.

The group acknowledged that the tax hike is the most controversial recommendation in the report.

"It also has the greatest potential for generating and providing much-needed resources for Wyoming communities," the report states.

In advocating for the higher tax, the report notes that Wyoming's current tax rate hasn't changed since it was set in 1935.

The report recommends creating a system for providing local governments with the tax money in order to address binge and underage drinking. However, there wasn't consensus among the review group on the best way to achieve those ends.

Mike Moser, executive director of the Wyoming State Liquor Association, opposed raising alcohol taxes when he met with the group in May. Doing so would punish responsible drinkers along with people who abuse alcohol, he told the group.

The report suggests mandatory server and owner training as ways to cut down on the sale of alcohol to underage drinkers and people who have already had too much to drink.

Liquor retailers, working with the state's Liquor Distribution Division, already offer a training program on serving alcohol responsibly. However, Wyoming law does not require servers, managers or owners to participate.

The report offered statistics showing that most of the citations and infractions handed out during alcohol stings went to people who hadn't received server training.

The review group also recommended legislation that would ban alcohol sales to drunk people and prohibit drink specials that promote excessive drinking. The report cited research showing such laws can reduce alcohol-related problems, like car crashes, if they are adequately enforced.

Wyoming is one of three states that doesn't have a law prohibiting alcohol sales to drunk people.
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source: Billings Gazette

Half of Young Adults Have Mental Disorder

2008-12-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Nearly half of young adults may suffer from a mental disorder such as alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety, and nearly one in five suffer from a serious personality disorder.

But according to new research published yesterday, fewer than a quarter of those young adults who do have mental concerns seek treatment for them.

And to check on whether such mental health concerns
might be triggered by attending college or not, the researchers compared those attending and not attending college and found similar rates of psychiatric illnesses among the two groups. This suggests that the transition from adolescence to adulthood can trigger the onset of a mental health problem regardless of setting.

The researchers analyzed data from over 5,000 young adults aged 19 to 25 years old from the
National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Carlos Blanco, M.D., Ph.D., of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, and his colleagues analyzed the data to compare the mental health of those enrolled in college at least part-time with those not attending college during the previous year.

The researchers interviewed and assessed for psychiatric disorders those attending (2,188) or not attending (2,904) college during the previous year.

A total of 45.8 percent of college students and 47.7 percent of young adults not in college met the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder.

The most common disorders in college students
were alcohol use disorders (20.4 percent) and personality disorders (17.7 percent), whereas those not in college most frequently met criteria for personality disorders (21.6 percent) and nicotine dependence (20.7 percent).

College students were less likely to have a diagnosis of drug use disorder, nicotine dependence or bipolar disorder and were less likely to have used tobacco. However, their risk of alcohol use disorders was significantly greater.

Treatment rates were low for all psychiatric disorders. College students were significantly less likely to receive treatment for alcohol or drug use disorders than those not in college.

“In view of the high prevalence and low rate of treatment of alcohol use disorders in college students, greater efforts to implement screening and intervention programs on college and university campuses are warranted,” the authors write. “The centralized delivery of campus student health services might offer an advantageous structure for carrying out such screening and interventions.”

Overall, the authors note, the rate of psychiatric disorders is high among young adults, who are at a vulnerable stage of development.

“The vast majority of disorders in this population can be effectively treated with evidence-based psychosocial and pharmacological approaches,” they conclude.

“Early treatment could reduce the persistence of these disorders and their associated functional impairment, loss of productivity and increased health care costs. As these young people represent our nation’s future, urgent action is needed to increase detection and treatment of psychiatric disorders among college students and their non–college-attending peers.”
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source: Psychcentral.com

Extended-release naltrexone, treatment for alcohol dependence, improves quality-of-life measures

2008-12-02T09:36:00.000-05:00

Most studies examining the impact of alcohol-dependence (AD) treatment on quality-of-life (QOL) have looked at psychosocial treatments. This study looked at the impact of pharmacotherapy on QOL, specifically, the effects of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX), a once-a-month injectable formulation for the treatment of AD. Results showed significant improvements in the QOL areas of mental health, social functioning, general health, and physical functioning.

Results will be published in the February 2009 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Alcohol dependence is a chronic and disabling disorder," said Helen M. Pettinati, professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry, and director of the division of treatment research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "Heavy drinking is associated with broad impairments in health-related QOL, with the largest impact typically found for mental health and social functioning."

XR-NTX (Vivitrol™) is a once-a-month injectable formulation for AD treatment; its 380 mg dose has been FDA-approved since 2006. Daily oral NTX doses are also available, typically at 50 mg or 100 mg a day.

"If naltrexone is taken orally for 30 days, this translates to a total monthly dose of 1,500 mg or 3,000 mg," explained Pettinati, who is also corresponding author for the study. "When compared to the once-a-month 380 mg injectable dose approved by the FDA and the only dose available clinically, we can see what appears to be a hefty difference in the amount of naltrexone given over a month's period to a single individual when dosed daily versus injection. However, this 'lower' injectable dose does not appear to compromise efficacy, likely due to different and more efficient pharmacokinetic properties in the injectable formulation."

"The important issue is that if you can change people's drinking patterns, then you can also change people's QOL," observed Allen Zweben, professor and associate dean for academic affairs and research in the school of social work at Columbia University. "Pharmacotherapy has never really looked at QOL vis-à-vis drinking behavior, but it would seem that the FDA is interested in learning how people's changes in drinking can have an impact on their QOL. There's an implication that QOL changes naturally, but in this study Dr. Pettinati actually looked at and measured QOL as a factor."

The researchers randomly assigned 624 AD patients (423 males, 201 females) to one of three groups during 24 weeks of treatment – XR-NTX at 380 mg (n=205), XR-NTX at 190 mg (n=210), or placebo (n=209) – in conjunction with a standardized psychosocial intervention. QOL was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey, administered at baseline and then at four-week intervals during treatment.

"There were three main findings from this study," said Pettinati. "First, the AD sample showed impairments in QOL at pre-treatment compared with population norms, especially in mental-health and social functioning. Second, the XR-NTX 380 mg group showed meaningful and significant improvements compared to the placebo group in the QOL domains of mental health, social functioning, general health, and physical functioning. Third, reductions in drinking from pre-treatment levels were correlated with improvements in QOL."

"These finding reinforce the notion that treatment of alcoholism, whether it's by medication or psychotherapy, does work," said Zweben. "Medication thus becomes another option available to people. These findings also have implications for the issue of compliance, in that high compliance rates might have something to do with the fact that people improve their drinking as well as their QOL."

It is one thing to believe that treatment reduces drinking and that time abstinent from alcohol can lead to increased QOL improvements, said Pettinati. "It is another to show this connection with new pharmacotherapies as they become available to our AD patients."

"In terms of treatment options," said Zweben, "this study shows that pharmacotherapy may be very cost-effective. You don't necessarily have to have a separate intervention to deal with QOL issues – whether more intensive psychotherapy, or family therapy – you may be able to use one intervention to reduce drinking, and improve QOL. This study also has implications for using medication as an option. A lot of people don't believe medication has any basis in alcohol treatment, that 'alcohol is a chemical already so why are you prescribing more chemicals?' It is almost a bias against medications. These results help to reduce some of the stigma attached to using medication in terms of alcohol treatment."

Zweben noted, however, that these findings need to be replicated in future studies, that the patients examined were seeking treatment –differentiating them from the more general population of AD individuals – and that 35 to 37 percent of the patients did not receive all six injections.
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Source: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

Turkey and youth drinking

2008-11-26T07:59:00.000-05:00

When you think of Thanksgiving, turkey, football games and getting together with family usually comes to mind. But what also happens at Thanksgiving is an excess of youth drinking.

Officer Phil Powers, Hopkinton's school resource officer, said that in his 21 years on the police force he has found that the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving is the busiest drinking night of the year for youth. It's busier than New Years Eve or graduation. And the problem is both with underage drinkers, many home from college for the first time, and with young legal drinkers in their twenties who are getting together with old high school friends and end up drinking to excess. Unfortunately, in too many cases these young people also get in a car and drive.

As parents, we all want to keep our kids safe. So what can you do?

# For kids under 21, have a conversation with them about your expectations about drinking; be clear that the law is no drinking until 21 and that you expect that they will follow it. This is critically important for kids who are coming home from college where there may be a different level of tolerance for underage drinking. Know where they are going and be there to check in with them when they get home. And never provide alcohol to anyone under 21; it's against the law.

# For kids over 21, talk to them about responsible drinking and the dangers of drinking till you are intoxicated when poor decisions are made about everything from driving to sexual activity. Reinforce the importance of identifying a designated driver before anyone starts drinking. Be sure they understand that it is illegal to buy liquor for anyone under 21 and that they can be criminally and civilly prosecuted if a problem occurs.

# For all kids, let them know that if they encounter a problem and can't get home safely, then you are always willing to come get them. Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens and over one third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol related. Be a positive role model in your own use of alcohol. Kids listen to what you say but they also are influenced strongly by how you behave.

To help bring awareness to this problem, the beFREE! Project held a Sticker Shock campaign this past Wednesday in two retail stores, Colella's Supermarket and Hopkinton Wine and Spirits. BeFREE! youth with adult chaperones placed stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers, and other alcoholic beverages that appeal to young drinkers. The stickers read "Hey You!! It is illegal to provide alcohol to people under 21!" Preventing underage drinking is everyone's responsibility and we need to work together to reduce underage access to alcohol and to teach young adults over 21 how to drink responsibly, if they choose to drink.

Studies show that talking to your kids about alcohol does make a difference in their behavior. So take a few minutes before this holiday to let your kids know your expectations, even if you have said it before. They need a reminder!
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SOURCE: MetroWest Daily News

Genetic Trait Linked to Alcoholism

2008-11-21T07:38:00.000-05:00

Variations in the genetic makeup of alcoholics may affect how much they drink, a new study suggests. And the key might be the brain's control of serotonin, a mood-influencing neurological chemical.

The research could potentially help doctors understand who might be at highest risk of becoming an alcoholic, and then treat that person, said study co-author Ming D. Li, head of neurobiology at the University of Virginia.

Li added that the research is unique, because it shows that a single gene variation is connected to a kind of behavior -- alcoholism.

The genetic blueprint that people inherit from their parents accounts for an estimated 40 percent to 50 percent of a person's risk of becoming alcoholic, said Dr. Robert Philibert, director of the Laboratory of Psychiatric Genetics at the University of Iowa.

The interplay between genetic makeup and environmental factors is responsible for the rest of the risk, said Philibert, who's familiar with the new study's findings.

"This study really takes the next step down the line," he said, in understanding the role that genes play in alcoholism.

For the study, the researchers looked at the DNA of 275 alcoholics who had sought treatment. Almost 80 percent were men, and all were of European descent. The researchers found that differences in the genes that affect serotonin levels in the brain coincided with the amount of alcohol consumed by the drinkers.

The findings were published online Nov. 20 and were expected to be in the February 2009 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Scientists think serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is crucial to human moods and emotions as well as things like sleep. Low levels of serotonin can lead to depression; some antidepressants aim to help the brain do a better job of processing serotonin.

"We know that serotonin is critical to maintaining a positive sense of self and for controlling our anxiety," Philibert said. That could explain a possible connection between serotonin levels and alcoholism, he added.

Li cautioned, however, that it's unlikely that a single genetic trait by itself would make someone more susceptible to alcoholism. It's more likely that a genetic variation works with other genes to raise the risk, he said.

Philibert said research might lead to a day when doctors could look at an alcoholic's genetic traits and discover whether antidepressants could help that person.
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source: U.S.News & World Report

Grants to help tackle binge drinking

2008-11-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Nineteen communities across Australia will share $3.6 million from the federal government to tackle binge drinking.

The first round of community grants to fight excessive drinking was part of a $53 million government initiative, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said on Monday.

The grants went to grassroots projects including programs that offered alternative activities to pubs, a safe party initiative and a post-formal mystery tour for high school students.

"We in the Rudd government do understand that binge drinking is a problem," Ms Roxon said.

Ms Roxon said 10 per cent of 12-17 year olds were binge drinking every week.

The number of young women aged 18-24 who were hospitalised because of alcohol had doubled in the last eight years, and more than 750,000 Australians were physically abused last year by people under the influence.

"Not only does it hurt our society it hurts the economy as well," Ms Roxon said, adding the social cost of alcohol misuse was estimated at $15 billion each year.

Labor has committed $14.4 million to grassroots grants, as well as $19 million for early intervention and $20 million for an advertising campaign.

Ms Roxon said the states needed to agree on rules for the responsible service of alcohol and pub and hotel lockouts.

"There are different rules that apply across the states and territories," she said.

"We believe this is a national problem and the community would be better served by there being national consistency.

"But that involves health ministers and police ministers, it involves each jurisdiction, (and) some are very wedded to theirs being the most successful one, others want to see the evidence that's coming in from the different states and territories that have been trialling their lockouts," she said.
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source: The Age

Study: Drinking alcohol shrinks brain size

2008-11-12T08:12:00.000-05:00

A recent study shows that alcohol consumption, even in moderation, might shrink brain size.

The study, conducted by Carol Ann Paul at the Boston University School of Public Heath, tested 1,839 people ranging in age from 33 to 88. The participants were asked how much they drank per week and underwent an MRI procedure to measure their brain volume.

Results show a 1.5 percent difference in the total brain volume of a non-drinker to that of a heavy drinker. Heavy drinkers were defined as those who consumed 14 or more drinks a week.

Moderate drinking, which includes the amounts that have been shown to prevent heart disease, also resulted in a smaller brain volume than that of a non-drinker.

"There was a significant negative linear relationship between alcohol consumption and total cerebral brain volume," the authors of the study wrote.

"I don't think it is going to change [what I do]," said Bryant Kubik, a junior in communications. "As you get older, your brain capacity is going to shrink anyway."

Research shows that as people age, the brain sees a small amount of natural brain shrinkage, about 2 percent for every 10 years, but greater amounts of shrinkage in certain areas of the brain have been linked to diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Kubik said he was not surprised by the results of the study. "If you drink a case of Natty Light a day, you're probably not going to be doing too good," he said.

Kubik and Ben Fox, a senior in theater, agreed that this information was not going to have much of an effect on college life.

"In a college atmosphere they're still going to do what they do," Fox said. "They'll still party and jump in Mirror Lake on Michigan Week and I'll probably be one of them."

Seventy-one percent of OSU students drink once a week or less, according to statistics from the Student Wellness Center.

Participants in the study reported low overall alcohol consumption and that men were more likely to be moderate or heavy drinkers than women.

Despite men being more likely to drink, the association between drinking and brain shrinkage was stronger among women.

The findings are published in the October issue of Archives of Neurology.
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source: http://www.thelantern.com

Alcohol still the curse of the Cape

2008-11-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

Alcohol is by far the most widely abused substance in the province and also accounts for 57 percent of road accidents, far higher than the rest of the country.

These figures were part of a collaborative report by the Medical Research Council, the Humans Sciences Research Council, and the University of Cape Town on substance abuse trends in the Western Cape, which reviewed studies conducted since 2000.

Professor Charles Parry of the MRC said Friday urgent intervention was needed to curb the misuse of alcohol.

"We need to counter advertising by the industry. Alcohol ads have to be restricted to late night when children are not watching TV, there must be signage at the point of sale on the harm caused by abusing alcohol, communities need to enforce the closure times of outlets in their areas, including shebeens, and there should be an absolute ban on novice drivers drinking and driving for at least three years."

Parry said the trauma units should steer drunken patients to intervention programmes.

He also wants to see the establishment of an alcohol health promotion foundation, to be funded by the liquor industry.

It could send messages on the harmful effects of alcohol misuse, offer alternative enterprises to shebeen owners, and run intervention programmes in communities.

The collaborative report was presented recently at a substance-abuse conference hosted in Cape Town by the provincial departments of health and social development.

It showed that alcohol remained a significant substance of abuse in the province but was not often a key focal point for prevention and treatment services.

This was despite the fact that alcohol abuse placed a tremendous burden on the health and social welfare sectors in both urban and rural areas.

Studies, including an HSRC household survey, pointed to higher levels of problem drinking among coloured communities. The research council said 18 percent of coloureds abuse alcohol compared to 11 percent of blacks, 7 percent of whites and 1 percent of Indians.

Cape Town has more alcohol-related violent deaths than other metros in the country, according to the latest National Injury Mortality Surveillance System report. Drunkenness was responsible for 59 percent of violent deaths in the city, compared to 47 percent of violent deaths in Durban and Johannesburg, and 51 percent in Pretoria.

Cape Town also has the dubious distinction of being the city with the highest number of alcohol-related road deaths. A staggering 59 percent of road accidents were due to alcohol, compared to 47 percent of road deaths in both Durban and Pretoria.

According to the report, alcohol use is also strongly associated with risky sexual risk behaviour. The outcomes of studies conducted on HIV prevalence, substance abuse and associated high-risk practices over the past eight years, all echo the same concerns: the need for interventions to address the growing substance abuse problem and its links to risky sexual behaviour.

The report says there are not enough treatment centres for women, blacks, rural dwellers and poor people.

"With increasing pressure to treat young methamphetamine-using clients, it is highly likely that access to treatment for older alcohol-dependent persons has become increasingly difficult in the Western Cape," the reports says.

The Demographic and Health Survey reported that binge drinking at weekends was higher among women than men, but 25 percent of men and 6 percent of women in the Western Cape consumed alcohol in a "hazardous or harmful manner".

The Western Cape has one of the highest rates of foetal alcohol syndrome in the world.

source: Saturday Argus

Alcohol Abuse Can Damage Bones

2008-11-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

Alcohol disrupts genes needed to maintain healthy bones, which can lead to a decrease in bone mass and bone strength, a new study says.

In previous research, the study authors, from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, showed that giving rats large amounts of alcohol caused significant decreases in bone density and bone strength, but the mechanisms responsible for these effects weren't clear.

In this new study, rats were injected with an amount of alcohol equivalent to binge drinking for three days or chronic alcohol abuse for four weeks in humans. When they examined genes responsible for bone health, the researchers found that alcohol affected the amounts of RNA associated with these genes. RNA acts as the template for making proteins, the building blocks of bones and other tissue.

Alcohol increased the amount of RNA associated with some genes and decreased the amount of RNA associated with other genes. These changes in RNA disrupted two molecular pathways -- the Wnt signaling pathway and the Intergrin signaling pathway -- responsible for normal bone metabolism and bone mass maintenance, the researchers said.

The findings, published recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, could help in the development of new drugs to minimize bone loss in people who abuse alcohol. Such drugs also might help people at risk for osteoporosis.

"Of course, the best way to prevent alcohol-induced bone loss is to not drink or to drink moderately. But when prevention doesn't work, we need other strategies to limit the damage," study co-author and bone biologist John Callaci, as assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation, said in a Loyola news release.
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source: Health Day News

Nurse-led alcohol service praised for cutting costs through better care

2008-11-05T09:41:00.001-05:00

An alcohol specialist nurse service has been praised by the government's financial watchdog for making significant cost savings through improvements in care.

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen and University Hospitals Trust's specialist nurse service was singled out by the National Audit Office in a report calling for improvements to alcohol services.

Under the Liverpool initiative, patients identified by either a nurse or doctor as having an alcohol-related problem are referred to the ASN service.

They are then screened with a special questionnaire and given advice where appropriate.

The alcohol specialist nurse can also liaise with other medical staff, prescribe medication for acute alcohol withdrawal and develop follow-up pathways so patients can be managed in primary care.

Originally set up in 2004, the service has expanded to include four nurses, one funded by the hospital, with the others funded by Liverpool PCT.

The ASN service has reduced average alcohol consumption in patients treated, reduced re-admission and saved £175,000 in a 20-month period through earlier discharges.

Lynn Owens, nurse consultant at the PCT and one of the nurses who runs the service, said similar clinics could help other hospitals save money and improve patient care.

She told NT: 'It reduces the necessity to stay in hospital when patients come in with other co-morbidities and conditions. We are also better able to treat them in their own homes.

'There is no waiting list, [patients] get treatment when they need it, with dignity and compassion,' she added.

The NAO's report, Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health Services in England, surveyed all PCTs in the country and found that one-quarter had not fully assessed alcohol problems in their areas. It also found that 42% had no alcohol strategy and 31% could not provide details of expenditure on alcohol services.

'There is scope to secure better value for money from PCT expenditure on alcohol services, which is not usually based on a clear picture of need,' the report concluded.
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source: Nursing Times

Drinking goes back and forth

2008-11-02T08:20:00.001-05:00

There’s a common misconception about alcoholism that an alcoholic is one who can’t stop drinking once he or she starts.

This is false.

Alcoholics can stop drinking; they do it all the time. Alcoholics are people whose illness creates a mental environment that justifies starting again. The starting and stopping makes the drinker believe he can stop at will.

A guy we’ll call Don showed up recently to talk about his anger and anxiety. There was no question that Don was anxious, but did he have an anxiety disorder? They are two very different things.

His position was that he only had a drinking “issue” when he had too much stress or when unfortunate circumstances conspired to cause him emotional pain. He maintained that when the stress subsided, his drinking decreased and so, it became a non-issue. He was, incidentally, referred for smelling like alcohol at work and as it turned out, had been warned several times before.

What Don and his anger management and anxiety counselor didn’t adequately understand was that Don’s drinking had helped to create the very circumstances he became angry and anxious about and that he categorized as “stress.”

Periodically, Don couldn’t keep up with his body’s demand for more alcohol and would quit, cold-turkey, albeit not without several days of shaky hands, sleepless nights and sweaty palms.

Usually, within a week of “quitting,” Don’s disease convinced him he was healthy enough to “handle it this time,” and the cycle would continue. The only change was that the drinking increased and the consequences became more severe.

Don’s story is considerably more common than many of us are aware. Thanks to Don’s employer, he’ll start getting the help that he needs and maybe this time it really can be different.
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source: Illinois Northwest Herald

Ex-gambler: The need to win fuels addiction

2008-10-27T08:26:00.000-04:00

Robert P. is banned from entering Paradise Casinos. If he is caught, he will be kicked out. But he doesn't plan to return because he was the one who banned himself from the casino in the first place.

Robert P. a compulsive gambler in recovery from Yuma who insisted on anonymity, said he thought enough was enough and walked into the casino, asked to be escorted to the security guard's office and filled out the self-ban paperwork. The last time he gambled was in 2004.

"At one time I was $50,000 in credit card debt, making minimum payments and barely keeping my head above water," Robert P. said. "My head was so screwed up I thought I had it under control."

Now, he helps run Gamblers Anonymous in Yuma. The group usually has about 10 members. When winter rolls around, the group has up to 20 members.

"We like to joke that we are the only people that have a gambling addiction, but there are a lot of people that have gambling addictions in this town and they're like the functioning alcoholics. The guy that goes to work everyday and holds a steady job and takes care of his family and everything but he's an alcoholic," Robert P. said.

Gamblers Anonymous is based on the attraction rather than promotion, he said. They provide a place where somebody who wants to quit gambling can come to find help. "The biggest problem is that you really, really, really, want to," Robert P. said.

In Arizona, a total of 690 specific calls were made to the Arizona Department of Gaming Office of Problem Gambling during the fiscal year from July 2007 through June 2008. Thirty-eight of them were callers from Yuma County, according to Arizona Helpline Statistics.

Peter Mangan, senior lecturer in psychology that specializes in neuro-cognitive development at Northern Arizona University-Yuma, said that there is strong evidence that indicates that gambling addiction should be treated just as if it were a drug addiction.

"The drug user uses it to relieve tension or to increase emotions and what gamblers do is they expect the potential reward that keeps them gambling," Mangan said. "One of the things that is found is when they win, the levels of a neuro-transmitter called dopamine, increases dramatically and dopamine is the principal transmitter that activates these pleasure centers of the brain.

"Anytime you go way above what is the norm, the opponent process goes through and then you go into depression. So now people have to gamble in order to escape depression," he said. "So it's not just that they want to win, they need to win to overcome the depression that falls after the euphoria wears off. But there are numerous different kinds of factors and reinforcement such as simple classical Pavlovian conditioning that adds to the gambling addiction."

Robert P. said it's getting easier for people to gamble but it's not the prevalence of gambling establishments but the person. "When I first started the GA program, I said to myself if the casinos weren't there I wouldn't have a problem...well if they weren't there I'd still have a problem and just find a way to do it any other way," he said.

Between the Arizona Tribal/State compacts, the Arizona Department of Gaming established a self-exclusion (self ban) procedure. It allows an individual to ban himself/herself from all casinos in Arizona for a specified period of time.

Liz Pratt, communications director for the Cocopah Indian Tribe, said the Cocopah Casino offers the self-exclusion program and a helpline is posted at every entrance in the casino.

"If a person volunteers to be admitted to the self-exclusion program, the casino will abide by the person's wishes and will do everything that they can to make sure that they keep to their promise of their self-exclusion," Pratt said.

Barrett DeFay, marketing director for Paradise Casino, said the casinos also have self-ban documentation available at Paradise Casino for those who believe they need to seek help.

"The casino and tribe are happy to contribute money through the state of Arizona gaming compact every year and we proudly support Arizona Next Step (helpline) ," DeFay said. " We believe all people should gamble responsibly and practice responsible gaming."

Usually seeking help is the most difficult step a person can do, says Robert P., but over time every person has a potential to build a tough exterior from relapsing.

"It's a way of life and the most successful people in the program have discussed that the only way to stay in the program is if they treat gambling like any other addiction," he said.

For more information on how to seek help if you are a gambling addict or know someone who has a gambling addiction please call the Arizona helpline at 1-800 NEXT STEP or visit www.problemgambling.az.gov.

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Stephanie Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@yumasun.com or 539-6847.

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THE FOUR PHASES OF ESCAPE GAMBLING
Intro phase characteristics:
• Several small or even large monetary winning episodes. Although money is usually secondary for escape gamblers, they may see gambling as a way to solve financial difficulties, become financially independent or make extra money.
• Emotional escape from life's problems may be experienced while in the act of gambling.
• Excitement and living on the edge is another feeling that may be present.
Losing /chasing characteristics:
• Losses are rationalized as bad luck with the "big win" right around the corner
• The cycle of wining, losing and breaking even begins
• No win is "enough"
• Wagers increase
• Hides gambling activities
• Lies to cover money spent
• Unsuccessfully attempts to limit or stop gambling
• Gambles until last dollar is gone
• Sells items to finance gambling
• Feels remorse after gambling
• Angry when confronted about gambling
• Receives bailout
Desperation Phase:
• Obsessed with gambling
• Neglects physical well-being
• Loses reputation
• Loses Friends and/or family
• Commits illegal acts related to gambling including embezzlement, theft, bad checks, insurance or credit card fraud
• Relapses into previous addiction(s)
• Loses car
• Has frequent thoughts of suicide
Hopeless Phase:
• Risks possible incarceration
• Approaches emotional breakdown
• Faces financial ruin
• Attempts suicide
Source: Adapted from "Four Phases of Escape Gambling," Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling

Take The First Step: Opiate blockers can help addicts stop using

2008-10-24T10:50:00.001-04:00

Take The First Step
Dr. Michael Levy

Q: I have been hearing that parents of opioid-addicted children want more information about naltrexone. Do you have any experience with this treatment? Does it work? Thanks.

