Drug News

DRUG REHAB – USA
Kelly Osbourne regrets putting parents through drug hell – San Francisco Chronicle
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The singer-turned-reality TV star battled an addiction to painkillers for more than five years and she endured three stints in rehab before finally kicking her habit in 2009. She has since managed to turn her life around and restore her image, but Osbourne admits she is ashamed of her rebellious behavior and will always feel bad for putting her mom Sharon and dad Ozzy through so much torment.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Probe is needed connect-the-dots in pharmaceutical industry – Kansas City Star
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The latest was an 18-year-old Shawnee girl who began taking OxyContin at 13. Each pill cost $20 to $40, explaining why this is predominantly a middle-class addiction. That’s also how heroin entered the picture as the teen’s addiction increased. It’s cheaper. The girl is now in her second week of rehab. “I don’t think the drug companies necessarily care, nor do they see my end of this. It needs to be exposed.”

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
One teen’s story of breaking free from addiction – Buffalo News
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Some teens become addicted to drugs in high school and spend their whole lives dependent on them.

ALCOHOL – USA
Our View: Deaths bring us, again, to alcohol culture – Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
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Changing a statewide propensity for alcohol abuse is a big, long-term matter that requires a combination of efforts to move things forward. The biggest part of making a change, as ever, has to come from culture. There’s no magic new law or program and no perfect public health campaign that will cause us all to recognize the serious risks that come from the culture of binge drinking.

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
LA House considers welfare drug testing again – WAFB.com
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Sherman Mack would mandate that 20 percent of all recipients should be tested, and if they fail they would have to go to drug treatment in order keep getting benefits.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Obama declares war on drugs, state cuts rehab programs – WGAL.com

In light of Obama’s recommendation, proposed cuts to treatment programs in Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget have some worried about drug treatment programs in Pennsylvania. Hundreds of people in need of human services urged Corbett to not cut their funding Tuesday evening in a packed Community Center in Silver Spring Township. “I believe I would have been in jail or dead.”

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Children pay cost of family alcohol abuse – Sydney Morning Herald
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Children are the victims of alcohol-related harm in more than one-fifth of Australian households. Most were harmed by family members or by other relatives, and the rest by the drinking of family friends, neighbours, coaches, religious leaders or others, according to the study published in the latest edition of the international journal Addiction.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Addiction Diagnoses May Rise Under Guideline Changes – Pittsburgh Post Gazette‎

In what could prove to be one of their most far-reaching decisions, psychiatrists and other specialists who are rewriting the manual that serves as the nation’s arbiter of mental illness have agreed to revise the definition of addiction, which could result in millions more people being diagnosed as addicts and pose huge consequences for health insurers and taxpayers.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Children increasingly bear brunt of drug-abuse crisis – Daytona Beach News-Journal
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Every hour, a baby is born in the United States addicted to prescription painkillers. Once born, the babies have to be weaned off the drugs. The Associated Press recently documented the case of a newborn less than one month old, named Savannah, who had regular does of methadone dripped onto her tongue.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
‘She’d Stockpile Drugs So She Wouldn’t Run Out’: New Details of Whitney Houston’s Drug Habit, Spent Thousands of Dollars a Week – Fox News

So, why didn’t her friends and family step in? “The family was afraid of the embarrassment on some level and wouldn’t confront her early on. Her mother would always say, ‘I don’t understand this drug thing.’ And she didn’t. They let it get too bad before they understood she needed serious help, and then it was too late.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Changes could save drug addicts’ lives – Orange County Register

At 12:49 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2010, Matt Koegel, a buddy of San Clemente resident Joey Kennedy, called 9-1-1 to report that his pal had overdosed. Afraid of getting arrested, Matt didn’t mention that he had partied with Joey for two days and left him, snoring, on the lonely road in the dark. The dispatchers puzzled over the call. Was it just another prank? But the confusing report was true. The son of a San Clemente couple, James and Teri Kennedy, was indeed dying from a lethal mix of Xanex and methadone, an opiod.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Sox pitcher Price suspended 50 games – WEEI.com
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Red Sox minor leaguer Mathew Price was suspended for 50 games due to a violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program by twice testing positive for a drug of abuse. Major League Baseball announced the suspension today.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Drug-addicted babies another casualty in prescription drug abuse – Chillicothe Gazette.
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While some expectant mothers with addicted babies say they didn’t realize their legal prescription drug use could harm the baby, many others are addicted and unable to quit for various reasons.

