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Friday, October 31, 2014

Weekly ATOD & Advocacy Recap for week ending October 31, 2014



The content of this email does not represent the official views or policies of NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. The content has been collected from a variety of sources and is provided for informational purposes only. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by NCADD of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. If you do not wish to receive this email in the future, simply respond to it and stating “DELETE ME” in the subject line.

Why some doctors are in favour of medical cannabis
The politics of medical cannabis may be complicated. But for some people it makes a world of difference in relieving pain, nausea, seizures, and other symptoms. The rest of this article can be found here.

Why College Kids Drink Like They’re Getting Extra Credit for It
College binge-drinking is a perennial public-health concern, and most recently the concern has been allocated for college women. “Binge drinking is an under recognized problem among women and girls,” the CDC reported last year, amid a spate of nonfiction books about women catching up to men's drinking habits, which some have argued contributes to campus sexual assault. The effects of binge-drinking on men and women are well-known; less-discussed is what causes binge drinking in the first place. The rest of this article can be found here.

Want people to drink less? Make their cigarettes more expensive
Excessive drinking leads to about 88,000 deaths each year in the United States. Cigarette smoking adds another 440,000 deaths to the tally, most due to long-term health problems like cancer. A new study from the Washington University School of Medicine suggests you could take a bite out of both figures with one simple policy change. The rest of this article can be found here.

Addiction Treatment with a Dark Side
In Demand in Clinics and on the Street, ‘Bupe’ Can Be a Savior or a Menace.
For Shawn Schneider, a carpenter and rock musician, the descent into addiction began one Wisconsin winter with a fall from a rooftop construction site onto the frozen ground below. As the potent pain pills prescribed for his injuries became his obsessive focus, he lost everything: his band, his job, his wife, his will to live. The rest of this article can be found here.

Could This Be The Next Medicinal Marijuana?
Imagine discovering a plant that has the potential to help alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts and paralyzing anxiety. That's what some believe ayahuasca can do, and this psychedelic drink is attracting more and more tourists to the Amazon. The rest of this article can be found here.

We Can Do Better. And We Must.
I have spent my life as a teacher, coach, and educational leader trying to help young men and women grow up free from the negative influences of drugs and alcohol. In this regard, I am not unlike so many teachers and educators across our nation who try every day, year-round, to help kids grow into happy, healthy, constructive adults. My working theory, underscored by research, is that the teenage body organizes itself around its activities, healthy or not, and that the adult body is far less susceptible to intoxicants if it grows up free from them. The goal is to push the age of experimentation as far down the road as possible. The rest of this article can be found here.

Strict Social Hosts Help Curb Underage Drinking
Teenagers are less likely to drink at parties when they live in communities with particularly strong social host laws, finds a US-based study. The rest of this article can be found here.

6 Facts about Marijuana
Attitudes about marijuana have undergone a rapid shift in public opinion, paralleled by few other trends in the U.S. Our recent data, along with historical figures from Gallup and the General Social Survey, reveal how views have shifted about the drug over time. Earlier this year, our survey found that many more Americans now favor shifting the focus of the nation’s overall drug policy. Here are six key facts about public opinion and marijuana: The rest of this article can be found here.

Adolescent Binge Drinking Reduces Brain Myelin, Impairs Cognitive and Behavioral Control
UMass Amherst study suggests teen binge drinking effects may last a lifetime
Binge drinking can have lasting effects on brain pathways that are still developing during adolescence, say neuroscience researcher Heather N. Richardson and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Louisiana State University. Results of their study using a rodent model of adolescent drinking appear in the October 29 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The rest of this article can be found here.

Under Obamacare, Mental Health Lacking
Loopholes in private health insurance plans, Medicaid and states are barring behavioral health patients from seeking care. The rest of this article can be found here.

Legally High at a Colorado Campus
In an apartment complex just outside the western edge of the University of Colorado’s flagship campus, a 22-year-old psychology major named Zach has just leaned over an expensive oil rig — a twisting glass tube that he will use to smoke shatter, a hash oil concentrate. Once he lights up, his high will be rapid and intense. The rest of this article can be found here.

