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Date: 11/5/2009
Campaign Launches to Sound Alarm about the Misuse of Prescription Drugs Among Teens

New Resources Equip Parents, Teachers, Coaches, Health Professionals and Other Teen Influencers with Tools to Prevent Teens from Abusing Prescription Drugs

The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and representatives from 15 nationally recognized prevention, health professional and child advocacy organizations, are launching Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer: What You Can Do to Help Prevent Teen Prescription Drug Abuse.

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 SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In fact, prescription drugs are misused more by this age group than any illicit drug, except marijuana. The nonmedical use of these medicines—the very same drugs used to legitimately relieve pain, and treat conditions like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, or ADHD in some people—is a growing and under-recognized problem that puts young lives at risk.

“Prescription drugs found in home medicine cabinets across the country have become the new drug of choice among teens, and every teen is at risk,” says Ray Bullman, Executive Vice President of NCPIE. “This initiative gives teen influencers—anyone who interacts with teens on a regular basis and can have a positive influence—the tools to help prevent prescription drug abuse in their school districts and communities. It also provides tips for delivering consistent prevention messages to teens at home, at school, on the field or during health-related visits.”

“While the National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows recent, significant declines in misuse of prescription drugs, we must maintain our focus and continue to drive the rates down even further,” says Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA’s Acting Administrator. “Joining forces with NCPIE will help continue the momentum.”

“These tools are essential for engaging youth and the adults who come in contact with them through a solid message that prescription misuse is dangerous and can be fatal,” adds H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., CAS, FASAM, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Unlike other forms of adolescent drug use, the desire to feel good or get high ranks much lower as a motivation for prescription drug misuse. Experts note that adolescents are turning to prescription drugs not just for recreational use—they are turning to prescription drugs to help manage their daily lives. The reasons include to lower stress and anxiety, boost their mood, stay up all night studying for an exam, or to enhance academic or athletic performance. According to the 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, dealing with pressures and managing school-related stress is cited as the number one reason teens use prescription drugs.

The statistics regarding teen drug use are startling. Consider these facts:

Ø More than 1 in 10 teens (or 2.8 million) have abused prescription drugs in their lifetimes according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Ø 1 in 3 teens report knowing someone who abuses prescription drugs according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.

Ø 1 in 3 teens surveyed says there is “nothing wrong” when using prescription drugs “every once and a while.” according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.

Ø Every day, 2,700 teens abuse a prescription drug for the first time according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Ø 8 out of 10 teens who misuse prescription drugs get the drugs from friends or relatives through a number of means including stealing, buying or simply asking for the drugs according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America‘s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.
The comprehensive online resource, Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer, offers a complete workshop module to educate and equip teeninfluencers—parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, community and school-basedhealthcare providers and others—with credible information about teen prescription drug abuseand effective strategies to take action to help prevent it.

The Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer toolkit includes complete workshop materials and instructions, as well as real-life scenarios, warning signs and symptoms, common myths about teen prescription drug abuse, brochures and sample promotional materials. This resource was developed with the guidance and insight of an esteemed group of experts, and is available for download at www.talkaboutrx.org.

This initiative is made possible by SAMHSA and additional grant funding from Purdue Pharma LP and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation.

NCPIE and SAMHSA are solely responsible for the content, and maintain editorial control, of all materials and publications produced.

Sometimes I wonder if the life of sobriety is what its all cracked up to be.  Yes, it is awesome I'm not constantly losing money to drug dealers.  Yes, it is very good to be able to remember where I put anything.  And yes, its really amazing to gain back a little bit of respect back from the people who were ashamed of me back when I was using.  Yet still, its hard to forget that life was a lot easier when I was able to float through it on clouds of smoke.
 
