The Need For Drug Treatment

It is commonly known that resources for drug treatment and prevention have gradually waned over the past 15 years. As this reduction in resources progressed, so did America’s drug problem. Many professionals in law enforcement now state that the country cannot arrest its way out of this growing dilemma. Many of those who are addicted
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PBS Frontline Highlights America’s Heroin Epidemic

ADS Board Member, Stacy Smith, recently notified ADS staff of a powerful documentary she viewed which just aired on PBS. The film is titled Chasing Heroin. It is an expertly produced piece on the resurgence of heroin addiction in America. Chasing Heroin profiles a number of individuals and families who are struggling with heroin/opioid addiction.
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Methamphetamines and Methadone Are Not The Same

Monday, November 30th is the official start date of “National Meth Awareness Week” which is an initiative to educate the public on the dangers of methamphetamine abuse. This is a coordinated prevention program by the Partnership For Drug-Free Kids. It is important to note that some people occasionally confuse “Meth” (a slang abbreviation for methamphetamine)
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CNN Article Cites Increase in Marijuana Use

A study published by the American Medical Association spanning a 10-year period (roughly 2002 to 2012) found that the number of Americans using marijuana has doubled. 4.1% of adults in 2001-2002 admitted using pot, but that number increased to 9.5% within the last year. The CNN article states that the study was based on in-person
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Study Shows Marijuana Negatively Affects Driving Performance

In the video below, Dr. Marilyn Huestis of NIDA talks about the research conducted around marijuana’s effect on operating a motor vehicle. It was found that marijuana is associated with increased weaving within the lane. The effects were similar to what is found with drivers who have a .08 breath alcohol level – which is
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CNN Article on Heroin-related Overdoses

A new article from CNN cites an announcement by the Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) confirming that heroin use is increasing rapidly across the United States. The staggering result of this is that: “Deaths from heroin-related overdoses nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013.” The CDC report indicated that heroin use doubled among women
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Town Hall Meeting On Addiction And Recovery

A new Town Hall Meeting will occur in High Point at the High Point Arts Council on Tuesday evening July 14th. Fact: Two out of three families are somehow touched by addiction! The Town Hall Meeting will address addiction in our community and how family members can do something about this illness to hopefully prevent
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The Drug Problem In China Is Growing

A Reuter’s (Beijing) article, published in Business Insider, just covered the rise of heroin and methamphetamine abuse in China. 2014 saw nearly 49,000 drug-related deaths and an estimated financial loss of approximately 500 billion yuan ($80 billion is U.S. dollars). The story indicates that China has instituted a nationwide crackdown on drugs in response to a
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Medscape Article Highlights Drug Overdose In Death Statistics

A June 2015 article in Medscape points to continued public concerns with drug overdose in the United States. Megan Brooks of Medscape writes: “Drug overdose is now the leading cause of deaths from injury in the United States.” She addresses that 26 states have seen an increase in drug overdose deaths over the last 4 years. In 36
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Anthony Steele Attends NC Heroin Summit

Anthony Steele is the Director of Medical Services at Alcohol and Drug Services. In the video below, Dr. Steele addresses a variety of questions about Piedmont Triad community concerns regarding the local opioid addiction problem. A focus of the Heroin Summit was on the multi-level benefits of instituting harm reduction tools in the community to
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