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  • Alcohol Awareness Month

    Posted 4/12/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    April is Alcohol Awareness Month, I encourage all parents to speak with their children about the long-term effects that alcohol can have, and why living a healthy lifestyle is important. Excessive drinking can compromise the immune system, impair good judgment and damage a developing brain.

  • Welcome Spring!

    Posted 4/5/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    This week we mark the beginning of Passover and the ushering in of Easter.  I wanted to take a moment to wish all who celebrate a happy and joyous holiday. These holidays usually come at the beginning of spring, which is a time of rebirth. I hope that this holiday time will bring renewed growth, prosperity, joy and peace for all.

  • Partnering in Prevention Recovery, Support, & Advocacy

    Posted 3/29/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    The faith-based community are great partners in prevention recovery, support, and advocacy. Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has collaborated with the faith leaders multiple times to share important lifesaving messages.

  • An Inspiring Story of Recovery & Advocacy

    Posted 3/22/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    For this week’s blog, we continue on the theme of recognizing women in recovery for Women’s History Month, this week’s guest blogger is Chekesha Kay Ellis, the Founder of Chase No More, an organization that provides direct support and community outreach to individuals suffering from substance use disorder.

  • Treating Pain Without Opioids

    Posted 3/15/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    I am pleased to report that Vertex, a Boston-based drug manufacturer, may offer some hope in the fight against the opioid epidemic. The company has advanced a non-addictive painkiller into late-stage trials that, if approved, could be a game-changer in treating pain.

     

    The medicine will block a sodium channel, which signals to the brain if something is wrong. These channels are not near the brain, where addiction can be triggered, making them a compelling substitute for opioids. Vertex plans to seek approval for the treatment of acute pain from injury or surgery, such as wisdom tooth removal.

  • An Emerging Illicit Street Drug is of Grave Concern

    Posted 3/8/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    A recent New York Times article brought attention to a new illicit street drug using xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, that s being added to narcotics like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines, and in most cases contains fentanyl. 

     

    In 2022, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) highlighted the emergence of this drug trend, known as tranq, in an interview with 101.5 FM. 

  • Recognizing Women in Recovery for Women’s History Month

    Posted 3/1/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    This week’s guest blogger is Sheilah Powell, a lifelong native of New Jersey, who is involved with local, state and national recovery advocacy.  She is a tireless advocate serving on numerous grassroots committees and task forces throughout the state and has made it her personal and professional mission to eradicate the stigma around substance use disorder.

     

    Sheila is going to be a panelist in the SHE RECOVERS ® Foundation, Amplifying Women’s Stories in Recovery Advocacy, an online global event taking place at 2 p.m. on March 8th.  To learn more and register please click here.

     

    As today marks the start of Women’s History month below, Sheilah discusses the importance of women sharing their personal recovery stories, speaking up and having a voice in recovery advocacy.

  • What You Need to Know Before Wisdom Tooth Surgery

    Posted 2/22/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    I recently had the opportunity to speak to 101.5 FM about the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s 2023 Public Service Campaign addressing opioid alternatives to treat pain for wisdom tooth surgery. I urge you all to take a few minutes and read the article to understand the real dangers that come along with opioid use, particularly when prescribed for wisdom teeth removal.

  • Sharp Rise of Children Ingesting Edibles is of Grave Concern

    Posted 2/15/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    A new American Academy of Pediatrics study, Pediatric Edible Cannabis Exposure and Acute Toxicity: 2017-2021, has found a sharp rise in the number of children who accidentally ingested marijuana edibles.  From 2017 through 2021 there were more than 7,000 confirmed cases of children younger than 6 ingesting edibles in the United States.  There was a 1,375 percent increase in the number of cases from 2017 to 2021, rising from 200 cases in 2017 to more than 3,000 reported in 2021, with almost a quarter of the children requiring hospitalization.

  • U.S. Surgeon General: Adolescents & Social Media Dangers

    Posted 2/8/2023 by Angelo M. Valente

    For the last two years, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) has focused a series of media campaigns on the adolescent mental crisis unfolding in our country and its direct impact on experimentation and substance use or misuse.

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