Category Archives: Drug Dependency

The Dawn Farm Education Series, a free annual workshop series providing helpful, practical information about chemical dependency, recovery, family concerns and related issues, will return for 2012-2013. This year's series will include new programs and will revisit previous favorites. The series is organized by Dawn Farm, and programs are presented by Dawn Farm staff, physicians, university professors, social workers, therapists and other experts. The presentations are designed to have broad appeal for diverse audiences, and all are welcome. Dawn Farm is located at 502 W. Huron in Ann Arbor. Dawn Farm staff said the education series is designed to reduce the misinformation, secrecy, shame and stigma that prevents people with addictions and their families from getting help and getting well and to help create a community culture that supports recovery. New programs include the topics of "Suicide prevention and recovery from addiction" by Dawn Farm therapist Raymond Dalton and "Collegiate recovery programs: supporting second chances" by University of Michigan Alcohol and Other Drug Policy and Prevention Administrator Mary Jo Desprez. The series will kick off with "Addiction 101" by Dawn Farm President Jim Balmer. Also returning will be a program program on intervention by best-selling authors and intervention specialists Jeff … Continue reading →

By Pamela McGowan Health reporter Last updated at 13:07, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 Experts are warning of the dangers of cannabis after a number of recent cases involving the drug. Paul Brown Last week an inquest heard how 22-year-old John Robson, of Whitehaven, died when his car crashed at 120mph. Tests showed he had been smoking cannabis, which coroner David Roberts said may have played a part. A few days earlier, Carlisle man Lee Maddison admitted in court that he had been smoking the drug since he was just eight resulting in a habit costing him 100 a day. A judge told the 27-year-old, who now suffers from mental health problems, that his cannabis dependency was probably to blame for his psychological issues. Now local drug experts have issued a warning about the dangers of cannabis which they say is often wrongly portrayed as a safe drug. Paul Brown, of the Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (CADAS), said he was particularly concerned to hear that someone as young as eight was using cannabis. Go here to read the rest: Experts warn about dangers of cannabis … Continue reading →

By Pamela McGowan Health reporter Last updated at 13:07, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 Experts are warning of the dangers of cannabis after a number of recent cases involving the drug. Paul Brown Last week an inquest heard how 22-year-old John Robson, of Whitehaven, died when his car crashed at 120mph. Tests showed he had been smoking cannabis, which coroner David Roberts said may have played a part. A few days earlier, Carlisle man Lee Maddison admitted in court that he had been smoking the drug since he was just eight resulting in a habit costing him 100 a day. A judge told the 27-year-old, who now suffers from mental health problems, that his cannabis dependency was probably to blame for his psychological issues. Now local drug experts have issued a warning about the dangers of cannabis which they say is often wrongly portrayed as a safe drug. Paul Brown, of the Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (CADAS), said he was particularly concerned to hear that someone as young as eight was using cannabis. See the article here: Cumbrian drug experts warn about dangers of cannabis … Continue reading →

Published: 6:55AM Friday August 10, 2012 Source: BANG Showbiz The ex-husband of Amy Winehouse is on life support in a British hospital after an apparent drink and drug binge just over a year after the untimely death of the "Rehab" singer, Britain's Sun newspaper reported on Thursday. Blake Fielder-Civil, 30, who was married to Winehouse for about two years until 2009 and was widely blamed for fueling her own addiction to drugs, was found choking on his vomit last week after a drinking session and a reported dose of heroin, The Sun said in an exclusive report. His girlfriend Sarah Aspin told the newspaper that Fielder-Civil had suffered multiple organ failure and that doctors had put him in a coma. "I'm praying he'll survive but I'm having to prepare myself that he may never wake up," Aspin was quoted as saying. Winehouse was found dead in her London home on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27 from what officials later determined was accidental alcohol poisoning. There were no illicit drugs in her system. Winehouse's father Mitch asked for prayers from his daughter's fans. "Terrible news about Blake this morning. Remember Amy loved him. Let's pray for his recovery. … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Galenea Corp. and CHDI Foundation, Inc. announce the extension and expansion of their collaboration to further characterize the synaptic dysfunction apparent in Huntingtons disease (HD) utilizing Galeneas proprietary synaptic transmission drug discovery platform. Galeneas innovative platform is providing significant new insights into the disease mechanism, and the collaboration will now focus on extending these findings in order to specifically target this mechanism to discover novel therapies for HD. As we and CHDI had anticipated, our platform is well suited to unraveling the synaptic dysfunction in HD and ultimately the discovery of synaptic-based therapeutics, said David Gerber, PhD, VP of CNS Research at Galenea. We are very pleased with CHDIs decision to extend and expand our collaboration. The findings in the first phase of work were very compelling, and we see the potential for completely new approaches to this devastating disease. Mark Benjamin, DSc, Galeneas President and CEO added, CHDIs scientific leadership in this area and the inclusion of their new animal models of HD will greatly enhance the program. Dysfunctions in synaptic transmission, the fundamental process by which neurons communicate, play a critical role in many central nervous system diseases, including HD. Mutant huntingtin … Continue reading →

