A Nov. 23 article by Susie Bodman and Stefanie Knowlton of Oregon's Statesman-Journal newspaper reported that adolescent and teen substance abuse remains a prevalent problem throughout the state:

• Eighth-graders in Oregon were twice as likely to drink in the past 30 days than their peers across the country in 2005, and, since then, the number has grown along with binge drinking by eighth-graders.
• Last year, nearly 40 percent of eighth-graders reported using alcohol or drugs in the past 30 days, according to the 2007 Oregon Healthy Teens Study.
• Kids who take their first drink before age 16 are twice as likely to become addicts, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Exacerbating the problem, the Statesman-Journal reporters noted, is that the majority of young people who need help with their substance abuse problems are not receiving that assistance.

"More than 6,000 kids ages 12 to 17 were treated for drug and alcohol abuse in Oregon last year," Bodman and Knowlton wrote. "State officials estimate that the number of kids who needed treatment, in-patient or out-patient, in the state last year was closer to 27,000, which means only about 22 percent of those who need it are getting treatment through the state."

Labels: teen_drug_use, oregon

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A study involving about 13,000 teenagers has revealed that male high school athletes are more likely to become binge drinkers and to get into physical fights.

The researchers also found that boys in team sports are less likely to be depressed or to smoke cigarettes. Female athletes were less likely to smoke or use marijuana.

This study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.

Labels: binge drinking, depression, athletics

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Recovery from an addiction to methamphetamine is possible. Just ask Josh Palmer.

At thirteen, Palmer started drinking and getting high. Before long, he also making and selling methamphetamine. When he was 23-years-old, his mom died from cancer, and shortly after that, he lost his home. Thats when he realized something needed to change.

A Nov. 22 article by George Anderson of the Daily Dunklin Democrat provided the following information about Palmer's comeback from meth addiction:

Palmer said he began his path to sobriety by going through the Dunklin County Drug Court and by getting involved with a faith-based meeting at Malden in April of 2004. After becoming sober, Palmer said he got back with his wife and kids and began working in substance abuse counseling ...

He recently became known nationally after becoming involved with an anti-meth campaign through the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ... The campaign, which kicked off on Sept. 1, 2009, is scheduled to run through the end of Nov.

Palmer said he has heard that the commercials are getting people's attention and has had a "good response so far."

Palmer said he got into the campaign to try to "give hope" to those who feel hopeless.

Labels: awareness, addiction, recovery, meth, methamphetamine

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West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin says the states current approaches to drug and alcohol abuse arent working, and that its time for something new. A Nov. 16 article on www.wvmetronews.com provided the following information about the governor's new plan, which was unveiled this past Monday:

A group appointed by Governor Joe Manchin put together the document that includes five key components for an effective substance abuse system for the state. ...

The plan calls for a substance abuse system that will evaluate, research and keep track of trends across West Virginia, provide training and workforce development, provide technical assistance to communities, keep the line of communication open from the local level all the way up to state leadership and provide funding and support to help eradicate the drug problem. ...

Manchin admits fighting the war on drugs doesn't come cheap. The plan calls for the legislature to budget $23.5 million a year for programs, education, community support and research.

Labels: prevention, government

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When Kate Sweeney worked in a medical clinic, she would occasionally have a pharmacists refuse to fill a prescription out of concern that the patient was abusing his medication. Today, several years later, the problem of prescription drug abuse has gotten worse.

Sweeney wrote about rising rates of prescription drug abuse in the Nov. 11 edition of the Lake County (Calif.) Record-Bee:

Prescription drug abuse is not a small problem in the United States. Not only do adults abuse controlled substances, but so do middle school and high school students.

"In 2008, 15.2 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed," according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded 2008 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 2.9 percent of eighth-graders, 6.7 percent of 10th-graders, and 9.7 percent of 12th-graders had abused Vicodin and 2.1 percent of eighth-graders, 3.6 percent of 10th-graders, and 4.7 percent of 12th-graders had abused OxyContin for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.

Labels: prescription drugs, drug_abuse

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For 11 years, Robert Field has personally financed a needle exchange program in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Now, hes hoping the community-at-large will step up and continue funding the program, because of a policy shift which would lift a ban on over-the-counter syringe sales.

"Field said he is ending financial support after December because the regulatory change should free Lancaster General Hospital or other organizations to fund the effort," Jeff Hawkes reported in the Nov. 13 edition of the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. "Alice Yoder, director of community health at Lancaster General Hospital, has met for several months with Field and others in harm-reduction work and is aware of the funding challenge Field has issued.