My weeks are more bland than they ever were when I was using.  Monday through Wednesday I wake up around 8 A.M. and go to college where half the student body is either high, or reeks of marijuana.  Then after school, I go to my outpatient program.  Here I have to listen to six other kids that have absolutely no motivation to get clean other than getting off drug court or get off probation.  There is only one other kid in the entire program that is looking to stay sober like me, but he's in another group and says maybe five words for the entire two hours.  Then i go home, where I sit around and play videogames or read books until I go to bed.  I do have friends that I could hang out with, but all of them are still users so I know that if I choose to spend my time with them I'm only hurting my own recovery.  So instead, I elect to stay at home and write sappy poetry.
 
Thursdays are the highlight of my week.  Thursday is like my Friday.  I have no outpatient after school, and I have no school the following day.  As soon as I'm out of class, my weekend begins.  However this isn't as exciting as it might sound.  My weekends consist of what my weeknights are, but instead all day rather then several hours.  Sometimes I go to N.A. groups on Sundays, but I always feel strange while I'm attending.  I'm always the youngest person by at least 15 years.  I've done the same drugs as the rest of the attendees, and in some cases I have even more experience.  Yet the age gap is so huge that I just feel silly when I talk about my drug using.
 
I'm yet to find that special something to help me with my recovery.  My support group is strong, but everyone in it is completely inexperienced when it comes to drug use and especially when it comes to addiction.  I still have hope though.  I know that I enjoyed life more when I was high.  I know that life was easier when I was high.  But more importantly, I know very intimately the monster that these things turned me into.  It is that one thing, that keeps me from going back to smoking pot, snorting MDMA, or slamming heroin.

I don’t know how I haven’t relapsed yet. I was in LOVE with drugs, a total love affair. I lied to my girlfriend and family about my adventures with it. Only my closest friends were aware of what I did with the drugs. But now, I’ve been in countless situations where not only have I been offered drugs (for free nonetheless!) but where I honestly believe that the drug could make my life better. However, I always said no to the offer, it is like a knee-jerk reaction. I don’t even think about it, it just happens. I say a simple “no bro, I’m straight,” or “nah, I’ve been sober for xxdays.” Why do I do this?

Its not that I don’t want to be That person anymore, because honestly, I’m still in love with drugs and the culture that it provides. Its not that I think that they will ruin my life, because I still believe that I would be able to control my drug use, despite the fact that its very obvious that I’m incapable of that. I only have one theory as to why I no longer jump at the opportunities to get messed up.

It’s because of rehab, or treatment as the squares call it. I took a crash course that opened my eyes to the horror of drugs. The terrible events that are explained and shown at rehab aren’t seen when someone is messed up and in the drug culture. You become blind to the horror. When I was still using, I saw a good person I know die from a heroin overdose, yet still, a couple of months later I justified my use of heroin. I look back now and realized how ridiculous that is. Rehab cleaned my eyes and ears out of the mental blocks that I placed on them so that I could ignore the bad and seek only the good. My eyes were opened. I became reborn.

So this is my theory for why I can’t do drugs anymore. Rehab put my mental state back in time to before when I did drugs for the first time. I still held all of my knowledge and experiences and then was given a chance for a “do-over”. So in sixth grade when I was offered my first hit of pot, I succumbed to peer pressure, they said it was good and I believed them. Now as a senior and put in the same situation where my peers tell me that its okay to smoke pot and that it won’t lead to anything worse, I am able to see the B.S. in that statement. I lived that lie that my peers told me, and it isn’t something that I want to relive. Even though I still love drugs and those effects they possess, I can now see that the years of bad really really really isn’t worth the couple of hours of good that the drugs offer.

(Note: Reply or comment regarding Vincent's posts by clicking Send them an email in the left-hand column.)

October 20, 2009

Research Summary

There is compelling evidence that secondhand smoke can trigger heart attacks, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and people with heart conditions are urged to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke, the Associated Press reported Oct. 15.

The report, requested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that people with cardiovascular disease could risk heart attack with less than an hour's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, which restricts blood vessels and increases clotting.

"If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke. It's an immediate threat to your life," said researcher Neal Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco.

Benowitz added that everyone, in fact, should avoid secondhand smoke, since many people who have heart disease are not aware of the problem if they have never had a heart attack. "Even if you think you're perfectly healthy, secondhand smoke could be a potential threat to you," he said.

