Louisiana Finally Lowers DUI Standard to .08
Tuesday September 30, 2003
Two years ago when the Louisiana legislature passed a .08 blood alcohol standard for drunken driving, it set the date to begin enforcing the new standard to the latest possible ... Read More
How Effective Are Current EAPs?
Monday September 29, 2003
While more than 80 million Americans now have access to Employee Assistance Programs, little current scientific research exists to determine how well these employer-paid benefits are serving workers with alcohol ... Read More
U.K. Needs Higher Legal Drinking Age, Expert Says
Monday September 29, 2003
One of Britain's leading authorities on addiction is recommending that the government increase the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 and place warning labels on all alcohol beverage containers ... Read More
Alcohol Abuse in the News
Monday September 29, 2003
Father Struggles With Daughter's Pain... Oakland Raiders Show Compassion...Family Finds Safe Haven in Recovery Program... Woman Gets 32 Years for Strangling, Dismembering Lover... Read More...
Support: Friends & Family Forum | ... Read More
Substance Abuse in the News
Monday September 29, 2003
Addiction: the 'Feelings' Disease... Stanley Fafara, 'Whitey' on 'Leave It to Beaver' Dies... Paralyzed Man Faces Pot Charges... Michigan Judge Suspended for Smoking Marijuana... Read More...
Support: 24 Hour Chat | ... Read More
Alcohol More Damaging to Young Brains
Sunday September 28, 2003
Researchers at Duke University have concluded that the adolescent brain is much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and nicotine than the adult brain. In fact, drinkers who are ... Read More
Court Limits Underage Drinking Raids
Sunday September 28, 2003
From our "What are they thinking?" category: The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that police who crack down on underage drinking by raiding nightclubs and checking patrons identification cards can ... Read More
Youth Anti-Drug Ads Are Working
Friday September 26, 2003
The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study reports that the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign affects teen attitudes on drug use by making teens less likely to try or use drugs.
More: Teen ... Read More
Judge Orders Stickers on Drunken Drivers' Bumpers
Friday September 26, 2003
A Pensacola FL judge has come up with another idea to deter drinking and driving by ordering bumper stickers placed on the vehicles of convicted drunken driver that read, "How's ... Read More
Synthetic Drug Abuse Soaring UN Warns
Thursday September 25, 2003
The first-ever United Nations global survey on ecstasy and amphetamines reveals a striking picture of increase in production, trafficking and abuse of synthetic drugs worldwide.
More: Ecstasy Can Harm Unborn Children
Treatment Insurance Coverage Falls Short
Thursday September 25, 2003
Employer-based health insurance plans often don't provide the treatment for alcoholism and other drug addictions that is mandated by state law, a new analysis has found.
More: Does Treatment Work? | ... Read More
Youth Anti-Drug Programs Funded
Thursday September 25, 2003
Governors' offices in 14 states and territories will receive State Incentive Grants to reduce illegal drug, alcohol and tobacco use among children, youth, and young adults.
More: Tips for Teens | ... Read More
Drug Use More Deadly If You Are Over 34
Wednesday September 24, 2003
If you are over 34 years of age and a male, your chances of dying from intravenous drug use are two to six times more likely than those of younger ... Read More
El Paso Loses Its Only Detox Center
Wednesday September 24, 2003
Due to financial hardships, the Pan American Community Hospital decided to close its detox facility which treated more than 900 alcoholics and addicts a year, most of whom could not ... Read More
Epilepsy Drug Holds Promise For Cocaine Treatment
Tuesday September 23, 2003
A preliminary clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests a drug used to treat epilepsy may offer a potentially effective treatment for cocaine addiction.
More: Cocaine ... Read More
Children Victims of Parents' Drug Abuse
Tuesday September 23, 2003
Officials in Arizona report that in 75 percent of the cases where Child Protective Services had to remove children from their homes, the parents were dealing with substance abuse issues.
In ... Read More
Today Is Family Day
Monday September 22, 2003
"Family Day -- A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children" is a national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce youth substance abuse risk ... Read More
NIDA Prevention Guide Re-Released
Monday September 22, 2003
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released its newly updated publication Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders, Second Edition.
More: ... Read More
Drug Injection Facility Sees Potential Problems
Monday September 22, 2003
Health Canada guidelines and possible police surveillance may end up scaring away the very people North America's first sanctioned safer injecting facility is intended to help.
