March is Social Work Month. This year’s theme is Weaving Threads of Resilience and Advocacy: The Power of Social Work” which emphasizes the value of using personal strengths and self-advocacy to manage serious life challenges. In honor of social work month, we’re sharing a neat infographic that gives you information about what social work really is and …
Category Archive: Research
Feb
17
Children of Alcoholics Week: More Than 10% of US Children Live With a Parent with an Alcohol Use Disorder
At the end of Children of Alcoholics Week, a new government report was released that showed 10.5%, or 7.5 million, children under the age of 18 live with a parent who has experienced an alcohol use disorder (i.e., alcohol dependence or abuse) in the past year. The report looked at data from the Substance Abuse …
Jan
18
Binge Drinking May Be A Bigger Problem Than We Think
New research shows us that the act of binge drinking is more prevalent than initially thought. First, let’s define binge drinking for men and women. For men, binge drinking means drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a short period of time. For women, binge drinking means 4 or more drinks within a short period …
Dec
20
New Studies Support the Need for Gender-Specific Treatment Programs
A recent article from the Scientific American discusses some very good reasons for gender-specific substance abuse treatment programs. The article talks about studies that have been conducted and illustrate the differences between men and women when it comes to alcohol, its effects and treatment. Among the findings that various studies have revealed: The difference in …
Nov
21
Gender Differences in Prescribing Medication for Mental Health
A new report from Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy benefit manager, illustrates the gender differences that exist when it comes to prescribing medications for mental health conditions. The report compares the utilization of antidepressants, antipsychotics, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs and anti-anxiety treatments from 2001 to 2010 amongst 2.5 million insured Americans. The analysis showed …
Nov
15
Another Growing Epidemic: Newborns Addicted to Painkillers
USA Today is reporting that the number of babies born addicted to prescription drug painkillers is on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified America’s fast-growing problem of prescription drug abuse an epidemic. This problem is also affecting our newborn babies, as women abuse powerful narcotics, such as OxyContin and …
Aug
19
ASAM Defines Addiction as a Brain Disease
On Monday, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) announced its official “long definition” of addiction. This new definition is notable because addiction is now defined as a chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavioral issue. In fact, the new definition doesn’t have anything to do with the substance being used or the frequency …
Jul
15
Crossroads for Women Gains National Attention for Innovative Residential Treatment Program that Unbundles Services
Crossroads for Women recently presented at the NIATx Summit and SAAS National Conference in Boston. Along with The Recovery Center at Mercy Hospital and Youth Alternatives Ingraham, Crossroads presented “Residential Treatment Redesign: Lessons from the Portland, Maine Residential Services Consortium Project.” Budget pressures in the state of Maine left treatment providers wondering if residential treatment …
Jun
02
Current Research on Women and Substance Abuse
Hazelden recently released a two-page report entitled Women and Substance Abuse (April 2011) through the Butler Center for Research. The Research Update illustrates some of the physiological and psychological differences women experience when it comes to substance use. Physiological Differences The report notes that research has shown us that women differ from men when it …
Jan
06
Maine’s addiction to painkillers
The amount of substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain reliever abuse* rose sharply – from 2.2% to 9.8% – between 1998 and 2008, a federal report recently showed us. And Maine made the very top of the list for having the highest percentage of residents being treated for painkiller addiction. According to the Substance …









