Enough Coalition in Greenbrier AR

08/03/2020

We are continuing with our groups every Tuesday night at 630. Due to the pandemic precautions, meals aren't provided but we can still order a pizza if hungry. Our groups are similar to AA and NA. We are faith based and our focus is on treatment and recovery through education and fellowship. I know it is hard to understand that even though we are faith based, we Do Not judge or persecute because we believe that we are all sinners, everyone of us, but sometimes our sins are just different. If you or a loved one is struggling with any type of addiction; please stop by and pay us a visit. It won't hurt, and that I can promise.

09/06/2019

We have openings in both our GED classes and substance abuse classes. If you or a loved one could use these offerings please let us know. These classes are on tuesday nights.

04/10/2019

We will be having our annual 5k this coming Saturday and it will be a memorial run for my sweet and dear wife that started this post. I hope you all can make it. You don't have to run or walk but just be there for us as we move forward trying to end substance abuse and addiction.

01/08/2019

Surgeon General Release Advisory on Youth E-Cig Use
On Tuesday, December 18, 2018, U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams released an Advisory on E-cigarette Use Among Youth in which he declares the rapid increase in use of e-cigarettes by our country's youth to be an epidemic. This advisory aims to inform parents, educators and other members of the public health community about emerging products and trends, as well as actions they can take to protect their communities. A recording of the press conference announcing the advisory can be found here. The Surgeon General will also be a Keynote Speaker during CADCA's 2019 National Leadership Forum. Forum will also feature several training sessions on e-cigarettes that align with the Surgeon General's recommendations on how coalitions can address this public health epidemic.

Follow the conversation and engage with more messages about e-cigarettes and youth on and U.S. Surgeon General's page.

Check out ***coFree and CDC To***co Free on Facebook for more updates about e-cigarettes and youth.

11/09/2018

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HOME HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH
How A 25-Year-Old Drug For Nerve Pain Called Gabapentin Showed Up In Opioid Overdoses
5 May 2018, 6:03 pm EDT By Steven Lerner Tech Times
As the opioid crisis rages on in America, users who want to get high are now taking a drug that has been traditionally prescribed for nerve pain.

The Problem With The Drug
Gabapentin is a generic drug that is typically used to treat nerve pain and seizures. The 25-year-old drug was one of the most prescribed medications in 2017.

"Gabapentin was prescribed off-label for pain because it was thought to be a safer alternative to opioids," Steven Evans, MD, medical director of American Addiction Centers/Nevada, told MedShadow. "But now people who don't need it are starting to use it."

With tighter access to opioid painkillers, drug users are turning to Gabapentin as an alternative to get high. Over 1 percent of the general population in the United States and 22 percent in drug abuse treatment centers misuse the drug. Thousands of Americans have died in the past few years because of overdoses from Gabapentin.

Sedation, one of the side effects of Gabapentin, is one reason why users turn to this drug. Some of them also mix it with other drugs to enhance the effects.

"We started hearing from pharmacists about people trying to get early refills," Van Ingram, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, told NBC News. "That is usually a sign that something is being abused. "

What's Causing The Crisis?
New regulations for opioid painkillers have resulted in doctors turning to alternative drugs, such as Gabapentin, for patients. The result is that more people have Gabapentin, and they might not be aware of the consequences.

"We're basically squeezing people into other drugs because the prescription opioids are becoming a lot harder to get," said Dr. Richard Dart.

Overdoses from Gabapentin are so prevalent that the Food and Drug Administration recently commissioned a study to research the uses of the drug. The FDA wants to take action against the drug as soon as possible.

Treatment And Solutions
Unlike opiates, there is no antidote for an overdose of Gabapentin. People who have overdosed on the drug are asked to seek immediate medical care to combat the side effects.

After a rise in fatal overdoses in Kentucky, officials in that state has now classified Gabapentin as a scheduled substance so that it can be restricted. Other states would have to follow the same protocols in order to combat this drug.

A national awareness campaign about the dangers of Gabapentin could also help.

Do you want to know what your doctor may NOT tell you about Gabapentin (Neurontin)? Here's my own personal experience with this drug. I share the negative si...

10/26/2018

Call to Action – Marijuana's Changing Status
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested comments on a proposal being considered to change ma*****na's status (drug classification) and possibly removing it from international drug control treaties. In effect, the World Health Organization (WHO) could allow member nations, including the United States, to legalize ma*****na.
General Arthur T. Dean, U.S. Army, Retired, CADCA's Chairman and CEO, wrote the FDA on October 22, 2018, and informed its commissioner that "CADCA urges the FDA to ensure that the existing science-based criteria for the international scheduling of ma*****na, its extracts, and its constituent cannabinoids are maintained". A copy of that letter can be found here.

The public comment period is open until October 31. CADCA encourages careful review of this issue and comments from the field. Comments may be submitted here.

