SOBERINFO

WHAT PERSONALITY MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH DRUG ABUSE RISK - News

2014-04-28T16:00:00Z

By: Rachael Rettner

Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

People with certain personality traits may be at increased risk for drug use problems, and studying personality may help researchers better understand and treat these problems, according to a new review.

Many studies have attempted to link genes to the condition researchers call substance use disorder, but they've largely failed to do so, even though the condition can run in families, said Dr. Sergi Ferré, a senior scientist and section chief at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

That may be because the connection between genes and substance use is not straightforward, and personality traitsmay serve as a bridge between the two, Ferré said. Personality traits have already been linked with the risk of having substance use disorder, and with certain circuits in the brain.

We should [have] many more studies trying to connect those personality traits and genes," Ferré said. "They will allow us to get better clues about the genetic and other factors that predispose to SUD," Ferré said, referring to substance use disorder.

Once researchers understand, from a brain perspective, why people develop drug use problems, they may be able to develop drug treatments that reverse these effects, the researchers said.

Risky personalities

For example, people with introverted personalities, and who tend to have fewer positive feelings, or be attracted to rewards in life, are more likely to abuse drugs, according to the new review. In contrast, extroverted people who have more positive emotions are less likely to abuse drugs.

One reason for this may be that people with more positive emotions and who are extroverted are more sensitive to all kinds of rewards -- be it rewards from social situations, winning a game, or getting a promotion -- and these other rewards "compete" with the positive feelings that can come with using a drug, Ferré said. On the other hand, people with low positive emotionality/extroversion have less interest in other rewards, and are more easily pulled in by the effects of the drug, Ferré said.

A second personality trait linked with substance abuse is negative emotionality/neuroticism, or the tendency to experience negative feelings, such as anxiety and depressed mood, and respond poorly to stressors. People with substance use disorder, and other mental health disorders, often have high levels of this personality trait.

"A person that is very sensitive to punishment finds, in drugs, something that allows them to escape," Ferré said.

Finally, low levels of a trait known as constraint, which is the ability to stop a behavior or action once you start it, is also linked with an increased risk of substance abuse.

The researchers stressed that whether people abuse drugs depends on many factors, not just their genes and personality, but also their environment and past drug use.

Better treatments

Several brain circuits have been linked with the personality traits that people who develop drug problems tend to have. For example, people with low levels of positive emotions have fewer receptors for the brain chemical dopamine, which is linked with feelings of reward and pleasure. And people with fewer dopamine receptors are less sensitive to the chemical's effects, which would explain the tendency of drug users to have little interest in rewards besides drugs.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

DOES EXERCISE CURB ALCOHOL CRAVINGS? - News

2014-04-23T17:00:00Z

Original Source: www.guardianlv.com

Those who want a non-drug treatment for early stages of alcoholism recovery could put on a pair of running shoes and go out for a run. A recent study published in the January 2014 issue of Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment found that regular aerobic exercise does curb alcohol dependence and cravings among those who are in the early stages of recovery.

Dr. Richard Brown, a psychologist at Brown University, and his colleagues performed the 12-week randomized study with 48 subjects. Twenty five of the subjects performed group aerobic exercises once a week while the remainder had "brief advice to exercise intervention," which involved discussions, motivation, or negotiation to influence the subjects to exercise instead of taking a drink. During the study, the researchers used standard interviews and questionnaires to evaluate each person's drinking habits. They were looking for any changes in the amount of alcohol consumed. Brown and his colleagues found that those who were in the exercise group had significantly less drinks than those in the brief-advice group.

According to The Brown Daily Herald, Brown said that there is a lack of scientific literature that examines exercise treatment with alcoholism, which prompted him to conduct this study. He set up a gym inside Butler Hospital and brought in the necessary exercise equipment and a sound system to simulate a gym. The subjects who were in the exercise group experienced much positiveness from the exercise effects on their mental health. Some said that the workout regimen "gave structure to their lives" that they didn't have before, according to Brown. The researchers concluded that most of the subjects in the exercise group will most likely continue to exercise regularly, substituting alcohol with working out.

Larger studies of exercise's effect on alcoholism is currently being finished. Researchers from the University of Denmark recruited 300 subjects who were put into three experimental groups: No exercise, exercise alone and exercise in a group. All subjects received standard alcoholism treatment, including family therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. The researchers will examine whether exercising alone or in a group affects the alcoholism treatment. The year-long study should be completed by May 1, 2014.

So why does exercise curb alcohol cravings and consumption? One possible explanation is the circadian rhythm, which is the biological clock in mammals that influences eating, sleeping, and mating behavior. A 2010 study published inAlcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research examined that alcoholism isn't about "character flaws and as failures of willpower," and that it may have biological underlying of alcohol abuse and addiction.

