Smoking-cessation 'quitlines' could help identify hazardous drinkers

ScienceDaily (June 15, 2012) ? Although numerous studies have shown a strong link between drinking and smoking behaviors, few telephone smoking-cessation "quitlines" routinely screen and counsel callers about their alcohol use. A first-of-its-kind study of drinking and smoking-cessation rates among callers to the New York State Smokers' Quitline (NYSSQL) has found that a high proportion of the smokers calling also drank at hazardous levels, and these high-level drinking smokers had more difficulty quitting smoking than moderate drinking smokers.

Results will be published in the September 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Quitlines provide telephone-based treatment services for smokers who want assistance quitting," explained Benjamin A. Toll, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. "All quitlines offer counseling and self-help materials. About 75 percent of quitlines also offer free medications."

"Quitlines have a broad reach, serving about a half a million smokers in the US each year, and are able to reach populations of smokers that would otherwise be difficult to provide services to," added Christopher Kahler, professor of behavioral and social sciences at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. "They are a remarkable success story in taking tested treatment methods, validating them for use in a new format, and disseminating this approach very broadly. Quitlines are available in all 50 states and are common in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere."

Toll said that his group chose the NYSSQL for study because he had worked with the quitline for more than five years on various research projects. "It is one of the busiest quitlines in the country -- receiving [more than] 100,000 contacts for assistance in 2010 -- and is committed to researching innovative treatments to help smokers quit."

Toll and his colleagues assessed rates of hazardous drinking among 88,479 (53.2% female) callers to the NYSSQL using modified guidelines from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The study authors also collected data during two routine follow-up interviews (n=14,123, n=24,579), and a three-month follow-up interview (n=2,833), in order to compare smoking-cessation rates for callers who met criteria for hazardous drinking as compared to moderate drinkers and non-drinkers.

"Our strongest finding was that in a large sample of smokers -- almost 90,000 individuals -- a relatively high proportion, almost 23 percent, drank at government-defined hazardous drinking levels," said Toll. "This is the first study to assess prevalence of hazardous alcohol use in a quitline population of smokers."

"In other words, this study demonstrated that hazardous drinking occurs in almost one out of four quitline callers and can interfere with efforts to quit smoking," said Kahler. "The results provide powerful documentation that there are a large number of heavy drinkers who could be served through the quitline system if assessments and brief alcohol intervention were made a part of the quitline protocols."

While the high proportion of smokers who were hazardous drinkers surprised neither Toll nor Kahler, they both said the reasons for this association are varied.

"There are many potential contributing factors," said Kahler. "First, those who drink heavily may have more disrupted lives and more psychosocial stressors. They are likely to have a higher proportion of smokers in their social networks. Finally, drinking alcohol can lead to cravings to smoke, and high levels of drinking may make it more difficult to inhibit smoking behavior during a quit attempt. Results from prior work I have done suggests that heavy drinkers are generally equally motivated to quit smoking as moderate drinkers."

Both Toll and Kahler said that this study highlights a novel way to reach a very large number of hazardous drinkers to assist them in reducing their alcohol consumption.

"Brief alcohol interventions for as short as five minutes have been shown to reduce rates of hazardous drinking," said Toll. "It would be relatively straightforward for quitlines to add in a counseling module specific to hazardous drinkers. In fact, we just completed data collection for a study testing the effect of adding a brief alcohol intervention to standard NY quitline smoking cessation treatment for hazardous drinking smokers. We expect the results of that study to be forthcoming within the year."

"The standard advice is to recommend that smokers avoid drinking alcohol as much as possible when quitting," added Kahler. "However, that advice is not very detailed. Our approach in clinical trials has been to provide information on the association between drinking and smoking relapse, assess drinking patterns and their association with quitting, and assess smokers' willingness to avoid or reduce drinking when quitting. After that, it is important to help smokers set concrete goals for their drinking and to check in on those goals at each session." That said, he noted, "we have found that even those smokers who make a quit attempt and fail are often able to maintain reductions in drinking."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Video: Gov. Rick Scott once mistaken for dead

Hidden hairs can strangle baby's tiny toes

If a single strand of hair wraps around a baby?s toe, it can cut off circulation and ultimately doom the appendage. Though rare, this happens often enough for doctors to have given it a name: toe tourniquet syndrome.

