Government Workers Urged to Join National Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day | The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Government Workers Urged to Join National Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day | The Partnership at Drugfree.org

National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008, Stimulants Contributing to Sustained Rx Epidemic | The Partnership at Drugfree.org

National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008, Stimulants Contributing to Sustained Rx Epidemic | The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Parents of Young Adults Addicted to Heroin Seek Greater Access to Health Records

By Join Together Staff | April 23, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Addiction, Advocacy, Healthcare, Insurance, Legal, Parenting, Treatment, Young Adults & Youth

The parents of two young adults who were addicted to heroin are advocating for families to have greater access to their children’s health records. They say parents’ input is needed because of the nature of addiction, and young adults’ limited decision-making capabilities.

Maureen Fitzpatrick says current health care regulations prevented her from helping her daughter, Erin, receive the treatment she needed. Erin, 21, is undergoing treatment for heroin addiction, and is waiting for a court date to face burglary charges, the Associated Press reports. Erin refused long-term addiction treatment at the age of 16. Her drug test results were not disclosed to her family, so they did not know to seek addiction treatment for her.

Fitzpatrick wants to change federal legislation requiring a minor’s written consent to disclose drug or alcohol treatment to parents. “It’s been doors closed in our face,” she said. “And I really blame some of these laws for not allowing me to get my daughter the care she needed.”

Gregg Wolfe’s son Justin died of a heroin overdose at the age of 21. Gregg is calling for a change to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so that young adults’ mental health or addiction treatment records can be shared with their parents while they remain on the family’s health insurance. Wolfe says he did not know Justin was using heroin until after he died. Justin had told his doctors and his therapy group about his heroin use, but the information was not shared with his father because Justin was a legal adult.

Margo Kaplan of Rutgers University, who specializes in health law, said she is concerned about changing privacy laws, which are designed to protect young patients from possible abuse. “It’s important to note that weakening these protections will also affect minors with far less supportive parents — minors who want to seek help, are getting treatment, but only feel safe doing so if they can do it without their parents being notified,” she said.

One-Fourth of Teens Have Misused or Abused Prescription Drugs at Least Once: Study

By Celia Vimont | April 23, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Prescription Drugs, Research & Youth

One-fourth of teens have misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, a 33 percent increase over the last five years, a new study finds. One in eight teens say they have taken Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, according to the study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and the MetLife Foundation.

The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) found parents and caregivers have lax attitudes and beliefs about teen medicine abuse. Almost one-third of parents say they believe prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can improve a teen’s academic performance, even if the young person does not have ADHD.

Of teens who said they abused prescription medications, 20 percent did so before age 14. One-third of teens say they believe “it’s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness or physical pain.” The study found 27 percent incorrectly believe that misusing and abusing prescription drugs is safer than using street drugs.

“These data make it very clear: the problem is real, the threat immediate and the situation is not poised to get better,” Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, said in a news release. “Parents fear drugs like cocaine or heroin and want to protect their kids. But the truth is that when misused and abused, medicines – especially stimulants and opioids – can be every bit as dangerous and harmful as those illicit street drugs.”

Tracey and Jeff Gerl of Cypress Texas thought they had adequately warned their son, Nick, about the dangers of drugs. Yet he started smoking marijuana at age 12. He and his friends took prescription drugs such as Ritalin, Xanax and codeine from their parents’ medicine cabinets. His parents realized something was wrong when Nick was 14, and sent him for substance abuse treatment, where he stayed for 7 ½ months. He has been sober for a year. Tracey Gerl says she should have trusted her intuition when she first thought Nick might be using drugs. She told the Associated Press, “If it doesn’t seem right, it’s not. Don’t ever be naive to think it’s not my kid.”

The new study puts the spotlight on the issue of teen abuse of ADHD medication, according to Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, Director, Student Health and Wellness Center at Johns Hopkins University and Former Chairman, American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse. “We need to make sure that children and adolescents receive a thorough assessment before being placed on stimulant medications, and that if medication is prescribed to a child, it should only be as one component of a comprehensive ADHD management plan,” he said. “We don’t really know what long-term effects these ADHD medications will have on the still-developing brains of adolescents who do not have ADHD. We do know they can have significant side effects, which is why they are limited to use with a prescription.”

Teen abuse of prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin has remained stable since 2011. The study found 16 percent of teens reported abusing or misusing any prescription pain relievers at least once in their lifetime, and 10 percent said they did so in the past year.

