Recharged Party Drug -- A party drug police had hoped they consigned to history may be making a comeback in an even more dangerous form, the Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Ecstasy, the designer drug that helped fuel party "raves" and sent countless overheated kids to hospitals and morgues at the beginning of the decade, is back.

This time it's mixed with another killer -- methamphetamine. The new "Extreme Ecstasy" is designed to give the old drug a "face-lift," increasing its attraction to a new generation, he said.

"We don't see a lot of it, but we've had cases where people think they're buying Ecstasy and are actually buying meth in pill form," he said. The customers probably don't know the difference because they're getting the equivalent energy surge, he added.

Ecstasy is a euphoria-inducing drug that increases energy and loosens inhibitions, experts say. But the downside is brain damage, sharp increases in body temperature and cardiovascular failure, doctors said.

Methamphetamine ? or meth ? has similar qualities. It's a highly addictive stimulant, once the province of outlaw motorcycle gangs, the police said. Past generations knew it as "speed" or "crank." Today it's often termed "crystal," after the crystalline form it appears in before it's reduced to powder.

For now, the police say marijuana, crack, heroin, cocaine and alcohol are the drugs encountered most often in the Shore area.

From Asbury Park Press 1/7/08

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801050377

Smexting ...

Definition: The act of sending text messages during a cigarette break.

Context: Banished from pubs and offices, bored smokers find themselves filling the minutes by taping out wireless messages. Experts have dubbed the new activity "smexting." The practice is so popular that British cell-phone company Orange reported a surge of 7.5 million messages sent during the first two weeks of July, just after smoking was banned from indoor public places in England.

Usage: The emergence of smexting -- as both a word and a practice-- is more evidence of the growing ostracism of nicotine addicts. Some English smexters say they have turned to texting since the ban as a way of seeking the support of friends in an effort to quit smoking. It's more fun than a patch.

Time Magazine -- August 27, 2007

INTERESTING STATISTICS

1-12 ... Proportion of full-time workers in the U.S. who, when asked as a part of a 2002-04 federal study, said they had used drugs sometime during the previous month. Restaurant workers were the biggest users, at 17.4%.

Time Magazine also reported that 48% of full-time workers said their employees conducted drug testing.

Time Magazine -- July 30, 2007

WEEDING OUT THE FACTS

Shockingly, 60% of first-time marijuana users are under 18. 'Kids tend to view marijuana as a less harmful drug, some may not be as afraid to experiment with it,' explains Dave Crump, a behavioral scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. But pot is stronger than ever before -- the amount of THC (the active ingredient) in marijuana has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Tell your tween or teen that smoking the drug can harm his still-developing brain, especially at these stronger levels.

from Family Circle August 2007

KICK-CIGARETTE ADVICE

If you're one of the 19% of U.S. women who still light up, here are some reasons to call it quits:
FEWER SICK DAYS -- A Danish study reveals that smokers take eight more sick days per year than non-smokers.

A HEALTHIER HEART -- Smoking stiffens the arteries, making it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body and raising your risk for heart disease. But there's good news from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. A decade after a smoker quits, his arteries return to normal.
REDUCED RISK OF TUBERCULOSIS -- Researchers from University of California, Berkley, found that smokers were about 70% more likely to get TB. It may be because smoking decreases immune response and damages tiny hair-like structures in the airways called cilia, which protect your lungs.
from Family Circle August 2007

BAKED GOOD WITH A BUZZ?

"If coffee isn't your beverage of choice, perhaps a caffeine-enhanced bagel or doughnut will give you that morning or afternoon jolt. Dr. Robert Bohannon, a molecular biologist in Durham, N.C., has developed dry caffeine that he claims doesn't add bitterness when added to baked goods. But are new forms of caffeine really the solution to energy deficits and hectic schedules?"  Outreach -- May/June 2007

VIRTUAL DEBAUCHERY

"In coming years, technology that allows people to engage in virtual sex will be available to consumers. While supporters say virtual reality sex might decrease the number of people becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases, others argue that moral or ethical lines will be crossed. For relationships of the future, it's no work and all play." -- Outreach May/June 2007

HOLLYWOOD'S SMOKE ALARMS

Two recent studies published, in LANCET and PEDIATRICS, have found that among children as young as 10, those exposed to the most screen smoking are up to 2.7 times as likely as others to pick up the habit. Worse, it is the ones from non-smoking homes who are hit the hardest, perhaps because they are spared the dirty ashtrays and musty drapes that make real-world smoking a lot less appealing than the sanitized cinematic version. Some movies show kids up to 14 incidents of smoking per hour. "We are in the business of preventing disease, and cigarettes are the No.1 preventable cause," Barry Bloom, Harvard School of Public Health.