A: There are two ways that naltrexone-type medication is being used for the treatment of opiate addiction. I say naltrexone-type medication because in general, naltrexone is an oral form of the medication naloxone, and naloxone is also used, which can be injected or inhaled. One use of this drug is to increase abstinence rates and enhance treatment outcome, and the other is to counter an opiate overdose.

First, naltrexone is a pure opiate antagonist, which means that it blocks the effects of opiates because it binds on the same receptor sites that opiates bind to in the brain. If a person has ingested naltrexone and uses opiates, the person will not feel the effect of the opiate.

Naltrexone has been around for many years, and while it is effective, its use has been fairly low for a number of reasons. One big reason for this is that many individuals who struggle with opiates are ambivalent about taking this drug because they clearly will not be able to get high on opiates if they have naltrexone in their system. As often there is ambivalence about changing, compliance with taking this drug has been low.

However, if a person is very motivated, treatment outcome can be very good. As I always say, ongoing psychosocial therapy in conjunction with taking this medication is also important. There are also naltrexone implants that can be used, which increases compliance as the naltrexone in the implant lasts for an extended period of time and there is no need to remember to take it daily. Finally, an injectable form of naltrexone, called Vivitrol, can also be used, which lasts for one month. However, Vivitrol is not FDA-approved for the treatment of opiate addiction, but some physicians have been using this off-label for that purpose.

Narcan, or naloxone, is also used to treat opiate overdoses and saves lives. If a person who has overdosed on opiates is given this drug, it rapidly will counter the effects of opiates and reverse the overdose. This drug is given at emergency rooms and by emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

There are also several pilot programs in Massachusetts that give a nasal form of Narcan to opiate addicts, as well as friends and relatives of opiate addicts. These individuals are trained how to use Narcan in the event that someone has overdosed on opiates. This obviously allows the opiate overdose to be treated quickly, even before EMTs arrive, and helps to save the person's life. CAB is one of the pilot programs and a person can call 781-592-4477 to find out more about this.

So in answer to your question, different forms of naltrexone are being used for the treatment of opiate addiction, both to help individuals recover from opiate addiction, and to treat, on an emergency basis, opiate overdoses. This medication can be helpful to opiate addicts who are motivated to stop using opiates, and on an emergency basis, it can clearly save someone's life.
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source: http://www.gloucestertimes.com

Professor researches young adult alcohol dependency

2008-10-23T07:36:00.001-04:00

Johnson’s study to evaluate effectiveness of anti-nausea medication in reducing alcohol craving, binge-drinking tendencies in 300 young adults ages 18 to 25

University researchers are preparing to launch a study that has the potential to influence the way alcohol dependence in young adults is treated.

Bankole Johnson, chair of the department of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences, will lead a clinical test of the effectiveness of ondansetron, traditionally used as an anti-nausea medication, in treating alcohol abuse in adults ages 18 to 25.

“Ondansetron ... contains a chemical that reduces [the] craving for alcohol and binge drinking,” Johnson said.

The clinical study will involve eight weeks of treatment with the drug, Johnson said, including two sessions of psychosocial intervention and follow-up monitoring. Three hundred people who are currently binge drinking will take part in the study, he said, most likely including a number of University students.

The study — which will take about four years to complete, according to Johnson — is being funded by a $3.2-million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Raye Litten, associate director of the division of treatment and recovery research at NIAAA, said the institute is particularly interested in Johnson’s study because of the young age of the population Johnson will be testing.

Litten said the average age of people who participate in NIAAA clinical trials is about 40, despite the fact that the average age of the onset of alcohol dependence is 20 to 21. According to Litten, high risk drinking behavior — which he defines as drinking more then five drinks in one night for men and drinking more then three drinks for women — can lead to longer term effects in this younger age group including dependency.

“If he finds this [drug] is effective, you could treat people as they develop [dependence] at an earlier age, rather than let it progress,” Litten said, adding that currently, most people take at least eight years to seek treatment for alcohol abuse.

“This could prevent long-term effects much better than letting [abuse] go on for years and years,” he said.

An earlier study conducted by Johnson concluded that ondansetron is not very effective in treating later-onset alcohol abuse, Litten said, but also found the drug is more effective for cases of early onset alcohol abuse, making it an “ideal drug to test on this population.”

The study also will focus on the effect of genetics on treatment response, Johnson said.

“If a person has a certain genetic profile, he or she may respond better to the drug ... and have fewer side effects,” Litten said, expanding upon the genetic aspect of the study. “It would be nice, before you give someone a drug, to know if they have a chance to respond to it.”

If his hypothesis is confirmed, Johnson said doctors could be able to offer medication targeted toward binge-drinking students for the first time.

All aboard the 'Ocsober' no-booze bus

2008-10-21T17:26:00.001-04:00

During the month of October, many people push their livers to breaking point as every pub, club and restaurant runs its interpretation of the Bavarian beer festival, Oktoberfest.

But one organisation is hoping to buck the trend and encourage alcohol abstinence for a good cause.

Called Ocsober, the fundraising initiative by non-profit organisation Life Education urges Australians to embrace sobriety for one month to raise money for drug and alcohol awareness among school students.

Statistics collated by the Drug Info Clearinghouse revealed one third of Australian teenagers engage in binge drinking, with those who start before the age of 15 becoming five times more likely to become alcohol-dependent than those who don't start until they are 21.

During Ocsober, a fleet of mobile Life Education centers will visit more than 120,000 school students to raise awareness of the dangers of binge-drinking.

Brisbane students at Middle Park Primary School will tomorrow release personal messages attached to balloons, as part of a sobering reminder for adults to halt alcohol abuse this month.

"When you read what the children have written, it moves you to tears," Ocsober Project Manager Michael Fawsitt said.

"How can any of us tell a 12-year-old that we can't stop drinking alcohol for one month for such an important cause?

"Ocsober is about the future health and well-being of our children and it's up to adults to set an example and give children the best opportunity to grow up safe and healthy."

The Australian Family Association has supported the fundraising gimmick, as has the Community Alcohol Action Network.

Australian Family Association spokesman John Morrissey said the use and abuse of alcohol was deeply rooted in Australian culture.

"For young people, drinking is ingrained as a rite of passage," Mr Morrissey said.

"Yet, for all of this, drinking is celebrated as if it were quintessentially Australian."

He said the responsibility fell upon adults to lead by example.

Those adults keen to support the cause, but unable to resist the occasional cold one have been accounted for since participants are allowed to buy "leave passes".

"If you have a special event during October and you need a break from your Ocsober campaign, there's an easy option so you don't break your commitment to a whole month without alcohol," the guidelines read.

"Simply buy a one day or two day Leave Pass and then complete your Ocsober month as planned."

Families, friends and colleagues are encouraged to band together and remain grog-free for 30 days, beginning in October.

Life Education CEO Jay Bucik said rather than being a "wowser" event, Ocsober was more about encouraging adults "get real" about their alcohol intake.
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source: Brisbane Times

More congregations create addiction ministries

2008-10-20T06:24:00.000-04:00

125 Unitarian Universalist congregations now offer ministries to people struggling with addiction.

The cover story of the summer 2004 issue of UU World profiled the Rev. Dr. Denis Meacham’s drive to help congregations develop ministries to those who struggle with addictions. When Meacham started his own addictions ministry at First Parish in Brewster, Massachusetts, in 2000, there were no others. Today around 125 congregations have such ministries and a move is underway to gain official recognition and support for addictions ministry from the Unitarian Universalist Association.

In 2004 Meacham wrote The Addiction Ministry Handbook, now considered the bible of UU addictions ministry. One person who bought the book after reading the UU World article is Bill Norton, a member of Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church in Shoreline, Washington.

“I had an epiphany when I read that article in the World,” said Norton. “My own addiction and recovery experience and the possibility of ministry for addictions came together. I stood up in the middle of church and waved Denis’s book and said ‘I’m interested in doing this. Come see me if you are too.’” People did, and now Shoreline has a thriving addictions ministry. Norton is the program’s co-facilitator.

Shoreline’s addictions ministry includes Chalice Circle, a covenant group focused on addictions. The ministry also provides workshops and an occasional worship service, and has trained people as “first responders” to react to immediate needs. “Now anyone in pain knows where to come,” said Norton. “We don’t fix the problems, but we’re a source of information and support.”

Julie Hernandez is a coordinator of the Addictions and Recovery Ministry at Pacific Unitarian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The UU World article also sparked a conversation among members of her church. They bought the handbook, started a committee and within a few months an addictions ministry was formed. “We launched it and people came to our events and now we have a vibrant program,” said Hernandez.

The addictions team brings speakers to the church and organizes seminars on addiction-related topics. The team is visible every Sunday with an information table. Articles on addiction appear regularly in the church newsletter, and the ministry has trained a team of first responders. A “Twelve-Step, Seven-Principles” group has evolved into a covenant group. Said Hernandez, the group “provides people who are on a spiritual search, as they try to overcome addictions, with an opportunity to explore a twelve-step program that uses the lens of the UU Principles.”

“There are a lot of people who are troubled by the Christian and male-oriented language of the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings,” added Hernandez, who turned away from alcohol five years ago. “That’s why I came to Pacific Unitarian after entering recovery. After I read the Seven Principles, I knew for sure no one there would tell me what I should be thinking. Unitarian Universalism is in a wonderful position to help people like me.”

The program is working on a variety of levels, said Hernandez. “There are lots of people now that we can call on for help. The interest in events is very much on the rise and the feedback just gets better and better.” She said events attract from fifteen to fifty people. Ministerial support is also important, she noted. “A very large part of our ministry’s growth and vitality is due to the Rev. (John) Morehouse’s unflagging support and enthusiasm.”

The Rev. Alex Holt, who recently moved from the Woodinville, Washington, Unitarian Universalist Church to become consulting minister in Yakima, Washington, has become the facilitator of a UUA task force on addictions ministry. It is working toward official UUA recognition and support of addictions ministry. The Rev. Jory Agate, the UUA’s ministerial development director and a member of the task force, notes that ministers, as well as lay people, struggle with addictions. She anticipates that a UUA addictions ministry would be developed through the collaboration of many UUA staff groups, including Ministry and Professional Leadership, Congregational Services, and the youth and young adult offices. “We all need to work together on this issue,” she said. When Holt, a recovering alcoholic, visits a church that’s thinking about an addictions ministry, he’ll ask at a Sunday service, “How many of you, over your lives, have been affected directly or indirectly by addiction, including behaviors and substances?” Nearly everyone responds.

Holt notes that most of the people in a congregation who will respond to an addictions ministry will be family and friends of people with addictions. “People who have a family member in crisis want to know what they can do.” The primary addictions are alcohol, drugs, sex, food, and gambling, he said.

When Holt is invited by a congregation, he generally leads a Sunday service and follows it with a three-hour workshop in the afternoon. “We find people have an incredible craving to share their stories,” he said. “Out of that we help them develop the basics of an addictions ministry program that is safe, open-minded, and supportive, but not therapy. We try to give people resources and community without judging them.”

The UUA’s Pacific Northwest District, where Holt’s congregation is located, has one of the first district-wide addiction ministries. Eleven PNWD congregations have such ministries.

At Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church in Des Moines, Washington, a worship service about members’ experiences in 12-step groups led to the formation of an addictions ministry there, said Kristen Parman-Bethard, addictions ministry team chair. The ministry includes a lending library with information about a wide range of substance and behavioral addictions. There are alternative Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon (for family and friends) groups that allow people to define “Spirit of Life” for themselves. The team held a class on prescription medications and has sponsored two “Recovery Sunday” services. “They weren’t terribly well attended,” said Parman-Bethard, “however, I believe the people who needed to be there were there. Several people contacted members of our team to say how much the service touched them.”

“Our church has been helped by making this a topic that is more open for discussion,” said Parman-Bethard. “Many people have concerns about family members or other loved ones and now they have safe people to talk to. Some have concerns about themselves and they also know we are here. I would say we don’t have a dynamic presence, but rather a ‘ministry of presence’ that is always visible and supportive.”
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source: http://www.uuworld.org

The drinking party is over for this Aussie mum

2008-10-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

Aged just 21 and in rehab without her baby boy, Dannielle Adamo is the public face of a binge-drinking culture that has spun out of control.

Every Saturday she would drink a carton of Vodka cruisers on her own - a staggering 24 x 275ml bottles - and then go to the bottle shop to buy other drinks.

With the State Government now committed to reducing drinking hours in pubs and clubs and targeting underaged drinkers, Ms Adamo has gone public over her rapid slide into alcohol abuse to warn others.

She began binge drinking pre-mixed drinks with friends at weekends as a teen because she wanted to fit in and feel more confident.

The party for Ms Adamo is over, after she decided it was time to hand her son over to her ex partner and check herself into a rehab clinic to treat her alcohol abuse.

Far from the traditional image of an old drunk sleeping rough on the streets, Ms Adamo is part of a new breed of young alcoholic.

Her story comes as a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed the number of people seeking treatment for alcohol as the main drug of abuse for a growing number of addicts.

Yesterday, Ms Adamo supported Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione's push for licensed premises to close at 2am to address Sydney's binge-drinking culture.

"I think it's a good idea," Ms Adamo said.

It was not until Ms Adamo faced her second drink-driving charge last month that she decided to check herself in to rehabilitation centre Selah at Berkeley Vale on the Central Coast.

After crashing into a power pole on September 14, she decided to hand herself in to police.

Handing over her 14-month-old son Jayden to her ex-partner while she underwent a 10-month program was the most difficult thing she has ever had to do.

"It's good that I did it now before anything worse happened, I never drove drunk while he was in the car," she said

Last weekend she was refused bail in court and was jailed.

"That made me open my eyes a little bit," she said.

Ms Adamo grew up in Morrisett near Newcastle and worked in a juice bar before having Jayden.

She said she would begin drinking about 4pm on Saturday with a pack of pre-mixed vodkas.

"Now I'm finding out a lot about myself that I never knew and why I used to drink, how I can stop and how I can live a life without alcohol," she said.
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source: Daily Telegraph

The Facts About Hydrocodone Addiction

2008-10-15T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hydrocodone addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. While illegal drugs like cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin remain in the headlines many individuals may be surprised to know that hydrocodone addiction could lurk right behind them as one of the most widely-abused drugs of addiction. In fact, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration believes hydrocodone may be the most abused prescription drug in the country. Nationwide, its use has quadrupled in the last ten years, while emergency room visits attributed to hydrocodone abuse soared 500 percent.

Hydrocodone is a narcotic that can produce a calm, euphoric state similar to heroin or morphine--and despite such important and obvious benefits in pain relief, evidence is pointing to chronic addiction. Pure hydrocodone is a Schedule II substance, closely controlled with restricted use. But very few prescription drugs are pure hydrocodone. Instead, small amounts of hydrocodone are mixed with other non-narcotic ingredients to create medicines like Vicodin and Lortab. This means they can be classified under Schedule III with fewer restrictions on their use and distribution.

Vicodin, Lortab--and more than 200 other products that contain hydrocodone--are regulated by state and federal law. But they are not controlled as closely as other powerful painkillers. The lack of regulation makes them vulnerable to widespread abuse and addiction through forged prescriptions, theft, over-prescription, and "doctor shopping." Hydrocodone pills have been sold for $2 to $10 per tablet and $20 to $40 per 8 oz bottle on the street.

Subject to individual tolerance, many medical experts believe dependence or addiction can occur within one to four weeks at higher doses of Hydrocodone. Published reports of high profile movie stars, TV personalities and professional athletes who are recovering from Hydrocodone addiction are grim testimony to its debilitating effects.

Hydrocodone is structurally related to codeine and is approximately equal in strength to morphine in producing opiate-like effects. The first report that hydrocodone produced a noticeable euphoria and symptoms of addiction was published in 1923; the first report of hydrocodone addiction in the U.S. was published in 1961.

Every age group has been affected by the relative ease of hydrocodone availability and the perceived safety of these products by professionals. Sometimes seen as a "white-collar" addiction, hydrocodone abuse has increased among all ethnic and economic groups. DAWN data demographics suggest that the most likely hydrocodone abuser is a 20-40 yr old, white, female, who uses the drug because she is dependent or trying to commit suicide. However, hydrocodone-related deaths have been reported from every age grouping.

Examples of how severe Hydrocodone addiction has become:

An estimated 7 million dosage units were diverted in 1994 and over 11 million in 1997.
In 1998 there were over 56 million new prescriptions written for hydrocodone products and by 2000 there were over 89 million.
From 1990 the average consumption nationwide has increased by 300%. In the same period there has been a 500% increase in the number of Emergency Department visits attributed to hydrocodone abuse with 19,221 visits estimated in 2000.
In 1997, there were over 1.3 million hydrocodone tablets seized and analyzed by the DEA laboratory system.
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source: drug-addiction.com

The more the booze, the tinier the brain

2008-10-14T07:18:00.001-04:00

The more you drink alcohol, the smaller your total brain volume gets, according to a new study by Wellesley College, Massachusetts.

The study found that even moderate alcohol consumption can lead to decline in brain volumes.

Lower brain volumes have been linked to progression of dementia and problems with thinking, learning and memory.

In the study involving 1,839 adults, the participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a health examination.

"Most participants reported low alcohol consumption, and men were more likely than women to be moderate or heavy drinkers," the authors write.

"There was a significant negative linear relationship between alcohol consumption and total cerebral brain volume," they added.

The research team led by Carol Ann Paul, MS, of Wellesley College also found that although men were more likely to drink alcohol, the association between drinking and brain volume was stronger in women.

This could be due to biological factors, including women's smaller size and greater susceptibility to alcohol's effects.

"The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol," the authors write.

"Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results as well as to determine whether there are any functional consequences associated with increasing alcohol consumption.

"This study suggests that, unlike the associations with cardiovascular disease, alcohol consumption does not have any protective effect on brain volume," they added.

The report appears in the October issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Methamphetamine enters brain quickly and lingers

2008-10-13T10:28:00.001-04:00

Using positron emission tomography (PET) to track tracer doses of methamphetamine in humans' brains, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory find that the addictive and long-lasting effects of this increasingly prevalent drug can be explained in part by its pharmacokinetics - the rate at which it enters and clears the brain, and its distribution.

This study in 19 healthy, non-drug-abusing volunteers includes a comparison with cocaine and also looked for differences by race. It will appear in the November 1, 2008, issue of Neuroimage.

"Methamphetamine is one of the most addictive and neurotoxic drugs of abuse," said Brookhaven chemist Joanna Fowler, lead author on the study. "It produces large increases in dopamine, a brain chemical associated with feelings of pleasure and reward - both by increasing dopamine's release from nerve cells and by blocking its reuptake."

Studies by Fowler and others have shown that drugs that produce greater elevations in brain dopamine tend to be more addictive. But other factors, including the speed with which a drug enters and clears the brain and its distribution within the brain, can also be important in determining its addictive and toxic potential.

In undertaking this first study of methamphetamine pharmacokinetics, the researchers also wanted to know if there were differences between Caucasians and African Americans. "Reports that the rate of methamphetamine abuse among African Americans is lower than for Caucasians led us to question whether biological or pharmacokinetic differences might explain this difference," Fowler said.

The scientists measured brain uptake, distribution, and clearance of methamphetamine by injecting 19 normal healthy men (9 Caucasian, 10 African American) with a radioactively tagged form of the drug in "trace" doses too small to have any psychoactive effects. They used PET scanning cameras to monitor the concentration and distribution of the tagged methamphetamine in the subjects' brains. On the same day, the same subjects were injected with trace doses of cocaine and scanned for comparison. The scientists also used PET to measure the number of dopamine reuptake proteins, known as dopamine transporters, available in each research subject's brain.

Like cocaine, methamphetamine entered the brain quickly, a finding consistent with both drugs' highly reinforcing effects. Methamphetamine, however, lingered in the brain significantly longer than cocaine, which cleared quickly. In fact, some brain regions, particularly white matter, still showed signs of tracer methamphetamine at the end of the 90-minute scanning session, by which time all cocaine had been cleared. The distribution of methamphetamine in the brain was remarkably different from that of cocaine. Whereas cocaine was concentrated only in the 'reward' center and cleared rapidly, methamphetamine was concentrated all over the brain, where it remained throughout the study.

"This slow clearance of methamphetamine from such widespread brain regions may help explain why the drug has such long-lasting behavioral and neurotoxic effects," Fowler said. Methamphetamine is known to produce lasting damage not only to dopamine cells but also to other brain regions, including white matter, that are not part of the dopamine network.

Surprisingly, the researchers found significant differences in cocaine pharmacokinetics between African Americans and Caucasians, with the African Americans exhibiting higher uptake of cocaine, a later rise to peak levels, and slower clearance. In contrast, the scientists found no differences in methamphetamine pharmacokinetics between these groups.

"This suggests that variables other than pharmacokinetics and bioavailability account for the lower prevalence of methamphetamine abuse in African Americans," Fowler said. "The differences observed for cocaine pharmacokinetics are surprising considering there are no differences in cocaine abuse prevalence between these two ethnic groups." These differences may merit further study, and also suggest the need to match subjects by ethnic group in future studies to avoid interference from this potentially confounding variable.

Another interesting finding was that across all research subjects, the level of dopamine transporters was directly related to the level of methamphetamine taken up by the brain. This finding suggests that transporter proteins somehow play a role in regulating the brain's uptake of this drug.

This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Intramural Program, and by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within DOE's Office of Science. Brain-imaging studies such as PET are a direct outgrowth of DOE's long-standing investment in basic research in chemistry, physics, and nuclear medicine. The ongoing neuroimaging research at Brookhaven is a prime example of how DOE's national laboratories bring together the expertise of chemists, physicists, and medical scientists to address questions of profound significance for society.
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http://www.bnl.gov/

Tradition Ten and Controversy

2008-10-11T07:49:00.000-04:00

It was the first Monday of the month and that meant reading and discussing a tradition. Those of us “regulars” at the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sisters) meeting usually expect fewer women on a Tradition Monday but this night, the room was amazingly full. We were reading Tradition Ten from the “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions” and unlike shares for many of the traditions, this one was lively and very animated.

Tradition Ten states that “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.” What immediately comes to mind is that we are getting close to election time and this particular election is evoking a lot of emotions in a lot of people. Think about what would happen in your fellowship if someone, during his or her share, endorsed a candidate. Think what would happen if you went to a meeting and there were political posters all over the meeting room and the candidate was not of your choosing. I’m sure it is not going to make you go out and have a drink (or drug, eat, gamble, not eat, shop, etc.) but if you are like me, you might be annoyed just enough to make a decision to stay away. If you are a newcomer, I am positively sure you would get the wrong idea about the fellowship and that might be your first step back into your addiction.

It isn’t just politics that should be left out of the fellowship. There are times when a person shares, he or she gets on the soapbox and promotes a belief or idea that perhaps isn’t terribly controversial but makes people very uncomfortable. And why would we feel uncomfortable? Because someone else is going to respond in a negative way to what was said and what have we got here, folks? We’ve got ourselves a real, live fellowship argument? People take sides; sometimes silently, sometimes not. It is never a positive experience.

Some people, not just those of us in recovery, have very short fuses. This doesn’t necessarily change because someone has been in recovery for any length of time. My own experience is that the longer someone has been in recovery it seems the more they feel entitled to state their opinions as truth for everyone or does not hesitate to be the first to respond to another if he/she disagrees. This is my experience. It may not be yours. I’ve come to the conclusion that people who are inappropriate in their sharing might still have a need to control or maybe they are a bit too righteous. Whoops! Am I taking their inventory? I am not intending to do that. Honestly, I think they are just human beings and that’s just how they are. Recovery doesn’t change our humanness. If that were the case everyone would want to be a part of a 12 Step group just to be perfect.

Personally, I have always hated controversy. I hate it even more when it happens in a meeting. I don’t think I’m the only one. Group conscious meetings are historically known to create some tensions because, it seems, that personal opinions run higher than normal. And we wonder why no one wants to stick around and be a part of one. One of the women at the meeting said that she believes that if what you say publicly (in a meeting) is based on “your experience” it is a much safer bet then to be making others believe your way is the only way. This is particularly important because AA and other programs have no rules; no best way for everyone. The steps are but suggestions.

A number of years ago (pre-recovery), I was in a leadership position at my job. My boss and I had one agreement. We would agree to disagree. And we never agreed on anything. It was the best and most productive position in my career. Why? Because we set ground rules and nothing was ever personal. It’s a bit different when you are in a recovery program because the only agreements we have are, in fact, the traditions and that doesn’t mean everyone reads them the same way. The Traditions, however, are our boundaries. The reason why AA is still around today is because there were and still are enough people who hold onto the original traditions to keep it in tact. 12 Step programs should be safe. Our purpose is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics. How can we possibly help another addict when they are too frightened or disgusted to come back to a meeting?

The most important message I can give or share (as I see it) is that each one of us has to make a conscious effort to be mindful of what we say and how we say it. I don’t think that means we have to be afraid to share but I do think we have to have the common sense to know if we are going to create a controversy. Likewise, maybe you are the person who wants to respond to a person creating the controversy. It takes two people to begin any type of argument or confrontation. Personally, I prefer to be neither.

Lastly, we are human and rather complicated but we have to keep in mind that our own sobriety and recovery is the most important thing in our lives. Before you decide not to attend a meeting because you were uncomfortable or angry, remember who you are punishing. If you are even at the very beginning of working a 12 Step program, you already realize that you have choices. Don’t let anyone else make them for you. We each have a responsibility to ourselves to be happy, joyous and free. It is our destiny.

Namaste’. May you walk your journey in peace and harmony.
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source: http://www.bellaonline.com

Am I drinking too much?

2008-10-07T04:45:00.000-04:00

How do you know when your drinking is out of control? Take our simple questionnaire, compiled by doctors from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to find out

Many people drink alcohol for enjoyment, so it can be hard to know when regular use of alcohol has developed into a serious problem. Many of the problems associated with alcohol misuse are caused by having too much to drink at the wrong place or the wrong time If you think you may be drinking too much answer the following questions.

1. Do you ever worry that you drink too much?

2. Have friends or family expressed concern about you about your drinking habits?

3. Do you find you can drink a lot without becoming drunk?

4. Do you need to drink more to have the same effect?

5. Have you tried to stop drinking, but found that you were unable to for more than a few days?

6. Do you carry on drinking even though it is interfering with your work, family or relationships?

7. Do you need a drink to start the day?

8. Do you get shaky, sweaty or anxious a few hours after your last drink?

9. Have you experienced blanks in your memory, where you can’t remember what happened for a period of hours or days?

10. Is your judgement affected by alcohol, so that you do things that you normally wouldn’t, such as starting fights or arguments, having unprotected sex with strangers or becoming violent.

