June Round Up: News and New in the PIC

New items Added to the Library Collection in the PIC
Click on each to view or place holds on these items in the library catalog.

• 34 new books
• 5 new curricula
• 22 new videos
• 1 new visual aid

New in the PIC Clearinghouse

• Counselor’s Family Education Manual: Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment for People with Stimulant Use Disorders (with CD
• Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Program (brochure)
• The abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs
• Therapeutic Community Curriculum: Participant’s Manual
• Therapeutic Community Curriculum: Trainer’s Manual and Powerpoint Slide CD (3-hole punched)
• TIP 48: Managing Depressive Symptoms in Substance Abuse Clients During Early Recovery

New Online Publications

• 2009 National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
• National Prescription Drug Threat Assessment 2009
• NSDUH Report May 21, 2009: Substance Use among Women During Pregnancy and Following Childbirth
• NSDUH Report May 28, 2009: Parental Involvement in Preventing Youth Substance Use
• Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide (Second Edition)
• Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations
• SAMHSA News (March/April 2009, Vol.17, No. 2): Treatment as an Alternative to Jail for People with Mental Illness
• Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory: Emerging Issues in the Use of Methadone Spring 2009
• TIP 49: Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice
• TIP 50: Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment

June News at a Glance

• Alcohol and Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations — 17 States, 2005—2006
  Source: MMWR, 6/16/2009 58(23);637-641
• Coloradans report drinking less, smoking more pot
  Source: Denver Post, 6/4/09
• Food and Drug Administration Given Authority to Regulate Tobacco Products, CESAR Fax 6/29/09 18(25)
• Healthcare Reform Must Prioritize Treatment for Addictions, Mental Health, Report Says
  Source: JoinTogether.org, 6/25/09
• Majority of Youths Say Their Parents Are Involved in Their Lives and Would Disapprove of Their Substance Use, CESAR Fax6/15/09 18(23)
• New National Study Shows that More than 1 in 5 Young Adults Need Treatment for Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use
  Source: SAMHSA News Release 6/29/09
• New National Report Shows Substantial Disparities in the Levels of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Problems Experienced among the States
  Source: SAMHSA News Release 6/4/2009
• SAMHSA Releases Latest TEDS Report on Discharges from Substance Abuse Treatment Services Provide Nationwide Data Substance Abuse Treatment Experiences
  Source: SAMHSA Bulletin 6/22/09
• Study Identifies Five Types of NC College Student Smokers, CESAR Fax6/22/09 18(24)

National Drunk Driving Crackdown : 8/15-9/1/2008

Source: MMWR Weekly, 8/8/2008, 57(31);854

In 2006, a total of 13,470 persons died in motor vehicle collisions in which at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration of >0.08 g/dL, the level at which adults may not legally drive in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 32% of motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States during 2006 (1).

“Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest,” a national safe-driving enforcement campaign coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is scheduled for August 15–September 1, 2008. The campaign combines high-visibility enforcement of laws against alcohol-impaired driving with advertising and publicity to heighten public awareness about the risks of alcohol-impaired driving. A program planner, sample public-service announcements, media tool kits, and program guidance materials are available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/tools-campaignheadquarters.htm. Additional information on preventing motor-vehicle–related injuries is available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/mvsafety.htm.

Reference 1.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic safety facts, 2006 data: alcohol-impaired driving. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2008. Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/810801.pdf.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Source: NCADI web site

To recognize the serious problem of alcohol abuse, April is designated “Alcohol Awareness Month.” April 8 marks the annual observance of National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD). At locations across the United States, people can be screened—anonymously—to see if their drinking habits may be risky.
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If you suspect that you might have a drinking problem, or you know someone who abuses alcohol, please contact SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) at 1-800-729-6686 or find a screening site located near you.

Visit NCADI’s Alcohol Awareness page.
Visit the PIC homepage for suggested resources and links related to Alcohol Awareness Month.

Report: Schools Can’t, Shouldn’t Shoulder Prevention Burden

Source: Jointogether.org News Feature, 9/17/07
Most American kids receive some drug education in the classroom, but a new report contends that schools should not be relied upon to prevent early use of alcohol and other drugs and its consequences.

The report, “Prevention Education in America’s Schools: Findings and Recommendations from a Survey of Educators,” noted that 37 states require schools to teach students about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs. However, “Teachers don’t have the time, training or other resources needed to do the job effectively, regardless of what the state-mandated standards say,” according to the report by Join Together and Communitas Online.

For example, the report noted that 26 percent of educators who actively teach prevention in the classroom said they have had no training to do so.

Read the News article here.
Access the full report here.

