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Project AWARE Summer Film Institute
15 years ago
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Public Health in the Correctional Setting: Challenges & Opportunities
Presentation from the 2010 Maine Public Health Association's annual meeting (http://www.mainepublichealth.org)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Release from Prison & the Risk of Overdose: New Research
Drug and alcohol tolerance is typically lowered upon release from facilities such as prison or detox (see "Loss of tolerance and overdose mortality after inpatient opiate detoxification: follow up study") but there is research citing that release from prison/jail puts a person at highest risk for overdose. Below is the most recent published research, followed by prior publications/articles.
"Meta-analysis of drug-related deaths soon after release from prison"
(ABSTRACT, Addiction, June 23, 2010)
"Release from Prison - A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates"
(NE J of Medicine, 2007)
"Heroin users released from methadone detox or jail may be at higher risk for overdose, according to UCSF researchers"
(UCSF, 2001)
"Preventing Fatal Overdose"- Powerpoint slideshow
(NY State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services)
"Mortality from overdose among injecting drug users recently released from prison: database linkage study"
(British Medical Journal, 1998)
While the information is alarming, it is important to note that there are things people can do to reduce their risk of overdose upon release. Here are a few things we share with incarcerated individuals during our groups:
- Do a little less if you haven’t used lately. Even if it’s only been a few days, your body may react to the drug like it did when you first began to use. If your health has worsened or you’ve lost weight since your last use, consider that too when measuring your dose
- Take the drug in a way that gets you high more slowly—snorting heroin or cocaine rather than injecting it, for example
- Try to use with someone who knows what to do in case you go out. If you must use alone, let a friend know so they can check in on you
- Try to find out as much as you can about the stuff you plan to use: it may have gotten stronger since the last time you tried it
- Be careful if you’re using a new drug, as it will be hard to know how much to do. Try to use with someone who has some experience with the drug you’re doing, and with new users.
- Taken from: http://www.harmreduction.org/downloads/od2000.pdf
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Intersection Between Partner Violence & Substance Abuse: Reports & Awareness
It seems, surprising or not, that there is a direct link between DV and substance use. Does this mean substance abuse CAUSES domestic violence? Is it the other way around? Does this give abusers an "excuse" to abuse? Please feel free to discuss (AND SHARE OTHER RESOURCES) here.
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month - http://www.teendvmonth.org/index.html
National Sexual Violence Resource Center - http://www.nsvrc.org/
"Effect of co-occurring disorders and intimate partner violence on substance abuse treatment outcomes" J of Substance Abuse Treatment Volume 38, Issue 2, Pages 97-202 (March 2010)
"Does Alcohol Involvement Increase the Severity of Intimate Partner Violence?" (Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Volume 34, Issue 2, February 2010)
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: DV and Substance Abuse - http://www.ncadv.org/files/SubstanceAbuse.pdf
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Socioeconomic status & health risks
This blog post stems from an article that was posted this morning by @LaDonna Coy from a ScienceDaily article entitled "Low Socioeconomic Status Affects Cortisol Levels in Children Over Time" (January 21, 2010). When we think of the challenges children face, it's important to keep in mind the influence of environmental factors but to still explore how we can build assets and have meaningful relationships with children despite - or maybe because - of their situations. While reading this particular article, I was reminded of the PBS Series "Unnatural Causes" which addressed themes of racism, infant mortality, poverty, diabetes and the impact of chronic stress on the health of our nation. If you have some time, I encourage you to read the article and view the trailer of this film. In addition, I encourage you to think of ways YOU can (and/or continue to) build assets in your community so that youth - and communities - can thrive!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Chronic Pain: Risk Management
Pain Management Fails Due to Rx Drug Abuse Fears
(Pain-Topics.org, January 8, 2010)
"Millions of Americans with significant acute or chronic pain are being undertreated as physicians fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment, according to recent reviews. The failure is due to inadequate training of physicians, personal biases and, increasingly, fears of prescription analgesic drug abuse." Read On...
Managing the Emotional Aspects of Pain
(Crossroads for Women blog, January 15, 2010)
"A recent article found on CNN.com talked about how living with chronic pain can hurt personal relationships. Michael E. Geisser, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan, states in the article, “It has been shown that relationships in which one partner has chronic pain tend to be more strained, have more marital distress, more conflict, and a greater likelihood for divorce.” Read On...
Even Legitimate Opioid Use May Cause Overdose
(Reuters Health, January 19, 2010)
"Perhaps it's not surprising, but people who take high doses of opioid painkillers even for legitimate medical reasons are at risk of overdosing, new research shows." Read On...For local and national treatment options, please visit SAMHSA's Treatment Locator at: www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov . In Maine you can also dial 211 or visit www.211maine.org
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
For parents, a child’s addiction also brings social stigma (Patriot Ledger)
(Hat Tip: NOPE TaskForce)
BRAINTREE — Bill Brids wakes up every morning knowing that today could be the day his 20-year-old son goes back to heroin. He knows that it could be the day his son dies. It started at 16, when Dave Brids dipped into his mother’s stash of pills. She was dying of cancer. “I was drinking, and one night we couldn’t get beers,” Dave Brids said. “So I tried the drugs (Oxycontin), and I fell in love.” He didn’t know that what he was taking was essentially the same drug he swore he’d never use. Heroin was for junkies. “I looked at it as smoking weed and drinking beer,” Dave Brids said. “Little did I know it was a pharmaceutical form of heroin.”
Read the full story HERE
If you would like more information on treatment options and support for anyone suffering from opiate addiction visit any of these sites:
SAMHSA's Treatment Locator -
Narcotics Anonymous (Maine) -
Maine Office of Substance Abuse -
Portland Public Health Division - http://substanceabuse.portlandmaine.gov/resourcesforsouthernme.pdf
Monday, January 4, 2010
Peer Pressure is What Made Me Use Drugs and Alcohol (INTERVENE @ DrugFree.org)
"As a young girl, two of the more traumatic things I went through were growing up with an alcoholic parent and my parents’ divorce. I tried to stuff the void I experienced with drugs and alcohol. I never even considered the idea that I might become an alcoholic or drug addict, and I swore to myself that I would never end up like my father. However, as I would later find out, the cards were stacked against me. My family’s long history of drug and alcohol addictions played a huge role in where I ultimately ended up. The lifestyle itself was so familiar to me that it didn’t even register that I wouldn’t be able to stand up to the pressure to succumb to it."
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