Parents are much more likely to talk to teens about marijuana or alcohol than prescription drugs. Teens reported that during the last conversation they had with their parents about substance abuse, only 16 percent said they discussed the misuse or abuse of prescription painkillers, and 14 percent discussed any type of prescription drug. In contrast, 81 percent said they have discussed marijuana and 80 percent have discussed alcohol.

JUST RELEASED: 2012 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study
One in Four Teens has Misused or Abused an Rx Drug at Least Once in their Lifetime

The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation released our 24th annual survey on teen drug and alcohol abuse this morning.

This year’s national study data on American teens confirms that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime – a dramatic 33 percent increase over the past five years. The new data from the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found a significant rise in misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants, with one in eight teens (13 percent) now reporting that they have misused or abused the Rx stimulants Ritalin or Adderall in their lifetime.

Contributing to this disturbing trend in teen medicine misuse and abuse are the lax attitudes of parents and caregivers.  They are missing key opportunities to effectively communicate the dangers of Rx medicine misuse and abuse to their kids, while not safeguarding and disposing of their medications properly at home.

Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, added:

“This new data is not about blaming parents. Rather, it’s an urgent call to action for them to use their immense power to help curb this dangerous behavior. It’s about missed opportunities to protect their kids by having direct conversations with them about the health risks of misusing and abusing medicines – and to then moving to safeguard the medicines in their own home. Parental apathy on this issue is contributing to the problem. Yet the same data show year in and year out that kids who learn a lot about the risks of drug use at home are up to half as likely to use as kids who don’t get that life-changing gift from their parents.”

Read the release and full report on Drugfree.org now > 

Report Outlines Dangers of “Cinnamon Challenge”

By Join Together Staff | April 22, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Parenting & Youth

Teens who take the “cinnamon challenge,” swallowing a tablespoon of the spice in 60 seconds without drinking any liquid, can end up with lung damage, according to a new report.

The cinnamon challenge became popular last year among teens, who made more than 50,000 YouTube clips of themselves trying the stunt, according to USA Today. The immediate effects of the challenge include coughing, choking and burning of the mouth, nose and throat. These effects usually are temporary.

However someone who tries to swallow a large quantity of cinnamon may develop long-lasting lesions, scarring and inflammation of the airway, or lung damage, doctors from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine write in the journal Pediatrics.

Last year, the American Association of Poison Control Centers issued a warning about the cinnamon challenge. In the first three months of 2012, poison control centers received 139 calls about cinnamon. Of those cases, 122 were classified as intentional misuse or abuse. At least 30 people who took the cinnamon challenge required medical attention, including ventilator support for collapsed lungs.

Report author Steven Lipshultz said teens with asthma are particularly at risk from ingesting large amounts of dry cinnamon.
“Given the allure of social media, peer pressure and a trendy new fad, pediatricians and parents have a ‘challenge’ of their own in counseling tweens and teens regarding the sensibilities of the choices they make and the potential health risks of this dare,” Lipshultz wrote. “Parents should be reminded that their advice matters in countering peer pressure. Further, schools and pediatricians should be encouraged to discuss with children the ‘Cinnamon Challenge’ and its possible harmful effects.”

Researcher Uses Virtual Reality to Reduce Addiction Cravings

By Join Together Staff | April 22, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction, Research & Treatment

A Duke University researcher is studying whether virtual reality can be used to reduce cravings in people who are addicted. The goal is to help them develop coping strategies that they can use in the real world, Popular Science reports.

A person using virtual reality for addiction treatment is hooked up to a simulator, and enters a virtual environment with one of their triggers, such as a crack pipe or bottle of alcohol. Someone in the scene offers them their drug of choice. Researchers slowly add cues to the virtual environment, or change the situation, based on the patient’s history.

A voice tells the person to put down the joystick and look around the room without speaking, to allow their craving to dissipate. The voice asks them to rate their cravings periodically.

The research is spearheaded by Zach Rosenthal, who receives funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Department of Defense. He uses virtual reality to trigger a reaction, and then teaches patients to cope with it. The method is called cue reactivity, which has long been used for treating phobias.

Dr. Rosenthal believes virtual reality is more effective than showing someone a real-life trigger, such as a lighter or empty bottle, in a lab setting. His hope is that creating a virtual world that is similar to the patients’ environment will help them transfer the lessons to the real world.

Rosenthal has been using virtual reality to treat substance abuse in veterans. The soldiers have post-traumatic stress syndrome. The program trains veterans’ minds not to respond to cravings when they are faced with temptations such as alcohol or drugs. Veterans participating in the research receive cellphone calls several times daily that transmit a tone to remind them about the steps they have learned to deal with their cravings.

