Doctor warns 'smoking' alcohol is risky proposition
Doctors are warning that a new and trendy way to get a buzz is really dangerous: Some people are choosing to "smoke" their alcohol instead of drinking it. Read more here.
Doctors are warning that a new and trendy way to get a buzz is really dangerous: Some people are choosing to "smoke" their alcohol instead of drinking it. Read more here.
Study: College Women Binge
Drink More Often Than Men
Female college students exceed government-suggested limits
on weekly alcohol consumption more often than male students do, according to a
new report by researchers at Harvard University. Click
here for more.
A new edition of psychiatry's diagnostic guide "will probably lead to substantial false-positive rates and unnecessary treatment," charged the man who led development of the last version. To be released at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, "introduce[s] several high-prevalence diagnoses at the fuzzy boundary with normality," according to Allen Frances, MD, who chaired the task force responsible for DSM-IV issued in 1994. Frances, now an emeritus professor at Duke University, wrote online in Annals of Internal Medicine that changes from DSM-IV will apply disease labels to individuals who may be unhappy or offensive but still normal. Such individuals would include those experiencing "the forgetfulness of old age" as well as children with severe, chronic temper tantrums and individuals with physical symptoms with no medical explanation. Read the rest of this story here.
Study Finds That 14% of Undergraduate Students at a
Southeastern University Report Synthetic Cannabinoid Use; Users More
Likely to Be Male and Identify as LGBT
Synthetic cannabinoid use among college students at a Southeastern university is concentrated in males and in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community, according to the first known study to obtain a detailed profile of users of any type of synthetic cannabinoid. Overall, 14% of undergraduate students reported lifetime use of synthetic cannabinoids, with an average initiation age of 18. Males were twice as likely as females (19% vs. 9%) to report synthetic cannabinoid use. Sexual orientation was also found to be related to synthetic cannabinoid use. Students who self-identified themselves as LGBT were nearly twice as likely as heterosexual students (27% vs. 14%) to report lifetime use (see figure below), and reported use was equally high among both male and female LGBT students. The study also found that lifetime use of synthetic cannabinoids was virtually non-existent among those who did not report past month alcohol (0.3%) or marijuana (0.4%) use, compared to 16% and 24%, respectively, of past month users of these substances. According to the authors, “future research should investigate the higher use among [LGBT individuals], and prevention efforts may be most effective when reaching out to the LGBT community”. Editor’s Note: It is impossible to determine the types of synthetic cannabinoids contained in synthetic marijuana products without specific testing—studies have shown that the types and amounts of synthetic cannabinoids can vary greatly between products, lots, and even within the same package1. In reality, youth who report using synthetic marijuana likely have no idea what specific synthetic cannabinoid they are using or what the effects will be. SOURCE: Adapted by CESAR from Stogner, J.M. and Miller, B.L., “A Spicy Kind of High: A Profile of Synthetic Cannabinoid Users,” Journal of Substance Use.”
Synthetic cannabinoid use among college students at a Southeastern university is concentrated in males and in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community, according to the first known study to obtain a detailed profile of users of any type of synthetic cannabinoid. Overall, 14% of undergraduate students reported lifetime use of synthetic cannabinoids, with an average initiation age of 18. Males were twice as likely as females (19% vs. 9%) to report synthetic cannabinoid use. Sexual orientation was also found to be related to synthetic cannabinoid use. Students who self-identified themselves as LGBT were nearly twice as likely as heterosexual students (27% vs. 14%) to report lifetime use (see figure below), and reported use was equally high among both male and female LGBT students. The study also found that lifetime use of synthetic cannabinoids was virtually non-existent among those who did not report past month alcohol (0.3%) or marijuana (0.4%) use, compared to 16% and 24%, respectively, of past month users of these substances. According to the authors, “future research should investigate the higher use among [LGBT individuals], and prevention efforts may be most effective when reaching out to the LGBT community”. Editor’s Note: It is impossible to determine the types of synthetic cannabinoids contained in synthetic marijuana products without specific testing—studies have shown that the types and amounts of synthetic cannabinoids can vary greatly between products, lots, and even within the same package1. In reality, youth who report using synthetic marijuana likely have no idea what specific synthetic cannabinoid they are using or what the effects will be. SOURCE: Adapted by CESAR from Stogner, J.M. and Miller, B.L., “A Spicy Kind of High: A Profile of Synthetic Cannabinoid Users,” Journal of Substance Use.”
