Casper, Wyo., will host its seventh annual Methamphetamine and Substance Abuse Conference on January 6th and 7th at the local Parkway Plaza Hotel. The event is designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of methamphetamines, in particular "crystal meth" or "meth." According to event coordinators, meth is a drug that affects the entire state of Wyoming.

The event will feature 13 speakers, including agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a federal judge, directors of substance abuse treatment centers, a college professor, a psychologist and former NFL football player Tony Mandarich. Their presentations will address various topics, including drug abuse prevention, treatment, education, medical research and patient care. The event will also provide information on steroids, prescription drugs and alcohol.

Police Chief Tom Pagel, who will deliver the opening remarks, commented on the event: "We are bringing the information to the public and then they have a responsibility to learn from it."

(Source: www.trib.com)

Labels: methamphetamines

A new study by Johns Hopkins University suggests that repeated use of the club drug Ecstasy can significantly increase young adults' risk of developing sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. The disorder is connected to a variety of health problems, including a decrease in cognitive functioning, increased risk of diabetes and increased risk of death from heart disease.

Ecstasy users claim that the drug enhances intimacy, decreases anxiety and can even assist with some forms of psychotherapy. However, the Johns Hopkins researchers found that Ecstasy may actually poison neurons that produce serotonin, a hormone involved in regulating breathing during sleep. Study participants were healthy young adults with no other known risk factors for sleeping disorders who had taken ecstasy at least 25 times in the past.

Lead researcher Una D. McCann, M.D., commented: "We know that abusing drugs can have numerous harmful effects. Our findings show yet another reason not to use ecstasy. Our subjects were otherwise healthy young adults, so this is a very surprising finding."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: club drugs, ecstasy, sleep apnea

New research indicates that medication used to treat drug addiction may be useful in treating gambling addiction.

Gambling addiction, or pathological gambling, is a condition in which a person people will continue to gamble in spite of significant negative consequences to themselves and their families. The study, conducted by Dr. Jon Grant of the University of Minnesota, indicates that pathological gamblers may respond positively to medications designed to treat impulsive or urge-driven behaviors.

Dr. Grant and his colleagues enrolled men and women with a primary diagnosis of pathological gambling into one of three medication studies. They then used tasks that measure cognition to explore the triggers and motivations for extreme gambling behavior. The researchers attempted to understand the gamblers' urges to bet in the context of two brain processes: urge and inhibition.

The researchers were able to separate pathological gamblers into two categories: those driven by urge (those who gamble when the desire to do so becomes too strong to resist), and those who lack normal inhibition of impulsive behaviors (those who cannot restrict behaviors even when urges are minimal).

Dr. Grant commented on the findings: "By understanding these different subtypes [of gamblers], we are able to target the core biology of the illness with individualized treatment. When we look at pathological gambling as an addiction and try to understand the sense of urge and inhibitions, we are able to target the treatment with medication more effectively."

The study findings were presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's annual meeting.

(Sources: www.wiredprnews.com; www.psychcentral.com)

Labels: gambling, medication, substance abuse, treatment

According to a Pentagon health survey released this week, about one in four U.S. soldiers admit to abusing a prescription drug within the year prior to the survey. The survey, which included more than 28,500 U.S. troops, indicated that about 20 percent of Marines had abused a prescription drug within the last year.

In both cases, pain relievers were the most frequently abused type of prescription drug as well as the most abused drug in the military. Pain relievers are used illicitly about three times more frequently than marijuana or amphetamines, the next most-abused substances. Between 2005 and 2008, painkiller abuse among soldiers soared. Reported use within the 30 days prior to the survey increased from 4 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2008. Reported use within the previous year increased from 10 percent in 2005 to 22 percent in 2008.

The survey also indicates an alarming rate of binge drinking, especially among Marines. About 60 percent of Marines reported binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row at least once per week.

Experts believe that the study's findings indicate the immense toll that fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 has had on troops. Many troops have been required to serve in multiple combat deployments within the past seven years.

Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, director of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, commented: "We are aware that more prescription drugs are being used today for pain management and behavioral health issues. These areas of substance abuse along with increased use of alcohol concern us."

(Source: www.usatoday.com)

Labels: binge-drinking, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse

Contrary to popular belief, drinking coffee does not counteract the effects of alcohol, according to a new study. The opposite is true, in fact -- coffee may make it more difficult for drinkers to know when they are drunk.

The study, conducted by researchers at Temple University, utilized mice as subjects. Mice who received doses of both alcohol and caffeine did become more alert but still exhibited impaired judgment and learning, such as an inability to avoid things they should have known would hurt them.

Thomas Gould, Ph.D., study-co author commented: "The myth about coffee's sobering powers is particularly important to debunk because the co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.

"People who have consumed only alcohol, who feel tired and intoxicated, may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk. Conversely, people who have consumed both alcohol and caffeine may feel awake and competent enough to handle potentially harmful situations, such as driving while intoxicated or placing themselves in dangerous social situations."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol, caffeine

Scientists are adding to existing knowledge concerning the pain-relieving and addictive properties of morphine.

A new study, appearing online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, provides information on the role of star-shaped cells found in the brain and spinal cord in interacting with morphine. These cells, known as astrocytes, are the most abundant cells in the brain. They were previously thought to only prop up nerve cells (neurons) and keep them in proper position.

New data suggests, however, that astrocytes respond directly to morphine by developing increased levels of nine different proteins that play a role in maintaining normal neuron functioning. This shows that the astrocyte cells have an active role in the brain's chemical reactions to morphine.

