Substance Abuse

September is National Recovery Month across this country - a time to lift up the many people who are in recovery from substance abuse, and the professionals and programs who assist people in that recovery process. It is a time to advocate for public policy which supports both the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. In conjunction with National Recovery Month, the Boyle County Detention Center hosted a Recovery Fair on Monday. This was a time of celebration for our entire county, because our county has made a commitment to treatment and education, in addition to incarceration.  In contracting with the substance abuse treatment program, West Care Kentucky, Jailer Barry Harmon and his staff have recognized the well documented relationship between crime and substance abuse and addiction in our county, and, indeed, across the country.  Our Boyle County officials have taken important steps to make a real difference in one of the primary root causes of crime.

Dinner: It's not just a meal anymore. Research done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has shown that a family that eats together five times or more per week significantly cuts down on drinking, smoking and drug use among teens. Amy Griffieth, project director for the Danville/Boyle County Drug Free Communities Program, said this is a reason the program is pushing Family Day, which is Monday. "Research that CASA has done shows that quality time has a direct correlation to drug abuse," she said.

In observance of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, there will be a community forum at noon on Thursday on the steps of the Lincoln County Courthouse to discuss substance abuse. The forum will feature local judges, mental health providers and members of the community to address the issue of substance abuse and the lack of access to treatment, as well as possible solutions to this growing problem. Forum participants will discuss what can be done to improve the local situation, acting in conjunction with the national Recovery Month theme of "Join the Voices of Recovery - Healing Lives, Families and Communities.

Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham reads a proclamation designating May as Drug Court Month in Winchester and Clark County. Attending the reading were, from left, City Commissioner Kenny Book, Clark District Court Judge Brandy Oliver Brown, Branham, Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner, and Drug Court program coordinator Anna Beth Hardiman. Drug Courts combine judicial accountability and evidence-based treatment to intervene against substance abuse and related crimes.

Dear Editor: Eating dinner together as a family is a simple event, but it can make a world of difference for children and teens. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often children eat dinner with their families the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs. Created in 2001 as a direct result of CASA' s research, "Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children" is a national effort to promote parental engagement in children's lives as a simple, effective tool to help reduce substance abuse among children and teens and raise healthier children.

Monday is "Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children," and the Danville City Commission recently recognized this day and urged everyone to participate. According to a new Columbia University survey, teenagers who eat with their families at least five times a week are more likely to get better grades in school and much less likely to have substance abuse problems. The study says: Teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get better grades in school, and higher academic performance is associated with lower substance abuse risk.

FRANKFORT - Casey County will share in a $1 million grant given to nine communities across the state for substance abuse services and early intervention programs, announced last week by Gov. Ernie Fletcher and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services The funding is for the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team or START project, which will heighten awareness of the effects and dangers of substance abuse and its relationship to child abuse....

TODAY - Rose Mary C. Brooks Place Blood Drive, 2-4:30 p.m. Every donor will receive a $10 Walmart gift card and a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card. - Celebrate Recovery, 7 p.m., Calvary Christian Church, 15 Redwing Drive, entrance C. A program based on the 12 steps and the Eight Beatitudes for any hurt, habit or hang-up with support groups for family members, as well as Celebration Station for kids and The Landing for teens. For more information, call Dickie at 744-0817. Meetings are every Tuesday.

The Jessamine County Detention Center is partnering with Bridges in Communities to help inmates who are addicted to drugs. "We're one of the first programs in the state that has this kind of partnership talking place to provide mental health and substance abuse services to inmates while they're being maintained at the jail," Gilbert Singletary, with Bridges in Communities, said. "We're going to provide assessments, substance abuse counseling for free to the inmates while they're being maintained at the jail.

TODAY - Rose Mary C. Brooks Place Blood Drive, 2-4:30 p.m. Every donor will receive a $10 Walmart gift card and a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card. - Celebrate Recovery, 7 p.m., Calvary Christian Church, 15 Redwing Drive, entrance C. A program based on the 12 steps and the Eight Beatitudes for any hurt, habit or hang-up with support groups for family members, as well as Celebration Station for kids and The Landing for teens. For more information, call Dickie at 744-0817. Meetings are every Tuesday.

MAPP to discuss obesity, substance abuse Friday Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships will meet at 9 a.m. Friday  at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Office. The topics of discussion will be obesity and substance abuse. Accelerated placement testing scheduled All fifth grade students in the Clark County School System will take a qualifying test to determine accelerated placement in the middle school academic program for the upcoming school year on Tuesday, Feb. 26, during the school day at the school your child attends.