Posted On: May 13, 2002          Updated On: May 12, 2002
© Terence T. Gorski, 2001

This is an excellent article recently published on AlcoholMD that provides an excellent review of the recent literature on the effective use of medication in the treatment of Alcoholism.

This is an excellent book that summarizes the world-wide literature on the psychological effects of being trained to kill under the legitimately authority of society.  Links to an interview with David Grossman and to his website are included.

Here's an update on the Florida right to Treatment Act that was written by Mary Kelli Bridges of the Naples Daily News on 03-04-02.  The article seems to give a fair and balanced coverage of the issues reporting on the major issues from both sides.

Here are the lecture notes of Terence T. Gorski that prevent a powerful message to women who pregnant or planning to get pregnant.  That message is "don't drink or use drugs during your pregnancy because it will harm your unborn child.  The second message is even more powerful - only sober and responsible people can become the kind of effective parents that can guide their children through childhood and adolescents and prepare them to live a sober, healthy, and responsible life.

Here is a literature on the prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in children and adolescents.  Between 3.5% and 8.1% of children in randomized community studies met the criteria for PTSD.  Children with multiple traumatic experiences were far more likely to show PTSD symptoms than those with single traumatic experiences.  Read the detailed literature review.

Cocaine use during pregnancy can harm the unborn baby.  This article contains the facts.

Younger women are less likely to stop drinking and using alcohol during pregnancy.  There are serious consequences on problems during pregnancy and birth and problem behaviors with children as they grow into toddlers.

This article reviews the affects of smoking during pregnancy on the latter behavior of toddlers.

Here is some basic information about the special problems that recovering alcoholics have related to smoking and nicotine addiction.

PTSD often coexists with alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.  This article provides an excellent summary of recent research.  

Here's a good reason why it's dangerous for pregnant women to drink.  Even moderate drinking increases the risk of having a stillbirth.  Read the details from Reuters.

Here is a copy of an annotated bibliography from NIAAA's ETOH Database which was run on March 02, 2002.  It shows a clear relationship between Addiction & PTSD.

On February 14, 2001 the Senate defeated (by a vote of 31 to 63 with 6 abstaining) an amendment to the federal Voting rights Act of 2001 that would have secured the rights of offenders who had served their full sentences to vote in federal elections.  The defeat of this bill is a set-back for drug courts and all people concerned about the rehabilitation of drug offenders.  This is a copy of the proposed amendment and substantive portions of the debate both pro and con.  A link to the congressional record for this amendment is provided.

The incidence of Acute Stress Disorder following a disaster is a good predictor of the future rates of PTSD.  Here's the article abstract. 

This article provides links and highlights from recent NIAAA articles that provide research information about the relationship between stress, alcohol use, alcoholism treatment, and relapse.  These articles can help project the impact of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks and the ongoing war on terrorism on alcohol use, abuse, addiction, and relapse.

Here's an article from NIDA with basic information about the effects of drinking during pregnancy.

Here are two PTSD Symptom Checklists that have been used extensively in research.  One version is for civilians (PTSD Checklist Civilian Version) and the other for military (PTSD Checklist Military Version)

This article reviews the highlights of research into the growing incidence of PTSD in children and adolescents and how this foreshadows a growing problem with PTSD, substance abuse, and mental health problems in adults in the future.  It include an excellent review of the epidemiological literature pertaining to PTSD and commentary relating the highlights of the article to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent war on terrorism.

Here's two special reports compiled by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that present the research basis for projecting an increase in alcohol and drug abuse, addiction, and addiction-related mental health and social problems.

Here's the encyclopedia description of PTSD and relevant information from www.encyclopedia.com .

This article provides another brief summary of the incidence of PTSD with a an emphasis on biological factors.

This article summarizes a broad base of current research on PTSD and the wide range of traumatic events that can cause it.

This article summarizes recent animal studies show a dynamic interaction between genetic predisposition, level of social dominance, and risk of cocaine and other drug addictions

This paper presents the basic principles that Terence T. Gorski believes are important to a successful outcome of any drug control policy.

This article by Terry Gorski explores the issue of the relationship between moral sanction, personal moral justification, and severity of PTSD and anxiety symptoms of trauma survivors.  It points out that helping people to resolve moral conflicts related to their personal role and the role that their society plays in terrorist acts may be important in the management and resolution of terrorist related PTSD, traumatic stress, and anxiety.  A series of articles related to human rights and prisoner detention of prisoners is presented to illustrate the issues.

PATRIOT Act - Full Text of the Law
PATRIOT Act - Update By Amnesty International USA (01-22-02)
PATRIOT Act - Analysis By ACLU (01-12-02) 
PATRIOT Act - Analysis By Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) (10-31-01)

PTSD - Effects Of Stress On The Brain (01-20-01)
Psychological Consequences: Natural vs. Human Disaster - NCPTSD Literature Review (01-20-02)
PTSD Related To 09-11-01 Terrorist Attacks - Literature Review
Talking Points Bulletin #1: Psychological Effects of Terrorism (01-20-02)
Psychological Aftermath of September 11th - Scientific American (01-20-02)
Mental Health Aspects of Prolonged Combat Stress in Civilians (01-20-02)

Here's a story about the evolution of Drug Courts in Evansville, Indiana.  The story shows that Drug Courts are a cost effective alternative to incarceration and that a small group of dedicated people working with a shoestring budget can make a big difference in their community.

On November 8, 2001 Terry Gorski and Gabrielle Antolovich presented an international web-conference for AlcoholMD.com.  Here's the transcript.

Critical incident stress was implicated in a recent disturbance between New York Fireman and New York Police during a demonstration protesting the pull of fire fighters from Ground Zero.  Here' the details.