ALCOHOL – USA
Are my Detroit Tigers serious about alcohol abuse or not? – Times Union

I’m a Detroit Tigers fan so this is difficult to ask, but is my favorite team soft on booze and bad behavior? I’m starting to wonder, and I’ll bet others are, too. My concern stems most recently – but not exclusively – from left fielder Delmon Young’s arrest last weekend.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse abetted by family, friends: study – Reuters
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More than 70 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers obtain the drugs from friends or relatives, usually with permission and for free, according to a government study released on Wednesday.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Alcohol education efforts hurt by insurers’ denials – Times Union

Up to half of the people treated at hospital emergency departments and trauma centers are under the influence of alcohol, experts say. That might be a sobering statistic, but a recent study found that emergency departments can help capitalize on this “teachable moment” to discourage problem drinking.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Suncoast Rehabilitation Center Takes Narconon Drug Rehab Program To RX Drug Abuse Summit – PRWeb

Suncoast Rehabilitation Center took the Narconon Drug Rehab Program information to the National RX Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando where over 700 participants from around the country meet to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Drug use, abuse or addiction? – Wicked Local

My parents own pharmacies (my father’s is in Attleboro and mother’s is in Plainville). Both have had their share of robberies from persons suffering from drug addiction.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Son of addicts, Malone grad turned life around – Canton Rep

At 13, Rodney Long Jr. had priorities. He made sure his younger sister, 4, and brother, 8, had cereal to eat. He often ushered drug dealers and partiers out of his house. And, when a visit from Summit County Children’s Services was pending, he cleaned.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Maine’s Drug Abuse Epidemic Poses Dilemma for Pharmacists – MPBN News
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Escalating diversion and abuse of prescription drugs has put the state’s pharmacists in a tough position. Customers with legitimate chronic pain problems depend on them for timely, reliable access to their medications. But these days, keeping powerful narcotics in stock puts pharmacists at risk of being robbed or duped by fraudulent prescriptions.

ALCOHOL REHAB – USA
Saint Jude Announces The Number One Reason People Fear Alcohol Rehab – PRWeb

“Fear of Failure–This is probably one of the greatest fears regarding rehab.” One of the first steps of the commonly known 12 step program, that are taught at majority of alcohol and drug rehabs in the United States is, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.” In addition, these individuals entering treatment are taught that relapse is part of recovery. This negative message gives substance users the expectation they will fail.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/HEROIN – USA
Prescription drug, heroin abuse growing in Montgomery County – Washington Examiner
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Heroin and prescription drug abuse is soaring in Montgomery County, particularly among school-age kids, according to county police. The most popular party pills are painkillers, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, which many kids are swiping from their parents’ medicine cabinets.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Portable Methamphetamine Lab Blows Up In Suspect’s Pants – The Inquisitr

An Oklahoma state trooper stopped an SUV for speeding in Okmulgee County. When the trooper gave the driver a ticket, he caught a whiff of a chemical smell. When the trooper attempted to question the passenger about the smell, he bailed, apparently with meth leaking down his leg. After a brief struggle it was determined there was an active meth lab in his pants that burst during the struggle and got all over his body.

COCAINE – USA
TSA screeners charged in LA drug trafficking probe – Times Union

Two former and current Transportation Security Administration employees have been arrested and indicted on drug conspiracy charges for allegedly allowing large amounts of cocaine and other drugs to pass through security screening at Los Angeles International Airport. Seven people face drug-related charges in a 22-count indictment.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Demi Lovato Opens Up About Drug Abuse: ‘Being A Celebrity Can Be Dangerous – ‎Huffington Post

But the part-Mexican singer, who spent three-months in rehab in November 2010 … how peer pressure and loneliness led her to experiment with drugs in 2010.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse bill wins final passage – WSLS

Kentucky lawmakers have passed a measure that’s intended to curb prescription drug abuse in a state where more people are dying from overdoses than car wrecks. A compromise passed by the House and Senate would require all physicians in the state to use a prescription drug monitoring system so they can more readily spot addicts seeking painkillers.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Saint Jude Retreats Announces Length Of Stay In Drug Rehab Does Matter – PR Web
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The amount of time a guest stays in an alcohol or drug treatment center greatly impacts the outcome of the individuals success in that program.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Experts say communication key to preventing alcohol abuse among teens – Tri Cities
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Communication is the key to preventing alcohol abuse among teenagers. Many teens are exposed to the temptation of underage drinking at an early age, 40 percent of eighth-graders have tried alcohol and one in four is a binge drinker. Around 20 students, school staff and community members gathered for an evening town hall forum entitled “Start Talking, Before They Start Drinking” at Tennessee High School.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Free from drug addiction, former Menard High star returns to baseball – The Town Talk

The young man whose life on drugs careened and collapsed to such a degree that, at one time, he was homeless and nearly committed suicide, has shaken the addiction.