"The evidence is clear," said CDC head Thomas Frieden. "Smoke-free laws don't hurt business ... but they prevent heart attacks in nonsmokers."

Researchers found "clear and consistent" evidence that smoking bans cut the rate of heart attacks, according to statistician Stephen Feinberg of Carnegie Mellon University, a member of the IOM committee that compiled the report.

The last week went by in a flash really. I just was completely busy with school work and nothing else really. I'm working on my second report, it should be ready by Friday. So far my aftercare plan is coming along nicely, I've only been to one meeting though. But I am getting new support it seems like every single day.

Doc who claims "no link between ads and underage drinking" fails to disclose he's the executive director of a research outfit called the National Social Norms Institute on the Charlottesville campus, which is funded by a $2.5 million grant from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation.

>>READ ALL ABOUT IT

October 8, 2009

News Feature from JoinTogether.orgby Bob Curley

The Marin Institute is calling on Facebook to stop accepting paid ads for alcoholic beverages and to ban alcohol-related pages, applications and events, citing a study that found that alcohol-related content is reaching underage Facebook users despite company policies designed to prevent such marketing.

Depiction of alcohol and other drug use by minors on Facebook pages has long been a concern of preventionists, school officials and parents. But the latest controversy springs from Facebook's recent moves to monetize the site, founded in 2004 and currently the world's largest social-networking site with 300 million members.

Originally intended for use by college students, Facebook now counts among its membership everyone from preteens to retirees. An estimated one-third of the site's members are under the legal drinking age.

< READ THE STUDY

On Sunday I broke down to the point that I was sitting cross legged in my empty and half painted room thinking I only had two choices left:

One: I could relapse. Put on my street clothes, walk out the front door, walk to one of my old drug dealers houses and get completely totally wasted. This would destroy my long sober streak, make everything I learned and every moment I spent at Daybreak a complete waste, and probably start me back on my old path that was leading straight to death (which seemed almost compelling). Pros + Cons

Two: I could cry. Completely break down like I’ve done many times before. Wallow in self pity, be angry at the world, and scream “I want to die” over and over. Find the nearest sharp object and open up my wrist veins again.

These honestly were the only two choices I could think of. Just three days out of treatment I was in a state of mind that I thought I could either use or perform a self harming maneuver. Then I looked around my room. It was barren. The walls were a semi silver color (a change from the off white). I was thinking about the change, and it diverted my attention. I thought about the change of my walls from a cloudy white to a silver. I laughed to myself then, because the saying “every cloud has a silver lining” popped right into my head. I was no longer crying because of how terrible life is, but I was laughing so hard that the tears were pouring out. I began to think about my situation and how I’m actually probably better off with dealing with all of this right out of treatment anyway. The change of pace in my room coincides beautifully with the change in my life. Its not completely finished but well on its way and is already looking better than the old way. All of my stuff being boxed up is like my not having total freedom yet, there’s certain things I’m able to access, and I’ll slowly be able to get more and more, while at the same time realizing what I don’t need anymore. Starting school again is going to let making new friends so much easier to do.

I got to the point that no matter what bad thing I was crying about, was actually good for me. Instead of focusing on all of the pain it was causing, I realized all the good it will do for me. But most importantly, this lesson taught me that when I want to cry, just laugh instead.

Introductions are the obvious place to start:

My name is Vincent
I’m seventeen
My Drugs of Choice: Molly (MDMA), hallucinogens, and pot
I have forty eight days sober as I write this, thirty five of which spent at Daybreak

When I graduated from Daybreak, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. I heard tales from the staff and recovering addicts that living a life in recovery seems much easier than it actually is. This is the under-statement of the century. As soon as I got back home around Two P.M. Friday afternoon the first thing I had to do was go to the Police Station to be served papers. Radical Acceptance. Soon after that I walked into my room with a floor covered in plastic and all of my possessions boxed up in my brother's room being near impossible to go through. Half Smile. These among the other little things in life made me want to relapse so hard I could already feel the burning sensation of drugs going up my nostrils.