Alcoholism can disrupt "both the timing and consolidation of daily circadian rhythms," which is driven by the brain. According to J. David Glass, professor of biological sciences at Kent State University who was the co-author of this study, alcoholism can make a person go to bed too early or too late, not get a full night's sleep and have unusual eating times such as overeating at night and very little in the day. It could lead to a cycle of drinking because alcoholics could use alcohol as an excuse to fall asleep easier, which could lead to greater alcohol consumption.

To test his theory, Glass and his team used live hamsters for the experiment. They found that the animals that ran on the hamster wheel more consumed less alcohol, while those that did not exercise as much had greater cravings and consumption of alcohol. Glass said that exercise could very be likely a substitute for alcohol and drug treatments. Exercise changes the brain's chemical environment in a way that is similar to alcohol, Glass stated. The brain releases a neural chemical called dopamine when the organism anticipates a reward, including food, sex, alcohol and exercise. By substituting one reward for another, alcoholism can be helped.

Based on the budding evidence and research, aerobic exercise is most likely an alternative to drug treatment and should be complemented with standard therapies. Whether other forms of exercise, such as strength and power conditioning, dance and yoga, could curb alcohol cravings, future studies might find similar benefits as well.

Continue Reading: guardianlv.com

JUST SAY YES? THE RISE OF 'STUDY DRUGS' IN COLLEGE - News

2014-04-23T16:00:00Z

By: Arianna Yanes

Original Source: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- Around this time of year, you're more likely to find college students in the library cramming for final exams than out partying. In an environment where the workload is endless and there's always more to be done, a quick fix to help buckle down and power through becomes very tempting.

Prescription ADHD medications like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse are becoming increasingly popular for overworked and overscheduled college students -- who haven't been diagnosed with ADHD.

"Our biggest concern ... is the increase we have observed in this behavior over the past decade," says Sean McCabe, research associate professor at the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center.

Full-time college students were twice as likely to have used Adderall non-medically as their counterparts who were not full-time students, according to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health report released in 2009.

The numbers vary significantly by school, with the greatest proportion of users at private and "elite" universities. Some researchers estimate about 30% of students use stimulants non-medically.

"When we look at upperclassmen, the number really begins to jump," says Alan DeSantis, professor of communications at the University of Kentucky who has conducted research on stimulant use in college. "The more time you stay on campus, the more likely you are to use."

Of course, by and large the most common use is to concentrate while studying, with more than 90% of users doing it for this purpose.

ADHD stimulants "strengthen the brain's brakes, its inhibitory capacities, so it can control its power more effectively," said Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist and ADHD expert. "They do this by increasing the amount of certain neurotransmitters, like dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine."

Students say they take these stimulants for the "right reasons," to be more productive in classes and to stay afloat in the sea of intense competition.

In a 2008 study of 1,800 college students, 81% of students interviewed (DeSantis 2008) thought illicit use of ADHD medication was "not dangerous at all" or "slightly dangerous." While the picture of a methamphetamine user has hollowed cheeks, rotting teeth, and skin sores, an amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall) user looks just like anybody else.

"It helps me stay focused and be more efficient, which is very helpful with the chaos of college," says one university student who takes Adderall anywhere from once a month to a few times a week, depending on her schedule and workload. Students did not want to be identified because of their illegal use of the prescription drugs.

Yet these drugs are Schedule II substances, sitting pretty on the Drug Enforcement Administration's list right next to cocaine, meth and morphine.

"College students tend to underestimate the potential harms associated with the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants," McCabe says.

Students may not know the stimulant's documented contraindications (situations in which a drug might be harmful) or recommended precautions or how it may interact with other drugs, McCabe says. Hallowell is also concerned that students taking controlled substances without prescriptions and physician supervision, noting that they may not know the dosage.

Continue Reading: cnn.com

KNOWING ALCOHOL BRAND REFERENCES IN SONGS LINKED WITH TEEN ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION - News

2014-04-18T17:00:00Z

By: Amanda L. Chan

Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

"Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of ______."

"But every song's like gold teeth, ______ ______, trippin' in the bathroom."

"Stacks on deck, ______ on ice, And we can pop bottles all night, baby, you could have whatever you like."

Can you fill in the blanks with the correct alcohol brands? A new study shows that teens and young adults who remember alcohol brands in songs are more likely to have had an alcoholic drink or participated in binge drinking.

"Every year, the average adolescent is exposed to about 3,000 references to alcohol brands while listening to music," study researcher Dr. Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of the Program for Research on Media and Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a statement. "It is important that we understand the impact of these references to alcohol brands in an age group that can be negatively impacted by alcohol consumption."