Survey Finds People in Recovery
Experience Striking Improvements Over Time
The first nationwide survey of people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs finds their lives steadily improve in areas from employment to family life to community involvement. The online survey, released by the advocacy group Faces & Voices of Recovery, attempts to measure and quantify the effects of recovery over time. Continue reading here.
The first nationwide survey of people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs finds their lives steadily improve in areas from employment to family life to community involvement. The online survey, released by the advocacy group Faces & Voices of Recovery, attempts to measure and quantify the effects of recovery over time. Continue reading here.
Many parents are not aware that their teenage children abuse "study drugs," a new poll suggests. In the poll, just 1 percent of parents said their teenage children had taken drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin without a prescription. That is much lower than the percentage of teens that surveys suggest are using the drugs. For example, a 2012 study of high schoolers found that about 10 percent of sophomores and 12 percent of seniors said they had used the drugs without a prescription. Continue here.
Starting to Drink at Younger Age
Linked With Heavier Drinking Later in Life
The earlier a person starts drinking, the greater the chance he or she will consume more alcohol later in life, according to a new study of humans and rats. People who start drinking during puberty consume more alcohol later in life than those who start drinking later. Science Daily reports researchers in Germany studied 283 young adults, and asked them when they first started drinking. Their drinking behavior—the number of days they drank, the amount of alcohol they consumed, and whether their drinking was considered hazardous—was assessed at ages 19, 22 and 23. The researchers also studied the effects of early alcohol exposure on drinking patterns later in life in 20 rats. The researchers found people who had their first drink during puberty had elevated drinking levels compared with those who started drinking at a later age. The animal study found that rats receiving free access to alcohol during puberty consumed more alcohol as adults, compared with animals that first came into contact with alcohol during adulthood. The results are published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. In a news release, lead researcher Miriam Schneider explained why the study included both humans and animals. “Adolescents have their first drink at very different ages,” she said. “It would be unethical to make adolescents have their first drink in the course of a study, so this variable requires a longitudinal epidemiological study or experimental animal research to assess drinking behavior.” She added, “Puberty is a very critical developmental period due to ongoing neurodevelopmental processes in the brain. It is exactly during puberty that substances like drugs of abuse — alcohol, cannabis, etc. — may induce the most destructive and also persistent effects on the still developing brain, which may in some cases even result in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or addictive disorders.”
The earlier a person starts drinking, the greater the chance he or she will consume more alcohol later in life, according to a new study of humans and rats. People who start drinking during puberty consume more alcohol later in life than those who start drinking later. Science Daily reports researchers in Germany studied 283 young adults, and asked them when they first started drinking. Their drinking behavior—the number of days they drank, the amount of alcohol they consumed, and whether their drinking was considered hazardous—was assessed at ages 19, 22 and 23. The researchers also studied the effects of early alcohol exposure on drinking patterns later in life in 20 rats. The researchers found people who had their first drink during puberty had elevated drinking levels compared with those who started drinking at a later age. The animal study found that rats receiving free access to alcohol during puberty consumed more alcohol as adults, compared with animals that first came into contact with alcohol during adulthood. The results are published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. In a news release, lead researcher Miriam Schneider explained why the study included both humans and animals. “Adolescents have their first drink at very different ages,” she said. “It would be unethical to make adolescents have their first drink in the course of a study, so this variable requires a longitudinal epidemiological study or experimental animal research to assess drinking behavior.” She added, “Puberty is a very critical developmental period due to ongoing neurodevelopmental processes in the brain. It is exactly during puberty that substances like drugs of abuse — alcohol, cannabis, etc. — may induce the most destructive and also persistent effects on the still developing brain, which may in some cases even result in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or addictive disorders.”
The Search for Mental
Illness and Addiction in the Brain, Part II: Why Are the Human Psyche and
Behavior So Complicated?
Let's return to those halcyon, simple-minded years, the late
1970s, when everything seemed possible in biologizing human behavior. In 1979,
for instance, psychologist Thomas Bouchard and his colleagues at the University
of Minnesota began their study of twins reared apart. Bouchard's chief
conclusion based on that research: "The determinants of personality are
mostly genetic." But that conclusion wasn't what really attracted the
attention of the media. Bouchard regularly publicized remarkable similarities
he found among his subjects, including this one: "Bridget and Dorothy met
for the first time to make the flight from England to Minneapolis. These two
strangers each wore seven rings and multiple bracelets on each wrist."