COCAINE – USA
Rihanna Showcases Drug Use, Refuses Rehabilitation? – Christian Post

Rihanna, 24-year-old Barbadian pop singer, recently posted pictures to her Twitter account that showed her breaking down what appeared to be drugs on the head of a man whose shoulders she was seated on in order to see above the crowd

DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT – USA
Veterans who complete intense treatment can have court charges expunged – Post Gazette

Together there are now 80 veterans treatment courts nationwide. In Pennsylvania, recidivism among program participants is just 1 percent. The statistics are even better in Allegheny County, where Judge Zottola can brag about having no recidivism among veterans whose cases he’s heard in treatment court.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Early-intervention program helps teens with alcohol, drug abuse – Longmont Daily Times Call
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Through the clear eyes of sobriety, John Vandegrift looks back on his drug use and sees it for what it was: a coping mechanism. The 21-year-old Littleton resident said he began smoking marijuana as a high school freshman, and two years ago he moved to heavier substances. Heroine became his drug of choice.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Teen Deaths Related to Prescription Drug Abuse Skyrocket – Madison Patch
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Although many teens might otherwise shy away from illegal street drugs, more and more teens are turning to prescription drugs and over the counter medicines to get high.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol abuse hits home – The Western Australian

When my uncle Fred walked into a room, he filled it with warmth and positive energy. People gravitated towards him. He was the sprightly adult who piled us kids — his three children and me — in the back of the Subaru and took us on rollicking adventures to Ningaloo Reef, Rottnest or Kalbarri. He was a pillar of strength, in peak physical condition, a terrific father and had worked his way up to achieve a senior role in a major government organisation. He was all of this and more — until alcohol took it away.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – CANADA
Doctor wants action on First Nation drug crisis – CBC News

Some First Nations say 80 per cent of their population is hooked on prescription painkillers. Prescription drug abuse in northern First Nations is a health emergency that chiefs and doctors say Health Canada refuses to take seriously.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG REHAB – USA
‘Nurse Jackie’: Jackie Meets Her Match in Rehab – Hollywood Reporter
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Now that Nurse Jackie’s Jackie Peyton has admitted she has a problem, the drug-addicted nurse will take the next step and head to rehab during Sunday’s episode of the Showtime dramedy.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin vaccine won’t ‘cure’ what ails addicts – LA Times

The idea of an anti-addiction vaccine is not new. For nearly 40 years scientists have been working on vaccines against all kinds of addictions, including nicotine, marijuana and alcohol. There are even trials of vaccines to prevent obesity. None of the anti-addiction vaccines has yet received Food and Drug Administration approval.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse bill dies in Senate – Courier-Journal

The controversial centerpiece of the 2012 General Assembly — a bill to combat prescription drug abuse — died in the Senate on Thursday after weeks of negotiations between the two chambers of the legislature failed to produce a compromise.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Obama Open to Debate on Drug War, But Legalization Is ‘Not the Answer’ – ABC News
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Amid calls from Latin American leaders to legalize drugs, President Obama said today that he is open to the debate but that legalizing narcotics to counter drug trafficking in the Americas could make matters worse.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – SOUTH AFRICA
‘Prohibitionist’ liquor bill angers alcohol industry – Business Day
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A draft bill from the Department of Health that prohibits the advertising and promotion of alcoholic products has been described as “prohibitionist” and “profoundly disappointing” by the alcohol industry.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Experts: ‘Naïve’ teens don’t realize prescription drug dangers – Tampa Bay Online

Teenagers aren’t scared by prescription drugs. Pills must be safe since Mom, Dad and Grandma all take pain killers for chronic pain, they think. And every year, dentists and doctors prescribe them for millions of children with aching teeth and broken bones. Overdoses, addiction and strip mall pill mills dominate conversations in the battle against addictive prescription medications. But adolescent ignorance is increasingly worrisome.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
The Situation in drug treatment – The Hour
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The party is on hold for The Situation. The “Jersey Shore” cast member is getting treatment for prescription medication use. Mike Sorrentino says he’s voluntarily seeking to “take control” of medication he was taking to deal with exhaustion.

