April 5th is National Alcohol Screening Day in the US. The day aims to raise awareness about alcohol misuse and refer individuals with alcohol problems for further treatment. But who has an alcohol problem? Here are a few stats: Between 2001 and 2002, 8.5% of adult Americans (17.6 million) met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for either…
Last December, SAMHSA announced it’s working definition of recovery, along with a set of guiding principles. The definition was the result of a lengthy process that involved service providers, recovery advocates, and other stakeholders. For reference, the original definition looked like this: Recovery from Mental Disorders and Substance Use Disorders: A process of change through…
March is social worker month. This year’s celebration, hosted by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), is “Social Work Matters,” which seeks to showcase the impact of more than 642,000 professional social workers in America. But, what exactly is a social worker? Many people hear the term, but they might not know what the…
At the end of Children of Alcoholics Week, a new government report was released that showed 10.5%, or 7.5 million, children under the age of 18 live with a parent who has experienced an alcohol use disorder (i.e., alcohol dependence or abuse) in the past year. The report looked at data from the Substance Abuse…
In March, the will give a total of $100,000 to 68 local non-profit organizations in Maine. Right now, they are looking for input from the community to help them distribute the money. That means, with just a few clicks of a mouse, you could help Crossroads for Women win up to $5,000 in grant money!…
New research shows us that the act of binge drinking is more prevalent than initially thought. First, let’s define binge drinking for men and women. For men, binge drinking means drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a short period of time. For women, binge drinking means 4 or more drinks within a short period…
On Thursday, January 12th (tomorrow), the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs will be discussing the elimination of MaineCare coverage for childless, non-disabled adults from the DHHS Supplemental Budget (LD 1746), as proposed by Governor Paul LePage. The work session begins at 10:00am and will be held in room 228 at the Maine State…
Crossroads for Women’ first Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for men will begin this month at its Greater Portland Counseling Center in Scarborough, ME. The IOP will start on January 23rd and will be offered Monday through Thursday from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Since expanding outpatient services to men at the end of 2011, Crossroads for Women’…
SAMHSA recently announced a new “working definition” of recovery from mental disorders and substance use disorders. The definition comes from a year-long effort that involved SAMHSA and several members of the behavioral health care community and beyond. The definition reads as follows: A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live…
A recent article from the Scientific American discusses some very good reasons for gender-specific substance abuse treatment programs. The article talks about studies that have been conducted and illustrate the differences between men and women when it comes to alcohol, its effects and treatment. Among the findings that various studies have revealed: The difference in…
