| How Deaths from Opioids Have Impacted US Life Expectancy |
| LIVE SCIENCE (09/19) – Life expectancy in the United States ticked upward between 2000 and 2015, but that rise was blunted by increasing rates of opioid-related deaths, a new report finds. Overall, life expectancy at birth increased by 2 years between 2000 and 2015, the report found. The life expectancy for a person born in the U.S. in 2000 is 76.8 years, compared with 78.8 years for a person born in the U.S. in 2015. Read more |
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| Facebook Trial Lets Users Hide Alcohol Adverts |
| BBC (09/20) – It is the first time a social network has let people proactively block adverts on a specific topic. The move has been welcomed by Alcohol Research UK, which says social media is "saturated" with alcohol promotions. It said advertising rules were not "fit for purpose", but the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the UK had some of the strictest rules in the world. Read more |
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| Attorneys General in 37 States Urge Insurance Industry to Do More to Curb Opioid Epidemic |
PROPUBLICA (09/18) – Attorneys general for 37 states sent a letter Monday to the health insurance industry’s main trade group, urging its members to reconsider coverage policies that may be fueling the opioid crisis. The letter is part of an ongoing investigation by the state officials into the causes of the opioid epidemic and the parties that are most responsible. The group is also focusing on the marketing and sales practices of drug makers and the role of drug distributors. Read more
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| Google Gradually Limiting Search Ads on Addiction Treatment Queries |
| SEARCH ENGINE LAND (09/19) – Beginning last week, Google started limiting ads on search results pages for drug and alcohol treatment center queries. Rehabilitation centers like those operated by Advanced Recovery Systems have suddenly seen ads disappear from roughly 40 percent of queries they were targeting, reported The Verge. Read more |
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 | New Adult SASSI-4: Exciting Features |
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| Rx scale that accurately identifies individuals likely to be abusing prescription medications. Screens for multiple levels of SUD severity. Enhanced SUD identification through subtle items added. Distinguishes likely SUD from other psychological disorders. Additional face valid items to identify symptoms represented in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. TRAINING AVAILABLE - NAADAC CEUs |
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| Victimization of Transgender Youths Linked to Suicidal Thoughts, Substance Abuse |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS NEWS (09/18) – In two peer-reviewed papers, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that transgender adolescents are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts as the general population, and they are up to four times as likely to engage in substance use. Depression and school-based victimization factored heavily into the disparities in both cases. Read more |
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| Alcohol, Marijuana Sending Teens to Rehab at Faster Rate |
| WKRN (09/28) – According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 25 percent of teenagers who use drugs become addicted before they turn 18. “Drug addiction is chaotic,” said a former addict at Cumberland Heights in northwest Davidson County. Addiction is becoming far too normal for people, including teenagers. Read more |
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| Reflections 10 Years Post–Hurricane Katrina: Implications for Addiction Counseling |
| WILEY ONLINE LIBRARY (09/22) – Ten years post–Hurricane Katrina, the authors reflected on the aftermath through the eyes of addiction treatment professionals to become better prepared for future tragedies. The lessons learned, the authors' personal reflections, and implications for clinical practice and counselor education are provided. Read more |
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| U.S. to Award $59 Million for Opioid Addiction Treatment |
| VOICE OF AMERICA (09/22) – …The Justice Department said about $24 million in federal grants would be awarded to 50 cities, counties and public health departments for creation of "comprehensive diversion and alternatives to incarceration programs" for people impacted by the epidemic. An additional $3.1 million will be awarded by the National Institute of Justice for research and evaluation on drugs and crime, prioritizing heroin and other opioids and synthetic drugs. Read more |
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| Medical Students Not Trained to Prescribe Medical Marijuana |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (09/14) – Although 29 states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana use for medical purposes, few medical students are being trained how to prescribe the drug. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis surveyed medical school deans, residents and fellows, and examined a curriculum database maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), learning that medical marijuana is not being addressed in medical education. Read more |
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| Young Binge Drinkers Show Altered Brain Activity |
| SCIENCE DAILY (09/14) – Researchers have studied the brain activity of young binge-drinking college students in Spain, and found distinctive changes in brain activity, which may indicate delayed brain development and be an early sign of brain damage. The results suggest that bingeing has tangible effects on the young brain, comparable with some of those seen in chronic alcoholics. Read more |
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| Epigenetic Factors Play Role in Drug Addiction Relapse |
| RELIAWIRE (09/28) – Epigenetic factors — enzymes in the brain that alter the packaging and accessibility of genes without changing the genes themselves — have an influence on relapse risk in drug users who attempt to quit, according to research from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Read more |
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| The Social Life of Opioids |
| SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (09/18) – In the story of America’s opioid crisis a recent tripling in prescriptions of the painkillers is generally portrayed as the villain. Researchers and policy makers have paid far less attention to how social losses—including stagnating wages and fraying ties among people—can increase physical and emotional pain to help drive the current drug epidemic. Read more |
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| One in Four Individuals Combine Opioids and Benzodiazepines, a Potentially Lethal Mix, According to Journal of Addiction Medicine Study |
| BUSINESS INSIDER (09/28) – More than 25 percent of patients monitored by lab tests for prescription drug adherence are concurrently taking both opioids and benzodiazepines, according to a new study published online today in the peer reviewed Journal of Addiction Medicine by researchers at Quest Diagnostics. Read more |
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