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V PADMAJA June 04,2017
58 year old Rakesh* was in his early twenties when he first took to the bottle. His drinking slowly spiraled out of control and he became a full-blown addict. Alcoholism began affecting his mental health and strained his relationship with his family. Not only was his personal life in shambles, his drinking took a toll on his career too.
Despite being a graduate of Shree Ram College of Commerce; he ended up in a job that paid him close to nothing. After struggling for nearly two decades, he finally decided to seek help. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1996 and has been sober for 18 years now.
Like Rakesh, many addicts in India have turned to Alcoholic Anonymous groups to get back on the road to sobriety.
AA is a voluntary, non-profit society of recovering alcoholics founded in 1935 in the United States of America. It was established with a purpose of combating alcoholism, considered a moral sin at that time. Since then, AA has evolved into a holistic recovery program for alcoholics with a strong global network. It claims to have a membership of over 30 lakh alcoholics worldwide and 40,000 sober alcoholics in India alone.
The group relies on a ‘12 step programme’ for recovery and adheres strictly to the principle of maintaining anonymity. Through anonymity the society ensures the creation of a safe space for its members and protects their reputation from any stigma that maybe associated with addiction.
Teenage rugby player cut off penis while high on skunk, says father who wants drug made Class A 2 JUNE 2017
The teenager\’s father is backing Lord Monson\’s call for skunk to be reclassified CREDIT:MATTHEW FEARN/PA WIRE
Ateenage rugby player cut off his own penis and stabbed his mother while high on skunk, his father has revealed, as he called for the drug to be reclassified.
The father, named only as Nick because he wants to remain anonymous as his son is rebuilding his life, is backing Lord Nicholas Monson\’s campaign to have skunk reclassified from a class B to a class A drug and for the traditional weaker form of cannabis to be decriminalised.
Lord Monson launched his call following the suicide of his 21-year-old son Rupert, who was addicted to skunk.
May 2017
Adults who have used tobacco and currently use marijuana are twice as likely as those who have never used marijuana to be continued tobacco users, according to a new study from the University of Washington School of Public Health. About 70 percent of adult marijuana users are also tobacco users, which may complicate tobacco cessation…“We do not yet know how the widespread legalization of marijuana for recreational or non-medical purposes will impact tobacco use and cessation,” said lead author Gillian Schauer, clinical instructor of health services at the School. “Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death and disease in this country, and the overlap between tobacco use and marijuana use is substantial. If using marijuana makes it harder to quit tobacco, it could have important implications for tobacco control efforts.”
For More http://sph.washington.edu/news/article.asp?content_ID=8474
Children as young as nine have turned to a north Cumbrian drug and alcohol charity as they battle to kick a cannabis habit.
There are fears that the scale of the drug’s damaging impact on young people across the county remains hidden, with many wrongly believing the class B drug poses no risk.
Experts say that potent modern strains of cannabis can have a devastating effect on youngsters, leaving them sleep-deprived, paranoid, and aggressive.
There is also evidence linking early cannabis use and poor mental health.
The courts in Carlisle and Workington have regularly dealt with young adults prosecuted after dabbling in the drug.
One schools boss described levels of cannabis use among youngsters in Carlisle as “alarming” while in west Cumbria a drug charity has worked with primary school children affected by the drug.
By Phil Coleman, May 31, 2017
South Africa is expected to release its new national HIV strategy later this month. In a country that continues to battle the world\’s largest HIV epidemic, the document will guide the next six years in the fight against new infections.
The South African National Aids Council (Sanac), civil society groups and key government departments met to finalise the strategy late last week. The plan not only outlines the country\’s response to HIV but also guides its efforts against tuberculosis (TB) and sexually transmitted infections.
The latest draft of the national strategic plan, released on 10 March, is unlikely to be drastically different from the final version, which is expected be launched on 31 March in Bloemfontein. For More http://bhekisisa.org/article/2017-03-21-00-three-things-we-can-expect-from-south-africaa-new-hiv-and-tb-plan#.WNFQJWGYY1I.twitter