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The Need to Address Game-Day Fan Behavior on College Campuses

Posted by Laura L. Forbes,Tavis J. Glassman on October 12, 2012 at 2:59 PM EDT

Dr. Laura L. Forbes is Chair of the American College Health Association (ACHA) Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Coalition, and Dr. Tavis J. Glassman is a ACHA ATOD coalition member.

The Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Coalition focuses on substance abuse prevention and treatment specific to the college student population. An issue of increasing concern for our coalition is fan behavior associated with college football games. More than a mere nuisance, the high-risk drinking and other drug use associated with game-day fan behavior is a serious public health problem and an issue that universities and surrounding communities need to address.

Scope of the Problem
- The high-risk drinking that takes place on game day is associated with a variety of negative consequences, such as drinking and driving, injury, loss of memory (e.g., blacking out), urinating in public, and vandalism. These consequences are not limited to those actually engaged in alcohol consumption, as non-drinkers also can become victims of secondary negative consequences.
- No research to date has looked at the problem from a national perspective. However, a number of site-specific observational studies have documented the health threats associated with the extreme fan behavior often associated with game day on campus. For example, a 2007 study published in the Journal of American College Health about alcohol-related fan behavior at a large university in the Southeast found that college students and other fans tend to drink more on game day than during other social occasions.
- While anecdotal evidence indicates illicit drug use plays a part in game-day fan behavior, there’s a strong need for research to explore this connection and more accurately determine its nature, scope, and impact on public health.
Guidelines and Recommendations
- Creating a campus coalition/task force to prepare for and manage game-day issues is a fundamental first step in engaging community and campus officials, such as those in Student Affairs, the Health Center, Counseling Center, Health Promotion Office, University Police Department, Athletics Department, Residence Life, student government, and other student organizations.
- After conducting a needs assessment that looks at issues such as campus and/or community readiness and student substance use, the coalition can begin to plan prevention initiatives that include specific educational efforts, policy implementation, and increased enforcement.
Report in Development
- The ACHA ATOD Coalition is working collaboratively with other organizations and stakeholders to develop a report that will offer recommendations to help colleges and universities address the excessive alcohol consumption and related consequences associated with game-day fan behavior.
- As with many other health issues, there is no easy solution to the challenges associated with game-day fan behavior on campus. However, by opening up a dialogue, stakeholders (including students and fans) can discuss, evaluate, and implement measures to address this issue and help make game days on campus safer for everyone.
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[1] Champion, H., Blocker, J. N., Buettner, C. K., Martin, B. A., Parries, M., McCoy, T. P., Mitra, A., Andrews, D. W., Rhodes, S. D. (2009). High-rish versus low-risk football game weekends: Differences in problem drinking and alcohol-related consequences on college campuses in the United States. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 21(2) 249-62.

[1] Glassman T, Werch CE, Jobli E, Bian H. Alcohol-Related Fan Behavior on College Football Game Day. Journal of American College Health. 2007;56(3):255-260.

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Residents and Businesses Unite to Reduce Substance Abuse in Chicago’s Chinatown

Posted by Edwin Chandrasekar, Sandhya Krishnan on October 11, 2012 at 1:16 PM EDT

Chicago’s tight-knit Chinatown enclave is the second-oldest settlement of Chinese Americans and home to over 75,000 Chinese immigrants and refugees. In an effort to develop a comprehensive program for substance abuse prevention there, the Asian Health Coalition banded together with various sectors of the Chinatown community in 2007 to create the Coalition for Asian Substance Abuse Prevention (CASAP), a grantee in the Drug Free Communities Support Program.

Using the principles outlined in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service’s Strategic Prevention Framework as a guide, CASAP aims to prevent adolescent substance use, decrease rates of alcohol and tobacco abuse among adults and youth, and build capacity at the community level to address substance abuse-related issues through a series of environmental and system-level strategies.

Retail access to alcohol is a major contributor to underage drinking, and Chinatown has a high density of stores selling alcohol, with more than 100 liquor stores in a 3-square-mile radius. Police in the area have reported a lack of knowledge and complacency among local businesses regarding proper procedures for serving alcohol. Issues such as excessive alcohol consumption, fake IDs, and serving alcohol to minors remain prevalent problems in the community.

Local assessments have demonstrated there are few resources in Chinatown for adressing this issue, and access to those available is often complicated by cultural and linguistic barriers.

Chicago Police Officer Albert Choi, a member of the Coalition for Asian Substance Abuse Prevention, conducts a Responsible Beverage Server training session in Cantonese.