The skills were a definite help, but they aren’t a cure. I spent that night in my terribly air conditioned basement, on a scratchy couch, that was just five inches too small for me. I found myself actually wishing I never left rehab. Not because I was scared of relapsing (though I was absolutely petrified) but because I wanted to be back in a place where I had a comfortable bed, a group of peers going through the same hardships as me and would give me the shirt on their back if I asked, and countless adults who loved me and only wanted to help me. Now of course, these things CAN be found on the outs, but they can’t be found as simply as walking out of my dorm room and saying “I need help I want to die” like they can at Daybreak.

I spent the weekend swimming in these thoughts and cravings and emotions, talking to my parents about it and the few other people I have in my support group. Only there is little they can do other than telling me comforting words or trying to distract me. I used Turning the Mind constantly but there was little left to turn to. The only thing I had to look forward to was that on Monday I would be starting my fourth quarter at the local community college.

New Time To Talk Transition Tools to Help Military Families and Teens Launched by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the key risk periods for adolescent drug abuse are during major transitions – such as moving to a new school or community – and Partnership research shows that stress in school is a major reason for adolescent substance abuse. For military teens, transitions often become a way of life, as each year a third of military families move to new neighborhoods and almost half of military parents report that their kids have difficulty making social adjustments following a move to a new town. Many of these teens are also coping with the added stresses of having one or both parents deployed, or even worse, dealing with the difficulty of a parent who has been injured or killed in combat.

To help with these difficult times, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America ®, together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, has launched new online tools to assist military families and teens who are facing deployment, major injury or illness of a parent, or moving frequently to new neighborhoods and schools. The effort is the first collaboration between the three organizations to provide assistance with the complex, extraordinary circumstances often faced by military families, especially in wartime, when families are in particular need of this kind of help and support.

The new military family support tools were are also championed by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who previously introduced the SUPPORT Substance Use Disorders Act which would make addiction treatment more readily available to members of the military and would provide privacy protections to those seeking help.

The new resources, available at TimeToTalk.org/Military, include (1) Transitions & Teens: A Guide for Military Parents, (2) The Military Talk Kit, (3) 10 Things School Nurses Want You To Know and (4) 10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know. The research-based guide in particular provides critical information to reduce stress and help keep teens drug and alcohol-free during difficult transition periods. Included within this information is a helpful checklist for pairing teen transition scenarios with a list of recommended tips, providing parents with a ‘roadmap’ for starting and maintaining open conversations, answering tough questions and advice for monitoring the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.

1. Recognize when teens are stressed out. Ensure they are getting adequate rest, eating well-balanced meals, and taking breaks to restore energy.

2. Introduce positive coping strategies to your teen. Talk about ways to introduce balance in their lives like exercising, getting enough sleep, listening to music, writing in a journal, and keeping a healthy diet.

3. Set a good example. Young people often pick up their coping strategies by watching their parents. If a child sees a parent drink an alcoholic beverage or smoke a cigarette every time they are overwhelmed, they are more likely to imitate the same behavior.

Learn how to be a good role model for your teen.

from theAntiDrug.com

Here are some excerpts from the Dartmouth Institute article on healthcare spending, quality and outcomes:

"The U.S. health care system is broken. Overall life expectancy has improved, but the burden of chronic illness is increasing, and racial and socioeconomic disparities in mortality are widening.
Almost 50 million Americans lack health insurance, and coverage for many others is inadequate.
The safety and reliability of care in hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes
and physician offces is far from assured. And health care costs—already the highest in the world—are growing at a rate that poses a serious threat to patients, employers and the nation."

"These fndings have important implications for the reform of the U.S. health care
delivery system. Three underlying causes are particularly important:
* Lack of accountability for the overall quality and costs of care—and for local
capacity;
* Inadequate information on the risks and benefts of many common treatments
and the related assumption (on the part of most patients and many physicians)
that more medical care means better medical care;
* A fLawed payment system that rewards more care, regardless of the value of that care.