Here are the statistics from the Associated Press from December 17, 2001 describing the extent of the human losses that occurred as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The psychological effects of terrorism can affect the performance of firefighters.  The attacks of September 11th have had a significant effect upon upon many if not most firefighters across the country and around the world.  Click here to get the details.

This article summarizes the emerging data about the incidents of Critical Incident Stress Reactions (CISR), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Grief Reactions following major terrorist events.  Although the information is preliminary, it does provide a current "best guess" for estimating the psychological causalities that could develop as a result of future terrorist attacks.

Here are the most recent population estimates and links to historical population statistics from the USA Census bureau and the projected rates of growth upon which they are based.  

This article was originally posted on December 5, 2001.  It was updated on January 12, 2002.  The article presents an effective way to conceptualize the relationship between the illegal drug trade, drug  treatment, and terrorism.  It presents the erroneous reasoning that could be used to define people who are addicted to illegal drugs as terrorist and proposes a science-based alternative based upon a Public Health Addiction Policy.  The article uses the definition of terrorist that is used in both President Bush's Executive Order Authorizing Military Tribunals and the USA PATRIOT Act.   Links to both are provided to two different analysis of USA PATRIOT Act, on by both the EFF and the ACLU. 

Here's an analysis of the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act

Here's an analysis of the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that relate to online activities and other forms of surveillance (Oct 31, 2001)

This article describes recent trends in the treatment of depression.

This article is the lecture outline that I prepared for the conference The World's Greatest baby Shower to be held in Hernando County Florida.  This presentation is designed to explain in simple and easy to understand language why pregnant woman should quit smoking during pregnancy, what it means to be addicted smoking, and how they can get help if they can't quit smoking even though they know that they should.

This article entitled: Maternal Cigarette Smoking, Metabolic Gene Polymorphism, and Infant Birth Weight was recently published in JAMA.  It describes the recent research that shows the genetic factors related to the correlation between low-birth-weights and maternal cigarette smoking during pregnanacy.  This is a scientific article well worth the effort of reading.

The rate of youth suicides increased in the year 2000.  This appears to be part of a continuing trend.  Read the details in this article from the Tampa Tribune

The Associated Press reported that Americans' spending on health care rose 6.9 percent to $1.3 trillion in 2000, including a 17.3 percent boost in spending on prescription drugs.  Health care spending averaged $4,637 per person, up from $4,377 in 1999.  Read the full article.

The trend toward increased incarceration has quadrupled the number of people in correctional facilities over the past 30 years and has played a major role in reducing crime.  America's burgeoning prison system, however, has done a poor job insuring that convicts leave the prison gates ready to lead productive lives.  In this article Eli Lehrer review the problem and makes some policy recommendations.

    Keynote Address By Tommy G. Thompson Secretary Of Health and Human Services

Here is a summary of the year-end 2000 report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) and links to the full report on the Internet.

A report, by (SAMHSA) shows that there was a 20% increase in the number of adolescents aged between 12 and 17 admitted to substance abuse treatment between 1994 and 1999.   Thursday's survey, which covered 1.6 million cases of adults and youths over age 12 who were admitted for treatment at a center, found that most were abusing alcohol -- 47 percent. Sixteen percent were users of opiates, mostly heroin, 14 percent used cocaine and 14 percent marijuana or hashish. More than half the patients abused more than one substance.  Half of them were sent to treatment by the courts,   Americans are beginning to understand that jailing drug users does not help anyone.  Providing treatment for people in need is both compassionate public policy and a sound investment.  

Hoping to prevent an Afghan War Syndrome, military health officials are applying a decade's worth of lessons from the Persian Gulf conflict to U.S. troops now in conflicts abroad.  Unfortunately, this initiative is looking almost exclusively at physical health problems caused by environmental hazards.  The issues of Critical Incident Stress Reactions, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Reactive Alcohol and Drug Abuse are not part of this initiative.

The government keeps reminding the American people that we are at continual threat of new terrorist attacks.  The news bombards the public with continual reporting of the potential biological, chemical, and nuclear threats.  Many people are responding with chronic hyper vigilance which raises their normal stress levels and can lead to burn out and eventually to stress related physical and mental health problems.  Many people are turning to doctors for prescription medications to deal with their chronically high stress.  Many people are also self-medicating the stress with alcohol and illicit recreational drugs.  Here's an article from the Associated Press (AP) from December 5, 2001, nearly three months after the terrorist attacks of September 11 which provides definite indicators of upcoming problems.

Here is an article summarizing the most recent medications approved for the treatment of ADD and ADHD and some things to think about when considering medication and other treatment other alternatives.

Here is a report from the Associated Press (AP) indicating that alcohol and drug abuse is on the rise since the September 11 terrorist attacks.  

The Washington Post reported that tens of thousands of people whose chronic physical pain is usually kept in check have suffered setbacks since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, according to pain management specialists across the nation.  Read the article.

There are definite indicators that the terrorist acts of September 11th have significantly increased the use of alcoholic beverages within the United States.  More people are drinking alcoholic beverages and they're drinking more frequently and heavily.  As more information on alcohol

The American public is beginning to recover from the shock of the terrorist attacks - but it still has a long way to go. As many as 42% report that they have felt depressed in recent days because of the events of September 11, 21% say they continue to have difficulty concentrating on work, and 18% say they are having trouble sleeping. All three indicators of psychological stress were markedly higher in the Pew Research Center survey of two weeks ago, when 71% reported depression, 49% concentration problems and 33% insomnia.  Read the full report and link to the PEWS website.