The American Medical Association is calling for reduction of smoking in movies and on TV, and 41 state attorneys general have signed ads at the beginning of any DVD that includes smoking. Like smokers, studios may conclude that quitting the habit is not just a lot healthier but also a lot smarter.

Time Magazine April 23, 2007

SMOKE SIGNAL

One Swede is set to test exactly how anti-smoking Europe's courts are willing to be. A man in Akarp, Sweden, filed a lawsuit against his neighbor for smoking outside. On her own property. The  Swede alleges in the suit that even though the neighbor lights up in a corner farthest away from his property, the smoke still wafts into his nostrils and through his open windows. For this, the man wants a court to award him about $2,000 for the prior smoking and an extra $280 for each future offense.  WORLD MAGAZINE March 24, 2007

SOBERING INSIGHTS

"The younger a teen is when he starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he is to hit the bottle to relieve stress once he's an adult, a new study of nearly 27,000 drinkers reveals. The likelihood significantly increases for those who start at age 14 our younger." Family Circle Magazine April 1, 2007

ADDICTION

Great Britain's National Health Service want to adopt a pay-for-sobriety program tp combat drug use in the country. Addicts could receive shopping vouchers of up to about $20 if they test negative for drugs. The vouchers would be for food or leisure activities that

'promote a healthy lifestyle.' a psychologist who was consulted for the proposal told the BBC.  World Magazine February 10, 2007

SMOKING

A new study shows damage to a certain part of the brain may cure smokers of their addiction. Scientists studied 19 cigarette smokers who, because of stroke or other neurological problems, experienced damage to the insular cortex deep in the brain. The study, published in the journal SCIENCE, stated 12 of the subjects had 'the ability to quit smoking, easily, immediately, without relapse, and without persistence of the urge to smoke.' The study's authors are not advocating brain damage as a way to quit smoking, but they hope to figure out what aspect of smoking stimulates the insukar cortex, or insula."  World Magazine -- February 10, 2007

An STD Vaccine for Sixth Graders

"Sometimes an ounce of prevention can cause a ton of trouble. This month Texas became the first state to require that all girls entering sixth grade receive GARDASIL, a new vaccine that protects against several strains of a sexually transmitted virus that causes 70% of cervical-cancer cases. But the controversial goal of vaccinating young virgins against STD's, the Governor bypassed the legislature by issuing an executive order." Time Magazine  February 19, 2007

A WHIFF OF DANGER -- A must read article for every parent!!!

KNOW THE SIGNS OF CHEMICAL INHALATION ABUSE

"More kids than ever are getting high by sniffing ordinary household products like hair spray, room freshener and deodorant and the consequences can be deadly ...

35% of kids ages 12 to 13 who abuse inhalants also use drugs, compared with less that 8% of kids who've never tried inhalants.

Sniffing death syndrome is a condition in which the heart starts to beat erratically, then stops altogether after inhaling chemicals.

Some 4.7 million teenagers have used inhalants at one time or another, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. A 2006 government survey shows that each year some 598,000 kids between ages 12 to 17 try them for them for the first time. Inhalants are most popular among seventh and eighth graders, more so than marijuana.

Kids are looking for that dizzy, fuzzy feeling are coming to inhalants naively. We hear everyday of wonderful kids who make a bad decision and pay with their lives.

Kids typically snort fumes from containers or spray aerosols directly into their noses or mouths. Other techniques include huffing (soaking rags in inhalants and pressing them to the mouth) and bagging (inhaling fumes from products sprayed into plastic or paper bags).

For many teens, inhalants are a passing phase; compared with other drugs, the high is too brief, and sniffing simply isn't all that cool. But they're often a stepping stone to other drugs, especially marijuana. One in four adolescents using inhalants for the first time never have indulged in anything else -- not even alcohol or cigarettes.

