brought to you by the us department of health and human services. [music] well my passion is really advocacy around treatment and recovery issues. i've had the, the wonderful career over the past 16, 17 years, of being a direct service provider, being a treatment and recovery advocate, to heading up a large advocacy organization to actually working inside right now. and my primary purpose is to make sure that to make sure that the next person, that person that's still out there using now, when they do have this aha moment, that the system is ready to welcome them and to embrace them and support them as they begin their journey on recovery. what recovery has brought to me is an ability to take it to the next level. and, and be vocal about it, not be ashamed, you know, not hide behind a wall because you're afraid that oh well, god they're going to know but i'm a recovering addict. well i like to say that i'm in long-term recovery as opposed to an addict or an alcoholic because there's more positive sounding because people still run with, well addict, o

department of health and human services. people who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction sometimes say hurtful things. they drive the people who love them most away. if you know someone who suffers from drug or alcohol addiction-listen. try to hear what they are really saying. know that there is hope and help them find their voice again. for drug or alcohol treatment referral for you or someone you know call 1-800-662-help. brought to you by the u.s. department of health and human services. [music] hi, i'm michele monroe with the road to recovery and we're here today in maryland getting some opinions on what people think about different languages used in the substance abuse and mental health arena. if i said that somebody had a drug and alcohol addiction what would you think that that means? i think the person has a... a certainly health issue problem that needs to be, needs to be attended to. i would think of people struggling in difficult circumstances... with certain underlying issues that, that lead them to feel that the

and the news. joining us in our panel today are mark weber, director of communications, substance abuse and mental health services administration, u.s. department of health and human services, rockville, maryland; ron tannenbaum, president and co-founder, intherooms.com, fort lauderdale, florida; dr. w. douglas evans, professor and director, public health communication and marketing program, george washington university, washington, dc; sandra de castro buffington, director, hollywood health & society, usc annenberg norman lear center, beverly hills, california. the media obviously influences how people create their opinions, particularly about addiction and treatment issues in behavior health. and doug, why don't we review what we mean about media today. some time ago, marshall mcluhan said that the medium is the message and that is more true today than ever. media have proliferated and they now permeate our society. we're surrounded by it constantly 24/7 and users increasingly are defining what the media are and what those media mean to the rest of us. and mark, why is it important for the media to really understand addiction, treatment, and behavioral health? i

department of health and human services. people who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction sometimes say hurtful things. they drive the people who love them most away. if you know someone who suffers from drug or alcohol addiction, listen. try to hear what they are really saying. know that there is hope and help them find their voice again. for drug or alcohol treatment referral for you or someone you know, call 1-800-662-help. brought to you by the u.s. department of health and human services. music what i can tell you about the power of recovery is that recovery means being released from those things that have had you bound for such a long time. so recovery means being released. uh, i want to talk to you about the power of recovery also, for me the purpose of recovery. being that i'm in long, person in long-term recovery, over 23 years of recovery, through the lord, jesus christ, and i feel for me it's a release of bondage, it's also a release to give back. to me the power of recovery is all about coming to terms with life.

director, center for substance abuse prevention, substance abuse and mental health services administration, u.s. department of health and human services, rockville, maryland; monique bourgeois, executive director, association of recovery schools, fort washington, pennsylvania; greg williams, co-director, connecticut turning to youth and families, danbury, connecticut; dr. mark godley, director, research and development, chestnut health systems, bloomington, illinois. fran, what is the extent of the problem with youth in america? our most recent survey from samhsa is that around 10 million, a little over 10 million of our young people, are using alcohol and substances. that actually breaks down to 26 percent of them are drinking and another 17 percent of them are binge drinking, which is having more than five drinks in a row at one setting. so it's a concern of ours that our young people are really starting to accelerate drinking and drugging than they have in the past. and mark, it's really...as fran has mentioned, alcohol is really the main problem. what other substances are youth taking today? while most youth who use, do u

a new push announced by the fda and department of health and human services to reduce tobacco use. new stats show tobacco use is responsible for about 443,000 deaths a year. the new warning labels could start appearing in advertisements and on cigarette packages late next year. but will this campaign be enough to bring the numbers down? >> we want to make sure that every person who picks up a pack of cigarettes is going to know exactly what the risk is that they are taking. >> even when they show the commercials and people on their deathbeds losing fingers i find myself even more so wanting to go smoke a cigarette. >> the new prevention plan is part of a law passed in june of last year which gives the fda authority to regulate tobacco including marketing and labeling guidelines, banning certain products and limiting nicotine. >>> coming up ahead. a workout warning. how a little girl almost lost her hand on a popular machine. >>> plus, topper has your forecast. >>> very nice evening. temps starting to fall a little bit. let me show you the almanac. you can always access this at wusa9

he served as assistant secretary at the department of health and human services under bush >>> a former governor of the state of louisiana. >> the reason i ran for governor and the biggest challenge facing our state, bigger than hurricanes issing maying sure the people didn't have to leave home to pursue the dream. we've been sending more people out of this state than moving in the state due to lack of economic opportunities. we turned that around. >> bobby jindal was a boy wonder and young when he burst on the scene. he comes off as competent and effective governor. >> we announced 35,000 new jobs and $5 million in capital investment. i made a commitment we're not raising taxes in the state. >> bret: do you think the formula could translate nationally? >> absolutely. what we've done can work across the country. cut spending and taxes and create predictable for small and big business tose create job, create better opportunity for the people. in washington you have an administration that thinks the answers come from government. >> but critics say for his complaint about president obama p

i'm from the department of health and human services, and i'll tell you about my role at the departmentlth and human services at the end of the panel. i am very pleased to be able to introduce this panel of distinguished leader from our department of health and human services. dr. benjamin. she's had scheduleing conflicts, and she'll open up the remarks, and then she'll move on to the next event for her. she's the 13th surgeon general of the united states and provides the public with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and the health of the nation. dr. benjamin oversees the operational command of uniformed health offerses who serve -- officers who serve in -- ♪ >> she is the former ceo in alabama at the rural health clinic, and the former associate at the university -- [inaudible] she is chair of the medical board of the united states. she was the first position under aid and first african-american woman to be elected to the american medical association, education, and research fop dation. -- foundation. actually that's the medical board of trustees