Roundup: The Future of AA & NA -- and More

 
Juvenile Justice-Related News

• The Chicago Public Schools' innovative anti-violence program appears to be working. It uses data to target services to those most likely to be the victim of a shooting -- appears to be working. (Hat tip to @piper.)
• Washington D.C.'s new juvenile justice facility, designed along the lines of the "Missouri Model," has had some serious setbacks, but may also be working. Click through for story in USA Today and for a video about young teens learning to weld using seized firearms for their raw materials. (H/t to Christina Weeter, via our discussion group on juvenile justice reform and adolescent substance abuse.)
   

 
Adolescent Substance Abuse-Related News

• One of the premier sources of news from the world of addiction treatment, Join Together, has launched a new blog. It's only been live a few days, and it's already a go-to source for useful information on policy, data, and breaking news.  For example, one of its posts talks about a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that summarizes treatment admissions data in  27 metropolitan areas in the United States. 
• Young people are being targeted by alcohol makers using new media, according to a story from Join Together. Academics have taken note - for example, you can find "Alcohol Marketing in the Digital Age," by Jeff Chester, MSW, Kathryn Montgomery, PhD, and Lori Dorfman, DrPH, on a web site called "Interactive Food &  Beverage Marketing: Targeting Children and Youth in the Digital Age." That's also where I found "Adolescents' Psychological and Neurobiological Development: Implications for Digital Marketing," by Frances M. Leslie, et al., which concludes that teens are uniquely vulnerable to interactive media advertising, and "may need special protection." (Hat tip to Preferred  Family Healthcare.)
• The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) revamped its excellent "alcohol policy information system" web site. You can find state-by-state information on things like underage drinking, taxation, and health insurance parity.
• A well-known parenting blogger, long used to blogging publicly about her family, finally overcame her feelings of stigma to talked openly about her son's addiction. (Hat tip to via the Portland, Maine Public Health Division's e-newsletter.)
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and other organizations that help individuals overcome addiction through "mutual aid" face numerous challenges to their survival -- including a shift from single-substance abusers to polydrug users without a "primary drug of choice" -- according to this fascinating piece by William White, MA, of Chestnut Health Systems. (Hat tip to via the Portland, Maine Public Health Division's e-newsletter.)

 
 Reclaiming Futures in the News

• The Bristol County, MA Reclaiming Futures site held a summit with community leaders to discuss ways to help drug-involved youth. Way to go!
• The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Task Force on Substance Abuse Services issued its report in January 2009, taking note of Reclaiming Futures in chapter 5.

 
Juvenile Justice and Adolescent Substance Abuse Conferences & Resources

• July 18-21, 2010 - The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) will be hosting its annual conference in San Diego, CA. "Conference participants will explore some unique innovations in programming, new opportunities for courts and communities, and re-think the future of juvenile and family justice ..." (Hat tip to the NCJFCJ discussion group on LinkedIn.)
• July 26-28, 2010 - SAMHSA's 4th National Conference on Women, Addiction & Recovery will be held in Chicago. "This is not your standard conference!" says the web site, so check it out. The goal will be to "dialog on the current research, innovations and trends serving women and girls with substance use disorders and their families." (Hat tip to the Portland, Maine Public Health Division's e-newsletter.)
• The National Center for State Courts has put together an online resource guide for "juvenile justice and delinquency" that includes two Reclaiming Futures publications. Check it out!