Two-Thirds of ER Visits for Opioid Overdoses Involve Prescription Drugs

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

October 28th, 2014/

More than two-thirds of emergency department visits for opioid overdoses involve prescription drugs, a new study finds.

Researchers from Stanford University analyzed tens of thousands of reports of opioid overdoses nationwide from 2010, HealthDay reports. Approximately 68 percent involved prescription drugs, the researchers write in JAMA Internal Medicine. The number may be even higher, since 13 percent of cases did not specify the drugs involved. In 3 percent of cases, multiple narcotics were involved. Heroin alone was involved in 16 percent of overdose cases.

“Opioid overdose exacts a significant financial and health care utilization burden on the U.S. health care system,” the researchers wrote. “Most patients in our sample overdosed on prescription opioids, suggesting that further efforts to stem the prescription opioid overdose epidemic are urgently needed.”

The study found 84 percent of prescription opioid overdoses occurred in urban areas, and 40 percent took place in the South. Women accounted for 53 percent of prescription opioid overdoses.

Many patients who came to the hospital for overdoses had other illnesses, such as chronic mental health problems, or circulatory or respiratory diseases. About half of the patients who were rushed to the ER for opioid overdoses were admitted to the hospital.

Internet Administrator Criticized for Not Cracking Down on Illegal Online Pharmacies

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

October 28th, 2014/

Critics charge the Internet’s central administrator is not doing enough to crack down on illegal online pharmacies, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) says its powers are limited.

This summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) worked with Interpol and many other countries to try to close down more than 1,300 websites suspected of selling drugs without a prescription. Officials sent a list of the websites to the Chinese company that registered them, the article notes. The company said it could not take action against the sites.

The officials then asked ICANN to act. The organization is continuing to investigate the matter, ICANN said earlier this month. Since February, 4,700 suspicious drug-selling websites have been reported to the group, and about 4,000 are still online, according to LegitScript, which tracks online pharmacies.

ICANN could help crack down on illicit Internet operators, according to regulators and law-enforcement agencies. The organization manages technical functions and oversees registrars that sell Web addresses.

ICANN’s Chief Executive, Fadi Chehadé, says critics do not understand the group’s role and what it can do. He compared ICANN to a motor-vehicle department. “We authorize a group of license plates to registrars to do business,” he told the newspaper. “I’m not responsible for what happens in the car.”

According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, thousands of complaints about online pharmacies and other sites piled up for months because ICANN stopped maintaining one of its computer systems in 2012.

Axelle Lemaire, France’s Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, says the organization’s “lack of transparency is very worrying. When it comes to selling illegal drugs online, it’s the health of world-wide citizens at stake.”

Daniel Burke, a special agent in the FDA’s cybercrime investigations unit, said ICANN “closes complaints, and they don’t say why, and the websites are still operating. It’s really quite frustrating.”

Teens Less Likely to Drink if Their Communities Have Strong Social Hosting Laws

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

October 28th, 2014/

A new study finds teenagers are less likely to drink at parties if their community has strong social hosting laws. These laws hold adults responsible if teens drink on their property, even if the adults claim they were unaware that underage drinking was taking place.

The researchers looked at 50 communities in California, half of which had social hosting laws, Business Standard reports. Teens were less likely to say they drank at parties if they lived in communities with especially strong social hosting laws.

“It does look like there is less-frequent drinking among teenagers in cities with stringent social host laws, even when other city and youth characteristics that are related to underage drinking are controlled for,” lead researcher Mallie Paschall of the Prevention Research Center in Oakland, California said in a news release. “So these laws might be an effective strategy for reducing hazardous drinking.” He noted, “Most kids get alcohol from social sources, not commercial ones.”

The findings are published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Strong social hosting laws specifically target underage drinking. They include a civil penalty, such as a large fine, that is quickly administered, Paschall said. Strong social hosting laws also hold property owners responsible, even if they say they didn’t know underage drinking occurred. He said police in some communities don’t enforce these laws, possibly because of a lack of support from the public or the local prosecutor’s office.