If you answer yes to more than three of these questions, it is indicator of alcohol misuse.

Questionnaire compiled by Dr Jim Bolton and Dr Martin Briscoe, consultant psychiatrists and members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Public Education Editorial Board
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source: The Times

Officials fight binge drinking through 'That Guy' campaign

2008-09-22T11:38:00.000-04:00

9/22/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Now in its third year, a campaign managed by officials with the Military Health Systems and the Tricare military health plan continues the effort of Defense Department leaders to reduce excessive and binge drinking among 18 to 24 year olds serving in the armed forces.

The "That Guy" campaign has two goals: to reduce alcohol abuse and to raise awareness of the negative short-term social consequences of excessive drinking.

It was developed in response to findings of the DOD's survey of health-related behaviors, said Chuck Watkins, the "That Guy" campaign program manager. The "That Guy" campaign tells cautionary tales of excessive drinking and its consequences in a way to which young servicemembers can relate.

Mr. Watkins, who has been involved for the past three years on the harm-reduction campaign, said its style is unlike that of other health-promotion campaigns.

Its use of edgy humor and peer-to-peer mentoring captures the essence of who "That Guy" is and ways to prevent abusing alcohol and becoming the subject of ridicule, he said.

"Most recently, the survey detected there has been an uptick in binge drinking among junior enlisted of about 2 percent, and now about 56 percent of junior enlisted said they have engaged in binge drinking at least once in the past month," Mr. Watkins said.
"'That Guy' is anyone who, after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol, loses their self control," he said. "This frequently has humiliating or embarrassing results, and some of us may be older (than) 18 to 24 and have been 'That Guy' perhaps in our distant past."

DOD surveys have found that while men are more likely to engage in binge drinking, it can apply to anyone who, because of excessive drinking, "behaves in a manner where your friends just don't want to be around you or copy you," Mr. Watkins said.

Early data shows that attitudes are changing, he noted.

"That early data does indicate that attitudes ... toward excessive drinking have begun to shift in a positive direction," Mr. Watkins said.

Offering support, particularly for servicemembers who recently have returned from combat, is part of educating them on the negative health consequences of excessive drinking, he said.

"Deployment is definitely a risk factor for disorders such as anxiety and binge drinking, and each of the four armed services have several programs that address these programs both through prevention and treatment," he said.

Small and large military installations around the world actively participate in the "That Guy" program.

"We have nearly 150 installations that are involved that range from the giant installations to the smallest," Mr. Watkins said.

The campaign is based on social marketing research concerning changing behaviors, Watkins emphasized, and is not an abstinence campaign. He added that officials want people to think before they take their next drink and to avoid becoming "That Guy."

"The aim is to raise awareness, and ultimately change drinking behavior among the targeted audience," he said. "An example is while most people agree that drinking and driving is unacceptable, maybe they don't feel that same way about getting just totally wasted, as long as they don't harm anyone other than themselves. But what we are trying to do is point that out and promote peer disapproval about out-of-control behavior."
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source: Air Force Link, http://www.af.mil

Local leaders celebrate expanded halfway house

2008-09-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

“A miracle has happened in this part of Southern Indiana.”

Help available for men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction in the area will increase, as Serenity House cut the ribbon on the first phase of its recovery complex Friday afternoon.

The new building, near Interstate 65 and Stansifer Avenue on Homestead Lane, ups the halfway house’s capacity from 24 beds to 48 beds. Local officials and contributors celebrated the expansion during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“It’s a wonderful facility,” said Judge Vicki Carmichael, who presides over Clark County Superior Court No. 1. “And Serenity House has always done a great job.”

“The countless lives that will be touched by this facility is just unreal,” said Herb Bass, president of Serenity House’s board.

He noted that when the halfway home opened more than 30 years ago, it served only eight people. But through the years, those who have gone through the program have become productive members of society.

“By doubling capacity, we hope to be having the same type of success that we’ve had,” he said.

Mayor Tom Galligan acknowledged that some people don’t like having such places in the community, but he believes it to be an asset for the city.

“Without them, our community wouldn’t be as good as it is,” he said. “Every time we help somebody, we help our community.”

The 24 residents at its old location, on Sunset Drive, have already moved to the new facility. Bass believes the rest of the beds will fill quickly and that a waiting list will likely develop.

Serenity House requires its residents to hold full-time jobs. They also have to abide by a curfew and rules have to be adhered to in order to continue living there, said Executive Director Mick McFarland.

The complex shows them basic ways to live and how to have fun without drinking and drugs, he said. Most come to the recovery complex through the court system or other treatment programs.

Rent is $71 per week, which includes meals and extras such as laundry detergent. The project has taken at least six years to come to fruition.

Financing has been the largest hurdle, along with problems getting the state to release land it owned in the area.

About $2.5 million was raised for construction. Another wing is being planned, which will serve as a meeting house for those living at the facility and those who have graduated from the program.

Another $1.5 million is needed for that part of the complex.
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source: News and Tribune, http://www.news-tribune.net

AA hosts convention to celebrate 20 years in Torrevieja

2008-09-19T07:21:00.001-04:00

The English-speaking group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Torrevieja celebrated its 20th birthday on September 6.

A number of visitors, primarily from the UK and Ireland, together with other English-speaking AA members from the rest of Spain, joined local members to celebrate this special anniversary.

The group in Torrevieja started in 1988, initially with meetings at an urbanisation on the outskirts of the town, La Siesta. The founding member, then in her early months of sobriety, often sat alone waiting for others to come along, which they eventually did, usually visitors from the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

She still lives on the Costa Blanca, although not in Torrevieja, and remains in AA to this day. Her continuing sobriety is just one example of how the programme of AA works for those with a genuine desire to stop drinking and who are willing to work its universal 12-step programme of recovery.

Continuing the traditions of the fellowship founded in the USA in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous in Torrevieja and on the Costa Blanca has expanded dramatically over the last six years. In the last 20 years, many already sober alcoholics have moved permanently to the area, bringing with them their AA experience of living life without the need to drink, one day at a time, and sharing this with newcomers – that is how AA works. They have been joined by a growing number who have found freedom from their obsession with alcohol for the first time by attending AA meetings and working the famous 12-step programme. Members’ stories, periodically published in The Euro Weekly News, reveal the varying depths to which alcoholics sink before surrendering and seeking help. There is no need for an alcoholic to end their drinking ‘career’ alone, destitute or institutionalised, but it can happen, unless they recognise earlier that they have become, or are clearly becoming, a slave to drink.

In this year alone, local newspapers have reported the deaths of two expats evidently as a result of prolonged alcohol abuse – further evidence of the need for a strong AA presence within the English-speaking community in the area.

Many members first come to AA as a result of persistent pressure from their partners, family or friends. Perhaps this is not the best motive for going to an AA meeting, but, by identifying with all or part of the stories they hear from members, they continue to attend for their own well-being and, by doing so, improve the quality of their home life. By 2001, global membership of AA was, conservatively, estimated at two million people attending meetings organised by 100,800 groups in 150 countries. It is a fully self-supporting organisation, actively declining donations or assistance from outside its own membership.
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source: Euro Weekly News

Getting over addiction

2008-09-18T07:54:00.001-04:00

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a devastating problem in the U.S., and overcoming it is no easy task.

Now, Central New Yorkers in recovery have another resource to rely on.
Friends of Recovery is an organization founded to provide an outlet and networking opportunities to those recovering from addiction. Formed in 2007, the local affiliate of the national organization states as its mission to “provide social, recreational and educational activities to support people in recovery as well as their families and friends.”

“There are people in recovery in all walks of life,” said Kimberly Sacco, executive director of the Syracuse-Onondaga Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission, one of the partners in Friends of Recovery. “We want to provide as many resources as we can in the community.”

Friends of Recovery is the result of a collaboration between numerous community organizations, including the Syracuse-Onondaga Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission, the Prevention Network, Crouse Hospital, Syracuse Teen Challenge, Tully Hill Chemical Dependency Treatment Center, Rescue Mission, Altamont Treatment and the Center for Community Alternatives.

“It’s really a community collaboration,” Sacco said. “A lot of different groups work together to make it happen.”

The group, which is free, is open to everyone, whether they are recovering from addiction, have a family member or friend in recovery or just want to help out with events, mailings and other activities.
“It’s open to anybody who wants to be a part of that support system,” Sacco said, “and anybody who feels like they need support.”

Sacco said no particular recovery program is advocated by Friends of Recovery.
“Nothing is pushed,” she said. “We recognize faith-based programs, 12-step programs – we’re sort of non-denominational. Anything that works for people.”
The local organization was founded last September, Sacco said.

“In recognition of National Recovery Month, OASAS [New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services] sponsored a luncheon at LeMoyne Manor in Liverpool,” she said. “The state wanted to expand their programs. Previously, the focus had been on treatment, then on prevention. The state wanted to focus on recovery and complete that triad.”

In order to come up with a program to address recovery services, people from across Onondaga County met for a brainstorming session.
“The goal was to set up places and organizations around the state for people in recovery to get services,” Sacco said.

Friends of Recovery was established as just such a resource. With an $11,000 grant from the Onondaga County Department of Mental Health, the group has been able to hold events, like their first, a family bowling night in November of 2007 that attracted some 500 people. They also host an annual Recovery Day celebration at the Inner Harbor; this year’s event took place on Saturday Sept. 13.

Friends of Recovery holds meetings on the second Wednesday of every month at which they discuss various programs and welcome addiction professionals as speakers. The meetings alternate between afternoons – 12 to 1:30 p.m. – and evenings – 5:30 to 7 p.m. – in order to accommodate anyone interested in coming. All meetings and events take place at the Salvation Army building, 667 South Salina St., Syracuse.
In addition to its regular meetings, Friends of Recovery has begun holding coffee hours at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.

“It’s just an opportunity for a cup of coffee and some networking and fellowship with other people,” Sacco said. “You can come and just sit and drink coffee, or you can meet other people. There’s no agenda.”
The organization also offers family movie nights on the last Friday of the month.
“It’s a family event,” Sacco said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

The goal of the group is to not only provide support for those in recovery and their families, but also to remove the stigma attached to addiction.
“Addiction is recognized as a disease,” Sacco said. “Recovery from addiction is just like recovery from cancer or heart disease. You’re just as much a survivor for coming through that.”
For more information, e-mail FORCNY@yahoo.com.
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source: http://www.cnylink.com

The nine personality types of heavy drinkers revealed

2008-09-17T09:32:00.001-04:00

London, Sept 17 : If you think that alcohol drinkers are of only two kinds, that is, normal and alcoholics, then here's a piece of information: Britain's health bosses have identified nine different personality types.

The Brit government researchers have analysed people's social and psychological characteristics who regularly drink twice the recommended guidelines of alcohol.

They found that the personality types ranged from depressives who drink at home alone, to macho exhibitionists who spend almost every evening in the pub.

The information will be used to devise public health campaigns to target those who are putting themselves at risk of alcohol-related illnesses that cost the NHS in England about 2.7billion pounds a year.

"This will be a tough one to crack. Research found many positive associations with alcohol among the general public - even more so among those drinking at higher-risk levels," Telegraph quoted a DoH spokesman, as saying.

"For these people alcohol is embedded in their identity and lifestyle: so much so that challenging this behaviour results in high levels of defensiveness, rejection or even outright denial," the rep added.

The nine personality types of heavy drinkers are:

1 "De-stress drinkers" use alcohol to regain control of life and calm down.

2 "Conformist drinkers" are driven by the need to belong and seek a structure to their lives.

3"Boredom drinkers" consume alcohol to pass the time, seeking stimulation to relieve the monotony of life.

4 "Depressed drinkers" may be of any age, gender or socioeconomic group.

5 "Re-bonding drinkers" are driven by a need to keep in touch with people who are close to them.

6 "Community drinkers" are motivated by the need to belong.

7 "Hedonistic drinkers" crave stimulation and want to abandon control. They are often divorced people with grown-up children, who want to stand out from the crowd.

8 "Macho drinkers" spend most of their spare time in pubs.

9 "Border dependents" regard the pub as a home from home.
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source: http://www.thelondonnews.net

New alcopops sneak around tax

2008-09-16T06:39:00.000-04:00

THE maker of leading alcopop brands such as Vodka Cruiser and Pulse has found a way around the tax on premixed drinks: using alcohol derived from lower-taxed beer to attract younger drinkers back to the sweet stuff.

The arrival of the first Australian "malternative", as they are dubbed overseas, comes as nationwide alcohol consumption figures obtained by the Herald show the tax rise on ready-to-drink beverages in April is having a massive impact on sales and the broader consumption of alcohol.

The number of standard drinks consumed each week has fallen by 3 million since the alcopop tax rise, says a confidential report sent this week to key players in the alcohol industry by the research group Nielsen.

Leading suppliers in the once booming premixed category have been stunned by the collapse in sales since May, a trend confirmed in Nielsen's figures this week, which show there were 7 million fewer premixed standard drinks consumed between May and July compared with the same time last year.

While the figures show spirit and beer consumption is up, they have not offset the overall decline in alcohol consumption led by the stampede away from premixes.

"The total number of packaged liquor standard drinks has declined at a faster rate since the introduction of the [ready-to-drink] tax increase," Nielsen says.

The Federal Opposition has said it will block the tax in the Senate.

While premixed drink sales are down 26.2 per cent, spirits are up by 2.9 million standard drinks a week over the same period and beer is up by 1.1 million standard drinks a week.

But Nielsen's figures show the increase in beer and spirits consumption is still 3 million standard drinks less than the same time last year.

And it is why some in the spirits industry are very worried about disappearing profits.

One of the biggest players, Independent Distillers, told the Herald yesterday that it was about to launch Bolt, a "malternative" in three sweet flavours - raspberry, passionfruit and blueberry - designed to appeal to younger drinkers.

Bolt will be up to $25 a carton cheaper than spirits premixes because it is made with alcohol derived from beer - with all the beer taste characteristics stripped out during production.

A spokesman for Independent Distillers said it was not using a loophole in the new tax regime to launch a cheaper type of premixed beverage, but said it highlighted the problems of taxing spirits at a higher rate than beer.

Packaged beer is taxed at $39.40 a litre of pure alcohol while ready-to-drink beverages carry an impost of $66.70 a litre of pure alcohol.

Critics, however, said the "malternatives" and spirit premixes were developed to exploit the sweeter taste preferences of younger people and needed higher taxes to deal with social issues such as binge drinking.
RISE AND FALL

Since the alcopops tax increase:

- Sales in bottle shops have dropped by 7 million standard drinks a week, or 26.2 per cent

- Spirit sales have risen by 2.9 million standard drinks a week

- Packaged beer sales have risen by 1.1 million standard drinks a week

- Total liquor sales have fallen by 3 million standard drinks a week.
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Source: Nielsen

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/15/1221330747912.html

Florida colleges target binge drinking

2008-09-14T07:24:00.001-04:00

On any given night, a University of Central Florida student can drink without a lot of money, difficulty or limits.

Bars on the outskirts of campus offer “Two-dollar Tuesdays,” “Wasted Wednesdays,” “Bombs Away Fridays” or even specials challenging students to slam down 60 shots of beer in 60 minutes.

“We’re out four times a week, at least,” said Alex Bozinta, 21, who ordered three drinks at a popular bar recently so she wouldn’t have to fight the crowd as often. “We drink and drink. As long as you get drunk, it’s fun.”

As classes and football games began for a new season, UCF and universities throughout Florida have been creating more stringent rules that attempt to curb underage drinking, as well as its dangerous counterpart: binge drinking.
“The problem isn’t when you start drinking, it’s how much you start drinking,” said Tom Hall, UCF’s director of alcohol and other drug-prevention programming. “When you have a culture that supports excessive alcohol use, you have a problem.”

College campuses around the country are challenged as studies and experience show students above and below the legal age guzzling unprecedented amounts of alcohol.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 1,700 college students between ages 18 and 24 die of alcohol-related causes each year, while about 600,000 suffer from alcohol-related injuries.

Nearly 25 percent of all college students report academic consequences of drinking, including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall, the study found.

For UCF’s part, the school banned alcoholic beverages at Knights football games. Anyone caught drinking can be ejected from the stadium, and underage drinkers may be arrested. Tailgate drinking, however, is permitted in parking lots from 7 a.m. until game time.

But college leaders agree campuses can’t be the only place students are punished for alcohol abuse. Universities are pushing parents, students, vendors and community groups to help young drinkers understand their limits.

“There are so many sources and so many places where students get ideas about alcohol,” said Chris Franzetti, assistant director of health promotion for Florida State University. “Whether it’s easy access, inconsistent laws and policies or behaviors learned from home, we all have a part in it.”

At the University of Florida in Gainesville, named the nation’s No. 1 party school, the problem might be at its worst.

Trustees there are poised to approve a ban on drinking games, kegs and “beer balls,” which hold the equivalent of 55 beer cans. Other Florida universities have similar policies.

UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said the school had four or five alcohol-related deaths several years ago, which prompted the school to revise the student code with changes that likely will take effect this fall.

“That was a wakeup call that we need to do something,” Sikes said.

One new policy bans activities that encourage alcohol abuse: Drinking games, kegs and the beer balls would be prohibited.

Last week, University of South Florida officials banned daytime drinking at a new on-campus bar and grill. Students and employees were found drinking between classes and during lunch.

In July, more than 100 university presidents — including leaders at Duke, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State — signed a proposal to support lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.

“A culture of dangerous, clandestine ’binge-drinking’ often conducted off campus has developed,” the open letter said. It asks the national university system to begin a public debate on the drinking age.

“Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students,” the letter also said.

The initiative has caused a roar of controversy from opposing groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which counters that lowering the drinking age won’t solve problems on campuses. Many experts agreed that lowering the legal age won’t fix a college culture that accepts binge drinking as the norm.

The majority of students believe binge drinking is a rite of passage, UCF’s Hall said. But his research at the school found that 20 percent of students aren’t drinking.

Those students, however, believe they’re among an even smaller minority, about 5 percent.

“That’s one of the myths about college drinking,” Hall said. “Nationally, about 23 percent of students are the extreme drinkers, so the notion that ’everyone is doing it’ isn’t accurate. But 23 percent is still too big of a number.”

Students gathered in loose lines outside a bar near UCF, waiting for muscled bouncers to place wristbands on the legal drinkers. For a $10 cover, they would be drinking without limit until midnight.

They headed to the bar where plastic cups were filled with cheap beer and liquor mixed in various concoctions.

Some students played “beer pong” on a side table. Other students moved against one another on a makeshift dance floor.

Richard Devoss, 21, lit a cigarette and leaned back on his barstool while talking with a handful of buddies from the Orlando-based Marine Mechanics Institute.
He sipped vodka mixed with water and lime juice.

“We went out last night, and we came out tonight,” Devoss said. “When I leave, I’ll be stumbling.”

Devoss estimated that by closing time at 2 a.m., he would have 12 drinks. His friends vowed to drink about the same, some as many as 15 in one sitting.

Calvin Serviss, 22, a fifth-year UCF senior, said he wouldn’t be out so often if it weren’t for the specials.

“They make the bars much more popular,” Serviss said as he sipped from a beer. “Obviously, I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t have them. I couldn’t afford it.”

Some believe bars near campus, which offer all-you-can-drink specials every night of the week, are a big part of the problem.

But in many cities, businesses have signed “responsible retailing” pacts designed to curb underage and excessive use by limiting or ending the daily specials.

Orange County is attempting to create a similar agreement using a task force of students, law enforcement and retailers. Teams are focusing on education, health and retailer responsibility.

“We’ve always done this from an enforcement side, but now we need help from community partners,” Hall from UCF said. “The biggest thing is targeting advertisements.”

Carol Burkett, who sits on the task force and directs Orange County’s Coalition for a Drug Free Community, said binge drinking is more accepted and younger students are drinking more.

“In the ’70s, you didn’t have high-risk drink promotions,” she said. “Now, media advertisements tell students that drinking is acceptable, sexy, fun: It looks like the place to be.”

But Mike McCoy, Orange County public safety director and co-chairman of the underage drinking task force, said attitudes about what’s unsafe could change. At one time, for example, many people refused to wear seat belts.

“Back then, we thought we couldn’t do anything, but I think we will pass beyond that,” he said. “You will see the generation saying it’s so senseless, and we can do things about it.”
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source: Pensacola News Journal

This is why we get addicted to alcohol

2008-09-12T06:56:00.001-04:00

Researchers at the University of Sussex have provided the perfect excuse for downing a drink or two - alcohol helps in remembering the good things and forget the bad - and therefore is addictive.

According to the research team, alcohol is addictive because it erases the worst memories of being drunk.

The study has found that alcohol affects memory in a selective manner - making it easier to remember the good things about a party but harder to recall the bad things that happen after having too much.

Studies into the memories of people engaged in heavy drinking have shown that it is the inability to remember the worst excesses of a night out - while remembering the happy things that led up to them - is one of the main causes of repeated binge drinking.

"The effects of alcohol on mood are known contributors to its use and abuse. It is less known how its effects on memory and inhibitory control add to alcohol being and addictive drug," the Independent quoted Professor Theodora Duka of Sussex University, as saying.

"Material acquired in an intoxicated state is less effectively retrieved in a sober state. Thus people who abuse alcohol forget the consequences of intoxication during periods of abstinence," Professor Duka said.

Professor Duka, who was speaking at the British Association for the Advancement of Science Festival, explained that the effect of alcohol on memory is one of the least-understood aspects of alcohol abuse, yet it could be one of the most important in terms of explaining why the drug is o powerfully addictive.

"The effect of alcohol to weaken control processes intuitively appears to be the most important contributor to the development of alcohol addiction, since alcohol addiction is perceived to be an inability to control drinking," she said.

"Alcohol facilitates memories for emotional events experienced before intoxication - mostly positive - and impairs memories for emotional events experienced after intoxication - often negative - biasing memory to positive effects of alcohol, and support [for] further drinking," she added.

Memory tests on volunteers who were shown emotion-laden images before, during and after a bout of drinking found there was a clear degradation in memory as the alcohol began to build up in their bodies.

"Alcohol facilitated memory for material seen after its administration. More importantly, under the influence of alcohol, emotional images seen before alcohol consumption were recalled more whereas emotional images seen after alcohol consumption were recalled less," she said.
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source: The London News

September marks Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month

2008-09-11T08:04:00.000-04:00

For the thousands of families and individuals affected by substance abuse and addiction, asking for help and finding treatment is essential to getting back to a healthy, fulfilling life through recovery.

Recovery Month is a nationwide celebration of people in long-term recovery from substance use disorders, and is supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 2008 theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Real People, Real Recovery” and celebrates those in recovery and their families, as well as the treatment and recovery support providers who help them achieve and sustain lasting sobriety.

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) is proud to join Ohio Governor Ted Strickland in supporting September as “National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month” in Ohio. The Governor recently signed a resolution marking the national recognition of the month in Ohio.

“By assisting those in need of treatment onto a path of recovery, we not only aid them in regaining their lives, but also can help their families on a path of their own recovery from addiction’s impact, which benefits the entire state,” ODADAS Director Angela Cornelius Dawson said.

Highlights of Ongoing Treatment Efforts

ODADAS strives year round for access to treatment for Ohioans. The Department oversees 50 county boards responsible for alcohol and drug addiction or mental health services, more than 600 treatment sites, 150 prevention providers, and outreach and intervention programs throughout the state. In FY07, ODADAS served more than 99,300 men, women and youth in our alcohol and other drug treatment agencies.

In the past six months, ODADAS has applied for six federal grants totaling approximately $17 million that would benefit 14 counties in Ohio.

Deaf Off Drugs

Wright State University will be working for the next couple of years with ODADAS to administer a first of its kind grant in the country for substance abusing individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The three year $1.5 million grant is called, “Deaf off Drugs and Alcohol” (DODA). These grant funds for treatment and recovery provide “e-therapy,” group and individual counseling and case management via video conferencing and videophone technology.

Access to Recovery

ODADAS is in its first year of a $13.9 million three year grant aimed at providing substance abuse treatment and other recovery support services for former prisoners heading back into their communities. The federal grant “Access to Recovery” currently serves four counties in Ohio: Mahoning, Cuyahoga, Stark and Summit. It began in February 2008, and to date has impacted approximately 780 Ohioans. Participants can choose from faith-based and community-based providers through a voucher system which allows them to choose from a host of treatment and recovery services including transportation and childcare assistance, literacy and education programs, job training and housing options.

Think Outside the Stigma Public Awareness Campaign

In May 2008, ODADAS and the Ohio Department of Mental Health received bipartisan Congressional recognition for its Think Outside the Stigma public awareness campaign.

There are a few core messages that are a part of the campaign which is aimed at chipping away at the stigma around the issue of addiction and mental illnesses and who is impacted by the diseases.

The four key Think Outside the Stigma elements of the campaign are:

• Alcohol and other drug addictions and mental illnesses are brain diseases.

• Alcohol and other drug addictions and mental illnesses can affect anyone.

• Alcohol and other drug addictions and mental illnesses are treatable.

• Individuals with brain diseases should not be discriminated against.

ODADAS maintains that treatment services are available to all Ohioans and that treatment helps individuals accept responsibility for their actions and begin a successful path of recovery.

“Treatment for substance use disorders is effective and necessary to sustain a healthy and productive society,” said Director Dawson. “Addiction exacts an enormous toll on our state and it is time that we support those who need our help. Real people in our state are affected by substance use disorders. The renewed hope that springs from long-term recovery truly can make a difference in helping more families get healthy. We want Ohioans to know that we are here to help.”
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source: Wilmington News Journal

What Teens Are Hearing About Drugs

2008-09-09T07:26:00.000-04:00

Here's a multiple-choice question for parents of tweens and teens.

You're monitoring your child's cellphone and come across a text message encouraging her to try a prescription drug. Could the message be coming from:

A. a drugmaker trolling for a new customer.

B. an adolescent friend urging a raid on your medicine cabinet for a "pharm" party.

C. a trusted physician, offering a reminder to the 25 percent of teenagers who take a daily prescription for conditions ranging from allergies to cancer.

D. any one of the above.

The answer? D. These days, messages aimed at drawing teens' attention to drugs are being televised, e-mailed, texted and even downloaded with music every day.

"These new media choices create a buzz and certainly a perception of a rising trend toward targeting teens," says Jim Joseph, executive vice president of Saatchi & Saatchi Consumer Health+Wellness, a Manhattan advertising agency.

The challenge for teens, and for adults who care for them, is to figure out "how to wade through the clutter of messages they're getting about drugs -- both prescription and nonprescription ones -- in order to make safe and appropriate choices," says Wayne Snodgrass, a professor of pediatrics and pharmacology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs.