Multiple heroin deaths in South Jersey have authorities warning of tainted drug - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News

Multiple heroin deaths in South Jersey have authorities warning of tainted drug - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News

Young People in Recovery

$1,593 raised for 1 nonprofit

THE NATIONAL YOUTH RECOVERY FOUNDATION

Young People in Recovery - Website Campaign 10/16/2013

Join Us in Our Latest Campaign! April 22nd until May 13th 2013!

YPR is less than three years old, but we have already made huge strides in spreading the message that recovery works for young people. We are fighting the stigma of addiction with a multifaceted approach:

• We are expanding with state chapters, and we should have 15 up and running by the end of 2013;
• We are reaching out to politicians, letting them know about the obstacles facing young people in recovery and how they can be overcome;
• And we are active with collegiate recovery communities, sharing the importance of strong recovery communities on college campuses.

Today, YPR is launching an online fundraising campaign to raise $10,000 to redesign our website so that we can continue to spread our message. A revamped website will help us spread our message that “Recovery Works” to a larger audience by:

• Making the site a go-to resource for young people in recovery who want to fight the stigma of addiction.
• Making the site a resource for YPR state chapters, and making it easier for young people to locate and become involved with their state chapters.
• Coordinating and organizing our movement by creating a central source for announcements, news updates, and calls to action.
• Providing a place for young people in recovery to share their stories, and letting young people know that they are not alone in recovery.
• Sharing our achievements with a nationwide recovery community.

How You Can Help:

• Make a donation. YPR has a large base of online supporters, and if everyone donated $5, we would easily reach and exceed our goal of  $10,000.
• Spread the word. Like, comment, share, and repost our messages on Facebook, twitter instagram and via your personal e-mail!
• Speak up. Let people know how recovery has made a difference in your life.
Thank you for your support and commitment to YPR!

Donate

Supporters

Comment	Donation
Sean Campbell 4/23/2013	$30.00
Lacy KB Way to be a great example of young people empowering young people! 4/22/2013	$30.00
Megan Humphries Happy to support you guys in getting your website up and running! GO YPR! 4/22/2013	$100.00
Devin Fox 4/22/2013	$50.00
Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew 4/22/2013	$10.00
Allen N YPR-WI, Aaron's House Madison 4/22/2013	$5.00
Amy Miller 4/22/2013	$20.00
Carol Busonick Awesome! 4/22/2013	$10.00
Pamela Cytron 4/22/2013	$100.00

Donation Summary

Raised Offline $0

Raised Online $355

Commentary: Recognizing the Contribution of Adolescent Substance Use to Poor School Performance

By Amelia M. Arria PhD and Robert L. DuPont MD | April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs & Prevention

Although the association between substance use and academic performance has been on the radar of researchers for quite some time, what is under-recognized by researchers and policy makers alike is the contribution of substance use to poor academic performance.

This distinction is important because it tells us that doing something about substance use is a viable option for improving academic performance. Because we know that almost one-quarter of students will eventually drop out of high school, we need to add drug prevention and intervention to the list of things we can do to solve the nation’s dropout crisis.

The consequences of dropping out are profound. High school dropouts are much more likely than high school graduates to have health problems, to earn less income over their lifetimes and to be incarcerated. Strangely, this connection between substance use and academic decline, failure and dropout is not mentioned on the numerous websites, including that of the U.S. Department of Education, that advise parents on how to help their teenage children achieve academic success.

The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. has released a new report, America’s Dropout Crisis: The Unrecognized Connection to Adolescent Substance Use, which includes the following key findings:

• Substance-using students, compared with non-users, are at increased risk for academic failure, including dropout, especially when the use is frequent and heavy.

• Marijuana use negatively impacts academic outcomes (lower GPA and higher rates of dropout) somewhat more than does alcohol. The authors speculate that this might be due to differences in the patterns of consumption between alcohol (typically consumed on weekends) and marijuana (consumed throughout the week) among adolescents. National studies show that in recent years, as perceived risk of harm from marijuana has declined, marijuana use among youth has increased.

• Sometimes substance use precedes academic failure; sometimes early academic failure precedes use. There are many pathways leading to different adverse outcomes from substance use during adolescence.

• Cessation of substance use following treatment is associated with improvement in academic performance. This evidence shows that doing something about substance use is an important way to promote and improve academic success.