The Asian Health Coalition recently partnered with the National Restaurant Association, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, and Chinese American Service League to create the first Responsible Beverage Server (RBS) training program in Chinese. The first training session, held in the spring of 2012, attracted over 40 local vendors and servers. Attendees were able to receive free instruction in Mandarin and Cantonese by bilingual trainers from the area who understood the needs of this unique community.

As a result of this collaboration, the National Restaurant Association will make the curriculum available throughout the Nation for Chinese-speaking sellers and servers. Increasing awareness of proper operating procedures will help ensure better compliance among local establishments with state and local laws, create a safer environment, and improve the lives of everyone in the community.

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Addressing Underage Drinking at the Local Level

Posted by Maria Diaz, Danier Piedrahita on October 4, 2012 at 1:22 PM EDT

The Brighton Park Drug Free Community Coalition (Families Against Drugs in Area 58), based in Chicago, just completed our 7th year as a grantee in ONDCP’s Drug Free Communities Support Program. With National Substance Abuse Prevention month upon us, we recognize the importance of being unified across communities to influence a change in the cycle of substance abuse. Recently, our coalition has focused our efforts on the issue of underage drinking. Described below is one of our most recent – and most rewarding – youth events:

An alcohol-free ‘Quinceañera’
For young girls in the Latino community, turning 15 is a special occasion and one meant to symbolize their passage into womanhood. To celebrate this transition, families throw a "quinceañera" for the teen of honor. Once a proud tradition focusing on a girl's faith and values, quinceañeras today have become lavish parties with no shortage of alcohol.

Families Against Drugs in Area 58 decided to go against the norm and challenge parental attitudes, which have accepted alcohol not only socially but also culturally, by throwing a quinceañera entirely free of alcohol.

Participants in the alcohol-free quinceañera.

During the planning of the event, we encountered considerable resistance to our decision not to allow alcoholic beverages. Many adults in the community did not support the idea even though, as we pointed out, the event was geared toward celebrating the young participants while also ensuring their health, safety, and well-being.

We continued with our plans nonetheless and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the girls themselves not only accepted the idea, they were all for it. “I believe we can have fun without any alcohol present,” said one 15-year-old honoree. “Many American teens drink because of peer pressure . . . they think it’s cool. But I don’t think it’s cool.”

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Join Us to Celebrate National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

Posted by R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director on October 2, 2012 at 5:11 PM EDT

This October marks the second annual National Substance Abuse Prevention Month – an observance to highlight the vital role of substance abuse prevention in individual and community health and to pay tribute to the lives lost to substance abuse. The Office of National Drug Control Policy joins President Obama in celebrating National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and encourages prevention efforts this month and all year long to ensure the health of teens and young adults.

Millions of Americans suffer from substance abuse, which includes underage drinking, alcohol dependency, non-medical use of prescription drugs, abuse of over-the-counter medications, and illicit drug use. Approximately 23 million people aged 12 or older used illicit drugs in 2010.[1] This abuse touches all aspects of our communities and contributes to an estimated $193 billion in crime, health, and lost productivity costs.[2]

Prevention strategies targeting the root of the problem are essential to curb drug use and help people lead healthier lives. Early intervention helps prevent substance abuse and reduce the negative consequences of addiction before they occur. Through community-based efforts involving youth, parents, educators, and government officers, we can strengthen the support systems that deter our Nation’s young people from drug consumption and improve both academic performance and workforce readiness.

Each dollar invested in an evidence-based prevention program can reduce costs related to substance use disorders by an average of $18.[3] Recognizing the power of prevention, we released the 2012 National Drug Control Strategy in April to advance the Administration’s efforts to address substance abuse. The Strategy includes new developments in our efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences and outlines a research-based blueprint to reduce the rate of drug use and drug use consequences by 15 percent over the course of five years (2010-2015).

Throughout National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, we will orchestrate Federal prevention activities and support participation in the observance within states and communities. Our collective efforts are the key to building healthy and safe communities across the country.

I hope you will get involved and join others in their prevention efforts during this month. Learn what resources and coalitions are located near you. Visit our prevention page for more information, and read the President’s 2012 proclamation here.

We know that prevention works, and with your help, we can help keep Americans safe and healthy.

[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2011). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Vol. I. Summary of national findings, (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, NSDUH Series H 41, HHS Publication No. SMA 11 4658). Rockville, MD: SAMHSA.

[2] National Drug Intelligence Center.(2011).The economic impact of illicit drug use on American society. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice

[3] Miller, T., & Hendrie, D.(2009).Substance abuse prevention dollars and cents: a cost-benefit analysis. DHHS Pub. No.(SMA) 07-4298.Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Note: This post also appears on the Substance and Mental Health Administration's blog here.

