New Research Finds 20 Percent of College Students Abuse Prescription Stimulants
/By Join Together Staff
November 19th, 2014/




Almost one-fifth of college students say they abuse prescription stimulants, a new survey finds. The most commonly abused stimulants are medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse.

One in seven young adults ages 18 to 25 who aren’t in college also say they abuse stimulant medications, HealthDay reports. The survey, sponsored by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, included more than 1,600 young adults who answered questions online. The researchers found young adults say they use prescription stimulants to help them stay awake, study or improve their performance at work or school.

“The findings shed a new and surprising light on the young adult who is abusing prescription stimulants,” said Sean Clarkin, Director of Strategy and Program Management for the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. “While there is some ‘recreational’ abuse, the typical misuser is a male college student whose grade point average is only slightly lower than that of non-abusers, but who is juggling a very busy schedule that includes academics, work and an active social life.”

“Students need help in learning how to manage their busy lifestyles effectively,” Dr. Josh Hersh, Staff Psychiatrist at Miami University, said in a news release. “Learning time management strategies such as ‘block scheduling’ and ‘syllabus tracking’ can help prevent ‘cramming’ – the main reason people look to stimulants at whatever the price. In addition, teaching students with ADHD who are prescribed stimulants about how to properly care for their medication will help address misuse and prevent these drugs from getting into the hands of students who might abuse the meds.”

Hersh explained stimulant drug abuse can be dangerous for students. “The fact that students often use these drugs around deadlines, when their natural adrenaline is already high, elevates the risk even more,” he said. “Sporadic use can lead to severe sleep deprivation and cause stimulant-induced psychosis, when a student gets paranoid and may hallucinate.”

Opioid Abuse Among Pregnant Women On the Rise
/By Join Together Staff
November 19th, 2014/


The percentage of women dependent on opioids during pregnancy more than doubled from 1998 to 2011, a new study finds. The overall rate of opioid dependency in pregnant women remains low, at 0.39 percent.

The study looked at the use of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine and methadone, as well as illegal opioids such as heroin, according to HealthDay.

Lead researcher Dr. Lisa Leffert of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston noted dependence on opioids during pregnancy can increase risks during delivery. “This increase in opioid abuse and dependence in the pregnant population is happening along with that in the general population,” she said. “These women were more likely to deliver by cesarean and have extended hospital stays” compared to other pregnant women.

Leffert and colleagues analyzed data on almost 57 million deliveries between 1998 and 2011. They found women who abused or were dependent on opioids were almost five times as likely to die during hospitalization, and were more likely to deliver by cesarean section and have extended hospital stays, compared with women who did not abuse or were not dependent on narcotics.

The babies of women who abused or were dependent on opioids were twice as likely to be stillborn, premature and have poor growth. A condition called placental abruption, in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus prematurely, was almost three times as likely in these women.

The findings are published in the journal Anesthesiology.

November 23 Chp 147 v 3 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

STEP 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God .

Its a no brainer right ! Well if so why do we spend so much time tying to fix things the way we want .Its funny even when it appears we have our lives straightened out we still feel lost and empty. We still spend countless years pretending to the world we got it all together when we know deep down inside our hearts their is pain exhaustion and sorrow we cant get rid of or heal ourselves from. The Psalm has the promise and the answer , the step is the key. God knows your deepest darkest secrets and only he can truly heal ,but he bandages our wounds .Remember being a kid and falling down all we wanted too do was get to mama and she would hold you rock you and then put some stuff on your boo boo and it would burn but she would blow on it too soothe it .Thats what God does , He embraces us soothes our hurts and dries our tears and heals our wounds . Our way is a quick fix just like our addiction . With God its a permanent fix ! 

