YOU CAN HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

The Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center new campaign is going strong!  Prescription drug misuse and abuse is on the rise in Iowa. More than 70% of people aged 12 and up who misuse or abuse say they obtained prescription drugs from a friend or family member. The purpose of the Iowa Medicine TLC campaign is to educate Iowa parents on the dangers of abusing or misusing prescription and OTC medications. The campaign focuses on providing guidance and resources on how to protect your children and others you care about.

Iowa Medicine TLC:

• Talk to your children about the proper use of medicines and the risks of misusing them;
• Lock up or store prescription drugs in a secure location that can be monitored, and safely dispose of unused medicines;
• Connect with the Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center for help to prevent prescription drug misuse and abuse.

You can help by:

• Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter and than sharing our posts!
• Adding a link to our Iowa Medicine TLC website to your agency or coalition website
• Requesting some of our Iowa Medicine TLC information cards be sent to you for distribution!

How do you know the economy is coming back? High rollers are paying their gambling debts.

All four major U.S. casino corporations bumped up their allowances for bad debt during the recession, with one company estimating that fewer than half of outstanding debts would be repaid. Now, companies have lowered their estimates to pre-recession rates.

Problem Gambling Behavior Reduced in Rat Packs 

Brain researchers at the University of British Colombia have been successful in reducing the behaviors commonly associated with compulsive gambling in people, through studying rats. 

Compulsive Gambling Advocates Focus on Veterans 

Veterans cope with numerous problems, such as readjusting to life at home, fighting boredom that contrasts sharply with the experiences of the battlefield and finding easy opportunities to gamble at casinos, the Internet and the neighborhood store where lottery tickets are sold. But helping veterans is difficult because few acknowledge they have a problem and seek help, counselors and other specialists told a Connecticut conference on Wednesday. "Veterans are less likely to tell us they have a problem with gambling because they're afraid it will affect their VA benefits," said Amy Kaplan of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Pennsylvania being urged to drop the 'hammer' on young casino gamblers 

Children as young as 14 are sneaking into casinos to try their luck at a roulette wheel or slot machine - a costly problem for Pennsylvania gaming operators who are lobbying for tougher penalties for underage gamblers.