For the study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers surveyed 2,541 teens and young adults ages 15 to 23 on their liking and/or owning of popular songs that contain alcohol brand references, as well as their their ability to recall the brands referenced in the songs. Researchers surveyed the teens and young adults on their alcohol intake, including whether they'd ever had a complete drink, whether they'd ever participated in binge drinking, whether they binge-drink on a monthly basis (or more), and whether they'd ever experienced problems related to alcohol use.

The researchers found an association between being able to identify alcohol brands in songs and alcohol consumption. Specifically, people who could correctly identify at least one alcohol brand in a song had a doubled odds of having ever had a complete drink compared with those who couldn't even identify one alcohol brand in a song.

There was also an association between ability to identify alcohol brand in the songs and having ever participated in binge drinking, though researchers did not find such associations for bingeing monthly or alcohol abuse.

"A surprising result of our analysis was that the association between recalling alcohol brands in popular music and alcohol drinking in adolescents was as strong as the influence of parental and peer drinking, and an adolescent's tendency toward sensation-seeking," Primack said in the statement. "This may illustrate the value that this age group places in the perceived opinions and actions of music stars."

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

BINGE DRINKING MAY SLOW WOUND HEALING - News

2014-04-18T16:00:00Z

Original Source: consumer.healthday.com

FRIDAY, April 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers working with lab mice say they know why people who suffer wounds from accidents or violence while binge drinking may take longer than normal to heal.

The laboratory study replicated a typical pattern of binge drinking -- three days of heavy drinking, four days without alcohol, and three more days of heavy drinking. During the binge drinking episodes, the amount of alcohol was equal to about twice the legal limit for driving.

The researchers found that binge drinking led to major reductions in levels of immune system cells that play an important role in healing wounds. These cells, called macrophages, clear away bacteria and debris.

Having lower levels of macrophages means that a wound is more likely to be infected by bacteria, said the researchers from Loyola University in Maywood, Ill.

They also found that binge drinking lowers production of a protein that recruits macrophages to the wound site, and also reduces levels of another beneficial immune-system protein.

"Together these effects likely contribute to delayed wound closure and enhanced infection severity observed in intoxicated patients," concluded the authors of the study, published online April 1 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

In the United States, 20 percent to 40 percent of hospitalized patients have drinking problems. Alcohol increases the risk of infections in the hospital, including surgical site infections.

Continue Reading: consumer.healtday.com

THESE FOLKS COME TO COACHELLA TO GET .....SOBER? - News

2014-04-14T17:00:00Z

By: Mary Carreon

Original Source: www.laweekly.com

When night falls at Coachella, the sober come out to play

Did you know that, for some people, Coachella represents a big ol' Alcoholics Anonymous meeting?

Since 2009, New Orleans couple Bob Johnson and Jane Smith (not their real names) have led 12 step meetings on the festival grounds for those who, like themselves, are in recovery. They call their group Soberchella.

But one wonders: Is there a harder place to be sober than at Coachella?

The spot is undoubtedly ground zero for folks who want to party their brains out for three days straight. Folks don't call it Drug-Chella for nothing.

But, believe it or not, some people actually go for the music, and that's the case with most everyone involved; they're psyched about the opportunity to see acts like The Cult, The Knife, Nicole Moudaber, Disclosure, Toy Dolls and The Replacements. And just because there's a bunch of drunk and high idiots running around isn't going to stop them.

"I've never heard the serenity prayer with a trap beat at any other group before," says Johnson.

The group met Thursday night and Friday morning in the camping area. (Coffee was provided, of course.) But the main meetings are held inside the festival grounds while the action is underway. The crew - which has grown to almost 30 people strong, mostly from Southern California - spend a half an hour or more talking to each other about recovery.

In the midst of all the chaos is when the group demonstrates its strength by sharing experiences and offering support.

"It seemed like a natural thing for most of us, because going to music festivals is something we enjoy doing and recovery is an essential part of our lives," says Johnson. "Once we did it a couple of times there was no turning back."

Don't get them wrong - the festival environment can be an intimidating place for those in recovery. The goal? "To help people and make them aware that they can be safe," says Smith.

Continue Reading: laweekly.com

'GROWING PAINS' ACTOR JEREMY MILLER OPENS UP ABOUT BATTLE WITH ALCOHOLISM - News

2014-04-10T17:15:00Z

By: In Touch Weekly

Original Source: www.intouchweekly.com

In the new issue of In Touch, Growing Pains actor Jeremy Miller shares his battle for sobriety and what it was like to grow up in front of the cameras.