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Take a peek at new St. Mary's College

Construction starts summer of 2013

By Brian Kelly, The Sault Star

Updated 1 hour ago

The new St. Mary's College could include artificial turf on its soccer and football fields and a theatre that could seat 500 to 600.

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board wants to showcase its flagship programs to attract students to what will be its sole high school after St. Basil Secondary consolidates with St. Mary's.

The new barrier-free school, to open in September 2015, will feature 189,000 square feet over three levels. It'll cost $43 million to build on about 20 acres on Second Line East near Old Garden River Road and the soon-to-open Pine Street extension. Construction starts in the summer of 2013.

"It's a highly visible site in a very prominent location in the city," architect Franco Pastore of EPOH told trustees at a meeting on Wednesday.

He said the board will have to fundraise for enhanced sports and theatre spaces and possibly for the "heavy timber" the board wants used to figure prominently in the school's construction.

"The ideal would be to have artificial surfaces and rubberized track so it becomes more of a collegiate setting for the athletics program," said Pastore.

He and Paul Sapounzi of VG Architects presented schematic drawings to trustees at the Catholic education office.

"I think this is a model high school of a unique community," said Sapounzi during his presentation.

"I'm really pumped and excited about building this. I think it's going to work great. I think a lot of other school boards are going to look at really seriously."

Building highlights include seating for 600 to 700 for gym events and a food court with kiosks "like you would see in a mall," said Pastore. A Catholic community centre, at the centre of the school, includes a chapel.

"From anywhere in the school, literally, you'll be able to see the chapel," said Sapounzi.

"(It) plays the most dominant role in this entire facility."

An administration wing includes attendance, student services, guidance, principal offices and staff area.

Parking would be "quite hidden" from Second Line East on the property's west side.

"Parking becomes safer that way," said Sapounzi.

"You're not mixing kids and buses and parents. You park. You're done."

A drop-off area for parents and a bus queue that could accommodate 20 to 30 vehicles would be closer to the school.

St. Mary's College opened in 1956 on St. George's Avenue before moving to the former Lakeway Collegiate on Wellington Street East in 1987.

On the web: www.hscdsb.on.ca

b.kelly@sunmedia.ca

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BP?s Galapagos development in Gulf of Mexico starts production

CTBR Staff Writer
Published 13 June 2012

British Petroleum has announced the beginning of the initial start-up of Galapagos development in the deep water US Gulf of Mexico.

BP group chief executive Bob Dudley said that the project was one of the operational highlights of the company for the year 2012.And that it would be one of the six high-margin projects the company expects to bring into production this year.

"I expect that the operational progress we are now making will deliver increasing financial momentum for BP as we move into 2013 and 2014," added Dudley.

With three deep water fields the Galapagos development increases BP's capability from a key offshore production hub.

Isabela, Santiago and Santa Cruz are the three fields being produced with subsea equipment on the floor of the Gulf.

The output will be carried to nearby Na Kika host facility via the newly added production flowline loop.

BP will invest about $4bn in the Gulf of Mexico over the next ten years towards oil and gas development.

BP US Gulf of Mexico business regional president James Dupree said, "The Galapagos development marks another significant step forward for BP in the Gulf of Mexico, and reflects the potential we continue to see in this world-class basin, now and in the future." said

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'America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride' challenges and inspires Seattle ...

Today?s guest post is by Leigh Pate, a writer and photographer here in Seattle. She recently biked across India and wrote about the experience for the Great Outdoors. Get more of Leigh at www.LeighPate.com

Photo from Michelle McLeod

Peek-a-boo views of snowy mountains reflecting in the aqua-blue lake tease the thousands of antsy cyclists who have been training for months for the ride grandly billed as ?America?s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.?

For some of the fifteen Seattle area cyclists on Team in Training?s (TNT) Washington/Alaska team who traveled to Lake Tahoe for the June 3 event, riding 100 miles around Lake Tahoe seemed unattainable as they started their rainy February practice rides around Mercer Island. For other Seattle riders, Tahoe beckons year after year for its beautiful scenery and challenging cycling. Some join in a quest for fitness. Others join because someone they know has been diagnosed with a blood cancer.

Those who do the training and make the trip are not disappointed. Lake Tahoe immediately lives up to its reputation for glorious views and gritty climbs.

Within a few miles of the starting line, cyclists round a bend and angle up the first climb of a one hundred mile day to Emerald Bay State Park, the first of many spectacular views of the lake surrounded by the High Sierra Mountains.