The reality of domestic terrorism is causing wide spread addiction and mental health problems to ripple through America.  This article explains what these problems are, shows that we have the technology and trained professionals to cope with the problem, and discusses the potential consequences to homeland defense if we fail to do so.

The DEA :  (1) will be introducing a new initiative entitled Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance (IDEA) that will combine a law enforcement effort with a partnership alongside community coalitions for a long-lasting impact to reduce demand through drug prevention and treatment programs;  
(2) hosted a symposium on narco-terrorism to educate the American public about the link between terrorism and drugs.   “Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists, and Your Kids” will take place on Tuesday, December 4, 2001.  Read the DEA news releases.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA)* at Columbia University reports that thirteen states and four cities have detected an increased demand for alcohol and drug treatment since September 11th.  Here's a summary of their report.

Here's a bibliography of resources that are available to help professionals deal with traumatic stress.  

Here are the guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA) on how to cope with the stress of terrorism.

This article describes the nature of the traumatic experiences involved by people experiencing critical incidents that involvement violent deaths or the mass recovery of bodies.  The responses of rescuers are described and a large body of research literature is reviewed.  This is must reading for anyone doing critical incident stress management work with trauma survivors, especially people who have experienced the trauma of terrorist attacks.

The September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent anthrax attacks have created one of the most wide-spread conditions of traumatic stress ever experienced in the United States.  The effects of traumatic stress on individuals, organizations, communities, and nations are of substantial and increasing concern in the present world climate.  Traumas and disasters have substantial acute and long-term effects on individual health, creating physical trauma and illness as well as psychiatric disease. The health effects of disaster and traumatic stress are seen in both psychological and physical health at the cellular, behavioral and community levels.  Although this report by the The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine was written before the September 11th attacks, it contains vital background information for understanding the physical and psychological disabilities that affect communities following a large-scale traumatic event.

Devastating acts, such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents in the United States and their potential impact. They have raised uncertainty about what might happen next, increasing stress levels. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to prepare for the unexpected and reduce the stress that you may feel now and later should another emergency arise. Having an Emergency Plan can reassure you and your children that you can exert a measure of control even in the face of such events.  Here's advise from the Red Cross.

This article is a great handout to give to people who are using or thinking about using marijuana.  It describes sixteen research-based facts about marijuana use that can help people make sound decisions about whether they want to take the risk to start using.  It can also be used to help people see that they are already having progressive problems with marijuana.  The article makes a great outline for recovery education or prevention classes.

There are clear indicators that the new war on terrorism will be heavily linked with the war on drugs.  The Terrorism Project - Center For Defense Information (CDI) issued this report on the role of illicit drug production and distribution in the war on terrorism.  This report discusses the history of the Taliban in the production and sale of illicit drugs and the role that the Northern Alliance has played and probably will play in the future.  

On November 13. 2001 President Bush Issued a military order pertaining to the detention, treatment, and trial of certain non-citizens in the war against terrorism.  Although this act applies strictly to non-citizens, several of its provisions, including its definition of terrorism and terrorist can set a precedent that could be harmful to addicted people, their families, and those who provide treatment.

Here is the actual text of President Bush's military order for military tribunals.  The definition of "terrorist" and "terrorism" in this act raises a serious question:  could addicted people be legally defined as terrorists or those who aid and abet terrorists?

Our past track record of criminal enforcement against terrorist acts may have sent the wrong message to terrorists and unintentionally escalated the terrorist attacks.

Steve Grinstead, A CENAPS Trainer and Consultant, has noticed that since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 more and more recovering people are suffering from the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that could lead to relapse if left unresolved.

The prevalence of mental illness and addiction among children and adults throughout the nation will probably rise in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  The United States may  not have the mental health infrastructure in place to cope with this increase.

Moderate drinking may not be as safe as many people think.  New research shows that moderate alcohol consumption evokes complex responses in the brain, resulting in fewer white matter abnormalities but a higher prevalence of brain atrophy, according to a report in the September edition of Stroke.

In times of crisis it's important we care for our kids.  The National Mental Health Association released this statement on Wednesday about how parents and healthcare professionals can help children of all ages recover from disaster-related anxiety.  It's worth reading.

Here are some guidelines for helping kids deal with the recent terrorism in New York and Washington.  

Many people were deeply affected by the terrorist act against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  These terrorist acts can be deeply disturbing and can act as complicating factors for people in recovery from addiction and mental health problems.  This article describes the progressive psychological reactions to terrorist acts.

The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 deeply affected many people who will be seeking help for addiction and mental health problems.  The more therapists know about terrorism the better.  This article summarizes a brief history of terrorism and how innocent victims have been used to gain strategic political advantage.

This article points out that many people relapse in spite of actively working a Twelve Program and shows how to use the Relapse Warning Sign List as an additional recovery tool for identifying and managing problems that could lead to relapse.  This is a great article to be used as a handout for clients in treatment.

Colorado lawmakers are considering legislation that would have Colorado join a national trend to keep some nonviolent drug offenders out of prison, freeing up millions of tax dollars for drug abuse treatment programs instead.

Substance abuse is a chronic relapsing condition. Without continued aftercare services, many parolees will continue to use drugs, commit crimes and get re-arrested. This document presents recommended language for an after care policy for released offenders.

Asa Hutchinson was appointed as the new director of the Drug Enforcement Administration.  It seems his new mission will include a careful re-examination of the war on drugs and it's relationship to treatment.

The Sentencing Project has issued a report that contends that The Three-strikes laws have not lowered crime in California.  This report suggests that other forces are working to cut the crime rate while the only impact of three strikes is to radically increase the prison population.

In studying the Post incarceration Syndrome (PICS) it is important to understand the nature of the supermax prison and how these conditions are related to the development of a social-sensory deprivation syndrome.  This article describes the conditions at the Red Onion Supermax Prison in Virginia.

