Should colleges be liable
when binge drinking leads to rape?
Recently cyberspace erupted into the feminist equivalent of
a civil war over the connection between binge drinking and sexual assault.
After Slate columnist Emily Yoffe wrote a column using statistics that showed a
link between drinking on college campuses and incidents of sexual assault, and
arguing that we have to warn young women on the very real dangers of
excessive drinking, she was pilloried by some female writers. Continue
reading here.
With Rise of Painkiller
Abuse, a Closer Look at Heroin
Abuse of prescription painkillers is a ","
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Oct. 24, the
Food and Drug Administration recommended putting new , sold as Vicodin and
other brand names. Dr. Andrew Kolodny believes the restrictions are necessary
and will prevent new people from developing addiction. But, he says, there are
millions who already have the disease and need access to effective treatment.
"If they don't have access to legal sources [for painkillers], many of
them will turn to the black market," he tells NPR's Arun Rath. "And
if they can't find black-market pills, they'll buy heroin on the black
market." So while the abuse of painkillers has become a focus for concern,
the corresponding rise in heroin use is also prompting calls for action. Click
here to continue.
Use of Marijuana,
Inhalants Higher in Teens in Child Welfare System: Study
Use of marijuana and inhalants is more common in teens in
the child welfare system compared with other teens, a new study finds.
Researchers found 18 percent of teens in the welfare system admitted to ever
smoking marijuana, compared with 14 percent of other teens. The researchers
found 12 percent of teens in the welfare system said they had abused inhalants,
compared with 6 percent of other teens, MedicalXpress reports. Six percent of
teens in child welfare admitted to ever using cocaine or heroin, compared with
4 percent of other teens. Teens who admitted to shoplifting, theft, running
away or using a weapon were more likely to use drugs and alcohol. Teens who
lived in two-parent homes, and those who said they felt close to their parents
or guardian, were less likely to report drug use. “When youth perceive that
their parents or caregivers are actively engaged in their lives, this may steer
them away from drugs,” lead researcher Danielle L. Fettes, Ph.D., of the
University of California, San Diego, said in a news release. “Youth who feel
supported by parents tend to have a better sense of self and better mental
health and, in this case, are less likely to engage in high-risk
behaviors—which is important for this already high-risk population.” Fettes
said the findings are not surprising, since children who enter the welfare
system often have risk factors for drug use, such as a history of domestic
abuse or mental health issues. This study quantifies the actual rates of
substance abuse in this population, she noted. The study appears in the
November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Marijuana and Alcohol - NY Times Editorial
Americans are growing more comfortable with marijuana, with
58 percent favoring legalization, according to the latest Gallup poll. At the
same time, some researchers believe they have identified a side benefit to
increasing availability of the drug: It could lead to decreased consumption of
alcohol among young people. In a paper in the winter issue of the Journal of
Policy Analysis and Management, two researchers — D. Mark Anderson of Montana
State University and Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado at Denver —
report that legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has been associated
with reductions in heavy drinking, especially among 18- to 29-year-olds, and
with an almost 5 percent decrease in beer sales. In addition, the increase in
the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 seems to encourage greater marijuana use among
people under 21, usage that drops sharply when they reach the legal drinking
age. Click
here to read more.
Teen Boys Concerned with
Body Image More Likely to Use Drugs and Alcohol
Teenage boys concerned with their body image are at
increased risk of using drugs and alcohol, according to researchers at the
Harvard School of Public Health. Overall, 17.9 percent of teen boys were
extremely concerned about their weight and physique. These boys were more
likely than their peers to engage in risky behaviors, including drug use and
frequent binge drinking. Male teens with high concerns about muscularity, who used
supplements and other products to enhance their physique, were twice as likely
to start binge drinking and using drugs. “Our findings show that there are
males out there who are extremely concerned with their weight and shape, and
they may be doing really unhealthy behaviors to achieve their ideal physique,”
lead researcher Alison Field told HealthDay. “But they are not trying to get
thinner, they’re using products to help them be bigger.” The findings come from
a study of more than 5,000 teen boys. The researchers found 2.4 percent were
very concerned about their muscularity and also used supplements such as growth
hormones or steroids to enhance their physique. The results are published in
JAMA Pediatrics.
Latest Synthetic Drug to
Hit St. Louis: “N-Bomb”
The synthetic drug known as “N-Bomb” is being seen on the
streets of St. Louis, KMOX reports. The drug is also known as “Smiles,”
according to Dan Duncan, with the local office of the National Council of
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. The drug is often called N-Bomb because its chemical
name is 25I-NBOMe. It is made from mescaline, and is similar to LSD. It is
ingested as a liquid, powder, or on a blotter, the article notes. The drug can
be harmful to kidneys, and can trigger mental health issues. Last month, WHTM
reported N-Bomb was believed to be responsible for the death of a high school
student in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In May, police in Scottsdale, Arizona said
they were investigating whether the deaths of two 18-year-olds were linked to
N-Bomb.