The authors note: "These proteins, after additional detailed study of their function, may serve as a potential marker of drug addiction, or may be the targets for potential therapy."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: morphine

Experts fear that addiction in Russia is reaching such epidemic proportions that it may threaten the country's social and economic future. Russia has a long history of dealing with alcohol abuse, but now intravenous drug use has also hit frightening levels.

Heroin is one of the primary drugs taken intravenously in Russia. Heroin use is relatively new to Russia compared to the United States, exploding into popular culture there as recently as the 1990s. The drug caught on amid post-Soviet Union uncertainty, and the already unbalanced social structure was ill-equipped to handle to new problem.

In recent years, heroin from nearby Afghanistan has saturated the country. Russia's top drug enforcement official, Viktor Ivanov, blames the United States. Ivanov believes that the U.S. should institute aerial drug crop eradication programs in Afghanistan, similar to those currently funded by the U.S. in South America. Ivanov says that the U.S. is indifferent to the situation because drug production in Afghanistan is not an immediate geographical threat to the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia is suffering under the influx of heroin.

Ivanov commented, "Given the damage by Afghan heroin, we have to call it a weapon of mass destruction, selectively attacking the young, the future of our country."

Currently, Russia has one of the world's highest rates of drug-related deaths at approximately 80 deaths per day. Alcohol-related deaths comprise more than half of these, most often from alcohol-related accidents, violence or poisoning. In addition, Russia's population has been steadily declining since the 1990s, the result of depressed birth rates and growing death rates.

The Russian government does administer drug treatment programs, but Russian citizens are skeptical about their effectiveness. Methadone is illegal in Russia, and government programs seem to rely heavily on medication and appear to offer little in the way of counseling.

Denis Prokin, 32, went through several government-run addiction treatment programs only to start using again. Like many Russian addicts, he has abandoned government treatment to try a 12-step program run privately by a recovered heroin addict.

He feels that his treatment in the private program will give him the skills to stay clean: "The government programs I went through just isolate you and pump you full of pills. I didn't learn anything about myself. I got out and immediately started shooting up again. I know a lot more now, and when I finish here, I know where to find support groups."

(Source: www.scpr.org)

Labels: addiction, heroin, treatment

A Santa Rosa, Calif., man received a sentence of life in prison this week for murdering his mother.

Christopher Anthony Lavis, 43, was living with his mother while battling an addiction to methamphetamines. Lavis pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Constance Elizabeth LaSalle, as well as two weapons charges. LaSalle was stabbed over 45 times.

Lavis stayed in his mother's condo for 10 days after the murder, ordering take-out pizza three times. He was finally arrested in San Francisco on Oct. 10, 2008, after he was detained for not paying for a meal at a restaurant. Santa Rosa police discovered LaSalle's body in the condo on Sept. 27, 2008. Sonoma County prosecutors reported the Lavis must now spend at least 26 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

(Sources: www.sfgate.com, fugitive.com)

Labels: addiction, methamphetamines

New evidence suggests that using fruit flies to conduct research on the nature of addiction and substance abuse may yield some valuable insights.

According to a new study appearing online in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists report that fruit flies provide a simpler and more convenient model for studying the neurological effects of cocaine abuse and abuse of other substances. The scientists state that although mammals have been useful in the study of addiction, they are relatively complex research subjects that introduce unknown variables into any research effort.

The study confirmed that fruit flies, which are biologically similar to mammals, can be reliably used to study the effects of cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and methylphenidate, as well as related addictive behaviors.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, substance abuse

According to data from the United Kingdom's National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, 1,645 women entered treatment for cocaine dependence for the first time in 2008, and three-quarters of these women were under the age of 35.

Women ages 18 to 25 who were dependent on cocaine were the fastest-growing group being treated, according to the agency's figures, and the average age of first use of cocaine was 21. Although heroin and crack addiction is declining overall in the United Kingdom, the number of women under 35 entering treatment for cocaine addiction has increased by 60 percent in the past four years.

Martin Barnes, chief executive of the charity DrugScope, commented on the data: "These figures are a reminder that cocaine use and cocaine problems cut across genders. Recent evidence shows a marked increase in the number of women and men using the drug, meaning that the number of people seeking help for cocaine-related problems is likely to continue."

Last year in the United Kingdom, women represented approximately 25 percent of adults receiving substance abuse treatment (about 55,600 women). About 15,440 of these women entered treatment for heroin and crack dependence.

(Source: timesonline.co.uk)

Labels: cocaine, heroin, treatment

During the National Center for Responsible Gaming conference, held last week at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the lack of workplace assistance for problem gamblers employed by Las Vegas businesses was a hot topic.

Punam Mathur, NV Energy vice president of human resources, who spent 13 years as a senior vice president at MGM Mirage, commented: "How do we communicate or educate our employees about these issues? The answer is: We don't."

Although Las Vegas is the center of the gaming industry, local employee assistance programs rarely address problem gambling, according to Carol O'Hare, executive director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. Although there is no evidence that problem gambling is a bigger problem in Nevada than other areas of the country, some experts warn that the sheer accessibility of gambling in the state should warrant increased vigilance by employers against problem gambling behavior.

(Source: www.lasvegassun.com)

Labels: education, gambling

According to a biomedical researcher at the Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, mothers who abuse painkillers during adolescence may predispose their children to becoming addicted to those same substances.

Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.

"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"

According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.

(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)

Labels: addiction, genetics, painkillers