A long journey filled with drug and alcohol use, arrests, homelessness and hospitalization has turned into recovery and a hope for the future for a graduate from the Solano County Dependency Drug Court. Angel Moyer, 32, a wife and mother of three, openly shared Wednes-day about her methamphetamine and alcohol addiction and how it nearly destroyed her family. It wasn't until the third time Fairfield police Officer Steve Trojanowski arrested her for driving with her children in the car after drinking alcohol that she realized things needed to be different. "I was less than a mile away from home, and he was just doing his job," she said. "It was probably the best thing that could have happened." After being removed from her home and entering rehab, Moyer came under the wing of the Dependency Drug Court. The program provides intensive judicial monitoring to Solano County parents who have a dependency case and who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. "They had faith in me," she said. "They adjusted the program around my mental health needs." Moyer explained that suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, attributed to severe childhood trauma before she was a teenager, and bipolar disorder were the … Continue reading →

The Hindu A protest against unethical clinical trial in Bhopal. A file photo: A. M. Faruqui. The ministry of health and family welfare has published draft rules for the amendment to the Dugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 along with the draft guidelines for deciding financial compensation in cases of drug trial-related deaths. The Drugs and Cosmetic Rules (4th amendment) mainly aim at regulating the Ethics Committees (ECs) by adding section 122-DD and Schedule Y-1 to the original rules. On the other hand, the draft guidelines published by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) seek to determine the quantum of financial compensation to be paid in case of clinical trial related injury or death. The ministry has sought public feedback on both the draft rules (notified on July 17, 2010) and the draft guidelines (published on August 03, 2012) within 45 and 30 days respectively from the dates of publication. The draft Drugs and Cosmetic Rules (4th amendment) propose to make the registration of Ethics Committees mandatory and lay down detailed guidelines and requirements for the registration process. An EC is an important, though much abused, institution in the drug-trial process. It is responsible for reviewing the drug trial protocol, … Continue reading →

Drug users in Dhaka are opting for injectable pharmaceuticals I think [methadone treatment] is very important for Bangladesh. It has been very well received by the beneficiaries and the success rate is good, said Tasnim Azim, director of the HIV/AIDS Programme at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b) in the capital, Dhaka. Buprenorphine was intended to be used to wean injecting drug users, also known as people who inject drugs (PWID), from narcotics like heroin, but has itself become a substance of addiction, with users injecting a liquid form of it. In Bangladesh, the buprenorphine available in the [illegal] drug market is only in the injectable form, said Kunal Kishore, project coordinator of the drug and HIV prevention programme at the South Asian office of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in New Delhi, India. In countries where buprenorphine is used as medication in Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST), it is available only at approved treatment centres, and only in tablet form. Substitution therapy is used to wean users from the substance to which they are addicted by replacing it with a substance that has similar effects, under medical supervision. The illegal use of pharmaceutical substances, … Continue reading →

The annual Dawn Farm Jamboree celebrates recovery from chemical dependency with a free event that includes entertainment for the entire family, from 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 9 at Dawn Farm, 6633 Stony Creek Road, Ypsilanti. The celebration features live music by NoteWorthy, hayrides, a live and silent auction, children's tent and midway, food and beverages and a chance to interact with farm animals. September is designated National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month for individuals, families and communities around the country to celebrate recovery. Admission to the jamboree and all activities are free. The jamboree also provides an opportunity to support the community services provided by Dawn Farm, the only nonprofit program of its kind in Washtenaw County and one of the few in the state that provides care for young people with drug and alcohol problems. All donations made during the celebration will support the organization's mission of providing professional care for people with alcohol and other drug addictions who lack resources and need help. The celebration features live music by NoteWorthy, hayrides, a live and silent auction, children's tent and midway, food and beverages and a chance to interact with farm animals. September is designated National Alcohol … Continue reading →

A unique coalition of government officials, law enforcement agencies, and social service providers announce the opening of an innovative new facility designed to divert people with a mental illness or drug dependency crisis from our local jails and hospital emergency rooms and into King Countys Crisis Solutions Center (CSC). The Crisis Solutions Center is a unique 16 bed facility located in the Jackson Place neighborhood of Seattle. The Center, combined with a longer term respite facility and mobile crisis team, is one of 37 strategies funded by the King County Mental Illness and Drug Dependency Sales Tax, a fund created by the King County Council to support new or expanded mental health and chemical dependency programs throughout King County . The CSC is designed to provide immediate mental health and chemical dependency services to individuals who are in crisis. Individuals can be diverted to the CSC by either police officers in the field, hospital ER staff or first responders in order to avoid involvement in more costly systems such as jails and hospitals. The CSC includes a crisis diversion program where an individual can stay for up to three days (16 beds), and an adjoining program where individuals who need … Continue reading →