First Time Users of Pain Relievers Continue to Surpass All Other Drugs; Number of New Ecstasy and Stimulant Users Increases

Source: CESARFax, 9/17/2007

More than 2.1 million persons ages 12 or older used prescription-type pain relievers for the first time in 2006,according to recently released data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). While the number of new users of pain relievers has been decreasing since 2003, it continues to be the drug category with the largest number of new initiates since surpassing marijuana in 2002. The number of first-time marijuana users has declined significantly, from nearly 3.0million in in 2000 to slightly more than 2.0 million in 2006. Other recent changes in the initiation of illicit drugs include increases in the number of first time ecstasy users (from 615,000 in 2005 to 860,000 in 2006) and in the number of first-time nonmedical users of prescription-type stimulants*(from 647,000 to 845,000). Previous research has found that changes in initiation levels “are often leading indicators of emerging patterns of substance use”(p. 49).

See Also:

• Youth Drug Use at a Five Year Low, Report Shows (ONDCP Press Release, 9/6/2007)
• Youth Drug Use Continues Downward Slide Older Adult Rates of Use Increase (SAMHSA Advisory 9/7/2007) *Provides a decent overview of findings.*
• To view or order a hard copy of the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health go to http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=17735
• Teens and Prescription Drugs: An Analysis of Recent Trends on the Emerging Drug Threat (ONDCP 2/2007)

NIAAA Identifies Five Subtypes of Alcohol Dependence

Source: JoinTogether.com News Summary, 6/29/07
For the first time, federal researchers have broken down the disease of alcoholism into five distinct subtypes, which experts say should help provide more targeted treatment for problem drinkers.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported June 28 that the five new subtypes include “Young Adult,” “Young Antisocial,” “Functional,” “Intermediate Familial,” and “Chronic Severe.”

Read the NIH News Release.

Sales of Home Drug-Test Kits Soar Despite Warnings from Experts

Source: JoinTogether News Summary, 5/15/07
The number of parents buying home drug-test kits has increased dramatically despite warnings from treatment professionals and government officials that home-testing adolescents is not a good idea, the Denver Post reported on May 14.
<<SNIP>>
“By the time a parent tests, it’s already far down the road,” said ONDCP Deputy Director for Demand Reduction Bertha Madras. “If they get a positive result, then what? Parents may or may not have the skill to proceed.”
<<SNIP>>
“Parents are motivated by the best of intentions,” said Dr. Sharon Levy, a childhood addiction specialist at Children’s Hospital in Boston. “They are told by marketers that this is a good thing to do. But drug testing is basically a threat. And while it might have some short-term behavioral changes, I don’t think it’s a good long-term prevention method.”
Read the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on drug testing.
Read 5/14/07 Denver Post article : “Drug-test kits a big hit with parents”

During Their Lifetime More Than 10 Percent Of Adults Abuse Or Become Dependent On Drugs

Source:  Medical News Today, 5/11/07
Approximately 10.3 percent of U.S. adults appear to have problems with drug use or abuse during their lives, including 2.6 percent who become drug dependent at some point, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
<<SNIP>>
Individuals who abused drugs began at an average age of 19.9, whereas those with drug dependence developed the condition at an average age of 21.7. About 8.1 percent of those who abused drugs and 37.9 percent of those who were dependent received treatment during their lives. “The adolescent onset of drug abuse and dependence revealed critical windows of opportunity for prevention efforts,” the authors write.
(Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64:566-576)

“You’ve Got Drugs!” IV

Source: CASAColumbia.org: News Room: Press Releases, 5/16/2007

NEW CASA* WHITE PAPER FINDS 70 PERCENT RISE IN WEB SITES ADVERTISING, SELLING PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS, STIMULANTS, DEPRESSANTS DRUGS AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN; PRESCRIPTION RARELY REQUIRED CALIFANO TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ON ROGUE ONLINE PHARMACIES

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2007 – For three years straight the number of rogue Web sites selling controlled prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium, and Ritalin has increased, according to a new White Paper released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The White Paper, “You’ve Got Drugs!” IV: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet, to be released today at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Rogue Online Pharmacies: The Growing Problem of Internet Drug Trafficking,” found a total of 581 Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs in 2007 compared to 342 sites in 2006. Sites advertising controlled prescription drugs increased by 135 percent, from 168 in 2006 to 394 in 2007. Sites selling these drugs increased by seven percent from 174 in 2006 to 187 in 2007. Of the 187 sites found selling controlled prescription drugs this year, only two were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SitesTM .

Read the rest of the press release.
View or order the White Paper.

New Tool Created To Help Families In The Child Welfare System

Source: SAMHSA Bulletin, 5/10/2007

Screening and Assessment for Family Engagement, Retention, and Recovery (SAFERR), a new guidebook designed to help staff of public and private agencies respond to families in the child welfare system who are affected by substance use disorders, is now available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

SAFERR is based on the premise that when parents misuse substances and mistreat their children, the best way to make sound decisions is to draw from the resources of three key systems: child welfare, alcohol and drugs and the courts.

Order a free copy of SAFERR from NCADI by clicking here.