In studying the Post incarceration Syndrome (PICS) it is important to understand the nature of the supermax prison and how these conditions are related to the development of a social-sensory deprivation syndrome.  This article describes the conditions at the ADX Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado.

This article by Jonah Paisner discusses critical issues related to using legal force to compel compel psychiatrically ill people to submit to treatment.   As the concept of therapeutic jurisprudence is widely implemented through a growing national network of drug courts, it's important to reflect upon the rights of addicted people in relationship to being required to submit to treatment.  This article provides a summary of the legal and clinical issues that have emerged in relationship to the legally forced treatment of psychiatrically ill individuals.

The Fifteenth Florida Statewide Grand Jury investigated the scope and effectiveness of State-wide drug control efforts.  Although the report concludes that drug addiction is an illness that requires treatment and that the most effective strategies for reducing drug abuse involve education, prevention, and treatment the majority of recommendations support demand reduction activities based upon a drug war model.  The contradiction between a public health addiction policy and a drug war policy are readily visible within the report even though the policy issues are not directly addressed.

Florida is tougher on criminals today than any time over the past 20 years. Criminals sentenced to prison today will serve significantly longer actual time incarcerated than in the past two decades. An analysis was conducted of 414,564 offenders sentenced to prison from FY1979-80 to FY1998-99. Florida has implemented several major changes in the way it sentences felony offenders to prison. Prior to the minimum 85% of sentence served policy, which began in 1995, a prison sentence had minimal relationship to the actual time criminals spent in prison. Parole, early prison release, and significant gain time earnings resulted in substantially shorter periods of actual incarceration than the current punishment policy.  The impact is especially harsh for drug offenders.

On Aug 26, 2001 The Associated Press reported that the number of adults behind bars, on parole or on probation reached a record 6.47 million in 2000 - or one in 32 American adults.  Here's a summary of the most recent criminal justice statistics.

This article summarizes recent data on drug-related deaths in Florida and has a link to the Florida Medical Examiner's full report on drug-related deaths.

The Office of Drug Control (ODC) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) issued am public safety alert concerning the drugs paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) and paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) which are more potent variants of the illegal substance known as "ecstasy.  PMA/PMMA burns out the central nervous system by raising the user's body temperature to nearly 108 degrees.  PMA, used illicitly in Australia since late 1994, is sold under the guise of "ecstasy," the common name for MDMA.  PMA appears to be more toxic than MDMA and was was associated with three deaths in the Chicago, Illinois area in May and six deaths in Florida, two are attributed directly to drug toxicity with these drugs, and four deaths are attributed to multiple-drug toxicity including these drugs.  Users of "ecstasy" should be aware that, in the opinion of the forensic toxicologists, no presumptive test kit can reliably determine the presence of either PMA or PMMA in a pill sold as "ecstasy."   The pills bought by the deceased were presumed to be "ecstasy" or "ecstasy" laced with heroin and/or cocaine. 

In April of 2001 The National institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) published a special report on prescription drug abuse which describes the most commonly abused abused prescriptions drugs, the epidemiology of prescription drug abuse, and approaches to prevention and treatment.  The legal and criminal justice system aspects of prescription drug abuse are noticeably lacking and for a complete picture the recent enforcement trends involving the pain-killer OxyContin need to be explored along with the DEA's policy of expanding the war on drugs to include prescription drug abuse.

Here is a quick reference to the major diagnostic criteria for substance dependence disorders:  (1) Diagnostic & Statistical Manual III-R (DSM-III-R);  
(2) Diagnostic & Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV); (3) International Classification of Disease 10 (ICD-10).

This article summarizes the research basis for the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the treatment of substance use disorders with a special emphasis upon the treatment cocaine dependence.  In summary, this article supports that Cognitive-behavioral treatments:  (1) are among the most frequently evaluated psychosocial approaches for the treatment of substance use disorders; (2) have a strong level of empirical support; (3) have been studied in regard to various types of substances including tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and other types of substances;  (4) are clearly more effective when compared with no-treatment controls;  (5) are superior to or comparable to other treatment approaches studies;  (6) are effective in reducing the severity of relapses when they occur;  (7) enhance the durability of treatment effects; (8) are most effective for patients at higher levels of impairment along such dimensions as psychopathology or dependence severity.

This article provides information about hypnosis and its role in the treatment of physical, mental, and addictive disorders.  It has useful information about the definition of hypnosis, how to differentiate hypnotic states from other psychological states, and general areas in which hypnosis has been demonstrated to be effective and ineffective.  Hypnosis has been demonstrated to be effective in the management of acute and chronic pain and as an adjunct in the treatment of mental and addictive.  It has proven to be ineffective in recovering repressed memories, clarifying past memories, and resolving conflict stemming from unresolved past issues.  When used as a primary treatment method, hypnosis has proven to be ineffective in the treatment of addiction and other mental disorders.  Hypnosis, however, can improve the effectiveness of cognitive therapy and certain hypnotic techniques can be useful in resolving specific problems related to recovery from addiction and other mental disorders.

When there is so much profit to be made in the illicit drug trade, it is difficult to keep corruption out of the picture.  Until a drug policy  can be developed that drops the price of drugs and reduces the profitability of the drug trade, corruption of even high ranking officials will remain commonplace.  This article shows this principle in action in Puerto Rico.

The Scientific American, an influential magazine that reports on advances in many different sciences, published a brief article on the internet summarizing advances in Alcoholism and its treatment.  The article focused on the widespread failure of rehabilitation to produce long-term recovery, referral to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and new drugs that fight craving.  The article does not present a balanced look at alcoholism, treatment, its effectiveness, or the need for future innovations.  Yet leaders in the science community see this as an accurate summary of the state-of-the art of alcoholism and its treatment.