"There's been a demystification of prescription medications for teenagers," says Sharon Levy, director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Children's Hospital Boston. According to a survey published last month by the National Center for Addictions and Substance Abuse, a growing number of teenagers say it's easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs than to buy beer.

Experts blame a cavalier attitude toward drugs for a growing incidence of prescription drug abuse by teens. Every day, 2,500 kids ages 12 to 17 abuse a prescription painkiller for the first time, according to John Walters, head of the White House's Office on National Drug Control Policy; the number of teen patients treated for prescription painkiller abuse grew threefold between 1995 and 2005.

"Teens are abusing prescription drugs because many believe . . . these drugs provide a 'safe' high," Walters says.

At the same time, many teens fail to stick with a prescribed drug regimen for a chronic condition such as asthma, depression or diabetes. "Parents have a crucial role to play in all this," Snodgrass says, "by making it clear that drugs are only safe and effective when they're specifically prescribed, and when taken appropriately."
Drug Ads Just for Teens

When it comes to direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs, permitted by the Food and Drug Administration since 1997, there are no specific rules for marketing to kids and teens, says Robert Temple, director of the Office of Medical Policy at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

"Appropriate situations for drug companies to specifically address teens include those where the teen could benefit from a medication but might not necessarily start the conversation with an adult," says Meredith Ressi, vice president of research at Manhattan Research, a health-care market research firm in New York. She cites drugs for acne or birth control as examples.

Acne, Ressi says, is a very good example because "a parent might not bring up treatment for fear of making their child feel bad but would likely be delighted to have the teen start the conversation and then be able to help."

Tazorac, an acne drug made by Allergan, is the subject of a back-to-school ad campaign featuring situations such as high school graduation and the prom in which teens might feel particularly self-conscious about their acne. Incentives to register on the site and learn more about the drug (teens 13 to 18 need a parent's permission) include a $5 Starbucks card and a chance at winning a Nintendo Wii console, a video camcorder or a laptop computer.

Ads meant to get a teen's attention typically feature cool clothes, hip music and other teen draws. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Yaz, a birth control pill, hired the Veronicas, a group popular with teen girls, to record a song for one of the drug's commercials. The Web site of Galderma, the maker of Differin, another acne drug, offers teens a quiz called "The Truth About Zits."

"When marketing directly to teens, you need to be able to speak to and otherwise engage them very differently from adults," says Elizabeth Izard Apelles, CEO of digital marketing agency Greater Than One, whose clients include Novartis, which makes ADHD drug Focalin XR. "Otherwise, they won't pay a lick of attention."

Other advertising execs agree.

"We use a combination of media, trying to reach" teens, says Kathy Magnuson, executive vice president of Brand Pharm, whose clients include Galderma. In June, Galderma launched a Differin ad on ABC Family and MTV and has also bought space for the ad at movie theaters and on the Internet.

Drugmaker Sanofi Aventis used a low-tech but novel approach to reach teen girls. The company placed a full-page ad (plus another page of FDA-required consumer information) for acne drug Benzaclin in the fall catalogue of Delia's, a teen-girl clothing chain.
Msg frm yr drg cmpny

Merck is moving beyond TV ads for Gardasil, which protects against human papillomavirus infection and is recommended for adolescent girls. Because the vaccine is given in three doses, each months apart, Merck is sending out reminders by mail, e-mail and text message -- "REMIND" to "GARSL" -- telling those who got the first shot to come back for shots two and three.

Kathy Woodward, a pediatrician at the adolescent health clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, worries that ads aimed at adolescents often create an inappropriate sense of fun, fostering the idea that there's a pill for every ill. Woodward believes taking drugs might seem hip, for example, when Antonio Banderas, whose voice is well known from the "Shrek" movies, narrates TV commercials for the allergy drug Nasonex.

Woodward says she has been overwhelmed by the number of teenage boys who come in asking for a prescription for Lamisil, an antifungal drug. TV ads that stopped airing about a year ago said dark-colored toenails might be a fungal infection that the drug can clear up.

"It's only an infection 10 percent of the time," says Woodward, "and leaving the nail as it is poses no health risk." What's more, because of a slight risk of liver damage, Woodward notes, anybody who takes the drug needs monitoring.

"When teenage boys make [a drug they've seen advertised] the focus of their yearly office visit," she explains, "it takes away time I need to talk about crucial health issues including safe driving, alcohol and prescription drug abuse."
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source: The Washington Post

Greater Risk Of Injuries Among Neighborhood Children When There Are More Off-Premise Alcohol Outlets

2008-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Childhood injuries constitute a serious issue in the United States. In 2001, there were 12,249 deaths among children ages one to 14: injuries were the leading cause, accounting for 33.2 percent of all deaths for children ages one to four, and 39.4 percent of all deaths for children ages five to 14. A new study has found that numerous off-premise alcohol outlets in neighborhoods can reduce overall guardianship of children's activities, leading to increased injuries.

Results will be published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Neighborhood areas with high levels of social disorganization can make the children who live there more vulnerable to injury in a number of ways," explained Bridget Freisthler, assistant professor in the department of social welfare at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and affiliated research scientist at the Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PRC/PIRE). This research was a joint project between UCLA and PRC/PIRE.

"Impoverished and disorganized neighborhoods may present more physically dangerous environments," said Freisthler. "Limited social capital restricts their ability to respond to social problems that might endanger children's health and well being. Reduced levels of social control may facilitate risky behaviors, such as playing in dangerous streets or vacant buildings. And, areas that have fewer adults available to monitor and supervise children's activities may further exacerbate problem behaviors."

"One's neighborhood environment determines the number and type of risks a resident of a particular neighborhood will be exposed to," agreed Richard Scribner, D'Angelo Professor of Alcohol Research at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health. "This study supports the conceptual model that views the neighborhood environment as an essential component in contributing to population health."

Freisthler and her colleagues analyzed aggregate data collected for the year 2000 on populations and environments in 1,646 California zip code areas, examining connections with numbers of hospital discharges for childhood injuries from accidents and assaults, and injuries related to child abuse.

They found that neighborhoods with a higher density of off-premise alcohol outlets - such as liquor stores and grocery stores that sell alcohol - had more injuries among children.

"Those neighborhoods with an already weakened structure may have a limited ability to deal with the negative effects related to high densities of alcohol outlets in their community," explained Freisthler. "First, greater densities of off-premise alcohol outlets may increase the frequency of drinking among parents at home, undermining their ability to adequately supervise their children's activities. Second, greater densities may increase the number of people who travel in and out of the neighborhood to shop or dine at restaurants, making it more difficult for residents to know who lives in the area and who is just conducting business there. Thus, other adults in the area may be less likely to intervene when they see unsupervised children playing."

"The most surprising outcome was the association with percent [of African-American residents,]" added Scribner. "It is also the most difficult to interpret. There is increasing interest in the role of black residential segregation in terms of neighborhood risk because a white and a black neighborhood with similar measured socioeconomic conditions may be very different due to environmental risks."

"This study shows that the effects of high concentrations of alcohol outlets are more far reaching than previously thought," said Freisthler. "Specific findings indicate that costs associated with injuries among children could be reduced if outlet densities were more carefully controlled. It is important to emphasize that these injuries are only one measurable outcome of the kind of lack of supervision and support that seems to occur in these disordered neighborhoods with high alcohol-outlet densities."

"Given the difficulty in [implementing] policies to modify neighborhood environments in an effort to address population health, it is a sad fact that outcomes like child abuse and child assault are more likely to get the attention of policymakers," noted Scribner. "Children are perceived as innocent and therefore it is unjust for them to be exposed to greater risk. In this vein, the study may [encourage] policymakers to experiment with targeting the neighborhood environment to address problems like child abuse, accidents, and assault."

Freisthler certainly hopes her findings will lead in that direction. "Decisions about licensing and location of alcohol outlets have important ramifications," she said. "They affect the quality of life, the relationships among neighbors, levels of crime, and the safety of all of us. Obviously, we want policy makers to pay attention to these findings. But they are also important for average citizens to understand."

"This research clearly suggests it [really] does take a village to keep our children safe," added Scribner. "So, get involved in your neighborhood. Develop informal social ties with neighbors. Make sure [that businesses] like alcohol outlets are accountable to the residents. Keep your eyes on the street. Sit on the front porch or take walks and get to know your neighborhood."
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source: Medical News Today

From Binge to Extreme Drinking

2008-09-06T07:51:00.001-04:00

Most in the substance abuse prevention field are familiar with the term "binge drinking". Defined by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), binge drinking is a minimum of 4 drinks for women or 5 drinks for men per occasion.

However, in more recent years, the term "extreme drinking" has been used to describe the drinking habits of some high school and college-aged youth. Extreme drinking goes way beyond the minimum threshold for binge drinking, notes Dr. Aaron White from Duke University Medical Center. He adds that extreme drinking doubles or even triples the usual minimum amounts of binge drinking we are familiar with.

Experts are also currently working to determine whether this type of extreme drinking, also referred to as heavy episodic binge drinking, is a kind of alcoholism.

"We think of alcoholism as chronic drunken behaviour," says Thomas Brown, an addictions specialist and professor at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine. "But the idea of this sporadic, very heavy drinking is something we're becoming increasingly concerned about".

The Addiction Services of Nova Scotia have found extreme drinking a problem area with those ages 19-29. They define extreme drinking as drinking more than your body can handle, which can put you at risk of passing out, memory loss, impaired judgment, blackouts, vomiting, injury, and alcohol overdose. With the tagline: The amount of alcohol it takes for you to pass out is dangerously close to the amount it takes to kill you, the Addiction Services of Nova Scotia released a marketing and educational campaign touting the dangers of extreme drinking along with suggested safety strategies.

In conjunction with the amount of alcohol consumed, the type of party, and who is in attendance will affect the amount of booze a person drinks. Researchers from the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland showed that students who attended a party where alcohol was available were more likely to report getting drunk than those attending parties where alcohol was not available (10.5% vs. 0.5%). Other party factors related to being drunk included the size of the party (larger parties), the location of the party (tailgating, fraternity house, off-campus near the university), and the number of friends the student attended the party with (larger number of friends).

It should be noted here that extreme and binge drinking isn’t just for the male population anymore. Past thinking generally held young males at a greater risk of binge drinking than females, however reports from CAMH (2007) have shown that there is no significant difference between males and females in regards to binge drinking (27%; 25%); drunkenness (25%; 24%); or hazardous drinking (19%; 18%).

Similarly, acording to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, four in 10 women ages 18 and 19 consume five or more alcoholic beverages in a typical drinking session, compared to about five in 10 men of the same age. Among females aged 15 to 24, one in 10 engages in weekly binge boozing versus about two in 10 males in that same demographic.

"We're encouraging girls to make their mark in what was traditionally seen as more male-specific behavioural patterns, including heavy drinking," says Thomas Brown of McGill University.

As the 2008-2009 school year is now upon us, it would be a good time for schools to look at their policies in regards to alcohol availability and discipline related to misuse, along with how prevention efforts are geared towards their female population. Policy-makers in schools need to implement decisions to deter excessive drinking through rules or policies. This can be accomplished, in part, through:

* repeated mandatory educational sessions on alcohol during school orientation in both secondary and undergraduate schooling;
* mandated server training in university-run pubs;
* health and safety training of Residence Leaders and Campus Security;
* curbing campus alcohol advertising;

along with implementing and advertising policies related to alcohol control, where to go for help, and how violations to the policy will be enforced.

Over the summer months, Alberta invoked minimum alcoholic beverage prices at bars in an effort to curb consumption by drinkers. The new rules follow similar anti-binge-drinking legislation in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and act as a good start in how governments can address the issue.
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source: Alcohol Policy Network, http://www.apolnet.ca

Martin Sheen: A costly, dangerous drug treatment initiative

2008-09-05T09:09:00.002-04:00

I was disappointed to read Peter Schrag's comments regarding Proposition 5 in his Sept. 2 column, although I can understand how well-meaning and thoughtful people can be misled by this deceptive initiative.

I agree with Schrag's concern for those who are drug dependent, but I oppose Proposition 5 because I believe it will do so much harm to so many people.

Fighting drug addiction is an issue that is very close to my heart. I believe in rehabilitation and not incarceration. But successful rehabilitation needs accountability and so often demands direct intervention in the life of someone who is addicted to drugs, rather than waiting for them to seek treatment "when they are ready."

Too many addicts are never ready or don't live long enough to become ready. That's why drug courts and judicial involvement in pushing offenders into treatment and keeping them there is vital to making rehabilitation work for so many drug- dependent individuals.

Proposition 5 promises rehabilitation – but actually prevents it. Instead of helping break the addict's cycle of self-destruction, it actually feeds the cycle by allowing addicts to continue using drugs while in treatment, without any consequence.

Proposition 5 would cripple successful rehabilitation programs and dramatically limit the power of drug-court judges to help those who need it most. It will take limited resources away from proven programs and waste them on mandated programs that have already been shown to be failures.

Proposition 5 will cost billions; if it could deliver on its promises that would be a price worth paying, but it won't deliver because it can't. It is fatally flawed at its foundations because it rewards those who continue to take drugs while in treatment, instead of requiring accountability.

While virtually all of California's sheriffs, district attorneys, police chiefs and probation officers oppose Proposition 5, it would be a mistake to suggest that their opposition is no more than a knee-jerk response. Enlightened law enforcement leaders are among the strongest supporters of drug-treatment programs and consider such programs a vital part of the solution.

Sadly, Proposition 5 shifts funding away from programs that demand accountability and into "harm reduction" programs whose goals are to make drug users better-informed consumers. Highly effective programs like Delancey Street or Narcotics Anonymous require those enrolled in treatment to quit using drugs, which means they wouldn't qualify under Proposition 5's "harm reduction" theory. Under Proposition 5, those in "treatment" could continue using drugs and even commit additional felonies, without fear of consequences. That alone should cause serious-minded people to question Proposition 5.

Yes, Proposition 5 does shorten parole from three years to just six months for drug dealers caught with up to $50,000 of methamphetamine, and, yes, Proposition 5 could allow those arrested for auto theft, identity theft and a host of other crimes involving victims to escape real consequences if they continued to violate the law.

We all need to look beyond the simplistic and the cliché and recognize that truly effective drug treatment programs with real accountability are in our best interests. The real problem with Proposition 5 is that it is not about stopping drug use. If it were, it would mandate funding for ongoing drug testing instead of prohibiting that funding, and it would not give drug sellers a reward for the harm they do to so many.

This poorly designed and dangerous initiative will deliver more drug addiction and more pain for thousands of addicts, their families and our state's communities. It is opposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the League of Latin American Citizens and prominent treatment professionals. It is opposed by former Gov. Gray Davis and by Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully and Sheriff John McGinnis. I strongly urge that this dangerous and misguided measure be given the scrutiny it deserves.
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source: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com

B.C. Court of Appeal to hear Insite case next year

2008-08-16T08:32:00.001-04:00

Ottawa's fight to shut down Vancouver's controversial supervised injection site will be heard by the B.C. Court of Appeal next April.

The federal government is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court decision that struck down sections of Canada's drug laws as unconstitutional because they prevent the facility, known as Insite, from operating.

The judge gave Ottawa until June 30 of next year to bring the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and gave Insite a constitutional exemption to stay open in the meantime.

Madam Justice Anne Rowles of the appeal court announced yesterday that three days will be set aside for the appeal beginning April 27.

But a lawyer for the federal government noted that could mean a decision might not be issued before the lower court's ruling takes effect.

"The Attorney-General asks that the appeal be heard as soon as there is available time to hear it," said Paul Riley, who had hoped for a hearing as early as December.

"The implications are significant - what we're talking about is an order declaring an important law of no force and effect."

But Judge Rowles said other lawyers' schedules meant the case couldn't be heard until the spring.

A lawyer for the Portland Hotel Society, which runs Insite and helped launch the initial court challenge, said that if Ottawa was concerned about the deadline, it should be working to update the law, not speed up the appeal process.

"The government should be doing their work as we speak," Joseph Arvay said.

Insite opened in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in 2003 under an exemption from federal drug laws, but Ottawa now wants the facility shut down. Insight allows addicts to inject their own narcotics under the supervision of medical staff.

Mr. Justice Ian Pitfield of B.C.'s Supreme Court ruled in May that denying drug addicts access to the health-care services offered at Insite violates their Charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person.

It's not clear what will happen if the Conservative government hasn't passed updated legislation by Judge Pitfield's deadline of June 30 and if the appeal isn't successful.

Lawyers at yesterday's court hearing suggested either side might apply to have the deadline extended, though Judge Rowles said that's an issue to be decided later.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Tony Clement said the minister had no comment about the appeal and said the timing is at the discretion of the court.

Officials with the federal Attorney-General's office and the Justice Department were unavailable.

The case involves a complex mix of appeals and cross-appeals involving the federal government, the two local groups that launched the initial court challenge and at least three intervenors.

The B.C. government is already an intervenor, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority are expected to apply to intervene in support of Insite.

"The civil liberties association, like the plaintiffs themselves, is responding to what in essence is a health-care crisis in the Downtown Eastside," the association's lawyer, Ryan Dalziel, said in an interview. "The service is saving lives."

The health authority, which works with the non-profit Portland Hotel Society to operate Insite, plans to keep the facility open indefinitely unless a court rules otherwise, said spokeswoman Anna Marie D'Angelo.
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source: The Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Kill-joy pill could help treat alcoholism

2008-08-15T07:26:00.000-04:00

A drug, designed to stop the euphoric effects of alcohol, could one day be used to prevent reformed alcoholics from relapsing, say US researchers.

And scientists say a kill-joy pill like this may also be useful in treating a range of overly-pleasurable pursuits.

Professor Tamara Phillips and colleagues from the Oregon Health and Science University report their study of the effects of the new drug on mice in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Phillips and team hope the drug, which blocks a stress receptor, could not only stop alcoholics from relapsing, but also stop pleasurable feelings gained from cocaine and even food.

"This drug has great potential to treat not only alcoholism, but other stress-related disorders as well," she says.

The drug, called CP 154,526, was originally developed and donated for testing by drug giant Pfizer, maker of the popular drug Viagra.

CP 154,526 physically binds to a receptor in the brain called corticotrophin-releasing factor one (CRF1).

The receptor blocks corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), a chemical released by alcohol that is thought to create pleasurable feelings.

"It's like you put the key in a lock but don't turn it," says Phillips. "Then you break the key off so no one can use it."

In the study, the researchers gave the drug to mice that had been given a steady supply of alcohol.

Mice given the drug were less likely to gesture for another drink, compared to mice that didn't receive the drug.

The effect doesn't last long - less than an hour - but it doesn't have to, according to the scientists.

"The euphoria you experience with alcohol is extremely rapid and mostly happens within the first 15 to 30 minutes after your first drink," says Phillips.

"Without that initial euphoric reaction, you are less likely to have that second, third or fourth drink."
Other effects not blocked

While the drug should prevent users from feeling happy from alcohol, it doesn't block the other effects of alcohol, such as the inability to walk in a straight line or slurred speech.

It also won't help with withdrawal symptoms or hangovers.

The researchers hope to enter human clinical trials in the next year.

If the drug is approved for human use, the patient would have to ingest the drug soon after or before their first drink for it to be effective.

CP 154,526 isn't the only drug that could help alcoholics stop drinking.

Naltroxone, which affects opioid receptors, is often effectively used in combination with counselling to stop relapse, but for some people it has little or no effect.
Treating hedonism

Phillips and her collaborators are testing their drug specifically for treating alcoholism, but she says that since CP 154,526 binds to a receptor involved in stress and anxiety more generally, it could help treat a number of overly-pleasurable pursuits.

That view is backed up by Dr George Koob, a scientist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, who also studies CP 154,526 but was not involved in Phillips' study.

"CRF antagonists [like CP 154,526] could help re-establish homeostasis involved with hedonic disregulation," says Koob. "This drug could be of use in many different situations."

Other studies have shown that CRF helps regulate the pleasurable effects of nicotine, heroin and cocaine, says Koob.

"In every system there is a yin and a yang, and the same goes for hedonic activities," he added.

"With lots of pleasure there is usually a crash as well."
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source: ABC News in Science

Blocking Drug-Related Memories May Prevent Relapses

2008-08-14T08:39:00.001-04:00

It may be possible to prevent a drug addiction relapse by disrupting the brain's attempts to retrieve drug-associated memories, according to new research.

U.K. researchers reduced drug-seeking behaviors in rats by blocking their brain's NMDA-type glutamate receptor, which is vital for learning and memory, during the recall of drug-associated memories. Researchers have known that recalling memories linked to previous drug use, such as environmental cues, can cause recovering drug addicts to relapse.

The findings are published in the Aug. 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

In the study, researchers at the University of Cambridge trained rats to associate a light going on with receiving a dose of cocaine. They "reactivated" the memory by exposing the rats to the light without the cocaine infusion. Later, the rats continued to perform behaviors that turned on the light or learned to perform new behaviors to try to get more cocaine.

The rats' cocaine-seeking behaviors were reduced after the researchers gave the animals a chemical that interfered with the NMDA-type glutamate receptor. When the single treatment was given just prior to the reactivation session, it reduced or even stopped drug-seeking behavior for up to a month; however, when given after or without the reactivation session, it had no effect on subsequent drug-seeking behaviors.

The findings suggest combining existing therapy with properly timed use of NMDA receptor inhibitors may help addicts kick their habits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration already has approved several NMDA receptor inhibitors, including the cough suppressant dextramethorphan and the Alzheimer's disease drug memantine.

More information:

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment has more about dealing with addiction at: http://csat.samhsa.gov/NACOA/family.aspx
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source: Copyright 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Study Of Alcohol Abuse Among U.S. Troops

2008-08-13T08:12:00.001-04:00

As our troops return from war, some of them are dealing with something new: Heavy drinking and binge drinking.

It's in a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There is help for the troops, but this is a Department of Defense study done to understand problem drinking among our troops who have seen combat.

Then the findings can guide military leaders and others in changing policies, and finding new prevention strategies.

Isabel Jacobson is a researcher with the Department of Defense Center for Deployment Health Research.

She says, "We saw an increased risk in newly reported heavy weekly drinking, newly reported binge drinking and newly reported alcohol-related problems.

According to the study, Jacobson and her team analyzed data from more than 48,000 servicemen and women across all branches of the U.S. military.

Jacobson says, "Our findings showed that the individuals who deployed and reported combat exposures were at increased risk for newly reported alcohol behaviors."

At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson there is a unique program through the Department of Justice and the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety to keep airmen from getting into trouble when they drink.

It's a three-year pilot program that is seeing results.

Air Force Lt. Col. Jim DeLong is the Chairman of the Culture of Responsible Choices, or CoRC, at Davis-Monthan.

He says "What we try to do is provide our airmen with alternative activities on the weekends, late at night--normally when young airmen might get in trouble. We've had dodgeball tournaments, basketball tournaments. Anything our airmen want to do."

DeLong says CoRC is open to everyone, including members of other service branches.

The military also provide medical programs for servicemen and women who find themselves with a drinking problem, whether they've seen combat or not.

But DeLong says when airmen have experienced the CoRC program, it might be just one of the things they can turn to when they return from combat.

He says, "When they come back, if they know the program's there, and they've experienced it and enjoyed it, I think it can benefit those young airmen because they're not searching for something. They already know it's there.

The CoRC prevention program at Davis-Monthan is only a pilot program at just five U.S. air force bases.

There's no guarantee it will be funded permanently.

But it's open to everyone, including Reserve and National Guard personnel.

And the Defense Department study has found those troops are at the highest risk of having

How the economic recession is forcing many to hit the bottle

2008-08-12T06:56:00.002-04:00

A shocking confession from a school teacher about the hold alcohol had on her life.

In these tough economic times, experts say an alarming number of people turn to alcohol to numb their pain.

An estimated half million people here in Arizona suffer from alcoholism and when a recession hits experts tell us fewer people reach out for help.

We begin with a woman who sought comfort in alcohol. Vodka was her drink of choice. She thought she had it under control that is until she lost everything.

“I do believe I was born an alcoholic,” Marci Johnson said. “I drank primarily to function.”

The numbers of people battling the bottle here in Arizona alone are staggering and it is estimated that every year, more than 400,000 people with an alcohol crisis fail to receive the alcohol rehabilitation that they need.

Experts say right now, in the throws of this recession an even more alarming number of people are scared to seek help.

“When the economy is doing as poorly as we are turning to the drugs because it does numb us out to the experience, okay I'm drunk, it is easier to have this feeling right now than for me to go back to my family and say okay I don't have enough money to pay our mortgage,” said Director of Outpatient Service at St. Luke’s Chip Coffey.

Coffey worries that people are suffering in the shadows and afraid of what will happen if they admit that they are addicted to alcohol.

“Addiction is a funny thing and most people don't understand addiction,” Ellie Schafer said.

Counseling alcoholics has been Ellie Schafer's life work. At 91 she still volunteers at St Luke’s trying to help people overcome addiction.

“People are using alcohol and drugs at much younger ages than in the 50s when I started working,” she said.

In the chapel a prayer book shows signs of these difficult times, one person writes "lord please let me find employment."

They come to church seeking strength, trying to find peace and when it happens, Schafer said it is remarkable.

“You see the change in women must faster as they are detoxing, the softness that happens in their features, you just can't imagine,” she said.

For Johnson, the school teacher who used to drink vodka in the classroom, the battle with the bottle left her with no job, no friends and failing health.

“I know today that I had a disease that affected my mind body and spirit and I had to deal with all of those in recovery,” Johnson said.

Today at 79 Johnson is a recovered alcoholic. She hopes her story is a warning to those who are fighting this disease.

Especially in these trying times, there are all those thousands of people who are quietly suffering.

The experts who worked with on this story say an alcoholic has to experience the serious consequences of their addiction, meaning they have to hit rock bottom before they can truly get better.
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source: http://www.azfamily.com

A Dis-ease Which Tells Us It Isn’t one Is Addiction All in the Mind?

2008-08-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

When it comes to addiction, two schools of thought dominate: 1) Addiction is all in the mind of the addict, and 2) Addiction is an identifiable and very real disease.

What if both are true?

Enter: The Secret Disease of Addiction: A Dis-ease Which Tells Us it Isn’t one, by Jane Allen, a recovering addict and co-founder of Affinity Lodge, a rehabilitation center producing success rates far above most facilities. Allen offers a provocative and controversial explanation of addiction based on it starting and ending in the brain, and why addiction is an acquired disease.

Unlike virtually any ‘theory’ put forth on the topic of alcohol and drug addiction, Allen posits that the disease of addiction is created and acquired by over-use of mood-altering substances.

The Secret Disease of Addiction, inspired and influenced by Allen’s mentor and co-founder of Affinity Lodge, John Gillen, explains in clear, simple language the psycho-biology of addiction by blending scientific knowledge with personal experiences.

The underpinnings of Allen’s philosophy on addiction have led to amazingly successful outcomes at Affinity Lodge, with a recovery rate far exceeding most programs.

