Are Incidents of Co-Occurring Disorders Increasing?

A treatment center in Arizona called High Standards Recovery seems to be seeing an increase in co-occurring disorders, according to this article. An individual is said to have co-occurring disorders when they are suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction and a mental health issue (severe depression, anxiety disorders, etc) at the same time. The complex nature of both of these types of illnesses makes it difficult to successfully treat each issue separately. Instead, success is much more likely when they can be treated together.

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Underage Drinking: Will the U.S. Find a Solution?

Underage drinking has been considered a problem in this country for much longer than I’ve been alive, but the problem seems to have intensified in the last 5-10 years. This is in part due to increased awareness of the tragedies that happen when teenagers who were poorly educated about the dangers involved in drinking or using drugs.

The debate for parents of teenagers is a difficult one–do you strictly prohibit drinking or promote doing so in moderation and while making safe decisions? Do you allow your children to have a glass of wine or beer in your home, or not allow any alcohol what-so-ever?

One recent article tells the story of a mother who told her son not to drink, but also told him that if he did drink he absolutely shouldn’t drive. He died of alcohol poisoning with a BAC of .41 at age 18, shortly after graduating high school and moving out with a friend, when friends convinced him to chug rum. His mother has told her younger son that she doesn’t want him to drink until he is 21, and to the best of her knowledge he hasn’t.

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Utica woman arrested under Leandra’s Law sentenced

Almost 4 months ago, I wrote about one of the first women to be arrested under the new Leandra’s Law. She was drunk on Christmas day, with four kids in the car, and headed to Rochester. But she overshot her exit and ended up an hour away in Depew, where she was pulled over.

This week, she was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $1,000 fine, and has lost her license. I have to say I was initially a little surprised that she wasn’t sentenced to some period of jail time. She had a clean record before this incident, and there appear to have been circumstances in her personal life the the judge felt required leniency.

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Safe Pharmaceutical Collection Efforts Continue

The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services and Wegmans are teaming up to help community members safely dispose of excess prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The first collection will take place this Saturday, April 24th, from 8 am to 1 pm at the Wegmans Irondequoit at 525 Titus Ave.

Last year, this partnership resulted in over 1,000 residents safely disposing of almost 3,000 pounds of pharmaceutical waste. Appointments aren’t needed.

The remaining three collections this year will be:

• June 19th, Eastway Wegmans at 1955 Empire Blvd
• August 14th, Chili-Paul Wegmans at 3175 Paul Rd and
• October 2nd, Penfield Wegmans at 2157 Penfield Rd

The county is holding a separate collection this Sunday, April 25th, from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Jewish Community Federation at 441 East Ave. Read the press release here for more information.

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Does Smoking Have a Place in Health Care Reform?

The Health Care Reform debate is continuing at a steady, although admittedly less intense, pace as people are becoming more vocal about their concerns and want to know more about just how it is going to affect the average American.

I’m curious about what regulations concerning smoking will come out of this process–if there will be new restrictions, new incentives to quit smoking, or nothing at all. Here are some current happenings in the smoking debate:

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Get Answers to Your Prescription Drug Questions

Do you have a question about prescription or over-the-counter drug abuse? Wondering why these medications are dangerous when misused, what populations are most likely to misuse them, or how to treat this type of problem? Submit a question to Recovery Month’s Ask the Expert – H. Westley Clark, the Director at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He’ll be answering them in the next Road to Recovery program. Click here to submit your questions, and select Road to Recovery as the question type.

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Did you know its Alcohol Awareness Month?

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and one of the big ways CASA is promoting smart decision making in Livingston County is through our prom initiatives. Today, students at Geneseo High School had the opportunity to sign Drug Free Pledges before their prom tomorrow evening. Early next week, we’re going to draw one name from the submissions and give a way a 22″ flat screen TV to a student who chose to make safe choices this weekend.

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Impact of Health Care Reform on Addiction Services

Ever since the United States Congress passed the Health Care Reform bill, I’ve been curious what the impact of the bill will be on alcohol/substance abuse treatment and prevention services. Slowly, more information is becoming available on this matter.

According to the Legal Action Center, all of the new plans that are created “will be required to cover mental health and substance use disorder services.” Specifically,

• Addiction and mental health benefits will be provided in the same manner as all other basic medical care.
• A national prevention council will be created with the leadership of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
• There will be a new fund for public health and prevention that will distribute $15 billion over the course of 10 years in order to promote prevention in homes, schools and workplaces.

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U.S. Navy Bans Smoking on Submarines

Beginning on December 31, 2010, members of the United States Navy will no longer be able to smoke while aboard submarines. Approximately 35 to 40 percent of the 13,000 sailors currently serving on the Navy’s 71 submarines are smokers.

A study done in 2009 revealed that non-smoking individuals aboard naval ships were being negatively impacted by the smoking habits of their fellow sailors. Specifically, one article states that this study showed that the current method of using air scrubbers to remove the smoke was still leaving an “unacceptable level of secondhand smoke in the atmospheres of submerged submarines.”

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Rochester Billboards Warn ‘Stop Drug Use, Or End Up Here’

Shawn Hemphill, owner of Memories Funeral Home in Rochester, NY, has decided to embark on an interesting new series of advertisements. Five new billboards in Rochester read “STOP the GUNS, DRUGS & VIOLENCE or be our next guest” or a similar message in either English or Spanish. Check it out here.

I think these billboards are great and am going to keep an eye out for them while driving around the city. People never believe that these behaviors can get them or their friends/family killed. Start thinking about your actions and decide if you want yourself or one of your family members to be Mr. Hemphill’s next customers.

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