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Announcements
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August 25, 2011
American teens ages 12-17 who in a typical day spend any time on social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and drug use, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents. This is the 16th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia).
This year's survey asked youth respondents for the first time whether they spend time on...
read more August 25, 2011
Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recently teamed with researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Md., to analyze a sample of suicide deaths among U.S. military personnel on active duty between 2002 and 2008.
The researchers compared levels of omega-3 fatty acids of 800 individuals who committed suicide with those of 800 randomly selected controls - service members who were matched with the...
read more August 22, 2011
By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
Colleges trying to stem the tide of student drinking have focused on the evils of intoxication and all the trouble that can ensue when students drink too much. But new psychological research suggests that the downsides of excessive drinking aren't bad enough to make students stop.
"They intend to get intoxicated," says psychologist E. Scott Geller, director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech. "We have shown...
read more August 22, 2011
The Southwest Prevention Center (SWPC) offers courses and training workshops to support prevention providers and community leaders. All courses and workshops provide contact hours and CEU credit through the University of Oklahoma OUTREACH College of Continuing Education (CCE).
Upcoming courses include:
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September 12 - Strategic Prevention Framework Overiew. (6 Contact Hours or 0.6 CEUs).
Registration closes September 7. - September 26 - Ethics for...
August 22, 2011
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) has released to states a new communication training initiative, "Prevention Works!Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Resource Kit".The materials will be posted to The Athena Forum website for use by prevention professionals in the state in the near future following review by the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR).
Emily Novick, Manager of the CSAP-NPN Prevention Works! communications training...
read more August 18, 2011
Invitation: "The Blunt Truth: Communities Dealing with Marijuana" webcast and discussion.
You are invited to a viewing of the a national webcast of "The Blunt Truth: Communities Dealing with Marijuana," August 25, 2011 from 10 AM - Noon at Mercer Island Community Center.
The event is sponsored by the Mercer Island Communities That Care's Coalition and endorsed by the Washington Drug Free Communities...
read more August 18, 2011
Under terms of a new federal framework, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will coordinate tribal substance abuse programs across the federal government with a special emphasis on promoting programs geared toward reaching youth and offering alternatives to incarceration.
The new Memorandum of Agreement describes how the Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse established in SAMHSA will coordinate tribal substance abuse programs across the...
read more August 18, 2011
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has released, "Reducing Drinking Among Underage Air Force Members in Five Communities" describing the early findings from an initiative focused on reducing drinking in communities near five Air Force bases.
Authors compare rates of drinking in the five communities to comparison groups and to the Air Force overall. The bulletin is available at...
read more August 18, 2011
By Join Together Staff
Ohio, a state hit particularly hard by opioid abuse, is beginning to show early signs of success in fighting the problem, The Columbus Dispatch reports. But many problems remain.
Among the many signs of a turnaround is a new substance abuse center in Portsmouth, Ohio. The newspaper describes other successes, including the...
read more August 18, 2011
By Join Together Staff
A new study suggests that abuse of prescription opioids may be a first step on the path toward misuse of heroin and other injected drugs.
Science Daily reports that the researchers found four out of five injection drug users misused an opioid drug before they injected heroin. They also found that almost one out of four young injection drug users first injected a...
read more August 15, 2011
By Join Together Staff
Lifting weights can help smokers quit without gaining weight, new research indicates. Men and women who participated in a three-month resistance training program were twice as likely to quit smoking, compared with smokers who did not lift weights.
HealthDay reports lifting weights appeared to help reduce cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms, while reducing the weight...
read more August 15, 2011
By Join Together Staff
Holding alcohol retailers liable for injuries or damage done by their customers who are intoxicated can reduce alcohol-related occurrences including motor vehicle deaths, homicides and injuries, according to a nationwide task force.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts, conducted a review of studies that looked at state laws on commercial host or dram shop liability,...
read more August 15, 2011
By Join Together Staff
A growing number of colleges are creating recovery programs for students, The Wall Street Journal reports. This summer, a group of colleges formed the Association for Recovery in Higher Education to promote these initiatives.
One of the leaders in college recovery programs is Texas Tech, which offers 12-step courses, classes on relapse prevention,...
read more August 15, 2011
By Join Together Staff
New cigarette labels required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that will carry graphic images of the consequences of smoking should have the desired effect of reducing demand, a new study suggests.
The study included 404 adult smokers who took part in an auction on cigarette packs, with four kinds...
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