"I definitely had to grow up faster, being a child star," he tells In Touch. Jeremy, a recovering alcoholic who's been sober more than two years now, says, "You don't really have a choice."

But Jeremy says that it was later in life when his alcohol problem developed.

"I'm not your classic child star gone bad. My problems didn't begin until well after the show, when I was dealing with family stuff and alcohol became a way to suppress painful emotions," Jeremy says.

Sharing his low points, Jeremy recalls, "At my worst point, I'd wake up and rush to the store to pick up a couple of cans of malt liquor. By noon, I'd start working on a bottle of hard alcohol. I'd drink all day, then black out and pass out at night. It was horrible, absolutely horrible."

He now works with patients in the alcohol-recovery program Start Fresh that he went through almost three years ago, to help others get clean.

"I realized what I was doing to my boys. They were scared to be around me. That was the tipping point."

Continue Reading: intouchweekly.com

MY JOURNALS KNEW I WAS AN ALCOHOLIC BEFORE I DID - News

2014-04-07T17:00:00Z

By: Susan Linney
Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

For many years I wrote nightly in a journal, with a pen and a bound book of beautiful empty pages, which I filled fast and furiously before bed.

Then one day, I stopped. As near as I can figure, this quitting occurred around the time Wifi came into my life and my apartment. Instead of bringing my journal into bed with me, I brought my laptop. And while I'm pretty sure I simply meant to shift my personal reflections to the digital writing device I was now using so often, clearly I was an analog-only journaler. It was in 2007 -- ironically, the same year I started a Facebook account -- that my 20-year journaling career came to a screeching halt.

I realized this a few weeks ago, while organizing boxes in my stuffed-to-the-max storage unit. I found one filled with all of my old journals; writing that began in the 8th grade and went right through my 32nd birthday. There were more than 30 various notebooks in that box, of all different shapes, colors and sizes. A 20-year record of some of the most important (and not so important) moments in my life.

I've been pouring over these journals for the past few weeks, and I've realized that the negative voice in my head -- that THING that's so closely tied in with my alcoholism -- existed before I ever drank.

In my earlier entries, the teenage years, there's a pervasive undercurrent of self-loathing. I know that most kids experience the inevitable teen angst "bullshit" (some even come with a body count), but there's something about my writing that goes beyond basic growing pains.

In most of my entries I question my entire being -- not my circumstances (such as, I hate my school, why is everyone so stuck up?, etc). Instead, I cite laundry lists of problems with my character. Things like: "What's wrong with ME? Why am I so different? Why can't I just feel normal? What can't I say what I want to say? Why am I so broken?"

This entry, from October 22, 1991 (I was 16), sums it up the best:

"Why was I born like this? I try so hard to speak, to pull those strings of thought from the pit of my stomach into my throat, but it only makes me choke. I doubt what I have to say makes much difference anyway, but why can't I at least say it? I find safety in silence, but it also makes me hate myself. How can I expect to be or do anything with my life when I'm so afraid of everyone and everything in it?"

Or this poem, written on January 3, 1992:

"She rests her hand on her empty belly
That is starved not of food, but of feeling.
In a light sleep, she can trace the edges of happy memories
But the pictures fade and her open eyes erase.
She frowns and sees her companion birthed by the mirror
And knows that she can only starve for so long
Before nothing molds her into nothing."

OK so the poem is pretty bad. But its basic message is very helpful to me now: I was empty. I was lost. I had nothing inside that excited me. I had no idea who I was. I had no idea what I wanted to be.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

25 YEARS SOBER: OVERCOMING THE FALSE PROMISES OF ADDICTION - News

2014-04-02T18:00:00Z

By: Therese Borchard

Original Source: www.everydayhealth.com

I used to think that once you put down the drink, you were fixed; that once you conjured up the courage to quit your addiction, the hard work was over. But addicts are never really cured. Like cancer survivors, they simply stay in remission for the duration of their lives. There is always a person, place, or thing in their horizon promising them the way to the land of unicorns and fairies, a detour from the painful stuff of life.

"Is it still hard for you to not to drink?" a friend asked me last week, when I celebrated 25 years of sobriety.

"Sometimes," I said, not sure how to explain what addiction looks like in someone's brain, or how addicts think.

"Addiction is a process of buying into false and empty promises: the false promise of relief, the false promise of emotional security, the false promise of fulfillment, and the false sense of intimacy with the world," writes Craig Nakken in his book "The Addictive Personality." It's less about the object of the addiction--vodka, pot, Marlboro Lights, Hershey bars, Starbucks, the married woman you need to sleep with--and more about the process of filling the hole in the soul, the chronic ache that all addicts have in common.

