The University of Texas Medical School is researching medications that may help restore a brain's chemical balance and aid in cocaine addiction recovery. The team is currently studying medications that affect serotonin and dopamine systems.

"'With chronic cocaine use, there are changes in the brain that affect neurotransmitters that are responsible for impulsivity and decision making,' said F. Gerard Moeller, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the medical school. 'If we can restore the balance of the neurotransmitters back to the way it was before the cocaine, then other therapies such as behavioral therapy will work better.'"

In 2006, the NIDA estimated that six million Americans ages 12 and up had abused cocaine. Currently, there are no proven or approved medications for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Source: Medical News Today

Excel Academy is a sober high school and boarding school in Texas that offers an alternative to military boarding school.

Labels: brain_chemistry, cocaine, recovery

A recent study has found that Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs and meetings can benefit teenagers who struggle with drug and alcohol use. The study followed 160 teenagers through a six-week program and followed up with reassessments after six months and one, two, four, six, and eight years.

"While many of the study participants eventually stopped going to AA/NA meetings, they seemed to benefit from their time with the organization. 'We found that patients who attended more AA and/or NA meetings in the first six months post-treatment had better longer term outcomes...'"

The best long-term outcomes were achieved by teens who continued to attend AA or NA meetings. On average, each AA/NA meeting attended equated to two days of abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Source: CBC News

Labels: AA, NA, recovery

On Vashon Island in Washington State, a group of parents, teenagers, law enforcement officials, and others came together to discuss the dangers of adolescent drug and alcohol use. The forum was convened in response to a recent survey which revealed that rates of teen substance abuse on the island are higher than statewide averages.

"The forum on drug and alcohol use among teens was sponsored by the PTSA and spearheaded by Laura Hansen, a mother active in school issues... In an effort to counter the perception that drinking and marijuana use are tolerated by adults on the Island, Hansen handed out a 'parents' pledge'. Parents who signed it vowed to 'teach our children to view alcohol and drug use as a serious concern...'"

Among the forum's speakers was Vashon High School student Hilary Hammond, who bravely shared her story of addiction and recovery. Last June she arrived at school so drunk that she couldn't walk straight. Today, she's clean and sober and is a primary voice in Vashon's effort to reduce teen drug and alcohol use. Source: Tacoma Daily Index

Labels: community_programs, recovery, support

Cell phone technology may someday help teens in recovery from substance abuse.

Researchers from the Indiana School of Medicine asked 15 teenage girls to carry Global Positioning System (GPS)-equipped phones wherever they went. The idea behind the pilot study is not to spy on teens, but to use the new technology to keep track of health risks.

"The phones can help us better understand where adolescents spend their time and what they are doing," said Dr. Sarah Wiehe, a professor of pediatrics and lead author of the study. Researchers usually have to ask participants to recall what they did on a specific day or keep diaries. The new way is more accurate.

"But even more exciting," Dr. Wiehe said, "is the potential of using the GPS phones to intervene at the time they are taking a health risk, such as drinking or using drugs."

The study revealed that the girls spent a quarter of their time away from home or school, and on weekends, they went an average of 17 miles away from home.

This study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

EXCEL Academy, a private boarding school in Texas, offers a strong program of recovery for teens while providing a high school education.

Labels: cell_phones, recovery, technology

The holiday season is the toughest time for recovering alcoholics, especially those who are at the beginning of sobriety. The period between November 22 and January 1 is a time of parties where there is increased social pressure to drink and socialize.

It is particularly hard for alcoholic teens to resist invitations to drink, especially if they are just coming out of residential treatment programs or home on winter breaks from therapeutic boarding schools, according to counselors who work in these programs. They advise parents not to have any alcohol in their homes and to host only alcohol-free parties during the holiday season.

Alcoholics Anonymous has many tips on how to get through the season without relapsing into self-destructive behaviors. AA advises newly sober members to plan for the holidays by avoiding places where alcohol is served and by attending AA gatherings. AA holds extra meetings (usually at least three daily) and alcohol-free parties for members during the holiday season.

