The KeyThe Key is the monthly newsletter of the National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions--Bay Area
November 2007
| Executive Director's Column |
By Arthur Bossé, MNA, RAS
Executive Director
Recent reports indicate that while marijuana and other drug use is remaining stable or in some cases decreasing among youth that the use of prescription drugs for uses (other than intended) is on the rise. Most of the prescription drugs that youth report using are in the form of pain killers. Where are they getting their hands on such prescriptiondrugs? From their own homes. Many household medicine cabinets are filled with various
prescription drugs that can be abused including pain killers, sedatives and tranquilizers. These drugs are prescribed to the youth.s parents for a legitimate medical problem and are not properly discarded or safeguarded once the medical necessity ends. When the curious youth looks around for a potential high the medicine cabinet is the obvious place to go. There they find the unused drugs, ingesting them themselves and sharing them (or selling them) with their friends.
There are a few factors at play contributing to the increased abuse of prescription drugs. First, the prevention field has focused a lot of energy educating youth about the harmful effects of street drugs and possibly not enough on the dangers of using prescription drugs. Second, our self-medicating society encourages through advertisements the use of over the counter and prescribed drugs for every ache and pain imaginable. Finally, combine both of these issues with the fact that many youth falsely believe that if the drug came from a doctor rather than a drug dealer, that it must be safer to use and you have a recipe for abuse. So what is the solution?
A solution will take a commitment on the part of the prevention programs to include information
about the abuse of prescribed medications. It will also require us to educate parents about prescription
medications and how to dispose of them or safeguard them from youth access. The toughest
part of a solution will be to change the public.s attitudes about all medications. People need to understand
that not every ache or pain needs to be immediately treated with pharmaceuticals. In fact
some aches and pains will go away on their own. By changing our attitudes about reaching for pharmaceutical
pain relief at
| A Time for Healing |
By Eddy McLay, MS, CTRS, Editor
Information Center Director
As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler a natural inclination is for us to want to curl up, get
warm and conserve our energy. It is a time when we seek shelter from the coming storms. If we feel
fulfilled by who we have shown to be over the last year then this time comes easy, as sleep comes
easy to a contented man. For those of us who have things unresolved, this can be either a time to
confront them, or a time to add another layer of denial, like a dripping faucet in the summer house
that needs to be boarded up for winter.
October has been our busiest month of the year in the Information Department. I have often heard
that substance abuse treatment picks up in the fall for two reasons: the summer party scene is over,
and homeless persons are trying to get out of the cold. These causal factors might have some legitimacy, but they do not reflect the increase in services provided here last month. Only a small percentage of our clients are homeless and that percentage did not increase during October. However the percentage of clients who were concerned about someone else's substance use did go up, people who are less likely to have partied over the summer.
So why do more people seek help in the fall? I will not pretend to know the final answer, although some ideas of mine are:
We are trained as children to get serious in the fall by going back to school.Humanity has traditionally (back to prehistory times) had to work harder in the fall to prepare for winter, ensuring that all aspects of self-preservation were accounted for.It is instinctual that we need to take care of things in the fall, or put them off until next year when it is once again safe. (For many people next year never comes)Understanding the reason is not nearly as important as understanding that people are more sensitive
this time of year. They are more likely to find themselves in introspection. They are often ready
for help if help is available. It is crucial that we are extra sensitive to people's needs during this time
of year, and that we help them with positive growth. Simply giving someone our 24 hour helpline
number can save a life. I had a professor in college tell me. If you save one life, it is all worth it..
| Staff & Volunteer News: |
Volunteer of the Month
Echo
Echo has been a volunteer at The National
Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions
for the past year. She has volunteered
both in the office and on our 24 hour helpline.
As a volunteer here Echo has done many
wonderful things, such as helping numerous
clients over the phone, and lending a hand at
many events including giving out information
recently at the Castro Street Fair. She has
also helped film some events for our agency.
Echo is a filmmaker by trade. She likes to
shoot her own short films, as well as work on
other professional productions. Another recent
hobby of Echo.s is surfing. She has just
learned how to surf and enjoys it very much!
We are so lucky to have a volunteer such as
Echo and appreciate her continued contribution
as a volunteer.
|
| Educational Series |
2007 Educational Series
Treatment: What A Prevention Expert Should Know
A Series of 7 Workshops Looking at Treatment in the 21st Century and Beyond
(Only Two Classes left)
Now offering CE Credits for Registered Addiction Specialists.
Friday September 7, 2007
Recovery Month: A history of the recovery and prevention movements and a caucus: Where Do We Go From Here?
Friday November 9, 2007
Principles of Engagement: Prevention Work through the holidays.
We request a $25-50 sliding scale contribution if you are seeking CE credits for CAADAC, Psychologist, RN. LMFT, LCSW, or RN. No one is turned away; please call or write for scholarship availability. Full refunds available until class date. Call 415.296.9900 to RSVP. Space is limited.
We are proud to be able to offer Continuing Education for Registered Nurses, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, LCSW's, Psychologists (marked with *) and to Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. CE credits for RN, LCSW, LMFT, and Psychologists generously provided by Sierra Tucson, a dually licensed, accredited special psychiatric hospital and behavioral health center that helps individuals and families overcome addiction and behavioral disorders and rebuild their lives. Sierra Tucson leads development and practice of progressive, effective therapies. More information about Sierra Tucson can be found at http://www.sierratucson.com . Sierra Tucson is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Sierra Tucson maintains responsibility for the program. Courses offered by APA approved sponsors are accepted for credit by the California Psychological Association and in other states. Provider approved by CAADAC, Provider # 4C-06-296-0408. Each class provides 4 CEH's. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences Examiners Provider #PCE 1392. The California Board of Registered Nursing Provider #CEP 12719. RAS CEP Approval No: CEP0703300948-NCA-CW RAS CEP Approval No: CEP0703300948-NCA-CW
Top| Volunteer at NCADA-BA |
National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions--Bay Area could not do the work it does without the help of its many volunteers. Volunteers help us:
Answer the 24-hour HelplineMeet individually with clients in consultationsDesign our websiteStaff tables at health and wellness fairsMost importantly, our volunteers help the people we serve. Our Helpline callers and clients appreciate when someone takes time out of their schedule to provide help. The good intentions of our volunteers instill a spirit of hope and connection with the people they work so hard to help.
We ask our volunteers to commit to at least one volunteer shift per week for a minimum of 6 months. We have shifts during the day on weekdays in our office, and shifts where volunteers work from home answering the Helpline. We also have volunteers who are “on-call” -- they don't take a regular shift each week, but rather avail themselves to us as substitutes for volunteers who cannot do their usual shifts. Helpline volunteers must have access to a landline telephone.
No experience is necessary. Volunteers complete extensive training and we tailor training to our volunteers' schedules. There is no need to wait until a volunteer training session begins.
Interested? Please give our Program Coordinator, Arielle D, a call at (415) 296-9900 for more information or to schedule an interview. You can also send her an email. We look forward to having you!
We hope you found this edition of The Key informative and useful. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about The Key, please contact the editor. All information in this newsletter is protected except where otherwise noted. Reprints may be made for the use of human service providers, teachers, and others interested in the dissemination of prevention material. Please get permission for all other use including the re-posting of this newsletter on-line.
Copyright © 2007, National Council of Alcoholism and Other Drig Addictions--Bay Area
To see back issues of The Key, please click here.
National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions--Bay Area
944 Market St., 3rd Fl., San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-296-9900 FAX: 415-296-0626 TDD: 415-296-1108
Email: info@ncadaba.com
Click here for directions to our San Francisco Office