Overdoses from Heroin and Prescription Drugs Reach New Levels at Jersey Shore

By Join Together Staff | January 15, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs & Prescription Drugs

Deaths from heroin and prescription drugs more than doubled last year at the Jersey Shore, a locale well known as a vacation destination. Three people in Ocean County, New Jersey have already died in 2014 from drug overdoses, according to NBC News. Local police said a brand of heroin sold under the name “Bud Light” may be tainted.

Ocean County, which includes a number of beach towns, is home to the reality series “The Jersey Shore.” The county has the highest number of heroin-related emergency room admissions in the state. In 2011, Ocean County had 11 percent of all heroin-related ER admissions. The following year, 11.4 percent of heroin-related admissions were in the county, although it has less than 7 percent of the state’s population.

Deaths related to heroin and prescription drugs jumped from 53 in 2012, to 112 last year. The majority of the deaths were related to heroin, the article notes. A total of 1,188 people died from overdoses throughout New Jersey in 2013.

“It is a suburban epidemic facing us throughout New Jersey,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “A lot of suburban counties are affected at dangerous levels.” He said young people are starting with prescription drugs, and moving to heroin. “This is no longer just an inner city issue,” added Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor’s office. He added people are snorting heroin, which is purer and cheaper than in the past.

Prosecutors in Ocean County have distributed warning cards to funeral homes, advising families to dispose of unused prescription medications left behind by the deceased.

Earlier this year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law a measure that encourages people to report drug overdoses. The law allows people to call 911 to report a drug overdose, without the fear of getting arrested for drug possession themselves.

January 15 v 22 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisers they succeed.

STEP 5 ; I will admit to God, to myself, and to another human being, the exact nature of my wrongs.

Some of the people in your life are not just trying to lecture you they are giving you advice on how to improve your life. This is where pride keeps you trapped through stubbornness . The more and more we listen the more we learn and knowledge is power. Stubborn was my middle name for many years , I would not listen too one word anyone had to say. The plans I had made for my life failed miserably for lack of counsel .Step five mentions we share our mistakes and failures with another person not only does it help getting rid of our junk but step 5 teaches that not everyone is out to get us. For those of you new to recovery you must surround yourself with people who have lengthy good clean time shut-up and listen for once in your life. It is obvious thanks too the Proverb the more people you have too help the more you will succeed. 

Rodriguez Banned From Baseball for 2014 Season for Violating Anti-Doping Rules

By Join Together Staff | January 14, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Prescription Drugs

An arbitration panel has ruled that Major League Baseball (MLB) can ban New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez for the entire 2014 season, Bloomberg reports. Rodriguez was suspended for violating the league’s antidoping rules. MLB originally suspended Rodriguez for 211 games. The panel reduced the suspension to 162 games, including playoffs.

In August, MLB announced it was suspending Rodriguez and 12 other players. The league said it suspended Rodriguez based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited, performance-enhancing substances over many years.

In a statement, Rodriguez said, “The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. This is one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.”

He said he intends to fight the suspension in a federal court.

Study Links Misuse of Prescription Drugs and Violence Among Dating Partners
By Join Together Staff | January 14, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Mental Health, Prescription Drugs, Research, Young Adults & Youth

A new study suggests a connection between misuse of prescription drugs and incidents of dating violence. Researchers at the University of Michigan Injury Center found misusing prescription sedatives and opioids was more common prior to dating violence, while alcohol use or a combination of alcohol and marijuana use were more common prior to non-dating violence, HealthCanal reports.

“Without the alcohol or prescription drugs involved, they simply might walk away from a potentially violent situation,” lead researcher Quyen Epstein-Ngo said in a news release. “The alcohol and other substance use may be the tipping points.”

The researchers looked at use of prescription sedatives and opioids immediately preceding violent dating conflicts, on the day of the conflict, among high-risk urban youth. The study included 575 participants, ages 14 to 24, over a one-year period. Women were more likely to be involved in dating violence.

Of the 1,262 incidents reported in the study, substance use occurred immediately before 44 percent of conflicts. About half of dating violence incidents involved drug use.

“Our findings indicate that interventions that address violence among youth should address substance use and psychological factors, as well as be tailored by type of violence—dating versus non-dating—and by gender,” Epstein-Ngo said.

The results are published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Doctors Can Uncover Drug or Alcohol Use With Just One Question: Study
By Join Together Staff | January 14, 2014 | 4 Comments | Filed in Alcohol,Drugs, Healthcare & Treatment


Primary care doctors can discover whether patients are abusing drugs or alcohol by asking a single question, a new study finds.

Asking patients how many times in the past year they consumed five or more drinks in a day (for men), and four or more (for women) is just as effective as administering a longer screening questionnaire in uncovering alcohol dependence, according to Dr. Richard Saitz of the Boston University School of Public Health. Doctors can reveal drug dependence by asking, “How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for nonmedical reasons?” he said.

“We found that single questions may be useful in both screening and preliminary assessment” of substance-use severity, Dr. Saitz said in anews release. “Instead of extensive interviews or long questionnaires, which are a barrier to screening in primary care settings, this approach may make it much easier to identify and appropriately address unhealthy substance use.”

The study analyzed responses from 286 patients, Science Dailyreports. The single alcohol question detected 88 percent of patients with alcohol dependence. The drug question detected 97 percent of patients with drug dependence, the article notes. The results were similar to those found with longer screening tests.

Current drug and alcohol screening tools generally range from three to more than 80 questions, with multiple response options, Dr. Saitz noted in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. If screening indicates a patient may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, the doctor may refer the patient to a specialist, programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, drug treatment, or other follow-up treatment. Patients at lower risk may benefit from brief counseling, according to Dr. Saitz.

FREE Job Readiness/Career Exploration, Job Placement & GED Preparation for Youth

To assist out-of-school youth, ages 17 to 21, in Bucks County enter the emerging workforce and achieve their future goals -- secure a better paying job, advance their career, earn a better wage, build life skills and gain self sufficiency – the Bucks County Youth Center at the CareerLink is offering FREE training, workshops and GED preparation to qualified young adults.



The Bucks County Youth Center at the CareerLink provides FREE job search assistance, coaching, transition planning, resume preparation and certification preparation for the National Retail Federation and ServSafe exam to youth who have graduated high school and are looking for employment and youth who have dropped out of school [ages 17 – 21] in the Bucks County area who are seeking full time employment.

The Bucks County Youth Center at the CareerLink is conveniently located near public transportation. Morning and afternoon hours are available.

These programs are offered in collaboration with the Buck County Workforce Investment Board. The BC-WIB is a business-led board that provides the leadership and resources necessary to encourage a flourishing workforce and companywide economic well-being. The organization stems from the Workforce Investment Act and other grant-funded programs and its mission is to provide the leadership necessary to develop, direct and promote a comprehensive network of resources and services for area businesses as well as adults and youth looking for employment.

“This group has been targeted because of its history of high unemployment,” stated Ron Spangler, Youth Operations Manager. “Our goal is to coach, train and place out-of-school youth into entry level high-growth, high-demand occupations,” he explained.

Call Brian Cummings at 215-781-1083 ext. 2210 to schedule an appointment or attend an orientation session.Contact Info: Brian Cummings

Youth Operations Manager

215-781-1083 ext. 2210