May 19th, 2012
ANCHORAGE – It’s being called a victory, albeit a minor one, in the war against substance abuse: the battle for funding.
Substance abuse treatment centers are getting funding from the taxes we all pay when we buy alcohol. Treatment centers are getting an additional $9 million dollars from the alcohol beverage tax this year, which advocates say will help save millions of lives.
It’s the nightmare of addiction many Alaskans face, wanting help but finding out there’s nowhere you can go. “That was very scary for me. I looked for all kinds of different ways to get help,” said Holly, who is a recovering addict. “Really, you’re not going to do it unless you’re ready, nobody can force you.”
“I know many programs that have anywhere from 15 to 40 people on their waitlist,” said Anna Sappah, who is the executive director of the Alaska Addiction Professionals Association. “We had a fellow that finally got into services after 14 months on a wait list, and in my mind that’s simply unacceptable.”
Fifty percent of taxes collected on alcohol sales is used for substance abuse treatment and prevention, but advocates say more of the alcohol tax should be included.
State lawmakers agreed approving $19 million dollars more to go toward places like Clitheroe Center. Governor Parnell partially vetoed that, and approved only $9 of the $19 million dollars.
Staff members at Clitheroe Center say they welcome the extra cash. They’ve had to close their doors in the past because of the shortfall.
“We need all the money we can get to help with the recovery programs for our fellow Alaskans,” said Captain Bob Cornett, who is the Anchorage area coordinator for the Salvation Army, which runs Clitheroe. “The money helps us fill our detox beds, helps us get the nursing staff that we need, helps us keeps the doors open.”
Clitheroe is not alone. State officials say other centers throughout the state are facing the same situation.
“There’s no doubt that there’s unmet need,” said Melissa Stone, who is the director of the Alaska Division of Behavioral Health. “We know there is unmet need by virtue of the wait lists that agencies have; we know that there’s unmet need because people cycle back through the system.”
The hope is that the new money will help keep both the programs and people alive, because the ultimate goal is to make sure anyone who needs help can get it at any time.
“If you don’t have the funds to keep the lights on, to keep the power running, and keep the doors open, then there’s a lot of people who are going to die from addiction,” said Cornett.
Right now, pregnant women get priority when it comes to treatment, but advocates say the extra money will be used for programs that help men and the mentally ill. The state needs to figure out how to distribute the $9 million over the next three years.
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May 19th, 2012
By
SCOTT RAWDON
ThisWeek Community News
Friday May 18, 2012 7:12 PM
Several county and Johnstown organizations plan to host a town-hall-style meeting to tell residents and community members about Licking County’s drug problem.
Organizers cite statistics to show that substance abuse in Licking County is a little higher than the national average.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in Johnstown Village Council chambers and will feature a panel discussion involving law-enforcement officials, medical professionals, students and parents.
“It’s open to anyone in Licking County who would like to attend. Johnstown is the host,” said Bobby Persinger, director of prevention for Pathways of Central Ohio, a social-services agency that provides resources to individuals and families in need. “We hope that people walk away from this with energy and enthusiasm to be part of the solution.”
Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools Superintendent Damien Bawn will serve as moderator.
“Substance abuse is a very serious problem across our entire nation,” Bawn said. “Unfortunately, this insidious evil reaches our children at a vulnerable stage in their development and makes it even more important that we do everything possible to intervene and provide support.”
Bawn said the May 22 meeting would bring Johnstown schools and village representatives together with a number of local agencies in an effort to provide information to parents and other concerned members about the warning signs and where they could go for help.
“Substance abuse is an entire community issue,” Persinger said.
He said the panel would include Licking County deputy coroner Jeff Lee, as well as Valerie Connolly of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Service. She will offer medical perspectives.
Johnstown police officer Chris Cooperrider will represent law enforcement; Johnstown-Monroe High School student Garret Holter will represent the student point of view; and Johnstown-Monroe district parent Monica West will offer a parent’s perspective.