Psalms 30:5 …Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

BY Joseph Dickerson

November Newsletter   From breaking research on Rx stimulant abuse to a brand new, interactive toolkit for teens, check out what's going on at the Partnership this fall.   Survey: College Students & the Abuse of Rx Stimulants This month, we released a new survey confirming that the abuse of prescription stimulants – medicines prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – is becoming normalized among college students and other young adults. The study found that young adults often misuse and abuse these drugs as a way to manage the stress of academics, work and social pressures they face in their daily lives. The survey was released on November 13th at New York University. See the survey findings > New Toolkit for Teens Responding to the growing need for teen-targeted educational resources, we developed a new Above the Influence (ATI) Toolkit. This resource includes teen-informed activities that can be used with youth 12-17 years old to boost confidence and prevent risk-taking behaviors, including alcohol and drug abuse. This toolkit is part of ATI, a program inspiring young people to make positive decisions and avoid negative influences. It offers individual and group activities that can help teens make healthier decisions with the support of adults who value them. Download the ATI Toolkit >   The Partnership, The GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares® Announce 2014 Teens Make Music Contest We collaborated with the GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares® for the fifth annual Teens Make Music Contest. The contest, part of our new Above the Influence campaign, asks young musicians, ages 14 – 18, to compose or create an original song and/or music video that celebrates life above the influence or brings attention to the consequences of substance abuse. Learn more >    Families need your support. Donate to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids on December 2nd, #GivingTuesday.              We're here to help. Call our Parents Toll-Free Helpline 1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373)            DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. Messages sent to this email address are not read. If you have a question or comment, please use our interactive online help system. Subscribe to our RSS feeds. To prevent mailbox filters from deleting mailings from Drugfree.org, add thepartnership@drugfree.org to your address book. Partnership for Drug-Free Kids | 352 Park Avenue South | Ninth Floor | New York, NY 10010 unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences | view email in browser

Early Brain Changes May Predict Future Alcohol Abuse in Teens: Study

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 20th, 2014/

Brain scans may be able to detect changes in the brain in preteens that predict future alcohol abuse, a new study suggests.

The study included 135 preteen and teenage boys and girls who were an average of 12.6 years old, and who had not yet tried alcohol. They underwent MRI scans to evaluate their brain connections, Medical Daily reports. The scans focused on the brain’s executive control network (ECN), which includes the areas that process emotion, impulsivity and self-control.

Participants’ parents filled out a questionnaire about their children’s behavior, such as irritability, anger and sadness. The questionnaire is predictive of future alcohol misuse. The researchers compared the answers with the preteens’ MRI results.

“We know impaired functioning in the ECN is linked to an earlier age of drinking onset and higher frequency of drinking, but it was unclear whether this dysfunction occurred before drinking or was a consequence of alcohol use,” project researcher Tomas Clarke of Georgetown University Medical Center said in a news release. The researchers found children who were at high risk for alcohol abuse had significantly fewer connections in the ECN than those considered to be at low risk. “Our findings suggest reduced prefrontal cortex development predates alcohol use and may be related to future alcohol use disorders,” Clarke noted.

Project director Dr. John VanMeter added, “What this study is attempting to do is identify the differences in the brains of adolescents who go on to misuse alcohol and other drugs. If we know what is different, we may be able to develop strategies that can prevent the behavior.”

The research was presented this week at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting.

Washington Poison Center Reports Large Jump in Marijuana Exposures

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 20th, 2014/

The Washington Poison Center reported a large jump in calls about marijuana exposures in October. The majority of exposures likely resulted from marijuana obtained at medical marijuana dispensaries, officials said.

The spikes in exposure were greatest in teenagers, Reuters reports. Marijuana exposures can cause adverse reactions including increased heart rate, paranoia or stomach illness, the Poison Center said.

Only a handful of recreational marijuana stores have opened so far in the state. “The medical marijuana industry is largely unregulated and not subject to the scrutiny and oversight by the Liquor Control Board that recreational marijuana must go through,” Dr. Alexander Garrard, Clinical Managing Director of the Washington Poison Center, noted on its website.

Garrard said 210 marijuana exposures were reported in the first nine months of 2014, more than in all of last year. “Our thought is that the spike is potentially related to the number of unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries that are opening up around the state,” he said. He noted the dispensaries have been expanding steadily in the past year.

The dispensaries sell products of unconfirmed potency, as well as edible products that appeal to children, such as lollipops and gummy bears, Garrard said.