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Public Forum to Discuss Addiction as a Treatable Disease and Highlight National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
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- Presentations and panel discussions to highlight the growing local public health threat of addiction, hope offered by effective medical treatments -
Livonia, Mich., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/-- To mark September as NationalAlcohol and Drug Recovery Month, local Detroit-area community leaders arehosting a public forum to discuss addiction treatment options and resourcesfor help. The forum will feature presentations by Donald Allen, Director ofthe Office of Drug Control Policy, local physicians, drug counselors and theLivonia Save Our Youth Task Force. As part of an education component, thepublic forum will present a 19-minute screening of this year's HBO ADDICTIONproject, a hard-hitting, 14-part, multi-media documentary series about thismisunderstood medical disease. Following is information about the event:
Media are invited to attend the forum and take this opportunity to give alocal voice to the problem of addiction and the recovery solution in Michigan.
The forum will also spotlight the harmful impact of drug dependence,including opioids (prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, fentanyl,hydrocodone and morphine do you need to reference copyrights here? as well asheroin). Local problems with opioid dependence reflect the national data onthis growing public health problem -- the Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration (SAMHSA) reports that approximately 5.2 million peoplecurrently misuse prescription pain relievers, second only to marijuana abuse.Additionally, nonmedical use of prescription drugs among young adultsincreased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.4 percent in 2006, due largely to anincrease in the nonmedical use of opioid painkillers.
Resources for Opioid Dependence and Its Treatment
Any physician may take the training to become certified to treat opioid-dependent individuals with Suboxone(R) (buprenorphine HCl/naloxone HCldihydrate) C-III Sublingual Tablets, the only FDA-approved controlledmedication that can be prescribed in a doctor's private office and with take-home prescriptions, under special legislation.
Individuals who need more information about opioid dependence and itstreatment, either for themselves or for someone they are concerned about, haveseveral options.
Free educational Resource Kits on this topic can be obtained fromturntohelp.com or by calling 1-866-455-TURN, both provided by ReckittBenckiser Pharmaceuticals. Turntohelp.com also offers a physician locatordesigned to help individuals find an area doctor available to prescribebuprenorphine.
The Addiction411 page is available on MySpace and offers direct access toinformation about this increasingly prevalent disease and practical guidanceon how to find treatment for opioid dependence. Visitwww.myspace.com/addiction411 if you or someone you know would like to accessAddiction411.
Additionally, the non-profit patient advocacy group NAABT -- NationalAlliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment -- is dedicated to helpingeducate the public on opioid dependence and medical treatment in a privatedoctor's office. NAABT now offers a nationwide confidential matching serviceto pair individuals seeking buprenorphine treatment with available doctors;visit naabt.org. SAMHSA's Web site also provides a