Pathways of Central Ohio, Our Futures in Licking County, the village of Johnstown, the Johnstown Police Department, Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools and Mental Health & Recovery for Licking & Knox counties all sponsor the event.
Persinger said this would be the second Licking County substance-abuse town-hall meeting in three months. Granville sponsored a similar meeting April 11, and roughly 40 people attended.
“No more are scheduled yet, but the goal would be to continue the discussion,” said Persinger.
Cooperrider, who works directly with Johnstown schools, said he doesn’t believe Johnstown schools have more of a drug issue than other local districts.
“We’re probably less than other schools in Licking County,” he said. “If there’s just one person doing it, there’s a problem.”
He said all students and parents should attend. Even elementary school students could help spot substance abuse in their community if they know the warning signs, he said.
“The more eyes, the more information we have, the better we can do our job,” he said.
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May 17th, 2012
Posted: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8:28 am
Community takes action to prevent substance abuse and improve mental health
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pilotnews@pilotindependent.com
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Working Together: A Coalition for Safe and Healthy Communities has been chosen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to be recipients of the pilot site award for the State of Minnesota for the first ever National Prevention Week.
The Working Together Coalition (WTC) is hosting a free community meal May 22 at 6 p.m. at the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School Commons.
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May 17th, 2012
Substance abuse is one of the top non-combat medical conditions that result in hospitalization for U.S. troops, according to a new Pentagon report. Mood, anxiety and adjustment disorders also rank high on the list, Time reports.
“Mental disorders accounted for more hospital bed days than any other morbidity category and two-fifths (40.1 percent) of all hospital bed days,” the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly Report stated.
According to the report, hospitalizations for mental disorders have increased by more than 50 percent since 2007. The report notes that the recent sharp increase in hospitalizations for mental disorders probably is due to many factors, including repeated deployments and prolonged exposures to combat stresses. Other reasons may include increased awareness about mental health issues in the military, more screening for and detection of mental disorders after combat, and decreasing stigmas and removal of barriers to seeking and receiving mental disorder diagnoses and care.
Three studies published in January show active-duty military personnel and veterans are prone to substance abuse, depression and suicide.
One study of almost 600 veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan found 39 percent of veterans screened positive for probable alcohol abuse, 3 percent for probable drug use, and 14 percent for probable post-traumatic stress syndrome.
A second study, of 678,382 active personnel, found major depression and substance use disorders have increased. A third study found suicide rates for all U.S. military services rose between 2005 and 2007, particularly for members of the regular Army and National Guard.
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May 15th, 2012
Editor’s Choice
Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 13 May 2012 – 8:00 PDT
According to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 21.8% of pregnant white women between the ages of 15 to 44 years smoked cigarettes within the past 30 days, which is considerably higher compared with the smoking levels amongst pregnant Black women (14.2%) and pregnant Hispanic women (6.5%) within the same age range.
The report also showed that the rate of pregnant black women who took illicit drugs within the past 30 days was significantly higher, with 7.7% compared with 4.4% of white pregnant women, and 3.1% of Hispanic pregnant women.
Alcohol use within the last 30 days is comparable amongst pregnant black and white women – 12.8% and 12.2 % respectively – yet these levels were considerably higher than the rate among pregnant Hispanic women (7.4%). Pregnant Hispanic women between the ages of 15 to 44 years were overall less likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes in comparison with those who were black or white.
SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde commented:
“When pregnant women use alcohol, tobacco, or illicit substances they are risking health problems for themselves and poor birth outcomes for their babies. Pregnant women of different races and ethnicities may have diverse patterns of substance abuse. It is essential that we use the findings from this report to develop better ways of getting this key message out to every segment of our community so that no woman or child is endangered by substance use and abuse.”
To address problems of substance abuse amongst pregnant women, the SAMHSA’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence sponsors a number of state-of-the-art programs that implement evidence-based interventions that have already assisted pregnant women in leading healthier life-styles and improving their children’s health. The programs include:
- Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) – Helps identify and provide assistance to those who need treatment. It uses a simple written assessment of alcohol use and a 10-15 minute intervention with pregnant women who report drinking.
