Some Toddlers of Women Who Used Meth in Pregnancy Show Abnormal Stress Response

By Join Together Staff | March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Parenting, Research & Youth

Toddlers of women who used methamphetamine in pregnancy, who live in an unstable home environment, appear to have an abnormal response to stress, a new study suggests.

Methamphetamine stimulates the nervous system, and prenatal exposure to the drug could affect the development of a child’s stress-response system, HealthDay reports. If the child is repeatedly exposed to severe stress at an early age, it can further affect the stress-response system.

The study included 123 two-year-olds whose mothers used methamphetamine during pregnancy. The researchers evaluated the toddlers’ reactions when they were briefly separated from their mothers. Children who lived in stressful conditions at home—such as having a mother who drank heavily or suffered from depression or other mental health problems—did not experience normal increases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

“The lack of hormonal stress response that we observed in these children has serious implications, such as a greater risk for depression, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,” lead researcher Namik Kirlic of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma said in a news release.

Children who had a more stable home environment had normal increases in cortisol levels when they were separated from their mothers. “It’s not the meth alone,” said researcher Barry Lester, Ph.D., Director of the Brown Center for Children at Risk at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “It’s the combination of meth exposure and adversity after birth. We see other things coming into play—the mother’s psychological health, alcohol use, exposure to violence at home or in the community. The postnatal environment is hugely important.”

The study appears in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Report Finds Child Poisoning Often Results From Pills Found in Purses and on Floor

By Join Together Staff | March 20, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Parenting, Prescription Drugs, Prevention & Youth

A new report finds small children who end up in the emergency room after being accidentally poisoned from medication are more likely to find the pills in a mother’s purse or the floor than the family medicine cabinet.

Children also find pills in other easy-to-reach spots such as sofa cushions and countertops, USA Today reports. The report was released by the nonprofit group Safe Kids Worldwide.

Most accidental medication poisonings in children result from ingestion of medication belonging to a child’s mother or grandparents, according to the report.

The group evaluated 2,315 emergency department records for children up to age 4. In 2011, approximately 67,000 young children ended up in the emergency room after being accidentally exposed to medication. Accidental poisonings in young children rose 30 percent in a decade, they found.

Of the records that stated the source of the medication, 27 percent were on the floor or had been otherwise misplaced, while 20 percent came from a purse, bag or wallet. An additional 20 percent were left on counters, tables, nightstands or dressers, 15 percent were found in a pill box or bag of pills, 6 percent were found in a drawer or cabinet, and 12 percent came from other places.

In 86 percent of cases, the medications belonged to adults. Mothers accounted for 31 percent, while grandparents accounted for 38 percent.

“You have some grandparents who have their whole pharmacy on the kitchen counter or the bathroom counter, and it is there for the taking,” Salvador Baeza, a pharmacist who directs the West Texas Regional Poison Center in El Paso, told the newspaper.

Safe Kids advises parents and other caregivers to store medications out of sight and out of reach. SafeKids CEO Kate Carr recommends that parents ask grandparents and other relatives to secure medications when their children are visiting. “That can be an awkward conversation,” Carr said. “But you can just say that ‘I have a very curious child who is just at that age where they get into everything.’”

Heroin Use on the Rise in Southern California

By Join Together Staff | March 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Young Adults & Youth

An increasing number of teens and adults in southern California are using heroin, according to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials.

“Heroin use has become a particular concern for the DEA because we’re seeing people using heroin at such a young age,” Agent Sarah Pullen told NBC Los Angeles. High school counselors in Orange County are reporting a rise in heroin use, the article notes.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported initiations to heroin have increased by 80 percent among teens ages 12 to 17. The increase in heroin use is largely attributed to the drug’s low cost and easy availability, both in southern California and around the country.

A study published last year found OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse. Many people who abused the drug have switched to heroin.

The study included more than 2,500 people who were dependent on opioids, who were followed between July 2009 and March 2012. During that time, there was a 17 percent decrease in OxyContin abuse. In 2010, the company that makes OxyContin introduced a new version of the drug that is more difficult to inhale or inject.

Anesthesia Abuse Increases Among Health Care Professionals, Study Suggests

By Join Together Staff | March 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Drugs & Research

Abuse of the anesthesia drug propofol is on the rise among health care professionals who have easy access to it, a new study suggests.

The study found the number of health care professionals treated for abuse of the drug has increased steadily, the Star Tribune reports. Most of these professionals began using propofol to get to sleep, and quickly became addicted.

Propofol is used for surgery and other procedures. It takes effect quickly, and has a fast recovery time, with fewer side effects than other anesthetics, the article notes. The researchers state in a news release, “Propofol addiction is a virulent and debilitating form of substance dependence” with a “rapid downhill course.”

They studied data from an addiction center specializing in substance abuse among health care professionals, and found 22 patients treated for propofol abuse between 1990 and 2010. They included doctors, nurses and a dentist. Most of the doctors and all of the nurses were anesthesia providers. Most of them had depression, in addition to a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse. A higher than expected number of patients had family members with schizophrenia.

Most of the patients began addiction treatment within a few months after starting to use the drug; five sought treatment after just one propofol binge. About half of patients started treatment after a dramatic event, such as a motor vehicle accident. Some patients received facial injuries after passing out from propofol.

The study will appear in the April issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

March With COA in the Robbinsville Parade! On Saturday, March 23, City of Angels NJ will march in the annual Robbinsville St. Patrick's Day parade. This is a fun event that will include pipe bands, high school bands, scouts, Irish bands, fire departments, local and regional law enforcement, civic, community & labor groups, floats, military servicemen and women and much more. The route is about one and one quarter miles. After the parade, marchers will gather on the grounds at Ernie's for music and refreshments. If you would like to join COA (and maybe carry the COA banner!), please meet us at 12:00 noon at Foxmoor Shopping Center. You will recognize us by the distinctive green COA t-shirts. The parade will begin at 1:00 pm. Open House Videos A Proven Way to Recover: Recovery Compliance Inc. The final videos from City of Angels' 4th annual Open House are now online! To watch Recovery Compliance President Rob Harrison talk about proven approaches to recovery, click here. For the full library of all 2013 Open House videos, click here. Redneck's Story   In November 2012, New York University journalism student Allie Ward interviewed and wrote a profile about COA's Director of Interventions, Tom "Redneck" Clark.  After Red helped her boyfriend into treatment, Allie wanted to better understand how Redneck became the person he is now, and why he devotes virtually all of his free time to helping others. The profile has since become a model for Allie's class and her professor uses it as an example for new students.  To read the profile, click here.

Tidbits   COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.     For directions to the Dwier Center, click here.      The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.      Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.          Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.   City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.

Middle School Dating Linked to Increased Substance Use in New Study

By Join Together Staff | March 18, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs, Research & Youth

Middle school students who date report using twice as much alcohol, tobacco and marijuana, compared with their classmates without romantic relationships, a new study finds.

Students who date in middle school also have significantly worse study skills, and are four times more likely to drop out of school, compared with their single classmates, Science Daily reports.

Researchers at the University of Georgia studied 624 students over seven years, starting when they were in sixth grade. Each year, the students completed a survey that asked about dating, substance use and other behaviors. The study looked at the students’ high school dropout rates, and annual teacher-rated study skills.

Study author Pamela Orpinas noted in a news release that the study suggests “dating should not be considered a rite of passage in middle school.”

The researchers reported their findings in the Journal of Research on Adolescence.