I have gotten used to a life without alcohol. Having quit before I graduated from high school, I have survived all social functions of my adult life without a glass of merlot in my hand--even the awkward business ones where I didn't know a soul and was the only one in a cocktail dress. I have learned how to dress up sparkling water to resemble a martini or some other acceptable cocktail in order to avoid the "Why don't you drink?" conversation.

As Nakken explained, my temptation is to use anything mood altering to get wasted, anything that has a shot of numbing the ache.

I talked with nutritional expert and physician Pam Peeke the other day about her latest book, "The Hunger Fix," which lays out the science to prove that fatty, sugary, salty processed foods produce in a food addict's brain the same chemical reaction as addictions to crack cocaine and alcoholism.

She explained that for those of us who have a genetic load toward addiction, it may be difficult to do anything in moderation. We are programmed to get to that over stimulation point, no matter the element; however, we have the power to change our gene expression. By making lifestyle decisions (exercise, meditation, yoga, good diet) that promote and protect our health, we can "write in the margins of our genome," she said.

Continue Reading: everydayhealth.com

WHEN DID ALCOHOL BECOME A PART OF EVERYTHING WE DO? - News

2014-04-01T18:15:00Z

By: Allison Hudson

Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

When did alcohol become a part of everything we do?

Let me preface this with saying: most of everything I did revolved around alcohol for years. I didn't like being in social situations where alcohol wasn't available. I would drink prior to going out. I would sneak alcohol if it wasn't going to be served where I was going. I always made sure my bar was fully stocked at home. I drank on holidays and family functions. The only reason I ever agreed to go to Chuck E. Cheese with my nephews is because they serve alcohol. Vacations? Forget it. I drank from the time I got there to the time I left. I would have been the mother that had a coffee cup of wine at her kid's ballgames. I would have been the mom to have the girls over for wine before a PTA meeting. I would have served alcohol at my kids birthday parties for the adults. I would have been the mom to drink a bottle or two at home every night just because. I could turn anything into a reason to drink. But I am also an alcoholic.

I see pregnant women drinking out in public often. I've been invited to several Huggies & Chuggies themed baby showers, where you provide the diapers and they provide the beer. Alcohol is served at most all of the major children's music and theater shows. I know because I drank at Phineas & Ferb and Ringling Brothers. I see friend's Facebook pictures of their kid's birthday parties where all the adults have wine or beer in their hands. I know parents who get drunk at home in front of their kids almost every night or every weekend.

So, when did this become accepted as the norm? It certainly wasn't like this when I was growing up.

Baby showers consisted of peanuts, tea sandwiches, cake squares and sherbet punch. I don't recall alcohol being available at the circus. Is that really necessary? It's two hours and you are most likely with children. Birthday parties were about the kids... not the adults. Doesn't seem safe to have a house full of kids with a bunch of drunk adults. But, I guess I get it. A couple years ago, I drank at all of these events and would have been annoyed if it wasn't available. But, then again, I am also an alcoholic.

I am thankful that I grew up with a Mom and Dad who didn't drink. I can't ever recall seeing my parents drink as a kid. I've never seen my Mom drunk, ever. I have only seen my Dad drunk once and I was 23 years old. My Mom would occasionally have a glass of red wine once my siblings and I were all adults. And by occasionally, I mean like one glass a week, if that. She would buy those mini bottles of wine that came in a four pack and would open one and drink half. She never bought a regular-size bottle because there is no way she would have drunk it before it went bad! As an alcoholic, that is something I can't wrap my head around.

When my brother, who died from an overdose in April 2012, was trying to stop drinking in June 2011, my Mom stopped as a way of supporting him. She never made a big deal about it, but I noticed she stopped drinking all together. I told her recently that it didn't bother me if she ever wanted to have a glass of wine or something and she said, "No, I don't want any part of it. Alcohol has done a lot of damage to our family." Alcoholism took the life of her son and then there's me, the alcoholic. So, I can only imagine how she must view alcohol and what it has the ability to do to people... especially her family.

When I got back from rehab, I wasn't sure how I would be in social situations. I wasn't sure I would know how to act in a social situation without alcohol. I was so used to having alcohol as a social lubricant to get me through anything that I didn't want to do or that caused me anxiety. I wasn't sure how I was ever going to do a lot of things sober. For instance, my family decided that they all wanted to go to the Dixie Stampede at Christmas. Shoot me now, I thought! This sounded like an absolute nightmare. I couldn't have imagined going to that sober! Old Allison would have had to be tanked to sit through it. But what I realized sitting there watching horses relieve themselves in front of us while eating a whole rotisserie chicken with my hands and drinking sweet tea from a plastic boot is -- that these are moments with my family, especially my five young nephews -- that I want to be present for. I mean, who would want to forget all that?! My nephews had the time of their lives. And these are the times that they will always remember about their childhood. Doing things sober isn't going to kill me. And I have come to realize, I actually enjoy things I used to hate.