- Project CHOICES – Caters for women who are at risk of having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy before they become pregnant by providing information and help.
- Parent-Child Assistance Program (P-CAP) – The program uses an intensive paraprofessional home visitation model to reduce risk behaviors in women with substance abuse problems over a three-year period.
Written by Petra Rattue
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Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)
Fear mongering
posted by Booboo on 13 May 2012 at 8:55 am
More fear mongering to scare people with. Lets think about this a bit. Who would admit to smoking while pregnant in todays paranoid society? I know I wouldn’t. Not a word. No one even knows that I smoke and I have never even been pregnant. Keep it silent and dark about smoking until the attitudes change again, and they will
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May 15th, 2012
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, half of all cigarettes consumed in the U.S. are smoked by people with some form of mental illness (which includes those with substance use disorders).
However those with a mental health or substance use disorder represent less than 15 percent of the general population.
We are all aware of the health hazards of tobacco use. Several studies have shown that tobacco use in those with mental health or substance use disorders is associated with 20 to 30 years of life lost compared to mean life expectancy of general population.
However, this data continues to be met with resistance in treating nicotine dependence while treating other addictions, such as alcohol and other drug dependence. Some argue that treating nicotine dependence in addiction treatment is disruptive to treatment of other alcohol and drug addictions, while others argue that those with addictions do not want treatment for tobacco use, would not benefit from treatment of tobacco use, and recovery from other addictions would be jeopardized if they quit tobacco use.
Several studies over the years have shown that nicotine activates the same reward pathway in the brain as heroin and cocaine and although consequences are not immediate, more alcoholics die from smoking related diseases than alcohol related diseases.
Nicotine addiction is not different from other addictions, and should be treated as such.
Research has also repeatedly shown that treating tobacco use during addiction treatment led to an increase in positive treatment outcomes by 25 percent. Tobacco users learn skills in recovery from other substance use disorders that help them quit tobacco use.
Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. is committed to providing the best evidence based addiction treatment we can offer, which includes addressing nicotine addiction. Therefore, effective May 1, our Steppingstone Addiction Facility became a Tobacco Free Facility. No smoking or other tobacco is permitted in the building, on the grounds or parking lot.
This includes our residential addiction programs, which will no longer allow smoke breaks during programming. This action has been implemented to protect the health of our patients, employees and visitors by keeping them free from tobacco products and free from exposure to second hand smoke. We also want the opportunity for patients in our care to be in the best position for long term recovery from all addictive substances.
We understand the power of nicotine addiction and we know that the idea of going without tobacco products (even for a short time) can be an overwhelming thought. Therefore we recommend a course of nicotine replacement medications for all nicotine dependent patients coming into our tobacco free environment. Whether or not you have long term interest in being tobacco free, we want your stay in residential addictions treatment to be tolerable and reasonably free from nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Those interested in nicotine addiction treatment, can find additional help with some other community resources including the local health department. Indiana’s free quit line (800-QUIT-NOW) provides telephone support and possible resources for nicotine replacement products.
Katy Adams is director of Addiction Services at Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. Contact the organization at 812.436.4221 or comments@southwestern.org.
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May 12th, 2012
By Tiffany Walden
Contributor
May 11, 2012 3:10PM
Master Sergeant Christopher Sullivan, of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, speaks during the Community Symposium “Saving Our Children” on Wednesday at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
Updated: May 11, 2012 3:16PM
While listening to the drug abuse testimony of one mother-son pair at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high school’s annual drug symposium, Mary Furlong remembered it wasn’t too long ago her then 15-year-old son overdosed.
“He called me and he told me that he was sick and that he threw up on the bus,” Furlong said. “He asked, would I go get him, and I said, of course.”
Furlong was unaware Will had taken Xanax, an anti-anxiety prescription drug, and smoked K2, a synthetic form of marijuana illegal in Illinois since 2011. She also did not know this wasn’t her son’s first experience with substance abuse.
