NIDA has put two manuals focused on treating cocaine abuse on the Internet. Manual I is entitled " A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction". It includes an overview of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy principles, and how the therapy can be used with cocaine addicted individuals. Also discussed are topics such as: How to Handle Cravings, Refusal Skills, Case Management, and HIV Risk Reduction.
Manual II is "A Community Reinforcement Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction". This manual describes a system using peer support and a voucher reward system to keep clients actively involved in treatment for cocaine abuse. It includes sections on Counseling Techniques, Dealing with Absence and Tardiness, Relationship Counseling, and Developing Drug Avoidance Skills.
NIDA is to be congratulated on the development of the manuals, and for putting them out on the internet for public utilization. This represents, in my opinion, the highest and best use of this wonderful medium.
List Master Kevin M sends word of an E-mail discussion group for cocaine addicts seeking recovery. The group is called "Hope, Faith & Courage" and it is an online meeting of Cocaine Anonymous .
To subscribe to HF&C, either go to the instruction page at their website (http://www.nativesun.com/hfc) or send E-mail to hfc@nativesun.com with the SUBJECT of "subscribe" HF&C has been in existence for 1 1/2 years and has over 200 members.
The Links Page at Mental Health Matters provides web links to a wealth of resources on a wide variety of disorders, including addiction, OCD, ADHD, PTSD, Depression and Autism. The rest of the site is interesting as well, but you should check out this links page.
That averages nearly a thousand dollars for every man, woman and child in the country. Figures from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)released earlier this year are likely to be low, as they are reflective of 1992 statistics - the most recent year for which complete data is available. If estimates are correct, the numbers for 1998 could be well over $300 billion.
About 40% of the cost was representative of drug abuse and dependence other than alcohol, but alcohol made up the greatest proportion of cost. Some of the ways in which alcohol abuse cost society money are lost productivity in the workplace, increased health care costs, property damage, and crime.
The Student Assistance Professionals Association of Georgia, a
non-profit organization, will sponsor the Ninth Annual Student
Assistance Program Training February 15-18, 1999 at the Sheraton Colony
Square in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants may attend one, two, three, or
all four days.
Approximately 1400 people have attended each of the last
several years. Participants are primarily teacher, counselors,
adminstrators, and community mental health providers, although more and
more attendees are from law enforcement and community action agencies.
Although attendees are primarily from Georgia, out of state attendees
are gowing rapidly. Last year participants came from NC, SC, AL, FL, TN,
HI, and Belize.
Many presenters are nationally known and the topics
presented span the gamut of student assistance programming, including
support groups, violence/safety issues, mediation, ATOD issues, etc.
Full brochures will be mailed by the first week in November.
For additional information, phone or fax Nancy Blair at 770-487-1151 or
email nancyblair@aol.com
Rick Sidley, President-Elect of the European Branch of the American Counseling Association, sends the following note:
We are holding our 39th conference at the AFRC Chiemsee, Lake Hotel,
Germany, 6-10 November '98,and I am the POC. We have a number of addictions
presentations, first mini-sessions on 7-8 Nov. covering Compulsive Gambling,
Non-substance Abuse Compulsive Behavior Counseling, Spirituality in
Addictions Counseling, Use of the Internet for Addictions Counselors,
Wholistic Relapse Prevention for Addicted Relapsing Clients, Use of
Inpatient Facilities in England, and others to come yet. Then on 9-10 we
sponsor three Learning Institutes, two-days long, #1 Muliculturalism
Counseling Competencies by Dr. Don C. Locke, Holistic Relapse Prevention by
Dr. Ford Brooks, and Hypnotherapy in Counseling by Dr. Bob Bollet.
Any posting of our conference would be highly appreciated to draw from the
international addictions community.
Rick can be reached by email at richard.sidley@kronach.baynet.de.
If you know of any addictions related news, web developments, announcements or interesting tidbits, drop us a note. We are interested in publishing articles in this section. If you have information about addictions, you would like to share with the net community, send it to us. We, of course, reserve the right to edit all submissions. We would like to see this area develop as a forum for discussion of addictions related topics.