Upholding the Legacy of Tony Gwynn
/By David Dobbins
June 25th, 2014/
0


SOURCE: KENT HORNER/AP

After a four year battle with salivary gland cancer, San Diego Padres player Tony Gwynn passed on Monday, June 16th. Gwynn’s unfortunate tale involved smokeless tobacco, the chewing of which is still associated with baseball. Despite recent efforts from Major League Baseball (MLB) to discourage the use of this product, coaches and players have battled with addiction to smokeless tobacco for many years.

Nicknamed “Mr. Padre”, Gwynn was a force to be reckoned with on the diamond. He is considered to be one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2010, and surgery to remove lymph nodes and tumors from the gland left his face partially paralyzed on the right side. Gwynn was extremely vocal of the link between his chewing tobacco and his cancer. He was quoted as saying, “Of course it caused it … I always dipped on my right side.” Ultimately, at the young age of 54, just like 480,000 other Americans each year, Tony Gwynn lost the battle to his tobacco-related disease.

Gwynn’s death has reinvigorated the debate of banning tobacco in Major League Baseball. In 2011, Major League Baseball modified club rules in order to prohibit teams from providing tobacco products to players and strongly discourage clubhouse attendants from purchasing tobacco for players. Players cannot have tobacco tins in their uniform pockets or do televised interviews while using smokeless tobacco. Violators are subject to fines.

The new rules, enacted as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association, aim to look out for the health of players, in addition to helping players be a better example to youth fans. The dangers of smokeless tobacco are evident. Starting in 2012, teams were required to screen players for signs of oral cancer. A total of 28 carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents, have been identified in smokeless tobacco and smokeless tobacco is associated with a high risk of oral cancer, particularly located in the gums or cheek, areas which typically come into direct contact with the tobacco. But the players were not willing to agree to ban tobacco use entirely.

Other players like Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox have also come forward to publicly comment on their own addiction to chewing tobacco. The most recent is Ian Desmond, from the Washington Nationals – he and others have also spoken about the challenge of quitting, including Steven Strasburg and Bruce Bochy, manager of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, tobacco is ingrained into the baseball culture. In fact, a survey conducted in 1999 shows almost a third of rookies starting in the major leagues were already users of chewing tobacco.

While the use of smokeless tobacco endangers the health of Major League ballplayers, it also sets a terrible example for the millions of young people who watch baseball at the ballparks and on TV. A survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 found that 11.2 percent of high school boys were using smokeless tobacco, a 6.7 percent increase from 2002. Many kids look up to baseball players as heroes and role models and it’s not uncommon for young fans, including the players’ own children, to want to emulate and follow the lead of their favorite players.

As of late, stadiums for many sports have enacted stricter tobacco policies for patrons as it relates to tobacco use, baseball included. Additionally, other leagues have led the charge on instituting tobacco bans including the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Hockey League. Even the Olympics are now tobacco-free. In 1993, tobacco use was banned in baseball’s minor leagues, but yet still allowed in the MLB.

With his impressive career and respected legacy, Gwynn will always be remembered and loved by family, friends, and fans alike. He will be remembered for his incredible swing and untouchable statistics, but we will remember him for his stand against tobacco in baseball and we will strive to ensure that is part of his legacy. We’ve lost far too many people, far too early – so we cannot give up the fight.

David Dobbins
Chief Operating Officer
Legacy

Biggest Risk Factor for Teens Taking Ecstasy: Use of Other Drugs
/By Join Together Staff
June 25th, 2014/
0



High school seniors who are most likely to take Ecstasy are those who use other drugs, researchers at New York University have found.

Overall, about 4.4 percent of high school seniors reported using Ecstasy within the last year, Newswise reports. Males are at particularly high risk for use. The drug is also known as “Molly,” “E” and “X,” the article notes. It has become popular at dance parties.

The findings, published in Substance Use & Misuse, are based on data from the Monitoring the Future nationwide annual study. About 15,000 high school seniors are included in the study each year. The study did not specifically ask about Molly. Since many teens may not realize Molly is another name for Ecstasy, more of them may be using the drug than the study indicates, the researchers noted.

Other risk factors for teen Ecstasy use included having a weekly income of more than $50 from a job, or more than $10 weekly from other sources. Students living in cities were at increased risk, as were teens who had used alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana or other illegal drugs.