The increase in inhalant abuse also stems in part from the fact that adults tend to underestimate the threat to their children. Only 5% of parents think their kids have tried inhalants, when in fact one out of four adolescents has abused a household product by eighth grade."

Adapted from FAMILY CIRCLE -- February 2007

ONLY IN AMERICA ... MORE DRUGS, FEWER NARCS

"Though the global drug trade is heating up, expect a lighter U.S. presence on the streets. The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates that opium production in Afghanistan, which not only provides 90% of the heroine consumed globally but also funds Taliban activities, rose 61% last year over 2005.

Some 670 tons of heroin are expected to flood the market, and that should slash the street price of a kilo of Southwest Asian heroin, now about $90,000 in Los Angeles. Yet the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, which loses some 3% of its 5,000 agents to attrition, has a two year hiring freeze because of budget cuts to U.S. programs.

DEA bean counters say they would need an additional $12 million to maintain current agent levels. The DEA's overseas funding has increased overall but there will be less drug enforcement going on.

General James Jones, who worked in Afghanistan, calls the cuts, 'astounding.' But other experts think it is wasteful to crack down on drug dealers without reducing drug dealers. In other words, manage both sides of the problem." -- Time Magazine January 22, 2007

A NEW SOLUTION TO A DUI?

"If you've been drinking, a car will soon take away your keys. Toyota is developing steering-wheel sweat sensors that will detect a driver's blood-alcohol level, then disable the car if necessary."

Time Magazine -- January 22, 2007

TACTICS OF THE STOP UNDERAGE DRINKING

1. Be involved. Know your children's friends and your children's friend's parents.

2. Talk to your children. "When you see an advertisement on a magazine, as 'Who are they targeting with this?' This is something we have to talk frequently from an early age," said Mary Moss of the Stop Underage Drinking Project

3. Discuss rules and consequences so your child will know where you stand on the issue.

4. Tell them it's illegal if they are under 21. "When parents say 'It OK, I did it when I was younger' or 'It's a rite of passage,' that sends the wrong message. Our kids look to us to be the role models," says Moss.

5. Have a 24-hour rule on sleepovers. "No last minute sleepovers," Moss said. "You run the risk of opportunities you might not like your child to take."

6. Beware of too many sleepovers at the same time. They often equal drinking parties.

7. Check things out. "When your child is sleeping over, call the parents and say, 'I hear your 're having a party. Was my child invited? Talk to me about the kind of supervision that will be there.' You know, it is going to the older brother, or will the parents be there? Or you can volunteer to host the party."

8. Make sure you're visible when your child has friends over.

9. When having a party, stick to the invitation list. "Word of parties can spread like wildfire and bring many problems with it," Moss said.

10. Be sure your teenager understands when to be home.

11. Lock up your liquor cabinet. (Editorial comment -- better yet -- get rid of your liquor cabinet!)

12. Be nosy. "If you're hosting a party, check all coats, backpacks, water bottles and soda cups at the door, and do not allow guests who leave the party to return.

13. Say something. "If you're uncomfortable confronting another parent when you see underage drinking, call the police.

from THE RECORD -- December 17, 2006

Editorial Comment: While this list is presented by a secular organization, I commend them for taking these bold steps. I want to caution Christian parents to exercise these same rules when it comes to their kids. While we would all like to believe our kids are the "model" teens, living with our heads buried in the sand and ignoring these things is not exercising good leadership in our homes. I've had too many broken-hearted parents sit in my office who were snowed into believing that it could not happen to their kids. Exercise good judgment.

MARIJUANA SEIZED

502 marijuana bales were seized in Texas from a truck driver last month. He was arrested and held on a $1 million bond. It is estimated that the bales weighed 20,000 tons worth roughly $25 million.  Time Magazine  January 15, 2007

NO EASY CURE

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals tried to find a cure for gambling in a bottle of pills but the results have not been very encouraging. The National Center for Responsible Gaming estimates that the problem afflicts about 1.1 percent of Americans, Canadians and in 1999 reported that between 0.6 percent and 0.9 percent of Americans had been compulsive gamblers in the previous year.

