A new study finds that being happy is definitely healthy. Scientists have known for a long time that people who are chronically angry, anxious or depressed have a higher risk of heart attacks, but now the flip side of that psychology concludes that being positive and optimistic may protect against heart disease.
“It might also be useful to focus on how we might bolster the positive side of things,” said lead researcher Julia Boehm of the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Boehm learned that people with a better sense of well-being tend to have healthier blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, and are more likely to exercise, eat healthier food, get enough sleep and avoid smoking and abusing alcohol and drugs.
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Being Happy Equals Being Healthy
Saturday, April 21st, 2012Teens Who Use Party Drugs Have Higher Risk Of Depression
Friday, April 20th, 2012A five-year Canadian study has learned that teens who take ecstasy and amphetamine (“party drugs”) are “significantly” more likely to suffer from depression.
The study by scientists at the University of Montreal questioned almost 3,900 tenth grade students in the province of Quebec. Those students who had used both ecstasy and amphetamine had a 70 percent higher risk of suffering from depression a year later.
“Our results provide the first compelling evidence that recreational ecstasy and speed use places typically developing secondary school students at greater risk of experiencing depressive symptoms,” said co-author Frederic N. Briere.
The researchers admitted that the contribution of this kind of drug use was “relatively modest.” They did warn, however, that “modest contributions can have significant clinical implications from a population health perspective.”
St. Lucie County Man Arrested For Marijuana Grow House
Thursday, April 19th, 2012A 54-year-old man was arrested this week after investigators from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office found about 200 marijuana plants at a “grow house” in the northern part of the county.
David Paul Sullivan was arrested on felony charges including cultivation of marijuana and trafficking marijuana, as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Investigators said Sullivan told them the entire pot farming business was his, and that he had been doing it for some time to pay the bills. Investigators seized about two pounds of harvested marijuana. Some of the marijuana plants weighed about 23 pounds.
Sullivan is being held in St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of $83,250 bail.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012April is Alcohol Awareness Month. The goal of the month, started in 1987, is to create awareness and education about alcohol use and the serious consequences connected with alcohol abuse.
One of the many problems associated with alcohol abuse is the increased likelihood of a person abusing prescription drugs as well. In fact, both men and women with alcohol abuse disorders are 18 times more likely to also have a problem with prescription drug abuse versus people who do not drink any alcohol.
Two research studies were done at the University of Michigan with over 43,000 people. Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 were the most likely group to have problems with both alcohol and prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse has become a significant problem in recent years.
Sports Broadcaster Fired For DUI Arrest
Monday, April 16th, 2012Popular sports broadcaster Sid Rosenberg has been fired from WQAM after being arrested for DUI late last week.
Rosenberg was off the air after the arrest last week. He was also charged with driving with a suspended license. Rosenberg has made no secret on the air to his battle with addiction and his previous stints in rehab.
Police found Rosenberg curled up on the ground behind his car, apparently trying to induce vomiting. The arrest report stated that Rosenberg did not have a valid driver’s license. Rosenberg told police he was returning to his home in Boca Raton.
Rosenberg has been a radio broadcaster since 1997.
Ice Cream Man Busted For Selling Marijuana
Sunday, April 15th, 2012A man from Waldorf, Maryland faces charges after being busted for allegedly selling drugs out of his ice cream truck. Sheriff’s deputies in Charles County received an anonymous tip and then found bags of marijuana and cash in the ice cream truck operated by 20-year-old Alexander Hoskins.
“Ice cream or marijuana, you can take your pick with this guy,” said Diane Richardson of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
Hoskins had apparently been dealing drugs from the ice cream truck for some time.
“We wish we got that call just a bit sooner so we could have found more drugs, but what we did was significant enough to show that he had been dealing it, and for us, we’re removing a drug dealer off the streets,” said Richardson.
Hoskins was selling to teens and young adults through word of mouth. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Drug Injection Site Study Concludes In Toronto
Saturday, April 14th, 2012A four-year study on whether Ottawa and Toronto need supervised drug injection sites is set to be released.
The feasibility study, conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto and staff at St. Michael’s Hospital, was requested by the City of Toronto in 2008 and then expanded to include Ottawa, the capital of Canada. The drug injection sites are controversial, but advocates point to Vancouver’s Insite program as a successful example of the plan.
“They save lives, they save money, they reduce sharing of equipment and disease spread,” said Holly Kramer, the coordinator of Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force. “They increase access to treatment for marginalized people and they increase public order, so why wouldn’t you have them?”
Delta County, Michigan Feeling Effects Of Prescription Drug Abuse
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012Delta County, Michigan is feeling the negative effects of prescription drugs.
“Everyday we have something, and sometimes, multiple, things that involve prescription drugs,” said Delta County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Parks about the cases that come into his office.
Statistics from the Delta County Circuit Court finds that the number of controlled substance cases in the county – including prescription drugs – has increased from 139 from 1990-99 to 432 cases from 2000-2009.
“Originally it was things like Vicodin and OxyContin, and then people started abusing Ritalin and Adderall, which are typically prescribed for kids with attention deficit issues.”
Foundation And Boutique In North Carolina Hopes To Raise Awareness About Prescription Drug Abuse
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012The PEACE Foundation is working hard in North Carolina in the fight against prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse is now the number one cause of death among young people in the United States.
The PEACE Foundation is Shannon Ruiz’s way of giving back after devastating loss. Ruiz lost her daughter Kaitlyn to a prescription drug overdose and now hopes that the PEACE Foundation (prescription, education, abuse, counseling and empowerment) along with her new PEACE Boutique would become the first line of defense against prescription drug abuse. In 2011, North Carolina lost more than 1,000 people from prescription drug overdoses.
“I know for myself that was something I refused to accept. The fact that my daughter was no longer the same person and I wasted a lot of time not trying to find ways of communication,” said Ruiz.
The PEACE Boutique accepts donations of gently used clothing and other items.
Judge Sentences Mexican Drug Gang Leader To Life In Prison
Sunday, April 8th, 2012A judge in Texas sentenced a Mexican drug gang leader to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder and weapons charges connected to the 2010 killing of a U.S. consulate employee and her husband.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, 34, also pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, drug trafficking and money laundering. The March 13, 2010 murder of U.S. consulate employee Lesley Enriquez and her husband Arthur Redelfs in Ciudad Juarez are attributed to Acosta. Authorities say Acosta had directed or participated in more than 1,500 murders since 2008, when he became the leader of La Linea, the enforcement branch of the Juarez drug cartel. These drug cartels funnel huge amounts of drugs into the United States, fueling the problem of addiction to drugs.
“We are determined to hold accountable those individuals who committed the consulate murders, and to dismantle the dangerous criminal enterprise that fueled these and many other tragic and senseless acts of violence,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer.
Acosta was extradited last month to the United States from Mexico.