Each suggests important principles that any successful effort to reform the U.S. health care delivery system will have to address."

>>READ MORE

People may be interest in this Dartmouth Institute article on healthcare spending, quality and outcomes.

Here are some excerpts:

"The U.S. health care system is broken. Overall life expectancy has improved, but the burden of chronic illness is increasing, and racial and socioeconomic disparities in mortality are widening.
Almost 50 million Americans lack health insurance, and coverage for many others is inadequate.
The safety and reliability of care in hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes
and physician offces is far from assured. And health care costs—already the highest in the world—are growing at a rate that poses a serious threat to patients, employers and the nation."

"These fndings have important implications for the reform of the U.S. health care
delivery system. Three underlying causes are particularly important:
* Lack of accountability for the overall quality and costs of care—and for local
capacity;
* Inadequate information on the risks and benefts of many common treatments
and the related assumption (on the part of most patients and many physicians)
that more medical care means better medical care;
* A fawed payment system that rewards more care, regardless of the value of
that care.
Each suggests important principles that any successful effort to reform the U.S. health care delivery system will have to address."

>>READ MORE

Killian McDonnell, OSB

From : www.JoinTogether.org

Most teens are not regular drinkers, but those who do drink on a monthly basis are frequently imbibing in order to get drunk, according to a major finding of the 2009 Teen Survey released this week from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) at Columbia University. About one in three U.S. 12- to 17-year-olds taking part in the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV said they had previously consumed alcohol, and of these about one in four said they had a drink within the previous 30 days. Among those who had used alcohol in their lifetime, 17 percent said they usually drank to get drunk, compared to 68 percent who said that getting intoxicated was not usually their intent. However, one-third of teens who were monthly drinkers said that they typically drank to get drunk, and 65 percent said they had gotten drunk at least once during the past month. Further, about one-third of monthly drinkers who didn't intend to get drunk wound up getting intoxicated, anyway, according to researchers."The most important finding to come out of this survey for parents is that if your teen drinks monthly, odds are your teen gets drunk monthly, too," said CASA founder and chairman Joseph A. Califano Jr.

Watch Video Talk

Note: TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together leading thinkers from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.
Karen Armstrong won one of the three 2008 TED Prizes. Her idea, her wish -- to create a worldwide Charter for Compassion -- was a powerful one with the potential to develop into an innovative and international movement.

>>READ MORE

July 7, 2009

News Summary

A federal advisory panel has recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban the painkillers Percocet and Vicodin because of their damaging effects on the liver, the New York Times reported on July 1.

The two popular painkillers combine acetaminophen with a narcotic. High doses of acetaminophen are believed to cause liver damage. The panel noted that, over time, people who take Percocet or Vicodin need to take higher and higher doses of the drugs to receive the same effect.

At least seven other prescription drugs that combined acetaminophen with narcotics also would be banned if the FDA follows the panel's recommendations.

The FDA asked the advisory panel to meet to address problems arising from the high demand for acetaminophen, which can be found in over-the-counter medicines such as Tylenol and Excedrin. In 2005, Americans bought 28 billion doses of products containing acetaminophen.

>>READ MORE at JoinTogether.org

July 7, 2009

News Summary

With the economic downturn continuing to wear on and the largest federal tax increase on cigarettes taking effect in April, smokers are torn between paying bills and buying cigarettes, MSNBC reported June 30.

Leonard Perry, 55, who smokes a pack a day and has been laid off for two years, is trying to find ways to afford cigarettes. "We had a light bill that needed to be paid, so we paid a third of it so we could have cigarette money," he said.

Others, such as Lindsey Jaffe, 25, have decided to quit smoking. "When you are looking at a monthly budget that includes everything from car payments to rent, there is nothing left to cut, and then you see $300 per month on cigarettes, there really aren't any options left," said Jaffe, who used to smoke a pack a day.

>>READ MORE at JoinTogether.org