Number of Drug Poisoning Deaths Now Rival Motor Vehicle Traffic Deaths

This week’s CESAR Fax from the University of Maryland, College Park’s Center for Substance Abuse Research says the number of drug poisoning deaths now rival motor vehicle traffic deaths.

Nearly as many people die each year from drug poisoning as from motor vehicle traffic accidents, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Drug poisoning deaths are now the second leading cause of death from injuries, second only to motor vehicle traffic accidents.

According to the authors, “Government agencies and other organizations joined together to achieve great reductions in the number of deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the past three decades. . . . Using a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, it may be possible to reverse the trend in drug poisoning mortality”

The number of drug poisoning deaths, which includes deaths resulting from illegal, prescription, and over-the-counter drug misuse, has increased nearly every year since 1980. The most significant increases, however, have occurred in the last two decades. Since 1990, the number of deaths related to drug poisonings has more than quadrupled, increasing from 8,413 to 36,450 in 2008 (the most recent year for which data are available).

This increase is largely due to an increase in drug poisoning deaths involving natural and semi-synthetic opioids.

New Resource Helps Families Navigate Addiction Treatment Options

A new resource, “Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask,” will help individuals and families struggling with addiction ask the right questions before choosing a drug treatment program. It was developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and is available to the public free online or in hard copy through NIDA's DrugPubs service.

"Treatment options can vary considerably, and families often don't know where to begin," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow in a news release. "This booklet highlights the treatment components that research has shown are critical for success, to help people make an informed choice during a very stressful time."

The new publication is based on a NIDA resource describing the principles of drug addiction treatment from a research-based perspective. It recommends five helpful questions people should ask and explains what the research has found to be most effective.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2010 an estimated 22.1 million people aged 12 years or older were classified with substance dependence or abuse in the past year.

Don’t miss Dr. Volkow’s power session “NIDA: Progress and Priorities in Addiction Research” on Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. at CADCA’s National Leadership Forum.

CDC Finds Binge Drinking Worse Among Adults than Previously Thought

The first issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2012’s Vital Signs includes the latest findings on binge drinking from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) which included combined landline and cellular telephone respondents.

The report found that U. S. adults binge drink more frequently and consume more drinks when they do.

Some key points include:

• Thirty-eight million U.S. adults binge drink an average of four times a month.

• On average, the largest number of drinks consumed is eight.

• While more 18–34 year olds binge drink, binge drinkers aged 65 years and older binge drink more often than other age groups—an average of five to six times a month.

• Although more people with incomes above $75,000 binge drink, those with incomes less than $25,000 drink more when they binge. The largest number of drinks consumed averages between 8 and 9 in the lower income group.

• Adult binge drinking is most common in the Midwest, New England, the District of Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii. However binge drinkers in the southern Mountain states (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), Midwest, and some states where binge drinking is less common - including Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina - consume more drinks when they binge.

• Binge drinking is a costly and deadly behavior. Drinking too much, including binge drinking, is responsible for 80,000 deaths each year and cost the U.S. $223.5 billion in 2006, or $1.90 a drink. These costs include health care expenses, crime, and lost productivity.

• Evidence-based strategies exhibited every day by coalitions, can help prevent binge drinking. Binge drinking, defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion, put themselves and others at risk for many health and social problems, including car crashes, other unintentional injuries, violence, liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and both unintended and alcohol–exposed pregnancies.

“Binge drinking causes a wide range of health, social and economic problems and this report confirms the problem is really widespread,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. said in a news release. “We need to work together to implement proven measures to reduce binge drinking at national, state and community levels.”

“Binge drinking by adults has a huge public health impact, and influences the drinking behavior of underage youth by the example it sets,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “We need to reduce binge drinking by adults to prevent the immediate and long–term effects it has on the health of adults and youth.”

Coalition Meetings at New Location

The Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition (MCADC) meetings will be held in a new location in the Marshall County FRN's new office building located at 1501 Second Street in Moundsville, WV. The coalition will now meet in the FRN's new training room (door on the left) and as always lunch will be provided. Please remember to RSVP for all coalition meetings by emailing Jon Lewis at jon.lewis@marshallcountyfrn.com or call at (304) 845-3300. Our next meeting is the Quarterly Meeting with all three branches attending on March 2, 2012 at Noon.

AeroShot “Inhalable Caffeine” Linked to Binge Drinking and Other Health Risks

Breathable caffeine dispensed from canisters that fit in pants pockets is a ‘club drug’ that may be dangerous to youth, according to New York Senator Charles Schumer. The senator wrote Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg asking her to review the safety and legality of the AeroShot Pure Energy caffeine inhaler, a yellow and gray canister of caffeine powder and B vitamins resembling a tube of lipstick. The inhaler is set to hit store shelves in New York and Boston next month.

AeroShot will be sold over the counter with no age restrictions and is touted for its convenience and zero calories. If taken with alcohol, the mixture may have effects similar to caffeinated alcohol drinks tied to hospitalizations in the past, Schumer said. Doctors say it may carry neurological and cardiovascular risks.

“The product is nothing more than a club drug designed to give users the ability to drink until they drop,” Schumer told The Washington Post.

The inhaler is sold online by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Breathable Foods Inc. and The Lab Store, in Paris. AeroShot advertising in Europe focuses on drinking and partying, Schumer said in a statement, adding that he’s concerned it could be a health hazard to teens. The inhaler was created by David Edwards, a professor at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who also invented Le Whif, a calorie-free inhalable chocolate.

AeroShot delivers 100 milligrams of caffeine, the same amount in a large cup of coffee. The caffeine is absorbed in the mouth and digestive tract, not through the lungs, according to a fact sheet from Breathable Foods. AeroShot is priced at $2.99 and is not intended for anyone younger than 12, according to the product’s website.

The company’s claims are unsubstantiated, Schumer said, noting the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the non- medical use of caffeine by children and adolescents. The Elk Grove Village, Illinois-based doctor’s group wrote AeroShot’s manufacturer about concerns over caffeine’s effect on developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems and the potential for the product to exacerbate asthma. Their letter also raises concerns about the potential for the use of this product with alcohol, especially in light of the manner in which it is marketed.