Category Archives: Drug Dependency

The New York Academy of Medicine | Drug Policy Alliance For Immediate Release: April 19, 2013 Teleconference: How New York Can Become National Model by Shifting Drug Policy from a Criminalization-Based to a Public Health-Based Approach Blueprint Report Brings Stakeholders to the Table: Elected Officials, Criminal Justice Representatives, Treatment Providers, Drug Users and Policymakers Governor Cuomo Has an Opportunity to Take Strong Leadership: Despite 2009 Reforms, 40 Years After Rockefeller Drug Laws, Policies Remain Uncoordinated and Contradictory What: Press Teleconference about the Blueprint for a Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy When: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 11 a.m. EST / 8 a.m. PST Who: Senator Jeffrey D. Klein - TEMPORARY PRESIDENT AND IDC COALITION LEADER (invited) Assemblyman Karim Camara - Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus (invited) David Soares, Albany County District Attorney (confirmed) Dr. Ruth Finkelstein, Senior Vice President for Policy and Planning NYAM (confirmed) gabriel sayegh, New York State Director, DPA (confirmed) Evergreen Association, provider of treatment, health, and harm reduction services in Buffalo (invited) New Yorker from Long Island who can speak from personal experiences (confirmed) Community based organization in Buffalo (invited) Location: 1-800-311-9402 Passcode: Blueprint Blueprint report and executive … Continue reading →

Randy Easterling, MD, of Vicksburg was recently one of the key presenters at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit held in Orlando, Fla. Easterling, medical director for River Regions Marian Hill Chemical Dependency Unit, presented on the topic of the cost of prescription drug abuse, both from a human and a financial perspective. Easterling is past president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, past president of the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians and immediate past chair of the Mississippi Medical Political Action Committee board of directors, a post he held for seven years during his decade-long stint on the board. He has also held numerous public service posts including a 2004 appointment by former Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck to the Tort Claims Board, appointment on two of former Gov. Haley Barbours Transition Subcommittees (Medicaid and Access to Health Care) and appointment as chair of Gov. Phil Bryants Healthcare transition team. He also now serves as president of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. Easterling has practiced family medicine and has served as medical director of Marian Hill Chemical Dependency Unit since his practice was established in Vicksburg in 1987. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School … Continue reading →

Recovery Associates a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center, has just moved into a brand new building. The new building will house their Christian and Teen drug rehab programs. West Palm Beach, Florida (PRWEB) April 16, 2013 One therapist who works for Recovery Associates shared, We are very fortunate to have a therapist here who, prior to working in the treatment field, was actually an interior designer. He helped create a space that is cool and fun, but also really warm and welcoming. Its important to us that clients feel safe and are able to open up during the treatment process. Part of creating an atmosphere of healing is making conscious decisions about the design of each of the group rooms and the therapists offices. Recovery Associates is a drug and alcohol treatment center that provides a variety of programs and services for men, women and teens struggling with chemical dependency issues. At the core of their philosophy is the belief that addiction is a treatable illness. Their addiction treatment experience has shown that anyone is capable of achieving lasting recovery and physical, mental and spiritual freedom from the disease of addiction. Their unique program offers three different tracks: a … Continue reading →

Almost half of the youth 12th-grade and under in Yellowstone County have used alcohol during the last month. That is among some of the statistics that the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) provided to county officials with a letter asking them to designate where they want alcohol tax monies to go. The DPHHS is responsible for disbursing the monies earmarked for the provision of chemical dependency services in each county in Montana. On Tuesday, Yellowstone County commissioners tabled the matter, pending a meeting with the impacted agencies to help evaluate where the money can be most effective. We want to have a conversation to make sure the percentages meet the needs, said Commissioner Bill Kennedy. In the past, the county has split the money 87/23 percent between the Mental Health Center and Rimrock Foundation. The funds are distributed three times a year and are used to fund programs aimed at curbing substance abuse, intervention and treatment service. The data provided by DPHHS projected that in Yellowstone County, in the coming fiscal year, there will be 1,669 people between the ages of 10 and 17 that will need treatment for alcohol abuse, and 1,705 in that same category … Continue reading →

SPRING HILL, Fla., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Prescription painkiller addiction is a growing epidemic in the United Statesone of the biggest meds being opioid painkillers, with more than 200 million such drugs prescribed annually and accounting for more than 16,000 deaths a year (1). Not only is painkiller addiction detrimental to the abuser, but research shows that prescription drug abuse costs the U.S. economy $42billion in lost productivity and $8.2billion in criminal justice costs annually (2). Suncoast Rehab Center (SRC), a Spring Hill drug rehab facility with a 76% success rate, believes that awareness of the signals of addiction can prevent the climb of abuse rates and potentially save lives. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130416/CG94702) Dependency on prescription drugs is not usually intentional. Many people begin using painkillers for legitimate reasons and are not aware that they have become addicted until it's too late. Prescription painkillers are the number one drug for which Suncoast clients seek rehab. Suncoast suggests considering treatment if any of the following ring true (3): 1. You're using your painkillers for reasons other than pain relief. Taking painkillers to change your mood instead of relieving pain is getting you highthis signals the beginning of an addiction. 2. You … Continue reading →

For 15 years Freedom House has lived up to its name. The large Victorian home at 460 South F. St. in Oxnard has served as refuge for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. Director Jeff Simpson was a former client at the home when it was a state-licensed rehabilitation facility under the name Primary Purpose, which declared bankruptcy in 1995. The location has served its residents for nearly 35 year. Now a sober living home, Freedom House has provided a haven for hundreds of men eager to free themselves from alcohol and drug dependency. There were people who didnt think this would last, Simpson said. Simpson started the program in 1998, believing the strength God gave him to recover from his own addiction would help him help others. It wasnt easy at the beginning, said Simpson, who was in the restaurant business for more than 20 years but has no formal business education. Simpson worked hard to get recognition from jail officials, probation officers, mental health workers and others. The facility can accommodate 21 men in the main house and seven more in a house on the back of the property, set aside for graduates who have been with the program … Continue reading →

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The prescription drug problem throughout our region is no secret, but it's not often you think about it's youngest and most vulnerable victims: newborn babies. The rate at which these babies, born with a dependency to drugs, is alarming. Cabell Huntington Hospital is known across the nation for helping these babies heal. Babies born with this type of dependency require a longer hospital stay, an extra special attention and care. Neonatologist Sean Loudin sees it first hand. "We have realized the number of babies that are addicted are putting an extreme burden on the hospital systems," Dr. Loudin went on to say, "We don't want to take up intensive care space with these babies because there are other preterm babies that need help and if we can provide a way for the babies to get the care they need in an appropriate setting, this is really our goal." Lily's place is the dream of Mary Calhoun Brown. A woman who has cradled these babies, who need extra love and attention, in her arms. The old podiatry office, with dozens of exam rooms, in the 1300-block of 7th Avenue will be the home for Lily's Place. "Each … Continue reading →

A FOLKESTONE man has been given a suspended jail sentence for drug offences. Gary Lee Tomlinson, 46, whose last known address was in Charles Crescent, was arrested by police on November 23, 2012, and charged with possessing cannabis resin and possessing amphetamines with intent to supply. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday 10 April. Tomlinson will also be required to attend appointments with his probation officer for 18 months and have treatment for drug dependency as a non-resident for nine months. Broadway Beauty Print voucher Our mini facial is designed to rejuvenate and brighten tired looking skin after Winter while our eye lash tint enhances your eyes without the need for mascara. Terms: FREE eye lash tint with every mini facial booked by 30th April. Please call for details Contact: 01227 208293 Valid until: Tuesday, April 30 2013 See original here: Folkestone man appears at Canterbury court on drug offences … Continue reading →

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 11, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scientists from Amyris, Inc. (AMRS), a leading renewable chemicals and fuels company, published in the journal Nature the details of a major breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology that allows for the production of a key precursor to Artemisinin, the key ingredient in the world's most effective and preferred drug in combating malaria. Earlier today, pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced the launch of large-scale industrial production of Artemisinin utilizing Amyris designed strains. "Yesterday, a group of scientists led by Amyris detailed how we engineered simple baker's yeast strains to produce unprecedented concentrations of the precursor to the anti-malarial drug ingredient. Today, Amyris scientists celebrate Sanofi's successful launch of the industrial production of the world's first semi-synthetic Artemisinin utilizing Amyris designed strains," said John Melo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Amyris. "Sanofi's commercial launch of this key precursor to life-saving drugs produced with our technology underscores not only the success of Amyris's synthetic biology platform at scale but also the positive impact this technology can have on our planet," Melo concluded. Malaria is a preventable disease that affects over a quarter of a billion people and claims the lives of 650,000 people … Continue reading →

HUNTINGTON -- Seventy-five of every thousand babies born at Cabell Huntington Hospital have been exposed to drugs or alcohol, a staggering figure that trumps the national average of five per 1,000, according to maternal-fetal medicine experts. That statistic and many others -- as well as examples of programs working to change the culture of drug addiction and dependency in West Virginia -- were the subjects of the Seventh Annual Drug Prevention Summit Thursday at the Big Sandy Superstore Conference Center. This year's summit, the work of the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership, focused on drug-exposed pregnancies and fetal alcohol exposure. "'Just say no' doesn't work after the addiction is already established any more than I can say 'no' to food," said Dr. David Chaffin, Thursday's keynote speaker and director of maternal fetal medicine at Marshall's School of Medicine. "This is a monstrous tidal wave we're dealing with. What else would you call it? I want to show you what's happening and, if nothing else, set a fire in you about the rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome." Neonatal abstinence syndrome, a group of problems that occur in a newborn exposed to drugs or alcohol in the mother's womb, was … Continue reading →