E-update - March 2006

New Futures is on the move!

On February 27, the New Futures office relocated to Exeter. Please note our new contact information in your address books:

8 Continental Drive, Unit G
Exeter, NH 03833
Phone: (603) 658-2770
Fax: (603) 658-2306

In this e-Update:

This Month's Success Story

1. The Good News

New Futures News

1. Welcome New Leadership Partners
2. Upcoming Community Leadership Initiative Dates

Legislative Update

1. What's been happening?

Resources

1. Underage Alcohol Problems on the NH CAN Agenda for 2006
2. 2005 NH YRBS Data Now Available
3. Call for Proposals: 2006 NH Substance Abuse Conference
4. New Website from Join Together
5. There's No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age
6. Start Talking Before They Start Drinking
7. New Study Shows Alcohol Ads Contribute to Underage Drinking
8. Binge Drinking Linked to US Death Rates
9. Narcotics Anonymous
10. Join Together: Most Bad Habits Start Early
11. Partners for Recovery
12. Coalitions Address Children of Alcoholics
13. Children, Youth Saw Over 30% More Alcohol Ads on Television in 2004 than in 2001
14. Join Together: State Leadership Needed to Improve Addiction Treatment, Prevention
15. Silent Treatment in America

Upcoming Events

1. Inhalant Abuse - March 9
2. Prevention Ethics - March 24
3. Understanding Medications for Co-occurring Disorders - March 31
4. New England School of Prevention Studies - June 5-7
5. New England School of Addiction Studies - June 5-9
6. New England School of Best Practices in Addiction Treatment - Aug 21-24
7. UDETC: 7th Annual National Leadership Conference - Charting the Course: Promoting Innovations Through Leadership - Aug. 24-26
8. Save The Date: 2006 NH Substance Abuse Conference - Oct 19-20

SUCCESS STORY

Chief David Cahill of Sunapee has been working to change the marketing of Vitaminwater. David recently purchased a case of "nutrient enhanced" water for his 14 year old basketball-playing daughter. The bottles of Revive - one of several "flavors" offered in the Vitaminwater product line - outraged him as a parent and as a law enforcement officer. The text on the bottle referred to (heavily) drinking alcohol and using Revive as an antidote! A visit to the company's website to check out Revive brought us to a full page photo showing the back of a young male's head face down in a toilet bowl with inappropriate accompanying text. David immediately contacted the company's marketing director who responded, indicating they would change the label and marketing strategy of that particular water. However, a promised call from the CEO to David has not materialized and the product label and webpage, which promote underage and binge drinking, remains the same. For more information, contact Chief Cahill at dcahillspd@nhvt.net. Check out Glaceau and their marketing of Revive at their website www.glaceau.com and let them know what you think!

New Futures News

1. Welcome New Leadership Partners
   Please join us in welcoming the 24 NEW Leadership Partners who joined us at our last Retreat in Lebanon. There are over 400 Leadership Partners across the state, advocating to reduce underage alcohol problems and increase access to treatment. For more information, please keep reading…

2. Upcoming Community Leadership Initiative Dates
   New Futures Community Leadership Initiative continues to build a network of advocates in New Hampshire to reduce underage alcohol problems and increase access to treatment. Our next retreat will be held next week in Portsmouth, NH on March 7. Interested in learning more about this leadership development opportunity? Please contact Linda King at lking@new-futures.org or by phone at 658-2770. You can also visit the New Futures website at www.new-futures.org for more information.

Legislative Update

1. What's Been Happening?
   The Legislature in on vacation this week, February 27th through March 3rd, and when they return they will be in session Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week, March 7th -- March 9th. You can get additional information about the legislative process by visiting the state's website at www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ie/, or feel free to contact Jennifer Wierwille Norton at New Futures at 225-9540 or via email at jwnorton@new-futures.org.

   In this e-Update, we are highlighting HB1647, a bill introduced by Representative Splaine (D-Portsmouth). This bill aimed to lower the legal drinking age for those in the armed forces. It was due in large measure to the testimony and work of many -- including legislators, chiefs of police, current and past military personnel, and executive branch agency leaders, that the House voted down this measure, and realized the importance of keeping the legal drinking age at 21 for everyone, including those in the military. On Wednesday, February 15th, the House of Representatives followed the recommendation of the Judiciary Committee that the bill be voted ITL (inexpedient to legislate) and voted to kill HB1647. This means the bill is now dead and will not go on to the Senate.

   We are also highlighting HB1581, a bill calling for vertical driver's licenses for those under 21 as another tool to help reduce underage alcohol problems. Vertical driver's licenses would mean that the license for those under 21 would be turned the opposite direction (l) than those of license holders older than 21 ( -). It would be a tool to provide merchants and law enforcement personnel with an instant visual clue as they verify a license holder's age. This is a measure that has been adopted in more than 13 other states. The bill passed the House of Representatives on February 15th, following the recommendation of the House Transportation Committee. Now the bill will be heard in the Senate. We will keep you updated on this bill.

Resources

1. Underage Alcohol Problems on the NH Can Agenda for 2006
   The NH Child Advocacy Network announced their priorities for 2006, including reducing underage alcohol problems. For more information, and to download a copy of the Children's Agenda for 2006, visit: www.childrennh.org.

2. 2005 NH YRBS Data Now Available
   The recently released Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data is now available online. Visit www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/instruction/HealthHIVAIDS/youthrisk.htm for more information and to see the results.

3. Call for Proposals: 2006 NH Substance Abuse Conference
   The theme for the conference, held at the Attitash Grand Summit Resort and Conference Center in Bartlett, NH, is "Recovery and Resiliency: Strength through Connections". For information about presenting a workshop or to receive a workshop proposal application form, please contact Diane Pepin at dpepin@dhhs.state.nh.us, or at 271-6101.