John Newport was kind enough to share some pointers on wellness in recovery from his soon to be published book of the same name.  This article is geared specifically to recovering alcoholics and addicts and gives them practical pointers for incorporating a wellness-oriented lifestyle into their recovery programs.  A wellness-oriented lifestyle goes hand in hand with working a 12-step program, in enhancing the quality of sobriety enjoyed by persons recovering from addictive disorders.  Unfortunately, millions of persons in recovery unwittingly short-change themselves of years, if not decades of joyful and productive living through succumbing to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a host of other preventable illnesses associated with self-destructive lifestyle patterns.  The key to deriving maximum benefit from your recovery experience lies in taking charge of your health and consciously embracing a wellness lifestyle.  Check out the pointers in this article.

Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is developing a new pain killer that would be tougher to abuse.  OxyContin is a time-released prescription painkiller linked to growing problems with abuse, overdoses, and deaths.  OxyContin can be easily abused because the time-release mechanism can be disabled when the pill is crushed and then snorted.  The new painkiller will have a built in self-destruct mechanism that destroy its own narcotic ingredients if crushed into a powder and snorted or injected.  The self-destruct mechanism that disables the narcotic effect if the pill is crushed will consist of embedded microscopic ``beads'' of naltrexone, a narcotic antagonist that counteracts the medicine.  The beads would be coated with a chemical to keep them from dissolving, so the pain medication will work just like OxyContin if taken as directed.  But if the pill is crushed or chopped up, the coating on the beads would break, releasing the naltrexone and canceling the drug's effects.  The new drug has yet to be named and will not be available for at least three years, would — the typical manner in which OxyContin currently is abused.

Rolling Stone magazine has published two articles that represent the chanign climate toward the War On Drugs and Drug law Reform.  The first article America's War on Drugs features the views of well-known lawmakers, CEOs, police chiefs, academics and artists talk about one of the most controversial issues of our time.  The second article The New Coalition Against the Drug War describes the unlikely membership of the emerging national constituency, including right-wingers, minorities and ravers, who are banding together to fight unjust drug laws

William Yates filed a successful lawsuit against the State of New Hampshire that assured that all prisoners have access to non-secular alternatives to meetings of Alcoholics anonymous (AA) as part of the behind the bars treatment.  This is the story of that court decision occurred written by William Yates and published 

This is an analysis of an article on prescription drug abuse from an article in the Florida Times Union of August 4, 2001.  It organizes the relevant information in easily accessible bullet points, expands certain areas of information, and presents the problem of addiction drug abuse from the perspective of a Public health Addiction Model.  The ways in which prescription drug addicts acquire their illegal prescriptions are discussed as well as some general points about the cost of prescription drug abuse to society.  The best approach to prescription drug addiction is to educate consumers, physicians, and pharmacists in the dangers of prescription drug abuse and addiction and how to complete a brief medical intervention when appropriate.

The Miami Herald published a two part series on Kids In Prison.  Part 1 describes the circumstances surrounding high profile criminal cases that has resulted in more-and-more kids being tried and sentenced as adults.  It also looks at the damage that is done to kids incarcerated as adults that leads to higher rates of recidivism.  Part 2 documents the increased rate of physical and sexual assault among adolescents in adult correctional facilities.  This series highlights the need for all people of good will to band together to protect our juvenile justice system and to shift the power to decide which youth are tried as adults from prosecutors to judges.

On Sunday, July 29, 2001 the New York Times ran a special features describing the public image transformation of OxyContin from a legitimate and highly effective pain management medication to a lethal drug of abuse.  The article does a good job of presenting a balanced view of two interest groups - pain patients whose lives are being positively transformed by the appropriate medical use of OxyContin and casual drug users whose lives become devastated as they naively experimented with a potent "take over your life" addictive narcotic drug.  There is no doubt that OxyContin poses real dangers to our communities.  The solution, however, should be sought by implementing effective public Health Addiction Policies that promote education, prevention, early intervention, and increased availability of detoxification and rehabilitation for people who get addicted.  A full scale enforcement and crack-down by the DEA won't work and will probably make things worse.  There is nothing to be gained by turning physicians and pharmacists into drug pushers and chronic pain patients into demonic drug criminals.  This problem can be effectively managed by a community-based team of medical, addiction, mental health and law enforcement professionals working together collaboratively to help people learn about the dangers of OxyContin Abuse and to intervene early when abuse or addiction is discovered with treatment alternatives to incarceration. 

On July 31, 2001 The Associated Press reported that parents who once used marijuana are about three times as likely to have children who use the drug, according to a government study.  The study by the Department of Health and Human Services was based on 9,463 surveys of parents and children conducted between 1979 and 1996 by federal researchers.

On Jul 31, 2001 Amanda Riddle of the Associated Press reported that a recent study in the State of Florida shows that young inmates are more likely than adults to return to crime after being released from prison.  Youth advocates say the study supports their criticism of Florida's stringent laws for young criminals.  A 1996 study that showed Florida youth transferred to adult court were a third more likely to commit another offense than those sent to the juvenile system for the same crime.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that a survey of 4,163 public school students in Massachusetts, show that one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner, significantly increasing their risk of drug abuse, suicide and other harmful behavior, a study suggests.

