Substance-Related Child Abuse Links

Two reports by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University:

No Safe Haven: Children of Substance-Abusing Parents www.casacolumbia.org/publications1456/publications_show.htm?doc_id=7167
A two-year national study of the devastating impact that substance abuse has had on child abuse and neglect. According to CASA, "the study concludes that substance abuse and addiction dangerously compromise or destroy the ability of parents to provide a safe and nurturing home for children and confound the child welfare system's ability to protect these children." The report features key statistics and survey results demonstrating the depth of the problem, a description of the child welfare system in "chaos," and descriptions of innovative and successful programs.

No Place to Hide: Substance Abuse in Mid-Size Cities and Rural America
www.casacolumbia.org/publications1456/publications_show.htm?doc_id=23734
Report demonstrates that smoking, drug use, and alcohol use among 8th graders is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. This crisis is fueled by the fact that "methamphetamine use has hit many areas of the West and Midwest especially hard, placing enormous pressure on hospitals, child welfare systems, treatment and law enforcement." The report asserts that emergency Federal aid is needed to stamp out illegal drug production in rural America. The report also delves into several solutions to the problem.

Suggested websites for further exploration about methamphetamine use and its impact on children:

Drug Endangered Children Resource (DEC) Center
www.cwcadd.org
The DEC Resource Center works with local teams to reduce child endangerment from drug use through interagency collaboration. The Center also works to prevent childhood and community exposures to toxic methamphetamine labs by increasing public awareness of their dangers. The site features a gallery of photos of what one might see in a home where methamphetamine production takes place, as well as a sheet on medical protocols for children found at methamphetamine lab sites.

Stopdrugs.org
www.stopdrugs.org/methcrisis.html
Stopdrugs.org, a website of the California Department of Justice, features a special section on "The Meth Crisis." It has photos and information to help people recognize labs, as well as information on what to do if a lab is discovered.

Other Websites:

Blending Perspectives and Building Common Ground: A Report to Congress on Substance Abuse and Child Protection
aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/subabuse99/subabuse.htm
An extensive report on substance-related child abuse.

Clubdrugs.org
http://www.clubdrugs.org/
Sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this site provides scientific information about club drugs.

Hazelden
http://www.hazelden.org/
Hazelden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people recover from alcoholism and other drug addiction and provides residential and outpatient treatment for adults and young people, programs for families affected by chemical dependency, and training for a variety of professionals. Hazelden is also known as the world's premier publisher of information on this subject and related areas.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
http://www.drugabuse.gov/
NIDA supports over 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction, including the most fundamental and essential questions about drug abuse, ranging from the molecule to managed care, and from DNA to community outreach research. Website features many fact sheets on drugs and research.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.samhsa.gov/
The Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses. Site features substance abuse/mental health information, as well as resources for those who need help with alcohol, drug, or mental health problems.

Treatment Improvement Exchange (TIE)
http://www.treatment.org/
The Treatment Improvement Exchange (TIE) is a resource sponsored by the Division of State and Community Assistance of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to provide information exchange between CSAT staff and State and local alcohol and substance abuse agencies. The TIE Contract is funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.