Sober N Clean

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

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

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
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

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

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

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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