The researchers plan to study rates of teen drinking before and after social hosting laws are passed, to better measure their impact. They also want to assess the laws’ effect on problems related to teen drinking, such as drunk driving.

28 Percent of Fatally Injured Bicyclists Have High Blood Alcohol Levels

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

October 28th, 2014/

More than one-fourth of fatally injured bicyclists ages 16 and older had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least .08 percent, according to a new report. The legal limit is below .08 in all states.

The report, released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, found bicycle deaths rose 16 percent between 2010 and 2012, while the number of drivers killed increased 1 percent, CBS News reports.

“The percentage of fatally injured bicyclists with high BACs has remained relatively constant since the early 1980s and did not mirror the sharp drop in alcohol-impaired driving that occurred among passenger vehicle drivers in the 1980s and early 1990s,” the report’s author, Dr. Allan Williams, said in a news release.

In 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended states lower allowable blood-alcohol levels for drivers, from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. The NTSB said thousands of people are killed or injured each year by drivers who are not legally drunk, but who are still impaired. Currently about 10,000 people die in alcohol-related car crashes each year.

A person with a blood-alcohol level of 0.05 percent is 38 percent more likely to be involved in a crash, compared with someone who has not been drinking, according to the NTSB. A person with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level is 169 percent more likely to be involved in an accident.

Greetings,

Please see the attached PRO-ACT Philadelphia Calendar for November. Also attached are flyers of our special programming. Please attention to our Stress Reduction and Relaxation program where you can earn a certificate for attending 9 sessions.

Certificate Program

STRESS REDUCTION AND RELAXATION

Part of Your Recovery

What do you do when you feel anxious or stressed?

Learn simple practices of breathing and relaxing mind and body.

You can use them any time, to calm and center yourself.

Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00

November 4 to December 30

9-week class

Certificate for those who attend at least 7 sessions (make-ups available)