• New neurobiological research tells us that there are short- and longer-term effects of drug use on students’ ability to learn. Certainly, learning is compromised if students come to class under the influence. Motivation to study and achieve declines as the use becomes more regular. Too often, students with alcohol or drug problems aren’t even making it to the classroom.

What Parents Need to Know

Dropout is the extreme result of a complex and interacting set of risk factors. Because of the critical role parents play both in preventing substance use and promoting academic success, they need to know what they can do to prevent use in the first place, and intervene if their child has a drug or alcohol problem. Once use occurs, an entire constellation of change agents may be needed to solve the problem.

Scientific evidence has made it clear that drinking and drug use during adolescence can be risky. Even a little alcohol use may lead to problems. Many research studies show that the earlier the exposure, the more problems later. We know that what parents say to their teenage children about substance use matters; parents need to be clear that they do not approve of substance use. A recent research study followed students from high school through their college years. It showed that parents who communicated to their college-bound children the message of zero tolerance for substance use were less likely to have children with drinking problems in college than were parents who were more permissive.

Given the evidence, parents need to be armed with skills and strategies to prevent substance use, to recognize problems early and to intervene when a problem occurs. With what we now know about the potential risks of adolescent substance use, including the negative impact on academic performance, it is critical that parents and school administrators intervene when substance use is detected. Students that show early signs of academic difficulties should be specifically screened for drug and alcohol use. Steps should be taken to ensure that at-risk students become and stay drug-and alcohol-free. Proper management must be comprehensive and may include assessments and interventions for behavioral problems and mental health disorders.

The authors of the report, which include leading researchers from the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., the Center on Young Adult Health and Development and Treatment Research Institute, are interested in learning more about dropout prevention programs that include the identification and intervention of substance use of at-risk students. Rather than develop strategies de novo, their goal is to identify, extend and improve existing intervention models.

The more research tells us about the negative effects of alcohol and drugs on adolescent health and intellectual development, the more important prevention becomes. There should be a shared understanding between families, school systems and the broader community that underage drinking and drug use is not consistent with the goals of maximizing student potential, promoting student health and preparing students for the future.

For more information for parents, visit: www.PreventTeenDrugUse.org.

Amelia M. Arria, PhD and Robert L. DuPont, MD

Amelia M. Arria, PhD is a Senior Scientist at Treatment Research Institute and the Scientific Director of the Parents Translational Research Center. She is also the Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Robert L. DuPont, MD is the founding president of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. He is recognized as a national leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. Among his many contributions to the field is his leadership as the first Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and as the second White House Drug Chief.

College Students Who Drink More and are Anxious Feel More Connected to Facebook

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Marketing And Media, Young Adults & Youth

College students who report greater alcohol use and higher levels of anxiety appear to be more emotionally connected with Facebook, a new study concludes.

The study included 229 college freshmen, who were asked about their anxiety and loneliness, as well as their alcohol and marijuana use. Researcher Russell Clayton of the University of Missouri School of Journalism found students who reported both higher levels of anxiety and greater alcohol use also were the most emotionally connected with Facebook, CNET reports.

Students with higher levels of loneliness said they used Facebook to connect with others, but were not emotionally connected to it.

“People who perceive themselves to be anxious are more likely to want to meet and connect with people online, as opposed to a more social, public setting,” Clayton said in a news release. “Also, when people who are emotionally connected to Facebook view pictures and statuses of their Facebook friends using alcohol, they are more motivated to engage in similar online behaviors in order to fit in socially.”

He added that since alcohol use is generally viewed as socially acceptable among college students, drinking more may cause an increase in emotional connectedness to Facebook.

The study also found marijuana use was associated with less emotional connectedness with the social networking site. “Marijuana use is less normative, meaning fewer people post on Facebook about using it,” Clayton said. “In turn, people who engage in marijuana use are less likely to be emotionally attached to Facebook.”

The study appears in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Supreme Court: Police Usually Need Warrant for Blood Alcohol Tests

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol & Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police generally need a search warrant before they order a blood alcohol test for someone suspected of drunk driving.

The case centered on Tyler McNeely, who was pulled over for speeding by a Missouri highway patrolman, and was taken to a hospital. About 25 minutes after McNeely was pulled over, a technician measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.154 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

The Missouri police in the case argued they should not have to wait for approval to give a blood test, because alcohol dissipates quickly in the bloodstream. Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that argument. It ruled the blood test violated the Fourth Amendment. The court found there were no special circumstances to justify obtaining the blood test so quickly. State high courts in Iowa and Utah also have made similar rulings.

