Serving Southern Arizona with Prevention-based Solutions for Substance Use and Abuse
(Reuters Health) – Teens who binge drink or abuse prescription opioids may be more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, too, two new studies suggest. Adolescents who binge drink are more likely to drive drunk or ride with drivers who are under the influence in early adulthood, and they’re also more apt to become […]
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PHOENIX – Arizona law requires doctors to check a state database before they write a new prescription for a controlled substance, such as opioids. Yet less than 40% do. Sheila Sjolander, an assistant director at the Arizona Department of Health Services, said department officials know that’s a problem they’re “all struggling” to address in the state’s fight […]
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The powerful painkiller is the primary synthetic opioid available in the US, a class of drug that was responsible for almost 32,000 overdose deaths last year. But why is fentanyl‘s threat growing, and can Beijing help America cure its addiction to its deadliest drug? What is fentanyl? Fentanyl was first developed in 1959 and introduced to the US […]
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The 2018 Statewide Prevention Needs Assessment was a systematic process to collect and analyze information to describe the prevention needs of Arizona. This assessment is a practical tool that will allow community planners, stakeholders and coalitions, in collaboration with local and State governments, to identify the levels of risk and protective factors operating in their […]
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National Take-Back Day is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs. The last Take-Back Day brought in more than 900,000 pounds of unused or expired prescription medication. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 10,878,950 pounds. Check DEA’s official Take Back Day website for […]
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The 2016 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults is the first report issued by a Federal agency that comprehensively reviews the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on our nation’s young people. Evidence was gathered from studies that included one or more of three age groups: […]
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Almost three years after Palm Beach County officials set out to combat the opioid epidemic, it looks like their efforts are paying off: The State Attorney’s Office reports there were 326 opioid deaths in 2018, down from 558 in 2017. That’s a 41 percent decline. When the crisis started in 2012, 143 deaths were attributed […]
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After a disaster, people who use medication to manage chronic conditions and stay healthy may be at risk. This includes people on medication for serious mental illnesses or in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders, as well as people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health conditions. The following resources may help people […]
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As the U.S. opioid epidemic grinds on, fentanyl is fast becoming the main culprit in drug overdose deaths, health officials report. Cocaine and heroin remain the street drugs of choice, but more overdose deaths involve fentanyl, either mixed with those narcotics or taken alone. Between 2013 and 2016, overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased about 113 […]
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Suicides and drug overdoses pushed up U.S. deaths last year, and drove a continuing decline in how long Americans are expected to live. Overall, there were more than 2.8 million U.S. deaths in 2017, or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It was the most […]
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