Register at PRO-ACT, 1701 W. Lehigh Ave., Unit 6, 215-223-7700

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)  Recovery in Our Communities October 28, 2014      Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333 HALT Series: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired:  Coping with LONELY Moments in Recovery        When I started my journey of alcohol and other drug addiction recovery, I learned an easy-to-use guide to help steer me away from danger and keep me on my positive path. I was told to NEVER allow myself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. These feelings and biological experiences may lead a person to use a substance to help them cope with those uncomfortable feelings. I learned to HALT whenever I had these feelings and stop and think before acting and choose a more positive means to cope. It is an effective tool and twenty-two years later, I am still using it! Continuing our HALT series, we are focusing on LONELY (the forgotten middle child of HALT). While it may be relatively easy to identify when you are hungry, angry, or tired because of the observable physiological identifiers, loneliness is trickier. Loneliness can creep up on you and before you realize it, you are sinking in a bog of depression that is hard to escape. Loneliness is difficult to describe, very subjective, and differs from person to person. You may have heard people say that they can feel lonely in a room full of people. We all have felt lonely at times. For me, it takes the form of isolation.    (Continue reading)     UPCOMING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ON OPIATES   TONIGHT!  Overdose Education Advisory Board, October 28, 5-7 pm, Bailiwick Unit 12, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown, PA. Click here for more information.  Town Hall Meeting "Heroin & Opiates" October 30, 7:00 pm at Morning Star Fellowship Church, 429 S 9th St, Quakertown, PA  "Opiates and Youth: A Comprehensive View" November 19, 8 am - 4:45 pm at Spring Mill Manor, 171 Jacksonville Road, Ivyland, PA Click here for more information on these programs or email David with questions.  "I recently joined the ranks of the unemployed a couple weeks ago.  It is a sudden change after five and a half years of steady work.  To be able to walk back in to PRO-ACT and be treated so kindly and professionally as I scramble to get my resume together has been a much appreciated comfort. I have learned a lot of useful information, especially in the "Gateway to Work" seminar, and truly appreciate the attention afforded me upon my follow up visit!"  - John Danks  AT OUR CENTERS Gateway to Work  Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am at SBRCC, 1286, Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol; 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 1:00 pm at CBRRC, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown. Get help with resume building, barriers to employment and motivation. Contact Rick at 215-345-6644 or email for more information.   Fun Friday at PRCC, 1701 W Lehigh Ave., Unit 6, Philadelphia; Join us from 5 - 7:30 pm for our Halloween Party!  Prize for the best costume!  Call 215-223-7700 for more information.      "Fed Up," Movie, November 7, 6 - 9 pm, Bailiwick Unit 12, 252 West Swamp Road, Doylestown. A movie that will change the way people think about eating. Bring a dish, Pot Luck Dinner. Register with Rick, 215-345-6644, or email Rick. "Minute For Moms" at SBRCC, 1286 Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol Support group for Moms and Moms to Be discussing parenting, healthy relationships and support networks. 2nd Wednesday of every month. Next meeting is November 12 at 6 pm. Call 215-788-3738 X100 or email Karen for more information. "A Sugar Seminar" at CBRRC, November 19, 9 am - 12 noon, Bailiwick Unit 12, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown.  Learn how sugar affects your recovery and relapse potential.  Click here for more information.  WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRO-ACT Committee Meetings All Volunteer Meeting, at PRTC, October 30 and November 20, 5:30 - 7:30 pm Volunteer Orientation, at PRTC, November 4, 10 am - 1 pm Bucks Chapter, at CBRCC, Unit 33, November 4, at 6:00 pm Amends in Action, at PRTC, November 12, 3 - 4 pm Recreation Celebration, at PRCC, November 14, 3 - 4 pm Young People in Recovery, at PRTC, November 17, 7:30 - 8:30 pm Educating the Community, at PRCC, November 21, 3 - 4 pm. Recovery Walks 2015 Planning Committee, at PRTC, December 1, 6 - 7:30 pm Employment Opportunities: Click here

DONATE Donations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.

COA ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY!! Don't miss this super fun annual event!  Get up, dress up and show up at the  Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville) this Saturday Oct. 25 for the annual COA Halloween Party! There will be  dancing   and prizes for the best costumes, as well as an array of mouth-watering refreshments includingbaked ziti, meatballs & sausages, hoagies and plenty of sweets & treats! Feel free to bring a dish to share or just come hungry! Music provided by Ghypsee Freegan, a very talented young hip hop artist who has battled and fought to be clean and sober since 2011. This event will also feature angel card readings with Lori Friedman and Donna El Haber. Lori is a gifted empath and Pranic Healer.  An ordained interfaith Angel Minister, Donna channels radiant love and healing through God and the angels to help people and pets heal, transform and open to grace, blessings, miracles and abundance. A gifted intuitive, she is also an advanced energy healer adept in a variety of modalities. A counselor as well as an animal communicator, she provides an array of services to help clients transform, heal and move forward in their lives with more ease, grace and balance. For more about Donna and her work, see www.angelreadingswithdonna.weebly.com. Get Health Coverage NOW! If you or someone you love doesn't have health insurance, COA can help.  On the morning of Monday, Nov. 3, a representative from WellCare will be at Dwier assisting with Medicaid & Obamacare enrollment.  Medicaid is now available for single people and marrieds without children, in addition to families with children; it's free for anyone making less than $15,500 per year. COA will help you fill out the paperwork, and get your documents together. Most people qualify for some type of low or no-cost plan, so it's worth coming in to check it out.  If you would like to take advantage of this FREE assistance, please RSVP tocityofangelsnj@hotmail.com - we need to get some idea of how many people will be coming so we can plan. On COARR  Let's Talk About Recovery! With 10 original shows, COARR plays Recovery Talk 24/7/365....past shows are available online atwww.coaradio.com/pastshows.html and in each show's online archive.  Tune in thru the smartphone app (free in the iphone/droid stores) or on www.coaradio.com to hear what's playing now.....       Listen to past COARR shows any time:  For "Women & Addiction" with Terri Thomas, click here.  For "Wellness in Recovery" with life coach Nancy Tilelli, click here.  For "Journey Thru the 12 Steps with the Life Recovery Bible," click here.  For "Share Your Scars" with Vicki, click here. For "Wings Over Water: Creativity in Recovery" with recovery musician Kathy Moser, click here. For "Laughter & Recovery" with stand up comic Wil B. Kleen, click here.  For "Relationships in Recovery" with Alexa, click here.  For "Saving Lives" with COA Director of Interventions Tom Redneck Clark, click here.

