On Monday, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) announced its official “long definition” of addiction. This new definition is notable because addiction is now defined as a chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavioral issue. In fact, the new definition doesn’t have anything to do with the substance being used or the frequency…
Crossroads for Women for Women recently presented at the NIATx Summit and SAAS National Conference in Boston. Along with The Recovery Center at Mercy Hospital and Youth Alternatives Ingraham, Crossroads for Women presented “Residential Treatment Redesign: Lessons from the Portland, Maine Residential Services Consortium Project.” Budget pressures in the state of Maine left treatment providers…
Hazelden recently released a two-page report entitled Women and Substance Abuse (April 2011) through the Butler Center for Research. The Research Update illustrates some of the physiological and psychological differences women experience when it comes to substance use. Physiological Differences The report notes that research has shown us that women differ from men when it…
The amount of substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain reliever abuse* rose sharply – from 2.2% to 9.8% – between 1998 and 2008, a federal report recently showed us. And Maine made the very top of the list for having the highest percentage of residents being treated for painkiller addiction. According to the Substance…
A recent analysis of the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), showed some alarming trends with teenage girls’ perceptions of drinking alcohol and drug use. Some key findings included: More than two-thirds of teen girls responded positively to the question “using drugs helps kids deal with problems at home” (an 11% increase from 2008) More…
The Maine Substance Abuse Services Commission recently released the first ever report card that measures how well a state is doing in addressing alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and recovery related issues and needs. The report card was modeled after Join Together’s “Blueprint for the States: Policies to Improve the Ways States Organized and Deliver…
A recent article found on CNN.com talked about how living with chronic pain can hurt personal relationships. Michael E. Geisser, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan, states in the article, “It has been shown that relationships in which one partner has chronic pain tend to be more strained, have…
A recent study coming out of England shows that highly educated, professional women are more likely to drink heavily. According to researchers from the University of Lancaster, the higher the household income, the higher the alcohol consumption among women. The study looked at female alcohol consumption in the U.K. and Denmark, where excessive drinking is…
Hazelden, a national nonprofit organization that helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction, recently launched a campaign called “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction.” The campaign was inspired by a national survey, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for Hazelden, that found parents’ honesty about their own drug and alcohol use when they were young…
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…
