TIP 43 available for Opiod Treatment Programs

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Gambling awareness workshop in Batavia, NY on March 3, 2009

GCASA is presenting an excellent noon time luncheon workshop on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, from noon until 2:00 PM at Terry Hills Country Club on Rt. 33 just east of Batavia, NY. There is no cost.

The workshop will feature:

Judge Mark Farrell the only gambling court judge in New York State,

Mr. James Maney, the Executive Director of the New York State Council on Problem Gambling,

Mr. Tony Bellanca, a Gambling prevention Specialist/Community Educator.

The workshop includes a complimentary lunch, and 1.5 CEUs from OASAS.

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For more information, contact Jamie Beedham at (585)-815-1879

Breast fed babies are better behaved children

Reuters HealthDay reported on 10/29/08 on a study to be presented that same day to the American Public Health Association annual meeting which found that babies who are breast fed have fewer behavior and mental health problems. Here is a snippet from the article:

Add yet another potential benefit to breast-feeding: Fewer behavioral problems in young children.

Parents of youngsters who were breast-fed as infants were less likely to report that their child had a behavior problem or psychiatric illness during the first five years of life, a new study found.

And the likelihood of mental health issues decreased in proportion to the duration of breast-feeding, meaning that a child who had been breast-fed for a year was less likely to have behavior problems than a child who had been breast-fed for just two months.

"This is an early finding, but it suggests that breast-feeding during infancy could have an effect on behavior during childhood," said the study's lead author, Dr. Katherine Hobbs Knutson, a resident in the department of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Sparks

Today I am starting a new category on this blog I am entitling "Sparks". Sparks are ideas that I have that at some point I might want to expand on.

Orginally I was going to call this category, "Passing thoughts" but I found upon reflection that this phrase trivialized the importance of the ideas, and then I thought of "glimpses" but that implies that there is something there to be perceived below the surface which, while true, leaves out the creative element. So, I have settled on "Sparks" which are ideas that catch my notice and which, if dwelled upon, might be fanned into flame. I hope that you will enjoy the Sparks as they appear on this blog.

Less exposure to violent media makes kids less aggressive

Reuters HealthDay reported on October 29, 2008 on a study to be presented that day at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association which found that kids who don't watch violent and aggressive media are much less likely to be aggressive. Here is a snippet from the HealthDay article:

Children and young teens with only minimal exposure to violent entertainment in the media are far less likely to engage in aggressive behavior, a new survey suggests.
"We're looking at a slice in time, so I can't tell you that the media exposure is causing violent behavior, or in the reverse that violent kids are looking for violent media," noted study author Michele Ybarra, president and research director of Internet Solutions for Kids -- a nonprofit research organization based in Santa Ana, Calif.
"But what we can tell you is that kids reporting that none or little of the media they are exposed to depicts violence are significantly less likely to be violent or aggressive than kids exposed to some or a lot of violent media."
Ybarra and her colleagues were expected to present the findings Wednesday at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting, in San Diego.

GCASA staff is well aware that a primary skill of growing children is emotional control. Children who are implusive, act out, and engage in bullying and disruptive behavior are much more likely to abuse substances. There is a link between aggression and substance abuse. Good parental supervision and the setting of appropriate limits goes a long way in mitigating the development of problematic behaviors.

AA Quiz for Teenagers - Is Alcohol becoming a problem?

Is drinking becoming a problem? AA has a 12 question quiz to help teenagers decide if drinking is becoming a problem for them. You can access the quiz by clicking here.

In New York State it is illegal for people under 21 to possess alcoholic beverages with the intent to consume without parental permission. It is usually recommended that people under 21 abstain from Alcoholic beverages in the United States.

GCASA supports keeping the drinking age at 21.

Sexual trauma haunts female vets leading to mental health problems

Sexual trauma haunts female vets who then have more mental health and substance abuse issues according to a report in Reuters HealthDay on 10/28/08. Here is a snippet of that article:

Shedding light on the challenges facing women in the military, a new study shows that more than one in seven female Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking VA medical care reported experiencing sexual trauma during their service.

Veterans who reported sexual trauma, such as rape and threatening sexual harassment, were three times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"These mental health conditions are getting recognized, diagnosed and treated," said study co-author Joanne Pavao, a researcher with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, in California.

Pavao and her colleagues analyzed the records of 89,960 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who sought medical care in the VA health-care system between Oct. 1, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2006. They were expected to present their findings Tuesday in San Diego at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting.

A total of 1,849 women -- 14.5 percent -- reported experiencing sexual trauma during their service; 471 men -- 0.6 percent -- said they'd experienced sexual trauma.

It is not unusual for women with substance abuse problems to have been victims of sexual abuse. This is why GCASA offers specialized treatment for women in both its clinics, and in Residential Services.