Best of the Week: October 18–24

COMING UP IN THE FIX// Recovery on the Small Screen in New Sitcom "Mom" *Daniel Genis on Legal but Deadly K2 * The Hypocrisy of Smoking * Tales from a Relapser's Bed * Two Bipolar Chicks: Guide to Survival * Ask an Expert: How Can I Survive My Son's Death? * PLUS: Other incisive articles

	Q&A// The David Sheff Solution Author David Sheff on the stigma of addiction, the concept of rock bottom, the rise of video game addiction, and how to help the most vulnerable among us, in The Fix Q&A. By John Lavitt
	SAVING LIVES// A Time-Out for Death Free Narcan kits give hope to parents in Staten Island OD epidemic. By Neville Elder
	AND AGAIN// Substituting Addictions Many people will substitute one addiction for another during or after the recovery process from their original addiction. Are these people destined to become addicts for life, battling a never-ending cycle of recovery and relapse? By Jeanene Swanson
	TIME UP// Finally Free: Sobriety After 21 Years in Prison Longtime Fix columnist Seth Ferranti is out of prison and writing from a halfway house. By Seth Ferranti
	SLIDESHOW// 15 Reality Stars Busted For Drugs These reality stars are addicted to the spotlight... and maybe more. By McCarton Ackerman

Good morning everyone, this Friday evening will be a special night at road to recovery with a concert from the band Grandeur coming through all the way from Missouri. Starting at 7pm www.grandeurband.com They will also be playing the following night at Souled Out coffeehouse in the Northeast.. please invite some friends out for this Halloween alternative event. I will be sharing a message from Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 to 30 "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." See you there!! Bring some goodies!!

San Francisco Bill Would Require Drug Makers to Fund Take-Back Program

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

October 23rd, 2014/

Officials in San Francisco have introduced a bill that would require drug manufacturers to fund and manage a take-back program for prescription drugs. The move follows a decision earlier this month by a federal appeals court that forces drug makers to pay to dispose of unused and unexpired medications in Alameda County, California.

San Francisco has a pilot drug take-back program, The Wall Street Journal reports. The pharmaceutical industry provides about 40 percent of the funding for the program. The bill would expand the number of drop-off sites from 13 to as many as 60.

“There has been great demand for a permanent solution to this environmental, public health and public safety issue. We all have unused and leftover drugs in our homes, but not all of us have a reasonable means to properly discard them,” San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said in a statement.

Alameda County passed an ordinance in 2012 to establish a drug take-back program. The county said the measure is the first in the nation to require drug makers to set up a program to dispose of expired and unused medications. County officials said the annual cost of the program will be about $330,000. The industry trade group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, estimates the program would cost drug makers about $1.2 million.

The county wants to reduce contaminants in drinking water by giving people an alternative to flushing their medications down the toilet. Officials also hope the measure will reduce prescription drug abuse by reducing the amount of medication in home medicine cabinets.

The pharmaceutical industry filed a lawsuit that claimed the measure violates the Constitution by interfering with interstate commerce. The suit argued safe disposal of unused medications should be a shared responsibility, and that requiring drug companies to pay for the entire cost would ultimately result in increased prices for consumers.