World Magazine December 23, 2006

UNDERAGE DRINKING ONLINE

Underage drinking may be going online, a new online survey shows.

According to the survey, more than 3 million minors have a friend who has bought alcohol online and more than half a million have done so themselves.

The survey didn't’t actually include millions of teens. Those figures are based on about 1,000 youths aged 14-20 who took the survey.

The survey was done in April by Teen Research Unlimited for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc., a national trade association.

“Millions of minors are either buying, or know someone who is buying, wine, beer, and liquor online and having it home delivered without an ID check, while many more are already visiting web sites that sell alcohol,” states the survey report.

Among the results:

--2 percent reported having bought alcohol online.

--12 percent reported having a friend who had bought alcohol online.

--Nearly 1 in 10 said they had visited a web site that sells alcohol.

--Nearly 4 in 10 thought alcohol is available by Internet.

Two-thirds of the participants said they “definitely will not” buy alcohol online before they turn 21.

But the rest didn't’t rule out the possibility.

And while most participants (81 percent) said their parents trusted their judgment when using the Internet, three-quarters said their Internet activities can’t be controlled by their parents.

At least a third of participants said they thought it would be easy to get wine, wine coolers, beer, and liquor online.

Many weren't’t concerned about enforcement. Nearly half (45 percent) said they didn't’t think they would get caught if they ordered alcohol online or over the telephone.

It’s not clear if the participants represent all youth their age.

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America supports state-based alcohol control and opposes “illegal direct shipping,” says the association’s web site.

Fox News Website December 9, 2006

COUGH MEDICINE ALERT

Teenagers' use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to get a cheap high — a practice known as "robotripping" — is rising 50% a year and becoming one of the fastest-growing drug abuse problems in California and around the country, according to a study released Monday.

Since 1999, teen abuse of Coricidin pills, Robitussin syrup and other common medications has risen 10-fold, data from the California Poison Control System show. The widely available and inexpensive medicines are growing in popularity while use of illegal drugs such as Ecstasy, LSD and the date rape drug GHB have dropped, according to the report.

"Hey, Mom and Dad, pay attention," said Marilyn MacDougall, executive director of the Orange County Sheriff Department's drug abuse prevention program. "Over-the-counter medicines are the upcoming way your kids are going to abuse drugs."

The cold remedies are valued for an ingredient called dextromethorphan, which can cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences. In extreme cases, like that of 16-year-old Anaheim student Lucia Martino, they can cause death. The drug, known by kids as DXM or Dex, was first abused in the 1960s when it was in a cough medicine called Romilar, which was withdrawn from the market in 1973.

Health officials spotted a revival in the late 1990s. About two-thirds of abusers now take Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold, whose candy-red tablets are nicknamed CCC, triple C and skittles. Robotripping takes its name from Robitussin, the second most abused cold medicine.

A study in May by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America estimated that 2.4 million teens — about 1 in 10 — got high on cough medicines in 2005. That puts it on a par with cocaine and slightly above methamphetamine.

California school administrators are learning of the craze the hard way. In El Dorado, a community outside of Sacramento noted for its apple orchards and Christmas tree farms, seven high school students were rushed to the emergency room in October after taking Coricidin. The Union Mine High School students had purchased several boxes at a dollar store and swallowed five to eight tablets each during their morning snack time.

Administrators found out after one student started vomiting in class.

"This is new to us — it caught a lot of people by surprise," said Principal Carl Fickle. "It didn't catch the kids by surprise."

The latest study, published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that the growth of dextromethorphan abuse is being driven by children ages 9 to 17.

Abuse is most common among 15- and 16-year-olds, the study found. The number of 12- and 13-year-olds using the drug exceeds the number of 18-year-olds, indicating that it is popular in middle schools as well as high schools, according to senior author Ilene B. Anderson, a toxicology management specialist at the California Poison Control System.

"I did not expect 12-year-olds to be abusing it," Anderson said.

The study was based on a review of 1,382 calls made to the California Poison Control Center over a six-year period involving cases of dextromethorphan exposure. Those calls were generally made in emergency situations, usually by physicians treating overdose patients in hospitals. They represent only a fraction of overall drug use, Anderson said.

