Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
Featured Speaker For The September 16th Coalition Meeting Announced, Tom Geist, Tobacco 21
Established in 1996 the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation strives to reduce the terrible toll of smoking and tobacco use through a preventive effort. The belief that tobacco use is a voluntary risk continually undertaken by smokers themselves is belied by the fact that virtually all nicotine use begins in adolescence when experimentation and risk-taking are part and parcel of normal development. That early exposure permanently alters neuro-receptors in the deepest, most ancient parts of the brain that then manifests as ongoing desire or addiction. Preventing that early inoculation requires a concerted societal and political strategy including school-based education, reduced media exposure, counter-marketing, tobacco and smoke free homes and public areas and youth access restrictions. Tobacco 21 vigorously supports all of those efforts in addition to their focus on raising the legal minimum sales age to 21.
To see Tom's presentation, take part in the coalition roundtable, and to listen to legislative and coalition updates, please RSVP below by September 14th.
Opioid Dependence Leads To ‘Tsunami’ Of Medical Services, Study Finds
Julie Appleby August 1, 2016
In one of the first looks at privately insured patients with opioid problems, researchers paint a grim picture: Medical services for people with opioid dependence diagnoses skyrocketed more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014.
The study considers a huge cohort of people who have either job-based insurance or buy coverage on their own. Its findings illustrate that the opioid problem is “in the general mainstream,” said Robin Gelburd, president of Fair Health, a nonprofit databank corporation focused on health care cost transparency and insurance information. “Is the health system preparing for this tsunami of services?” she said.
The researchers used de-identified claims data from insurers representing 150 million patients, looking for diagnosis codes related to opioid dependency and abuse, adverse effects of heroin use, and problems caused by the misuse or abuse of other types of opiates. While heroin is a street drug, other opiates are often prescription medications.They found that much of the increase in opioid dependence occurred since 2011, a period marked by increased attention to the problem and a growing drumbeat by advocates calling on doctors to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions.
Year-over-year opioid results from 2007 to 2014. (Courtesy of Fair Health)
Younger patients — 19 to 35 — were most likely to be diagnosed as opioid dependent compared to other age groups. Dependence is defined by symptoms such as increased tolerance, withdrawal or unsuccessful attempts to quit.
Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer - at least
Arden Dier, July 23, 2016
Health experts are calling for warning labels on booze, like those on tobacco products, based on a new study that finds alcohol is a direct cause of at least seven forms of cancer. Drink only a little? You're still at risk, scientists write in the journal Addiction. After reviewing 10 years' worth of data from agencies including the World Cancer Research Fund, researchers conclude drinking is a direct cause of not just liver cancer, but also cancer of the colon, rectum, breast, oropharynx, larynx, and esophagus, reports the Guardian. "The highest risks are associated with the heaviest drinking but a considerable burden is experienced by drinkers with low to moderate consumption," says study author Jennie Connor. She tells the Telegraph there's actually no safe level of drinking in reference to cancer. As CNET puts it, "you booze, you lose."
Drinking 50 grams of alcohol per day—about 2.6 beers or roughly three 6-ounce glasses of wine—results in a four to seven times greater risk of cancer in the oropharynx, larynx, and esophagus, and a 1.5 times greater risk of the others, compared to consuming no alcohol at all, reports Live Science. Alcohol may also cause skin, prostate, and pancreatic cancer, says Connor, adding the purported benefits of alcohol are "seen increasingly as ... irrelevant in comparison to the increase in risk of a range of cancers." Scientists aren't sure how alcohol causes cancer, but acetaldehyde—the compound formed when alcohol breaks down—damages the DNA of cells in the mouth, throat, esophagus, and liver. The good news: Those who stopped drinking reduced their risk of cancer in the larynx, throat, and liver, with the risk continuing to fall the longer they steered clear of booze. (Good thing we're drinking less.)
Heroin/Opiate Awareness Discussion at BGSU on September 14th
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, Sep 16, 2016, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our Mission: We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition