Alcohol in Movies May Influence Teens’ Drinking Habits, Study Suggests

By Join Together Staff | March 7, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Alcohol,Marketing And Media, Research & Youth

The amount of drinking children and teens see in movies may influence their own drinking habits, suggests a new study conducted in six European nations.

Researchers gave surveys to more than 16,000 students, ages 10 to 19, in Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Scotland. They were asked to check off which of 50 movies that were popular in their country they had seen. For each movie, the researchers counted how many times characters were shown drinking alcohol, according to Reuters. At least 86 percent of the movies had at least one drinking scene.

The researchers compared the students’ exposure to alcohol in the movies with how many of them reported ever engaging in binge drinking (having five or more drinks on a single occasion). Twenty-seven percent of the students reported binge drinking at least once, they reported in Pediatrics.

The study found an association between viewing on-screen drinking and students’ own drinking behavior. Between 10 to 20 percent of students who viewed the least on-screen drinking had binged themselves, compared with 40 percent who had seen the most on-screen drinking.

It is not known whether the students started binge drinking before or after they saw the movies, the researchers point out. They did take into account other factors, such as the students’ risk-taking behavior, their academic record, and how much their friends and family drank.

Study author Reiner Hanewinkel, PhD, told Reuters that teenagers “have seen at least thousands of impressions of smoking and drinking, so it shapes their attitude that these kinds of behavior are adult-like behavior. It makes the alcohol drinking look cool and sexy and so-on.”

12 STEPPING TO RECOVERY DAILY THOUGHT 3-9-12

STEP 1
       I have come to realize that step one is not a one time thing.Some folks work the steps and they think that's it I'm good.Step one for me has to be taken everyday the moment I open my eyes and before starting the day.Surrender yourself to JESUS ask HIM for his guidance love and peace as you begin your day .If we are left to our own vices and not under his divine guidance we will or at least I will make all the wrong choices.I lived my life at least thirty years of it without his guidance and because of it I made a mess.Surrendering to Him is not a magic recipe or fix all and life will still throw you a curve ball but it is sure comforting to know that you don't have to face life's troubles alone.This is why step one is so important we cant go it alone. My favorite book (bible) tells us HE is the counselor comforter and friend what more do we need not only that, because of the sin of our addiction we have been separated from GOD and we can only get right with GOD Thur JESUS. Make step one a must before opening your eyes and exiting the bed.I DARE YOU TO TALK TO JESUS AND INVITE HIM IN TO YOUR LIFE!

FDA Warns Maker of Inhalable Caffeine Product Over False or Misleading Labeling

By Join Together Staff | March 7, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol,Government, Marketing And Media, Prevention & Youth


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter Tuesday to the maker of the inhalable caffeine product AeroShot Pure Energy, stating its labeling is false or misleading.

The FDA says the company, Breathable Foods Inc., labeled the product as both inhaled and ingestible. “The company’s labeling is false or misleading because these two claims contradict each other,” the FDA said in a statement. The agency added that “caffeine is not normally inhaled into the lungs and the safety of doing so has not been well studied.”

Aeroshot, introduced earlier this year in the United States as a calorie-free breathable energy product, delivers caffeine through a gray and yellow device that resembles a cross between a lipstick and a shotgun shell, Reuters reports. The caffeine is mixed with B vitamins and delivered in a fine powder that dissolves in the mouth. One AeroShot contains about the same amount of caffeine as a large cup of coffee, according to the article.

The FDA notes the product’s label has conflicting statements about whether it is appropriate for those under 18. The agency says some videos on the company’s website appear to encourage people to use AeroShot in combination with alcohol. The agency asked Breathable Foods to correct the violations, and to provide more information on research.

In reponse to the FDA letter, AeroShot issued a statement that said, “We plan to work closely with the FDA to meet their requests for information and labeling changes to ensure compliance with dietary supplement requirements. AeroShot delivers a mix of B vitamins and caffeine to the mouth for ingestion and is not ‘inhaled’ into the lungs. AeroShot is not recommended or marketed to persons under 18 or for use with alcohol.”

In December, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer urged the FDA to review the safety and legality of Aeroshot. “This stern warning is the clearest indication yet that AeroShot needs to be taken off the market until these concerns can be addressed and the product’s safety can be confirmed,” Senator Schumer said in a statement.

Recover Wear

Hilarious AA Apparel

Posted on January 4, 2012 by recoverwearcom in Uncategorized


Welcome to Recoverwear, the home of your next sobrietee-themed impulse purchase! Check out our first edition t-shirts below! If you’re in the Pittsburgh, PA area, leave a note with your order and we’ll sort out free delivery. www.recover-wear.com
www.recover-wear.com
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FREEDOM & RECOVERY EVENT

UPCOMING 2012 EVENT:


Freedom & Recovery—Integrated Mental Health and Addiction Treatment for
Service Members
Hotel del Coronado
San Diego, CA
April 23-26, 2012
Conference Details | Media Kit | Brochure
Freedom & Recovery: Integrated Mental Health and Addiction Treatment for Service Members will gather the nation's foremost treatment experts to examine the unique needs of returning veterans and their families, with a focus on education and training for professionals who provide care to this special population. Conference participants will learn evidence-based practices for treating trauma and addiction, methods for integrating military families into treatment, and suicide prevention strategies.

Zanzibar Tries to Kick Heroin Habit

ADDICTION TREATMENT

3/06/12 10:11am




Zanzibar's approach is innovative in
East Africa. Photo via


Unknown to the hordes of foreign tourists who flock to its idyllic beaches, the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar has been ravaged by heroin imported from Asia. But now groups of recovering addicts there have joined togetherto help fellow addicts get clean at self-regulated "sober houses." The program was started by Suleiman Mauly, who spent four years living and using on the streets and has been clean for six years. The $100-a-month sober houses provide a cheap alternative to rehab and a safe haven from the drug-addled streets and unforgiving law enforcement. The idea that addiction is a health issue, not a criminal one, is novel in Tanzania, as is the sober house model: “It’s a new phenomenon in East Africa, whereby drug addicts take responsibility to run the system" says Mauly. "Recovering addicts are in charge, from the guard, the kitchen, running sessions, everything." Activities on offer at the houses include yoga, acupuncture and art therapy, empowering addicts to reclaim their lives, and to help themselves and others. "For someone who is doing the 12-step program, and then you give him another responsibility, he feels high self-esteem because he’s not nothing," says Mauly. "You are someone."