I missed out on so much from drinking. Even though I was physically there, I was never really present for a lot. And I am not even referring to the times I would black out or pass out and miss or not remember events completely. I am just talking about all the birthday parties, family dinners, vacations, holidays, or just random nights doing nothing with my family... all the times I drank just because I didn't know how to be in situations without drinking.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

MATTHEW PERRY TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT - News

2014-03-25T18:00:00Z

Original Source: www.thefix.com

Following in the footsteps of Russell Brand and other Hollywood performers in recovery focusing on being of service, Matthew Perry will use his star power to help raise money forThe Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston this coming May.

The former star of "Friends" will share how he overcame alcoholism and addiction at The Waggoners Foundation Speaker Series' 31st Annual Spring Luncheon. Taking place on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at the Hilton Americas-Houston, the luncheon will benefit the expansion of recovery-oriented treatment options for the Houston community.

Since finding the path of long-term recovery from prescription drug addiction and alcohol abuse, Perry has shared his struggles in public hoping his example will help promote the benefits of sobriety. The actor has traveled the country speaking about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and advocating changes to the national drug policy. Raising awareness about the disease of addiction, Perry has said, "A lot of people think that addiction is a choice. A lot of people think it's a matter of will. That has not been my experience. I don't find it to have anything to do with strength."

The degree of untreated drug and alcohol problems in Texas is staggering. The President and CEO of The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, Mel Taylor, cited the findings in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavioral Health Barometer: Texas, 2013 study that less than five percent of people with such problems in Texas actually ever seek help. Taylor expressed his gratitude for Perry's support. "It's through folks like Matthew Perry coming to Texas and speaking out about these issues that we will inspire others to seek the help they need," he said.

Continue Reading: thefix.com

FIVE THINGS EVERY YOUNG PERSON SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DRUGS AND ALCOHOL - News

2014-03-25T17:15:00Z

By: Theodore Caputi

Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

2014 may very well be the most tumultuous year for drug and alcohol research and policy in recent history. The CDC has declared the rise in opioid (heroin and prescription painkiller) abuse a national epidemic, and more people are now dying from prescription drug overdoses than automobile accidents. States are legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana -- legislation that, just a few years ago, could never have gained any traction. New advancements in drug and alcohol prevention, intervention and treatment programs occur nearly every day.

So what does all this mean for teens and college students today? Here's what you need to know.

1.    The opioid epidemic is big news.

If you get nothing else from this article, get this: opioids, including prescription painkillers like hydrocodone and oxycodone as well as heroin, are among the most serious drugs out there. Most people know heroin is a serious drug, but many don't see the peril in prescription painkillers. Because painkillers have a legitimate pharmacological purpose, many teens, college students and adults alike start taking these pills without fully understanding their danger. How bad could a drug be if your dentist gave it to you when you had your wisdom teeth removed? The answer? Pretty darn bad. In fact, more people now die from prescription painkillers than from heroin and cocaine. Combined.

It didn't used to be this way. Ask your parents. Opioids (mainly heroin) were "dirty" drugs, used only by the most serious drug users. Prescription painkiller use has tripledin the last two decades, and it's affecting the inner cities, middle class suburbs and everywhere in between. Because opioids are new to so many communities, people need to realize how deadly and addictive they are.

2.     Even if recreational marijuana is legal in some states, it can still affect your performance and damage your health.

Whether or not you agree with recent legislative changes regarding marijuana, research proves that marijuana use prevents you from performing at your peak. Ask yourself: what are your short and long-term goals? Do you want to do well in school? Are you passionate about something you want to change in the world?

Marijuana seems harmless enough. (True, marijuana overdose is unlikely.) But marijuana can interfere with your motivation and cause you to fall behind on your goals. Most of the young people I know who have stopped using marijuana are happier and better off for it. Further, even if overdose is unlikely, marijuana use is associated with addiction and other long-term health consequences.

Just because marijuana is legal in some places doesn't mean it's the right decision for you.

3.     In a potential overdose situation, call for help.

Overdose is a real danger. It's one of the leading causes of death among teens, and a big part of the problem is under-reporting. We've all been in that situation. We're at a party, and some kids are binge drinking or using drugs. A few kids are throwing up in the bathroom, and you find a guy passed out on the couch. Great party, huh? But does this guy on the couch need help? He'll be fine, right?