"If someone is abusing dextro and gets a high, they don't call us," she said. "I think it is grossly underreported."

Of the cases reported to the state poison control center, seven — amounting to 0.5% of the total — were life-threatening. None resulted in death, according to the study. The number of deaths nationwide is unknown.

The researchers compared the California findings with general statistics from the American Assn. of Poison Control Centers and the Drug Abuse Warning Network and found that the trends here are in line with the rest of the country.

Dextromethorphan appeals to teens because it "is easily and legally available in most pharmacies and large grocery stores," Anderson said. "It's relatively inexpensive — in many cases, one package can cause hallucinations."

Websites offer testimonials about the buzz the drug provides. Some users describe it as "slightly intoxicating," though others compare their experiences with the hallucinatory effects of ketamine or PCP.

Dextromethorphan users can consult online calculators — where they enter their weight, brand of medicine and "plateau" of high they want to achieve — to determine how big a dose to take.

And because the cough remedies look innocuous, Anderson said, "you can have a package, and your parents would never even suspect it, compared to a little white bag of powder, which certainly would cause a red flag to go up."
Los Angeles Times 2006

LAWS PROHIBITING SMOKING AROUND CHILDREN

Anti-tobacco forces are opening a new front in the war against smoking by banning it in private places such as homes and cars when children are present.

Starting Jan. 1, Texas will restrict smoking in foster parents' homes at all times and in cars when children are present, says Darrell Azar of the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Vermont, Washington and other states and counties already prohibit foster parents from smoking around children in their homes and cars.

Arkansas and Louisiana passed laws this year forbidding anyone from smoking in cars carrying young children. Courts are ordering smoke-free environments in custody and visitation disputes.

"We are very rapidly moving to protect children from secondhand smoke," says John Banzhaf, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health. "Even from their own parents and grandparents."

Former surgeon general Richard Carmona said in June that children exposed to secondhand smoke suffer an increased risk of respiratory ailments and sudden infant death syndrome.

Most smoking bans apply to workplaces and spots like bars and restaurants.

Smokers' rights groups liken banning smoking in private to the "Salem witch hunt," says Gary Nolan, spokesman for The Smoker's Club, Inc. He says secondhand smoke is not dangerous. "If we don't reverse this, they'll be telling us what we can eat and what we can feed our children," Nolan says.

Former smoker Bob Mathis, a Democratic state representative in Arkansas, sponsored a law that bars smoking in a car carrying a child young enough to require a car seat. It took effect in July. A violator can be fined $25 but can get out of it with proof of participation in a smoking-cessation program. A similar law took effect in Louisiana in August.

"We have laws on the books in every state of the union against child abuse," Mathis says. "This is a form of child abuse."

At least six states and some counties prohibit foster parents from smoking when foster children are present, says Kathleen Dachille, director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation & Advocacy at the University of Maryland School of Law. "There are times when it's appropriate to regulate what people can do in their home," she says. "The state is responsible for that child."

Some courts are ordering parents in custody and visitation disputes not to smoke around their kids.

Initially, courts considered restrictions when children had ailments such as asthma that are exacerbated by smoke, says Linda Elrod, a law professor and editor of Family Law Quarterly. Now, they're more willing to restrict smoking even when there are no obvious health problems, she says. It generally comes up when one parent complains about the other's smoking.

USA TODAY -- November 28. 2006

STUBBORN SMOKERS

The Belmont, California city council voted unanimously last week to draft a law banning smoking everywhere except inside homes. Expected to be enacted in January, the ban would be the nation's strictest."  Time Magazine  November 27, 2006

HOOD PATROL

A pub owner in a town east of London got quite a surprise when what he thought was a hooded delinquent whom he bounced from his bar turned out to be a 61-year-old granny. The barkeeper asked her to leave because pub rules prohibit gang-style clothing like hoodies. "Me and my friend thought he was joking and fell about laughing," said Corrine Chapman. "I'm 61 ... and I'm not exactly a typical juvenile delinquent."  World Magazine  11/18/06

ALL BETS OFF ...NO NET GAMBLING, WE ARE AMERICAN ... President Bush is expected to sign a bill banning the use of any U.S. credit-card or payment system (such as PayPal) to be online. A ban could devastate the $12 billion Net gaming industry.

