Time To Act

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has launched yet another fascinatingly-accessible tool for parents seeking resources for teens regarding substance abuse prevention. The PDFA's latest effort is for 1) Parents who THINK their child is using and 2) Parents who KNOW their child is using.

http://timetoact.drugfree.org/

This new site offers interactive options such as video segments from leading doctors and psychologists, 'signs and symptoms' checker, risk factors (family, school, peer), mock situations teens are likely to find themselves in, as well as common misperceptions about alcohol & drug use. There are also checklists for parents, tips on how to handle conversations, setting limits, monitoring and seeking outside help.

Check it out or visit our timetotalkportlandmaine on Yahoo! Groups to JOIN THE DISCUSSION with Cumberland County parents and adults!

Advocacy Partnership Exchange (APEx): Methadone Discussion on 2/5 in Portland

Overdose Prevention Project Hosts Methadone Discussion
Workshop to be held at Preble Street Resource Center

On Thursday February 5, 2009, the City of Portland’s Health & Human Services Department Public Health Division’s Overdose Prevention Project will hold its 2nd annual Advocacy Partnership Exchange (APEx) workshop at Preble Street Resource Center. These workshops provide people accessing Preble Street’s resources with the opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with service providers in a discussion-style forum.

Based on community outreach interaction, member input and Preble Street staff feedback, the selected theme for this workshop is "Q & A: Dispelling the Myths of Methadone and Medication Assisted Treatment." Staff representatives from Merrimack River Medical Services, Discovery House and CAP Quality Care will serve as panel members and answer questions regarding addiction and opiate-replacement therapies. “We’re excited for any opportunity to increase awareness about addiction and the many treatment options that are available,” stated Portland’s Overdose Prevention Project’s Amanda Edgar.

When: February 5, 2009
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Where: Preble Street Resource Center
18 Portland Street, Portland

For more information on the workshop or the Overdose Prevention Project, contact Amanda Edgar at 207-756-8053 or via email.

Methadone Patients Against Hysteria & Further Restrictions: SIGN THE PETITION!

Sponsored by the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA), this petition is going strong with over 2,500 signatures - the goal is 10,000!


Excerpt from the Petition:
"There has been much written of late about the rise in deaths due to the abuse of Methadone. We lament these deaths, but feel that there has arisen an hysteria that proposes to restrict futher the prescription of this life-saving medication to the detriment of the 250,000 patients who receive this drug daily in addiction treatment programs across the United States. An overdose due to a person's recreational use of illicitly obtained methadone is NOT the fault of the drug, but of the person abusing the drug. Accidental overdoses by persons legitimately prescribed the drug for pain management purposes is again, not the fault of the drug, but of medical personnel who may not be educating patients enough to the dangers of such a long-acting analgesic. Deaths due to the recreational abuse of the drug lies with the abuser, not the substance." View the Entire Petition

(Hat tip: ARM-ME Blog)

Students keeping liquor sales up despite recession

From Curtis Burrhus-Clay of the Texas Christian University Daily Skiff (January 22, 2009)

"The recession may be compelling many Americans to alter their spending habits, but it certainly isn't keeping students from purchasing alcohol.

While many businesses around the nation are experiencing alarming decreases in sales, several reports have shown that the alcohol industry looks to be relatively stable. One local liquor store manager said sales have increased about 5 percent from last year and that he's not at all surprised by the trend.

'Typically, people tend to drink in good times and in bad times," said Lee Labovitz manager of Kings Liquor on West Berry Street. 'We've actually shown a gain from last year.'"

Read On...

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree? Share your comments...

What's the most effective juvenile justice policy?

Practitioners say it's drug treatment.

"What works in juvenile justice? That's always a big question. After every youth violence tragedy, government officials are asked what they intend to do about teen crime. Academics and experts are asked how to reduce delinquency, how to lower recidivism, and which programs and policies are most effective? When we asked juvenile justice practitioners these questions in a recent study, their answer was substance abuse treatment." Read the Full Article from Reclaiming Futures' Jeff Butts

"Hope for Addicts" - from Jason Schwartz @ Addiction & Recovery News

Here are a few highlights from the new WhiteHouse.gov website regarding President Obama's policies on civil rights, sentencing disparities, and reducing recidivism. As posted on January 20, 2009 by Jason Schwartz of the Addiction & Recovery News blog, "It's a start."

Dr. Jeffrey Junig takes on the Suboxone-haters

In order to best serve the people I work with, I am always trying to learn as much as I can about addiction and treatment options for addicts. A site that I frequent for such information is from Dr. Jeffrey Junig, a psychiatrist and recovering opiate-addict from Wisconsin who blogs at suboxonetalkzone.com

Dr. Junig's no-nonsense approach, experience, and honesty offer professionals, addicts, and the general public clear answers to their questions about addiction and Suboxone. This week, Dr. Junig posted a YouTube video response to the ever-present anti-Suboxone question, "Isn't it just trading one drug for another?" Dr. Junig's well-thought out and informative video-reply simply addresses the question, "Why do you care so much about people using Suboxone?"

Listen to Dr. Junig's detailed explanation about Suboxone on YouTube