Have you ever wondered what struggles other parents or caregivers of teens encounter when dealing with drugs and alcohol today? With vaping on the rise, the legalization of marijuana spreading across the country, and the influence of social media, we were curious as to how parents deal with these new challenges facing their families. The staff of w...

By: Mallory Stufsky, Substance Abuse Navigator A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health (2019, 109 (2): 2:15 – 2:17) noted that with overdose deaths consistently increasing, more than 115 a day, the opioid crisis, both prescription and illicit, is now being called "one of the most urgent public health challenges of our time." State...

By Elaine Chan, Intern The New Year can offer many, new, and exciting opportunities. However, the New Year can also pose arduous obstacles. One of the challenges that school administrators and communities may face is the opioid misuse prevalence among student–athletes as new sports season starts. Despite the positive benefits young athletes gain from participating in organized sports, such participation may actually put some adolescents at risk for substance use because of increased access to pain medications.Youths who participate in high-injury sports may be surrounded by peers who are more likely to have leftover prescription opioids, making it easier to receive diverted prescription opioids to ease injuries without having to acknowledge to parents and coaches that they need medical attention (e.g., hiding injuries from coaches to participate). Therefore, youths involved in organized sports may be at a higher risk to misuse opioid medications because of their increased risk for injury. Great...

Greetings all. Please note that our Addiction News & Policy Update will not publish next week, Friday December 28th. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff of Wellspring Center for Prevention, we wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! Be safe.  Surge in Teen Vaping Gives Rise to Nicotine Addiction Concentrated doses of nicotine prompt higher rates of addiction than cigarettes. With few treatment options for teens, the FDA plans public hearings.Learn More   Opioids May Help Chronic Pain, But Not Much Potentially addictive opioid painkillers are often prescribed for chronic pain, but they actually work only slightly better than placebo pills, a new review shows.Learn More   New Job Hope For Adults In Drug And Alcohol Recovery For most of his life when he was in between jobs, Tim Tulvey would toss his resume up on a hiring site like Indeed.com. He...

Holiday parties offer a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and celebrate community. Yet the ready availability of alcohol during holiday celebrations can be dangerous, contributing to sharp increases in alcohol-related traffic fatalities during the holiday season. If you choose to serve alcohol at your holiday party, here are some tips for keeping your guests safe.Stay safe and happy holidays! Always serve food. Drinking on an empty stomach leads to a more rapid absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. High-protein foods such as cheese and meat can slow this absorption down.Avoid serving salty snacks. These tend to make people thirsty and so drink more than they might otherwise.Provide appealing non-alcoholic alternatives. You’ll be surprised to see how many guests choose an enticing, alcohol-free “mocktail” when they have the option. Also have plenty of jugs of water and/or bottles of seltzer available.Avoid serving alcoholic punch. Punch tend to hide the taste of...

Internet gambling addiction is a looming crisis In her Nov. 28 presentation at Liberty University, First Lady Melania Trump stated that the opioid epidemic was the “worst drug crisis in American history.”Learn More   Surge in young people going into private addiction clinics as poorer addicts 'pushed into gangs' While well-off addicts can afford private treatment, poorer teenagers with mounting drug problems are being failed by public services, making them 'ripe for grooming', experts warnLearn More   The Strongest Evidence Yet for a Highly Controversial Addiction Treatment When other approaches fail, the most effective way to fight a heroin addiction can be heroin itself.Learn More   Update—Outbreak of Life-threatening Coagulopathy Associated with Synthetic Cannabinoids Use Since the index patient with hypocoagulopathy associated with synthetic cannabinoids use was identified on March 8, 2018 in Illinois, at least 324 people have presented to healthcare facilities with serious bleeding from possible exposure. Learn More...

During a recent event hosted by the American Association of University Women several experts spoke on how the opioid epidemic is impacting Erie County and particularly, women. Dr. Sarah Abdelsayed is a faculty member in the University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine who is board-certified in family medicine and addiction medicine, and there is one thing she wants people to know: that addiction — whether it affects men or women — is not a character flaw. “It’s a disease, so it’s not a moral issue,” said Abdelsayed, whose list of accomplishments and specialities is lengthy, having completed engineering school, medical school and a family medicine residency at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, before coming to Buffalo for the UB Addiction Medicine Fellowship in 2015. According to Abdelsayed, the disease of addiction attacks the center of the brain associated with decision-making, and treatment for such a disease must be...

Among the many services and programs we provide at Wellspring center for Prevention is a Referral and Information helpline. Someone seeking help for themselves or a family member can call the helpline (732-254-3344) any time between 8am and 9am and a staff member will provide assistance. We also provide an online helpline at www.helptool.org. I am telling you this because recently I picked up a help call from a mother living in New Brunswick. She was upset because her husband’s drinking was getting out of control and was causing a major upheaval in the family. I provided her with referrals and information and hung up hoping that she was able to use the information to get her husband and her family the assistance they needed. But it made me realize that many of you might not be aware of an existing, and not-so-hidden problem. We all are aware that alcoholism and...

By Jackie Kimelman, Wellspring intern Grandparents play a noteworthy role in the lives of their grandchildren. The bond between a grandparent and his or her grandchild is special and influential in ways that are significantly unique and dissimilar from the typical parent-child relationship. Because of this, grandparents can sometimes have more of an influence in keeping a kid drug-free or intervening in drug abuse. In addition to having a significant influence, grandparents also already know the family history. They come equipped with knowledge of family issues in the past, so they are aware of whether or not there is an existing genetic predisposition to addiction. Also, as the grandparent, they are aware of any other health complications such as a mental illness or disorder, any past traumas, and the typical behavior and impulsivity of his or her grandchild. Due to this abundance of knowledge, they can keep an eye out for...

When you read this on November 1st, your focus may not be on the end of the month, but rather an event that is just a week away - the impending Election Day. If I can jar that reality for a moment, I would ask that you please look towards the end of the month, more specifically, Thanksgiving Day. I ask you to do that because when you sit around the table with family and friends to celebrate that holiday, which was originally designated to celebrate a good harvest, the meaning sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Yes, we all come together, and enjoy a meal, and we watch football games and the Macy’s Parade, and many of us then count the hours to the next day, Black Friday. But I ask you to look around the room on Thanksgiving Day, and remember to be thankful for the people in your...