4. New Website from Join Together
   Visit www.jointogether.org to view Join Together's newly designed website and be sure to check out the New Hampshire page at www.jointogether.org/getinvolved/state/new-hampshire/.

5. There's No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age
   To read this commentary in the Christian Science Monitor by Robert Voas, visit: www.csmonitor.com/2006/0112/p09s01-coop.html?s=hns.

6. Start Talking Before They Start Drinking
   Visit SAMHSA's website www.family.samhsa.gov/stop/default.aspx for information on preventing underage drinking.

7. New Study Shows Alcohol Ads Contribute to Underage Drinking
   A new study from the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth shows that seeing alcohol ads increases the likelihood of young people drinking. For more information visit: www.camy.org.

8. Binge Drinking Linked to US Death Rates
   A University of Washington study indicates that 63,718 deaths could be attributed to alcohol use which is 4% of all deaths for males and 1.5% of all deaths for females. Motor vehicle crashes were the most frequent cause of death for binge drinkers, according to the study. For more information visit: www.uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=5253&Search=Binge%20Drinking.

9. Narcotics Anonymous
   Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each other abstain from all mood changing or mind altering substances based on 12 steps and 12 traditions. The program focuses on addiction, not on any specific drug. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop using. New Hampshire has two Narcotics Anonymous areas - the Granite State and the Seacoast. For more information visit: www.gsana.org.

10. Join Together: Most Bad Habits Start Early
    From alcohol abuse to smoking, overeating to lack of exercise, most behaviors that lead to preventable deaths are well-established by adolescence or early adulthood. For more information, visit: www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C578873%2C00.html.

11. Partners for Recovery
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the launch of a website dedicated to the advancement of prevention, treatment and recovery from substance use and mental health disorders. For more information, visit: www.pfr.samhsa.gov/.

12. Coalitions Address Children of Alcoholics
    Today, there are an estimated 28.6 million Americans who are children of alcoholics; nearly 11 million are under the age of 20. Read this update written and developed by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America at www.ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/cadca26.

13. Children, Youth Saw Over 30% More Alcohol Ads on Television in 2004 than in 2001
    Underage youth, ages 2 to 20, saw almost 33% more alcohol ads on television in 2004 than they did in 2001 according to new findings from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. This increase cuts across both children, ages 2 to 11, and youth, ages 12 to 20. For more information visit: www.camy.org/factsheets/index.php?FactsheetID=25.

14. Join Together: State Leadership Needed to Improve Addiction Treatment, Prevention
    State governors and lawmakers need to assert leadership to ensure that addiction treatment and prevention services are effective, coordinated, accountable, and delivered by trained staff, according to experts who testified at a pair of public hearings convened by Join Together. For more information visit: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/features/2006/state-leadership-needed-to.html.

15. Silent Treatment in America
    Visit www.pajournalism.com/downloads/newsletter_0306.htm for news and updates on Silent Treatment, a national, multi-media public education initiative designed to share the latest research and solutions on addiction treatment and recovery with millions of Americans.

Upcoming Events

1. Inhalant Abuse - March 9
   This workshop will address an overview of inhalant education and what you can do to work with schools and parents to prevent inhalant abuse and will be held from 8:30 am- 4:00 pm at the Thomas Fox Memorial Chapel, Main Bldg, 105 Pleasant Street, Concord. Registration fee is $25 for NHADACA members and $35 for non-members, register by contacting Dianne Pepin at 271-6101 or dpepin@dhhs.state.nh.us.

2. Prevention Ethics - March 24
   This workshop is designed to meet the requirements for the six hours of prevention specific ethics required for prevention certification and uses interactive activities to examine the principles of ethics for prevention specialists. This training will be held from 8:30 am- 4:00 pm at the Thomas Fox Memorial Chapel, Main Bldg, 105 Pleasant Street, Concord. Registration fee is $25 for NHADACA members and $35 for non-members, register by contacting Dianne Pepin at 271-6101 or dpepin@dhhs.state.nh.us.

3. Understanding Medications for Co-Occurring Disorders - March 31
   This workshop will focus on pharmacological interventions for substance disorders and co-occurring mental illnesses. The latest drugs that target addictions, how they work and advantages and precautions of their use will be covered. This training will be held from 8:30 am- 4:00 pm at the Thomas Fox Memorial Chapel, Main Bldg, 105 Pleasant Street, Concord. Registration fee is $25 for NHADACA members and $35 for non-members, register by contacting Dianne Pepin at 271-6101 or dpepin@dhhs.state.nh.us.

4. New England School of Prevention Studies - June 5-7
   Preliminary event information has been posted on the NEIAS website at www.neias.org.

5. New England School of Addiction Studies - June 5-9
   Preliminary event information has been posted on the NEIAS website at www.neias.org.

6. New England School of Best Practices In Addiction Treatment - Aug 21-24
   For more information, visit www.neias.org. Please check the New England Institute of Addiction Studies (NEIAS) website frequently for updated event information.

7. UDETC: 7th Annual National Leadership Conference- Charting the Course: Promoting Innovations Through Leadership - Aug 24-26
   The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center's Leadership conference will be held in Baltimore, MD. Workshop proposals are due April 10. Rooms at the hotel are going quickly, so visit the website to register and reserve your hotel room at www.udetc.org. Early bird registration is July 14.

8. Save the Date: 2006 NH Substance Abuse Conference - Oct 19-20
   The theme for the conference is "Recovery and Resiliency: Strength Through Connections". The conference will be held at the Attitash Grand Summit Resort and conference Center in Bartlett, NH. For more information, contact Diane Pepin at dpepin@dhhs.state.nh.us or call 271-6101.

Archives

March 2006
November 2005