Other accounts noted that the multiple rings each sister wore were deployed on
the same fingers. Critic Leon Kamin, a Princeton psychologist who found traits
such as "beringedness" impossible to believe, surmised that the
sisters consulted about their jewelry beforehand. In any case, we no longer
hear about such genetic matching on seemingly random human traits as those
Bouchard uncovered. That's because inheritance of such traits makes no sense
based on what we've discovered about how the genome actually operates. Continue
reading here.
What is Comorbidity
and What Are Its Causes?
When two disorders or illnesses occur simultaneously in the same person, they
are called comorbid. Surveys show that drug abuse and other mental illnesses
are often comorbid. Six out of ten people with a substance use disorder also
suffer from another form of mental illness. But the high prevalence of these
comorbidities does not mean that one condition caused the other, even if one
appeared first. In fact, there are at least three scenarios that we should
consider:
- Drug abuse can cause a mental illness.
- Mental illness can lead to drug abuse.
- Drug abuse and mental disorders are both caused by other common risk factors.
In
reality, all three scenarios can contribute, in varying degrees, to the
establishment of specific comorbid mental disorders and addiction. Continue
reading about this latest NIH research here.
Many Medical Residents Give Poor
Marks to Addiction Training
More than half of internal medicine residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston say they were not adequately trained in addiction and other substance use disorders, according to a new survey. The survey, conducted last year, found residents rated their training in these areas as fair or poor, Health Canal reports. Many said they were not prepared to diagnose or treat addiction or substance use disorders. “Our residents estimated that one in four hospital inpatients has a substance use disorder, which matches what other studies have found and represents a disease prevalence similar to that of diabetes,” lead author Sarah Wakeman, MD said in a news release. “Finding that the majority of residents feel unprepared to treat addiction and rate the quality of their education so low represents a tremendous disparity between the burden of disease and the success of our current model of training.” Wakeman noted several previous studies have indicated a deficiency in addiction education for medical residents. Some programs offer no training in this area, she said. Massachusetts General Hospital says it has increased residents’ training in addiction medicine as a result of the findings. The survey, based on responses from 101 residents, is published in the journal Substance Abuse. One-quarter said they felt unprepared to diagnose addiction, and 62 percent said they felt unprepared to treat it. Only 13 percent felt very prepared to diagnose addiction, and no residents felt very prepared to treat addiction. Participants were asked six questions to evaluate their knowledge about diagnosing and treating substance abuse. None answered all the questions correctly. Only 6 percent correctly answered all three questions about medication treatment options for addiction.
More than half of internal medicine residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston say they were not adequately trained in addiction and other substance use disorders, according to a new survey. The survey, conducted last year, found residents rated their training in these areas as fair or poor, Health Canal reports. Many said they were not prepared to diagnose or treat addiction or substance use disorders. “Our residents estimated that one in four hospital inpatients has a substance use disorder, which matches what other studies have found and represents a disease prevalence similar to that of diabetes,” lead author Sarah Wakeman, MD said in a news release. “Finding that the majority of residents feel unprepared to treat addiction and rate the quality of their education so low represents a tremendous disparity between the burden of disease and the success of our current model of training.” Wakeman noted several previous studies have indicated a deficiency in addiction education for medical residents. Some programs offer no training in this area, she said. Massachusetts General Hospital says it has increased residents’ training in addiction medicine as a result of the findings. The survey, based on responses from 101 residents, is published in the journal Substance Abuse. One-quarter said they felt unprepared to diagnose addiction, and 62 percent said they felt unprepared to treat it. Only 13 percent felt very prepared to diagnose addiction, and no residents felt very prepared to treat addiction. Participants were asked six questions to evaluate their knowledge about diagnosing and treating substance abuse. None answered all the questions correctly. Only 6 percent correctly answered all three questions about medication treatment options for addiction.
Individuals Who Drink Heavily and Smoke May Show
'Early Aging' of the Brain
Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities found during early abstinence, including chronic cigarette smoking and increasing age. A new study is the first to look at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in treatment-seeking alcohol dependent (AD) individuals. Findings show that AD individuals who currently smoke show more problems with memory, ability to think quickly and efficiently, and problem-solving skills than those who don't smoke, effects which seem to become exacerbated with age. The rest of this article is here.
Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities found during early abstinence, including chronic cigarette smoking and increasing age. A new study is the first to look at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in treatment-seeking alcohol dependent (AD) individuals. Findings show that AD individuals who currently smoke show more problems with memory, ability to think quickly and efficiently, and problem-solving skills than those who don't smoke, effects which seem to become exacerbated with age. The rest of this article is here.