Yoder said her hospital doesnt have an official position regarding needle exchange, but physicians and board members have been asked for input, Hawkes reported. Rev. Edward Bailey, the pastor of the church where Fields' needle exchange currently takes place, told Hawkes that the need for the program is great, and that his church will continue to host the exchange regardless of funding.

Labels: prevention, needle-exchange

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Parents who move their families here from other countries often experience culture shock. Life in America is very different. Though kids dont face the same dangers here as they do in a place like Sudan, there are dangers. New Sudan American Hope helps parents understand those dangers.

"The goal of the coalition is to reduce substance abuse and related problems within diverse populations by building partnerships with schools, businesses, law enforcement, religious communities and other key leaders," the Rochester (Minn.) Post-Bulletin reported.

The group was recently recognized by Minnesota Department of Human Services, and received its award for Outstanding Service in the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Problems. Athou Lam, program director for New Sudan, says families in the area now know there are people who can help them if they have problems with teen drug use or other issues.

Labels: prevention

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has teamed up with the National Council on Patient Information and Education to launch a new campaign about teen prescription drug abuse. The campaign  Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer  aims to give adults the tools they need to help prevent prescription drug abuse among teenagers.

"Although the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among youth has declined from 2002 through 2008, over this time many teens have turned to misusing prescription drugs, according to SAMHSAs National Survey on Drug use and Health," a press release announced. "In fact, prescription drugs are misused more by this age group than any illicit drug, except marijuana."

Surveys have found that kids abuse medication, not to get high, but manage their daily lives. Theyre looking for ways to reduce stress, focus during exams or improve athletic performance. These findings emphasize the importance of teaching kids healthy coping mechanisms.

Labels: teen_drug_use, prescription drugs

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In Mercer County, West Virginia, a team of judges presides over Mercer County Juvenile Drug Court, a program designed to keep troubled teenagers out of jail while simultaneously pointing them in right direction.

A Nov. 6 article in the Princeton Times provided the following details about the innovative effort:

The coercive, community corrections alternative to detention time requires defendants to plead guilty to their non-violent, drug-related offenses and consent to face time in a correctional facility if they're expelled from the program.

Juvenile Drug Court, which accepts defendants ages 10-17, is built on the idea that drug-related crimes can be prevented if teens kick their drug habits while they're still young enough to plot a different future. ...

In order to get into the Teen Drug Court program, a defendant must first be referred to the treatment team with a documented history of drug use or abuse. From there, the team, driven by Teen Drug Court Coordinator Tina Rose, examines the defendant's alleged offenses to ensure the defendant is not accused of a violent crime or one that involves a sex-related motive. ...

Each participant starts the four-phase program seeing the judge and Southern Highlands counselor at least once weekly. In addition, Rose makes one scheduled visit to the juvenile's home each week, and she makes it a point to drop in unannounced once to check on the participants' progress when they aren't expecting an evaluation.

Labels: courts, juvenile_justice_system

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Researchers at Brown University have identified a genetic variant that increases the risk for alcoholism in adolescence. Previous research has found that the same gene tended to appear in adult alcoholics.

Dr. Robert Miranda, an assistant professor of psychiatry and the author of the study, said the gene variant may enhance how teenagers feel when they drink, which partly explains why they are more at risk for alcohol-related problems. However, the gene does not cause alcohol-related problems, and both Dr. Miranda and his co-author, Professor Valerie Knopik, said that the disease appears to be a complex interaction between many genetic and environmental factors.

"The candidate gene is just one piece of tens, of hundreds, of thousands of genes that influence the actions of adolescents," said Dr. Knopik.

The study appeared in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Labels: alcohol_abuse, genetics

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Children and teenagers who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder are at a higher risk for abusing marijuana, according to a new study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

• Researchers followed 693 people over a decade.
• Thirty-one were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorders as teenagers, and they were more likely to be among the 161 in the study who abused marijuana.
• Other research has shown that adults with post-traumatic stress disorders were three times more likely to become dependent on marijuana.
  

This study appeared in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Labels: teen_drug_use, marijuana, ptsd, trauma

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In the wake of revelations that dozens of young people were involved in a Virginia heroin ring that has been associated with four deaths, Washington Post reporter Caitlin Gibson wanted to know what leads a "good kid" to start using heroin. Her investigation led to a two-part article series titled When Heroin Hits Home.

The answer is simple, according to Edythe London, a neuroscientist and pharmacologist at UCLA who is at the forefront of addition study: "Heroin is an equal-opportunity substance." The factors that make a person susceptible to drugs cross ethnic and economic lines in ways many people dont fully realize, London says.

The best that parents can do, Gibson opined, is pay attention, be involved in their kids' lives, and watch for signs of trouble.

Labels: teen_drug_use, parental_involvement, heroin

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