“Addiction is an acquired disease, and this is difficult for most people to understand,” says Allen. “But when a person does come to understand it, stable recovery becomes much more possible.”

Although Allen’s program for stable and enduring recovery shares some similarities with Alcoholics Anonymous in terms of a heavy focus on God and spirituality, its premise – true understanding of the disease and self-empowerment rather than ‘outside’ dependency – differs substantially. Allen’s book outlines a process which starts with an admission that addicts are powerless in fighting the disease on their own, but its focus is on educating the addict to fully understand the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of recovery, supported by science.

“Addiction has a ‘starting point,’” notes Allen. “It is not solely a genetic predisposition to addiction; there are emotional, psychological and physical reasons why Happy Hours often equate to sad years, and why we turn to mood-altering substances to self-medicate.”

The Secret Disease of Addiction covers topics including:

Why addiction is a ‘disease which tells us it is not a disease’
Why addiction is in fact a disease caused by over-use of alcohol or drugs
The ‘party effect’ which often happens in adolescence, and why the ‘buzz’ of substances causes some to become addicted, while others do not.
The biological ‘need for relief’
The ‘geometric’ progression of addiction – from tolerance to dependency
Why addiction is a disease of stress, created by lifestyles and environment

“My book is a non-AA book which openly discusses and acknowledges the importance of God and spirituality,” adds Allen. “88% of people in AA don’t really ‘get it,’ and only 5% of those who do stay on the program. Understanding the multi-faceted underpinnings of addiction dramatically improves success statistics; I know because I’ve lived it and see it in our program.”
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About the author
Jane Allen was raised in a middle class family and moved out at the age of 19. After a serious back injury led to a 10+ year addiction to painkillers, Allen went to several recovery and counseling programs with no long term success. After meeting John Gillen, Allen was able to control her addiction. She is currently an addiction specialist at Affinity Lodge located outside of London.
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source: Tristate Observer, http://www.tristateobserver.com

Europe's Biggest Drinkers

2008-08-09T07:33:00.000-04:00

Europeans knocked back 79 billion liters of alcohol in 2006, or 101.25 liters for every person. In the U.S. the figure was 98.7 liters per person, while in the Asia Pacific region, it was just 22.1, according to research consultancy International Wine and Spirits.

It's no surprise that Europe is home to the world's heaviest drinkers; from whiskey in Scotland to wine in France, the continent has some long and deeply embedded alcohol traditions. Nevertheless, our ranking of Europe's heaviest-drinking nations revealed some startling results.

By The Numbers: Europe's Biggest Drinkers

Croatia, the Balkan nation on the Adriatic Sea, came in at No. 1, while Britain, where fears about binge drinking have prompted a flurry of new legislation, came in at only No. 15. France and Sweden didn't even rank in the top 20.

We graded each country based on alcohol consumption per capita, legal restrictions on drinking, diseases resulting from alcohol abuse, and whether drinking habits, such as binge drinking or drinking in public places, are especially risky.

Each country was assigned a rank on the basis of each data set; the results were then totaled to produce a final rank.

Though Croatia came in only at No. 5 in terms of per capita consumption, the risky drinking pattern of its population, as well as high death rates from cirrhosis, put it at the top of our list. In terms of per-capita alcohol consumption alone, the Czech Republic came in first. Hungarians suffer the highest death rate from cirrhosis.

Europe isn't just a heavy consumer of alcohol--booze production plays an important role in the economy. It's home to some of the world's largest drink companies, such as Jameson whiskey maker Pernod Ricard, and Diageo (nyse: DEO - news - people ), the company behind brands such as Smirnoff and Guinness. According to a report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies for the European Commission (IAS), Europe produces a quarter of the world's alcohol, and the booze industry employs around 750,000 people in production alone.

But alcohol consumption takes a heavy toll. The tangible costs of drinking in the European Union, including health costs and loss of workforce productivity, were estimated at some 125 billion euros ($197.3 billion) in 2003, or 1.3% of gross domestic product, according to the study.

Nearly all the top 15 biggest drinking nations are in Central or Eastern Europe. Poverty and the harsh climate, particularly in Russia, play a part, as does the tradition of drinking. "Where it's extremely cold it's not uncommon for people to drink all day long," said Val Smith, president of International Wine and Spirits, which provided the data on per-capita alcohol consumption.

And particularly in agrarian regions; farmers often produce their own home brews from anything ranging from potatoes to sugar beets, making alcohol very accessible and very cheap, said Smith. This also makes per capita consumption hard to measure, with official figures sometimes well below actual consumption rates.

After a surge in binge drinking during the mid-1990s, Western Europe has sobered up substantially as greater affluence, education and the professionalization of the work force have changed drinking patterns, according to Ben Baumberg, policy and research officer at the IAS who authored the European Commission's report. A bottle of wine at lunch has become much less common in places like France and Italy.

Methodology

To determine Europe's drunkest countries we ranked 33* nations in four areas: consumption, regulation, riskiness of drinking patterns and health impact. The top 15 are included in our ranking.

Drinking: European countries were ranked 1 to 33 on the basis of per capita alcohol consumption during 2006, gathered by consultancy International Wine and Spirits.

Regulation: Using information from the World Health Organization for Europe's alcohol control data base, we assigned each country a score of 1 (the least restrictive) to 9 (the most restrictive) based on laws affecting alcohol consumption, including age restrictions on sales and opening hours at bars.

Drinking Pattern: We used the World Health Organization's scores for risky drinking behavior, which includes binge drinking and drinking in public places. Each country is assigned a score of 1 to 4, 1 being the least risky and 4 being the most.

Health Impact: We used data from the World Health Organization's Global Information System on Alcohol and Health to rank the countries from 1 to 33 based on the death rate from cirrhosis, a liver disease caused by alcoholism, per 100,000 people.

Weighting: Each of the four factors was given equal weight. Per capita consumption was used to break ties.

*Moldova, Albania and Cyprus were excluded from as complete data was not available.
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source: Forbes

Harm reduction, or abstinence?

2008-08-08T08:20:00.001-04:00

BACK in 2003 many residents of Vancouver reckoned that an answer had finally been found to the worsening hard-drug problem in the liberal-minded city’s Downtown Eastside district. A reformist city council, borrowing a European idea, opened the first supervised heroin-injection clinic in North America. It was set up as a research experiment, with a three-year remit (since twice extended). The idea was that giving addicts a safe place to inject themselves would remove them from crime, disease and other risks, and make them more amenable to treatment. The Liberals who were then running the federal government agreed, and blessed Insite, as the project is called, with C$1.5m (then worth $1.1m) and a vital exemption from drug laws.

Five years on, Insite has proved a disappointment to many in Vancouver. It has also become the object of partisan conflict. The Conservative federal government of Stephen Harper dislikes the project. A committee set up to advise it on the issue found that only about 500 of Vancouver’s 8,000 addicts use Insite each day, and fewer than 10% of those use it for all their injections. It found no clear evidence of any increase in treatment, nor of any fall in HIV cases. It did estimate that the project might have saved one life per year but found that overdose deaths were still about 50 a year among addicts. Crime continues unabated as addicts steal to feed their habits, something which frustrates the local police. The government therefore proposed to allow Insite’s legal exemption to lapse when it expired in June.

Many health workers thereupon sprang to Insite’s defence. They are convinced that the project’s “harm-reduction” approach can work. In May they gained an order from a justice of British Columbia’s Supreme Court to stop the federal government from closing the clinic. In a radical ruling Justice Ian Pitfield found the federal law prohibiting the possession and trafficking of drugs to be unconstitutional and said that closing Insite would deny addicts access to a “health-care facility”. Allowing the clinic to stay open, he gave the federal government a year to amend its anti-drug law. The federal government promptly appealed against the ruling.

Health care in Canada is a provincial matter. Last month Quebec stepped into the drug debate. Its public-health director announced that he was considering plans for supervised injection sites in Montreal and Quebec City. This seems to have made things even stickier for the federal health minister, Tony Clement.

This week Mr Clement restated his opposition to Insite. “Allowing and/or encouraging people to inject heroin into their veins is not harm reduction, it is the opposite,” he said while attending an international conference on AIDS in Mexico City. He wants to focus instead on treatment and prevention. But he has remained silent as to whether the government would grant any request from Quebec for exemption from drug-prohibition laws. Mr Harper’s hopes of turning his government’s minority status into a majority at the next election depend on winning seats in Quebec. So the future of drug policy in Canada may turn on a political calculation.
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source: The Economist, http://www.economist.com

Public supports shutting injection site, Ottawa says

2008-08-07T12:11:00.001-04:00

Ottawa is determined to shut down Vancouver's safe-injection site because it's necessary to "draw a line" about which public health measures are acceptable, Canada's Health Minister says.

Tony Clement said that while the government supports needle exchanges as a legitimate intervention, providing a site to facilitate the injection of illegal drugs is going too far. He also invoked the slippery-slope argument.

"There are already people saying injection sites aren't enough, that true harm reduction is giving out heroin for free," the minister said.

"You have to draw the line somewhere and we feel we're drawing the line in a place Canadians are comfortable," Mr. Clement said in an interview in Mexico City, where he is attending the 17th International AIDS Conference.

Mark Townsend, a spokesman for the PHS Community Services Society, which helps run Insite, Vancouver's safe-injection site, called the notion "depressing silliness."

He said supervised injection sites provide better care for addicts and increase their likeliness to attend detox, so it makes little sense to throw support behind needle exchanges as a legitimate intervention.

"There's really little difference between needle exchanges and supervised injection sites, except for in a supervised injection site, there's a nurse there," Mr. Townsend said. "If you overdose, you don't die."

Earlier in the week, the World Health Organization issued a new guide for countries on how to best tackle the epidemic of HIV-AIDS that strongly endorsed a broad array of harm-reduction measures, including safe-injection sites.

Mr. Clement said that it is up to each country to decide what measures are appropriate, and "it's not my job to kowtow to orthodoxy."

The minister said intravenous drug use and its role in fuelling the epidemic of HIV-AIDS requires a mix of prevention, treatment and enforcement and he's convinced Canada has the balance right.

"I believe I'm on the side of compassion and on the side of the angels."

But Carolyn Bennett, the Liberal public health critic, balked at that suggestion, saying Mr. Clement "opposes supervised injection sites yet says he supports needle exchange, which makes no medical sense."

She said the Conservative government's stand is driven by ideology, not compassion, and accused Mr. Clement of "embarrassing Canada" on the world stage.

At the Mexico City conference, Canada has also been under fire for what some call its paltry contribution to the fight against AIDS, both domestically and internationally.

Julio Montaner, a Vancouver physician who heads the International AIDS Society, told Mr. Clement that Canada should be ashamed that it is not contributing as much, per capita, as its neighbour to the south.

Last week, U.S. President George W. Bush approved a plan to spend $48-billion (U.S.) over the next five years on AIDS programs.

Currently, Canada invests a fraction of what the United States does: $550-million over the past three years on HIV-AIDS programs abroad. In Mexico, Mr. Clement announced an additional $45-million in funding.

"I acknowledge that it's not $45-billion but it's commensurate with Canada's abilities," the minister said.

Mr. Clement said Ottawa is spending $84.4-million on AIDS programs this year, the highest amount in its history.
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source: The Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Dumb drug policies enrich criminals

2008-08-06T09:12:00.000-04:00

WHO WOULD have thought that cavalier lending practices in the U.S. Sunbelt would damage the second-largest industry in British Columbia?

No, I’m not talking about forestry and lumber. I’m talking about dope. BC Business magazine reckons that marijuana production in B.C. contributes $7.5 billion and 250,000 jobs to the province’s GDP — second only to construction, and more than forestry.

Most of the product is exported to the United States. The RCMP estimate that marijuana is being grown in about 20,000 B.C. homes, not to mention sizable farms in the Interior and large-scale commercial operations in former warehouses and industrial buildings. One academic study concluded that if marijuana in B.C. were legalized, the province would see $5 billion in additional legal business activity and could collect $2 billion in taxes.

The ranks of British Columbia marijuana producers have also broadened remarkably. Cannabis cultivation is no longer the exclusive preserve of organized crime, though organized crime certainly continues to thrive in the fetid netherworld of prohibition. Today, however, marijuana production has become a sideline for thousands of otherwise law-abiding middle-class citizens.

As a recent BBC report put it, "Much of the revenue derived from B.C. Bud, as the cannabis crop is known, goes on paying college fees, perhaps buying a second car or making that holiday to the Caribbean just a little bit more affordable." As a result, "the trade is so large that the police in B.C. are faced with an impossible task."

Indeed they are, and the job is getting harder. The RCMP drug section in Greater Vancouver once employed more than 100 officers; it’s now down to 60. The number of tips they receive about grow-ops has also fallen, from 615 in September 2003 to 207 last December.

Does that mean that the number of grow-ops has fallen? Probably it has, says Tony Emery, a leading cannabis advocate and leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party.

For one thing, the rising Canadian dollar has hurt the competitiveness of B.C. Bud, just as it has hurt filmmakers, the forest industries and furniture manufacturers.

In addition, the downturn in the U.S. economy has induced many Americans to try their hand at growing their own pot. Marijuana plantations have been turning up in the national forests, while laid-off workers and homeowners facing foreclosure have been converting their basements and spare rooms into grow-ops. Even a tiny operation using only a couple of high-intensity lights can earn $20,000 a year for the owner — in cash, and tax-free.

"It certainly is enough to tide people over, no problem," Emery says, "and two lights are not going to get you into trouble, either."

So there you have it. Predatory and foolhardy lending practices in the United States lead to a wave of foreclosures. Wary consumers stop buying. Workers get laid off. Desperate for cash, the victims of the downturn try their hand at illicit agriculture. At the same time, the rising loonie makes B.C. Bud less competitive, so Canadian growers find their markets contracting.

What’s so striking about this story is that it really is not a story about crime and the law. It’s a business story, and almost all accounts of the situation treat it that way. In theory this whole industry is illegal, but in practice it’s so big that the police can’t even begin to control it. Any serious attempt to enforce the law would require an army of police officers and gobble up so much public money that governments would almost have to abandon such other concerns as health care and education.

So the business is completely unregulated and the only controls on it are the controls the market itself imposes. As with any business, unfavourable market conditions affect the industry. Adverse exchange rates and increased competition drive prices down and eliminate marginal producers.

Nevertheless, the market is huge and hungry. It reaches into every social class and every age group, though a recent study from the University of Alberta apparently revealed that marijuana is particularly popular among educated, middle-class Canadians. Do they wish to break the law? Probably not. But do they think this law deserves to be obeyed? Obviously not.

In short, the law has essentially made itself irrelevant. If anything, the law benefits the business. To a large extent, the industry is profitable precisely because it is illegal. All entrepreneurs take risks, but if the risks include jail time, only the boldest entrepreneurs will enter the business — and they’ll demand a premium for the extra risk.

The net result of our irrational drug policies is that we enrich the criminals and criminalize ordinary citizens. We control tobacco and alcohol far more effectively than we control any illegal drugs. If those are the results we want, these policies are perfect.
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source: The Chronicle-Herald Nova Scotia, http://thechronicleherald.ca/TheNovaScotian

Authorities helping kids in drug homes

2008-08-05T08:19:00.001-04:00

Kids from drug-infested homes often start their lives in the bottom of the ninth, down by five runs and with two strikes against them.

Their odds aren't good.

We've gotten a glimpse into that world in recent days, most graphically in the story of Jessica Kasten -- the Wausau woman convicted of letting one of her children die of suffocation as she slept off a methamphetamine bender.

Her parents, who spoke at length with a Gannett Wisconsin Media reporter, said Kasten's own upbringing in a home rife with drugs and alcohol didn't give her a good start in life.

Kasten's story has been revealing to many of us. But it comes as no surprise to police and social workers, who see such tragedies unfolding all the time.

They've had enough, and they're trying to do something about it.

Until recently, authorities had no standard procedure for dealing with kids from drug homes. The dwellings they would encounter were squalid or, even worse, toxic with residue of chemicals used to make drugs.

Police would show up and take parents to jail for dealing or using drugs. Children would be sent off to a relative's house, and everyone would get back to work -- until the next bust, when the same cycle would begin all over again.

Now, an encounter with a drug home automatically kicks a special procedure into gear.

The Drug Endangered Children Program, developed by the Marathon County Sheriff's Department, ties together 15 area police agencies, social workers and two hospitals, all dedicated with giving kids from drug homes a chance.

As soon as police know children are involved in a drug home, they begin building two cases -- one to prosecute the parents and another to help the children.

"Officers are trained to look for how close chemicals are to where kids eat and sleep, to test clothing for chemicals for child neglect and abuse charges," Marathon County Sheriff's Department Capt. Tom Kujawa said. "When the kids get to the hospital, doctors are trained to look for chemicals on their skin and in their systems. A lot of times, you would put kids with a brother or grandparent or whatever, and it would turn out they were cooking drugs, too. So now, we have a whole checklist we go through to make sure we get them to a safe environment."

Often, Kujawa said, children must leave behind everything they own because it's all contaminated with drugs. So police give them backpacks of clothing, toiletries and blankets that are knitted by church groups and -- of all people -- male prison inmates.

The Sheriff's Department started the Drug Endangered Children program about three years ago, when methamphetamine first started appearing.

Now, it's being adopted around the state -- and being put to more use than ever.

In May, authorities used the system when they raided a Wausau-area meth house and removed three children, ages 5, 7 an 14.

"Without intervention, they have zero chance," said Kujawa, who was leader of the county's drug enforcement unit when the program began.

"Kids need an opportunity to be kids, and we cheat them out of life," Kujawa said. "Some of these kids, 5, 6, 7 years old, the kids are raising the parents because of the addiction. It's just sad."

It is sad. But thanks to this program -- the first of its kind in Wisconsin -- some of these children are getting a new chance at life.
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source: Wisconsin Info, http://www.wisinfo.com

Breaking addictions

2008-08-04T10:14:00.001-04:00

New regulation bans tobacco use in programs for other dependencies

By now, most people understand the dangers of smoking and the benefits of a tobacco-free environment — but it never hurts to make the point again, and what better entity to do so than the state and what better time to start than the present?

On the anniversary of the Clean Indoor Air Act, the commissioner of the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services announced a proposed Tobacco-Free regulation for all programs funded or certified by her office — no tobacco use in any facilities, any grounds under provider control or any vehicles owned, leased or operated by the programs.

That places New York in a group of states that require all of their chemical dependence prevention and treatment programs to become tobacco-free. The new regulation took affect July 24.

Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo presents a compelling argument for the need: Up to 92 percent of the chemically-dependent population smokes, even though the overall state average is 18.2 percent. Research shows that those in chemical dependence treatment programs are more likely to die from a tobacco-related illness than from alcoholism or drugs.

The new regulation should be a direct benefit to the 110,000 New Yorkers within the Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services system on any given day — but the state-funded agencies must also work to ensure that the new tobacco- free environment in those programs does not deter new or current clients.

Part of treating addiction is treating nicotine, said K. Michael Cummings, senior cancer research scientist and director of the Tobacco Control Program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. More and more, Cummings said, experts find that people who are still smoking also tend to have other “comorbidities,” substance abuse problems and, possibly, mental health issues such as depression.

The percentage of those in New York state and nationally who smoke is declining, but those who do smoke tend to have fewer resources to quit — so if the state is investing funds to help people end their cocaine, alcohol or heroine addiction, nicotine addiction also should be treated.

This is a shift from the mind-set of years ago in the treatment field, when forcing clients to give up cigarettes was taboo. The belief was that quitting tobacco would have an adverse affect on getting addicts to quit alcohol or drugs. There have been enough studies completed now to suggest that is not the case, as Cummings said, adding that he hasn’t seen evidence that people will forgo substance abuse treatment because they can’t light up a cigarette indoors.
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source: The Buffalo News, http://www.buffalonews.com

Wayzata retreat simplifies recovery

2008-08-03T07:36:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago, a small group of people frustrated by the rising cost of treating addiction decided to try to turn back the clock.

Managed care was eroding the Minnesota Model, the residential treatment programs that made the state the place to go to get sober. Hundreds of treatment centers around the country were closing as insurers tried to cut costs. The survivors, such as the famed Hazelden Foundation, were under pressure to show clinical results. They added medical staff, pushing prices beyond the reach of many.

The little group tried a different path.

They eschewed the clinical psychiatry and pharmaceuticals embraced by the rest of the industry, going back to the roots of the treatment movement: a full month's residence, surrender to a higher power and support from a community of former addicts.

"We went in a direction nobody was going -- simpler, more affordable," said John Curtiss, a longtime Hazelden executive who left to start the new venture.

They called it "The Retreat."

Now housed in a former nuns' retreat in Wayzata's Big Woods, it offers a one-month residential program for about $4,000, about one-seventh of what Hazelden charges. Its outcomes are comparable to that of other major centers, with 50 percent of those who come through abstaining from alcohol and drugs for 12 months afterward, Curtiss said.

Ten years after its inception, The Retreat hasn't exactly reversed the course of American addiction treatment, which continues to get more expensive. But it has thrived and spawned similar centers in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hong Kong.

"The Retreat is a model for the nation of affordable treatment that works," said U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, a recovering alcoholic and longtime national advocate for better access to treatment. He is a regular volunteer at the Retreat.

Making access affordable

On a recent morning, two dozen women gather in a sun-filled room to study the "Big Book," the bible of Alcoholics Anonymous. Young and old, they bend over the volumes, pages heavily underlined.

Ralph C., a bearded, bow-tied volunteer, is talking about spiritual surrender.

"Is it possible that there is a power that has more horsepower out there?" asks Ralph C., who uses just his first name in line with AA's philosophy. "Am I beginning to suspect it's not another man who's going to fix this? Or a counselor or a drink?"

Quit trying to play God, he tells them.

They are among the few who have managed to get affordable help on the road to recovery. Many others never do. In 2006, 23.6 million people age 12 or older needed treatment for addiction, but only 2.5 million, or 10 percent, got it, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Cost is often a barrier -- with most programs charging $30,000 or more for a month-long stay. Not all insurance covers treatment, and not all centers accept insurance.

The Retreat draws half of its patients from Minnesota, the rest from as far away as India and Australia. The average age is 38 and most have college educations.

The program isn't for everyone. With no clinical staff, the typical client is medically stable and highly motivated. Eighty percent have been through previous treatments.

"We wanted to create a dignified, safe place to go, away from the burning house of addiction," Curtiss said.

If they're suicidal or otherwise need medical help, the Retreat refers them to Hazelden. Other centers in turn refer patients here.

"They have a niche," said Ron Hunsicker, president of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. But the fact that the program hasn't been copied by many suggests its clientele may be limited, Hunsicker said. More addicts are showing up for treatment these days needing medical care.

But William Moyers, executive director of Hazelden's Center for Public Advocacy, differs. "I believe the Retreat is the future of recovery," he said. "It's crucial to replicate it." There is a need for cheaper alternatives for those who relapse, he said.

It was the Retreat, Moyers said, that inspired Hazelden to start its Lodge program in 2002, a nonclinical retreat on its Center City campus.

Letting go of insurance

Curtiss was a patient at Hazelden in the 1970s and returned as a counselor. He worked his way up to vice president of Hazelden's national operations, overseeing multibillion-dollar expansions into New York and Chicago.

In the early 1990s, health insurers, anxious to cut costs, were scrutinizing chemical dependency programs. As insurers insisted on medical diagnoses, addiction centers duly produced them.

"You want to see pathology? We'll show you lots of pathology," said Curtiss, describing the mood of the day. As centers hired more medical staff, costs went up further.

Others were uneasy.

"We were going down the wrong path, trying very hard to make alcoholism into a mental illness," said Dr. George Mann, former director of treatment at St. Mary's Hospital in Minneapolis, now part of Fairview Health Services.

Mann, Curtiss and others began meeting to discuss solutions. In 1998, with a grant from the Johnson Institute, they opened a facility with 20 beds in the old Pillsbury mansion in Minnetrista. Curtiss staffed and furnished it for the grand sum of $177,000.

The Retreat didn't register as a treatment center. Instead, it is regulated by the state Department of Health as "board and lodging." It has grown into an 80-bed campus in Wayzata and runs 54 sober living beds in St. Paul for program graduates.

Over the decade, about 3,500 clients have come through the monthlong program, a third of those with financial help provided by donations. The center doesn't have contracts with insurers.

Stoked by volunteers

In any month, 250 volunteers lead chapel services at The Retreat, drive patients or teach the "Big Book." They not only help keep costs down, they form a vital safety net of recovering addicts.

Alcoholism is "not a disease where people bake casseroles and come over," said Dee L., a volunteer wearing a business suit and pearls. A client three years ago, Dee now returns often to tell her story. She does it as much for herself as for them: "This is how I stay sober."

Even board members continue to work for free. The top executive, Curtiss, is paid $140,000 a year.

An early volunteer at The Retreat was Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods."

Zimmern left New York City and checked into Hazelden in 1992, in his words: "a homeless, alcohol- and drug-addled wreck." He credits Hazelden for saving his life. Luckily for Zimmern, his former business partner had continued to pay his health premiums, so insurance covered his treatment.

After he left, Zimmern became concerned that too many people couldn't afford the same. So he volunteers at the Retreat.

"We all know recovery works at its simplest," he said, "when one alcoholic talks to another."
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source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com

Demon alcohol claims another soul

2008-08-02T07:44:00.001-04:00

The email arrived out of nowhere. It was from friends I'd lost touch with and it said Brian had died.

"He died in the hospital Tuesday night," it said and "he'd been in poor health for awhile" and "he had heart problems."

So I emailed back, said I was sorry to hear about Brian and mentioned that my daughter had died of cirrhosis of the liver two years ago.

So they emailed back and said that Brian's deteriorating health was alcohol related.

"Little by little, he lost his ability to walk," they said.

I try to picture my former drinking buddy, all six-feet-four inches of him, unable to walk and can't do it.

Instead, I see him at the pub table. I see us all at the pub table, drinking too much, laughing, drinking some more and going to work hungover the next day

I see him dumping a beer all over a guy who joked about the little bald spot on the back of his head. At 28, he hated that bald spot.

I listen and I can hear one of us, him, me, you, order another round.

Then, we drifted away, to other jobs, to other towns.

Some of us kept drinking, some of us didn't.

I did. Until one day, after a couple of blackouts, I knew it was time to quit. I did that, too.

I guess Brian didn't. He kept on drinking. More and more.

For whatever reason. Those of us who have drinking problems can never adequately explain to a non-drinker why we continue in that cycle. Maybe there is no explanation.

Drinking to excess is of course, older than Allah, more common than high gas prices and every bit as dangerous as crystal meth. It's just that booze usually takes a little longer to rip a life apart than does meth or cocaine.

And it is that ordinariness of drinking, that "sure I'll have another beer" of it that makes it so socially acceptable.