Part 4: Beating An Addiction To Methamphetamine - Researchers Zero In On Brain Effects & Treatment Approaches

C. Ron Allen, a staff writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on May 19, 2001 that Dr. Denis Deonarine was arrested and charged with improperly dispensing prescriptions for OxyContin.  Dr. Deonarine could be charged with murder because four of his patients have allegedly overdosed on OxyContin prescribed by the Doctor.  Deonarine, 56, has not been charged with any deaths. State Attorney Barry Krischer said he would, however, present evidence to a grand jury next month and seek murder charges against the doctor.

On June 4, 2001 Dr. Eric Chevlen wrote an article published in The Weekly Standard that clearly spelled out the basic reasons why recent efforts of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to radically control the distribution of OxyContin is misguided.  I've organized the basic information from Dr. Chevlin's article into a briefing format.  

In Jacksonville Florida three officers are being investigated for a long string of offenses related to the abuse of police powers related to the war on drugs.  The prosecutors and officers who were willing to put themselves on the line to stop this criminal conduct are to be commended.  The system of drug laws and enforcement, however, needs to be carefully examined to assure that a collaborative alliance is formed between law enforcement and treatment tom assure that we are helping individual addicts, their families, and their communities to prevent drug problems, intervene early when they occur

The younger people are when they begin drinking alcoholic beverages the more likely they are to be injured later in life when under the influence of alcohol. Those who start drinking before age 14 are 12 times more likely to be injured than those who begin drinking at or after age 21.  People who begin drinking before age 14 are about three times more likely than those who begin drinking at or after age 21 to be injured while drinking.  This analysis shows that for each year under age 21 that drinking onset is delayed, risk for later life injury diminishes and confirms previous research that early drinking onset is associated with increased lifetime risk for the clinical disorders alcohol dependence (alcoholism) and alcohol abuse.

A study reported in the November 8, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 284, Number 18) shows that communities that undertake comprehensive prevention strategies can effectively reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes and injuries from crashes and assaults. Relative to matched comparison sites, intervention communities (two in California and one in South Carolina) experienced marked reductions in alcohol-related crashes, nighttime injury crashes, injuries due to assault, and assaults that required hospitalization, as well as in self-reported alcohol consumption, heavy drinking, and drinking and driving.

This report contains valuable information for anyone with a serious desire to understand issues related to alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

This brief articles contains a summary of the types of neuroimaging technologies that are being used to study craving and gives a picture of an MRI scan of stimulus-induced craving in an alcoholic and a control subject.

I discovered the following memorial on the internet.  It clearly depicts one aspect of the human price we are all paying for continuing to support the war on drugs.   The War on Drugs is no longer about helping people to avoid the harm of addiction.  The War on Drugs is stripping people of their constitutional rights and killing them in their own homes.  The drug warriors, including high ranking officials in the White House, Attorney General's Office, and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) view the individuals who are murdered in no knock drug raids gone bad as collateral damage in a necessary war against drugs.  

What role should law enforcement play in dealing with the problem of prescription drug abuse.  The central question in the debate over prescription drug abuse is this:   who should make the final decision about what constitutes medical use - a DEA officer committed to arresting and incarcerating drug addicts and drug dealers or a licensed physician dedicated to patient care?  As the DEA and NIDA both gear up to expand the war on drugs into the area of prescription drug abuse it is important to understand the implications. 

The controversy is beginning as more people are becoming aware of the proposed "Right to Treatment Law" in the state of Florida.  The contest will be between those who support a continued War on Drugs Policy and those who support a Public Health Addiction Policy.

As the results of efforts by the Police Chief Tallahassee Florida is planning to open a drug court to better deal with the problem of non-violent drug offenders.  The police chief actively worked for a drug court based upon his observation that current enforcement strategies involvement arrest and imprisonment are not effective in managing people who abuse drugs.

This articles, origianally published in August of 1992 describes six principles for coping with rapid change environments

The War On Drugs takes another step toward interfering with the doctor patient relationship.  The governor of the State of Vermont decided to start practicing medicine without a license when he ordered that Welfare stop paying for prescriptions of OxyContin for pain patients on welfare.  He encouraged doctors to find an alternative pain medication.  This is another step in a continuing over reaction to a drug scare started by the DEA.  OxyContin can be an addictive and dangerous drug.  Many doctors, however, believe it is one of the most effective for severe pain patients, especially those who are terminally ill.  It seems that doctors should be making decisions about prescription medications, not state governors or DEA agents.

This series of articles gives a basic overview of the issues, both domestic and international, surrounding the use of the drug Ecstasy.  It provides some good basic information about the extent of the problem.

President Bush's Faith-based Program Bill passed the housed but will face stiff competition in the democratic controlled senate.  Although the media rarely discusses it, this bill contains special exemptions for religious organizations who engage in drug treatment programs that could create unfair competition with funded programs that do not qualify for the faith-based exemptions.

You will see a new button on the top and bottom menus of TGORSKI.COM that reads Daily News Review.  Clicking on this button will take you to page with links to the Associated Press and other news links that can be quickly checked on a daily basis.  Keep yourself informed.  New sources will be added as they prove valuable.  If you have a favorite news source that gives valuable information on local, state, or national news stories pertaining to addiction treatment & public policy send the internet address ttgorski@aol.com and I'll review it for possible inclusion in the Daily News Review Section.

Robert Downey Jr. pleaded no contest to two cocaine-related charges.  Under the spirit of California's Proposition 36, a new policy of stressing treatment instead of punishment in drug cases, Downey was sentenced to one year in a live-in rehabilitation program and three years of probation. He will have to pay a series of fines and was ordered to comply with a set of regulations including random drug testing.

The Drug War is creating a whole category of drug criminals -  the elderly and previously law abiding who are drawn to low level drug dealing to earn extra money to make ends meet.  These new drug criminals are drawn to the drug trade because the War on Drugs has made selling illegal substances so lucrative that almost anyone can be tempted into breaking the law -- even past-their-crime-prime senior citizens.