“Ecstasy use also tends to precede use of other club drugs so preventing Ecstasy use (e.g., among those who attend nightclubs and parties) may also prevent initiation and use of drugs such as ketamine (‘Special K’) and GHB,” lead researcher Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, said in a news release.

“Hundreds of new designer drugs have emerged in recent years, some of which were created to mimic the effects of Ecstasy,” Dr. Palamar said. “Many individuals may be ingesting what they think is Ecstasy, but it may in fact be an even more dangerous new substance. Likewise, today Ecstasy commonly comes in powder form instead of pill form, which may even further increase the chances of receiving the drug cut with additional designer substances.”

Washington Governor Announces Emergency Rules to Keep Marijuana Away From Kids
/By Join Together Staff
June 25th, 2014/


Washington State Governor Jay Inslee this week announced rules designed to keep marijuana out of the hands of children, now that recreational use of the drug is legal for adults 21 and older.

The state will require approval of packaging for edible marijuana products. Cartoons, toy images and other labels that appeal to children will be banned, The New York Times reports.

Last month, lawmakers in Colorado, where retail marijuana stores have already opened, said they were considering stricter regulations for marijuana edibles, in the wake of two deaths connected with the products. Experts warn consuming the edibles can lead to bizarre behavior.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure we keep kids safe,” Governor Inslee said in a news release. “We want every retailer to know that kids are off limits and every parent to know how to talk to kids about why marijuana isn’t safe.” He added, “The initiative legalized marijuana only for adults 21 and over and it is incumbent on everyone — retailers, parents, health professionals and public officials — to do everything possible to keep pot away from kids. If we fail in that, Washington’s regulated, retail market for marijuana may fail, too.”

The first group of marijuana retail stores in Washington is scheduled to open on July 8. The state plans to license 334 stores eventually. The state Department of Health has begun an advertising campaign that advises parents to discourage their children from using marijuana. “The goal is to get parents to talk to their kids now and not wait until retail sales start happening,” said department spokesman Donn Moyer.

JUNE 25 v 21 v 22 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;

And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,

And the Lord will reward you.

STEP 9 "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others .


Thats right you heard me ! Its called maturity and growth just another one of those wonderful things we develop when we get sober . When we make Amends and help those who have hurt us back will be one of the most liberating experiences in your recovery. Life is tough enough so why not lighten your load by following the step and living the Proverb .

Ephesians 4 : 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

By Joseph Dickerson

Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. - See more at: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/recovery/recovery/12-steps-of-alcoholics-anonymous.php#sthash.M25MOMpM.dpuf

Pope Francis Says He is Opposed to Legalizing Drugs for Recreational Use
/By Join Together Staff
June 24th, 2014/
0

Pope Francis told participants at an international drug enforcement conference he is opposed to legalizing marijuana and other drugs for recreational use.

“The scourge of drug use continues to spread inexorably, fed by a deplorable commerce which transcends national and continental borders,” he said on Friday. “Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called ‘recreational drugs,’ are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce desired effects.”

This is not the first time Pope Francis has spoken out against drug legalization, Newsweek reports. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last year, he said, “A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use. Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future.”

He has visited with people struggling with drug addiction both as Pope and when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the article notes.

Hospitals Report Jump in ER Visits Related to Meth: Government Report
/By Join Together Staff
June 24th, 2014/
0



U.S. emergency departments reported a sharp increase in methamphetamine-related visits between 2007 and 2011, according to a new government report.

The report “shows that methamphetamine use may be on the rise again, and we must do everything we can to address this serious public health problem,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a news release.

The SAMHSA report found meth-related visits increased from about 68,000 in 2007, to almost 103,000 in 2011—the latest year for which data is available, HealthDay reports. ER visits related to meth had significantly decreased between 2005 and 2007, the article notes.

Meth-related ER visits increased sharply among people ages 25 to 34 and those 55 and older. The report found in 2011, 62 percent of meth-related ER visits also involved other drugs. Marijuana was the drug most likely to be combined with meth, followed by alcohol.

“One important step is to use the hospital emergency department visit as a critical opportunity to talk to, and intervene with, people using this drug so that they can more fully understand its dangers and where they can turn to for help,” Clark noted.

Meth has a high potential for abuse and addiction, according to SAMHSA. The drug can lead to a range of physical and mental health issues, including severe dental problems, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood changes, and violent behaviors.