More: Are You Addicted? | ... Read More
Children of Alcoholics Survey
Sunday September 21, 2003
Researchers at the University of Connecticut are conducting a survey of people who grew up in alcoholic homes. Participants can participate in the study completely anonymously. Taking the survey requires ... Read More
Drinking and Breast Cancer
Sunday September 21, 2003
Women who are frequent drinkers and who have a close relative who has had breast cancer are more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer themselves than those who ... Read More
Alcohol Abuse in the News
Sunday September 21, 2003
Schools Check Legality of Alcohol Scans... Mexico City's First Use of Breath Alcohol Tests Draws Complaints...Campus Sees Rash of Alcohol Related Problems Early On... Man Charged in Alcohol Death Won't ... Read More
Substance Abuse in the News
Sunday September 21, 2003
Elderly in Crisis Turn to Alcohol, Drugs to Cope... Hmiel Fired, Suspended for Substance Abuse... Two More Suspects Killed Guarding Pot Plots... Methamphetamine a Huge Problem in Hawaii... Read More...
Support: ... Read More
New Generation of Drunks -- Young Professional Women
Saturday September 20, 2003
A British government report released this week says that young professional women are among the country's most prolific drinkers -- twice as likely to drink at least five days a ... Read More
Nevada Finally Gets .08 DUI Standard
Saturday September 20, 2003
After years of trying, Nevada's new .08 blood alcohol standard for drunken driving will go into effect next week. The legislation was passed this year after more than a decade ... Read More
Judy L's Story
Friday September 19, 2003
I was blessed with Alateen fellowship at a recent Al-Anon area conference and they have encouraged me to act on my concerns for my children's future by hugging them, loving ... Read More
Colombia Cocaine Crop Drops Drastically
Friday September 19, 2003
Aerial eradication of Columbia's coca fields has cut the current crop size by 32 percent since January, according to a report released by the United Nations. The United States sponsors ... Read More
Childhood Abuse Linked to Alcoholism
Thursday September 18, 2003
New research on seven Native American tribes suggests that tribe members who were abused or sent away to school as children are more likely to have problems with alcohol later ... Read More
Cigarettes, Marijuana Linked for Teens
Thursday September 18, 2003
Teens who smoke cigarettes are 14 times likelier than their counterparts who have never smoked to try marijuana, six times likelier to be able to buy marijuana in an hour ... Read More
Domestic Violence Varies by Ethnicity
Thursday September 18, 2003
Black and Hispanic couples are two to three times more likely to report male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence than white couples, according to research at the University of Texas Houston ... Read More
Tall Paul's Story
Wednesday September 17, 2003
What I have come to believe is that it doesn't matter how old you are, how much you drank or used, the color of your skin, what you believe or ... Read More
Britain Lightens Up on Marijuana Possession
Wednesday September 17, 2003
Pot smokers caught with small amounts of marijuana in their possession in England will have their drugs confiscated and given a warning by police, under new guidelines of the Association ... Read More
Health Canada's Pot is a Flop
Wednesday September 17, 2003
Health Canada's government-approved marijuana is not going over well with medical users who can now buy it legally. Some say it made them nauseous and others described it as disgusting ... Read More
Cheap Prices Encourage Binge Drinking
Tuesday September 16, 2003
A study by the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study found a strong association between the presence of cheap beer promotions by retailers and higher rates of heavy ... Read More
Alcohol Compounds Its Damage to the Brain
Tuesday September 16, 2003
A compounded set of lesions caused to the brain by drinking alcohol may work together to disadvantage both types of functions according to research at the Stanford University School of ... Read More
Drinking Doubles Risk of Colon Cancer
Tuesday September 16, 2003
A study by a Japanese cancer center of 58,000 men and women has found that men who drink alcohol regularly are twice as likely to develop colon cancer that men ... Read More
Heart Risk Greater for Women Drinkers
Monday September 15, 2003
Some female alcoholics experience more severe cardiovascular effects from heavy alcohol drinking than those observed in male alcoholics and these effects are noted at an earlier stage of drinking and ... Read More
Chronic Drinking Increases Stress Harmone
Monday September 15, 2003
Researchers find that long-term chronic drinking produces an increase in cortisol both during intoxication and withdrawal which can have health implications for sleep disruption, cognitive deficits, diabetes, and mood disturbances.
More: ... Read More
'Peers' Can Help Alcoholics
Saturday September 13, 2003
Bill W. was right. One drunk talking with another is one of the most effective ways to reach problem drinkers with the message of recovery, as a University of Louisville ... Read More
Nightclub Okay, But Rehab Rejected
Friday September 12, 2003
In another example of the stigma associated with alcoholism and substance abuse, Tampa City Council members rejected a group's request to open a residential rehabilitation center for women in a ... Read More
Father's Drinking Affects Kids
Friday September 12, 2003
While there has been considerable research documenting the problems of children born to depressed and alcohol-abusing mothers, researchers have demonstrated that problems in the father also are related to children's ... Read More
Congress Gets Landmark Underage Drinking Reports
Thursday September 11, 2003
Two long-awaited studies on underage drinking were presented to Congress this week, setting off a flurry of efforts to encourage lawmakers to act on recommendations to address the problem, which ... Read More
Wisconsin Gets Tough on Meth
Thursday September 11, 2003
Wisconsin has passed a new law that gets tough -- very tough -- on methamphetamine users. The law makes first-time possession or even attempted possession of meth a felony offense.
