Tree of Hope Listing Dec 12 2012

Dear editor,


When the stately evergreen is raised in the lobby of the Bucks County Courthouse, it will be more than a symbol of the holiday season. Decorated with personalized ornaments bearing the names or initials of people who have directly or indirectly experienced addiction to drugs or alcohol, the the annual Tree of Hope represents the possibility of recovery.


The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania and PRO-ACT will hold the Tree of Hope dedication ceremony on Dec. 12 starting at 6:30 p.m.


Please find attached:
Tree of Hope 2012.doc — press release
Tree of Hope Listing Dec 12 2012.doc — calendar listing
I hope you can find room for one or both in your publication. If you have an online calendar, I will post the information there. Proceeds from ornament sales benefit recovery support services.Call 215-345-6644 or visit www.councilsepa.org .Click events and select Tree of hope.


Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Cathie Cush
C2 Communications
Copywriting * Public Relations
cathiecush@comcast.net
Ph: 215.579.2076
Fx: 215.579.2169

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The Hansen Foundation providing supportive sober living in south jersey

~ Dear Friend ~ What a nice surprise it was to recieve a check in the mail today for $67.36 from GoodSearch.com! We have supporters who currently use GoodSearch.com as their primary search engine, and each time they search, GoodSearch.com donates a penney to our organization. Won't you join us? It's FREE, and it's a really EASY way to support The Hansen Foundation. GoodSearch donates money when you search the Internet, shop online or dine out at local restaurants! Use GoodShop.com when you shop online and they will donate a percentage of every purchase and offer over 100,000 coupons to help you save money too! Sign up for their GoodDining program and they'll donate a percentage of your restaurant bill when you eat at any one of thousands of participating restaurants. Please consider supporting us by using GoodSearch! Simply click  the link below and choose "Become a Supporter" on the top right corner. It's that easy! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! Thank you for your support!

Copyright © 2012 The Hansen Foundation, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a friend or contact of The Hansen Foundation Our mailing address is: The Hansen Foundation 523 S. Leipzig Ave. PO Box 1020 Cologne, NJ 08213 Add us to your address book

Help someone this Thanksgiving

Joseph, Thanksgiving is a time for celebration. But for many families touched by substance abuse, it can be a time for anxiety and confusion. As a Parent Support Specialist, I talk to parents in crisis every single day. Around the holidays it's especially painful, as worried parents strive to mend their families: a mom trying to get her son into treatment before Christmas; a dad desperate because his daughter might not show up at all because of drug addiction. This week, as you gather with family and friends, please think about the families whose Thanksgiving might not be so happy. Help make sure we can help every family who reaches out to us by donating $25 or more to support The Partnership. So many parents I talk to don't know what to expect this holiday season. They call our Parent Toll-free Helpline because they're searching for answers, because they have nowhere else to turn. Giving them support is why I come to work every day to pick up every call, and why on Thanksgiving, I'll take an extra moment to look around the table at the people I love and know how lucky we are. In honor of someone you love, help make sure every family has a happy and healthy holiday by chipping in $25 or more to support the Partnership:  http://my.drugfree.org/contribute-to-The-Partnership Together we can make sure no call for help goes unanswered. Thank you, Denise Denise Ocasio Parent Support Specialist The Partnership at Drugfree.org P.S. You can also donate by texting DRUGFREE to 50555 and reply YES to make a one-time $10 donation to The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Prevention North Carolina

Why is PREVENTION the answer?


Because Prevention WORKS!

The prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs has been a priority in North Carolina, and the country, for decades. The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) has stated that

“Substance use and abuse is both a health problem in itself and a health risk contributing to other health problems” In its recent report (2009) the NCIOM goes on to say that Prevention should be the cornerstone of North Carolina’s efforts to reduce inappropriate use, misuse, and dependence on alcohol and other drugs, and to prevent the incidence and severity of stress, depression, or other anxiety disorders.

In turn, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that if effective prevention programs were implemented nationwide, substance abuse initiation would decline by 1.5 million youth. Youth who do initiate use will delay that initiation by an average of two years. For subsequent years, this would have estimated a return of:
5.6 percent fewer youth ages 13–15 would have engaged in drinking;
10.2 percent fewer youth would have used marijuana;
30.2 percent fewer youth would have used cocaine;
8.0 percent fewer youth would have smoked regularly.

SAMHSA goes on to report that these reductions in use would also contribute to a reduction in cost to our cities, counties, states, and the country. For example, the average effective school-based substance abuse prevention program costs $220 per pupil including materials and teacher training, and these programs could save an estimated $18 per $1 invested if implemented nationwide. The report goes on to argue that if full implementation of effective prevention programming would occur nationwide it could have a cost benefit of:
Saving state and local governments $1.3 billion, including $1.05 billion in educational costs within 2 years;
Reducing social costs of substance-abuse-related medical care, other resources, and lost productivity over a lifetime by an estimated $33.7 billion;
Preserving the quality of life over a lifetime valued at $65 billion.

As you may recognize from the information listed here, Substance Abuse Prevention is not just about “feel good” programs that tug at the heart strings of individuals, families, and the community; instead it is combination of care and concern for our youth with a combination of science to assure our achievement of our target. To put it into one phrase, the state of

North Carolina strives to provide all Prevention Professionals with the best trainings and tools for “effective prevention programs” and strategies because we know that helping just one high-risk youth graduate from high school, avoid heavy drug use, and not engage in crime would create a healthier youth AND save our state between $1.7 and $2.3 million dollars.

NC Institute of Medicine. (2009). Prevention for the Health of North Carolina: A Prevention Action Plan. More information can be found at: www.nciom.org/projects/prevention/Prev_Interim_Report-09.pdf



U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. (2008). Substance Abuse Prevention Dollars and Centers: A Cost Benefit Analysis



Cohen, M. (1998). The monetary value of saving a high-risk youth. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 14, 5-33.
Contact Info
Website http://www.preventionistheanswer.org

NIH Announces It Will Not Create Single Institute Devoted to Addiction

By Join Together Staff | November 19, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Addiction& Government


The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced it will not pursue the proposed creation of a single institute devoted to substance use, abuse and addictions. The proposal would have dissolved the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and replaced it with a single body, according to the Nature News Blog.

NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement that instead of dissolving the two institutes, he will seek their “functional integration,” along with related research in the NIH’s other institutes. NIDA has an annual budget of $1 billion, while NIAAA’s budget is $459 million, the article notes.

Citing budget uncertainties, Collins noted, “The time, energy, and resources required for a major structural reorganization are not warranted, especially given that functional integration promises to achieve equivalent scientific and public health objectives.”

In June, Collins told his committee of external advisers that leaders in the alcoholic beverage industry were concerned about the new single institute. According to the article, the industry’s opposition suggested it was not comfortable with a single body that would more closely align the public’s perception of alcohol consumption and abuse with drug addiction.