According to a new study long-term drug treatment gives the best results when treating young people with addiction to opioid prescription painkillers. The study focused on 152 oioid addicts between the ages of 15 to 21 for 12 weeks.

The first group took the drug Suboxone for a period of 9 weeks, and then stopped taking it after 12 weeks. The second group took a lower dose of the drug, for only a period of two weeks. After 8 weeks went by, only 23% of those on the drug had positive urine tests which showed they have been using again.

The leader of the study, Dr. George Woody of the University of Pennsylvania, states that currently majority of the treatment programs in the U.S. are on a short-term set-up. The problems these young people are facing are tried to be fixed over a short period of time through detoxification.

According to a new research nicotine dependence severity has increased 12 percent between 1989 and 2006, while the proportion of people classified as highly nicotine dependent has increased 32 percent.

Previous studies suggest that individuals who have less severe nicotine
dependence have already been successful at quitting smoking, which leaves a
larger percentage of patients who are highly nicotine dependent among the
greater tobacco-using community.

Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent. The results were presented at the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians.

SeaHab Inc., a company offering a medically supervised ocean-going alcohol rehabilitation program, is now accepting reservations for its January Caribbean Cruise. The participants travel at Caribbean for 14 days before returning.

The service SeaHab offers is a different and unique way of alcohol rehabilitation compared to traditional chemical dependency centers. SeaHabs medical advisory team consists of a panel of the healthcare industry’s top professionals with 90 years of combined experience in the field of alcohol rehabilitation.

SeaHab Inc. is the pioneer of this exclusive form of treatment of changing the way people think about substance and alcohol abuse rehabilitation. Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is said to be accelerated when spending time in this new healing environment.

A recent study suggests that hospital costs for alcohol or drug abusers can be substantial. Notable was that insurers spend very little on addiction treatment to prevent medical consequences of abuse.

It was found out that 14 percent of people admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1994 to 2002 were alcohol or drug abusers. Of these more than 43,000 patients, the researchers found, about half abused two or more drugs, resulting in hospital costs in 2002 of $28 million.

Twenty five percent abused only alcohol, which resulted in $20 million in hospital costs in year 2002. Treatment costs were risen each year of the study period. The stude was published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

Miracles Inc. - organization providing services to treat and prevent substance abuse - is planning to sponsor a parade to honor recovering addicts as part of the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The parade will consist of people in recovery, their families and community social service providers who help battle substance abuse.

The parade will begin at Miracles Inc. on East Second Street and culminate in Old Town Square. Perfect Peace Christian Church Dancers will perform a “Chain of Recovery,” designed to show how addiction affects and recovery unites people.

Recovery Month is an annual observance that takes place during the month of September and it’s is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CSAT works cooperatively with a myriad of public and private addiction treatment organizations and related entities to identify, develop, and support approaches and programs that expand and enhance treatment services.

Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible. Each September, thousands of treatment programs around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why.

One of the goals of Recovery Month is to educate the public on substance abuse as a national health crisis, that addiction is a treatable, and recovery is possible. Recovery Month shows the benefits of treatment for not only the affected individual, but for their family, friends, workplace, and society as a whole. Accurate knowledge is the key for people to understand the importance of supporting treatment programs, those who work within the treatment field, and those in need of treatment.

An investment of $10 million by the Government of Canada has been recently announced for two treatment initiatives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. These new initiatives are aimed at helping people with complex mental health issues and addiction problems to full recovery.

As part of the National Anti-Drug Strategy’s Treatment Action Plan, these new and comprehensive treatment service initiatives are aimed at helping individuals with complex mental health and addiction problems, with a focus on women involved in the sex trade, living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The first service initiative - an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) - is team of 12 professionals representing the fields of psychology, medicine, nursing, social work, and rehabilitation counselling. The second one, a new Women’s Residential/Day Program, provides 20 abstinence-based treatment stabilization beds at the Rainier Hotel for women who have gone through withdrawal.

“This investment demonstrates our Government’s commitment to help to bring addicts to full recovery and promote healthy life-style choices”, commented Tony Clement, Minister of Health.

Recently a report “Overview of Drug Misuse” provides information on drug and alcohol abuse in Irish cities. The report shows that the amount of addicts entering drug rehabilitation is in huge rise. Last year about 2,621 people were either assessed or treated for drug and alcohol misuse, which is almost two times the amount recorded in year 2000.

Other points one can found in the report are a 2.2pc fall in the numbers asking for treatment for alcohol abuse, about 160 children under the age of 18 were treated for alcohol or drug misuse and one of these, a newborn, was treated for addiction at birth. Despite the falling numbers in alcoholics, it still remains the biggest problem, accounting for 1,453 of clients treated.