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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Overdose Prevention and Treatment Program Can Save Lives, Study Suggests
A program that teaches people to recognize and respond to
overdoses of opioids can significantly decrease the number of overdose
deaths, researchers at Boston Medical Center have found.
Massachusetts instituted the program to combat the problem of
opioid-related overdose deaths. The program trains people who use
opioids, as well as their families and friends, to prevent, recognize
and respond to drug overdoses. Participants learn to recognize the signs
of overdose, to seek help, to stay with the victims, and to use the
opioid overdose antidote naloxone.
The new study included 19 communities with high opioid overdose
levels. Those communities that implemented the Overdose Education and
Nasal Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program had a larger reduction in
overdose deaths, compared with those without such programs, HealthDay reports. The more people enrolled in the program, the greater the decrease in death rates.
In the British Medical Journal, the researchers conclude that OEND is an effective intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths.
In February 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that naloxone has successfully reversed more than 10,000 opioid overdoses since 1996.
Conquering
Grounds Café
This Saturday Night
February 9, 2013
At Christian Life
Center, 3100 Galloway Rd Bensalem, Pa 19020
In The Edge Building
Doors open at 6:30
Event starts at 7pm
Appearing: Jazz, Blues, Gospel Band
“Seventh time Around”
Plus Special Guests Kris and Ed Vincent
This is a FREE event
and open to everyone. There will be hot and cold beverages and goodies to eat,
all free of charge. Come out and join us for a great night of music and
fellowship.
We Will Be Collecting Old Working Cell Phones.
Bob Sofronski, Chairman/Director
Christian Life Prison and Recovery Ministries, Inc.
PO BOX 1624
Southampton, PA 18966
Fax # 267-988-4629
Monday, February 4, 2013
Commentary: Addressing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment professionals can play a vital role in
preventing the leading known cause of intellectual disabilities, birth
defects and neurobehavioral disorders in the world, Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
Each year 125,000 American newborns are prenatally exposed to heavy
or binge alcohol consumption, 20 times the number exposed to
methamphetamine and inhalants. Alcohol is a teratogen—a substance known
to be toxic to developing babies. Of the most common substances of
abuse, including marijuana, cocaine and heroin, alcohol produces by far
the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the offspring of
substance-using women.
FASD is not typically included in addiction treatment curriculum. One
problem is that there is not a code for it in the DSM manual of mental
health disorders, and as a result, psychiatrists and psychologists are
not informed about FASD.
FASD may also be an unexamined cause for high recidivism in addiction treatment. There are several reasons why this may be:
• Women may have used alcohol and drugs while pregnant and be afraid to discuss in group;
• Women may have children with undiagnosed FASD, and may not be educated on appropriate parenting techniques; and
• Clients themselves may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol and have unidentified learning and behavioral disorders as a result.
• Women may have used alcohol and drugs while pregnant and be afraid to discuss in group;
• Women may have children with undiagnosed FASD, and may not be educated on appropriate parenting techniques; and
• Clients themselves may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol and have unidentified learning and behavioral disorders as a result.
Preventing FASD in Addiction Treatment
If a woman drinks while she is pregnant, there is a risk for having a child with FASD regardless of ethnicity, education or socio-economic status. A woman does not have to be an alcoholic to have a child with effects; however, women that suffer with alcoholism are at the highest risk. Women who use other drugs are also at high risk for having a child with FASD, since many use alcohol as well. Women who drink should be counseled about using effective contraception to avoid pregnancy.
If a woman drinks while she is pregnant, there is a risk for having a child with FASD regardless of ethnicity, education or socio-economic status. A woman does not have to be an alcoholic to have a child with effects; however, women that suffer with alcoholism are at the highest risk. Women who use other drugs are also at high risk for having a child with FASD, since many use alcohol as well. Women who drink should be counseled about using effective contraception to avoid pregnancy.
Since FASD is preventable, all clients and their families receiving
addiction treatment should be educated on the hazards of drinking while
pregnant. Men may not cause FASD directly, but they have a very
important role in prevention. They can encourage and support women not
to drink while pregnant, or at risk for pregnancy.
Treatment is an appropriate time to learn about FASD. If clients
realize that some of their children may have effects from prenatal
alcohol exposure, a counselor is there to provide them with support and
resources. Treatment professionals should provide opportunities for
women to discuss many of the difficult issues around mothering and
parenting. They can provide women with language to talk to their
pediatricians and other health care providers about possible exposures
to ensure that the children are receiving assessments and appropriate
services.
