Sunday, July 15, 2012
Simulation Program Teaches Teens About Drunk and Distracted Driving
By Join Together Staff | June 21, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol,Prevention, Young Adults & Youth
A new simulation program is teaching young drivers about the risks of drunk and distracted driving. The program is designed to demonstrate what can happen if they have an accident while they are driving under the influence or texting while driving.
One Simple Decision, made by Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI), combines simulated driving with video footage of interactions with law enforcement, judges and emergency medical personnel, USA Today reports.
The Ohio Department of Transportation bought four VDI simulators, at a cost of $42,000. It uses them at schools, football games and county fairs, the article notes. “We recognized that there is an issue, especially among young drivers, with paying attention to the road,” spokeswoman Melissa Ayers told the newspaper. “We started using it last year. We’ve gotten really good feedback. The kids realize after they’ve used it, ‘I really can’t do two things at once (while driving).’”
A government report issued in December found an estimated 31 percent of driving deaths were linked to alcohol in 2010, compared with nine percent of deaths caused by distracted driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report found that overall, highway deaths fell last year to the lowest level in six decades, even though Americans are driving more
Comedy Concert Benefits Cops & First Responders
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
Saturday, July 14, 2012
“Drug Tourists” Increase States’ Challenges in Fighting Prescription Drug Abuse
By Join Together Staff | July 13, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Legal, Prescription Drugs & Prevention
States’ efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse are being made more difficult by people who travel to states such as Florida and Georgia to obtain painkillers, the Associated Press reports. These so-called “drug” or “prescription” tourists are transporting huge amounts of drugs across state lines, according to the AP.
Trying to stop drug tourists involves complicated prosecutions that cross a number of state lines, the article notes. Drug tourists travel to states with many “pill mills,” where they obtain a large amount of painkillers and then return home to sell them for as much as $100 per pill.
Florida was long known as a prime destination for drug tourists. Now that the state is cracking down on pill mills, Georgia is becoming a more popular destination for those who want to find easy access to painkillers. They come from adjacent states, and from more distant states such as Nebraska and Arizona.
“They’re like a swarm of locusts,” said Richard Allen, Director of the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency. “Once they have a script, they’ll hit every pharmacy in the state trying to get them filled.”
Earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration announcedsales of oxycodone fell 20 percent last year in Florida. Officials said the drop was mainly due to the closure of some of the state’s biggest pill mills and the arrest of some of the clinics’ operators and doctors. Florida pharmacies and doctors sold about 498 million doses of oxycodone in 2011, compared with a record 622 million doses the previous year.
In June 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law a bill designed to cut down on prescription drug abuse by controlling pill mills in the state. The law authorized the creation of a prescription-drug monitoring database to reduce doctor-shopping by people looking to collect multiple painkiller prescriptions. The legislation also imposed new penalties for physicians who overprescribe medication and imposes stricter rules for operating pharmacies.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Bill Aims to Reduce Teen Abuse of Cough Syrup
By Join Together Staff | July 12, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Drugs, Legal,Prevention & Youth
Two senators introduced a bill this week designed to prevent the abuse of cough syrup by teenagers. The bill restricts the sale of products containing the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM) to those older than 18, Drug Store News reports.
Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska sponsored the measure, known as the Preventing Abuse of Cough Treatments (PACT) Act of 2012. The PACT Act also places limits on the purchase of bulk (unfinished) DXM, so that only manufacturers registered with the Food and Drug Administration or relevant state agencies have access to DXM in its raw form. Currently, there are no national restrictions on sales or purchase of DXM in this form.
The 2011 Monitoring the Future survey found that 5 percent of teens report abusing cough medicine. Abuse of DXM can cause hallucinations, confusion, blurred vision and loss of motor control.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) notes that DXM is a safe and effective cough suppressant found in more than 100 cough and cold medicines. The legislation “will give parents an additional tool to prevent abuse, while ensuring access for the millions of adults and families who responsibly use products containing DXM to relieve cough symptoms,” CHPA President and CEO Scott M. Melville said in a news release.
“By addressing easy access to purchasing cough syrup for teens, the main cause of the harmful trend of its abuse, my bill will help keep our children safe and lessen the strain cough syrup abuse has put on families, hospitals and law enforcement,” Senator Casey said in astatement. “My common-sense legislation will prevent kids from purchasing a drug that has dangerous consequences when abused to get high, while also ensuring it is available to those with a legitimate need for it.”
Thursday, July 12, 2012
CDC: One-Third of Prescription Painkiller Overdose Deaths Caused by Methadone
By Join Together Staff | July 9, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction,Drugs, Prescription Drugs & Treatment
Methadone causes 30 percent of prescription painkiller overdose deaths, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some doctors are now prescribing methadone to treat chronic problems such as back pain, which is making the drug more widely available.
According to the CDC, methadone and other extended-release opioids should not be used for mild pain, acute pain, “breakthrough” pain, or on an as-needed basis. “For chronic noncancer pain, methadone should not be considered a drug of first choice by prescribers or insurers,” the report noted.
In an effort to cut down on abuse of drugs meant to treat addiction, Titan Pharmaceuticals plans to file for Food and Drug Administration approval for an implant of buprenorphine, which eases withdrawalsymptoms. The Wall Street Journal reports that buprenorphine currently comes in pills or strips, which can be used to get high, or used more heavily than they should be to relieve symptoms of withdrawal. The pills are crushed and then injected or snorted.
The implant, called Probuphine, is inserted just under the skin in the upper arm. It releases continuous, small amounts of the drug over six months. “You cannot easily remove these implants from the arm,” Titan Senior Vice President Katherine L. Beebe told the newspaper.
A study conducted by Titan and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010 found that among people with opioid dependence, users of Probuphine had significantly less illicit opioid use, and fewer symptoms of withdrawal and craving, compared with those who received a placebo implant.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
TRUE TEEN RECOVERY CA.
About
Working as a family to overcome addiction.
DescriptionThe heart of True Teen Recovery lies in the treatment of not just the individual adolescent suffering from behavioral issues and addiction, but the entire family. The consistent success of our program is directly linked to incorporating family treatment as part of our Intensive Outpatient Program.
3737 Camino del Rio S. Suite 205
San Diego, California 92108
Phone
1 (619) 339-9932Email kiley@trueteenrecovery.com
Website http://www.trueteenrecovery.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)