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Cross Post: National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Posted by chardesty on September 28, 2012 at 6:27 PM EDT

Note: This is a cross post from the Department of Justice's blog. To see the original post, please click here.

This post appears couresty of Attorney General Eric Holder.

Tomorrow marks the DEA’s fifth Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. In conjunction with United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country, DEA personnel have set up hundreds of collection sites where citizens can turn in their unneeded prescription medications – at no cost, and with no questions asked.

Already, this program has allowed us to collect over 1.5 million pounds of prescription drugs.

Find a Take-Back site near you.

In recent years, we’ve seen that prescription drug abuse constitutes one of the greatest public safety and public health epidemics of our time, inflicting devastating, long-term, effects on individuals – and destroying families, neighborhoods, and entire communities – all across the country. Studies have shown that more than 52 million Americans have abused prescription drugs at least once during their lifetimes; that every day 7,000 people begin misusing prescription drugs for the first time; and that, in 2008 alone, prescription drug abuse claimed over 20,000 lives nationwide.

As a former judge, United States Attorney, and Deputy Attorney General, I’ve seen the terrible cost of prescription drug abuse. Today, as Attorney General, I’m committed to ensuring that addressing its causes and consequences is – and will remain – among the Justice Department’s top priorities. And I’m proud to report that – over the last three and a half years – this commitment had led us to take bold, coordinated action to protect the American people.

In concert with a range of key federal, state, local, and tribal authorities and partner organizations, the department has begun working to implement effective education, treatment, enforcement, and policy solutions. Through initiatives like our Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs – and thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squads – we’re gaining a better understanding of this problem and we’re moving more swiftly – and more efficiently – than ever before to intervene in the lives of those who are at risk.

Our efforts have been informed, augmented, and strengthened by the work of leading researchers and law enforcement officials who serve on the front lines of this fight – and who have repeatedly shown that, when it comes to preventing, reducing, and combating prescription drug abuse, we stand to benefit from a variety of perspectives and approaches.

Even more importantly, they’ve demonstrated that every individual has an essential role to play in this work. Recent surveys indicate that more than half of those who admit to abusing prescription painkillers said that they got drugs “from a friend or relative for free”– not from their own doctor. This illustrates the critical importance of getting old, unused, or expired drugs out of household medicine cabinets. And it’s why the DEA has begun the Take-Back campaign.

During the DEA’s last take-back day in April, more than 4,200 state and local law enforcement partners collected a record-breaking 552,161 pounds of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

With the help of citizens across the country, we are poised to build on these extraordinary results. By cleaning out their medicine cabinets, the American people can help to clean up their communities. We can stand together against crime. And we can ensure that all of our neighbors – especially our young people – have the opportunity to live in drug-free communities and to lead safe, healthy lives.

Find a Take-Back site near you.

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Cross Post: King County, Washington, Celebrates Recovery Month

Posted by Susan Richardson, National Executive Director of Reclaiming Futures on September 27, 2012 at 4:13 PM EDT

Note: This is a cross post from the Reclaiming Futures blog. For the original post, please go here.

Many of the 29 Reclaiming Futures sites helping communities break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime celebrate Recovery Month, hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) each September. They, along with our King County site, which includes Seattle, Washington, are spreading the positive message that prevention works, adolescent substance abuse treatment is effective and people do recover.

King County convenes a multi-disciplinary planning committee (chemical dependency, mental health and community mobilization) to reach people across cultures and disciplines to reduce the stigma for people in recovery.

They actively develop the Recovery Oriented System of Care model, starting with mental health and gradually including substance use disorders. This year, King County is working with their County Council to include substance abuse disorders in the recovery ordinance so that it becomes a behavioral health recovery oriented system of care. (The recovery ordinance ensures that the publicly funded mental health system in King County is grounded in mental health recovery principles.)

Some of the most heartfelt work occurs on an individual level, in community discussions about self-care and support.

For ten years, King County has sponsored an annual Exemplary Services Awards to publicly honor those who are promoting and supporting recovery. They recognize achievements and advocacy by individuals and programs providing mental health or substance abuse services.

On September 27, King County will honor the poets and artists in recovery who submitted their work for Recovery Month. Christina M. Johanneck's poem below will be featured at the event:

Becoming Real
Recovery
Is a process of Discovery
Resiliency
Is the healing Hope instills in me
My transformation
Is a beautiful affirmation
This adventure
Is an unexpected detour
Every curve, every corner
I yearn to push back a border
Every voice in me
Is a symphony
Repeating, beginning
Harmonizing, Living
Pursuing, believing
My reward is our meeting
We take turns learning, teaching
Connections are earned
By reaching, needing
Giving beyond what is asked
On the path of a bond unmasked.