Michael C. Smith, a counselor who has worked with many drug offenders released from the Tent City Concentration Camps in Maricopa County Arizona wrote this article about conditions in the camps.  I visited those camps personally in July of 2001 and was appalled by what I saw.  I experienced the official tour of the facility which seems to be little more than a slick front end public relations scam to keep people from seeing what really goes on in the jail.  There are some good programs operating in the jail.  I was told about the Alpha Program, although the group I was supposed to sit in on was canceled.  I talked with the job skills instructor.  Both of these programs are excellent.  The problem is that less than one percent of the inmates get into those programs.  All people of good will and good conscience need to work together to close the tent city concentration in Maricopa County. 

Drug laws can be used by unscrupulous people to gain unfair advantage in divorce and child custody cases.  Here's how it's done and a recent news story about a case in which the scam was discovered.

An innocent family was burned out of their home when police executed a no-knock drug warrant issued on the basis of an anonymous tip.  The police used a flash-bang device in the raid which set fire to the the home and destroyed the family's home recording business.  No drugs were found.  The family now wants a public apology and that is a reasonable request.

The DEA wants to step up its efforts to stamp out the abuse of ketamine with more if its paramilitary policing tactics.  It justifies this with anecdotal reports of increased burglaries of veterinary clinics that are not supported by crime statistics and with exaggerated claims of damage done by the drug. The facts show that from 1994 to 1999, the drug was associated with 67 deaths in 40 cities surveyed by the Drug Abuse Warning Network.  This is about 11 deaths per year spread over 40 cities which is not even one death per city.  Emergency room visits in those same cities increased from 19 in 1994 to 396 in 1999.  That's about 79 ER visits a year spread across 40 cities or about 2 ER visits per year for each city.  Ketamine is a public health problem requiring community based education, prevention, and treatment.  The abuse of ketamine, however, is not a national crisis requiring the heavy hand of the DEA paramilitary policing machine.  Read the facts for yourself and decide.

Here's a comprehensive bibliography on the economics of drug abuse treatment prepared by the National institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Gorski responds to an article by Calvina Fay, the Executive Director of the Drug Free America Foundation (www.dfaf.org), that presented inaccurate information about proposed drug reform legislation in Florida (Florida Drug Law Reform 2000).

Florida will be considering drug reform legislation entitled The Right To Treatment and Rehabilitation for Non-violent Drug Offenses.  This proposed legislation is already generating some heated debate.  Before jumping into the debate, it's a good idea to review the text of the actual proposed legislation.  Here it is.  Keep watching this site for Gorski's Analysis of this proposed legislation.

In the early part of the decade, 25% of youthful arrestees had marijuana in systems, but by 1996 that figure had jumped to 57% and has hovered in that area ever since, the study reports.  This seems to indicate a trend away from cocaine and marijuana.  How should the government respond?  Is a crack-down on marijuana abusing use an appropriate response or should we focus more on prevention and treatment efforts?  Read what the experts think.

A new report from the Center of Juvenile and Criminal Justice shows the impact that our harsh treatment of adolescents, especially young black women,  is having upon juvenile incarceration rates.  Even though an intensive prevention program in San Francisco was successful in reducing juvenile arrests by 46%, the number of  juvenile detention bookings increased by 22%.  This is an increase of 378 per 1,000 juvenile arrests in 1980 to 856 per 1,000 juvenile arrests by the late 1990's.  The result is that an adolescent who is arrested today is nearly twice as likely of being incarcerated than an arrested juvenile in the 1980s.  The increased rate of detention bookings was shown to be unrelated to overall juvenile crime, since the detention rate rose while the felony arrest rate fell.  It was related to gender and race, with increased rates of arrests for African American females accounting for most of the increase in incarceration.

The War on Drugs is the root cause of funding difficulties that are causing serious gaps in in the continuum of treatment available to children and adolescents.  Shifting funds from punishment on demand to treatment on demand is part of the solution.  This new funding must then be linked to community-based wrap around services that mobilize community resources to help kids and families to recover.

On Friday, October 4, 1996 at the 10th Annual dual disorder Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada Terence T. Gorski presented a paper and publicly debated G. Alan Marlatt on the issue of whether addiction is a disease.  Here, for the first time anywhere, are Mr. Gorski's edited lecture notes that were prepared for this presentation.  

Florida takes a giant step toward imposing government into the physician and patient relationship.  Hoping to make it harder for patients to abuse the painkiller OxyContin, Florida will stop paying for prescriptions that exceed 120 pills in a month without prior approval from Medicaid.  This will make it more difficult for terminally ill patients to receive adequate medication for their pain disorders.  With the move, Florida joins four other states - Maine, West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina - that curb the drug's distribution to Medicaid recipients.

The story of Jeffrey Matthews, the notorious Fort Myers Beach drug runner and bomber of  the local DEA offices in 1990, will be coming to prime time on the Discovery Channel.  Read the details of the only drug terrorist to bomb a DEA office on US soil.

Terence T. Gorski
July 4, 2001

As we celebrate July 4, 2001 - Independence Day - it is important to remember that over two million people are in prison within the United States.  Two million is too many.  One in four (25%) are serving an average of seven years for the non-violent drug offenses of the personal possession and use of an illegal drug.  In other words, they're incarcerated for being an addict.   Fifty percent are doing time for committing a crime in order to get money to buy and use illicit drugs.  This means 75% of our inmates are incarcerated for drug related offenses.  Less than 12% of them get treatment in spite of undeniable evidence that treatment works.  We spend billions of dollars on law enforcement and international military activities to stop the flow of drugs.  Yet drugs are more available than ever.  We build more prisons and hire more probation and parole officers.  Yet we are cutting the budgets of our community based treatment programs.  Drug treatment is less available today than it has been since 1970.  This story by Charles Rappleye & Judith Lewis can help us to reflect.  Then we need to decide what, if anything, we are going to do.

