Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Commentary: Medical Marijuana – Time for Parents to Step In
By TRI Ken Winters PhD and Amelia Arria PhD | September 11, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Drugs, Legislation & Parenting
To paraphrase a former First Lady, “What goes on in the White House is never as important as what goes on in your house.”
As the evidence mounts of the negative effects of medical marijuana laws in various states, it’s even more important for parents to recognize that marijuana needs to be on their parenting radar screen.
A Colorado study shows some of these impacts, where nearly 74 percent of a sample of teenagers receiving addiction treatment in that state told researchers they used medical marijuana that was recommended for someone else.
This news should be of no surprise because increased availability of marijuana is highly associated with increased use. Studies have shown that marijuana is not a safe, benign drug. It’s a highly addictive drug. When smoked it contributes to pulmonary damage. It significantly impairs judgment, and is associated with poor performance in school. Its use has also been linked to contributions to impairment on important measures of life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life and career status.
Marijuana is a drug that’s widely used by teens and young adults. Among teens aged 12 to 17, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, after several years of declines, current marijuana use increased in 2009 and again in 2010, to 7.4 percent of the population. Among young adults aged 18 to 25, almost 30 percent used marijuana in the past year, with almost 6.3 million young adult users in the past month.
Marijuana use is now more prevalent among teens than cigarette smoking. Marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Moreover, the typical weed available to adolescents these days is so much more potent compared to the marijuana used by prior generations. This increased potency is particularly concerning in light of recent scientific findings that marijuana use deleteriously affects brain development, particularly in areas related to mood, reward, and learning.
Medical marijuana laws have made parents’ jobs tougher, no doubt about it. Although the provisions of the statutes differ, as of early July medical marijuana statutes had been signed into law in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
Parents are a mighty lobbying force – at the local, state and national levels – particularly when they act in groups. We are not suggesting that parents shouldn’t try to influence government at any one of these levels.
But because governments move slowly and not always in everyone’s best interests, parents can (and should) influence what goes on in their households. Science will continue to inform the public and seek solutions. But as the constant in a child’s life – with protective instincts that can be brought out by science but not replaced – it’s the parents who are the first lines of defense for their children.
Ken C. Winters, PhD & Amelia Arria, PhD
Dr. Winters is the Associate Director, Dr. Arria the Scientific Director, of the Parents Translational Research Center (PTRC) of the Philadelphia-based Treatment Research Institute. The PTRC is a NIDA-funded Center dedicated to developing practical, science-based tools for parents and other caregivers faced with challenges related to adolescent substance abuse.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Study Finds Active Participation in AA Aids in Long-Term Recovery
By Join Together Staff | September 10, 2012 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol,Recovery, Research & Treatment
Recovering alcoholics who help others in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have better outcomes themselves, a new study concludes. Helping others increases the amount of time a person stays sober, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
The findings come from a 10-year study, PsychCentral.com reports. The researchers examined the effects of Alcoholics Anonymous-related Helping (AAH). “The AAH findings suggest the importance of getting active in service, which can be in a committed 2-month AA service position or as simple as sharing one’s personal experience in recovery to another fellow sufferer,” lead researcher Maria Pagano said in a news release.
She found that participants engaged in AAH attended more meetings and did more step-work than those who did not help others. Pagano noted that “being interested in others keeps you more connected to your program and pulls you out of the vicious cycle of extreme self-preoccupation that is a posited root of addiction.”
The findings appear in the journal Substance Abuse.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Emergency Rooms Learning to Deal with Teens, Young Adults on Designer Drugs
By Join Together Staff | September 7, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inDrugs, Young Adults & Youth
Emergency room doctors are learning the signs of designer drug use in teens and young adults as the substances continue to grow in popularity, The Miami Herald reports.
Signs that someone has been using “bath salts,” or synthetic marijuana, known as “K2” or “Spice,” include a glassy look, or psychotic behavior, such as acting as if they are seeing things or hearing voices, according to Dr. Peter Antevy, an emergency room doctor at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
“These don’t show up on any drug tests, unfortunately,” Antevy told the newspaper. “And kids don’t like to admit they’ve taken them, especially if they’re in front of their parents. The only way I know is by asking, simply, ‘Are you on K2? Are you taking Spice?’ They’ll look at me and say, ‘Yes.’?”
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported 3,821 calls regarding synthetic marijuana and 2,078 calls regarding bath salts as of July 31of this year.
The article notes the long-term effects of these drugs have not been fully studied. This research is especially difficult to conduct, because drug makers are continually changing the chemical makeup of the substances to evade laws banning them. “They’re able to change one molecule on this drug and then you can call it something different, so the regulators can’t disallow them,” Antevy said. “They’re skirting the law.”
In July, President Obama signed legislation that bans synthetic drugs. Synthetic drugs are readily available online. The law outlaws sales of synthetic drugs by both retail stores and online retailers.
In December, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released new information indicating that one in nine high school seniors had used Spice or K2 over the past year, making synthetic marijuana the second most frequently used illicit drug, after marijuana, among high school seniors.
