Latest news with #SAMHSA
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SZA Called Out The Dangers Of This Drug That's Become Popular Again With Gens Z And Alpha, So Let's Talks About It
Warning: Discussion of drug abuse. SZA is being praised for convincing a "child" to give away his whippets. Whippets, or nitrous oxide, essentially cut off oxygen to the brain to create a brief high. They get their name from whipped-cream aerosol canisters, as people misuse the gas. Subsequently, companies will sell flavored whipped cream chargers and people — especially young people — will abuse the gas inside. It can be extremely dangerous, especially with prolonged use, and cause significant damage to the brain. Related: 13 Celebs Who Opened Up Publicly About Their Sobriety Data shows that children 12–17 are more likely to use whippets than those over 18. SZA has been candid about her own drug abuse and sobriety in the past. She's previously called out whipped-cream chargers and dispensers, calling attention to how they're misused by some as a drug. Related: "Rude, Crass, Entitled Piece Of Garbage": People Are Revealing Their Best And Worst Celebrity Encounters, And These Are Genuinely Soooo Fascinating Amid her Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar, in a new Instagram story, SZA wrote, "Literally talked a CHILD into throwing away his whippet drugs in exchange for a picture / video at the in n out drive through." Other sellers have claimed that their products are not for use outside of a culinary context. "Sad but if I can stop this shit for even a second imma try," she continued. "Once again these drugs are clearly marketed to CHILDREN. Really need America to do better man." The image quickly went viral, with many praising the singer: You can read more about the dangers of whippets here. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here. Also in Celebrity: 19 Celebrities Who Are Way Smarter Than You Thought They Were — Like, One Is A Neuroscientist Also in Celebrity: Cassie Finally Broke Her Silence After Kanye West Decided To Publicly Support Diddy, And Her Response Is Exactly What Everyone Has Been Saying Also in Celebrity: 31 Celebrity Slip-Ups On Social Media That Revealed Wayyyy More Than They Ever Intended
NBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Addiction programs at risk under proposed federal budget cuts
Harm reduction advocates in Nashville are scrambling as proposed federal budget cuts threaten programs that provide life-saving services like Narcan, HIV testing and syringe exchanges. While overdose deaths are declining nationwide, groups like Mending Hearts and HOPE warn that cuts to SAMHSA funding could put hundreds at risk and undo years of progress in addiction 21, 2025
Buzz Feed
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Why Jamie Lee Curtis Had Plastic Surgery At 25
Warning: Discussion of substance abuse. You know Jamie Lee Curtis. You might know her from the Halloween franchise, Freaky Friday, or her Academy Award-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. It all depends on which generation you most identify with, doesn't it? I'm sure you've seen this questionably spicy scene on your timelines before, too? It's from Jamie's 1985 movie, Perfect. In a 60 Minutes interview, Jamie revealed what prompted her to undergo a plastic surgery procedure while working on this movie, and the reason is rather painful. The two-time Golden Globe winner said in the interview that she had plastic surgery at the age of 25 after a comment from a cinematopgrapher on the set of Perfect. "He was like, 'Yeah, I'm not shooting her today," Jamie said. "Her eyes are baggy." "And I was 25, so for him to say that, it was very embarrassing," Jamie explained in the interview. "So as soon as the movie finished, I ended up having some plastic surgery." Jamie said the surgery didn't go as planned, and it's something that she regrets now. "That's just not what you want to do when you're 25 or 26. And I regretted it immediately and have kind of sort of regretted it since," she said. Her regret lies in the fact that today, she's an advocate for embracing your natural beauty. "I've become a really public advocate to say to women you're gorgeous and you're perfect the way you are. So yeah, it was not a good thing for me to do." In the interview, Jamie also revealed that she developed a dependence on painkillers following her plastic surgery. 'Well, they give them to you!' she said. "I became very enamored with the warm bath of an opiate. You know, drank a little bit … never to access, never any big public demonstrations. I was very quiet, very private about it, but it became a dependency for sure." This isn't the first time Jamie spoke about her past with addictions and plastic surgery. In 2021, she told Fast Company, "I tried plastic surgery and it didn't work. It got me addicted to Vicodin," she said at the time of the interview. "I'm 22 years sober now." "The current trend of fillers and procedures, and this obsession with filtering, and the things that we do to adjust our appearance on Zoom are wiping out generations of beauty," she continued. "Once you mess with your face, you can't get it back." Look, Jamie's been in the game for a minute, and one thing she's going to do is keep it real about her journey and experience, and that's why she's held it down from '80s scream queen and beyond. Watch the full interview here: If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.
