Blog Entries

Adderall Abuse on College Campuses

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Adderall, a stimulant drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children, is becoming a problem on college campuses.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 6.4 percent of students use Adderall for non-medical reasons, with the most common being to get through finals week on very little sleep. Some graduate students and professors are also taking the drug to enhance their academic performance.

Many university health centers are aware of t [...]

Painkillers Fuel Ohio's Drug Epidemic

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0100

In Ohio, deaths from accidental drug overdoses kill more people than car accidents. The victims vary in age, race and socio-economic status. One thing they have in common, the Port Clinton News-Herald has reported, is that their addictions began as abuse of prescription medication.
Many victims didnâ€™t start with the needle, but with pills, often prescribed by a doctor for legitimate reasons. They slipped unwittingly into their addiction. Others swiped drugs from a relativ [...]

Article Addresses Extent of Youth Substance Problem in Oregon

aotate1@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0100

A Nov. 23 article by Susie Bodman and Stefanie Knowlton of Oregon's Statesman-Journal newspaper reported that adolescent and teen substance abuse remains a prevalent problem throughout the state:
Eighth-graders in Oregon were twice as likely to drink in the past 30 days than their peers across the country in 2005, and, since then, the number has grown along with binge drinking by eighth-graders.Last year, nearly 40 percent of eighth-graders reported using alcohol or drugs in the past 30 [...]

Contest Encourages Teens to Write Their Own Stories of Recovery

aotate1@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0100

The annual Young Voices for Recovery contest is proof of the adage that "words matter."

As correspondent Jim Ott wrote in the Nov. 29 edition of The Oakland Tribune, the 'Voices" contest gives teenagers who are making their way through substance abuse recovery the opportunity to put their experiences down on paper:
The contest encourages youngsters between the ages of 13 to 19 to write about their experiences in seeking drug and alcohol treatment. Designed to c [...]

Minnesota Group Helps Immigrant Families Keep Kids Away from Drugs

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Parents who move their families here from other countries often experience culture shock. Life in America is very different. Though kids donâ€™t face the same dangers here as they do in a place like Sudan, there are dangers. New Sudan American Hope helps parents understand those dangers.

"The goal of the coalition is to reduce substance abuse and related problems within diverse populations by building partnerships with schools, businesses, law enforcement, religi [...]

Pennsylvania Businessman Seeks Sponsor for Needle-Exchange Program

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

For 11 years, Robert Field has personally financed a needle exchange program in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Now, heâ€™s hoping the community-at-large will step up and continue funding the program, because of a policy shift which would lift a ban on over-the-counter syringe sales.

"Field said he is ending financial support after December because the regulatory change should free Lancaster General Hospital or other organizations to fund the effort," Jeff Hawkes r [...]

Former Clinic Employee Says Prescription Drug Abuse 'Off the Deep End'

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

When Kate Sweeney worked in a medical clinic, she would occasionally have a pharmacists refuse to fill a prescription out of concern that the patient was abusing his medication. Today, several years later, the problem of prescription drug abuse has gotten worse.

Sweeney wrote about rising rates of prescription drug abuse in the Nov. 11 edition of the Lake County (Calif.) Record-Bee:
Prescription drug abuse is not a small problem in the United States. Not only do adults abuse cont [...]

W.Va. Gov Calls for $23.5 Million to Fight Drug Abuse

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin says the stateâ€™s current approaches to drug and alcohol abuse arenâ€™t working, and that itâ€™s time for something new. A Nov. 16 article on www.wvmetronews.com provided the following information about the governor's new plan, which was unveiled this past Monday:
A group appointed by Governor Joe Manchin put together the document that includes five key components for an effective substance abuse syst [...]

Awareness Campaign Targets Adults in Effort to End Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

aotate1@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has teamed up with the National Council on Patient Information and Education to launch a new campaign about teen prescription drug abuse. The campaign â€“ Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer â€“ aims to give adults the tools they need to help prevent prescription drug abuse among teenagers.

"Although the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among youth has declined [...]