Welcome to a destination bike ride that surpasses expectations and lives up to its name. The route circumnavigates Lake Tahoe through Nevada and California and includes a thirty-mile out and back to historic Truckee California to make the full hundred miles an official ?century.? Riders will climb over 3,000 vertical feet at a sustained altitude of over 6,000 feet, making training and teamwork essential.

America?s Most Beautiful Bike Ride sells out early not only because the location, Lake Tahoe, is one of the most beautiful alpine regions of the country. This ride is also special because teams of cyclists from across the country come together to achieve personal cycling bests as they raised over $5 million to support life-saving blood cancer research through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?s Team in Training.

Michelle McLeod of Federal Way is back in Tahoe for the second time with Seattle?s TNT Cycle Team. ?It?s not just a beautiful bike ride. I feel like I?m part of something bigger. You see the collective effort of TNT chapters from around the country. You are part of a community.?

The Seattle TNT Cycle Team starts training with short rides and gradually builds their mileage every weekend leading up to the event. Participants receive coaching in cycling technique and nutrition along with fitness tips and help with bikes and gear. Friendships last beyond the big events. Many cyclists go on to complete triathlons, marathons and long distance bike touring thanks to the confidence, training and solid start they get through TNT?s support.

For McLeod, riding with the Seattle TNT cycle team lets her give back. This year she rode with two first-time Tahoe riders.

?Everyone comes here for different reasons,? said McLeod. ?Helping people reach their goals isvery satisfying, whether that goal is to complete the event or to raise money for cancer research. Both new Tahoe riders finished with smiles.?

The 2012 Seattle Summer Cycle team has 66 riders who will raise over $150,000 for cancer research. Summer team members will also be riding the Northwest?s iconic 204 mile Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP), and 12 riders are traveling to Italy for the 127-mile Granfondo Pinarello in Treviso, Italy.

Nationwide, Team in Training has prepared over 500,000 participants to complete a 100-mile century ride, a marathon, a triathlon or other event and those participants have raised over $1.2 billion for blood cancer research and patient support. This lifesaving research has increased childhood survival rates from Leukemia from 3 percent to over 90 percent today. Survival rates from those diagnosed with Hodgkin?s Lymphoma have doubled, and in the past ten years survival rates for patients diagnosed with myeloma have tripled.

While the summer team is closed, the fall cycle team will be accepting riders for the Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo September 22. This ride offers a 118- and a 72-mile course that takes cyclist through the Vegas Strip and out to the beautiful desert parks at Lake Meade, Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam. The deadline to sign up for the fall team is July 20. Training rides for Viva Bike Vegas are underway.

To learn more about TNT?s cycle teams go to www.teamintraining.org/wa or contact Audra Daniels at 206 957-4590, audra.daniels@lls.org.

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Review: Sandler sires lame kid in 'That's My Boy'

To say Adam Sandler's new movie isn't as bad as his last is like saying your typical dental filling isn't as bad as a root canal. Neither will kill you, and with today's anesthesia, they may not hurt that much. But there's no way you want to be in that reclining chair, with sharp metal objects shoved in your mouth.

So why do we keep renting those comfy, stadium-seating cinema chairs and letting Sandler shovel something else down our throats?

"That's My Boy" is hardly Sandler's worst, and next to last year's abysmal "Jack and Jill," his latest one looks almost inspired. Yet this father-son story is just more of the same gross, lazy comedy that Sandler's been doing for years, the repetitiveness evident in his generally declining box-office receipts.

Sandler's audience is outgrowing his movies, even if he isn't.

The idea behind the movie isn't half bad and provides some parallels to Sandler, a guy who's made a career out of stunted adolescence. In this one, he plays a middle-aged loser who was in his early teens when he knocked up his seventh-grade teacher and has been the world's most infantile dad to his boy ever since.

You know the formula: Sandler's Donny Berger has to grow up in some fashion by the end of "That's My Boy," while his estranged son, Todd (Andy Samberg), must come to appreciate the unique upbringing received at the hands of his dad, even if Donny didn't so much rear him as rear-end him.

Now a neurotic but somehow successful Wall Streeter, Todd is preparing to marry his dream girl (Leighton Meester) when Donny barges back into his life, scheming to fix his own financial problems and reconnect with the son he hasn't seen in more than a decade.

