Thursday, September 18, 2014





This week on the Addict's Mom Live Video Online Meetings on In the Rooms, W Have Extra Some Extra Special Guests!! Our very own Addict's Mom members reading letters, poems, songs, blog entries they wrote about addiction. Grab a box of tissues and jo...in us!!

All loved ones react to and deal with the addicts in their lives in different ways. Some of us express our thoughts and feelings in creative ways to help ourselves and sometimes to help others who are feeling the same way. During this week's online video meeting (Thursday night7Pm EST) on intherooms.com, some of the members on the Addict's Mom will share their letters, poems, songs, blog entries, with the Addict's Mom audience. 

We hope you will participate in the discussion during the second half of the meeting and share with our group your feelings about these "creations", your reactions, and maybe about something you've created to help you with your situation. 

Remember you can remain anonymous also while you on in the rooms join the Addict's Mom group here is the linkhttp://www.intherooms.com/group/view?gid=1806 See More

Remember when you sign into In the Rooms use Google Chrome of Firefox they are best to access the live online video meetings.





Deaths Due to Prescription Painkiller Overdoses Slowing Down: Report
September 16th, 2014/



Deaths from prescription painkillers are rising at a slower pace than in years past, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Prescription painkiller overdose deaths rose by 3 percent from 2007 to 2011, compared with 18 percent each year from 1999 through 2006, according to USA Today.

The CDC, in a report released this week, said opioids including hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone were involved in 11,693 drug-poisoning deaths in 2011, up from 2,749 deaths in 1999.

The report noted benzodiazepines are involved in a growing number of opioid-related deaths. Benzodiazepines were involved in 31 percent of opioid-related deaths in 2011, up from 13 percent in 1999. The number of drug-poisoning deaths involving methadone, used to treat opioid dependency and pain, increased from 784 deaths in 1999 to 5,518 deaths in 2007 and then declined to 4,418 deaths in 2011.

In 2006,the Food and Drug Administration urged doctors to use caution when prescribing methadone to patients who are not used to the drug, and that patients take the drug exactly as directed. Two years later, methadone manufacturers agreed to limit distribution of large volumes of the drug, the article notes.

In the past decade, adults ages 55 to 64 and non-Hispanic whites experienced the greatest increase in the rates of prescription painkiller poisoning deaths.

In an effort to reduce prescription drug abuse, the Drug Enforcement Administration recently announced it will reclassify hydrocodone combination products such as Vicodin. Under the new rules, patients will be able to receive the drugs for only up to 90 days without receiving a new prescription.

Hydrocodone combination products will be classified as Schedule II drugs. Currently these products are Schedule III drugs, meaning they can be refilled up to five times, and prescriptions can cover a 180-day period.

Accidental Ingestion of Buprenorphine a Danger to Young Children: Study
September 16th, 2014/


Buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid addiction, is the prescription drug most commonly implicated in emergency hospitalizations of young children, according to a new study. The drug poses a danger to children who find and accidentally swallow relatives’ prescriptions, the Associated Press reports.

The study, published in Pediatrics, found for every 100,000 patients prescribed buprenorphine, 200 children ages 6 and younger were hospitalized for ingesting it. That rate is four times higher than the rate for the next most commonly ingested drug, a blood pressure medication. In total, almost 800 young children are hospitalized annually after swallowing buprenorphine.

Lead researcher Dr. Daniel Budnitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the AP that recent drug-packaging changes may help reduce the risks of accidental buprenorphine ingestion by children.

In 2013, the company that makes Suboxone (a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone), said the drug would no longer be available in tablet form because of the risk of children becoming poisoned after swallowing the drug. The company switched to making a film version of the medication, which is put under the tongue. According to the AP, generic Suboxone tablets are still available.

Buprenorphine can help reduce drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing a narcotic “high,” the AP reports. In children, the drug can cause sedation, dangerously slowed breathing and vomiting.

New Portable Method to 
Detect “Bath Salts” Being Developed
September 16th, 2014/


British researchers are developing a new method to detect synthetic drugs known as “bath salts,” PBS NewsHour reports. The researchers say the method is low-cost, disposable and quick. It could someday be used in a handheld sensor to detect bath salts, the researchers explain in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

Although bath salts have been banned in the United States, they are still sold in some retail shops and online disguised as household products including stain remover, toilet bowl cleaner or plant food, the article notes.

Bath salts can be taken by mouth, inhaled or injected. Adverse effects of bath salts include heart and blood vessel problems, depression, suicidal thoughts, psychosis and death.

The suggested technique to test for bath salts uses mercury, which is toxic, the article notes. The new method uses a mercury-free electrode. It could be the basis for the first portable, onsite testing device for bath salts. The researchers tested their method on bath salts bought online. They reported the accuracy of their results matched that of established methods for identifying bath salts.

Tens of thousands of emergency room visits and several deaths have been attributed to bath salts, the researchers noted in a press release.


Percentage of Positive Drug Tests in Workers Increased For First Time in a Decade
September 16th, 2014/


For the first time in more than 10 years, the percentage of positive drug tests among American workers has increased, according to a company that conducts the tests. The increase is fueled by a rise in use of marijuana and amphetamines, Quest Diagnosticsfound.

The findings come from an analysis of 8.5 million drug test results. The positive drug test result rate increased to 3.7 percent in 2013, compared with 3.5 percent in 2012. It is the first time the positive rate for national workplace urine drug tests has increased since 2003, the company reported.

In Colorado, marijuana was detected in 20 percent more employment-related drug tests performed by Quest during the first year recreational use of the drug was legal, The Coloradoan reports. “While it’s interesting, and it could be a harbinger for things to come, I think it’s a little too early to draw conclusions at this point,” Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology at Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions, told the newspaper. Sample said he did not see evidence that employers are changing their drug-screening patterns to reflect Colorado’s legalization law.

In Washington state, where recreational use of marijuana has also been legalized, Quest found a 23 percent increase in drug tests that were positive for marijuana. In contrast, the company found an increase of 6.2 percent nationally.

Employers in Colorado are getting mixed messages about how to deal with employees who use marijuana. While recreational use of marijuana is legal for adults in the state, it remains illegal under federal law. Under Colorado state law, employers can ban use of marijuana at work. Another state law prohibits employers from dismissing workers for engaging in lawful activities off the premises of the business during nonworking hours.
Partnership for Drug-free Kids
 
 Hello ,

Because you’ve registered to receive PACT360 community education materials, I want to let you know about a new informative toolkit from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

The Partnership is teaming up with Major League Baseball Charities for a special “Play Healthy” program designed to help coaches, parents, teachers and all concerned adults help young people make healthy decisions and prevent them from abusing performance-enhancing substances and prescription drugs.

The Play Healthy Toolkit contains a DVD, a discussion guide and handouts that anyone can use to educate themselves and others about the risks of abusing performance-enhancing substances and other drugs. The Toolkit is free of charge and available in English and Spanish. It also contains nomination forms for the Commissioner’s Play Healthy Award, which celebrates and recognizes one youth sports coach and one student athlete who embody the spirit of teamwork, dedication, leadership and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.


To receive your free Play Healthy Toolkits, e-mail Kevin Collins at kevin_collins@drugfree.org. Please specify the number of English and Spanish kits you would like to receive and your contact information, including e-mail and phone number.

I hope you and your community will make use of this important resource.
 
Kevin Collins
Deputy Director, Community Education
The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
 
 
 
 
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