COCAINE – USA
Celebrity addicts: Who dies, who survives, and why? – 9NEWS.com
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Singer Whitney Houston’s death last month from accidental drowning from the effects of cocaine use and heart disease throws bright light on a dark corner of the world of celebrities who wrestle with substance abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Vital Signs: Start young to prevent substance abuse – The Daily Progress
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Children who begin drinking before the age of 15 are seven times more likely to develop substance abuse problems as adults. Postponing or preventing children and adolescents from using alcohol is an important way to assure that children will not have to struggle with addiction as adults.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prosecutor: Ex-Miss Russia is getting in pill trouble in NYC drug rehab program – Washington Post

Prosecutors say a former Miss Russia has been hoarding pills to try to get high while in court-ordered drug treatment. A New York City judge said Tuesday that Anna Malova can stay in a residential rehabilitation program for now. But she may have to go to trial if she gets another bad behavior report at a May 1 court date.

BATH SALTS – USA
Local popularity of designer drug bath salts grows – Utica Observer Dispatch
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Dr. Tim Page has seen ER patients on hallucinogenic highs that last for days. Sometimes, they become so violent they need physical restraints to protect them. But they haven’t taken common drugs such as LSD, coke or amphetamines. They have taken designer drugs known as bath salts.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Narconon Freedom Center Actively Supports Governor Snyder’s Efforts to Reinvent Michigan – PR Web
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Narconon Freedom Center, an alcohol and drug rehab facility that also provides community drug prevention education, actively supports Governor Snyder’s efforts to take back Michigan cities overwhelmed by unemployment, drugs and crime.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol abuse contributes to big rise in deaths from liver disease – The Guardian
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Heavy drinking is a major cause of a 25% increase in deaths from liver disease in England in under a decade, according to the government’s specialist NHS unit on terminal care.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Pill mills’ effects showing up in neonatal units, doctors say – Bellingham Herald
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On any given day, more than one-third of the babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Manatee Memorial Hospital have been exposed to drugs. Their mothers have passed the curse of substance abuse to their newborns.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug rehab better option than prison – Vineland Daily Journal‎

Drug addicts who go to prison and don’t get treatment to break their habit come out still addicted and inevitably fall back into crime.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Oklahoma tops in prescription painkiller abuse – New England Cable News

Sherri Carwithin was lying on the hardwood floor of her south Oklahoma City home when police found her body, clad in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. Perched on her chest was her small dog, Patches, who growled at the arriving officers. The 51-year-old woman, who had a history of chronic back pain and prescription drug abuse, last was seen alive four days earlier, when she asked a neighbor to give her a ride to the pharmacy.

DRUG ADDICTION – MEXICO
Children Hired to Work as ‘Mules’ by Mexican Drug Gangs – Fox News

Mexican drug gangs have found a new way to transport drugs across the border. Children are being used as “mules” to ferry drugs across the border into the United States or sell them in a nearby Mexican town. Luis Alberto is only 14 but has the wizened gaze of a grown-up hardened by life. He never met his father, worked as a child, was hired by a gang to sell drugs and then got addicted to them.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse efforts under way in county schools – Mount Airy News

The national statistics are alarming: One in four teens will abuse some form of prescription drugs before graduating high school. Nationwide, 100,000 Americans will die this year from prescription drug abuse. That number translates to 270 per day, or twice the number who will be killed in a car accident. With statistics like these, it’s easy to see why the Surry County Schools has become involved in a county-wide task force to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Workshop aims to disable those enabling drug use – Naperville Sun
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Why won’t Johnny quit using drugs? Don’t ask his family. … factors can keep loved ones from stepping in to start the process of treatment and recovery.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug dependence an epidemic in East Central Indiana – Muncie Star Press
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Since 2009, drug overdoses have caused or contributed to 62 deaths in Delaware County. Add Henry County to the mix, and the two counties have seen a combined total of 77 overdose-related deaths in the past three years. “That’s a significant number, and I think there’s probably a bigger problem than we’re seeing. We’re just seeing the tip of it.”

MARIJUANA – USA
New wrinkle in pot debate: stoned driving – The Seattle Times
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Authorities envision a legal threshold for pot that would be comparable to the blood-alcohol standard used to determine drunken driving. But unlike alcohol, marijuana stays in the blood long after the high wears off a few hours after use, and there is no quick test to determine someone’s level of impairment.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Liquor Law Changes Encourage Alcohol Abuse – Hartford Courant‎

Liquor law reform advocates say liquor stores in Connecticut’s border towns would better be able to compete with stores from neighboring states that are not restricted by our laws. They say expanding store hours, lifting the ban on Sunday sales and repealing minimum price barriers would help Connecticut stores. But the reforms also run counter to countless health initiatives aimed at lowering alcohol consumption. Expanding alcohol availability is a step in the wrong direction when it comes to combating alcoholism and drunken driving.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
9 Hospitalized After Long Island Party Promoting “Blackout” Alcohol Consumption – NBC
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About 1,600 people attended the party Saturday night at the Paramount in Huntington, according to Suffolk County police. Nearly all of those taken out by ambulance crews suffered from alcohol poisoning, said Lt. Joseph Condolff.

HEROIN – USA
Parents finding purpose in heroin deaths – Seattle Today

Parents who have lost children to heroin take some solace in sharing their stories, raising awareness and meeting others who are grieving.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
Wake up parents: Alcohol abuse, other drugs threats to kids – Agri-View
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It’s not rising farm input costs, the animal rights movement or even languishing economies in rural communities that are the most alarming threats to rural America. It’s something way too many farm and rural families don’t necessarily even want to acknowledge. It’s alcohol and drugs.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Suncoast Rehabilitation Center & Narconon Drug Rehab ED Responds to News of Recent Drug 10X Stronger Than Vicodin – Chron.com

Suncoast Rehabilitation Center and Narconon Drug Rehab Executive Director, Tammy Strickling, speaks out with grave concerns over the recent news that Pharmaceutical companies are in the final stages of developing a prescription pain killer 10X Stronger than Vicodin. With the dramatic increase in the large numbers of fatal painkiller overdoses, Strickling asks, “Why the need for another painkiller?”

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Rick Scott to Decide on Random Drug Testing for State Employees – Sunshine State News
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State employees would face the chance of being randomly drug tested once every three months under a bill, SB 1358, the Senate approved 26-14 Friday. The bill would also remove provisions that currently prohibit a state agency from firing an employee for failing the test. Employees who fail a test and are required to participate in an alcohol or drug rehabilitation program would have to pay for their treatment.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Study: Movies that show drinking may encourage underage alcohol abuse – ‎NewsChannel

The scientists gave the kids a list of 50 movies, with a varying number of drinking scenes, and asked them which movies they watched. The study linked the amount of alcohol consumed in the films to the prevalence of binge drinking among the 10-to-19-year old participants.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Addiction costs state more than annual budget – Tulsa World
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Addiction costs Oklahoma and its residents an estimated $7.2 billion a year. That’s more than the state government’s budget of $6.7 billion. That’s roughly $1,900 for every man, woman and child in the state. Enough to create about 273,000 median-wage jobs. Enough to build nine skyscrapers like Oklahoma City’s Devon tower. It’s not just a matter of money. The abuse of street and prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances exacts a terrible toll on people’s health, well-being and quality of life.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
One in 10 Americans Recovering From Substance Abuse – Medscape
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Ten percent of adult Americans (23.5 million persons) consider themselves to be in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse, results of a new survey reveal.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
Herbal incense, ‘bath salts’ rip apart user’s life – Shelbyville Times-Gazette

“I’m not an addict,” Brenda Fogus thought as she consumed herbal incense. “It’s not narcotics. I’m not an addict,” Brenda told the staff at a Georgia treatment center, where she’d been taken after a binge on bath salts which led to a long drive to a city where she had no connections. “I’m clean. I’m not using narcotics.” Brenda was lying. To the world — and herself.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Back2Basics Drug Rehab Facility Now Includes Higher Education Classes in Program – SF Gate

Through the recent incorporation of higher education courses at Northern Arizona University, the Back2Basics long-term sober living program pushes addicts to come out of addiction and go back into the classroom.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – CANADA
The long wait for rehab: Parents watch addicted children suffer, and feel compelled to pay for drugs – Ottawa Citizen

Oxy, we know, can wreck your teenager. It can also ruin your resolve as a parent, leave you with only bad choices, introduce you to shame, failure. Armchair psychologists like to toss around terms like “enabling” and “tough love” as verdicts on the trials of parents coping with addiction in their families. But one thing complicates the equation. Being witness to human suffering.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Christie: Give nonviolent criminal addicts treatment – Philly.com

