Guilford County Dispose of Your Meds Drive

Hello, Guilford County! It’s that time again to dispose of your outdated or unused medications. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, Healthy Guilford, Safe Guilford, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Alcohol and Drug Services (ADS) are working together to sponsor another medication disposal initiative. Please note below that there are three locations where you can turn in
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Town Hall Meeting this Monday 10-21-19

Alcohol and Drug Services (ADS) is partnering with Healthy Guilford Coalition and UNCG to host a town hall meeting this coming Monday, 10/21/2019. The town hall focus will be on preventing underage drinking. A 32″ flatscreen TV will be given away at the event as well as $25 gift cards and other prizes. The event
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National Addiction Professionals Day is September 20

With addiction and recovery getting more national exposure than ever before, we pause on September 20, 2019 to celebrate vital players of the health system and continuum of care – addiction professionals. National Addiction Professionals Day will be celebrated on September 20, 2019, as part of National Recovery Month. Started by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals in 1992, the
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ADS Contributes to Local Spectrum News Coverage on Treating Opioid Addiction

Spectrum News published a segment the week of 1/14/2019 on the recent reduction in Guilford County deaths by opioid overdose. In the piece, Spectrum interviewed Clinical Supervisor Les Quagliano of Alcohol and Drug Services to gain more information on the role that medication plays in the treatment process. Narcan and buprenorphine were highlighted. While deaths
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Music Legend Tom Petty Dies of Overdose

It has been confirmed that music icon, Tom Petty, died of an accidental drug overdose. Toxicology reports indicate that Petty had a mixture of several medications including the potentially lethal fentanyl as well as oxycodone and several benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines and opioids are a high risk medication combination, and have been tied to numerous other overdose
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How Addiction in America Exploded

The New Yorker has published a fascinating, in-depth article on how the Sackler family (owners of Perdue Pharmaceutical) made billions of dollars selling Oxycontin throughout America. While effective pain management was, and is, a very important medical consideration, scores of people were introduced to a drug that was heralded as relatively “safe”, but which opened
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The Case for Medication Assisted Recovery

Historically, abstinence-based recovery has sought to establish that recovering addicts abstain from all use of illicit substances including alcohol. This model of treatment was originally rooted in the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program which by design was intended to address alcohol addiction specifically. That program has been extremely popular and effective in helping alcohol dependent
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International Overdose Awareness Day

Celebrate Life By Coming Together is a free family event open to the public. This event will remember, celebrate, empower, and encourage the loved ones of those impacted by overdose; support those who are in recovery from substance use; and give hope to the community. This event will have food, bounce houses, games, resource tables,
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FDA To Lower Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it intends to lower the allowable level of nicotine contained in cigarettes. The linked article states that approximately 35 million people still smoke in America (a new historical low) although hundreds of thousands die each year in the U.S. from tobacco-related illnesses. The American Heart Association
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Pot Use Among College Students

A University of Michigan study funded by the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that college students are presently 51% more likely to use marijuana than same age peers who are not enrolled in college. This trend has been increasing at about 10% per year for several years underscoring the need for increased prevention
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