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April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to update your knowledge about alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the adverse impact of alcohol misuse on health and society. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), researchers estimate that each year there are more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths, making alcohol a leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In addition, more than 200 disease and injury-related conditions are associated with alcohol misuse. Alcohol-related problems continue to take a heavy toll on individuals, families, and communities. NIAAA has designed a publication, Rethinking Drinking for U.S. adults who drink alcohol. This guide provides evidence-based information about alcohol and health along with tips, tools, and resources for those who want to cut down on or quit drinking.
The Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 26, the Behavioral Health Workforce Amendments bill, on February 28. Among other things, the bill creates the Masters in Addiction Counseling license making Utah the 32nd state to create such a license. The Association Utah of Substance Abuse Professionals (AUSAP) board worked on this initiative for two years prior to its passage.
Participate in National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) and help share facts about drugs, alcohol, and addiction in your community. NDAFW is an annual health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. NDAFW provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners to help advance the science and address youth drug and alcohol use in communities and nationwide. Sign up for NDAFW email updates below, and find lots of great resources for planning and promoting your very own NDAFW event.
Mark your calendar for National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, March 18–24, 2024
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), finalized modifications to the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records regulations at 42 CFR part 2 (“Part 2”), which protect the privacy of patients’ SUD treatment records. Specifically, today’s final rule increases coordination among providers treating patients for SUDs, strengthens confidentiality protections through civil enforcement, and enhances integration of behavioral health information with other medical records to improve patient health outcomes.
A fact sheet on the final rule may be found HERE