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Last week, startling statistics were released about women and driving under the influence (DUI). According to the report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 28.8% more women were arrested for DUI in 2007 than a decade earlier. In contrast, men’s DUI arrest rates went down 7.5% during the same period. Read more about…
Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs (MASAP), Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (MAPSA), Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery (MAAR) and AdCare Educational Institute of Maine are co-sponsoring some free trainings for people that are concerned about alcohol and drug related problems in Maine and would like to make a difference by advocating for prevention,…
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) just launched an outreach program that includes an online screening tool and other resources for physicians. Called NIDAMED, the program aims to educate doctors around screening patients for drug use in order to identify problems before they turn into full-blown addiction. Doctors often cite lack of time with…
A recent study showed that brief interventions in the doctor’s office can reduce alcohol use in postpartum women. In the study, 8,706 women were screened at their 6-week postpartum doctor visit. The women were given either “usual care,” defined as “receipt of a booklet on general health issues but no specific counseling,” or brief intervention.…
The Marin Institute is having a contest to combat the bombardment of beer ads viewed during the Super Bowl. Called the Free the Bowl Contest, Marin will award prizes like a Macbook laptop and iPods to the creators of the best 30- to 60-second anti-beer ads. Why the contest? According to the Marin Institute’s website:…
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released the results of their National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIII: Teens and Parents. It’s the 13th year they’ve done the back to school survey. This year, they’ve identified “problem parents” as increasing the risk that teens will smoke, drink…
A new study coming out of the University of Minnesota has shown that sharing regular family meals makes a positive impact on girls that seems to last throughout their teenage years. Those middle school-age girls who ate dinner with their families at least 5 times per week were much less likely to drink, smoke or…
Anheuser-Busch announced yesterday that they have stopped production of caffeinated versions of its Bud Extra and Tilt malt beverage products and is reformulating them to remove caffeine and guarana, both stimulants. The decision to stop selling these alcoholic energy drinks was part of an agreement with 11 state attorneys general, including Maine’s AG Steve Rowe,…
A nationwide survey, being released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), shows that more than half of the teens surveyed admitted to underage drinking and 40% of those teens got free alcohol from an adult. Among the youngest teens, girls were found to drink slightly more than boys, consistent with…
Screening for a drug or alcohol problem in the doctor’s office seems like a logical and appropriate thing to do. However, only 8.7% of problem drinkers report receiving such screening or advice from their doctors. Physicians now have an incentive to do Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) because this service is now billable: American Medical…