Multiple heroin deaths in South Jersey have authorities warning of tainted drug - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News

Multiple heroin deaths in South Jersey have authorities warning of tainted drug - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News

Young People in Recovery

$1,593 raised for 1 nonprofit

THE NATIONAL YOUTH RECOVERY FOUNDATION

Young People in Recovery - Website Campaign 10/16/2013

Join Us in Our Latest Campaign! April 22nd until May 13th 2013!

YPR is less than three years old, but we have already made huge strides in spreading the message that recovery works for young people. We are fighting the stigma of addiction with a multifaceted approach:

• We are expanding with state chapters, and we should have 15 up and running by the end of 2013;
• We are reaching out to politicians, letting them know about the obstacles facing young people in recovery and how they can be overcome;
• And we are active with collegiate recovery communities, sharing the importance of strong recovery communities on college campuses.

Today, YPR is launching an online fundraising campaign to raise $10,000 to redesign our website so that we can continue to spread our message. A revamped website will help us spread our message that “Recovery Works” to a larger audience by:

• Making the site a go-to resource for young people in recovery who want to fight the stigma of addiction.
• Making the site a resource for YPR state chapters, and making it easier for young people to locate and become involved with their state chapters.
• Coordinating and organizing our movement by creating a central source for announcements, news updates, and calls to action.
• Providing a place for young people in recovery to share their stories, and letting young people know that they are not alone in recovery.
• Sharing our achievements with a nationwide recovery community.

How You Can Help:

• Make a donation. YPR has a large base of online supporters, and if everyone donated $5, we would easily reach and exceed our goal of  $10,000.
• Spread the word. Like, comment, share, and repost our messages on Facebook, twitter instagram and via your personal e-mail!
• Speak up. Let people know how recovery has made a difference in your life.
Thank you for your support and commitment to YPR!

Donate

Supporters

Comment	Donation
Sean Campbell 4/23/2013	$30.00
Lacy KB Way to be a great example of young people empowering young people! 4/22/2013	$30.00
Megan Humphries Happy to support you guys in getting your website up and running! GO YPR! 4/22/2013	$100.00
Devin Fox 4/22/2013	$50.00
Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew 4/22/2013	$10.00
Allen N YPR-WI, Aaron's House Madison 4/22/2013	$5.00
Amy Miller 4/22/2013	$20.00
Carol Busonick Awesome! 4/22/2013	$10.00
Pamela Cytron 4/22/2013	$100.00

Donation Summary

Raised Offline $0

Raised Online $355

Commentary: Recognizing the Contribution of Adolescent Substance Use to Poor School Performance

By Amelia M. Arria PhD and Robert L. DuPont MD | April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol, Drugs & Prevention

Although the association between substance use and academic performance has been on the radar of researchers for quite some time, what is under-recognized by researchers and policy makers alike is the contribution of substance use to poor academic performance.

This distinction is important because it tells us that doing something about substance use is a viable option for improving academic performance. Because we know that almost one-quarter of students will eventually drop out of high school, we need to add drug prevention and intervention to the list of things we can do to solve the nation’s dropout crisis.

The consequences of dropping out are profound. High school dropouts are much more likely than high school graduates to have health problems, to earn less income over their lifetimes and to be incarcerated. Strangely, this connection between substance use and academic decline, failure and dropout is not mentioned on the numerous websites, including that of the U.S. Department of Education, that advise parents on how to help their teenage children achieve academic success.

The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. has released a new report, America’s Dropout Crisis: The Unrecognized Connection to Adolescent Substance Use, which includes the following key findings:

• Substance-using students, compared with non-users, are at increased risk for academic failure, including dropout, especially when the use is frequent and heavy.

• Marijuana use negatively impacts academic outcomes (lower GPA and higher rates of dropout) somewhat more than does alcohol. The authors speculate that this might be due to differences in the patterns of consumption between alcohol (typically consumed on weekends) and marijuana (consumed throughout the week) among adolescents. National studies show that in recent years, as perceived risk of harm from marijuana has declined, marijuana use among youth has increased.

• Sometimes substance use precedes academic failure; sometimes early academic failure precedes use. There are many pathways leading to different adverse outcomes from substance use during adolescence.

• Cessation of substance use following treatment is associated with improvement in academic performance. This evidence shows that doing something about substance use is an important way to promote and improve academic success.

• New neurobiological research tells us that there are short- and longer-term effects of drug use on students’ ability to learn. Certainly, learning is compromised if students come to class under the influence. Motivation to study and achieve declines as the use becomes more regular. Too often, students with alcohol or drug problems aren’t even making it to the classroom.

What Parents Need to Know

Dropout is the extreme result of a complex and interacting set of risk factors. Because of the critical role parents play both in preventing substance use and promoting academic success, they need to know what they can do to prevent use in the first place, and intervene if their child has a drug or alcohol problem. Once use occurs, an entire constellation of change agents may be needed to solve the problem.

Scientific evidence has made it clear that drinking and drug use during adolescence can be risky. Even a little alcohol use may lead to problems. Many research studies show that the earlier the exposure, the more problems later. We know that what parents say to their teenage children about substance use matters; parents need to be clear that they do not approve of substance use. A recent research study followed students from high school through their college years. It showed that parents who communicated to their college-bound children the message of zero tolerance for substance use were less likely to have children with drinking problems in college than were parents who were more permissive.

Given the evidence, parents need to be armed with skills and strategies to prevent substance use, to recognize problems early and to intervene when a problem occurs. With what we now know about the potential risks of adolescent substance use, including the negative impact on academic performance, it is critical that parents and school administrators intervene when substance use is detected. Students that show early signs of academic difficulties should be specifically screened for drug and alcohol use. Steps should be taken to ensure that at-risk students become and stay drug-and alcohol-free. Proper management must be comprehensive and may include assessments and interventions for behavioral problems and mental health disorders.

