Poor Impulse Control May be Pre-Wired in Some Teens |
| April 30th, 2012 |
Join Together (4/30/12): Poor impulse control may be pre-wired in some teenagers, suggests a new study. Researchers have identified brain networks that are linked to impulse control and drug addiction, which may exist even before someone is exposed to alcohol or drugs. Researchers at the University of Vermont performed a brain imaging study that included almost 1,900 14-year-olds, ABC News reports. They used a functional MRI, which permitted them to see how different parts of the brain work together. The teens were asked to perform repetitive tasks, and then were asked to stop mid-task, while the researchers measured their ability to do so. People who abuse drugs or alcohol tend to perform poorly on this test, the news report notes. To read more, click here. |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Opioid-Overdose Antidote Being More Widely Distributed to Those Who Use Drugs |
| April 27th, 2012 |
Join Together (4/27/12): The opioid-overdose antidote naloxone is being more widely distributed to people who use drugs. While many public health officials say it saves lives, critics argue that making the antidote easily available could make people less likely to seek treatment. Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, safely reverses the potentially fatal side effects of an overdose of oxycodone, heroin and other opioids. It has been routinely used by emergency rooms and ambulance crews for decades, the AP notes. In the past few years, Naloxone has been distributed free to opioid users and their loved ones, in a growing number of sites around the country. To read more, click here. |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Addiction Medicine 2012 Conference |
| April 27th, 2012 |
With over 175 attendees gathering in Asheville, NC on March 30 and 31, the Annual Addiction Medicine Conference was a resounding success! The speakers, both national and local, provided depth and diversity in the content that was delivered and there was lively discussion and networking. The high energy and enthusiasm of attendees was very encouraging and we are excited to see the direction that addiction medicine in NC is heading. Many thanks to all the attendees, speakers, sponsors, and organizations that came together to make this conference happen. We are already looking forward to next year and hope to see you at Addiction Medicine 2013 (meeting details including date to follow). |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Drug-overdose Antidote is Put in Addicts’ Hands |
| April 26th, 2012 |
WRAL (4/26/12): Steve Wohlen lay on his front lawn, blue, unconscious and barely breathing, overdosing on heroin. His mother ran outside, frantically assembling a pen-like canister. Her heart pounding, she dropped to her knees and used the device to deliver two squirts up her son’s nostrils. Within minutes, his eyes opened, color returned to his face, and he sat up — brought back from a potentially lethal overdose by a drug commonly known by the brand name Narcan. The drug, widely sold under its generic name, naloxone, counteracts the effects of heroin, OxyContin and other powerful painkillers and has been routinely used by ambulance crews and emergency rooms in the U.S. for decades. But in the past few years, public health officials across the nation have been distributing it free to addicts and their loved ones, as well as to some police and firefighters. To read the full article, click here. |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Almost Two-Thirds of Americans Don’t Follow Doctor’s Orders on Prescription Drugs |
| April 26th, 2012 |
Join Together (4/26/12): New research indicates almost two-thirds of Americans do not follow their physician’s orders correctly when they take prescription drugs. They don’t take their medication, or use pills that were not intended for them. The findings come from Quest Diagnostics, which analyzed about 76,000 urine samples submitted last year from physicians’ offices and the company’s patient service centers. The results were compared with doctors’ records of the medications prescribed for each patient. The study found many of the drugs patients took that were not prescribed for them were painkillers, sedatives or amphetamines. Overall, 63 percent of patients taking prescription drugs did not use them as prescribed by their doctor. To read more, click here. |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Survey: Prescription Painkiller Abuse Often Starts With Free Pills From Friends, Family |
| April 25th, 2012 |
Join Together (4/25/12): A new national survey finds people who abuse prescription painkillers for the first time often get their pills for free from family or friends. Those who chronically abuse prescription painkillers are more likely to obtain the pills from doctors or dealers. An analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, scheduled to be released on Wednesday, found more than two-thirds of those who said they had gotten high on painkillers for the first time in the past year received the pills from family or friends. To read more, click here. |
| Posted in News & Updates |
CESAR FAX Source of Prescription Narcotic Drugs for 12th Graders |
| April 24th, 2012 |
CESAR Fax (4/23/12): Nearly one in ten U.S. 12th graders reported using prescription narcotics without a doctor’s order in the past year, according to data from the 2011 Monitoring the Future survey. Users of prescription narcotics were most likely to report getting the drugs for free from friends or relatives (70%), followed by buying them from a friend or relative (40%,) and getting them from their own prescription (35%). To read more, click here |
| Posted in News & Updates |
Funded wholly or in part by the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Fund (CFDA #93.959) as a project of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities & Substance Abuse Services.