Can Nurses Trust Nurses in Recovery Reentering the Workplace?

Can nurses trust nurses in recovery reentering the workplace?

Filed under: Addiction Rehab

Nursing. 2013 Mar; 43(3): 21-4
Cook LM

: To examine the ability of working direct care nurses to trust nurses in recovery from substance use (or abuse) disorders (SUDs) reentering the workplace.: A researcher-designed quantitative survey was used to gather data.: Nurses said that they’ve worked with a nurse with SUD at some time in their career. Nurses are willing to trust their recovering colleagues and strongly agree that nurses in recovery should be allowed to return to the healthcare profession. Many nurses don’t know how to provide help or where to locate support such as assistance programs or alternative-to-discipline programs for their impaired colleagues.: This study adds to the body of knowledge in the crucial issue of addiction in nursing. Healthcare institutions struggle with best practices in assisting nurses in recovery. By examining underlying issues such as trust, a better understanding of how to implement educational programs may emerge.
HubMed – addiction

Cannabis and ?(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for weight loss?

Filed under: Addiction Rehab

Med Hypotheses. 2013 Feb 11;
Le Foll B, Trigo JM, Sharkey KA, Strat YL

Obesity is one of the highest preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the developed world [1]. It has been well known for a long time that exposure to cannabis produces an increase of appetite (a phenomenon referred to as the ‘munchies’). This phenomenon led to an exploration of the role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of obesity and associated metabolic syndrome. This effort subsequently led to the development of a successful therapeutic approach for obesity that consisted of blocking the cannabinoid CB(1) receptors using ligands such as Rimonabant in order to produce weight loss and improve metabolic profile [2]. Despite being efficacious, Rimonabant was associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety and therefore removed from the market. We recently discovered that the prevalence of obesity is paradoxically much lower in cannabis users as compared to non-users and that this difference is not accounted for by tobacco smoking status and is still present after adjusting for variables such as sex and age. Here, we propose that this effect is directly related to exposure to the ?(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) present in cannabis smoke. We therefore propose the seemingly paradoxical hypothesis that THC or a THC/cannabidiol combination drug may produce weight loss and may be a useful therapeutic for the treatment of obesity and its complications.
HubMed – addiction

Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States.

Filed under: Addiction Rehab

Am J Public Health. 2013 Feb 14;
Nelson DE, Jarman DW, Rehm J, Greenfield TK, Rey G, Kerr WC, Miller P, Shield KD, Ye Y, Naimi TS

Objectives. Our goal was to provide current estimates of alcohol-attributable cancer mortality and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in the United States. Methods. We used 2 methods to calculate population-attributable fractions. We based relative risks on meta-analyses published since 2000, and adult alcohol consumption on data from the 2009 Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and 2009-2010 National Alcohol Survey. Results. Alcohol consumption resulted in an estimated 18?200 to 21?300 cancer deaths, or 3.2% to 3.7% of all US cancer deaths. The majority of alcohol-attributable female cancer deaths were from breast cancer (56% to 66%), whereas upper airway and esophageal cancer deaths were more common among men (53% to 71%). Alcohol-attributable cancers resulted in 17.0 to 19.1 YPLL for each death. Daily consumption of up to 20 grams of alcohol (??1.5 drinks) accounted for 26% to 35% of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths. Conclusions. Alcohol remains a major contributor to cancer mortality and YPLL. Higher consumption increases risk but there is no safe threshold for alcohol and cancer risk. Reducing alcohol consumption is an important and underemphasized cancer prevention strategy. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 14, 2013: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301199).
HubMed – addiction

Language and Addiction: Choosing Words Wisely.

Filed under: Addiction Rehab

Am J Public Health. 2013 Feb 14;
Wakeman SE

Two recent articles in the American Journal of Public Health discussed the importance of educating trainees in social work(1) and medicine(2) in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) technique for approaching patients with substance use disorders. In both articles the terms “substance use” and “substance abuse” were used somewhat interchangeably. Both articles contribute to the important recognition that training in addictions must be an integral part of any medical or social work training program. However, the language used to convey this educational content is important. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 14, 2013: e1-e2. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301191).
HubMed – addiction

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