Vivitrol Cuts Relapse Risk in Opioid Addicts
About 2.6 million people in the U.S. are addicted to opioids, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Since 2001, the number of people who have fatally overdosed on prescription opioids has more than tripled, and the … Read more on WebMD

Lamar Odom — Khloe Demanding Trip to Rehab … He's Saying No, No, No!
… us Khloe's doing everything she can to convince him to get treatment for addiction. We're told LO's happy to go to physical rehab, but refuses to deal with his drug demons. We're told Khloe's even suggested an outpatient program, but Odom remains … Read more on TMZ.com

Curbing pain prescriptions won't reduce overdoses. More drug treatment will
In addition, looked at from the chronic pain treatment perspective, studies find that very low percentages of people who do not have previous drug abuse histories become addicted during pain care. In a large study of overdose victims, only 13% had a … Read more on The Guardian

Why the new face of opioid addiction calls for a new approach to treatment
As recently as 2011, more than 300,000 people were still receiving methadone through federally-regulated opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Yet experts argue that what may have … “We don't have a march for alcoholics. We don't have a raffle or Girl … Read more on Yahoo News

Health digest: Miller-Keystone Blood Center schedules drives
Appointments may be made by calling the blood center at 610-926-6060. … Chronic Pain Anonymous meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Reading Health Rehabilitation Center, Room 1, 2802 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, Call 610-207-3716 for information. … Adult … Read more on Reading Eagle

290 DHS employees to make move to Iles Park Place
State officials have estimated 350 to 450 employees and clients could be at Iles Park Place daily for services ranging from development disabilities assistance to alcohol and substance abuse programs. Manko said the timing of the moves has yet to be … Read more on The State Journal-Register

King proposes lifting cap on opioid treatment beds
Angus King, in response to the nationwide opioid crisis, is planning to introduce legislation to raise a federal limit on the number of beds available at drug and alcohol treatment centers. In a visit Monday to the Milestone Foundation on India Street … Read more on Press Herald

Medical marijuana support is growing, Iowa Poll shows
They're pushing to broaden the law, to allow people to obtain marijuana products to treat epilepsy and a range of other issues, including cancer, Crohn's disease, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. The advocates say Iowa should join the … Read more on DesMoinesRegister.com

DC-area news briefs
Wolfe was taken to an area hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening, police said. Bell was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where she died, police said. An investigation indicated that alcohol may have been a … Read more on Washington Post

As You Were Saying…Raise glass to a fairer alcohol tax
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the cost of alcohol consumption in Massachusetts paid by government, including local governments, at 75 cents per drink — or $ 338 per capita. By comparison, the … This special treatment is not … Read more on Boston Herald

In Theory: Should church leaders abstain from alcohol?
Anyone for whom alcohol is a problem needs help and it seems that abstaining is safest, though I have read of treatment programs that allow social drinking. Those in a leadership position such as the ministry should be concerned that their behavior is … Read more on Burbank Leader

Opioid and heroin crisis triggered by doctors overprescribing painkillers
Since 1997, the number of Americans seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers increased by 900%. The prevalence of opioid addiction started rising as long-term prescribing of opioids for chronic pain, a practice encouraged by opioid manufacturers, … Read more on Medical Xpress

Addiction treatment involves immune system to curb dependency
“Our previous studies have shown that TLR4 is responsible for amplifying addiction to opioid drugs such as heroin, but this is the first time we've discovered it has a key role to play in cocaine addiction,” Professor Hutchinson said. Scientists … Read more on helpmeoutDOC News – A consistent flow of medical news

FDA Grants Approval to Drugs Treating Chronic Conditions
Hypoparathyroidism occurs when the body secretes abnormally low levels of the hormone regulating calcium and phosphorus levels, and is associated with heart and muscle issues and seizures, along with kidney problems over the long term. Natpara … Read more on Pharmaceutical Processing

Grant to help combat youth drug abuse in Sumner County
The Gallatin-based organization, which aims to help prevent and reduce youth substance abuse, was one of only seven new recipients in Tennessee of a federally-funded Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant this year. As part of the … Last fall … Read more on The Tennessean

Fighting State's Heroin Epidemic Key To Charlie Baker's Plans As Governor
“If you've talked to some anguished parents about this, you can't help but come away thinking we have to do a better job on this,” Baker said. … She says initially the battle involved alcohol addiction, but has now shifted to include opioid and … Read more on CBS Local

The Army Is Building An Algorithm To Prevent Suicide
There's a long list of factors for suicide — marriage and financial problems, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc. — and each person's mix … With the help of people, the computers are getting … Read more on FiveThirtyEight

How do we stop 'lone wolf' attacks?
Richard Reid, who became known as the "shoe bomber" after he tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001, was also a troubled young man — impressionable, dabbling in minor crime and drugs and ending up in a young offenders' detention center … Read more on CNN

As Debate Rages In Florida, Majority Of Americans Believe The Benefits Of …
But according to Dr. Fernando Branco, Medical Director of the Rosomoff Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center at Miami Jewish Health Systems, who treats patients that have complex and chronic pain – including amputees and patients with spinal cord … Read more on PR Newswire (press release)

Psychedelics: entering a new age of addiction therapy
So one December morning, McGlothlin walked into the research centre at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he took a small, blue capsule and sat in a room listening to classical music. … 70s involving 536 patients, published in … Read more on The Pharmaceutical Journal