He later admitted to drinking alcohol in junior high school, but not liking the taste.
“By the time the parents catch them, they’ve been doing it for a while,” she said.
Stevenson High School hosted the Community Symposium “Saving Our Children” on Wednesday, a discussion of the dangers of illicit drug use. Also invited were families from Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools.
A 2010 Illinois Youth Survey revealed that 10 percent of eighth graders in Lake County have taken a sip or two of alcohol at ages 10 or younger. Six percent of sophomores in the county have smoked marijuana once or twice in a month.
However, the 2010 survey did not include questions about adolescent use of over-the-counter drugs in a 30-day period. Elisabeth Nelson, community health specialist at the Lake County Health Department said the 2012 survey will include statistics on prescription drugs and painkillers.
“We have seen a slight increase in prescription drug abuse in the past year’s data,” Nelson said. “Cough medicine is higher than pain killers.”
Nelson said anecdotal data from substance abuse treatment centers point to teens trying prescription painkillers such as Oxycotin and Percocet before experimenting with more addictive drugs, such as heroin.
“I don’t think that there’s anything that (the kids) can’t get. It’s either in the parents or grandparents medicine cabinets, and it’s not things that are on adult’s radar,” Nelson said.
Alcohol is still number one for teen substance abuse, but Nelson said inhalants — anything from household spray cans to permanent markers — are more of an issue for middle school-aged children.
“They have more access to those sorts of things than to marijuana,” Nelson said.
That’s why Stephanie Elsass, student assistance program coordinator at Stevenson High School, collaborates with nearby high schools every year to host a panel of experts for the symposium. She wants to help make parents more aware and educated about the dangers to their children.
“I think everyone in the country is worried about kids with prescription drugs,” said Elsass, who has hosted the symposium for seven years.
“The prescription drugs are so extremely scary because they are so easily available,” said Furlong, who placed her son into Families and Adolescents in Recovery, Inc., an outpatient substance abuse treatment program in Schaumburg.
Will, 16, is now a Stevenson sophomore and has graduated from the FAIR treatment program. He attended Wednesday’s Symposium with his mother.
“We’re watching him like a hawk,” Furlong said. “Little by little, he gets his freedoms returned. Like now, he has a cell phone but he has no texting. And no Facebook page.”
Nelson said children should be monitored more in the summer, when they have more free time. She also encourages parents to have conversations with their kids about drugs early.
“We say it’s never too early,” she said. “You talk about the difference between candy and medicine when they are little. And when they get into upper elementary, you start talking about why things are legal when you’re an adult.”
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May 12th, 2012
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (WHDH) – State Police have recaptured a prisoner who was being brought to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Bridgewater Friday evening.
A massive manhunt started just before 6:30 Friday evening.
Police say 22-year-old David Meola is back in custody after a two-hour manhunt. Taunton police provided the picture above of Meola from a prior arrest.
Meola escaped from Bristol County Sheriff’s deputies while being brought to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Bridgewater. Meola was in custody because of a court order committing him for substance abuse.
Police say Meola did not have a history of violence.
He escaped while being transported from a van. He lives in Taunton and when he got out, Taunton police sent an officer to his house, in case he tried to return there.
Meola ran to a field area by the backside of the prison.
A canine officer found Meola around 8:20 p.m.
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May 10th, 2012
One in five white woman have smoked cigarettes while pregnant, according to a new government study released today.
The report, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, showed that 21.8 percent of pregnant white women ages 15 to 44 had smoked a cigarette within 30 days of when the survey was conducted.
Those numbers contrasted with 14.2 percent of black women and 6.5 percent of Hispanic women of the same age.
“When pregnant women use alcohol, tobacco, or illicit substances they are risking health problems for themselves and poor birth outcomes for their babies,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a statement. “Pregnant women of different races and ethnicities may have diverse patterns of substance abuse. It is essential that we use the findings from this report to develop better ways of getting this key message out to every segment of our community so that no woman or child is endangered by substance use and abuse.”