This Is Your Brain on Drugs
The gray matter of the nucleus accumbens, the walnut-shaped pleasure center of the brain, was glowing like a flame, showing a notable increase in density. “It could mean that there’s some sort of drug learning taking place,” speculated Jodi Gilman, at her computer screen at the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Center for Addiction Medicine. Was the brain adapting to marijuana exposure, rewiring the reward system to demand the drug? The rest of this article can be found here.





Friday, October 24, 2014

Weekly ATOD & Advocacy Recap week ending October 24, 2014



The content of this email does not represent the official views or policies of NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. The content has been collected from a variety of sources and is provided for informational purposes only. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by NCADD of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. If you do not wish to receive this email in the future, simply respond to it and stating “DELETE ME” in the subject line.

Clinicians See Potential of Mobile Apps
Most mental health clinicians use some form of technology, but that form is typically restricted to word processing and spreadsheets. According to a survey of 401 mental health professionals conducted this summer by Sigma Research Group, fewer than half reported using mental health practice management software. Rest of this story is here.

Alcohol boosts memory for drinkers age 60 and older
The memory of dementia-free adults aged 60 years and older might by improved by just one or two alcoholic drinks per day, new research suggests. The light to moderate consumption of alcohol was also found to be correlated with a larger hippocampus, a portion of the brain key to episodic memory -- recalling the details of specific events.  Rest of this story is here.

ER Visits Linked to Synthetic Pot More Than Double, Report Finds
The number of visits to U.S. emergency rooms linked to synthetic pot -- also known as "K2" or "Spice" -- have more than doubled in recent years, U.S. officials reported Thursday.  Rest of this story is here.

For Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment, Buprenorphine Maintenance Trumps Detoxification
For treating patients with prescription opioid dependence in primary care, buprenorphine maintenance therapy is superior to detoxification, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers published in the Oct. 20 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. Rest of this story is here.

A Pill Could Help Alcoholics, and Let Them Drink in Moderation
For years, a 12-step program laid out in just 200 words has held a virtual monopoly on the treatment of alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is famous, infamous, global and highly influential, and it’s based on giving up booze, completely. Rest of this story is here.

Self-Harm In Teenage Years Predicts Substance Abuse, Lower Grades, and Difficulties at Work
Self-harm can include cutting yourself, burning yourself, banging your head, sticking hurtful objects into your body, or taking too many pills. While some people self-harm only once or twice and then abandon the behavior, others do it routinely. Now, a new study finds self-harming teens are more likely to develop emotional problems while also encountering difficulties at both school and work later in life. Rest of this story is here.

#14 Days: A cry for compassion in treating addiction
How is it possible to have compassion for someone whom you believe is choosing to live a life of drug addiction? Someone who chooses drugs over their families, over their children, over their job? Rest of this story is here.

Life Without Alcohol: 2 Women, One 30-Day Physical And Mental Challenge
Two writers at Medical Daily found going alcohol-free for a month could be more psychologically insightful than physically challenging.
Americans love to drink. In fact, 66 percent of Americans admit to enjoying an occasional alcoholic beverage, and over half say they drink at some point in the week. We at Medical Daily are not exempt from these figures and embarked on our 30-day challenge with more than a drop of reservation. Going without alcohol, for even a period as long as a month, came with few physiological changes, but it was the psychological insight that truly surprised us. Rest of this story is here.

Teens playing high-contact sports at risk for using drugs, alcohol
Teens who play sports like football, wrestling, hockey or lacrosse are more likely to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes or marijuana than student athletes who play noncontact sports, according to a new University of Michigan study. Rest of this story is here.

The State Of Drug Use in America, In 9 Maps
America just doesn't do drugs like it used to. From opiates to alcohol, American substance use has shifted drastically in recent decades. Rest of this story is here.

As Targeted Fla. Sober Home Closes, Attention Shifts to Legislation, Regulation
A South Florida sober home that was the target of a high-profile raid by federal and state authorities last month has shut operations, and prospects for similar enforcement actions in the near future have leaders in the recovery residence community optimistic about 2015 state legislation to help weed out unscrupulous providers of recovery housing and substance use treatment services. Rest of this story is here.

Pot vs. Beer: Legalization Advocates Push Comparison of Marijuana and Alcohol
David Boyer has challenged South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins to a “hit for shot” duel in a public park. For every shot of alcohol Googins takes, Boyer would take a toke of marijuana, and the crowd would decide who was in worse physical condition in the end. Rest of this story is here.