Recognizing FASD in Clients
People with FASD often go unnoticed as having a brain disorder because the majority of individuals have borderline intelligence or above. This is a lifelong disability and the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social difficulties can each appear across a continuum of severity, from mild to profound. They may experience a daily fluctuation of attention and focus. Many will struggle with understanding cause and effect relationships or the ability to predict future behaviors. Individuals are typically naĂŻve and are easily led into situations. They may have problems in judgment, memory and social skills, but because they have strong expressive language skills they appear higher functioning than they are. It is not uncommon for a client with FASD to be unsuccessful and sometimes terminated from treatment. These individuals need structure, support and understanding. If counselors better understood the typical behavioral profile of a client with FASD, and how to modify treatment, treatment outcomes could improve.
People with FASD often go unnoticed as having a brain disorder because the majority of individuals have borderline intelligence or above. This is a lifelong disability and the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social difficulties can each appear across a continuum of severity, from mild to profound. They may experience a daily fluctuation of attention and focus. Many will struggle with understanding cause and effect relationships or the ability to predict future behaviors. Individuals are typically naĂŻve and are easily led into situations. They may have problems in judgment, memory and social skills, but because they have strong expressive language skills they appear higher functioning than they are. It is not uncommon for a client with FASD to be unsuccessful and sometimes terminated from treatment. These individuals need structure, support and understanding. If counselors better understood the typical behavioral profile of a client with FASD, and how to modify treatment, treatment outcomes could improve.
Recognizing that a person “can’t” perform, rather than “won’t”
perform, immediately changes the dynamic in a service relationship. By
recognizing the disability of FASD and modifying systems of care, we can
improve outcomes for clients. Adults often need lifelong transitional
and behavioral support.
Below are suggestions for improving treatment for individuals with FASD:
• Train staff to modify treatment plans and treatment;
• Plan for long-term treatment and aftercare options;
• Include the entire family in treatment;
• Assist clients with housing, vocational, educational, day-care, respite, recreational and other services;
• Assist clients with Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare and other disability programs;
• Counselors should consider the possibility of past victimization in these clients;
• Counselors should know best treatment practices and recommendations for clients with FASD; and
• Addiction treatment agencies should pursue assessments and diagnosis for clients (and/or children of clients) when they suspect a person has FASD.
• Train staff to modify treatment plans and treatment;
• Plan for long-term treatment and aftercare options;
• Include the entire family in treatment;
• Assist clients with housing, vocational, educational, day-care, respite, recreational and other services;
• Assist clients with Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare and other disability programs;
• Counselors should consider the possibility of past victimization in these clients;
• Counselors should know best treatment practices and recommendations for clients with FASD; and
• Addiction treatment agencies should pursue assessments and diagnosis for clients (and/or children of clients) when they suspect a person has FASD.
There is much that can be done to address FASD in addiction
treatment. The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS),
founded in 1990 as a voice for individuals, families and caregivers
living with FASD, disseminates information and resources, provides
referrals to specialists, and offers a 22-unit certification program for
addiction professionals (www.nofas.org).
Kathleen Tavenner Mitchell, MHS, LCADC
Kathleen T. Mitchell is currently the Vice President and
International Spokesperson for the National Organization on Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome and a noted speaker/author on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders (FASD) and Women and Addictions. She founded the Circle of Hope (COH), an international peer mentoring network for women who have used substances while pregnant.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Injection Drug Users With Hepatitis C Are “Super-Spreaders” of the Virus
People who inject drugs and have hepatitis C are
“super-spreaders” of the virus, who are likely to infect 20 other
people, a new study finds. Half of hepatitis C virus transmissions take
place in the first two years after a person is initially infected.
Researchers from the University of Oxford in England say early
diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs could
help prevent the spread of the virus, HealthDay reports.
Hepatitis C, which can be spread through contact with infected blood,
may lead to scarring of the liver, or liver cancer. There is no vaccine
for the disease, the article notes. Many people with hepatitis C are
unaware they have the disease, and go undiagnosed for more than a
decade.
“For the first time we show that super-spreading in hepatitis C is
led by intravenous drug users early in their infection,” study author
Gkikas Magiorkinis said in a university news release.
“Using this information, we can hopefully soon make a solid argument to
support the scaling-up of early diagnosis and antiviral treatment in
drug users. Helping these people and stopping the spread of hepatitis C
is our ultimate target.”
The study appears in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.
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