The rate of alcohol use during pregnancy among black and white women was about the same: 12.8 percent and 12.2 percent respectively. Only about 7.4 percent of Hispanic women reported drinking alcohol while pregnant.
Black pregnant women were more likely to use illegal drugs than white and Hispanic pregnant women: about 7.7 percent of blacks, 4.4 percent of whites and 3.1 percent of Hispanics reported using drugs at least once in 30 days prior to the survey.
A mother’s smoking habit is one of the key risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), according to Dr. Ari Brown, author of the book “Baby 411.”
“A mom who smokes has less circulating oxygen in her body and thus, so does her unborn baby,” Brown wrote in the book. “This is called fetal hypoxia. There is also less blood flow to the uterus and placenta, and therefore to the baby. Lastly, nicotine goes right through the placenta and circulates in the bloodstream of the fetus.”
Smoking increases the risk of a small fetus who doesn’t grow properly, a placenta that implants in the cervix, a placenta that pulls from the uterine wall prematurely, preterm birth and low birth weight.
As for alcohol, Brown wrote in her book that the latest research shows that much smaller amounts (one to two drinks a day) may adversely affect a child’s birth weight, attention, behavior and IQ. And fetal alcohol syndrome is the number one preventable cause of intellectual disability in children.
“Bottom line: don’t drink. Good news: most women actually lose their taste for alcohol during pregnancy, so most pregnant women won’t be craving a margarita with Mexican food anyway,” he said.
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May 10th, 2012
ScienceDaily (May 10, 2012) A new report shows that 21.8 percent of pregnant White women aged 15 to 44 currently (within the past 30 days) smoked cigarettes. The study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also showed that cigarette smoking levels among pregnant White women were significantly higher than the levels among pregnant Black women (14.2 percent) and pregnant Hispanic women (6.5 percent) in the same 15 to 44 age range.
In terms of current illicit drug use, however, the report found that the rate among pregnant Black women (7.7 percent) was significantly higher than among pregnant White women (4.4 percent) and pregnant Hispanic women (3.1 percent).
The rate of current alcohol use among pregnant Black and White women is roughly the same (12.8 percent and 12.2 percent respectively), but their levels were substantially higher than pregnant Hispanic women (7.4 percent)
Overall, pregnant Hispanic women in this age range were less likely to use alcohol and cigarettes than pregnant Black and White women.
“When pregnant women use alcohol, tobacco, or illicit substances they are risking health problems for themselves and poor birth outcomes for their babies,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “Pregnant women of different races and ethnicities may have diverse patterns of substance abuse. It is essential that we use the findings from this report to develop better ways of getting this key message out to every segment of our community so that no woman or child is endangered by substance use and abuse.”
SAMHSA’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence sponsors a number of state-of-the-art programs for addressing the problem of substance abuse among pregnant women. These programs include:
Project CHOICES — Reaches out to women at risk of having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy before they become pregnant to provide information and help. Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) — Helps identify and provide assistance to people in need of treatment. The program uses a simple written assessment of alcohol use and a 10-15 minute intervention with pregnant women who report drinking. Parent-Child Assistance Program (P-CAP) — The program uses an intensive paraprofessional home visitation model to reduce risk behaviors in women with substance abuse problems over a three-year period.
These programs implement evidence-based interventions and have helped many pregnant women lead healthier lives and improve the outcomes for their children’s health.
The report entitled, Data Spotlight: Substance Use During Pregnancy Varies by Race and Ethnicity, is based on data analyzed from SAMHSA’s 2002-2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH is a scientifically conducted annual survey of approximately 67,500 people throughout the country, aged 12 and older. Because of its statistical power, it is the nation’s premier source of statistical information on the scope and nature of many substance abuse and behavioral health issues affecting the nation. The report is available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/spotlight/Spot062PregnantRaceEthnicity2012.pdf.
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