We tell ourselves that Uncle John likes to drink a bit too much or that our sister Jennifer seems to be getting into the martinis earlier in the afternoon. We may even mention the fact to John or Jennifer, get rebuffed and tell ourselves to forget it.

And then, one day John or Jennifer -- or my daughter, or Brian -- is rushed to a hospital emergency department.

As I look back on my daughter's drinking, my own drinking and Brian's, I wonder if we're so concerned about drugs that we forget -- or minimize -- what booze can do.

Blessed are those who can have one or two glasses of beer or wine or whatever and get a trifle tipsy now and again. If I could do that, I'd start drinking again tomorrow.

But I and, according to Health Canada, some 4.5 million problem drinkers in this country cannot.

Excessive drinking is not attractive or amusing, especially as it continues year after year.

It is instead, debilitating, dangerous and in any number of cases, lethal. I know that, so does my daughter. And now Brian knows it too.
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source: Edmonton Sun

Drug has potential to prevent alcoholics from relapsing

2008-07-31T07:31:00.000-04:00

An experimental drug blocks euphoric feelings prompted by drinking and could potentially prevent alcoholics from relapsing, after being tested on mice.

The next step will be to test the drug, CP 154,526, to see if it is safe for humans. If it clears that hurdle, researchers will start human trials to determine if the drug can prevent alcoholic relapse.

"We showed we could block behaviour in mice that resembles this increased euphoria even after the animals had been given a lot of alcohol," said Tamara Phillips, professor and vice chair of the behavioural neuroscience department at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

Earlier research has shown that some people's brains become sensitised as a result of chronic exposure to alcohol. This change in the brain does not subside after people quit drinking. So when they begin consuming alcohol again, "they get a bigger jolt," Phillips said.

Alcohol consumption causes the body to release a substance known as "corticotrophin-releasing factor" or CRF. It activates receptors in the brain.

Phillips and her team determined that a brain receptor called CRF1 appears to be involved in this heightened pleasure sensation. They compared the responses of normal mice and mice bred without the CRF1 receptor to chronic doses of alcohol. Mice without the CRF1 receptor did not experience the euphoric jolt the normal mice demonstrated.

The research team also took normal mice with the CRF1 receptor and exposed them to chronic doses of alcohol. Before testing for the euphoric response, the researchers gave the mice an experimental drug called CP 154,526 - developed by Pfizer - which prevents CRF from reaching the brain receptor. This group of mice also did not experience the heightened reaction.

The results may be particularly applicable to stress-induced relapse. That's because the CRF1 receptor also triggers the body's response to stress.

This could have implications for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) patients. "I think if you block this receptor, you might be able to decrease drinking in response to PTSD," Phillips said.

Phillips' study recently was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.
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source: New Kerala, http://www.newkerala.com

Dope smokers not so mellow

2008-07-30T09:46:00.001-04:00

More than a third of people who present at Sydney emergency departments after smoking cannabis are violent and half have mental health problems such as severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts, shattering the image that dope smokers are relaxed and sleepy, researchers have found.

The data, collected by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, at the University of NSW, indicates that cannabis users can be as aggressive as crystal methamphetamine users, with almost one in four men and one in three women being violent toward hospital staff or injuring themselves after acting aggressively. Almost 12 per cent were considered a suicide risk.

"It flies in the face of what people typically think of cannabis - that it is a natural herb that makes people mellow," the centre's director, Professor Jan Copeland, said yesterday.

"The reality is that it can make people highly agitated and trigger acute episodes of anxiety."

She said the study, which covered two hospitals from 2004 to 2006, revealed that more than 9 per cent of cannabis users had depression or bipolar disorder, 5 per cent had schizophrenia and 4 per cent had paranoia and a history of self-harm.

"It's the first time we have ever gathered this data and it is highly surprising. It's apparent that we need a higher level of early intervention to pick up these problems before they get to the emergency department," Professor Copeland said.

The head of emergency at St Vincent's hospital, Gordian Fulde, said yesterday most people still believed marijuana was a soft drug, but "the old image of feeling sleepy and having the munchies after you've had a smoke is entirely inappropriate for modern-day marijuana".

"The grass we smoked in the '60s could have been lawn clippings compared to this completely different breed of nasty cat," he said.

"With hydroponic cannabis, the levels of THC [the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol] can be tenfold what they are in normal cannabis so we are seeing some very, very serious fallout."

Cannabis use was soaring among young professionals in the city and inner west, Dr Fulde said, but users rarely needed sedation.
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source: http://www.theage.com.au/

Insite works

2008-07-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

By giving drug addicts a sterile syringe and a warm place to shoot up, are we saving lives or condoning substance abuse?

To illuminate the double standard surrounding "harm reduction," Dr. Stephen Hwang, a medical researcher and associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, offers the following scenario:

Suppose that an innovative but controversial intervention is launched to reduce complications of Type 2 Diabetes, and 7,000 subjects take part in a trial. Researchers, funded by Health Canada to study the intervention's effectiveness, find that while not curing diabetes, the intervention improves health, reduces infections and prevents premature deaths -- with no adverse effects. The findings are published in the world's leading medical journals.

But the federal government deems the findings inconclusive and says the only acceptable therapies for diabetes are those that either prevent or cure the condition -- even though no such therapies exist. Columnists, community leaders and national organizations expound that the intervention "enables" bad lifestyle choices, and that without the dire complications of diabetes, people with the condition would eat more, exer cise less and become increasingly obese. And those who didn't have diabetes would forgo healthy diets and exercise because they'd no longer fear the disease. The government considers banning the intervention.

Sound far-fetched? Not, says Hwang, if you replace the word diabetes with drug addiction, and the word intervention with Insite, the safe-injection site pilot project that began in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in 2003. Insite has allowed addicts to inject drugs under secure, clean conditions, and all under the supervision of a nurse.

"I wanted people to see how hypocritical we are in the way that we treat two chronic conditions that have a lot of associated harms," says Hwang. A specialist in inner-city medicine, he wrote the diabetes scenario for the peer-reviewed online journal Open Medicine, arguing that when it comes to drug abuse, ideology trumps science in a way that would not be tolerated with other chronic health conditions. Hwang's treatise was endorsed by more than 130 prominent Canadian scientists, doctors and public-health professionals.

Think there's a huge difference between drug addiction and diabetes? There isn't, says Hwang: Both arise through a complex mix of predisposed genetic and environmental factors -- triggered by lifestyle choices, behaviour and bad luck -- that result in disorders of body chemistry. Both have potentially severe complications, such as infections or premature death, that can be reduced with good medical care. Just as some addicts can kick their addictions, some people with diabetes, through weight loss, gastric bypass surgery or extreme exercise, can eliminate their symptoms and their need for medication -- though drug-free addicts and insulin-free diabetics both risk relapse. Yet do we refuse to treat the health complications of people with diabetes who cannot wean themselves off medication? Never.

"A heroin addict needs heroin as much as a diabetic needs insulin," says Norm Stamper, a former chief of the Seattle police department. "That need is real. It is physiological." After witnessing the failure of the United States' strict "war on drugs" to stem narcotic use and its associated problems, Stamper is now a leading advocate of safe-injection sites, methadone-treatment, needle-exchange and other harm reduction programs that aim to refocus efforts from policing to medical management.

Here's what more than 20 studies --all by independent evaluators, published in prominent journals -- have found: Insite has reduced instances of needle sharing and drug injecting in public places, and there has been a decrease in the amount of injectionrelat ed litter. In the Insite neighbourhood, there have been no increases in drug trafficking or assaults, and instances of vehicle break-ins and car theft have decreased. Despite almost 900 overdose events at Insite -- a common hazard of drug use -- no overdose deaths have occurred at the facility, compared with an average of 60 a year in Metro Vancouver. Additionally, since Insite began, the number of drug addicts who have entered detox programs, addiction counselling and drug-addiction treatment has increased by over 30%.

Dr. Perry Kendall, the B. C. Health Officer, says opposition to Insite is not based on evidence of effectiveness but on the notion that drug addicts have made bad choices and must change or live with their fate. "The belief," he says, "is that if health providers remove or lessen the harms of addicts' behaviour, addicts won't hit bottom and therefore won't have the motivation to go clean."

"The issue is not whether the addict would be better off without his addiction--of course he would--but whether we are going to abandon him to illness or death if he is unable to give it up," says Dr. Gabor Mate, who has served as staff physician at Insite and is the author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Mate's book is a must-read for those who reject harm reduction as "coddling" drug addicts or who believe "Just Say No" is a realistic policy. In his book, Mate shows his patients' struggles and demons, how they became addicts and how they found a way out. The book illus trates a central premise of HR: accepting those with drug addictions and trying to move them along the continuum to better health -- keeping them alive and well long enough to have a chance to quit later.

Some who were once adamantly against Insite have come to support it. One such person is George Chow, former president of the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver. Chow successfully ran for city councillor on a ticket of rejecting Insite -- the centre was on China town's doorstep -- gathering some 18,000 signatures from the Chinese community. Yet, after Insite had been in operation for three years, he changed his mind. "I am keenly aware of the debate surrounding [Insite]. But I am pleased to say that the initial fears of the community -- a potential increase in crime and public disorder -- have not materialized," Chow wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the fall of 2007.

If only more of us were willing to change our positions based on evidence, we might finally begin to make progress against this terrible affliction called drug addiction.
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source: The National Post, http://www.nationalpost.com

No-smoking policy will deter people from seeking help

2008-07-28T07:28:00.001-04:00

New York became the first state in the country to require all state-run addiction treatment centers to help their patients quit smoking. The plan, which went into effect last week, requires treatment centers to help patients quit smoking by offering nicotine replacement therapy, including nicotine gum and patches, to all smokers. For those lacking health insurance, the nicotine replacement therapy will be free of charge.

The treatment centers also will be required to be smoke-free. Officials estimate the new law will impact up to 250,000 patients. Approximately 92 percent of those in alcohol and other drug treatment programs are cigarette smokers, according to estimates.

As someone who dedicates my life to advocating for treatment for those struggling with addiction and as someone who is personally addicted to cigarettes, I have mixed feelings about the new rule. I applaud the effort to help people quit smoking, but am worried that the smoking ban may deter some smokers who are hoping to quit other addictions from seeking help.

Helping smokers kick the habit will save lives and should be applauded. More than 400,000 people die prematurely from cigarettes — more than all other legal and illegal drugs combined.

It is important that public health officials and treatment providers acknowledge that cigarettes — a legal drug — can cause as many health problems as the more demonized illicit drugs. Having a proactive strategy to help people quit is a positive initiative that should be supported.

The second piece of the new law is more problematic. Prohibiting smoking at the treatment centers may sound like a worthwhile public health objective, but it is clear that this policy will discourage some people from seeking treatment. Some people may be seeking treatment for drugs like alcohol, heroin or cocaine, but they may not be ready to quit smoking.

Do we really want to set up barriers and conditions for people that keep them from seeking treatment? Not everyone can or wants to abstain from all drugs all at once. If someone wants to quit heroin, but is not ready to quit cigarettes, we should not discourage them from getting help.

Much of the campaign to help people quit cigarettes is positive and lifesaving. It is smart, cost-effective and humane to offer people free assistance and tools for quitting the harmful habit.

But let’s remove the smoking ban at the treatment centers. We need open doors that encourage people to get help for their problems, and not establish inflexible rules that drive people away from life-saving programs.

While some may desire a more perfect world where people quit all drugs at the same time and never relapse, the reality is that some may need to quit different drugs at different stages and relapse is a common experience. Let’s help people where they are at and not let perfect be the enemy of good.
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source: The Buffalo News, http://www.buffalonews.com

Teen binge drinking

2008-07-26T07:39:00.001-04:00

News reports state that about a third of learners in the Western Cape alone are binge drinkers with some as young as 10 classified as heavy drinkers.

The death of 11-year-old Roseline Majola in March this year highlighted the alarming rise of alcohol abuse in children and teens. Majola was stoned to death by her friends who were allegedly drunk at the time.

Her friends aged nine to 15 were charged with murder and four were convicted in May and will be sentenced in June.

The most recent statistics available in South Africa is a survey conducted in 2002. Nearly half of all South African learners had used alcohol according to the South African National Youth Risk Behaviour Survey.

Alcohol usage amongst boys was found to be 56.1% and amongst girls an alarming 43.5%. A further 31.8% said they had used alcohol within the past month and 23% said they had engaged in binge drinking in the month before the survey.

More shocking is that 15.8% boys and 9% girls had their first drink before the age of 13 years.

Izabelle Little, author and co-ordinator of Life Talk, an online forum for teens and parents, says we are facing an alcohol abuse crisis.

"Binge drinking is a huge issue. Every day I get hundreds of e-mails telling heartbreaking stories. Alcohol abuse is leading to tragedies that are avoidable", says Little.

Worldwide problem

Alcohol abuse in children and teens is a worldwide problem.

According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, 90% of all underage drinking is in the form of binge drinking.

A National Health Service (NHS) report released in the UK earlier this year showed that hospital admissions linked to alcohol have increased by 50% since 1995 and prescriptions for treating alcohol addiction jumped to 20% in the past four years.

An Australian study released in February this year found that ten percent of 12-17 year olds engage in binge drinking in any given week. In 16 – 17-year- olds one in five binge drink on a weekly basis.

In March this year the Australian government embarked on a 53 million dollar campaign against binge drinking.

What is binge drinking?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines binge drinking as the consumption of five or more drinks in one sitting or on one occasion.

Doctor Fourie, regional director of SANCA explains further, "Binge drinking is a pattern of using alcohol in which people intoxicate themselves during weekends or on special occasions."

Why do teens binge drink?

Little says, "We have a culture of drinking in South Africa and teens are a product of the society in which they live."

According to Little teens drink for a number of reasons: alcohol is freely available at parties and clubs; peer pressure – it appears to be the cool thing to do; alcohol advertising is targeted at teens; many teens are bored and alcohol provides a diversion; and some drink to escape from a broken home, poverty or abuse.

The dangers of binge drinking

"Alcohol lowers inhibitions and teens end up doing things they wouldn't normally do. Teens engage in sexual activities, increasing their chances of becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV. Alcohol abuse increases the chances of getting mugged or sexually abused. The abuse of alcohol can also be a gateway to other drug abuse. It can leave life-long scars", says Little.

Dr Fourie explains that binge drinking is extremely unhealthy. "If your blood alcohol level is too high, it affects the brain and could lead to a coma. It also slows down your heartbeat and could be fatal if your blood alcohol level is too high."

Fourie says what makes it even more dangerous for teens are that they tend to drink mixtures of ciders, beers, spirits and wine.

"It is a high-risk drinking pattern that can lead to serious addiction and result in social problems and high-risk behaviour such as engaging in unsafe sex and drunken driving. People can't act and think rationally when they are intoxicated," says Fourie.

The silent scourge

"Parents don't know what's happening. They drop their teens at parties and even night clubs where there is no adult supervision and alcohol is free and flowing. They believe that it won't happen to their child and only find out when they are contacted by a school counsellor, or if something tragic happens," says Little.

Fourie stresses that parents should be cautious about the freedom they give their children.

Little says that society had failed teens by not giving a strong message about the dangers binge drinking holds.

"Teens don't realise how dangerous drinking is. They have the – it-won't-happen-to-me attitude. Children start drinking as young as the age of 10 and by the time they are 14, they are alcoholics.

They think they can cope with their drinking habits, but most of them are in denial of how serious it is," according to Little.

She emphasises that it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. "The government is aware of the problem and some initiatives have been set in place; however more can be done. Alcohol abuse and underage drinking are only the symptoms of underlying issues. We should start addressing the causes. Parents, schools and communities all have a role to play."

Know the signs

Little advises to look out for the following signs:

* Personality and behavioural changes

* The smell of alcohol

* Signs of a hangover: headaches, red eyes, shivers, throwing up

* Excessive and sudden use of mouthwash and breath mints

* Alcohol is disappearing from your liquor cabinet

* Your liquor has been watered down

* Wild parties, late nights and sleepovers

* The hiding of bottles in bedroom cupboards

"If you suspect your teen has a drinking problem, get help. Seek professional help. Don't try to handle it yourself," says Little.
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source: Health 24, http://www.health24.com/

Bush Administration Backs Karzai After Drug Corruption Allegations

2008-07-25T07:19:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration underscored its continued support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday despite fresh allegations from a former U.S. anti-drug official that Karzai is playing both sides of the effort to combat a raging drug business.

Thomas Schweich, who until June was one of the State Department's senior counter-narcotics officials, accused Karzai of protecting drug lords for political reasons. Schweich wrote in an article to be published Sunday in The New York Times magazine that "narco-corruption went to the top of the Afghan government."

Schweich said the Taliban-led insurgency fighting Karzai's government profits from drugs, but Karzai is reluctant to move against big drug lords in his political power base in the country's south, where most opium and heroin is produced.

"Karzai was playing us like a fiddle," Schweich wrote. The article appeared on the Times' Web site late Wednesday.

"The U.S. would spend billions of dollars on infrastructure development; the U.S. and its allies would fight the Taliban; Karzai's friends could get richer off the drug trade," he wrote.

State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos did not directly address Schweich's allegations but defended U.S. policy and backing for Karzai.

"We know and understand that there is a corruption issue in Afghanistan but we're working with the sovereign government," Gallegos said Thursday. "President Karzai has shown us through word and deed that he is working with us to help improve the plight of that country."

Corruption is a deeply rooted problem and addressing it, along with the country's massive development need, will not be quick, Gallegos said. "This is a long-term commitment in terms of time and this is a large commitment in terms of dollars."

Afghan officials were not immediately available to respond to Schweich's allegations.

Drug production has skyrocketed since the U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime. In 2007, Afghanistan produced 93 percent of the world's supply of opium, the raw material of heroin.

Karzai has repeatedly promised his U.S. backers that he is committed to rooting out endemic corruption and fighting the drug trade.

"Karzai had Taliban enemies who profited from drugs but he had even more supporters who did," wrote Schweich, who used to serve as coordinator for counter-narcotics and justice reform for Afghanistan. He was based in Washington.

Presidential elections in Afghanistan come next year, and Karzai has indicated he'll seek re-election.

Schweich accused the Pentagon and some U.S. generals of obstructing attempts to get military forces to assist and protect opium crop eradication drives.

NATO and U.S. military commanders have been reluctant to get involved in the drug fight, arguing that destroying farmers' crops would alienate tribesmen and increase support for the Taliban.

In 2003, about 198,000 acres of land was used to cultivate poppy. By 2007, it rose to 476,900 acres.

Opium production topped 9,000 tons, enough to make over 880 tons of heroin with a street value of $4 billion, according to the United Nations.

Figures for 2008 are not yet available.

The Ministry of Counter Narcotics says that 20 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces will be poppy-free this year — compared with 13 provinces in 2007. But in the south, cultivation remains rampant.
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source: e-ariana.com

Truth In Politics: Dumbest Budget Cut Ever?

2008-07-24T12:55:00.001-04:00

Governor Cuts Funding To Money-Saving Drug- And Alcohol-Treatment Centers

When the Illinois General Assembly sent Gov. Rod Blagojevich a budget that was $2 billion dollars short on revenue, he had to veto something. So far, the governor has ordered reductions of $1.4 billion.

In Wednesday night's "Truth in Politics" CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports on one program where cuts appeared to be short-sighted. It may, in fact, be the dumbest budget cut ever.

One of the governor's cuts was $55 million in funding for drug- and alcohol-treatment programs that the federal government would have matched penny-for-penny. The cut has forced programs across the state to shut down and many of their tens of thousands of clients are likely to end up in jail, costing taxpayers far more.

At an Alsip site called "A Safe Haven," women trying to kick addiction to drugs and alcohol get enough help that their children can live with them, even if they've previously been taken away. Beginning Monday, though, all 120 of the women and kids there will have to leave.

Demetria Woods said, "not knowing where we're gonna go, what happens next, where will we live, the children … how this affects us is overwhelming.

Anthony Cole, vice president of the Haymarket Center, said, "It means you're gonna have increased homelessness, increased people committing crimes, increased neglect and abuse of children, increased burden on Cook County Hospital, increased burden on mental health institutions, because where else can these people go?"

Haymarket got a letter from the state Wednesday; their award-winning addiction-treatment center is losing nearly $4 million.

Come next Monday, they'll be forced to close half the beds in the detox unit. Recovering cocaine user Porcha James said she is thankful she and her son are already in.

"Without Haymarket and places that provide treatment or recovery, I and my son of 12 would be homeless, I would probably be selling drugs or doing lots of other illegal activity," James said.

"We're going to turn them away at the door. It doesn't make sense. They're going to go back and continue to do drugs and not care about their responsibilities as parents," Cole said.

"A Safe Haven" founder Brian Rowland said, "That's what tears me up. I mean, they can't take care of these kids. These kids are going to end up back in the care of (the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services."

According to a University of Chicago study in 1994, up to 80% of the state's prison population committed crimes related to substance-addiction; $1 spent on addiction-treatment saves at least $7 by reducing crime, child abuse and diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

The Illinois House voted to restore most drug- and alcohol-treatment money, leaving it up to the Illinois Senate to keep the funding in place, but the Senate President Emil Jones has indicated he won't bring senators back until after the November election.
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source: (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

The drugs scourge

2008-07-23T07:45:00.001-04:00

Drug-users tend to die young, but we know surprisingly little about those who survive the dangers of overdose or violence to which their lifestyle makes them susceptible. A study of a group of injecting heroin-users in Edinburgh reveals that even those who stop the most dangerous forms of behaviour remain at risk.

Drug-related deaths in Scotland reached a record high in 2006 and a recent report by the UN showed that Scotland has almost twice as many drug-related deaths (at 8.2 per 100,000) as the rest of the UK and comparable European countries. The Edinburgh research, carried out over 10 years from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, found that more than half the users were HIV positive and that Aids-related illness was replacing overdose as the main cause of death. That is largely due to a switch from injecting heroin to oral drugs, both prescribed (including methadone) and illegally-obtained ones. Despite this, however, the overall mortality rate among drug-users and former users will remain high owing to Aids. There are other worries attached to their behaviour, including a high number of sexual partners, with HIV now more likely to be acquired by sexual transmission than by sharing needles.

The study confirms the other bleak long-term effects of drug use. Two-thirds of the group had at least one child, but the majority of the men and 16% of the women did not live with their children, resulting in those who could not be cared for by the other parent going to grandparents, being adopted, fostered or in residential care.

This research (carried out among patients in Muirhouse, an area with a high concentration of deprivation) is published as Audit Scotland is investigating the effectiveness of drugs policy in Scotland, in particular the £12m a year spent on the methadone programme. According to the Edinburgh researchers, however, the decrease in injecting predated the policy of prescribing methadone and they suggest an increase in sentences both for dealers and people found in possession of heroin, which "disrupted an active drug-using community" was an important factor.

Their conclusion, that drug-users require long-term support for a multiplicity of problems, follows a green paper from the Westminster government which suggests that drug addicts on long-term benefits should be required to attend treatment and rehabilitation programmes. That is easier said than done: only 18% of the group abstained completely from drugs during the course of the study, while 21% had periods of abstinence and relapse. At a time when 50,000 people in Scotland have a problem with heroin or other opiates, and proposals on how to reduce associated problems include drug consumption rooms, or "shooting galleries" where intravenous users can inject in a safe environment, a coherent, effective drugs policy is urgently required. This study stands as a warning that there are no short-term solutions.
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source: The Herald, http://www.theherald.co.uk

Take healthy attitude about alcohol when heading off to college

2008-07-21T07:05:00.000-04:00

Summer passes all too quickly, and before you know, it will be time for this area's young people to head off to college. Along with all the ''stuff'' they take, we'd like them to take a clear appreciation of the deadly risks of binge drinking.

The Associated Press recently reported on a study it did, showing that 157 college age people drank fatal doses of alcohol between 1999 and 2005, with the annual number of deaths trending upward.

The biggest risk falls on freshmen students out in the world on their own for the first time and eager for new experiences. Out of 18 freshman drinking deaths, 11 occurred in the first semester, an AP analysis of news stories showed.

College students don't drink much more than other adults, but they tend to pack all their drinking into a shorter time span, with weekends and the after-final exam days in December prime examples. Binge drinking is more prevalent among college students than others in the 18 to 22 age range.

A young person's 21st birthday has proven to be a highly risky time for drinking. One birthday practice is to drink 21 shots for a 21st birthday, which proved fatal for 11 young adults, including eight college students, the AP noted.

Some colleges have taken steps to promote awareness of the dangers associated with heavy drinking, and that is commendable. More intensive efforts would likely be useful. The toll of alcohol deaths studied by the AP even included one young woman who had been involved in high school alcohol-awareness programs.

The more reminders to be responsible about drinking, the more likely a young person will absorb the advice and make it part of their own behavior, even when the drinks are flowing freely around them

source: Morning Journal

Legalization in disguise

2008-07-19T07:27:00.001-04:00

Many harm reduction advocates believe the real harms are done by drug laws, not drugs - addicts, meanwhile, don't get the rehab they so desperately need

Billy Weselowski has seen it all, and he hates what he sees on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. "You can't go a block without a bicycle pulling up and giving you all the syringes you want," he growls.

Mr. Weselowski knows this world all too well. He grew up here. His childhood was a nightmare of violence and abuse. At 13, he blacked out from booze for the first time, and quickly wound up on the streets. He injected, snorted, stole, pimped women, stabbed men and became an accomplished felon. He was the hardest of the hard core.

Today, he runs rehab programs for drug addicts that borrow from the tough-love model of AA. He has successfully treated thousands of people, using an approach that emphasizes structure, personal responsibility and abstinence.

But this approach to addiction is deeply out of fashion. The experts who make drug policy, allocate public money, dispense research funds, advise politicians and push for reform aren't interested in hearing from people like him. Instead, they're interested in "harm reduction" - which, among other things, means giving people all the syringes they want.

In Mr. Weselowski's view, harm reduction is a farce. "They're killing people by the truckload," he says.

Canada's official drug policy is known as the Four Pillars approach: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement. In practice, prevention and treatment have been neglected, while harm-reduction measures have steadily gained ground. Free needle and methadone programs are now widespread. (The term "needle exchange" is obsolete; needles are now handed out by the boxful.) Hundreds of addicts a day visit Vancouver's supervised injection site, which has become ground zero in an angry war of words.

Yet, harm reduction remains the orthodoxy of the day. "The supervised injection site is beyond questioning," says one Vancouver resident. "You are branded unprogressive, unfeeling and everything else 'un' if you criticize it."

David Marsh, the Vancouver region's medical director for addictions, says harm-reduction policies are often misunderstood. "Essentially, harm reductions are interventions that help reduce the harms associated with drug use, without necessarily requiring that drug use be decreased or stopped." They are a compassionate way to help the most addicted and marginalized of them all, to tide them over until they're able and willing to seek help. "It's part of Canadian tradition not to turn our backs to people at their lowest."