Please don't make that decision on your own. Trust me, calling the authorities is worth it -- worth embarrassing yourself, worth stopping the party and even worth getting in trouble. Just log on to International Overdose Day's website to see how "worth it" calling 911 is.

NOTE: Many states and college campuses have a "good samaritan" rule that will prevent you from getting in trouble for reporting a potential overdose.

4.     Overdose isn't the only thing we're worried about.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

MINDFULNESS THERAPY HELPS PREVENT DRUG AND ALCOHOL RELAPSE - News

2014-03-24T22:30:00Z

By: Andrew M. Seaman

Original Source: www.reuters.com

(Reuters Health) - A treatment program incorporating mindfulness meditation is better over the long term than traditional approaches at preventing relapses of drug and alcohol abuse, according to a new study.

One year after treatment for substance abuse, far fewer participants who got relapse-prevention training including mindfulness techniques had used drugs or alcohol compared to those given relapse-prevention therapy alone or a standard 12-step program.

"Addiction is really a tough one," Sarah Bowen told Reuters Health. "The relapse rates remain really high even after decades of work by the best scientists out there. We need to keep looking at more options."

Bowen, from the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors at the University of Washington in Seattle, led the new research.

"We need to keep looking at innovative approaches of addiction treatment," she said. "I don't want to say mindfulness is better for everyone, but it's another option."

Bowen and her colleagues write in JAMA Psychiatry that about 11 percent of people in the U.S. with substance abuse problems seek treatment every year, but between 40 percent and 60 percent relapse.

Relapse prevention therapies are meant to help people avoid falling off the wagon after they're released from an intensive treatment, such as a rehabilitation program, or "rehab."

Traditional approaches to reducing a person's risk of using drugs and alcohol again include a 12-step program based within a support group structure that emphasizes abstinence.

Another popular approach to relapse prevention is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches people how to confront and cope with particular situations, such as refusing drugs and alcohol.

The mindfulness-based approach builds on that kind of relapse prevention program by also teaching self-awareness through meditation. Those techniques allow people to understand what drives cravings and better deal with the discomfort they can create.

Another recent study determined that mindfulness meditation helped stave off chocolate cravings, for example, by letting people distance themselves mentally from the feeling of craving (see Reuters Health story of March 13, 2014 here: reut.rs/1m3Jr2P).

For the new study, Bowen and her colleagues recruited 286 people who had successfully completed substance abuse treatment and randomly assigned them to participate in one of three treatments for eight weeks.

One group did a standard 12-step program, another group did a cognitive-behavioral-based relapse prevention program and the third group did a program combining relapse-prevention with mindfulness techniques. All the therapies were administered through group sessions.

The researchers then followed the participants for 12 months to see how many used drugs or alcohol.

After three months, participants in all three groups were performing similarly. But after another three months, both of the relapse-prevention groups began performing better than the 12-step program participants. At the one-year mark, the mindfulness-based relapse-prevention therapy outperformed the other two approaches.

About 9 percent of the participants in the mindfulness group reported drug use after a year, compared to about 14 percent in the 12-step program group and 17 percent in the traditional relapse-prevention group.

Only about 8 percent of the participants in the mindfulness group also reported heavy drinking after a year, compared to about 20 percent in the other two therapy groups.

Continue Reading: reuters.com

'WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE AN ALCOHOLIC,' SAYS NO ONE EVER - News

2014-03-13T18:00:00Z

By: Allison Hudson

Original Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

I came across this picture of my younger brother, Will, and I on the day of my college graduation. He had just finished his sophomore year. Look at us. Our futures were bright. We had the world at our fingertips. You can see our happiness in our eyes. They haven't been jaded with the realities of life yet. I look at these two and think they don't a have clue of how good they have it and how bad it's going to get.

Will and I were always close growing up. We all were. I took my big sister role very serious, especially since he had such a baby-face look to him. I was super protective of him and nothing changed once he came to college. If anything, I was even more protective since we didn't have any other family around us.

Neither Will or I drank in high school. We weren't rebellious teens. We both had good grades and got accepted to some great colleges. We were popular with our friends and played sports growing up. We went to church every Sunday with our family. We had a mother and father who loved each other and loved us. We had an older brother and and younger sister. We shared the middle child role quite nicely. We ate dinner at the table as a family every night. We took family vacations. What I am getting at is we had it made. Not a worry in the world.

I knew how Will drank in college. It was no different from how I drank. It was actually no different from half of how everyone else in college drank. I didn't know that he or I drank alcoholically. I didn't know the signs, so therefore I didn't see any of the signs. I didn't know anything about the disease of alcoholism. We laughed off the frequent blackouts, nights of passing out in parking decks, trips to the emergency room, broken teeth and black eyes.