CRS TRAINING PROGRAM
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Sunday, September 9, 2012
THE HILLS CLINIC
Addiction Treatment
The Hills Clinic offers a range of group and individual addictiontreatment programs to help people who wish to recover from an addiction. The program offers patients the support and skills to prevent relapse. Based on the latest evidence, treatment programs are delivered by enthusiastic and non-judgmental clinicians with expertise in the field.
The Hills Clinic is unique in its approach to treating addiction as we take into consideration each individuals’ personal needs, addressing addiction related co-morbidity and providing a high level of continuity of care throughout the program.
The addiction treatment program has five components offering comprehensive support for those struggling with addictions.
21 Day Inpatient Program
Weekly Smart Recovery Group
6 week Step down Outpatient Program
12 Week Maintenance Outpatient Program
Individual Therapy
The basis of all the programs is cognitive behavioural therapy and it runs parrallel with the SMART Recovery Program. Patients are empowered to gain control of their addictions and correct errors that continues to enable their addiction to control their life.
SMART Recovery®
SM is the leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group. Patients learn tools for addiction recovery based on the latest scientific research and participate in a world-wide community which includes free, self-empowering, secular and science-based, mutual-help support groups.
SMART Recovery® helps people recover from all types of addiction and addictive behaviours, including: alcoholism, drug abuse, drug addiction, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, gambling addiction, cocaine addiction, and addiction to other substances and activities. SMART Recovery® currently sponsors more than 600+ face-to-face meetings around the world, and 18+ online meetings per week. In addition, our online message board is an excellent forum to learn about SMART Recovery® and obtain addiction recovery support.
SMART Recovery Teaches Self-Empowerment and Self-Reliance
SMART Recovery does not use the disease model.
Teaches practical tools and techniques for self-directed change.
Encourages individuals to recover and live healthy satisfying lives.
Meetings include open and interactive discussions and can be educational.
Works on addictions/compulsions/dependence as complex maladaptive behaviours.
Advocates the appropriate use of prescribed medications and psychological treatments, such as anti-depressants, Methadone, Buprenorphine.
SMART’s 4-Point Program
SMART Recovery is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The group helps people to understand, manage and change their irrational thoughts and actions.
The SMART Recovery program is comprised of 4 key points.
Building and Maintaining Motivation
Coping with Urges
Problem Solving
Lifestyle Balance
The Hills Clinic Addiction Program Treatment Principles
Cognitive Behavioural Framework
Similar to other cognitive behavioural approaches, this program is based on social learning principles. It conceptualises the client’s drug taking behaviours as learned maladaptive coping strategies related to major difficulties in their lives. People with addictive behaviours often present with co-morbid mental health issues, a fragile and unstable sense of self, health problems, and chaos in their relationships due to their substance use/gambling/impulsive behaviour.
The aim of treatment is to overcome these deficits through skills training in identified areas. Skills are built through examining underlying beliefs and thoughts and teaching specific cognitive and behavioural techniques for managing difficult situations. Skills building attempts to reduce the pressure/stress on the client and increase the client’s sense of control over their addiction and their life.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation is a core part of our treatment program, and underlies the application of most skills and strategies. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of mindfulness practice in reducing impulsiveness, improving concentration and attention, reducing stress and improving immune function. Most importantly, for people with addiction, mindfulness has the quality of helping to notice thoughts and urges without reacting to them in destructive ways (such as substance abuse).
Interpersonal Approach
By the time individuals reach substance abuse treatment, their relationships are generally in turmoil. Our program aims at teaching clients interpersonal skills to manage triggers and reduce stress.
Building and repairing relationships is an important part of this treatment program, and exploration of clients attachment style and ways of relating in the groups are focused upon to increase insight and awareness and allow the development of new interpersonal skills. Group programs also provide an excellent environment for participants to practice interpersonal skills and different ways of relating to others.
Respect for the client
An empathic/non-judgmental attitude is held by the therapist in order to foster engagement and establish a working therapeutic relationship in which the client feels respected and understood.
The clinician communicates respect for the client, and supports the person’s self-worth and sense of competence. Strategies used to foster an empathic, respectful approach include reflective listening, a focus on the client’s perception of issues, and a collaborative approach to counselling.
Strengths based approach
The program takes a strengths-based approach by reinforcing and building upon client’s strengths and resources for change. This is facilitated by assisting clients to recall past successful strategies at coping with difficult situations, and commenting on the client’s strengths and successes.
Motivational Approach
Clinicians utilise general strategies that enhance motivation for behavioural change. These include
Pointing out client’s self responsibility for actions
“This is really for you to decide. Nobody can make that decision for you.”
Eliciting motivational statements
“What made you realise that you had a problem? How do you know you are ready for taking this step?”
Exploring ambivalences
“Your drug use worked for you as a way of avoiding conflict in your relationship, but it makes you both extremely uncomfortable.”
Rolling with resistance
“You want to continue drinking because it relaxes you.”
Saturday, September 8, 2012
| ||
| ||||||
| ||||||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)