Harm-reduction advocates now rule the drug policy establishment. They dominate Health Canada, addiction research centres, drug policy groups, and the public health services of local governments. Nowhere is this more true than B.C., where social attitudes toward drugs are the most liberal in Canada. Public officials have fought tenaciously for the supervised injection site. For some, it represents a crucial step toward a far more sweeping form of harm reduction - legalization.

Many harm-reduction advocates believe the real harms are done by drug laws, not drugs. Prohibition is impossible, prevention is futile, and abstinence is unattainable for many. Therefore, if we stop criminalizing drugs, we'll get rid of most of the drug problems - the international gangs, the billions wasted on interdiction and enforcement, the crimes committed by addicts who need drug money, the imprisonment for petty drug crimes, and so on.

It's an attractive theory, at least on paper. Drug-law reformers have ideological allies around the world, in think tanks and at major universities. Among them is financier George Soros. Because of his deep pockets, he's been called the Daddy Warbucks of drug legalization.

All of this is spicy stuff. Harm reduction is a hot research field that attracts major money and offers major career opportunities. At Vancouver's international drug conference last year, no one was interested in reactionary things like 12-step programs, rehab or recovery.

The noisy marijuana lobby provides a lot of fuel for this crusade, despite the fact that pot is not the issue. Marijuana use is not what creates the lion's share of crime, public disorder, massive costs to the health system, and ruined lives. The real problem is hard drugs, especially cocaine.

Vancouver's last three mayors have been outspoken advocates for legalizing marijuana (and the source of a certain civic pride for Vancouverites). The current one, Sam Sullivan, has called for medical versions of hard drugs to be available to addicts. The city's official drug policy calls for the federal government to legalize marijuana, and also to review its prohibition policies for other illegal drugs.

Three years ago, B.C.'s public health officers - the same ones who've cracked down on smoking - released a detailed report calling for "government controlled supply" for formerly illegal drugs. "Harm-reduction strategies have not been as effective as possible due to their implementation within the prohibition model." It laid out an ambitious model for "post-prohibition harm reduction," where the government, guided by its wise public health officers, would supervise the production and distribution of legal heroin and crack.

Cuckoo? Not so much. Top health officials in B.C. already endorse the use of medical heroin, and a trial program has just wound up. Some of them belong to groups lobbying for legalization, and least one influential official is a vocal advocate for the benefits of psychedelic drug use.

Not surprisingly, the group that runs Insite, Vancouver's safe-injection site, stridently opposes current drug laws, as does the publicly funded drug users' lobby, VANDU. These two groups are notorious for the noisy lengths they go to in order to silence their critics. They're also good at high-profile PR stunts, such as the recent demonstration on Parliament Hill where they planted 868 wooden crosses to symbolize the 868 people who overdosed at Insite.

"Insite was about people dying - friends and neighbours!" spokesman Mark Townsend told me in an interview. In fact, the research found that Insite averts around one overdose death a year, not 868. When asked about this discrepancy, Mr. Townsend brushed it off as irrelevant.

Given the current government in Ottawa, it's unlikely that the push for legalization will make headway any time soon. There's also another obstacle: the public. Health officials have faced citizen revolts in cities where people don't want free needles passed out in their neighbourhoods.

Sadly, all this theatre has deprived Canadians of a genuine debate over drug policy. The question isn't whether Insite is good or bad. The question is what steps we can take that really will reduce the harm drugs do.

Despite the shouting, it's not too hard to guess where the moderate majority stands on drugs. They don't want people prosecuted for smoking a little weed. (After all, plenty of them do it, too.) But hard drugs are different. We don't want to decriminalize them. But we also don't want to punish addicts by throwing them in jail. We want a humane drug policy that will help them get better - and if that means giving them a choice between rehab or jail, then maybe that's okay.

So maybe what we need is not more Insites but more Billy Weselowskis - people who can give drug addicts a shot at dignity and a life. Mr. Weselowski knows that even hard-core junkies can recover. After all, he did. "We help get them connected to a spark of hope inside their soul."
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source: The Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Panel looks to increase parents' responsibility on underage drinking

2008-07-18T15:18:00.001-04:00

ALBANY — Members of a new panel tackling how to handle the growing underage-drinking problem said today that one priority should be making sure parents understand the risks of letting their children consume alcohol, particularly in the home.

Alcohol is the No. 1 drug of choice for youth in America, and more than 75 percent of high-school students have had alcohol by the time they graduate, according to officials with the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. More than half of 12th graders and a fifth of eighth graders have been drunk at least once. About 823,000 New Yorkers under 21 drink each year.

"We know that 50 percent of the kids in grades 7 through 12 had a drink last month. For some of them -- their one and only drink. For others, the start of their drinking, the start of their drugging, the start of the addiction," said Karen Carpenter-Palumbo, commissioner of alcoholism and substance abuse services.

Underage drinking costs more than $3 billion a year in New York -- in youth injuries, deaths, crashes, fetal-alcohol syndrome, fights, poisonings, property crime, rapes and other areas, she said.

One of the 21-member panel's charges will be to look at social-host legislation that was proposed by the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Carpenter-Palumbo said. The bill would prohibit anyone 18 or older who owns, rents or controls a private residence from allowing underage drinking on their property. The penalties would be $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second, and $1,000 and/or up to a year in prison the third time. The legislation, which passed in the Senate but died in the Assembly this year, would not affect local social-host laws, which have been considered around the state.

A study by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration concluded that more than 40 percent of the country's estimated 10.8 million current underage drinkers (youth between 12 and 20 who drank in the past month) were provided free alcohol by adults 21 or older. The report also found that one in 16 underage drinkers (650,000) was given alcohol by a parent in the past month.

New York should pass a social-host law not only because of the number of underage youth who consume alcohol in their homes, but also the aftermath of their drinking, said Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn, who is sponsoring legislation on the issue. Ortiz said he has heard the argument that parents should be able to allow drinking in their own homes, but the stakes are too high not to strengthen penalties for doing that.

"I respect parents who say that but I think parents have to also understand that we have a job to do and if they don't know how to take the responsibility, government will," he said.

Council member Frank V. Ciaccia, assistant county manager and the Stop-DWI coordinator in Genesee County, said it's important to focus on parents because they have such influence over the behavior of their children.

Genesee County has an underage-drinking tip line to notify police about parties that are underway or being planned. Members of the panel discussed whether there should be just one hotline statewide, since many communities don't have their own, but Ciaccia said local hotlines should continue. People feel more comfortable talking to a law-enforcement official familiar with the address.

The State Police have a hotline to report illegal purchase or consumption of alcohol by underage drinkers. The number is 866-UNDER21, and calls are referred to law-enforcement agencies around the state.

Stefan Kalogridis, president of the Eastern New York Liquor Stores Association, said his group supports the state's efforts to curb children's access to alcohol. The state's liquor retailers are often faced with people using or trying to use fake IDs and buyers who purchase alcohol and give it to minors.

The association is hoping to launch a program this fall that would provide owners of liquor stores with discounts on scanners. Many are small mom-and-pop businesses that may not have the ability to buy the equipment at full price, Kalogridis said.
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source: http://www.pressconnects.com/

Research say tobacco companies rigged menthol to hook young

2008-07-17T07:59:00.002-04:00

WASHINGTON -- Tobacco companies have manipulated menthol levels to attract young cigarette smokers and keep older ones, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported Wednesday.

Their finding, with which industry spokesmen disagree, is based on a review of more than 500 internal tobacco-industry documents dated from 1985 through 2007.

The documents showed, according to the researchers, that tobacco companies studied how controlling levels of menthol could increase brand sales.

They concluded that new and young smokers liked mild menthol that masked the harshness of tobacco smoke. Veteran smokers, the companies are said to have concluded, favored stronger doses of menthol for its cooling effects on their throats.

The findings come as Congress weighs whether to grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products, including additives, at the national level. The bill would let the FDA ban all cigarette flavorings except menthol. If FDA tests of menthol showed that it added to the health risks of smoking, the agency could ban menthol, too.

No conclusive evidence shows menthol cigarettes to be more harmful than conventional ones, said Terry Pechacek, associate director of the Office of Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 44% of smokers aged 12 to 17 reported smoking menthol cigarettes. Among smokers older than 35, 31% smoked them.

According to the Harvard study's lab tests of menthol concentrations in cigarettes since 2000, menthol went down in brands that young people preferred, such as Newport, Salem Black Label and Kool Milds. It went up in brands such as Marlboro Menthol, which were aimed at older smokers.

The report says that in 2000, Philip Morris launched Marlboro Milds with a lower concentration of menthol to attract young smokers. That same year, according to the report, Philip Morris increased the menthol in Marlboro Menthol to attract older smokers.

Behind the moves, the researchers assert, was an effort to woo new smokers. Their report cites, among others, a 1987 R.J. Reynolds document that suggests menthol can make it easier to get started. "Initial negatives can be alleviated with a low level of menthol," it says.

According to the researchers' report, a rapid introduction of milder menthol brands in the past decade violates a provision in the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 between tobacco companies and state governments that prohibits them from directly or indirectly targeting youths.

"They are going after the most vulnerable population," said Gregory Connolly, a coauthor of the report and director of Harvard's Tobacco Control Research Program.

Michael Robinson, a spokesman for Lorillard Tobacco Co., called the report "a politically motivated lobbying tool."

"Lorillard does not control levels of menthol to promote smoking among adolescents and young adults," he said in a statement. "Lorillard does not engineer any of its cigarettes to promote smoking initiation or nicotine addiction."
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source: Detroit Free Press

Drink related liver disease up by 234%

2008-07-15T06:25:00.002-04:00

Growing numbers of hospital patients are being treated for liver disease due to alcohol abuse, a Dublin specialist has warned. Prof John Crowe, director of the Centre For Liver Disease in the Mater Hospital, revealed the hidden toll of heavy drinking: over a seven-year period, the number of hospital patients discharged after diagnosis with drink-related liver disease went up by 234pc.

He pointed out that statistics showing Irish people are downing more units per head means we are out of step with most other European states, where consumption is falling.

"Significantly, the annual advertising spend on sport sponsorship is not available," he added.

"From a medical perspective, the effects of excess alcohol consumption can be divided into acute and long-term injury."

A&E departments are left to cope with patients suffering coma, physical injury, self harm including suicide attempts, psychiatric disturbance and withdrawal syndromes due to alcohol abuse.

"Between 1995 and 2002, annual alcohol-related admission and discharges increased from 9,254 to 17,378, which is a 92pc rise.

"Significantly, the discharge diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease has increased by 234pc, from 705 cases in 1995 to a total of 1,745 in 2004.

"This increase is highly significant because it illustrates the emerging burden of chronic alcoholic liver injury that exists within the community," he wrote in the Irish Medical Times. It usually remains undetected until significant complications leading to irreversible liver damage has occurred.

His own experience in the Matter has shown that internal hospital referrals of patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease increased from six cases in 1996 to 114 in 2006. Men outnumber women by two to one and the average age is 50 years.

Over the same time, discharges with a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis rose by nearly 300%.
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source: Independent ie, http://www.independent.ie/

Methadone program a way out for some

2008-07-14T06:28:00.002-04:00

State's only public treatment system says 93% of patients aren't using other opiates

A client of the Charleston Center of Charleston County takes a dose of methadone.

When he tried to quit using OxyContin, heroin and other opiates cold turkey, Ken S. said the pain was so great he felt it in the marrow of his bones.

Ken, 40, who chose not to give his last name so he could remain anonymous, said that about a year ago he landed on the doorstep of the Charleston Center of Charleston County, a drug and alcohol treatment program that runs the state's only public methadone program.

He had been abusing opiates since he chugged a bottle of codeine cough syrup at 10 years old. And he was at the end of a two-year spree of heavy abuse of prescription opiates and heroin that left him in fear of losing his job and his family.

He was so out of control, Ken said, that he physically and verbally abused his wife as his child watched. "My 9-year-old son was scared of me," he said.

Ken was so ashamed of what he'd done that he tried to stop using the drugs, but the withdrawal symptoms were unbearable. He found himself doubled over and vomiting in the shower as nearly scalding water washed over him.

"It was disgusting," he said. He knew then that he desperately needed help.

He remembered hearing that a former girlfriend, who also was an opiate addict, had participated in a methadone program and was successful getting off the drugs.

So, Ken showed up at the Charleston Center. It was his last hope, he said, "the last house on the block."

Ken said he hasn't abused drugs in about a year. And he takes the methadone only as prescribed.

He's rebuilding his life with the help of the methadone program, which includes counseling and regular drug screening. He also is part of a 12-step recovery program. For the first time in many years, Ken said, he can think about doing things to help others instead of simply thinking about himself and planning to get more drugs.

He's aware of the stigma surrounding methadone programs, how they conjure images of homeless junkies injecting themselves with heroin.

Ken is employed, middle class, married and has never used a needle. He thinks the negative stereotype keeps other addicts from seeking the help they need.

Methadone, a long-acting synthetic opiate, has been used to treat heroin and other opiate addicts since the 1960s. Some addicts treated with methadone gradually decrease their dosage until they are drug-free while others stay on it for decades. They don't get high from methadone, and are able to function normally, including holding jobs.

According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, methadone is a rigorously well-tested medication that is safe and efficacious for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence.

Still, it remains controversial with the public and among some alcohol and drug treatment professionals who believe that only abstinence-based programs are effective.

Dr. Jack Emmel, medical director of the Charleston Center, winces when people ask him whether treating heroin and other opiate addicts with methadone is simply trading one drug for another.

When it comes to opiate addiction, he said, "you'll find no program that has the success rate of a good methadone program."

Addiction to shorter-acting opiates, which include heroin, OxyContin, Lortab and Vicodin, severely alters a person's brain chemistry, he said, while methadone stabilizes it.

Methadone, however, doesn't work quickly. It takes many months, even a year in some cases, for an addict's brain chemistry to return to normal, Emmel said.

Addicts who attempt to stop using opiates too quickly experience severe withdrawal symptoms and are likely to return to abusing the drugs, he said. Ninety percent of such addicts who stop cold turkey, even those whose withdrawal is medically supervised, relapse, he said.

Ed Johnson, program administrator for the center's opiate treatment program, said patients who use methadone fare better.

The center's random drug tests have found that 93 percent of patients who are using methadone aren't using any other opiates. And 65 percent aren't using any other drugs. Those rates indicate that the methadone program is more successful than most drug treatment programs, not just programs for opiate addiction, he said.

Johnson said the stigma surrounding methadone programs has worsened after some recent highly publicized drug overdose deaths involving methadone and other drugs.

Methadone also is used as a painkiller, he said, so it ends up on the street. But most addicts use it only when no other opiates are available. It doesn't give them a good high, but it holds off painful withdrawal symptoms, he said.

Johnson and Emmel said the center's staff thinks gradually decreasing the dosage of methadone and becoming drug-free or staying on the drug long-term are both viable options.

"A person whose methadone dose is adjusted properly is 100 percent functional," Emmel said. And some people can't get off it, just as some people with diabetes can't eliminate the need for insulin by changing their diets and exercising.

The center serves about 250 patients in the methadone program, Johnson said. They are all different ages and come from all walks of life. Fewer than half use needles. Most abuse prescription drugs.

The state has 10 private methadone programs, including one in Charleston.

The Center's program is self-supporting, and patients pay about $13 per day, Johnson said. That includes methadone and counseling. Without counseling, most patients would likely relapse, he said.

Ken says that's true for him. In the year he's been on methadone, he's been "working full-throttle on recovery," he said. He's been decreasing his dosage of methadone over the past several months, and expects to be off of it and completely drug-free by mid-August.
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source: Charleston Post and Courier, http://www.charleston.net

Drug sites decline online

2008-07-10T06:15:00.002-04:00

New research into the selling of drugs online has found that while the number of sites offering drugs has declined for the first time since the study began in 2004, overall availability is still too high.

Researchers at the Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) spent 210 hours online researching companies selling drugs to consumers and found 365 sites this year, compared to 581 over the same period last year.

“This decline in the number of Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs may reflect efforts of federal and state agencies and financial institutions to crack down on Internet drug trafficking. Nevertheless, in spite of those efforts, anyone of any age can obtain dangerous and addictive prescription drugs with the click of a mouse,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

“This problem is not going away. It is morphing into different outlets for controlled prescription drug trafficking like Internet script mills and membership sites that sell lists of online pharmacies, and different payment methods like eChecks, COD and money orders.”

The study found that 90 per cent of sites sold benzodiazepines (like Xanax and Valium), with 57 per cent selling opioids (like Vicodin and OxyContin), and stimulants (like Ritalin and Adderall) available at 27 percent of sites.

Overall 85 per cent of sites did not demand a prescription for the drugs, and half of those that did only required the prescription to be faxed, which makes forgery easier.

Most of the drug sites were located outside the United States, although almost a quarter are registered in the country. Worryingly the geographical location of over a third of the sites proved impossible to determine.

The group called for mandatory regulation and certification of internet drug sites, with an original prescription required and search engines should block all unregistered sites.
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source: http://www.vnunet.com

Drinking games prove deadly to college students

2008-07-08T06:53:00.003-04:00

On the morning after the house party on Johnson Street, Jenna Foellmi and several other twentysomethings lay sprawled on the beds and couches. When a friend reached out to wake her, Foellmi was cold to the touch.

The friend's screams woke up the others still asleep in the house.

Foellmi, a 20-year-old biochemistry major at Winona State University, died of alcohol poisoning on Dec. 14, one day after she had finished her last exam of the semester. According to police reports, she had three beers during the day, then played beer pong — a drinking game — in the evening, and downed some vodka, too.

Foellmi's death was tragic, but typical in many ways.

An Associated Press analysis of federal records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available. The number of alcohol-poisoning deaths per year rose from 18 in 1999 to 35 in 2005.

Over the seven-year span, 83 of the college-age victims were, like Foellmi, under the drinking age of 21.

"There have always been problems with young people and alcohol, but it just seems like they are a little more intense now than they used to be," said Connie Gores, vice president for student life at Winona State. "The goal of a lot of them is just to get smashed."

A separate AP analysis of hundreds of news articles about alcohol-poisoning deaths in the past decade found that victims drank themselves well past the point of oblivion — with an average blood-alcohol level of 0.40 percent, or five times the legal limit for driving. In nearly every case, friends knew the victim was drunk and put him or her to bed to "sleep it off."

"Her friends were with her. It's not like they just left her alone," said Jenna's mother, Kate Foellmi. "She went to bed and she was snoring. She just didn't wake up."

Schools and communities have responded in a variety of ways, including programs to teach incoming freshmen the dangers of extreme drinking; designating professors to help students avoid overdoing it; and passing laws to discourage binge drinking.

Charges were filed in about 40 percent of the cases in which outcomes of criminal investigations were known — most often against fraternity members or others who obtained alcohol for someone underage. There were a few hazing charges. In most cases, plea bargains were reached and the penalties included fines, probation or community service. Jail time was rare.

The federal data showed deaths spiking on weekends — when young people are more likely to go out with the goal of getting drunk — and in December, when college students wrap up finals. Most of the dead were young men.

College students on average drink only a little more than adults in a typical week or month, said Scott Walters, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas. But college students "tend to save the drinks up and drink them all at once."

The federal figures do not indicate whether a victim was a student or not. But the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that adults ages 18 to 22 in college full-time are more likely to binge-drink than those not in school.

AP's analysis of news articles found freshmen at greatest risk, with 11 of 18 freshmen deaths occurring during the first semester.

Walters said one reason is that freshmen are on their own for the first time and trying new things. Also, there is a mentality that "if you're under 21 and someone's got alcohol, you've got to drink it, because you never know when somebody's going to have it again."

One practice — drinking 21 shots on a 21st birthday — has proven especially lethal. Of the college-age deaths that made news, 11 people, including eight college students, died while celebrating their 21st birthdays.

"The 21st birthday we knew was coming. We didn't know about the 21-shot thing," said Cindy McCue, who lost her son Bradley, a junior at Michigan State University, in 1998 after he downed 24 drinks in less than two hours.

The McCue family started a nonprofit organization nearly 10 years ago called Be Responsible About Drinking, or B.R.A.D., to teach young people about the dangers. The foundation created birthday cards reminding those turning 21 to celebrate responsibly.

Some universities are trying to send the same message with Web sites and programs that feature slogans such as "Remember Last Night."

San Diego State has a Web site that lets students punch in information about their drinking habits and learn about the risks. Winona State is starting an online course to teach incoming freshmen the dangers of excessive drinking.

Forty professors at Fresno State in California have taken a pledge to learn about the effects of alcohol misuse and advise students. The professors' names are on posters around campus. Other universities have banned or restricted alcohol advertising and sponsorships in athletics.

Minnesota passed a law that blocks people turning 21 from being served alcohol until 8 a.m. on the day of their birthday — a measure aimed at stopping customers who turn legal at midnight from drinking as much as they can before closing time. Other states have similar laws.

In the case of Bradley McCue, who went out at midnight when he turned 21, the bartender kept serving him, even though he was obviously intoxicated, his mother said. The bar owner was charged with supplying alcohol to an intoxicated person and other counts. The owner agreed to pay $50,000 in fines and costs, close for 30 days, and retrain employees.

Jenna Foellmi worked to put herself through school, made the dean's list one semester and was a high school member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, according to her mother.

"She was the one we never had to worry about," Kate Foellmi said. "I remember calling her up and saying, `I am just so proud of you. I'm so glad you have your head screwed on straight.'"

On the morning of Dec. 13, the young woman finished a physics final and called her mom, screaming: "I passed!" She told her mother she was going to go have a beer.

"I said, `You deserve one,'" Kate Foellmi recalled.

Exactly how much Jenna drank that night isn't clear. The coroner did not release her blood-alcohol level, saying only that it was "not compatible with life."
________________
source: Associated Press

SOBER SPINOFF?

2008-07-07T07:28:00.002-04:00

The brain scientists who brought VH1 "Celebrity Rehab" are lobbying for a spinoff called "Sober Living."

The show, which would be a cross between "Surreal Life" and "The Real World," would put a number of "Celebrity Rehab" alumni together in a luxurious Beverly Hills mansion for 30 days while they try to rebuild their careers without drugs and alcohol.

Like "Celebrity Rehab," the new show would prominently feature Dr. Drew Pinsky ("Loveline"), who oversees the celebs during their stints in televised rehab.

Filming on the show could begin as early as next week, although VH1 has yet to give the project a thumbs up.

Among those approached by producers to appear on "Sober Living" allegedly have been members from the latest cast of "Rehab" residents, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, model/actress Amber Smith and last season's resident, Seth "Shifty" Binzer the lead singer of the rock band, Crazytown.

Many drug rehab centers offer comprehensive care for patients after they leave treatment - ranging from 12-step programs to regular monitoring. "Celebrity Rehab" attempting to offer some kind of follow up for its patients is not a shock, although turning it into a TV show open only to those residents invited back by producers is a bit surprising.

The cast of the most current edition of "Celebrity Rehab" was released from their 21-day stint on the wagon last Saturday. The new season is slated to begin airing on Aug. 4.

On the show, washed-up stars check into a Pasadena, Calif. drug and alcohol clinic and are filmed participating in therapy and socializing with other troubled members of the cast.

Last season even featured former "Taxi" star Jeff Conaway going through detox.

A VH1 spokeswoman said that network does not comment on shows that may or may not be in development.
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source: New York Post

Alcohol linked to brain damage

2008-06-21T06:24:00.001-04:00

You might not just realize this while downing a mug of chilled beer on a summer afternoon, but a new study has revealed that too much alcohol can cause permanent damage to brain.

The study has shown that too much alcohol can also cause brain injury and degeneration by inhibiting insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)

With the help of postmortem human brain tissue, researchers showed that chronic alcohol abuse can decrease levels of genes needed for brain cells to respond to insulin/IGF, leading to neurodegeneration similar to that caused by Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

"Insulin is one of the most important hormones in the body," said Suzanne de la Monte, professor of pathology/ neuropathology and clinical neuroscience at Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University.

"It has many functions, including regulation of metabolism. Cells throughout the body depend upon insulin just to stay alive and carry out 'ordinary daily functions. The best known diseases associated with abnormalities in insulin's availability or actions are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes," she added.

The study showed that in chronic alcoholics' brains, there was significant insulin and IGF resistance in those regions known to be highly sensitive to alcohol's toxic effects.

"Alcohol is a toxin that clearly can injure or kill brain cells," de la Monte said.

"Fortunately, alcohol has to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and liver where enzymes detoxify alcohol, and consequently reduce the levels that reach the brain.

“However, in either high concentrations, or at lower levels over a longer period of time, alcohol will dissolve some of the lipid in the cell's membrane," she added.

During the study, researchers examined brain tissue from six male chronic alcoholics with a mean age of 57.7 years, and six male "controls" without alcoholism with a mean age of 57.5 years.

Two brain regions were selected for study – the cerebellar cortex, which sends information to the muscles causing them to move and cingulate gyrus in the frontal lobe, involved with emotion formation and processing, learning, and memory. These were major targets of alcohol's neurotoxicity.

The results showed that in chronic alcoholics' brains, there was significant insulin and IGF resistance in those regions known to be highly sensitive to alcohol's toxic effects.

De la Monte added that the insulin resistance their study found was quite similar to what happens in Type 2 diabetes, which means that alcoholic brain disease may be treatable in part by use of drugs that make brain cells more responsive to insulin and IGF.
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source: Times of India

You are wrong Mr Hayes: the treatment system is NOT working!

2008-06-19T11:52:00.003-04:00

For the last few years, I've thought a lot about how to change the treatment system so that helps more people overcome addiction and gain a better life. At one stage, I had come to the conclusion that I needed to work with the people at the top, to help them understand the shortcomings of the current treatment system and see how it could be changed.

I gave a talk at the FDAP Annual meeting last year where I described the shortcomings of the system and emphasised that unless we did something we would end up like the American treatment system in the late 1980s and early 1990s - money was slashed and the system collapsed. I also pointed out the way we needed to move forward, which I
have reiterated in the Wired In 'Way Forward'.

I had a very positive response to my talk from a senior person within the NTA and I thought that I could enter into some long-term dialogue with the NTA that would lead to positive change. A change to a treatment system that is based on people attaining recovery - and I mean a genuine recovery, not some politicised excuse of recovery - is inevitable sooner or later. I thought that I could help speed up the process.

Well, after seeing the Paul Hayes article in the Guardian today, I realise how naive I have been. I'm not going to go into any great detail about the article, but I have to confess that it has made me angry. I quote, 'Hayes dismisses his critics as a few academics, politicians and "ideologues" stocked up by the media'. This is absolute rubbish - Paul Hayes either has his head very deeply buried in the sand or he is deliberately being untruthful.
There are many, many thousands of people out there who know that the current treatment system is NOT working and is causing damage to many people. These people who know the truth come from many different aspects of life - they are users, ex-users, family members, practitioners, commissioners, members of the general public, etc.