Calling addiction a treatable disease, Gov. Christie said Thursday that he would mandate treatment for nonviolent criminals with drug dependence, a program that would take at least a year to start. In the meantime, Christie would offer yearlong drug treatment to 1,000 to 1,500 low-level offenders now in prison.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Proposal Attempts Alcohol Abuse Prevention – WOWT.com
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A proposed change in a Lincoln ordinance is aimed at curbing liquor violations before they occur. The proposal would require bartenders and others who serve alcohol to take special training classes. The Lincoln Journal Star reports an estimated 7,000 servers or sellers of alcohol would have to take the hour-long class that is tentatively priced at $20. Topics include the signs of intoxication and how to avoid serving underage customers.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Addiction Treatment Advocates Call for More Alcohol Tax Money for Programs – KTVA.Com

Calling substance abuse an epidemic in Alaska, advocates of treatment and prevention say the key to getting more people help is by increasing the amount of dollars used from the alcohol beverage tax – money they say could save lives. The numbers are quite frankly embarrassing and heartbreaking, with substance abuse playing a role in nine of Alaska’s top ten causes of death.

DRUG REHAB – WORLDWIDE
Can Exercise Help Treat Addiction? – Huffington Post

When an individual is trying to recover from addiction, the body and mind miss whatever was producing endorphins in the brain, responsible for that “high” feeling. Add in everyday stress, which can heighten cravings, and the recovery process can be a knockdown, drag-out fight.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Drinking Games Causing Legal, School Problems for Light, Moderate Drinkers – College Times
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A new study suggests that drinking games – and not the actual act of consuming a moderate amount of alcohol – is getting light and moderate drinkers into trouble with the law and school.

DRUG REHAB – USA
From drug user, dealer to mentor – NewsLeader

Hillcrest student Jacquline Lane, 17, with the support of her great-aunt and legal guardian Lulu Washington, has worked hard to turn her life around. After getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol and realizing she wanted to take a different path, she now volunteers at Boys and Girls Clubs and strives to be a positive role model.

OXYCONTIN / HEROIN – USA
Bill aimed at making opiates tougher to alter, abuse – Wicked Local‎

Ever since OxyContin hit the market more than 15 years ago, drug abusers have found ways to beat the time-release nature of the prescription painkiller to get a fast, powerful high. So many followed the recipe that OxyContin abuse created a new wave of addicts, and fueled an epidemic that led to a resurgence of heroin use. The result – thousands of overdose deaths.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol problems not uncommon among surgeons: study – Reuters
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About 15 percent of surgeons have alcohol abuse or dependency problems, a rate that is somewhat higher than the general population.

HEROIN – USA
‘There is hope’: Local woman tells tale of her heroin addiction – BND.com

She is blonde, pretty and dresses as normal as an elementary school secretary. But just a couple of years ago she was living on the streets with one thing on her mind — heroin. “I can honestly say I loved it from the very beginning,” said Jamie, of Alton.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
How prescription drug abuse costs you money – Money.CNN.Com

More than 36,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2008, the most recent year for which data has been analyzed, according to the CDC, only a few thousand shy of the total killed by car crashes. Of those drug overdoses, prescription drugs were involved in over 20,000 cases.

ALCOHOL – USA
George Huguely trial highlights alcohol abuse among college students – Washington Post
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There’s little question that George Huguely V, the former University of Virginia student on trial for murder, had a problem with alcohol. The alcohol abuse starts in high school, with kids imbibing on the weekends, and frequently grows out of control once they’re out from under their parents’ supervision.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Teens may be boozing less but now they’re abusing the prescription drugs found in home medicine cabinets – CultureMap Austin
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Hey parents, I have some good news and bad news. First, the good news. Your teenagers are boozing less and using fewer street drugs like cocaine and Ecstasy than previous generations. Now the bad news, they’re getting high on prescription painkillers like Oxy and Vicodin.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS / ALCOHOL – USA
Deadly Duo: Mixing Alcohol and Prescription Drugs Can Result in Addiction or Accidental Death – Scientific American
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Prescription drugs and alcohol can be a dangerous combination. Painkillers and booze are perhaps the worst to mix, because both slow breathing by different mechanisms and inhibit the coughing reflex, creating “a double-whammy effect” that can stop breathing altogether. Alcohol also interacts with anti-anxiety drugs (including Xanax), antipsychotics, antidepressants, sleep medications and muscle relaxants—intensifying the drugs’ sedative effects, causing drowsiness and dizziness, and making falls and accidents more likely.