Drug Free Marion County
Monthly Update
Volume 3, September 2013
In This Issue
National Recovery Month
Celebration on Sept. 7
Upcoming Training
Opportunity
October is National
Substance Abuse
Prevention Month
Prescription Painkiller
Abuse and Heroin Use
Linked
Free Webinars for Health
Care Professionals
Quick Links
Visit Our Website
Visit Our Facebook Page
Treatment Provider
Directory
Parent Tips
Recognize National Recovery Month
with a Recovery Ride and Picnic on
Sept. 7
Each September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) highlights National
Recovery Month. Recovery Month promotes the societal
benefits of prevention, treatment and recovery for mental
and substance use disorders, celebrates people in recovery,
recognizes the contributions of treatment and service
providers and promotes the message that recovery in all its
forms is possible. Recovery Month spreads the positive
message that behavioral health is essential to overall
health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and
people can and do recover.
In Indianapolis, the month will be highlighted by a Recovery
Ride and Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 7.
During the Recovery Ride, participants depart from the
Southside Harley Davidson (4930 Southport Crossing Pl.,
Indianapolis) at 10 a.m. for a free, police-escorted ride
around I-465. The ride ends at Riverside Park (2420 E.
Riverside Drive), where bikers gather with other guests for a
free Celebration featuring a cookout and speakers.
Also at the Celebration, 2013 Recovery Awards will be given
in the categories of Recovery Advocate, Public Policy
Legislator of the Year and the Daniel J. Crowe Lifetime
Recovery Advocate.
To register for the Recovery Ride, click here. For more
information about National Recovery Ride, visit the special
pageon SAMHSA's website.
Fast Fact
4.3 million painkiller
prescriptions, or almost 2
percent of all
prescriptions for highly
controlled opioids,
purchased in 2008 were
diverted for illegal use by
"doctor shoppers."
(Abt Associates )
Fast Fact
The number of people
reporting that they have
used heroin in the past 12
months rose from 373,000
in 2007 to 620,000 in
2011.
(Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration)
Celebrate Family Day on Sept. 23
Did you know that nine of 10 Americans who meet the
medical criteria for addiction started smoking, drinking or
using drugs before the age of 18?
It's a concerning statistic, but research also shows that when
a young person has a close, loving and trusting relationship
with parents and guardians, they will be far less likely to
begin using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Family Day, celebrated on Sept. 23, gives you a great
opportunity to build trust with your children and keep the
lines of communication open. Everyday activities such as
having dinner together, helping your children with their
homework or attending after-school events have a lasting,
positive effect.
When you spend time with your children, you get the
opportunity to connect, share and really listen to what's on
their minds. Parental engagement matters, so make Sept.
23 the day to kick off a renewed commitment to family
togetherness!
Online Course Helps Health Care
Professionals Screen Young People for
Alcohol Problems
Fast Fact
The number of people
dependent on heroin in
the past 12 months
climbed from 179,000 in
2007 to 369,000 in 2011.
(Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration)
Quiz Question
A new online training course helps health care professionals
conduct fast, evidence-based alcohol screenings and brief
interventions with youth. The National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has produced the course
jointly with Medscape, a provider of online continuing
medical education.
The course presents three case scenarios of youth at
different levels of risk for alcohol-related harm. The
scenarios illustrate a streamlined, four-step clinical process
outlined in Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for
Youth: A Practitioner's Guide.
Course participants use a two-question screening tool: one
Between 2010 and 2011,
how much did heroin use
increase in Marion County?
Find the answer at the
end of this newsletter!
question asks about the drinking habits of an adolescent's
friends and the second asks about the adolescent's own
drinking frequency. The course also offers a risk estimator
and teaches how to conduct different levels of intervention
for lower, moderate and high-risk patients.
Those who complete the course earn up to 2.5 continuing
education credits or contact hours. Access to the
courserequires participants to first set up a free username
and password.
Save the Date: October is National
Substance Abuse Prevention Month
In October, parents, youth, schools, businesses
and community leaders across the country will
join in a month-long observance of the role that
substance abuse prevention plays in promoting
safe and healthy communities. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
has designated a theme for each week of the
month:





Week 1: Celebrate, educate and raise
awareness about substance use prevention
Week 2: Parents educate themselves
about illicit drugs, foster open
communication with family members and
initiate family conversations.
Week 3: Provide youth with
communication and drug resistance skills.
Week 4: Engage communities, schools and
college campuses to raise awareness
about the importance of community
involvement.
Week 5: Engage workplaces to ensure that
drug and alcohol education is integrated
into wellness services for employees.
For information on how you can get involved, visit
the Office of National Drug Control Policy's
website.
People Who Abuse Prescription
Painkillers are 19 Times More Likely
to Use Heroin
New data reinforces the concern that prescription drug
abuse is fueling the recent increase in heroin use in the
U.S. The report, released in August by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, found that
people ages 12 to 49 who had abused prescription pain
relievers were 19 times more likely to have begun using
heroin within the last year than others in that age group.
The report also shows that four out of five recent heroin
initiates (79.5%) had previously abused prescription pain
relievers.
Know the signs of prescription drug abuse and heroin use to
protect your loved ones. Read Drug Free Marion
County'supdated fact sheet. For more information, call us at
317-254-2815.
Free Webinars for Health Care
Professionals
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, is
offering upcoming free webinars worth CE credit in
September. The webinars include:
* Understanding Cannabis Use and Related Disorders, Sept.
10, 3-4 p.m., 1 CE
* Combat Trauma and Addiction, Sept. 24, noon to 2 p.m., 1
CE
For more information, visit the Webinar Series web page.
Upcoming Meetings
Program and Public Policy Committee Meeting
When: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Where: United Way Building, 3901 N. Meridian St., Room D
What: Identifies community issues related to
prevention/education, treatment and criminal justice
responses to ATOD issues.
Drug Free Marion County Board Meeting
When: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, 8 to 9 a.m.
Where: Cassidy Turley, One American Square, Suite 1300
What: Discusses DFMC organizational planning and services.
The September meeting will review Drug Free Communities
grant recommendations for 2014.
Northeast Prevention Partnership
When: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, 2:30 to 4 p.m.
Where: Avondale Meadows YMCA, 3908 Meadows Drive,
second-floor conference room
What: Addresses youth alcohol and drug use within the
northeast side of Marion County.
OUR MISSION
Drug Free Marion County -- a not-for-profit organization -plans, promotes, implements and coordinates community
efforts to prevent and reduce the abuse of alcohol, tobacco
and other drugs among youth and adults.
Contact Us:
2575 East 55th Place, Suite B
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317-254-2815
www.drugfreemc.org
Quick Quiz Answer: Heroin use in Marion County increased 21 percent between 2010 and
2011.
Source: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
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