AA advises members to have contingency plans if they arrive at a party and find out that people are drinking. They should not stay at the party, but instead they can phone their AA sponsors, who are usually willing to come to the scene and help. Another idea is to arrange to meet a friend or parent somewhere if they have to leave a party.

Most alcoholics cannot take even one glass of champagne or beer "to be social" because it can trigger a binge. AA members say that that even eating alcohol-laden foods like rum balls and fruitcake can make them want to drink again.

Is your older teen or young adult currently in rehab or the beginning stages of recovery? A sober living environment, like the one at NorthStar Center in Bend, Oregon, can help by offering a safe, structured environment that's conducive to recovery.

Labels: holidays, parties, recovery

From 1953 to 1959 he was known at Jumpin' Johnny Kline, member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. By the 1960s he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Now, having turned his life around and earned a doctoral degree in History and Philosophy of Education, John Kline is talking about his decline into addiction and his journey back out.

"'Dr. Kline transitioned from dynamic to destitute to doctoral in his lifetime,' said Tremayne Anderson, president of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni..."

Kline will talk about his journey on Thursday, Nov. 15th at an event being held at Vanderbilt University's Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. The event is part of the center's Living History Series, and is free to the public.

Worried your child is headed down a path of teen drug and alcohol addiction? Visit 4troubledteens.com to learn how to recognize the warning signs.

Labels: recovery, role_models, treatment

Most would agree that the goal of substance abuse treatment is recovery. But the term "recovery" often means different things to different people. Now, in an article appearing in the October issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT), a team of experts from the Betty Ford Institute offer a definition of recovery that can be widely used to help people who are struggling with alcohol or drug use.

"According to an initial definition developed by a panel of experts from the Betty Ford Institute, recovery is 'a voluntarily maintained lifestyle characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship.' The panel's report appears as part of a special section of JSAT devoted to Defining and Measuring Recovery."

The panel hopes that developing a more specific definition of recovery will assist treatment and rehabilitation centers in creating measurable goals for their patients. The panel also suggested classifications to define sobriety durations as "early" to "stable" stages of recovery.

NorthStar Center, in Bend, Oregon, offers teenagers and young adults an aftercare and recovery program that allows young people to get on with their lives and grow into healthy, happy adults.

Labels: recovery, rehab, treatment

His upcoming book, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, is a brutally honest account of Nikki Sixx's battle with drug addiction and his road to recovery. He will be the first rock star to speak at the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month luncheon September 6th on Capitol Hill.

"NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals invited Sixx to share his story at this national forum alongside Terry Cline, Ph.D, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH, Director, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment."

Twenty-five percent of Sixx's book's profits go to benefit a shelter in California that helps runaway teenagers. Read more at KCRG.com.

Learn about teenage drug addiction, rehab, and recovery at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: addiction, influences, recovery

September has been designated National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

"The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The observance also encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective substance abuse treatment for those in need."

A new theme is selected every year, and this year's theme is "Join the Voices for Recovery". Read more at RecoveryMonth.gov.

Labels: hope, recovery, treatment

In March, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed legislation enabling the creation of a drug court pilot program for Meade County. Now that court is preparing to take its first cases.

"[Fourth Circuit Judge Jerome] Eckrich said the program works on two basic assumptions - the district has to accept that there is a substance abuse problem in the area and that the underlying problem of addiction must be resolved to reduce the rate of relapse."

The program is essentially an intense intervention on behalf of the substance abuser. A probation officer will closely monitor the participant's life, including who the person spends time with. At the same time, an individualized treatment plan in put into place. Read more at ZWire.com.

Adolescent substance abuse is an alarming problem in this country. Teen-Help-Directory.com offers treatment programs and information about adolescent substance abuse.