Time Magazine -- October 16, 2006

WASHINGTON — Quietly leaving his post as surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona said he would judge himself successful if he had persuaded one student to make good health choices or one mother to stop smoking.

Carmona's report condemning secondhand smoke was a hallmark of his tenure as the nation's 17th surgeon general.

That report, issued just over a month ago, will fuel nationwide efforts to ban smoking in public, predicted Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

"I think that report is going to turn out to be the nail in the coffin to the tobacco industry," Benjamin said. "I certainly hope so."

Fox News -- July 31, 2006

ONLINE GAMBLING

“The British owner of a gambling website was arrested in Texas last week for taking illegal U.S. bets. Experts say online gambling is a GRAY AREA – which some Senators are pushing to clarify with a vote this week on an explicit ban.”

Time Magazine July 31, 2006

SHAKE-UP AT DISNEY

1 in 5 ADULTS  HAVE A CLOSE RELATIVE WHO IS OR WAS ADDICTED TO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

"Addiction is endemic in American families. A USA/HBO nationwide poll of adults, April 27-May 31 found that one in five said they had an immediate relative who at some point had been addicted to alcohol or drugs. That translates into roughly 40 million American adults with a spouse, parent, sibling or child battling addiction. And that doesn't count the millions of children living with an addicted parent.  USA TODAY -- July 20, 2006

CHILDREN IMPACTED BY ADDICTION

"A nationwide household survey in 2003 found that 6 million children in the USA lived with a least one parent who abused or was addicted to alcohol or drugs during the previous year ... In one study found that among fathers of 12-month olds, those who abused alcohol spoke less to their children and expressed less positive involvement. They also felt more negative emotions and aggravation when it came to their children. By 18 months old, children of fathers who abused alcohol had more symptoms of anxiety and depression than their peers. IF NO ONE INTERVENES, about one in four children of alcoholics become alcoholics, says Wenger of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics." 

USA TODAY -- July 20, 2006

SECOND HAND SMOKE

"49,000 -- Estimate number of  U.S. adults who died in 2005 of heart or lung disease associated with inhaling second hand smoke, according to the Surgeon General." -- Time Magazine July 10, 2006

HIGH STAKES

“Net receipts in Washington State’s legalized gambling industry have increased more than three-fold in the past 10 years, up to almost $1.7 billion. That’s a lot of money to the state.

But it’s also a lot of money to the individual gamblers. For the female administrator it was $500,000. For the young man, it was his entire $1,500 bank account at the Chips Casino, trying to make a month’s paycheck in one night.”  

High Stakes – The Effect of Problem Gambling – Christian Counseling Connection 2006/Issue 1

DID YOU KNOW?

74% proportion of female college students and graduates who said women on spring-break trips use drinking as an excuse for behavior like public displays of nudity and table dancing.

57% Proportion who said being promiscuous is a way to fit in.

Twenty-four percent of teens say their parents have given them alcohol, and 21% have been to a party where alcohol was supplied by their parents. (Religion Journal 8/15/05)

Time Magazine -- March 20, 2006

LESS FILLING, TASTES GREAT?

A new machine in clubs now lets drinkers inhale alcohol shots, leaving behind the calories and reportedly, hangovers. The ALCOHOL WITHOUT LIQUID vaporizer resembles an asthma inhaler and mixes alcohol with pressurized oxygen, allowing the body to absorb the alcohol through the lungs instead of the stomach. We now live in a day when even consuming a beverage is simply too much trouble.” – World Magazine

THEY’LL DRINK TO THAT . . .

“The Canadian Medical Association thinks it may have solved much of the problem with the drunken homeless: Booze them up. Authors of a study published in the association’s journal gave drunk vagrants a massive supply of free wine and sherry.

According to the published findings, the authors said using free alcohol as a way to get homeless folk into places where they can receive regular medical care actually made them healthier as a whole. Never mind that three of the 17 program participants died from alcohol-related illnesses.

‘The alcohol gets them in, builds the trust, and then we have the opportunity to treat other medical diseases,’ the study said. ‘It’s about improving the quality of life.’”

World Magazine -- January 21, 2006