A bill that criminalizes the manufacture, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana was signed into law Monday by Gov. Chris Christie. The possession of fake pot will now carry real charges after a bill banning the manufacture, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana was signed into law Monday by Gov. Chris Christie. Under the law, producing and selling one or more ounces of synthetic marijuana is now a second-degree crime, and producing or selling less than an ounce is a third-degree crime. The bill also established third- and fourth-degree crimes for possession of synthetic marijuana. Last year, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced a statewide ban on the manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of any of the hundreds of chemicals designed to mimic the effects of marijuana, commonly called “synthetic marijuana,” “K2,” or “Spice.” The Attorney General said the number of synthetic marijuana exposures that were reported to poison control centers increased by 139 percent nationwide, and by 711 percent in New Jersey alone between 2010 and 2011. Of the reported cases in New Jersey, 92 percent resulted in symptoms that required treatment in a healthcare facility.
Choices in recovery support groups continue to emerge
Signs can be found everywhere in many places to demonstrate that support groups taking an alternative approach to the 12-Step philosophy have arrived as a critical component of the recovery community. Looking alone at arguably the most prominent of these groups nationally, SMART Recovery, these developments serve among the telling examples of the growth of 12-Step alternatives. While most prominent in a few pockets of the U.S. (particularly San Diego, New York City and across Massachusetts) and overseas mainly in the United Kingdom and Australia, regularly meeting SMART Recovery groups likely will number 1,000 worldwide at some point this year.
Signs can be found everywhere in many places to demonstrate that support groups taking an alternative approach to the 12-Step philosophy have arrived as a critical component of the recovery community. Looking alone at arguably the most prominent of these groups nationally, SMART Recovery, these developments serve among the telling examples of the growth of 12-Step alternatives. While most prominent in a few pockets of the U.S. (particularly San Diego, New York City and across Massachusetts) and overseas mainly in the United Kingdom and Australia, regularly meeting SMART Recovery groups likely will number 1,000 worldwide at some point this year.
Anti-drug messages miss
mark with the young
Former Boston Celtic and Boston College basketball star
Chris Herren kicked off the 2013 National Association of Addiction Treatment
Providers (NAATP) Conference in San Antonio with a moving story of his 14-year
battle to overcome substance abuse. It was a battle that he was losing for more
than a decade until a series of angels — health professionals, hometown
friends, law enforcement, even fellow homeless men — pointed him in the right
direction long enough to enable another NBA player and one-time teammate Chris
Mullen, to step in and pay for months of addiction treatment that Herren
couldn’t afford. Continue
reading here.
Center uses technology to
help patients during and after treatment
One of the principles of behavioral health recovery
management is the application of new technology to the work being done for
addiction treatment and ongoing recovery support. In some ways this comes as no
surprise. After all, what we now think of as “treatment as usual” contains
approaches that originally were groundbreaking or innovative. Rest
of this story is here.
More than one in five
parents believe they have little influence in preventing teens from using
illicit substances
In fact, parents are among the most influential factors in
preventing children’s substance use. A new report indicates that more than one
in five parents of teens aged 12 to 17 (22.3 percent) think what they say has
little influence on whether or not their child uses illicit substances,
tobacco, or alcohol. This report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) also shows one in ten parents said they did
not talk to their teens about the dangers of using tobacco, alcohol, or other
drugs even though 67.6 percent of these parents who had not spoken to their
children thought they would influence whether their child uses drugs if they
spoke to them. In fact national surveys of teens ages 12 to 17 show that teens
who believe their parents would strongly disapprove of their substance use were
less likely to use substances than other. For example, current marijuana use was
less prevalent among youth who believed their parents would strongly disapprove
of their trying marijuana once or twice than among youth who did not perceive
this level of disapproval (5.0 percent vs. 31.5 percent). The SAMHSA
report, "1 in 5 Parents Think What They Say Has Little Impact on Their
Child’s Substance Use," is available at http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2K13/Spotlight/Spot081-Parents.pdf.
It is based on the findings of SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health
-- an annual nationwide survey of 67,500 Americans aged 12 or older.
NJ crackdown on bars
switching out booze finds 1 sold rubbing alcohol with caramel as scotch
At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and
caramel coloring was sold as scotch. In another, premium liquor bottles were
refilled with water — and apparently not even clean water at that. State
officials provided those new details Thursday on raids they conducted a day
earlier as part of a yearlong investigation dubbed Operation Swill. Twenty-nine
New Jersey bars and restaurants, including 13 TGI Fridays, were accused of
substituting cheap booze — or worse — for the good stuff while charging premium
prices. Read
more here.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment