A recent study found published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that teens aged 15-17 years-old who had ever mixed alcohol with energy drinks were four times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder than a teen who has tried alcohol but never mixed it with an energy drink. One of the lead…
Details
According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine smokers are more likely to quit when there’s cash on the line. Dr. Scott Halpern from the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues studied over 2000 CVS employees assigned to different smoking cessation programs. They found that offering smokers a cash reward if they quit…
Details
The US government makes efforts to keep up with the constantly changing chemicals used in illegal designer drugs. In 2012 federal legislation banned some varieties of bath salts an amphetamine-like drug. But now manufacturers have altered the chemicals in bath salts to create a stronger, more addictive drug that can be sold legally. This drug…
Details
It’s commonly known that If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby can be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. What is less commonly known is that when a pregnant woman uses illegal or legal opiate-based drugs such as oxycodone, heroin or codeine her baby can also be severely affected. After a baby is born…
Details
What Nietzche said more than 100 years ago is true: “That which does not kill us outright makes us stronger.” Those of us working in drug and alcohol treatment know that this statement is so very true. I hear clients say things like, “I never thought I’d be able to stop using heroin or alcohol,…
Details
Former Secretary of State and current presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, told a group of New Hampshire voters that she will make the “quiet epidemic” of substance abuse and mental health issues a focus in her campaign. Clinton is holding small events in towns across the country to hear about problems affecting communities as she begins…
Details
Dr. Abby Medcalf of New Bridge Foundation® spoke at Piedmont High School to a packed room of parents and some of their kids. The topic was Marijuana and its impact on the developing teen brain. The Contra Costa Times covered the event and their article gives a summary of many of the points covered in Dr.…
Details
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 8% of women will meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. Women’s bodies react differently to alcohol for these primary reasons: Women typically weigh less than men. Pound for pound, women have less water in their bodies than men do,…
Details
Michael Phelps, 18-time Olympic gold medalist, has completed a program at a drug and alcohol treatment center and says that he’s clean and sober and feeling better than ever. Phelps spoke for the first time recently about his arrest and subsequent treatment. Phelps had a second drunk-driving arrest in September 2014 which led to a…
Details
Each April since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month “to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.” This year’s theme, “For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction,” is aimed at educating people about…
Details