| Educators brainstorm how to curb drug abuse
Educators from 35 schools across the state gathered at a Keefe Tech conference yesterday to trade ideas on battling substance abuse among students. ``You'll always have drugs and alcohol in high school,'' said Bill Phillips, who oversees a statewide program based at Keefe Tech to help kids facing alcohol and drug addiction. That program - New Beginnings - has been presented to an estimated quarter-million students over the last two decades, and offers kids ways to fight drug abuse, violence prevention and halting other risky behavior. Phillips gets funding from a $200,000 grant and credits state Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Brighton, for his support. ``There are a lot of kids doing well,'' he said. ``But there are kids not doing well.'' During the conference, principals, coaches, social workers and other staffers reviewed ways to help kids facing drug and alcohol addiction.
Marking National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Imagine a nation in which a deadly but treatable disease is taking its toll on more than 5 percent of the population. One that is wreaking havoc with the lives of millions of men, women, and children, but only 20 percent of the people who need treatment are receiving it. Would we help?These are the statistics that prevail in the U.S. today. The disease is alcohol and drug addiction.Alcohol and drug abuse disrupts families, threatens the safety of our neighborhoods and ruins the lives of countless men, women and youths. During September, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, we recognize the damaging effects of substance abuse and renew our support for individuals battling to overcome addiction.The theme for the 2006 Recovery Month campaign is "Join the Voices for Recovery: Build a Stronger, Healthier Community." It is always our hope that the campaign will urge all Americans to help prevent alcohol and drug abuse and to promote treatment and recovery options.Recovery Month is a national public education campaign developed by the U.S.
Consulting life's experiences: Drug rehabilitation counselor draws on ...
It is hard to find many individuals who will say their job saved their life, but Marvin Horn, drug rehabilitation counselor at Russellville's Freedom House, credits his workplace for just that.
A self-proclaimed alcoholic, Horn was not shy to tell The Courier how Freedom House not only helped him to beat his own addictions, but has also provided him with a fulfilling career.
Horn first entered treatment at Freedom House in January 1985 and has now been involved with the rehabilitation center for more than 20 years. At age 43, he enrolled at Arkansas Tech University, where he received a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation. Horn has also done some graduate work at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in rehabilitation science.
When asked to describe what he does at Freedom House, Horn quickly explained his job in one sentence.
Genes behind drug addiction tracked
Chinese scientists have found a way to track genes and biological pathways linked to drug addiction, unraveling potential ways to treat drug abuse and disorders.
"We have found 396 addiction-related genes and identified five pathways that are common to addiction to four different substances: cocaine, opium, nicotine and alcohol," the director of the center for bioinformatics of the life science college under Peking University, Wei Liping, told China Daily yesterday.
"The research provides a more complete picture of drug addiction, as genetic factors contribute to about 60 percent of the vulnerability to drug addiction," she said.
Wei said identifying common pathways meant that treatment targeting these pathways may be more effective for a wide range of addictive disorders.
Epilepsy Drug Holds Promise as Treatment for Alcoholism
TUESDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A drug used to treat epileptic seizures could be added to the short list of medications prescribed to help alcoholics control their addiction, a new study suggests. The drug topiramate proved measurably better than a placebo at helping alcoholics stay away from heavy drinking, the study authors said. "Not only is there an effective new treatment, but there's a medication that you can take at the time of crisis. You can start immediately when you need help," said study author Dr. Bankole Johnson, chairman of the University of Virginia's Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. For many alcoholics, treatment is no different than it was 50 or 60 years ago: They must rely on their own willpower, often with the help of groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Addiction genes can be tracked
NEW DELHI: Chinese scientists have devised a novel technique to identify genes and other biological pathways associated with drug addiction.
Their work attains significance as it may pave the way for potential ways to treat drug abuse and disorders.
"We have found 396 addiction-related genes and identified five pathways that are common to addiction to four different substances: cocaine, opium, nicotine and alcohol," the China Daily quoted Wei Liping, the director of the centre for bioinformatics of the life science college under Peking University, as saying.
"The research provides a more complete picture of drug addiction, as genetic factors contribute to about 60 per cent of the vulnerability to drug addiction," she said.
She said that tracking common pathways gives the hope that the effectiveness of therapies that target such pathways may be boosted to treat a wide range of addictive disorders.
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