- By Christina M. Johanneck

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Guest Post: Supporting Recovery in the Native American Community

Posted by Don Coyhis, President and co-founder of White Bison, Inc. on September 25, 2012 at 9:51 AM EDT

Note: This is a guest blog post from Don Coyhis, President and co-founder of White Bison.

At White Bison, our goal is to bring 100 Native American communities in healing and recovery plays a large role in this mission. All of our programs, trainings, and resources are based on the principles, values, and laws found in the Teachings of the Native American Elders and of the 12 Step program. Through my work at White Bison, I’ve learned a lot about addiction and recovery in Native American communities. In honor of recovery month, I’d like to share some of what I have come to believe and understand over the more than 20 years since we founded White Bison.

I have come to believe:
- Alcoholism, substance abuse, domestic, and sexual violence are symptoms of a deeper hurt in our communities;
- Alcohol and drugs are destroying our communities, but we want to recover; and
- Returning to our Native American culture is the key to our recovery.
I also understand that:

In order to heal, we need to understand and implement the Four Laws of Change in our lives:
1. Change must come from within: Healing begins with a desire for wholeness and integrity within oneself. It cannot be initiated by external forces.
2. In order for development to occur, it must be preceded by a vision: When individuals and communities lose their way in addiction and disease, a vision of what could be, of who they truly are, or of the pathway to take is required for transformation to take place.
3. A great learning must take place in our communities: Addiction is fostered by a lack of awareness of the need for healing in the community. This must be overcome by opening the community’s eyes to the need of the community and its members for healing and to the vision of the community as a healing force.
4. We must create a healing forest: This means that the entire community needs to be part of the process of healing from alcohol and drug problems. The community itself must recover in order to support its members who themselves are recovering. Our image for this is of an ailing tree that is removed from a diseased forest, nurtured back to health, and then replanted in the forest. Unless we bring health to the forest itself, the tree will become diseased once again through its association with the forest. If we create a healing forest, this trees will remain well and others will not become ill.
I’ve also come to believe in the concept of ‘Wellbriety.’ Wellbriety is not just about sobriety; it means seeking wellness in all aspects of our lives: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. On August 10^th, I entered my 34^th year of Wellbriety. I proudly stand among thousands of my Native American brothers and sisters who are in recovery. We are returning to the ways of our ancestors. We are learning from our elders, so we may grow and change. We do these things consciously, so that our babies will grow up to be proud, sober Native American adults and elders. Aho.

Don Coyhis is President and co-founder of White Bison, Inc.

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Organization Increases Support for Drugged Driving Laws

Posted by ONDCP Staff on September 25, 2012 at 9:45 AM EDT

The Office of National Drug Control Policy continues to raise awareness and work closely with Federal partners, state and local governments, law enforcement, community groups, and membership organizations across the country to reduce drugged driving in America.

One membership association making great strides in support of reducing drugged driving is the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Participating as a lead organization for ONDCP’s inaugural 2011 Drugged Driving Summit, GHSA has been a supportive partner of the Administration’s drugged driving efforts.

For the second straight year, it broadened its existing policy on drugged driving. On September 6, 2012, GHSA announced its support of drugged driving per se laws and enhanced penalties for driving under the influence of multiple drugs. With drugged driving per se laws, also known as zero tolerance laws, a driver can be charged with impaired driving solely for having a drug is his/her system. Seventeen states currently have enacted these laws. Additionally, GHSA is encouraging states to adopt an enhanced penalty for driving under the influence of multiple drugs, such as a combination of alcohol and another drug, or the combination of multiple drugs (other than alcohol).

“Drugged driving is a lot more complex than drunk driving because there are so many drugs and no national standards like there are for drunk driving. That makes it much more difficult for states to effectively address this growing problem. Drug per se laws are one of the few tools that states can use that will help get drugged drivers off the road.” - Barbara Harsha, GHSA Executive Director

In 2010, a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that among fatally injured drivers who were tested and the results reported, 33 percent tested positive for at least one drug.[1]

Drugged driving is a serious public health and public safety threat and sending a clear, consistent message to states to increase the adoption of per se laws and supporting enhanced penalties will help keep drugged drivers off the road.

To find all state drug-impaired driving laws visit: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/dre_perse_laws.html.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)® is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
1. [1] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drug Involvement of Fatally Injured Drivers. U.S. Department of Transportation Report No. DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010.
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Cross Post: Director Kerlikowske's Statement on Prescription Drug Abuse

Posted by Director R. Gil Kerlikowkse on September 21, 2012 at 2:04 PM EDT

Note: This is a cross-post from The Partnership at Drugfree.org. The original post can be found here.