Labels: courts, recovery, relapse

For years, methadone clinics have been an accepted method of "weaning" someone off of an opiate addiction. But a new method - and new drug, Suboxone - is beginning to get noticed. Suboxone masks the symptoms of withdrawal while blocking the effects of opiate-based drugs like heroin.

"'When the Suboxone molecule enters the neuron, it attaches to the receptor and protects it from any other opiate,' said Dr. David Faulk, a Brunswick psychiatrist who writes prescriptions for Suboxone. 'The big benefit is that it's extremely difficult to abuse and become addicted to.'"

Opponents of Suboxone say that patients who use it to overcome addictions may have to take it for the rest of their lives. Read more at TheBrunswicknews.com.

Need more information about teen drug addiction? Visit 4TroubledTeens.com to learn about the Behavioral and Physical Signs of Teen Drug and Alcohol Use.

Labels: addiction, recovery, treatment

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found that smoking cigarettes during the first six to nine months of recovery may interfere with an alcoholic's overall success.

"Corresponding study author Timothy C. Durazzo, of the University of California San Francisco, says non-smoking alcoholics showed a significantly greater level of recovery than smoking alcoholics in the areas of mental efficiency; higher-level reasoning and problem-solving; visual-spatial processing skills and working on short-term memory."

The mortality rate for cigarette smoking is also four times that of the mortality rate relate to alcohol-induced diseases. Read more at EarthTimes.org.

Recovery is a life-long process and requires commitment, introspection, and most importantly, courage. Learn more about Recovery Support at www.drugrehabtreatment.com.

Labels: alcohol, recovery, smoking

Those aren't words any parent wants to hear, but are exactly the words that a Michigan wife spoke to her husband about their teenage son. What followed were years of struggle; their son in and out of rehab, arrested, failing drug tests, and refusing to get the help he needed.

"My son became a liar and a con artist. That may seem redundant, but they are different. He conned the staff at the first in-patient rehab into believing he was road ready after only a week of treatment. Despite our protests, my wife and I had no say in the matter... He would tell us later he was thinking of using every minute he was there."

Today, their son is in his sixth rehab facility - this time it's a long-term inpatient facility that was mandated by the court. The father's advice is simple; don't believe it can't happen to your family. They didn't believe it could happen to theirs. Read more at Freep.com.

Not sure what to look for in an adolescent residential drug treatment center? Or what to expect? Learn more in the article "What Parents can Expect While Their Teen is in Residential Treatment" at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: parents, recovery, rehab

Readers of a Nevada newspaper, in response to an article about methamphetamine addiction, wrote to share their own stories of addiction and recovery. Though the story covered by the newspaper ended badly, many readers wanted others to know that recovery is possible.

"You stated that relapse is part of recovery. That is not true. Relapse is NOT a part of recovery, and it is a dangerous message that many people get. Many alcoholics and addicts go back out and die because of this erroneous belief. Also Mary and her boyfriend stated that rehab and meetings are bogus. When people don't get it, it is bogus. When they are ready, meetings and rehab will work."

Others encouraged people to pay special attention when they think a family member might be struggling with addiction. They encouraged readers to ask questions, and keep asking questions if something doesn't seem right. Read more at NevadaAppeal.com.

Do you have a child with a teen drug addiction? Are you looking for an adolescent drug treatment center? Visit Drug Rehab Treatment >>

Labels: addiction, recovery, support

David Nevins, son of HBO executive Sheila Nevins, has struggled with substance abuse for years. He's been sober for about a year now, but only after suffering through a decade of rehab, psychiatric treatment, and relapses. Nevins' experiences with her son made her realize how little she knew or understood about addiction and substance abuse, which inspired her to launch an HBO documentary serried called "Addiction".

"The short films that are a part of 'Addictions' include [Jon] Alpert's look at a busy Saturday night in a Dallas emergency room; [Rory] Kennedy and Liz Garbus' examination of brain imaging; and [D.A.] Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus' piece on opiate addiction."

The film airs on HBO on Thursday night, and all of the short films will be available for download from HBO's website. Read more online.

Labels: addiction, media, recovery