| Substance abuse costs state at least $470 million a year
People who abuse drugs and alcohol cost West Virginia roughly $470 million a year, while the state devotes less than $8 million to annual prevention efforts. The result, according to Wayne Coombs, is that the state is devoting most of its resources to treating the symptoms -- ranging from drug arrests to long-term health problems -- rather than the cause. Coombs, director of the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center, presented the data Wednesday at a conference the center organized in Charleston. Drawing on state and federal reports compiled over the past five years, Coombs said $470 million is the direct cost, including factors like hospitalization, treatment and incarceration. In indirect costs, which include speculative measures like lost productivity, the number could be closer to $1.8 billion, he said.
Urgent need for meth treatments
MEDICATIONS that quash cravings for ice are desperately needed to fully address Australia's addiction to the dangerous stimulant, a conference has heard. About 73,000 Australians are addicted to methamphetamines but unlike alcohol and other drugs, doctors and community health workers are unable to offer addicts a proven medical alternative or therapy to wean them off. Dr Yvonne Bonomo, a specialist in addiction medicine at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, has told the doctors' meeting GPCE Primary Care that these alternatives cannot come soon enough. The current best practice treatment for addicts is counselling techniques like cognitive behavioural therapy, but Dr Bonomo said limited availability, expense and impracticality mean only a "very small'' number were receiving this treatment.
Is your teen driver safe?
RICHARDSON - Teen Drivers: Dead or Alive? was the focus of a traffic safety summit presented by Citizens for Traffic Safety of Greater Dallas on Thursday at the Richardson Civic Center.The summit looked at the pros and cons of teen driving while also seeking to put together an interdisciplinary approach to helping prevent accidents involving young drivers."We wanted to target several people from a different aspect whereas, together, there is some synergy," said Scott Cooner, research engineer and program manager for the Arlington Office for Research and Implementation of the Texas Transportation Institute and coordinator of Thursday's summit. "We all know that teen driving is an issue and is at the forefront so our goal is to get everyone involved. This summit gives us that opportunity of reviewing programs that could support this issue.
Few spots in detox centers
Christina never thought she would become a drug addict. She grew up in a middle-class family in Washington Township, where her high school friends popped prescription painkillers to get high. She didn't -- until she was recovering from surgery at age 20. To control her pain, a doctor prescribed Percocet, a mixture of acetaminophen and oxycodone. For six weeks, she doubled the recommended dosage to dance away from the pain, burning through her first bottle and then two refills. Meanwhile, she went back to work, feeling better than she ever had before, according to those who later treated her for addiction. "I started to think, "These things are great,' " said Christina, who did not want her full name used because of the stigma of drug abuse. Then her last refill ran out and she began suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Local residents receive alumni awards from HU
Two Searcy residents received alumni awards at Harding University's Black and Gold Banquet Nov. 2, an annual feature of Homecoming weekend. Dr. A.R. Brown was named Distinguished Alumnus in recognition of his contributions as a physician. Brown's efforts have not gone unnoticed by other organizations; he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Arkansas Hospital Association Oct. 11.Brown enrolled in Harding in 1937, but completed undergraduate studies at Lipscomb and Vanderbilt Universities in Nashville, Tenn., and later graduated from medical school at University of Memphis in 1945. He and his late wife Ruth returned to Searcy in 1946, where they remained for most of their lives. The couple served as missionaries to the former Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) from 1947-1949, and Brown served in France for two years during the Korean War.
Sex education: Talking to your teen about sex
Is your teenager ready to make tough choices about sex? Uncomfortable as it may be, sex education is your responsibility. Here's help getting started. You understand the importance of sex education. But don't count on classroom instruction alone. Although the basics may be covered in health class, your child might not hear — or understand — everything he or she needs to know. That's where you come in. Awkward as it may be, sex education is a parent's responsibility. By reinforcing and supplementing what your child learns in school, you can help your child make good decisions about sex. Breaking the ice Sex is a staple of news, entertainment and advertising. It's often hard to avoid this ever-present topic. But when parents and children need to talk, it isn't always so easy.
Record should not be wiped clean
The Issue:
Former Mansfield City Schools Superintendent Scott Gordon will have his criminal record expunged if he successfully completes a two-year diversion program through the Richland County Prosecutor's Office.
Our Opinion:
There is no way that two years from now Gordon should have an unblemished record of his own.
Scott Gordon is not a youngster who made a foolish, immature mistake.
The former Mansfield City Schools superintendent knew exactly what he was doing when he used a district credit card to buy alcohol and award cash stipends to district employees who did no work to earn the money.
That�s why we object to the idea of his criminal record being expunged if he successfully completes a two-year diversion program through the Richland County Prosecutor�s Office.
Boyfriend of MP's niece is arrested on suspicion of Meredith copycat murder in France
The boyfriend of MP Quentin Davies's niece Jessica has been arrested after police feared the couple had set out to re-create the murder of Meredith Kercher. Davies, 28, whose uncle defected from the Tories, is alleged to have slashed 24-year-old Olivier Mugnier's throat in a violent sex game. She was high on a cocktail of alcohol and anti-depressants. French officers also arrested Laurent Couturier, 36, who lived with Davies until very recently. A police source said: "He was arrested very soon after Jessica was found standing over Olivier with a 15cm kitchen knife. "They thought that perhaps the couple had lured the young man there in a copy-cat killing of Meredith. They feared Jessica had persuaded Laurent to help her." Amanda Knox, known as Foxy Knoxy, and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 23, are accused of murdering 20-year-old Meredith.
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