Writing for the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted the natural dissipation of alcohol in the blood is generally not sufficient reason to abandon the requirement that police get a judge’s approval before obtaining a blood sample.

Warrantless blood tests are prohibited in about half the states in most or all suspected drunk driving cases, the Associated Press reports.

June 8 - 14, 2013: Recovery Coach Training From June 8 - 14, 2013, City of Angels will offer Recovery Coach training for anyone interested in serving as a guide or mentor to people in recovery or seeking recovery. This week-long, 30-hour training class is invaluable for anyone living or working with addiction sufferers including counselors, health care professionals, teachers, friends and family.  COA's Recovery Coach training is identical to the training developed by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and upon completion, participants will be certified as a CCAR Recovery Coach.  There is one big difference between the COA and CCAR programs, however: the COA training costs about half the price of the CCAR training. Early registration rates will be in effect for the COA Recovery Coach Academy for a limited time until seats are full, so if you are interested in this program, please register online as soon as you can. The January class was full with 30 participants. For more details about COA Recovery Coach training, or to register, click here. Kevin Meara Interview on Good Samaritan Law On Sunday, April 21 at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm, and Tuesday, April 23 at 11:30 pm, City of Angels Executive Advisory Committee Chairman Kevin Meara will appear on NJTV's Due Process to talk about the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act.  The act, which was vetoed by Governor Christie last October, is designed to help prevent drug overdoses by providing immunity from prosecution for people who seek medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose. Now, many drug users are afraid to call 911 on behalf of a friend or acquaintance for fear of being arrested themselves. At least 10 other states have passed similar legislation and many in the addiction community believe that these laws save lives. As the New Jersey bill overwhelmingly passed in the State Legislature last year and policy research is ongoing, it is possible that the law could still be enacted. If you miss Kevin's appearance on NJTV, you can watch the show online after it airs by clicking here.   Due Process, a production of Rutgers School of Law-Newark and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, is a critically acclaimed weekly series on law and justice issues.  COA Speaking Engagements This month, representatives from COA spoke at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, NJ about drug abuse. On April 8 and 10, Kevin, Redneck, Michelle and John told their stories to several junior health classes and on April 15, they returned to speak to faculty. Because all have lived through drug addiction or the addiction of a loved one, their testimonies hit home: shortly afterward, several students called COA asking for help for themselves or a friend. To educate the public about this disease and recovery resources, COA regularly speaks about addiction at schools, community groups and events. All speaking engagements are free of charge. To inquire about COA speakers, email CityofAngelsNJ@hotmail.com.

Tidbits   COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.     For directions to the Dwier Center, click here.      The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.      Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.          Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.   City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.

Camera-Wielding Fireman Fights Drug Crime | The Fix

Camera-Wielding Fireman Fights Drug Crime | The Fix

Almost 70% of Underage Drinking Deaths Not Traffic-Related, MADD Finds

By Join Together Staff | April 18, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol & Youth

An analysis of deaths related to underage alcohol use finds 68 percent are not traffic-related, USA Today reports. The study, by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), found 32 percent of these deaths are traffic-related, 30 percent are homicides, 14 percent are suicides, 9 percent are alcohol poisonings and 15 percent are from other causes.

“These data show that taking away the keys truly does not take away all of the risks when it comes to underage drinking,” MADD National President Jan Withers said in a news release. “MADD hopes this information will inspire parents to have ongoing conversations with their kids about the dangers of drinking alcohol before age 21, especially since we know that a majority of kids say their parents are the biggest influence on their decisions about alcohol.”

MADD released the report in advance of PowerTalk 21 Day on Sunday, April 21, a national day for parents to start talking with their children about alcohol.

Eight New Addiction Medicine Fellowship Programs Accredited

By Join Together Staff | April 17, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Healthcare & Treatment

Eight new addiction medicine fellowship programs have been accredited by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Foundation, bringing the total number of programs to 18, Newswise reports.

Doctors who complete one of these fellowships are eligible to sit for the ABAM exam to become certified in addiction medicine. There are 47 addiction medicine fellowship slots available, although some slots are not yet funded, according to the article.

“These new fellowships will help insure that trained addiction medicine physicians join other addiction professionals in the interdisciplinary care of patients with addictive disorders,” said Jeffrey H. Samet, MD, MA, MPH, President of ABAM and the ABAM Foundation Board of Directors. “This clinical training, coupled with passage of our rigorous examination, will help to provide evidence-based addiction treatment to those who need it.”

The new fellowship programs are located at the Betty Ford Center/Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, California; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut; St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan; St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, California; and Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut.