Minnesota Group Helps Immigrant Families Keep Kids Away from Drugs

aotate1@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Study Reveals Troubling Trends Among Youth in Santa Cruz

aotate1@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

The biennial California Healthy Kids Survey -- which evaluates drug and alcohol use by surveying thousands of students -- has revealed troublesome trends among youth in the Santa Cruz, California, area:

Thirty-six percent of high school freshmen countywide report that they have been 'very drunk' or sick from alcohol, up from 29 percent in 2005. Sixteen percent of seventh-grade students report recent binge drinking, up from 10 percent in 2005. (Source: The Press-Banner)

Washington Post Writer Wonders Why Good Kids Turn to Heroin

aotate1@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
In the wake of revelations that dozens of young people were involved in a Virginia heroin ring that has been associated with four deaths, Washington Post reporter Caitlin Gibson wanted to know what leads a "good kid" to start using heroin. Her investigation led to a two-part article series titled â€œWhen Heroin Hits Home.â€�
The answer is simple, according to Edythe London, a neuroscientist and pharmacologist at UCLA who is at the forefront of addition [...]

Island Community Wins Substance Abuse Prevention Grant

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
Vashon Island, off the coast of Washington State, has been awarded a grant aimed at addressing teen drug use. According to an article in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, the grant money will benefit the newly formed Vashon Health Community Network:
The grant, $115,000 the first year and up to $125,000 for each of the next nine years, will enable the network to hire a coordinator.

In the first year of funding, the network also plans to strengthen its community mobilization ski [...]

New Site Helps Hispanic Parents Talk to Children About Dangers Drugs

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has announced the launch of a new website aimed at helping Hispanic families. â€œHabla Con Tus Hijosâ€� is a Spanish-language web resource filled with tips and guidance on how parents can best start, and continue, honest conversations with their children about drug use.

The following details were included in a press release to announce the establishment of the new website:
"Habla Con Tus Hijos" is the n [...]

SAMHSA Report Reveals Few Changes in Drug Abuse Rates, Trends

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a 304-page report on drug and alcohol use in 2008. There were few surprises or changes in the rates of use from other years.
The use of illegal drugs among teenagers has remained about the same since 2005.
Among children ages 12 to 17 years old, 11.6 percent used such drugs in 2002, compared to 9.3 percent in 2008.
Use of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons dropped from 4 percent in 200 [...]

SAMHSA Report Reveals Few Changes in Drug Abuse Rates, Trends

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a 304-page report on drug and alcohol use in 2008. There were few surprises or changes in the rates of use from other years.
The use of illegal drugs among teenagers has remained about the same since 2005.
Among children ages 12 to 17 years old, 11.6 percent used such drugs in 2002, compared to 9.3 percent in 2008.
Use of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons dropped from 4 percent in 200 [...]

Former College President Says Minimum Drinking Age Doesn't Work

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
In a Sept. 16 commentary on the CNN website, former Middlebury College President John M. McCardell Jr. advocates abolishing the U.S. minimum drinking age of 21 and replacing it with a system that educates teenagers and young adults about the proper use of alcohol, and and then licenses them to drink.

McCardell is the founder and president of Choose Responsibility, a nonprofit organization that describes its purpose as "to stimulate informed and dispassionate public discussion abo [...]

Blog title (click to edit)Family, Friends, Finances Among Influences on Teen Smoking Rates

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
Why do some teenagers start smoking? Why do some become heavy smokers? Researchers from the University of Montreal set out to find the answers to these questions.
Dr. Jennifer Oâ€™Loughlin and her colleagues studied 877 students for five years starting when they were 13-years old.
None of the children were smoking at the beginning of the study.
By the time participants were 18 years old, 48 percent were smoking.
Among the smoking group, 21 percent of the teen [...]

Idaho Community Spans Bridge to Celebrate National Recovery Month

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
People whose lives have been touched by addiction joined hands near Lewiston, Idaho, Sept. 18 to span the Interstate Bridge in a show of hope and solidarity.

Stephanie Smith of Idaho's KLEW-TV reported on the "Hands Across the Bridge" ceremony, a community event designed to celebrate September's designation as National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month:
"What we are trying to do is a prevention event to show families that there is fun for families w [...]

Expert Emphasized Importance of Parent-Teen Cooperation, Communication

aotate1@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100
Many experts have identified parental involvement as the key to helping kids stay away from alcohol and other drugs. But the truth of the matter is that parental involvement wonâ€™t do any good if the child is unresponsive or detached -- thus, the essential component is cooperation between parents and teens.

This topic was addressed in a Sept. 21 article by Alice Englin, the coalition director for the Freeborn County (Minn.) Partners In Prevention:
An important [...]