I've been in the North West for the past couple of days and it was quite clear to me that the people I spoke to all knew many people who know the system is not working and are tired of the NTA spin. Even some commissioners who do not really care about people with substance use problems realise that the way methadone is being used in many treatment programmes is not reducing crime and is storing up problems for the future.

Anyone can use words to create a false story, mislead people by playing with facts, and distract them by creating false concerns. Sooner or later such people are found out for what they are doing. It is time that Paul Hayes is found out for what he is doing. I encourage those people who do not believe that the current treatment system is working to write to Gordon Brown and tell him. Write and complain that Paul Hayes is misleading the country about what is truly happening.

We are talking about people's lives here. They are far more important than defending the current treatment system. Mr Hayes may think that few people will stand up and be counted - and maybe initially this will be the case. But there is a gathering momentum in the country for a treatment system that is focused on improving people's lives - rather than giving them a pill to keep them quiet - with an increasing number of people getting fed up with Mr Hayes's spin. The day of reckoning will come.
People with substance use problems need opportunity, choice and hope. The UK treatment system is not providing these key elements.

I leave you with a quote from Stuart Honor,
'It is no great trick to take an impoverished, unemployed individual who is addicted to heroin (and crack?) and turn him (sic) into an impoverished, unemployed individual who is addicted to heroin, crack, methadone and/or alcohol and benzodiazepines.'
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source: http://davidclarkwired.blogspot.com/

Keep taking the medicine

2008-06-18T06:52:00.002-04:00

The head of the National Treatment Agency dismisses 'ideologues' who claim his organisation's addiction programmes aren't working. 'The evidence in favour is overwhelming'.

After seven years at the helm of the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), Paul Hayes is adamant that the addiction programmes he has overseen during his tenure are working. Not everyone is so convinced. On Radio 4 last week, Hayes was forced to defend his record against criticism that the current strategy of "treatment management" - using, for example, methadone for heroin addicts rather than "curing" their addiction - was failing and wrong-headed.

Hayes dismisses his critics as a few academics, politicians and "ideologues" stoked up by the media. He says any notion that investment in treatment programmes - central government funding has risen from £60m in 2001 to £400m in 2008-09 - has been a failure is wrong. The idea that treatment based on harm reduction could be replaced in future by an "abstentionist" approach, where success is measured primarily by the number of addicts "cured", is misguided, he insists. "We need to keep maintenance prescribing as an integral part of the drug treatment system because it stabilises people, reduces crime, reduces deaths."

The number of problem users in contact with treatment services has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 85,000 to 195,000. Hayes says this is a clear indication that the system is working, but is far from the whole picture. Treatment centres, he insists, are also about taking the opportunity to ensure they help "as many people as they can to overcome their addiction, leave treatment and get on with their lives. But that's always been the objective of policy, so to a large extent a false division has been created. Rather more has been made of this very sharp split than it actually warrants."

There is an element of electioneering and political expediency to the current debate, Hayes suggests. "There was a political consensus for some time that drug treatment was a good thing and that, therefore, the more we had of it the better. There was consensus that the maintenance-led prescribing regime, which has got all the evidence behind it, is right. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence says it's the right approach, the World Health Organisation says it's the right approach - but always with an expectation that those people who could leave treatment free of their drug dependency should be encouraged to do so."

So if this is the case, why is there a debate now? Is it that the evidence doesn't stack up? Hayes says the evidence is clear and robust. "There are 130% more people in treatment than when we started [in 2001], rather than half the people dropping out because treatment isn't of good quality."

Chaotic lifestyles

But it isn't just about treatment numbers, he says. The impact on crime and a reduction in the social fallout from the chaotic lifestyles of problem drug users is also important to understand, he insists. "Long-term crime is falling, and when we match the criminal histories of people going through the treatment system, we show a reduction in arrests and charges. A York University study showed that for every £1 invested in treatment, the community gets £9.50-worth of benefit back - most of which is crimes that haven't happened."

Hayes suggests criticisms began to gain traction a year-and-a-half ago when the Conservative party's Social Justice Policy Group, headed by Iain Duncan Smith, published its Breakdown Britain report. A lengthy document examining the causes of social breakdown and poverty, the report concluded that an "explosion of addiction" was a major factor in fostering wider social exclusion. The possibility that policy might change direction under a future Conservative government was also mooted when it asked if current policy was "treating the symptoms rather than the causes", and concluded that treatment was being pushed in "the wrong direction, preferring maintenance to recovery".

Hayes insists that, despite the signs of a sea change indicated by Breakdown Britain, "the political reality" is very different. "If you actually scrape away the rhetoric of Breakdown Britain, you find people saying, 'Yes, methadone does work. We're not actually anti-methadone, but it's been given too much of a role in the past.'" He cautions against reading too much into the report. "What you promise in opposition and what you are forced to deliver in government are very different. You have to face the reality of the evidence and the resources you have available."

But how can Hayes be so sure that drastic changes in policy direction are not on the horizon if a Conservative administration does make it to Downing Street? If past performance in government is anything to go by, he says, then pragmatism dictates what is done. He points out that the "shift in policy away from an abstinence-driven policy towards a harm reduction policy took place when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister".

It also comes down, he says, to the fact that "very few people will deny there's a correlation" between drug dependency and crime. He argues that this, along with the "many complex problems" such as mental health difficulties that tend to come with people who are drug-dependent, tends to steer politicians down a more pragmatic path when in power.

So does Hayes concede anything to his critics? He admits that if the funding dries up things could get difficult - but says there is enough "for the moment". He also accepts that as the cash has been "pumped in" and local treatment services have expanded, quality of provision and cost-effectiveness has not always kept up. "You can't do that overnight," he says, adding that improving the quality of services - and therefore outcomes - will be a focus for the NTA for the next three years. Addressing critics who might say progress isn't coming quickly enough, he responds: "There is inevitably a time lag between the investment and the investment bearing fruit."

As for the future, Hayes sounds confident. "The evidence in favour of current approaches to treatment are overwhelming," he says. "The evidence and the cost-effectiveness will stand the test of examination and will stand up to whatever political spin is put on it. It may well be recast, relabelled, repackaged, but the evidence is the strength."
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source: The Guardian U.K

Tortured by addiction, couple getting back on their feet with Meridian clinic's help

2008-06-17T07:06:00.002-04:00

The Center for Behavioral Health offers treatment to help people regain control of their lives

At first, Erika Sternberg and Dan Templeman used prescription painkillers to relax and have fun on the weekends.

Then Erika's father, whom the Boise couple loved dearly, died about two years ago. That tragedy changed the role of drugs in the couple's life. Vicodin, a prescription opiate, wasn't for having fun. It was for getting numb.

"I couldn't have a peace about (the death)," Sternberg said. "It really disturbs my soul."

During two years of drug use and attempts to quit, the couple hit bottom several times.

The Center for Behavioral Health in Meridian opened when the couple needed it most.

With daily treatment, Sternberg, 27, and Templeman, 30, have started to put their lives back together.

Until this spring, Idaho was one of only a few states without a methadone clinic. Methadone is a synthetic form of morphine that helps most people wean themselves from opiates or heroin.

The Center for Behavioral Health, which opened April 7, is part of a for-profit chain of centers in nine states. The outpatient facilities offer treatment and counseling for every addiction.

Fewer than 30 people are in treatment at the Meridian center, partly because of the downturn in the economy, said co-owner Brant Massman, of Boise.

"The response has been very positive," Massman said. "However, because of the economy being where it's at, I can't say that things are booming."

For Templeman, the road to addiction started with surgery to remove his gall bladder. "That's pretty much how most people get hooked on stuff like Vicodin," he said.

At first, Templeman simply asked his doctor for more refills "and then pretty much you just buy them from people," some of whom had unused prescriptions, including for OxyContin, which carries a national reputation as a highly addictive opiate sometimes prescribed to relieve severe pain.

Sternberg was making good money at an office job and bought presents for Templeman, who worked at the Boise Airport.

In addition, she said, "We had gotten my wedding ring."

Eventually, Templeman's sources of prescription painkillers dried up. He decided to use heroin. He said it was to wean himself off prescription painkillers.

"First, we did it just on the weekends, and it just gradually increased," Sternberg said. "We'd do it two days in a row and then ... after a while you just have to have it."

Desperate to hang on to their jobs, the two tried to find a detox center in Boise to get help. With no health insurance, they came up empty. They were missing a lot of work and performing poorly because of their drug habits, and they were afraid of losing their jobs. They pawned possessions to get money.

"It was both depressing and humiliating," Sternberg said. "There were several times I would just break down and cry, but I just couldn't stop."

Through relatives and friends, they heard about a detox program in Seattle, but were unable to stay long enough for aftercare and were using again within a few months.

They went to a methadone clinic in Ontario, but fell behind on paying for their medication and were forced to leave the clinic for nonpayment.

Withdrawal followed.

"You want to keep thinking of ways to die, but you are too weak to do it," Sternberg said. "If there had been a gun, you would have pulled the trigger, because you just want it to end. You don't want to die, but you want a way out."

Since starting their treatment at the Meridian clinic things are looking up.

"For the first time, I don't crave any alcohol or drugs or anything," Sternberg said.

At the Meridian clinic, the couple pays $55 each a week for a daily dose of methadone in a cherry-flavored liquid.

The pair recently began working at Deseret Industries, where they make less than $6 an hour hanging clothes and sorting merchandise for a second-hand store. Deseret Industries, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will also provide up to $3,000 to help the non-Mormon couple learn a trade or career skills, they said.

The couple's only wish: That the state's Medicaid program would help addicts pay for maintenance, as a few other states do.

"(Addiction) can affect anybody," Sternberg said. "It doesn't mean that you're a bum or homeless or a junkie or any of those things."
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source: http://www.idahostatesman.com

Bipolar Teens at Greater Risk for Drug Abuse

2008-06-15T07:41:00.002-04:00

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) supports previous reports that adolescents with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for smoking and substance abuse. Researchers say the study is a reminder that teens with bipolar disorder should be screened for drug and alcohol use and abuse.

“This work confirms that bipolar disorder (BPD) in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as is juvenile delinquency,” says Timothy Wilens, MD, director of Substance Abuse Services in MGH Pediatric Psychopharmacology, who led the study. “It indicates both that young people with BPD need to carefully be screened for smoking and for substance use and abuse and that adolescents known to abuse drugs and alcohol – especially those who binge use – should also be assessed for BPD.”

It has been estimated that up to 20 percent of children and adolescents treated for psychiatric problems have bipolar disorder, and there is evidence that pediatric and adolescent BPD may have features, such as particularly frequent and dramatic mood swings, not found in the adult form of the disorder. While elevated levels of smoking and substance abuse previously have been reported in young and adult BPD patients, it has not been clear how the use and abuse of substances relates to the presence of BPD or whether any increased risk could be attributed to co-existing conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder or anxiety disorders.

The current study, which appeared in the June issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, analyzes extensive data – including family histories, information from primary care physicians, and a detailed psychiatric interview – gathered at the outset of a continuing investigation following a group of young BPD patients into adulthood. In addition to 105 participants with diagnosed BPD, who enrolled at an average age of 14, the study includes 98 control participants of the same age, carefully screened to rule out mood disorders.

Incidence of each measure – alcohol abuse or dependence, drug abuse or dependence, and smoking – was significantly higher in participants with BPD than in the control group. Overall, rates of substance use/abuse were 34 percent in the bipolar group and 4 percent in controls.

The data also indicated that bipolar youth whose symptoms began in adolescence were more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than were those whose symptoms began in childhood. “It could be that the onset of mood dysregulation in adolescence puts kids at even higher risk for poor judgement and self-medication of their symptoms,” Wilens says.
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source: Coalitions Online

Definition of binge drinking has its limits

2008-06-14T06:57:00.002-04:00

A Regina man believes most people are binge drinkers if you accept the medical definition of a "binge."

"Binge drinking is defined by a number of different sources as consuming five or more drinks for males and four or more for females on one occasion," said Marta England, supervisor of the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Directorate with the Ministry of Health.

The sources include the Canadian Medical Association, a Canadian Addiction Survey and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The definition astounds Kyle Wylie.

"If I'm going out with some friends for dinner and then maybe we go to a sit-down pub, we'll probably have five drinks in the span of five hours, so is that a binge drinker? By this definition yes, but I wouldn't consider it that way," said the 23-year-old.

Wylie believes a binge drinker is someone who drinks so much that he or she can't make responsible decisions.

"There are females who can drink five or six drinks and be reasonable and there are guys who can drink two or three drinks and be totally unreasonable," he said. "I was a binge drinker most of high school and a lot of my friends and a lot of the people who were in my high school would definitely say they were binge drinkers too -- by my definition, drinking until you're out of control."

Polling was done in 2006 to determine the consumption levels of young Saskatchewan adults so that educational campaigns about the dangers of binge drinking could be tailored for them.

"The campaigns that we've done have focused on the 18- to 29-year-olds who tend to have the heaviest consumption," England said. "Nearly 30 per cent said they had consumed more than five drinks on at least one occasion and 40.5 per cent said they'd consumed more than 10 drinks on at least one occasion in the past 12 months."

Wylie doesn't dispute the statistics.

"In high school, you'd show up with a 12-pack, not a six-pack -- those statistics are very bang on," he said.

England said binge drinking isn't just a problem in Saskatchewan but across the country and world. Since alcohol is a legal drug that's socially acceptable, drinking seems to go hand in hand with celebrations, but that comes at a cost, she said.

According to the Ministry of Health, alcohol use costs Saskatchewan $508.7 million in lost productivity, absenteeism and disability.

"These are some things that we've got to think about -- is it OK for it to be a rite of passage or is it too costly to be a rite of passage?" England questioned.

While the public has received education about the harms associated with drinking and driving, she said many are unaware of the dangers associated with binge drinking.

"There's all sorts of assaults and fights that happen, unplanned, unprotected or unwanted sexual relations, sexually transmitted infections as well as the more long-term physical harms such as memory loss," she said. "Those are some of the harms that we talk to young people about."

Drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time is more harmful to brain cells than any other pattern of drinking.

"Young people still have that infallible sense that 'it won't happen to me,' so we have to go beyond that and have some community and provincial policies in place that reinforce them to make better decisions," England said. "One thing that we did last year and that we're planning for this year again is to get information into Welcome Week packages and orientation packages at the post-secondary institutions."

She said students want to know about the hazards but don't want to be told what to do.

"We talk about alternative kinds of activities that people can be involved in with both younger youth and the post-secondary youth but some of them have indicated that non-alcoholic sponsorship of events is very hard to come by," England said. "It takes a lot of partners and a lot of different approaches to take a look at binge drinking."

Wylie agrees youths will be turned off by a preachy approach and suggests that young adults whose drinking has caused problems should share their experiences with students.

He drastically cut back on his drinking after he suffered blackouts.

"There's a point where you say, 'Wow, why did I do that?' or you wake up in the morning and you say, 'What did I do?' That made me realize that I had to make a change," he said.

Binge Drinking in Saskatchewan

Of 499 young Saskatchewan adults between the ages of
18 and 29 years who were surveyed in 2006 . . .

42% said they drank more than they intended at least once in the past 12 months.

27% said that, on at least one occasion, they couldn't remember events of the previous night due to drinking.

30% reported they had consumed more than five drinks on at least
one occasion.

15% said their drinking had resulted in someone being physically
injured during the past year.
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pcowan@leaderpost.canwest.com

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

World offers President Karzai extra $20bn to stem drug trafficking

2008-06-13T07:27:00.003-04:00

World donors promised Afghanistan more than $20 billion (£10 billion) of new aid, plus fresh moral support, yesterday, but told President Karzai that they were losing patience with his Government’s failure to stem rampant graft and drug trafficking.

Under international pressure over the lack of progress in rebuilding his country, Mr Karzai promised to fight corruption and sought understanding. Poppy-growing farmers, for example, needed help, he said. “Opium is about survival for them.”

The United States, represented by Laura Bush, its First Lady, opened the pledges at the Paris donors’ conference with a $10.2 billion commitment over five years. “Afghanistan has reached a decisive moment for its future. We must not turn our back on this opportunity,” she said.

David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, promised £600 million. He praised progress made in security and healthcare but said that there was a long way to go in building good governance in Afghanistan. The growing links between the insurgency and the drugs industry - which, Mr Miliband said, was reflected in the haul of 235 tonnes of cannabis resin worth about £200 million - had to be tackled.

The total was well short of the $50 billion that Mr Karzai was seeking from the 80 nations and organisations that have already promised $25 billion since 2002. Only $15 billion of that has been spent so far, much of it ineffectively and wastefully, according to aid experts. Afghanistan depends on aid for 90 per cent of its needs.

Nevertheless, Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, called the conference “an unexpected success”. “We had hoped in our most optimistic moments to raise perhaps 17 billion at the most,” he said.

President Sarkozy of France led a chorus of support for Mr Karzai’s fragile Government as the best hope for Afghanistan. “It is the duty of all democrats to help you,” he said. Mr Sarkozy, who has deepened French engagement with the forthcoming deployment of 900 combat troops, said that Afghanistan “was taken hostage by a regime allied to terrorism”.

About 8,000 people were killed last year in the fight with a rejuvenated Taleban, which is trying to break Western will to keep the Nato-led force of 47,000 in Afghanistan.

Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, called for “active measures” against corruption, more transparency and better management of aid.

Stephen Smith, the Australian Foreign Minister, said that reconstruction had been slow. Mr Smith told The Times that “the Afghan Government has to start taking some responsibility” for the administration of the aid funds.

Mr Karzai cited progress in building roads and hospitals, and in fighting opium production since the 2001 fall of the Taleban regime, but he acknowledged: “There is a long way still ahead of us . . . Afghanistan needs adequate, long-term and predictable support.”
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source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Documentary looks at faith and Alcoholics Anonymous

2008-06-11T06:46:00.003-04:00

Broadcast premiere will be at 10 tonight on local PBS channels. Filmmakers interview experts on religion and 12-step program

The place of religious faith in Alcoholics Anonymous gets extensive consideration in the documentary God As We Understand Him: A Film About Faith and the 12 Step Movement.

Airing at 10 tonight on WNEO/WEAO (Channels 45/49), the hourlong production comes from the Akron-based husband-and-wife team of Joshua Gippin and Shane Wynn, who began work on it two years ago. There have been some public screenings; tonight's telecast is its broadcast premiere.

In news materials for the show, Gippin says he set out to understand how non-Christians could use A.A.'s 12 steps when A.A. has roots in Christianity. The film, in fact, looks not only at non-Christians but also at nonbelievers, atheist and agnostic. And in doing so, it has to confront the controversial We Agnostics chapter in A.A.'s Big Book. While the chapter does not call for belief in a specific god or higher power, it still argues for some basic belief — that the Big Book's message is ''spiritual as well as moral.''

To see how people have dealt with that issue, God As We Understand Him interviews not only theologians but also members of A.A. of different beliefs. The A.A. members are shown from the neck down, preserving their anonymity; onscreen graphics identify their religious foundation (even if it's a phrase like ''born-again heathen'') and how long they have been sober. Gippin says he interviewed 33 A.A. members between January and November 2007.

Local experts in the documentary include Victoria Sanelli of Ignatia Hall, Colleen Ryszka of Edwin Shaw Rehab, Pastor George Murphy of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Akron, Mohamed Ismail of the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, Rabbi Susan B. Stone of Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson, the Rev. Nancy O. Arnold of Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, and Hindu priest and Kent State professor emeritus Surinder Bhardwaj.

While the program throws off a lot of sparks about the issues of faith and A.A., in the end it rests on a statement from A.A. co-founder Bill W.: ''Honesty gets us sober. Tolerance keeps us sober.''

''For all their apparent differences, [A.A. members] are united by a common problem,'' the documentary says shortly before presenting a range of people reciting the Serenity Prayer, in more than one language. ''And this is the story of us all, the story of over 6.6 billion humans who live together on Planet Earth. If only the world were more like an A.A. meeting.''

God As We Understand Him is also available on DVD, with about 50 minutes of extra material and a discussion guide. You can buy it through http://godasweunderstandhim.org.
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source: ohio.com

Drug problems affect society as a whole

2008-06-10T06:13:00.001-04:00

I applaud Scotland's Future Forum on their forthright recommendations for the development of treatment and care services for those with drug and alcohol problems. Doubtless there will be criticism of proposals to prescribe pharmaceutical heroin. However, it should be noted that this already occurs elsewhere in Europe, and in North America, and safe injecting areas are available. Indeed, limited prescription of heroin already occurs within the UK, with some success. The prescription of heroin, methadone, and alternatives such as Suboxone, all have a potential role to play in moving drug users along the road to recovery.

In combination with the Scottish Government's significant new investment in the education, prevention, and treatment of alcohol problems, and the recently published Road to Recovery drugs policy, it is to be hoped that we might see a significant improvement in treatment and care services, with commensurate improvement in outcomes, and fewer drug and alcohol-related deaths.

It is also heartening to see a growing recognition that addiction is not simply a problem that can be treated medically and which only affects the individual. Rather, alcohol and drug problems affect families, organisations and society as a whole. As such, solutions must be found that are medical, psychosocial, economic, and cultural.
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I look forward to parliament's response.

Dr Gary Tanner, Clinical Lead, Alcohol and Drug Services, NHS Lanarkshire, Coathill Hospital, Coatbridge.
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source: http://www.theherald.co.uk

Scientists Launch Major Study Into Depression

2008-06-09T07:12:00.002-04:00

Depression will affect up to 25% of the population at some point in their lives. It also has been shown to have a strong genetic component. For example, if one of your close family members has depression, your chance of also being a sufferer is three to four times the general population risk.

Now University of Aberdeen researchers have joined forces with the University of Liverpool and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London to try to find the genetic causes of depression.

They believe the answers could lie with short DNA sequences which act as 'genetic switches' controlling key genes in an area of the brain that influences mood.

These switches ensure that certain genes are only used in the correct parts of the brain at the proper times and in the right dose. Any changes in these can cause imbalances in the amount of critical proteins in the brain that may increase susceptibility to depression.

Unlike genes, little is know of these switches, technically known as enhancers, because up until now they have been very hard to find.

Recently, however, it was found that these switches were so important in evolution that they have been kept, nearly unchanged, through hundreds of millions of years from a time before the dinosaurs.

Dr Alasdair MacKenzie, Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, and the scientist leading the study, explained: "Only by comparing the genomes of species as diverse as mice, marsupials and birds has it been possible to identify these switches as, in many cases, they are located far away from the genes they control. The distances involved are as surprising as having a light bulb in London with the switch for controlling it in Liverpool."

Comparing the genomes of different species has helped them to identify the switches responsible for controlling genes known to be involved in depression, as well as addiction, obesity and inflammatory pain.

This new study funded by the Medical Research Council will allow them to build on their earlier work and also analyse common sequence differences found in the general population which can result in increased risk of developing depression.

Researchers in Aberdeen and Liverpool will study the functional effect of these 'switch' sequences. Scientists at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's, led by Dr Gerome Breen and Professor Peter McGuffin, will look at common variations found in these sequences using DNA samples taken from thousands of patients with chronic depression.

It is hoped the three year study - which will also examine why some sufferers do not respond to anti-depressant treatments - will ultimately pave the way for new drugs to treat the condition.

Dr Alasdair MacKenzie said: "This study would have been impossible even four years ago. It is only through advances in the sequencing of the DNA of many different species that we can now use powerful computers to pick out the most important bits of the human genome that includes the switches needed to control genes.

"In addition to depression, this technology has the potential for exploring the causes of a number of other disorders including chronic pain, obesity or even cancer."

Professor Quinn at the University of Liverpool said: "This study hopes to discover how the same genes in different people are controlled in slightly different ways in the parts of the brain that control fear and mood.

"We hope to link differences in the switches that control these genes with susceptibility to distressing conditions such as depression and chronic anxiety. Also, we hope to find out how these differences may change the way that depressed patients respond to their medicines."

Dr Breen, jointly leading the Institute of Psychiatry at King's involvement, said: "We can now analyse millions of genetic variations in the human genome but it is only studies like that that will allows us to track down those that are important in disorders such as depression."

Professor McGuffin added: "We are delighted to be part of such a potentially exciting project and look forward to our collaboration further enlightening clinical research and practice."
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source: Medical News Today

Caffeine and alcohol shake up the brain

2008-06-08T11:49:00.002-04:00

Caffeine and alcohol consumption have a direct effect on our brain chemistry.

An estimated 80 to 90 percent of Americans report having caffeine on a daily
basis. Caffeine can be found in foods such as chocolate, in many beverages such
as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks, and in over-the-counter
medicines such as aspirin.

The degree of sensitivity can vary greatly from person to person. Caffeine is a
drug that stimulates the central nervous system. While it increases levels of
serotonin, it also links to specific receptors on the surface of brain cells
normally reserved for another naturally occurring and calming neurotransmitter
called adenosine.

When caffeine replaces adenosine, the brain is more reactive to stimulants,
such as noise and light, which is why a person often feels more alert and
talkative after consuming caffeine.

A LINK TO ANXIETY

The effect of caffeine on mood depends on the amount consumed and the
individual's dependence and tolerance. For those who have caffeine only
occasionally, low doses of 20 to 200 mg usually produce a positive mood.

For daily consumers, this positive mood is associated more with the relief from
symptoms like fatigue and lethargy that are so often experienced when caffeine
is withdrawn. Larger doses of caffeine (200 mg or greater) have been associated
with increased anxiety and nervousness.

Some evidence indicates that chocolate may temporarily improve mood. Chocolate
contains high levels of sugar, which increases levels of serotonin, and also
contains fat, which is associated with endorphin release. The caffeine in
chocolate can provide a temporary stimulant effect.

ALCOHOL AS INTENSIFIER

Despite a common myth that alcohol is a mood elevator, unlike caffeine, it
actually acts as a depressant in the body. The notion that alcohol elevates
mood rather than depresses it probably stems from the fact that after a few
drinks, many people begin to lose their inhibitions and appear happier and more
outgoing.

A negative emotional state before drinking can affect the way a person responds
to alcohol. Feeling angry or sad and then drinking, for example, often only
ends up intensifying these emotions.

Studies to determine exactly how alcohol affects the brain are ongoing. We do
know that alcohol changes mood chemically, relaxing brain signals that control
thinking and judgment. It increases levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter
that affects brain processes controlling movement, emotional response and other
abilities.

Serotonin is also thought to play an important role in how the brain reacts to
alcohol. Neurotransmitters connect signals from one nerve to the next, allowing
the signal to flow smoothly. Alcohol interferes with this process, reducing the
natural flow in the brain, which in turn, depresses both mental and physical
capabilities.

Just as with caffeine, some people experience withdrawal symptoms when they
stop consuming alcohol. These symptoms are most likely to occur with those who
drink heavily or who consume alcohol frequently and can include anxiety,
depression, fatigue, headache, irritability, shakiness, sweating and nausea.
Severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include fever, blackouts,
hallucinations, agitation and convulsions.
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source: St-Louis Post Dispatch