SAMHSA is facing a funding cut if the 2012 funding levels proposed by a House subcommittee on healthcare appropriations were to become law. The bill would cut their funding by 8.4%, the same level as 12 years ago and this spending reduction would put into crisis the country’s mental health and addictions programs that receive funding from SAMHSA funds.

There is a growing need for assistance to providers who are new to the Medicaid process due to the increasing number of Medicaid providers. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has recruited volunteers who are knowledgeable of the Medicaid processes, such as billing, coding, and documentation who have agreed to be peer members who will provide technical support to providers by email or phone. They will not be available for assistance on extended or involved projects due to their limited role as volunteers.

On November 3rd, the IC&RC held its 30th anniversary meeting. The world leader in addiction-related credentialing had Pamela J. Hyde, the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as its keynote speaker. Hyde has been the leader of the agency since November 2009 and is an attorney with more than 30 years of experience in management and consulting for public healthcare and human services agencies. She has also been a state mental health director, state human services director, city housing and human services director, and CEO of a private non-profit managed behavioral healthcare firm.

Karl Bardosh, Professor at NYU Tish School of Film and Television and award-winning film maker has just completed an 80 minute docu feature on the play Visions. This play on addiction outreach as reached more than 30,000 people in shelters, treatment centers, prisons, and communities. There is also a group of volunteers 400 strong that do not use last names, do not want any media attention, and work for free, who help spread the messages in Visions. The group who performs the play was given the Presidential Points of Light award for community service and volunteerism. This inspirational play points the way to hope and recovery and is intended to bring addiction to the forefront, therefore breaking the denial that many face about addiction.

During this crazy time of year known as the holiday season, it is easy to lose yourself in the chaos. But, according to Marla Tomazin, it is important to take care of yourself in the process of taking care of everyone else. Getting stressed out, overwhelmed, or sick does not do anybody any good. By taking care of yourself, you can take more time to enjoy yourself, make cherished memories, and enter the new year in a healthy place. The following tips from Tomazin are recommended for taking care of yourself this holiday season.

• Prioritize your goals and remember that you can’t do it all.

• Maintain your health by not spreading yourself too thin.

• Get some light exercise, drink lots of water, and try to eat healthy foods.

• Get enough sleep. • Spend some time with yourself every now and then to unwind. Don’t overwhelm yourself with social or family obligations.

• Plan ahead to keep from being overbooked and overwhelmed.

• Realize in advance that not everyone can have a picture perfect holiday and that mishaps happen to everyone. Don’t worry, keep focused on what is important and you will be more resilient.

• Say no when you need to so that you can maintain control of your life. You don’t have to do it all.

• Give yourself a gift or two because it is okay and healthy to treat yourself now and then.

Tomazin stresses not to overhaul the way you approach the holiday season entirely, but to keep a few key points in mind from the list provided to help have the best holiday you can have.

Marla Tomazin is a Certified Image Consultant. For more information, visit www.marlatomazin.com

Mindfulness, a technique used for health and well-being for hundreds of years, is now being applied in the field of addiction treatment and is showing positive outcomes in a variety of ways. The use of cognitive behavioral approaches in addiction treatments opened the door for the application of mindfulness practices such as meditation, movement, and cognitive skills. Mindfulness helps people cope with certain feelings, stresses and urges and also allows the patient to understand how thoughts and feelings can affect health. It also keeps the pain at the forefront, instead of suppressing it, so that those feelings can be treated from the outset. It also trains the mind to see urges not as commands but as choices to be made after careful thought. In addition, mindfulness teaches people to remain calm when stresses are present.

A new study examines the low level of response (LR) model of risk among teens. Low LR is one of the many genetically influenced characteristics that may increase the risk of heavy drinking or addiction. The findings indicate that a low LR combined with peer substance use, the desire for the positive effects of drinking or drinking to cope with stress is related to the more adverse effects of alcohol.

The study finds that the effect of a low LR on later heavy drinking occurs through several steps. The first is that the individual is likely to drink the amount needed to achieve the desired effects; the second is that if it takes more drinks to get those effects, the person is more likely to drink more per occasion; the third is that the low LR causes association with peers who have similar responses and therefore consume similar amounts; the fourth is that a person’s low LR and influence from the peers is likely to effect the expectations from a session of drinking; and the fifth involves the low LR, peer influence and expectations combining to encourage the person to use alcohol to deal with life issues. Therefore, this leads to the probability that the person will drink more, which increases the risk for problems with alcohol.

The study further confirms the three risk factors of peer influence, expectations and coping, and adds a fourth, LR. This knowledge can help doctors create better treatment plans and possibly prevention.

More information can be found at: http://www.attcnetwork.org/explore/priorityareas/science/tools/asmeDetails.asp?ID=724

The full journal may be viewed at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.2011.35.issue-10/issuetoc

There have been few studies that have tested the acute effects of alcohol on heart function. A new study shows how the low levels of alcohol effects the left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) performance, which collectively pump blood to the entire body. The functions of the two ventricles are highly differentiated.

The study used sixty-five healthy volunteers, thirty-five men and twenty-nine women--all of whom were in their twenties, to participate. On one occasion they were asked to drink five ml/kg of Italian red wine and the second an equal amount of fruit juice. The researchers took measurements at baseline as well as an hour after ingestion. The study found that low doses of red wine led to an acute depression in LV function and an acute increase in RV function. This prompted the researchers to conclude that even low doses of alcohol, which are common and considered socially acceptable, can cause acute cardiac toxicity. The study is the first of its kind.

More information at: http://www.attcnetwork.org/explore/priorityareas/science/tools/asmeDetails.asp?ID=723