This is a comprehensive article that explains all aspects of the pathophysiology of nicotine addiction.

This paper contains valuable information regarding nicotine and its similarities and differences to other addictive drugs.

Bill Moyers article published on PBS with the latest information and easy-to-understand descriptions of what happens in the brain when craving is activated and how craving can then lead to relapse.

Narcotic maintenance programs involving both both methadone and high-dosage buprenorphine resulted in an increase in the number of patients participating in maintenance treatment, a reduction in the number of intravenous drug users and a reduction in overall consumption of psychoactive substances.  The implications to US drug control policy are discussed.

Recent studies of people of have succeeded in resolving their alcohol and drug problems without formal treatment or attendance at Twelve Step Support Groups may give vital information about the factors that are critical to successful recovery.

This article provides information on how to develop an Relapse Prevention Program as part of an existing addiction treatment program, mental health center, or private practice.  The need for relapse prevention programs, different options for program implementation, and suggestion for policy guidelines are discussed.

How many inmates must suffer and die 
before it becomes wrong?

Get More Facts About The War On Drugs

The drug warriors are continually searching for more intrusive ways to stamp out the use of illegal drugs in this country.  One of the potentially most intrusive is the use of thermal imaging technology that is capable of detecting patterns of heat coming from private homes.  Recently various generations of this technology have been deployed by police to search for in home marijuana cultivation by detecting the heat emitted from growing lamps.  The Supreme Court recently ruled that the use of this surveillance technology without a search warrant to be illegal.

On June 12, 2001 the police burned down a home in St. Petersburg, Florida while attempting to serve a no knock drug warrant issued as a result of anonymous tip made to police.  Police arrived on the scene and threw a flash bang device (picture shows detonation of a flash bang device) through a window which set the house on fire.  The reason for the search was an anonymous tip that drugs were being kept in the house.  No drugs were found, but an entire neighborhood was terrorized, people lost their home, lost their livelihood, & could have burned to death.

Governor Jeb Bush refused to allow an early request for clemency of a 14-year-old boy sentenced to life in prison for beating a 6-year-old girl to death when he was twelve years old.  This raises serious questions about our national approach juvenile justice.  Do we want to live in a nation that sentences children as young as twelve years old to life imprisonment.

Efforts to resolve the differences between Republicans and Democrats on relaxing New York State's drug sentencing laws have stalled over three critical issues:  (1)  Will the judges or prosecutors call the shots on whether Class B drug felons, who make up 28% of imprisoned drug offenders, go to prison or receive treatment;  (2)   Will funding be increased for drug treatment behind the bars; and (3) the length of sentences for each drug crime and how those sentences should vary based upon the drug involved.  This is unfortunate because the current drug laws hurt addicted people, their families, and their communities.  Harsh drug laws have failed to slow the rate of drug abuse and addiction, to make drugs less available on the streets, or to lower the rate of drug related crime and violence.  It's time that all states trade in their ineffective war on drugs legislation in favor of more effective laws based upon Public Health Addiction Policy.

The war on drugs is threatening our basic right to privacy.  The Justice Department wants to implement a program code named Carnivore to use the internet to find drug dealers, drug users, and other criminals.  Although this allegations sounds like it is right out of the film Conspiracy Theory, Dick Armey of Texas, the majority leader of the House of Representatives is seriously concerned.  

The Justice Department announced yesterday that violent crime fell 15 percent last year, the largest drop on record, a finding that puzzled some criminologists because it came only two weeks after the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that serious crime remained stable in 2000, ending an eight-year period of significant declines in crime.  Read the details of how the experts account for this discrepancy. 

Treatment & Research
Juveniles in Adult Prisons and Jails.
A National Assessment

Read this important new study by the Department of Justice which provides critical information needed to assess the growing trend of incarcerating adolescents in adult correctional facilities.

This article describes why relapse prevention is a critical component for managed care programs who are serious about cost containment.  

After three decades of explosive growth, the nation's prisoner population may have begun to stabilize.  But it's not time to start celebrating.  Drug crime has been the major factor increasing prisoner population.  The U.S. is using two diametrically opposed approaches to drug crime - the War on Drugs which is driving up the prisoner population & Public Health Addiction Policy which is driving it down.  As a result they tend to cancel each other out.  In spite of it's success, Public Health Addiction Policy Approaches are not universally supported.  Find out why.

The Canadian move toward the legalization of the medical use of marijuana raises a number of issues related to pain management.  Steve Grinstead objectively reviews these issues raises important questions for consideration when considering issues related to pain management and addiction medicine.

The rate of serious crime in the United States stabilized in the year 2000 after eight years of consistent declines.  Is the crime rate stabilizing or could this indicate that serious crimes will start to increase in the years to come?  Read what the experts think.  (Remember, drug crimes are not included in this report on serious crime!)

In spite of the fact that alcohol and drug abuse problems are a  leading cause of health care problems requiring medical attention, few doctors receive adequate training in how to identify and treat addiction.  In the current political climate of a national drug prohibition policy that demonizes addicts and places physicians at risk when treating addicted people with prescription medication this is not surprising.  This news analysis provides more details.

Training & Consultation: www.tgorski.com, www.cenaps.com, www.relapse.org  Gorski-CENAPS, 17900 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430, 708-799-5000 

Meet The GORSKI-CENAPS TEAM
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Special Focus:  Mental Health, Substance Abuse, & Terrorism