Access to Dentists and
Pharmacists Predicts Higher Rates of Opioid Abuse: Study
People who live in counties with higher concentrations of
dentists and pharmacists are at increased risk of abusing prescription opioids,
a new study suggests. The study of opioid abuse in Indiana counties was
presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Public Health
Association, Everyday Health reports. The researchers found counties in Indiana
with higher rates of dentists and pharmacists had more per-capita opioid
prescriptions, which in turn is associated with increased rates of opioid
abuse. The most widely prescribed opioid was hydrocodone (Vicodin), which
accounted for 69 percent of all opioid prescriptions. Oxycodone prescriptions
accounted for 12 percent of opioid prescriptions, followed by codeine-containing
products at 8.5 percent, and fentanyl at 3 percent. “We must be cautious and
work with public health and health care leaders to avoid ‘overcorrecting,’
unnecessarily restricting the supply of opioids, or inadvertently vilifying or
punishing providers who are struggling to meet patients’ legitimate clinical
needs,” lead researcher Eric Wright of Indiana University noted in a news
release. He added the study underscores the need to work with healthcare
provider groups to help them dispense needed medication, while avoiding
potential diversion or misuse. “It is unlikely that efforts to educate and
regulate individual providers, patients, or suppliers of opioids alone will be
sufficient to reverse the growing supply or demand for prescription pain relievers,”
he wrote in the study. “It is time for public health and healthcare leaders to
develop more comprehensive, community-level strategies that address system- and
individual-level factors that are driving the epidemic of prescription opioid
abuse.”
Watch as heroin addict
comes back to life from overdose thanks to emergency shot
In a video taken by addiction outreach volunteers, a
29-year-old woman is revived from a heroin overdose with a shot of the drug
Naloxone. Click
here for the rest of this story and the video.
Will Legalizing Pot Result
In More Or Less Drinking?
Among the eight “enforcement priorities” that the Justice
Department expects states to address in exchange for prosecutorial restraint
vis-รก-vis newly legal pot businesses is “preventing drugged driving and the
exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with
marijuana use.” Rest
of this article is here.
ER study finds 1 in 10
older teens misuse Rx painkillers and sedatives
If confirmed, findings suggest an opportunity to screen for
prescription drug abuse risk – and reduce potential for addiction or overdose
With prescription drug abuse at epidemic levels nationwide,
and overdoses killing more people than auto accidents in many states, a new
University of Michigan study provides striking new data about the misuse of
potent prescription painkillers and sedatives by teens and young adults. Continue
reading here.
Addicts May Be Seeking
Relief from Emotional Lows More than Euphoric Highs
Rutgers study could lead to a better understanding of human
addiction – alcohol, tobacco and food – as well as substance abuse.
Cocaine addicts may become trapped in drug binges – not
because of the euphoric highs they are chasing but rather the unbearable
emotional lows they desperately want to avoid.
In a study published online in Psychopharmacology, Rutgers University
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Professor Mark West, and doctoral student
David Barker in the Department of Psychology, in the School of Arts and
Sciences, challenge the commonly held view that drug addiction occurs because
users are always going after the high. Based on new animal studies, they
discovered that the initial positive feelings of intoxication are short lived –
quickly replaced by negative emotional responses whenever drug levels begin to
fall. Continue
reading here.
Alcohol Is Really Pissed
Off at Marijuana Right Now
The marijuana industry is convincing Americans its substance
is safer than alcohol, and booze lobbyists don't like it. Continue
reading here.
Alcoholism may be fostered
by colleges.
Growing up for Susan Hornecker meant a life that was out of
control. Now a housewife in the suburbs of New Jersey and a mother of a former
Purdue student, Hornecker recounts growing up with an alcoholic and abusive
father as “scary.” “You never knew what the house would be like when you walked
in,” Hornecker said. “We called the police sometimes. I remember saying (to
them) ‘You have to take him out of here.’” Continue
reading here.
Some sober homes move
dangerously close to treatment
In the largely unregulated but burgeoning market of recovery
residences in Florida, one of the most egregious business scenarios involves a
crossing of boundaries, with many sober home operators now opening up intensive
outpatient programs (IOPs) in an attempt to secure insurance dollars. “Unlawful
practices have sprung up like weeds as more IOP licenses are issued in Palm
Beach, St. Lucie and Broward counties,” says John Lehman, an advisory board
member for the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR), which in the
state is trying to get sober home operators to adhere to national standards for
recovery residence operations. “Everyone is chasing the insurance dollar.” This
article continues here.
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