In the News

Risk of Alcohol-Related Harm Greatest During First Few Weeks of College

college girl beer College freshman, relishing newfound freedom away from home, are at greatest risk of alcohol-related harm during their first few weeks of school, according to an expert at Penn State's Prevention Research Center.

"We see a spike then because anxiety is high, and the rigors of coursework haven't yet taken hold," Michael Cleveland told the Orlando Sentinel.

New college students often are not aware that excessive drinking can lead to fatal alcohol poisoning, as well as accidents, assault, date rape, violence and academic failure, the article notes.

President Issues New Executive Order on Veterans, Suicide and Access to Treatment

veteran family In direct response to the growing awareness of the link between alcohol, drugs and mental health issues and soldier and veteran suicides, President Barack Obama recently signed Executive Order designed to omprove access to mental health services for veterans, service members, and military families.

The Executive Order directs a number of key federal agencies to expand their efforts related to suicide prevention and improve access to alcohol, drug and mental health treatment for military veterans, active service members, and their families.

Study Finds Active Participation in AA Aids in Long-Term Recovery

AA-meeting Recovering alcoholics who help others in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have better outcomes themselves, a new study concludes.

Helping others increases the amount of time a person stays sober, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The findings come from a 10-year study, PsychCentral.com reports. The researchers examined the effects of Alcoholics Anonymous-related Helping (AAH).

Emergency Rooms Learning to Deal with Teens, Young Adults on Designer Drugs

Depressed-teen Emergency room doctors are learning the signs of designer drug use in teens and young adults as the substances continue to grow in popularity, The Miami Herald reports.

Signs that someone has been using "bath salts," or synthetic marijuana, known as "K2" or "Spice," include a glassy look, or psychotic behavior, such as acting as if they are seeing things or hearing voices, according to Dr. Peter Antevy, an emergency room doctor at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

"These don't show up on any drug tests, unfortunately," Antevy told the newspaper. "And kids don't like to admit they've taken them, especially if they're in front of their parents. The only way I know is by asking, simply, 'Are you on K2? Are you taking Spice?' They'll look at me and say, 'Yes.'?"

More Than Half of Fatal Car Crashes Involve Alcohol or Drugs

Drugs-and-alcohol- A new study shows 57 percent of fatal car crashes involve a driver who tested positive for alcohol or drugs.

Alcohol was the most common substance detected, followed by marijuana and stimulants, Reuters reports.

One in five of the 20,150 fatally injured drivers between 2005 and 2009 had multiple substances in their system at the time of the accident.

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