“Our workforce projections suggest that, by 2020, we will need 50 addiction medicine fellowship training programs with 200 physician slots,” said Richard Blondell, MD, Chair of the Foundation’s Training and Accreditation Committee. “One of the main obstacles to establishing these programs is funding.”

Demand for addiction treatment will expand as the Affordable Care Act adds millions of new patients to the system. Addiction medicine courses are rarely offered in medical school, the article notes.

Millions of New Patients Could Receive Addiction Treatment Under Health Law

By Join Together Staff | April 17, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction, Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Legislation & Treatment

Between 3 million and 5 million new patients could soon receive addiction treatment under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Associated Press. The change will have a major impact on treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

Currently only 1 cent of every health care dollar in the United States is dedicated to addiction treatment, the AP reports. Approximately 10 percent of the 23 million Americans with drug and alcohol problems receive treatment, government figures indicate. Until now, a major reason for the large number of people not receiving treatment has been a lack of health insurance.

Under healthcare reform, millions of people will become eligible for insurance coverage starting in January. The number of people seeking addiction treatment could double, the article notes.

“There is no illness currently being treated that will be more affected by the Affordable Care Act than addiction,” Tom McLellan, CEO of the nonprofit Treatment Research Institute, told the AP. “That’s because we have a system of treatment that was built for a time when they didn’t understand that addiction was an illness.”

The change may overwhelm many treatment facilities. In more than two-thirds of states, treatment clinics are at 100 percent capacity or will reach that mark soon. The arrival of many new patients could lead to waiting lists of months or longer, according to treatment agencies. Many of them have been shrinking in recent years due to government budget cuts.

The federal government is urging states to expand their Medicaid programs. If 20 states do so, an additional 3.8 million patients with addiction problems would receive insurance, the AP notes. If almost all of the states expanded their Medicaid program, that number could reach 5.5 million. The law also designates addiction treatment as an “essential health benefit” for most commercial health plans.

FDA Will Not Approve Generic Versions of Original OxyContin

By Join Together Staff | April 17, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Prescription Drugs & Prevention

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday it will not approve any generic versions of the original form of OxyContin. The move is aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse, Reuters reports. The original version of OxyContin could be crushed and then snorted or injected. Its patent was set to expire on Tuesday.

The FDA also approved new labeling for a reformulated version of the drug, which will indicate it is more difficult to crush, and thus harder to abuse than the original version. OxyContin’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, introduced the tamper-resistant formula in 2010.

“The development of abuse-deterrent opioid analgesics is a public health priority for the FDA,” Douglas Throckmorton, MD, Deputy Director for Regulatory Programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. “While both original and reformulated OxyContin are subject to abuse and misuse, the FDA has determined that reformulated OxyContin can be expected to make abuse by injection difficult and expected to reduce abuse by snorting compared to original OxyContin.”

Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, said in a statement, “This is a huge win for our region and for the thousands of families who have seen painkillers become pain makers. The FDA undoubtedly saved our nation from another deadly tidal wave of oxycodone abuse and overdoses.”

Heroin Use Increasingly Seen in Suburbs Across the Country

By Join Together Staff | April 16, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs & Prescription Drugs

As prescription painkillers become more difficult to obtain and abuse, a growing number of people addicted to these drugs are switching to heroin, USA Today reports. The trend is increasingly being seen in the suburbs.

Health officials and police report a significant rise in overdoses and crime, the newspaper notes. Last fall, the Northern New England Poison Center reported a jump in heroin overdoses in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. “When you switch to heroin, you don’t know what’s in there from batch to batch,” said the center’s director, Karen Simone. “It’s a big jump to go to heroin. It may be strong; it may be weak. They don’t know what they are getting. Suddenly, the whole game changes.”

Heroin is popular in large part because it is cheap, officials say. While an 80-milligram OxyContin costs between $60 to $100 a pill on the black market, heroin costs $45 to $60 for a multiple-dose supply. OxyContin abuse has also been declining because the drug has been reformulated so it is more difficult to crush and snort.

According to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of people who were past-year heroin users in 2011 (620,000) was higher than the number in 2007 (373,000).

“Heroin is huge. We’ve never had anything like it in this state,” said Carol Falkowski, the former drug abuse strategy officer for Minnesota and a member of the Community Epidemiology Working Group at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which tracks trends in drug use. “It’s very affordable. It’s very high purity. Most people did not believe that heroin would happen here in Lake Woebegone, but it really has a grip, not only in the Twin Cities, but all around the state.”

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