The authors of the report, which include leading researchers from the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., the Center on Young Adult Health and Development and Treatment Research Institute, are interested in learning more about dropout prevention programs that include the identification and intervention of substance use of at-risk students. Rather than develop strategies de novo, their goal is to identify, extend and improve existing intervention models.

The more research tells us about the negative effects of alcohol and drugs on adolescent health and intellectual development, the more important prevention becomes. There should be a shared understanding between families, school systems and the broader community that underage drinking and drug use is not consistent with the goals of maximizing student potential, promoting student health and preparing students for the future.

For more information for parents, visit: www.PreventTeenDrugUse.org.

Amelia M. Arria, PhD and Robert L. DuPont, MD

Amelia M. Arria, PhD is a Senior Scientist at Treatment Research Institute and the Scientific Director of the Parents Translational Research Center. She is also the Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Robert L. DuPont, MD is the founding president of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. He is recognized as a national leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. Among his many contributions to the field is his leadership as the first Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and as the second White House Drug Chief.

College Students Who Drink More and are Anxious Feel More Connected to Facebook

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol, Marketing And Media, Young Adults & Youth

College students who report greater alcohol use and higher levels of anxiety appear to be more emotionally connected with Facebook, a new study concludes.

The study included 229 college freshmen, who were asked about their anxiety and loneliness, as well as their alcohol and marijuana use. Researcher Russell Clayton of the University of Missouri School of Journalism found students who reported both higher levels of anxiety and greater alcohol use also were the most emotionally connected with Facebook, CNET reports.

Students with higher levels of loneliness said they used Facebook to connect with others, but were not emotionally connected to it.

“People who perceive themselves to be anxious are more likely to want to meet and connect with people online, as opposed to a more social, public setting,” Clayton said in a news release. “Also, when people who are emotionally connected to Facebook view pictures and statuses of their Facebook friends using alcohol, they are more motivated to engage in similar online behaviors in order to fit in socially.”

He added that since alcohol use is generally viewed as socially acceptable among college students, drinking more may cause an increase in emotional connectedness to Facebook.

The study also found marijuana use was associated with less emotional connectedness with the social networking site. “Marijuana use is less normative, meaning fewer people post on Facebook about using it,” Clayton said. “In turn, people who engage in marijuana use are less likely to be emotionally attached to Facebook.”

The study appears in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Supreme Court: Police Usually Need Warrant for Blood Alcohol Tests

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol & Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police generally need a search warrant before they order a blood alcohol test for someone suspected of drunk driving.

The case centered on Tyler McNeely, who was pulled over for speeding by a Missouri highway patrolman, and was taken to a hospital. About 25 minutes after McNeely was pulled over, a technician measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.154 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

The Missouri police in the case argued they should not have to wait for approval to give a blood test, because alcohol dissipates quickly in the bloodstream. Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that argument. It ruled the blood test violated the Fourth Amendment. The court found there were no special circumstances to justify obtaining the blood test so quickly. State high courts in Iowa and Utah also have made similar rulings.

Writing for the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted the natural dissipation of alcohol in the blood is generally not sufficient reason to abandon the requirement that police get a judge’s approval before obtaining a blood sample.

Warrantless blood tests are prohibited in about half the states in most or all suspected drunk driving cases, the Associated Press reports.

June 8 - 14, 2013: Recovery Coach Training From June 8 - 14, 2013, City of Angels will offer Recovery Coach training for anyone interested in serving as a guide or mentor to people in recovery or seeking recovery. This week-long, 30-hour training class is invaluable for anyone living or working with addiction sufferers including counselors, health care professionals, teachers, friends and family.  COA's Recovery Coach training is identical to the training developed by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and upon completion, participants will be certified as a CCAR Recovery Coach.  There is one big difference between the COA and CCAR programs, however: the COA training costs about half the price of the CCAR training. Early registration rates will be in effect for the COA Recovery Coach Academy for a limited time until seats are full, so if you are interested in this program, please register online as soon as you can. The January class was full with 30 participants. For more details about COA Recovery Coach training, or to register, click here. Kevin Meara Interview on Good Samaritan Law On Sunday, April 21 at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm, and Tuesday, April 23 at 11:30 pm, City of Angels Executive Advisory Committee Chairman Kevin Meara will appear on NJTV's Due Process to talk about the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act.  The act, which was vetoed by Governor Christie last October, is designed to help prevent drug overdoses by providing immunity from prosecution for people who seek medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose. Now, many drug users are afraid to call 911 on behalf of a friend or acquaintance for fear of being arrested themselves. At least 10 other states have passed similar legislation and many in the addiction community believe that these laws save lives. As the New Jersey bill overwhelmingly passed in the State Legislature last year and policy research is ongoing, it is possible that the law could still be enacted. If you miss Kevin's appearance on NJTV, you can watch the show online after it airs by clicking here.   Due Process, a production of Rutgers School of Law-Newark and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, is a critically acclaimed weekly series on law and justice issues.  COA Speaking Engagements This month, representatives from COA spoke at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, NJ about drug abuse. On April 8 and 10, Kevin, Redneck, Michelle and John told their stories to several junior health classes and on April 15, they returned to speak to faculty. Because all have lived through drug addiction or the addiction of a loved one, their testimonies hit home: shortly afterward, several students called COA asking for help for themselves or a friend. To educate the public about this disease and recovery resources, COA regularly speaks about addiction at schools, community groups and events. All speaking engagements are free of charge. To inquire about COA speakers, email CityofAngelsNJ@hotmail.com.

Tidbits   COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.     For directions to the Dwier Center, click here.      The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.      Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.          Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.   City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.