Substance Abuse

Alcohol and drug abuse among the elderly has long been an under-recognized problem, according to drug counselors and those who work with the senior population.Junction Inc., a drug treatment center in Westminster, hopes to alert seniors and their care givers to the issue through a new prevention and education program.Joyce Tierney, the county's assistant prevention coordinator, who works out of Junction, plans to present the program at the county's senior centers and at churches that have outreach ministries for the homebound elderly.

Former Major League Soccer midfielder Santino Quaranta has spoken before about a story that is both disturbing and uplifting — signing with MLS when he was 16, battling abuse of cocaine and painkillers, becoming sober, returning to the game and playing for his country. But Quaranta said Tuesday's speech to about 650 Baltimore-area high school athletes was special. It was the largest crowd to hear his deeply personal message. It was delivered near where he was raised (he attended Archbishop Curley)

As the headlines continue to talk of international drug interdictions and military intervention in the war on drugs, it's often overlooked that the business world can be a vital foot soldier in the battle."

Singer Mario knows from first-hand experience how it is to grow up with a parent with substance abuse problems and now he wants to use what he knows to help other kids. The Baltimore native, whose mother has suffered from drug abuse for years, is using his non-profit to help prevent substance abuse in middle and high school students in the Baltimore area. The Mario Do Right Foundation will house the program at the REACH! School, a Baltimore school that focuses on getting kids into college.

More than half of the seriously injured patients treated at Maryland Shock Trauma Center were found to have a current or past problem with drugs or drinking, according to a study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.The survey results have prompted officials at the trauma center to contemplate ways to persuade patients while they are still in the hospital to get treatment for their addictions or to change on their own."If you find those problems, you ought to treat those problems," said Dr. Carl A. Soderstrom, a professor of surgery who directed the study.

Ravens running back Jamal Lewis could face significant punishment from the NFL if convicted on federal drug charges, even though his alleged crime took place before he joined the team, an attorney familiar with the league's substance-abuse policy said yesterday. Lewis, who already has been entered in Stage 3 of the policy, was charged this week with conspiring to possess, with intent to distribute, 5 kilograms of cocaine in the summer of 2000, before he signed his first contract with the Ravens.

Howard County residents who work together to stop drug abuse have been honored at the county executive's 5th Annual Partnership Awards Program at Taylor Manor Hospital in Ellicott City.The awards, which were presented Wednesday, are sponsored by the Howard County Substance Abuse Impact Services Office.Joyce Brown Weddington, Howard County substance abuse impact coordinator, said the awards were started when she and the county executive realized five years ago that efforts to fight substance abuse were disjointed.

Howard County's substance abuse programs will gain national prominence tomorrow morning when President Clinton comes to Elkridge to urge Congress not to cut funding for drug-abuse education legislation.Launching a national drug-awareness campaign at Mayfield Woods Middle School, Mr. Clinton is expected to highlight the Howard school system's use of the federal funding and how the various county agencies have worked together to fight substance abuse."I'm really pleased that we get a chance to show off our drug education program," said Debbi Lange, the health education teacher at Mayfield Woods.

From: Seymour B. SternPresidentMaryland State Bar AssociationThe legal profession joins society in general in its dismay and outrage over the dramatic increase in crime, overloaded court dockets and drunk driving incidents. Attorneys see it every day and are all too aware of the impact it has on innocent victims.The only long-term solution to substance abuse is education. The recommended short-term solution in many alcohol- and drug-related civil matters is treatment. Sometimes, jail must be the answer, but most often, treatment helps the individual and is a solution to correct the individual's abuse problem.

State health officials have leveraged federal funds to offer more people substance abuse treatment, according to a report sent to state lawmakers by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The extra $26 million from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2012 means that almost 21,000 more people got treatment. The money, a total of $142.8 million, comes from Medicaid and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. "Expanding access to effective treatment for substance abuse is a top priority," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the health department, in a statement.

Longtime D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta, an Archbishop Curley graduate, is retiring from MLS at age 27 to work full time with a youth soccer club he helped create and to assist a substance abuse program that helped turn around his life and career four years ago. "As a soccer player, you're expected to push it until you're 33, 34 years old," he told The Washington Post on Sunday. "That's not me. This is it. My gut and heart were telling me, and I'm at peace with it. " Quaranta, a Baltimore native who signed with MLS at age 16 and spent 10 of his 11 seasons in Washington, was let go by United last week.

In the late hours of Labor Day, 2006, on Interstate 64 near Sand Springs, Okla., Thomas Kirby Jr. lost control of his vehicle, crossed the median and slammed head-on into another vehicle carrying four. The impact triggered a fiery and fatal explosion, killing Mr. Kirby, 47, and his passenger Lisa Adams, 38. Sarah Foster, 19; Steven Dillion, 18; Isaac King, 20; and Aaron Davis, 20, were also killed in the crash. Mr. Kirby was later found to have been under the influence of a practically lethal amount of alcohol and methamphetamine at the time of the crash.

State health officials have leveraged federal funds to offer more people substance abuse treatment, according to a report sent to state lawmakers by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The extra $26 million from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2012 means that almost 21,000 more people got treatment. The money, a total of $142.8 million, comes from Medicaid and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. "Expanding access to effective treatment for substance abuse is a top priority," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the health department, in a statement.

Joseph Vincent Brady, a nationally and internationally known behavioral neuroscientist, behavioral pharmacologist and space researcher who established the department of behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, died Friday of multiple organ failure at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The Fells Point resident was 89. "Joe was an institution at Hopkins and made significant institutional changes both here and at Homewood. He was also the father of the complete treatment plan for patients with substance abuse," said Dr. J. Raymond DePaulo Jr., director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Hopkins School of Medicine.

A report last week that the University of Maryland Medical Center is one of 10 hospitals across the country this year that will begin offering new residency programs in addiction medicine is welcome news for Baltimore, which for decades has suffered from epidemic levels of drug and alcohol abuse and a violent drug trade that claims hundreds of lives every year. Estimates of the size of Baltimore's substance abuse problem range anywhere from one in 10 to one in six city residents. No city can make progress when such a substantial portion of its residents are mentally and physically disabled by substance abuse problems.

Betty Ford made it socially acceptable to seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. By going public with her own story of addiction, she opened the door for thousands of others to admit they had a problem. Her commitment to drug and alcohol treatment, with the Betty Ford Clinic, was a model for others to follow. At a time when drug abuse is growing faster than ever, we sure could use her leadership. Mike Gimbel, Towson

Betty Ford made it socially acceptable to seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. By going public with her own story of addiction, she opened the door for thousands of others to admit they had a problem. Her commitment to drug and alcohol treatment, with the Betty Ford Clinic, was a model for others to follow. At a time when drug abuse is growing faster than ever, we sure could use her leadership. Mike Gimbel, Towson

MANY CHEERED when County Executive Janet S. Owens released the first budget of her administration, but the substance abuse treatment community reacted quite differently.Ms. Owens presented the budget she advertised on the political trail last fall. She campaigned hard and consistently on a pro-education platform. After her upset victory over the incumbent, she kept her promise by increasing the Board of Education's budget by $29 million for the fiscal year that began 17 days ago.The executive held the line on spending for most programs to pay for the increase.