From this premise, we get vomit jokes, strip-club routines, fecal humor, and gags about masturbation, including with pictures of old women. In short, we get Sandler, doing what he always does, with whatever edge he once had continuing to erode as he ages and looks sillier at what he's doing.

With some thought and effort, "That's My Boy" could be fresher, smarter and much, much funnier, while still retaining all the gross-out gags and idiocy that Sandler loves. The 45-year-old Sandler could have grown up a bit along with Donny, a good career direction if he hopes to keep this crap up as he nears AARP eligibility age.

Sandler, also a producer on the movie, as well as director Sean Anders and screenwriter David Caspe stay on the really stupid end of stupid, though.

As Donny, Sandler clunks people on the head with booze bottles, flaunts his outrageous erections in people's faces and shouts "Wazzup?" far too many times. More than once is too many times, given the mumbling voice Sandler adopts for Donny. At one point, he imitates "Fantasy Island" co-star Herve Villechaize shouting "Da plane! Da plane!" It's actually less annoying than Donny's everyday voice.

Bearing some physical resemblance to Sandler, Samberg is well cast as Donny's son, and he plays the straight man well enough for his "Saturday Night Live" predecessor.

Other casting choices range from clever to weird. Susan Sarandon and real-life daughter Eva Amurri Martino make a spitting-image duo as the older and younger versions of Donny's seductress teacher. Genially playing a variation of himself, Vanilla Ice is kind of funny as an old pal of Donny. James Caan must have too much time on his hands, though, popping up for some strained scenes as a boxer-turned priest. And if you bother to cast Tony Orlando in something more than a bit part, why not go the extra mile and work in the singer's old backup group, Dawn?

Sandler could have found a way to weave them into Donny's fan club. Almost everyone he encounters loves Donny, but those are actors getting paid for it. The audience of "That's My Boy" is paying them ? and paying Sandler his millions ? money better spent on whatever dental work you've been putting off.

"That's My Boy," released by Sony's Columbia Pictures, is rated R for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language and some drug use. Running time: 116 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G ? General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG ? Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 ? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R ? Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 ? No one under 17 admitted.

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Retro Game Network | The New Retro Gaming Community - An ...

The X-Hunters are a kick-ass metal band hailing from Southern New Jersey, who specialize in recreating the utterly amazing musical tracks from the Mega Man X series into epic heavy metal tracks. These guys have been around for a few years now, and have really begun to make a name for themselves as they play at venues and conventions all over the East Coast, and then some!

From local video game stores to the bright lights and big stage of MAGFest, the X-Hunters have been rocking out to the delight of not just Mega Man fans, but gamers and non-gamers alike! I recently caught up with bassist Andy DeMarco (pictured above with the Vile helmet), whom I personally go?way back with, and I was fortunate enough to be able chat with him and the other band members about the band, their experiences, and the classic gaming community.

The X-Hunters rock the socks off of MAGFest attendees

RGN: ?In your own words, tell us about the X-Hunters?

?The X-Hunters are a 4 piece metal band who turn SNES Mega Man X Songs into live instrumental music.?

RGN: ?What made you decide to play music from Mega Man X??

?Our mutual love for the Mega Man X series and its aggressive music.?

RGN: ?Tell us about one of your defining moments as a band?

?Playing our first BitGen GamerFest about 4 years ago was the first. We had no idea such an awesome scene really existed and how huge it was. That?s what really started it all for us, and ultimately has led us to be lucky enough to have played two MAGFests and made so many friends across the country.?

RGN: ?Any ridiculous or funny stories to share from your shows/touring??

Avery (Drums): ?Haha, in my year+ as a member of the band there have been plenty of ridiculous occurrences. There was the show where we got told we were too loud at National Mechanics in Olde City, Philadelphia and we had to play a clean, jazzy sounding set. That same night, we also got yelled at for not drinking enough on a free tab. That was funny. However, my first MAGFest was crazy. I?ve always been someone to yell and move pretty spontaneously once I?ve been drinking for several hours. Needless to say my antics gained popularity at MAGFest, particularly me yelling, ?EY!? whenever I liked something and doing Andy?s stupid dance. I?m even on Youtube, ?trolling? the legendary Nobou Uematsu (composer from the Final Fantasy series). Oh, and then there was the taping?I won?t go into detail. I?ll sum that up by saying I was nearly the first person to ever die at MAGFest.