Last month, I visited a fellow Medicine Abuse Project partner—Project Lazarus—an organization on the forefront of combating the prescription drug abuse problem. Project Lazarus is located in Wilkes County, North Carolina, an area of the country that has borne a disproportionately large part of the burden caused by medicine abuse. While there, I met a group of dedicated people working hard to reduce medicine abuse in the area and across the country—doctors, leaders and law enforcement officers. I have great admiration and respect for all of the people I met at Project Lazarus, but one individual in particular stood out for me.

Donna Reeves is a mother from North Carolina who tragically lost her daughter to a drug overdose in 2006. She spoke of the importance of involving a diverse range of people in the conversation about prescription drug abuse—emphasizing that this problem doesn’t just affect one demographic, but all age groups across the geographic and socio-economic spectrum. Perhaps most importantly, Donna highlighted the urgent need to educate parents on the signs of drug abuse, the tools available to help young people seek treatment and the existence of a life-saving overdose reversal drug, Naloxone. Donna’s message was heartbreaking, but it’s one we must hear: education is one of the most powerful ways to prevent drug abuse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classify prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs like cocaine, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that approximately one-fourth of people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2010 began by using a prescription drug non-medically.

Alarmingly, the majority of new or occasional nonmedical users of pain relievers obtained the drug from family or friends for free or took them without asking. Chronic users were more likely to obtain the drugs from doctors or by buying them. What can we learn from this? We know that securing medicine in the home—and disposing of unneeded pills—can help prevent medicine abuse from ever beginning.

Securing medicines in the home and disposing of medicine properly is an important part of the solution, but it must be accompanied by prescription drug monitoring programs in every state, law enforcement efforts to thwart improper prescribing practices and, of course, education for parents, prescribers and patients.

If you have unneeded medicine in the home, please take advantage of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on September 29th, when the Drug Enforcement Administration will open sites across the country to receive unused prescription drugs—no questions asked. If you’re a parent, please take the time to talk to your children about the harm caused by medicine abuse, and educate yourself on the signs of abuse. Working together, we can build a better future for our country’s young people—free of the pain caused by medicine abuse.

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy

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Guest Post: What We Must Do About Addiction

Posted by Kevin Kirby, CEO and Co-Founder, Face it TOGETHER on September 20, 2012 at 10:44 AM EDT

Note: This is a guest blog post from Kevin Kirby, the CEO and Co-Founder of Face It TOGETHER, a non-profit organization in South Dakota focused on recovery from addiction.

Every September, the ONDCP partners with SAMHSA and a range of public and private sector organizations to celebrate National Recovery Month. I commend the ONDCP for highlighting recovery, and characterizing it as “health, wellness, a sense of purpose, and productive involvement with family and community.” Only through whole society transformation can we break through stigma and achieve a real solution to addiction.

It’s true that stigma gets in the way of recovery for far too many Americans. I had no idea what my problem was for a long time. Outwardly, I had it all: a successful business, a wife of 25 years and respect in my community. But inside, I was dying a slow death. I recall vividly the fear when I realized the root of my problems might be alcoholism.

We need to fundamentally change the way we treat this disease. Medicine has long recognized addiction as a treatable, chronic disease, not unlike diabetes or hypertension. Yet almost everywhere, addiction is treated like an acute health crisis. Real solutions must focus on helping communities understand and treat addiction the same as any other chronic disease.

This would mean awareness programs that are not moralistic but teach people of all ages that addiction is a disease. No fear of reprisal at work so people are motivated to get help at the earliest problem. Services embedded throughout the community to make it easier to enter and sustain long-term recovery. And an insurance reimbursement system supporting chronic care approaches to the disease. This would bring long-term benefits through reduced public health and safety problems and increased economic productivity.

This vision is coming to life in my hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. All sectors – public and private – united three years ago to create “Face It TOGETHER®,” a nonprofit recovery community organization charged with advancing systemic solutions that defy traditional thinking about this disease. Twenty-two of the city’s largest employers have worked together to bring recovery education and peer support services directly into the workplace through chronic disease management programs, reaching one-third of the community’s workforce. The nonprofit’s work is financed by delivering defined value propositions to the private sector in exchange for sustainable funding streams. We plan to rollout the model to communities willing to embrace a new, cross-sector approach to addiction recovery.

Friends, family, communities are all part of recovery. But the complete solution is in transforming our society. If we stand together and demand real change, anything is possible.

Kevin Kirby, CEO and Co-Founder of Face It TOGETHER®, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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