The sad part is this seemed normal. Guess what? None of those things are normal. In college, we didn't suffer any major consequences other than the occasional hangover, so it didn't seem like a big deal.

I look at this picture with such sadness and regret. All I can think is, "Man, if I could go back and tell these two then what I know now." Because knowing what I know now could have saved his life and years of unnecessary misery for us both.

So what would I tell them?

I would tell them that no amount of alcohol or drugs will ever change the meaning of life. I would tell them that as soon as they try to control their drinking they have already lost control of it. I would tell them that if and when they honestly want to stop drinking and they find they can't, seek help immediately and don't be ashamed of that.

I would tell them to open their eyes to how beautiful life is. I would tell them to do the next right thing always. I would tell them that God is much cooler than the one they grew up understanding, and to find Him and befriend Him. He's about love and tolerance and forgiveness. In every situation, ask yourself if your decision will bring you closer to God or further away. And always choose to be closer. I would tell them that no matter what mistakes they make, it doesn't define you. It is never too late to reinvent yourself.

I would tell them that there is always, always someone who knows exactly how you feel. You are never alone. When you start walking towards darkness -- run! Run far, far away. Don't hide. And like Dr. Seuss says, "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter." Be your authentic self. As cliche as it may sound, love and honesty are always the answer. Understand and practice gratitude in all situations, good and bad. Surround yourself with genuine people. And when you mess up -- because you will mess up -- know that everything is going to be okay. It's never as bad as you think it is. I would tell them that life is short. Really short. Whether we die at 29 or 89, it's short. Don't hold grudges. Apologize. Forgive. Pray. Change the things you can and accept the things you can't.

I would tell them to be more open with their feelings. Accept them. Feel them. Experience them. Don't run from them. Don't try to escape them by numbing them with alcohol and pills. Feelings will not kill you. Drugs and alcohol will.

No one wants to be an alcoholic. No one wants to be an addict. We were all kids at one time who had big dreams. None of us grew up thinking it would be fun to struggle with addiction. None of us grew up with the dream of being the most popular girl in rehab. But the thing is, you don't see it coming. And by the time you do it's usually too late. You are so deep into your addiction that the kids in the picture -- those kids with hopes and dreams and bright futures ahead of them -- are just a vague memory. Some of us make it and some of us don't. Luckily, those of us who choose recovery get a second chance to find that happy kid inside of us. But unfortunately, that isn't the case for many.

LEA MICHELE: CORY MONTEITH "WAS NOT HIS ADDICTION," "MADE ME FEEL LIKE A QUEEN EVERY DAY." - News

2014-03-12T19:15:00Z

By: Zach Johnson

Original Source: www.eonline.com

Lea Michele wants to ensure that people remember Cory Monteith for his decency, not his demons.

The Glee star covers the April 2014 issue of Seventeen and opens up about her late boyfriend, who died of an accidental drug overdose less than a year ago. "I only have happy memories of Cory. He was not his addiction--unfortunately, it won. But that wasn't who he was," the 27-year-old says of the fallen star. "Cory made me feel like a queen every day. From the minute he said, 'I'm your boyfriend,' I loved every day, and I thank him for being the best boyfriend and making me feel so beautiful."

The "Cannonball" singer decided to release her debut album, Louder, on March 4 for a special reason. "Just think about it: we're going to 'March fo(u)rth.' We're going to march forth like a cannonball," Michele says. "I try my best to march forth and live my life as best as I can for me. I also feel an incredible, happy responsibility to keep the memory and light of [Cory, who] was the most amazing person. I'm so happy to make it my journey now to continue on and live my life as best as I can."

Michele implies Monteith's death took her music in a different direction. "I set out to make a really pop-heavy album that was fun and empowering--I love Katy Perry and KellyClarkson!" she explains. "But then I found myself picking and writing these songs that were very emotional and dramatic. Louder has songs that express extreme love and some pain. I look at it and think, That was my year. I didn't record any songs that I didn't completely relate to."

Though she's eager to pursue her solo career, Michele is still close to her famous co-stars.

"[The Glee cast] is the greatest group of people I have ever met in my entire life! We all lost Cory. I didn't think for one minute that being away from them was what I wanted," she tells the magazine. "Being on the set of Glee is no more difficult than being at home and finding [Cory's] slippers under the bed. We had a life and a job together--it goes with you everywhere you go. You can't get away from grief. So I might as well be surrounded by the people I love and get to lean on them."

Continue Reading: eonline.com