The ... Read More
Deception In Reporting About Alcohol's Benefits
Wednesday September 10, 2003
Most individuals, even health professionals, do not take the time to check out the accuracy of the reports, so they go unchallenged, June Russel writes. Often it is not revealed ... Read More
Breastfeeding Mom Convicted in Son's Death
Wednesday September 10, 2003
A 31-year-old methamphetmanie addict was convicted of second-degree murder this week in the death of her three-month old son, who died as a result of a meth overdose from his ... Read More
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day
Tuesday September 9, 2003
September 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day. Public awareness of FAS is an important factor in its prevention because FAS is 100 percent preventable. FAS is the damage ... Read More
Office-Based Addiction Therapy Successful
Monday September 8, 2003
Buprenorphine therapy allows physicians to treat patients for addiction in their offices in the same manner that other people are treated for other chronic illnesses.
More: More About Buprenorphine | More ... Read More
Teen Drinking Sets Pattern for Life
Sunday September 7, 2003
Teens who binge drink run the chance of becoming alcohol dependent later in life -- as early as their mid-20s -- according to a 10-year study of 2,000 teenagers in ... Read More
MADD Donates New Technology to Police
Sunday September 7, 2003
In the future, drunken drivers who have wrecks or cause injuries may have their version of the incident refuted by new technology that records the speed, RPMs, acceleration, brakes and ... Read More
Household Survey - 22 Million Substance Abusers
Saturday September 6, 2003
In 2002, an estimated 22 million Americans suffered from substance dependence or abuse due to drugs, alcohol or both, according to the newest results of the Household Survey released by ... Read More
Adolescent Pot Use Declines
Saturday September 6, 2003
The 2002 household survey found that marijuana is the most commonly-used illicit drug, used by 14.6 million Americans. There was a decline in the number of adolescents under age ... Read More
Pain Killer Abuse Increases
Saturday September 6, 2003
Use of pain relievers non-medically among those ages 12-17 increased from 9.6 percent in 2001 to 11.2 percent in 2002, according to the latest Household Survey, continuing an increasing trend. ... Read More
New Law Protects Home Buyers from Meth Labs
Friday September 5, 2003
A new Oklahoma law will protect unspecting home buyers from purchasing a home where a methamphetamine lab has been in operation -- forcing the seller of the property to clean ... Read More
Drug Dealer Gets Special Treatment
Friday September 5, 2003
An Arkansas man was arrested after selling three pounds of marijuana to an informant. Police later seized seven-pounds more of the drug, plus $16,841 in cash and six guns, two ... Read More
The Importance of Family Dinners
Thursday September 4, 2003
The number of teens who have regular family dinners drops by 50 percent as their substance abuse risk increases sevenfold, according to a survey of 12 to 17 year olds ... Read More
National Drug Education Program Launched
Thursday September 4, 2003
To raise awareness about the effects of drug use on the most vulnerable populations - children and adolescents - Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America is partnering with the National Institute ... Read More
Computer Heist Slows Treatment Study
Thursday September 4, 2003
A long-time research project studying the nation's substance abuse treatment centers has run into a small glitch -- someone stole all 21 of the center's laptop computers.
The National Treatment Center ... Read More
Binge Drinking a 'Unhealthy' Pattern
Wednesday September 3, 2003
How you drink alcohol can influence the risk of heart disease by affecting the accumulation of abdominal fat - a body characteristic shown to be an important risk factor for ... Read More
College Uses Drug Dogs to Search Dorms
Tuesday September 2, 2003
After finding a methamphetamine lab in a dormitory room last February, the University of Alabama at Birmingham decided to keep the drug dogs around this fall to continue checking on-campus ... Read More
Having Sober Fun
Tuesday September 2, 2003
NBean Writes: I have had more fun since I got sober than I ever did drinking. If you go to face-to-face meetings find a group that goes out for ... Read More
Ecstasy Can Harm Unborn Children
Monday September 1, 2003
Researchers have found that exposed in the womb to the drug Ecstasy during the first trimester in human pregnancy can cause changes in brain chemistry and behavior.
More: More About Ecstasy ... Read More