Andy (Bass): ?We?ve definitely had some good times. We?ve had plenty of ridiculous stories, some of which I shouldn?t repeat, haha, but Avery said it best. There was the taping? and I also won?t go into detail.?

RGN: ?As of right now you don?t use lyrics in your music. Have you considered adding lyrics, or do you plan to add lyrics in the future??

?Nah, definitely not. We think the instrumental element is key to our sound. The guitar melodies of the songs act as the focal point of the music.?

RGN: ?Who are you guys? favorite Mavericks??

Avery (Drums): ?As a kid, I always liked Crush Crawfish for some reason. That was awhile ago and I since have changed my mind to Spark Mandrill. We talk about it from time to time and that?s usually the one I?m compared to due to me being somewhat fit. Spark Mandrill?s music is also some of my favorite in the series and arguably one of my favorite songs to play.?

Adam (Guitar): ?Everyone from X2 that isn?t Wire Sponge?

Andy (Bass): ?Armored Armadillo?s stage is pretty sick. Plus, not only is the music a nice jam, but you can get the secret Hadouken in his level and one hit each form of Sigma.?

J-wan (Guitar): ?Boomer Kuwanger cause he?s mad quick and stealthy and his armor is bad ass.?

RGN: ?In your shows you wear the helmets of X, Zero, and Vile. Any plans to add Axl to the mix, or come out in full costume??

Avery (Drums): ?Possibly. I still think that a helmet might be pretty hot onstage, given the physical demands of playing some songs up to 180bpm, with certain parts exceeding 200, under the lights. I wouldn?t rule out the possibility of some Sigma makeup, including the red gem. We?ll see??

RGN: ?Tell us about the fan community and how fans of retro gaming have impacted your success so far?

Avery (Drums): ?The fan community of our particular genre of music is like nothing I ever knew before. I first got a really good glimpse of this at Bit Gen 6 when I saw what kind of show the video game music scene is capable of. The fans are a lot of fun and anyone knowledgeable about retro gaming is cool to me. Not to mention, everyone gets along amongst the fans and we all have at least one thing in common ? a mutual interest in gaming. Overall, fans of retro gaming have opened me up to a whole other world that I had though ceased to exist when newer systems such as, PS3 and XBox360 were released and we can?t thank them enough for welcoming us to the family.?

P.S. ? I never knew nerds partied so hard.

RGN: ?Most of your music comes from the first 3 games in the Mega Man X series. Tell us about your plans, if any, to venture into the 32-bit era of Mega Man X music.?

?We have explored doing some of the later X music, but when it comes down to it, the most iconic and memorable songs for us are from the SNES era. We?re definitely open to branching into those later, and possibly even other games music as well, like we already have done with a taste of Donkey Kong.?

RGN: ?Besides Mega Man X, what are some of you guys? other favorite games??

Andy (Bass): ?Chrono Trigger and Earthbound are definitely up there, which their music alone could sell the game. I?ve always had a special place in my heart for Mega Man 2 and The Legend of Zelda because they were the first two games I ever owned and beat. Ironically enough, the reason I decided I wanted to start playing music at a young age was because I wanted to be able to play songs from Mega Man 2, especially Wood Man?s stage. Since then, I got into the X series, which you actually got me into (Papa), X being my favorite of the three.?

Adam (Guitar): ?Earthbound, Mario RPG, and Zombies Ate my Neighbors.?

Avery (Drums): ?This list could go on FOREVER, as I?m sure most people in the VGM scene could say the same. Some of the games high on the list would have to include any of the Sonic games for Genesis, along with Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 later on. Grandia II for SEGA Dreamcast is one of the greatest RPG?s I?ve ever played. Also included are Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and VII, the original Pokemon Gold/Silver series, Kirby?s Dreamland, and Donkey Kong Country for SNES. I could answer this one for hours.?

J-wan (Guitar): ?Earthbound, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Diablo II?

RGN: ?Last but certainly, not least, what are some of your upcoming shows/events??

?Check us out at TooManyGames this Saturday and make sure you check out BitGen GamerFest 7, June 30 in Baltimore!?

?

I really want to thank everyone from the X-Hunters for taking the time to sit down with us! We will be looking forward to catching up with you guys at both Too Many Games and BitGen!

In the meantime, have a sample of all this awesome music we have been talking about! You can also visit the X-Hunters on their Facebook and Bandcamp.

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