10/26/2018

Dispose of Unused and Unwanted Medications Tomorrow During DEA National Rx Take Back Day
Take Back Day October 2018
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern Time

Unused or expired prescription medications at home are a public safety issue and can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Unused prescriptions thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. The misuse and abuse of over-the-counter medications, illicit drugs, alcohol, and to***co affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans.

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, businesses, medical offices, agencies, and first responders, will host events to collect and safely dispose of unwanted medications.

Removing unwanted or expired medications from the medicine cabinet is an easy and concrete step that everyone can take to make a difference in the opioid crisis. Make plans now to dispose of your unwanted medications during DEA National Rx Take Back Day.

10/24/2018

Get Involved in National Rx Take Back Day
Take Back Day October 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern Time

Unused or expired prescription medications at home are a public safety issue and can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Unused prescriptions thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. The misuse and abuse of over-the-counter medications, illicit drugs, alcohol, and to***co affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans.

On Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, businesses, medical offices, agencies, and first responders, will host events to collect and safely dispose of unwanted medications.

Removing unwanted or expired medications from the medicine cabinet is an easy and concrete step that everyone can take to make a difference in the opioid crisis. Make plans to dispose of unused and unwanted medications during DEA National Rx Take Back Day.

Find a DEA Collection Site

08/27/2018

Fentanyl Use Drove Drug Overdose Deaths to A Record High in 2017
Drug overdose deaths surpassed 72,000 in 2017, according to provisional estimates recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That represents an increase of more than 6,000 deaths, or 9.5 percent, over the estimate for the previous 12-month period. That staggering sum works out to about 200 drug overdose deaths every single day, or one every eight minutes. The increase was driven primarily by a continued surge in deaths involving synthetic opioids, a category that includes fentanyl. There were nearly 30,000 deaths involving those drugs in 2017, according to the preliminary data, an increase of more than 9,000 over the prior year. Read the full Washington Post article www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/15/fentanyl-use-drove-drug-overdose-deaths-record-high-cdc-estimates/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f8baf4af66d1.

Every eight minutes, someone in America died of a drug overdose last year.

08/15/2018

WARNING OVER "MONKEY DUST" DRUG
Warning over 'monkey dust' drug that makes users violent and paranoid
The drug, which is banned in Britain and designated a Class A, has even been linked to several horrific ‘face-eating’ attacks. Police have issued a warning about a new drug dubbed ‘monkey dust’ that can cause people to smell like cat urine. The synthetic drug, also known as MDPV, normally comes in a yellow-white powder that is snorted like co***ne.Users can experience extreme paranoia and become violent and agitated. In some cases it has led to people climbing or jumping from buildings or running into traffic.The drug, which is banned in Britain and designated a Class A, has even been linked to several horrific ‘face-eating’ attacks in the US. Police and ambulance services in Staffordshire have seen a surge in cases, with more than 950 incidents reported in just three months, according to the Stoke Sentinel.Chief Superintendent Jeff Moore has called for a concerted partnership response to tackle the impact of the drug. He told the Sentinel: “The drug is highly addictive and highly unpredictable, meaning emergency services can often struggle to provide the appropriate treatment to those under the influence.” While the ‘epidemic’ appears to be centred in Staffordshire for now, there are fears it could spread to the streets in the norrth -west.“MDPV (Methylenedioxypyrovalerone) is a cathinone and structurally similar to mephedrone (m-cat). “It was sold in a number of ‘legal high’ branded packets often as NRG-1 and ‘Ivory Wave’. Its effects are similar to mephedrone and other stimulant drugs.It was brought under the Misuse of Drugs act in 2010 as part of the generic cathinone legislation.” Mr Linnell, coordinator of UK and Ireland Drug Watch, said that like mephedrone, ‘monkey dust’ is known to make sweat smell and the odour is most commonly compared to cat urine.“From my understanding ‘Monkey Dust’ is a cheap drug, sold to people with little money and from my understanding of the situation in Staffordshire it is sold to a similar population as are using ’Spice’ in Manchester.“There is always a market for cheap drugs among people with little money if they are available and like ‘Spice’ are often used by people to pass the time and cope with a host of problems that have led to them being in prison or sleeping on the street in the first place.”

Credit:https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Sky News

08/09/2018

Public Policy in the News: Study Suggests That Opioid Prescriptions in U.S. Have Not Declined
A new study reveals that the rate of opioid prescriptions in the country has not significantly declined for many patients over the past decade. The Mayo Clinic's study released Wednesday shows that the rate of opioid use has remained steady for most groups despite increased attention to opioid abuse. The study found that from 2007 to 2016, annual opioid usage among commercially insured patients was at 14 percent. The quarterly prescription rate also held relatively steady for aged Medicare beneficiaries, increasing from 11 percent to 14 percent over the decade. Read the full article from The Hill here.