Medscape
15-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
As Drug Overdose Deaths Decline, Experts Worry About Future
Drug overdose deaths declined by almost 27% in 2024, new provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. The decline continues a downward trend that began in 2023, with a 3% decline that year, followed by steady drops each month of 2024. Overall, there were 80,391 predicted provisional deaths at the end of 2024, down from 110,037 in December 2023. Some 111,029 individuals died from overdose at the epidemic's peak in 2022. Decreases in overdose deaths last year were reported in almost every state, with only Nevada and South Dakota reporting slight increases. In a statement, the CDC said the decline reflects 'a strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact' but noted that 'overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' Some experts are concerned that the progress may be affected by the Trump administration's staffing and budget cuts to various health agencies and steep funding cuts to Medicaid proposed by the White House and congressional Republicans. The CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control — the group responsible for collecting and monitoring overdose data — was among the agencies that saw workforce layoffs and firings earlier this year. In addition, as reported by Medscape Medical News , the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was also hit hard by staff and program cuts. US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has proposed a reorganization of the department which would include folding SAMHSA into a new Administration for a Healthy America. At a May 14 congressional hearing, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pennsylvania) asked Kennedy how that move would help combat the opioid epidemic. 'You're eliminating training,' said Dean, referring to reports that proposed cuts would eliminate both grants to states and communities for naloxone distribution and training in how to administer the overdose medication. HHS has proposed 'shifting [SAMHSA] to a subdivision where we can operate it more efficiently,' Kennedy said. 'We want to provide naloxone. We want to make sure that addicts have every option,' he said. As reported by Medscape Medical News , the Trump administration's drug policy priorities — outlined in an Office of National Drug Control Policy document — include encouraging state and local authorities to 'increase the availability of drug test strips and naloxone.' SAMHSA has largely funded the distribution of the more expensive nasal form of naloxone, said Nabarun Dasgupta, MD, senior scientist at the Injury Prevention Research Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 'I'm optimistic that the administration will understand that this is a life-saving medication and will hopefully find ways to keep it going,' he told Medscape Medical News . He said SAMHSA-funded outreach programs 'are already shutting down.' That means 'laying off these highly skilled people that we need on the front lines to actually reach the populations at greatest risk,' said Dasgupta. Potential Medicaid reforms and cuts are also worrying, said Dasgupta. 'Medicaid provides a huge amount of drug treatment in this country, and anything that makes that more difficult or cuts funding is going to have a direct impact on overdose numbers,' he said. That was echoed in a statement by Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). ASAM said that some proposals to impose cost-sharing requirements on certain Medicaid enrollees could make addiction-related treatment services even more expensive than some tobacco products, alcohol, and illicit drugs. If that proposal became law, 'we risk losing valuable ground in our addiction and recovery efforts,' Taylor said. Dasgupta reported being the co-founder of the nonprofit Remedy Alliance / For The People.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Study finds one in four children have a parent with a substance use disorder
A new study has revealed that a quarter of children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a substance use disorder. Researchers found that most parents with a substance use disorder abuse alcohol. Other substances most commonly named in the study included cannabis, cocaine, and prescription drugs. The study in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, published earlier this week, found that one in four children lived in such circumstances. Conclusions were drawn from data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is conducted annually by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services. This data is then analyzed alongside the DSM-5 — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, now in its fifth edition — used by mental health professionals as a guide for assessing and treating patients. The results found that 19 million children in the U.S. were living with a parent with a substance use disorder. Previous studies, including the most recent conducted in 2022, concluded that 7 million children lived in such circumstances, but the substantial increase is partially due to new criteria. Earlier studies used the now-outdated DSM-IV, NPR reports. The latest data also estimated how many children have a parent with moderate to severe substance abuse issues versus those who have a mild disorder. 'We also found that 7.6 million children live in a household with a parent that has either a moderate or severe substance use disorder,' said study author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan. Some 3.4 million children live with a parent with multiple substance use disorders, and 6 million have a parent with both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder. The study also found that the majority of the parents with a substance issue — 12 million — had alcohol use disorder, which, while more socially acceptable, points to a need to pay greater attention to the impact it has on children. Alcohol is the leading cause of substance-related deaths in the U.S., killing more people than opioids every year, though at a slower rate, as a chronic disease of the liver and a cause of cancer. Researchers believe the study is important because children whose parents have a substance use disorder are more likely to be at-risk for using substances earlier, and developing substance abuse and mental health disorders of their own. 'We know that over three-fourths of people with substance use disorders do not get treatment,' McCabe noted. 'And kids who are in households with parents who don't get help are much less likely to get help themselves. So I just think it's important for us who serve and provide care to children to understand what these numbers mean and also how we can design programs to meet these kids where they're at.' The future of SAMHSA is uncertain under a proposed restructuring by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, which would see it absorbed into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). This new office would consolidate five existing agencies, including those responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries. SAMHSA currently commands an $8 billion budget, employs over 700 staff, and was created by Congress in 1992. It is responsible for services including the 988 crisis line, naloxone distribution, and addiction treatment.
