Attempting to describe the many health and developmental dangers of drinking alcohol to a young person may be an exercise in futility, but a new Canadian study may help to put the risk in terms that are stark enough to capture a teen's attention: Every 15 seconds, someone dies because of alcohol.

This finding was described in a June 27 Examiner.com post by Carl Lowe:

A few sips of wine may be good for your heart, but alcohol-related disease and accidents take a life every 15 seconds according to research from the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Researchers found that disorders linked to drinking wine, beer, whiskey, mixed drinks, etc are among the most disabling diseases in the world. The problems are especially problematic for men although women have been drinking more during the past decade.

Unlike other diseases, the risks linked to drinking frequently kill young people.

No one statistic will be enough to end the scourge of teen alcohol abuse, but information such as the data collected during the Canadian study may help bolster parents' efforts to keep their kids away from alcohol and other drugs.

Labels: alcohol, death, health_problems

Every parent of a teenager is likely aware of the saying that "actions speak louder than words." This is true of issues ranging from the way to you speak to your spouse to your attitude toward alcohol.

As pointed out in a June 26 article by the Maine organization Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, certain attitudes and behaviors of adults that may make alcohol more appealing to a teen.

"These actions are ones that many parents engage in," the organization reported, and while it may not be our intent to encourage underage drinking, some of these actions and behaviors may do just that":

• Making lighthearted or joking comments about other people's heavy drinking.
  
• Wearing T-shirts, baseball caps, etc. that advertise or promote drinking and/or specific brands of alcohol.
  
• Offering alcohol to your teen as a "special treat" for celebrations or family gatherings.
  
• Telling funny or glorified stories about you or your friends' drinking antics when you were younger.
  
• Watching television with your child, and laughing at scenes where alcohol is being abused.

Taken on their own, each of these behaviors may seem harmless to you. But when your children watch you say and do these things, they may get the idea that drinking alcohol is not only acceptable, but even expected.

Make sure that you’re modeling the type of behavior you would want to see in your own kids.

Labels: parental_involvement, teenage_drinking

An alarmingly large number of Maine teenagers using inhalants to get high, an activity that is often referred to as “huffing.” For example, more than 20 percent of eighth graders in a Maine School District have tried huffing at least once.

But in the last few years, parents and school officials have increased their prevention efforts, and a June 24 article in the Republican Journal newspaper indicates that these efforts have garnered national attention:

Of those teens who die each year from inhalants, 40 percent die while trying it for the first time -- a statistic unknown to most teens or parents. Community efforts have brought the proportion of Five Town CSD eighth-graders trying huffing down to 15 percent in 2008, but too many kids are still taking risks.

"Parents usually have no idea that their kids are experimenting with inhalants, nor do they realize their own home is loaded with products that can be abused," said Dalene Dutton, executive director of Five Town Communities That Care. "Parents can quite literally save their children's lives by making a few simple changes in buying habits and becoming aware of the signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse."

Dutton was recently invited to present the work of the Five Town Communities That Care coalition at a National Academy of Sciences event in Washington, D.C. The successful work of the local coalition in using data and research to address youth behavioral problems is gaining the attention of leaders in Washington and prompted the invitation.

Teen inhalant abuse remains a troubling phenomenon throughout the United States, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimating that more than 22.9 million Americans have "huffed" at least once in their lives.

Labels: huffing, inhalants, prevention

A "semi-autobiographical verse novel" novel by the mother of a former teen meth addict, Crank has been portrayed as a harrowing account of the rapidity with which a teen can sink into drug addiction -- and the depths to which that addiction can drag both teens and their families.

A June 22 review by Allison Spooner of examiner.com provided an outline of the novel's plot as well as a bit about author Ellen Hopkins:

Kristina [the novel's main character] is a typical, well behaved teenager; she gets good grades, she stays out of trouble, she loves her family. This all changes when Kristina goes to visit her absent, deadbeat father in an attempt to re-connect to the man she calls the "Prince of Albuquerque."

Her illusion soon crumbles as she discovers the "Prince" is a drug addict and exactly the same deadbeat her mother assumed he was. Soon Kristina is thrust head first into an addiction to "the monster."

The author states at the beginning that these events are loosely based on her experience with her own daughter's addiction, and that nothing in the story is impossible. To those who don't have any experience with addiction, it's scary to learn how fast one substance can take control (meth doing so faster than most).

Teen meth addiction can be a particularly devastating form of drug abuse. Methamphetamine is highly addictive, and can inflict significant damage upon an individual's body and mind in a relatively brief period of time.

Labels: addiction, meth, teen_drug_use

The end of school has arrived for almost all U.S. students, and many are eager to take advantage of the lazy, hazy days of summer.

However, in addition to encouraging sloth-like behavior, summer is also the time of year when less supervision and more free time can prompt some young people to engage in dangerous behaviors such as drinking and the abuse of other drugs.

"There are ways to help prevent the incidences of underage drinking," Dale Cameron-Kody, the community wellness coordinator for Pittsford, N.Y., said in a June 16 article on the Democrat and Chronicle website. "Ask a lot of questions of your child. 'Where are you going? Who are you going with? Are you staying in one place or driving around? Do I have to worry about alcohol and drugs tonight?'"

If your child is going to a party at a friend’s house, call the parents that are hosting the party. Make sure they'll be home and that alcohol is not being served.

Labels: prevention, summer, teenage_drinking

On Wednesday, June 17, the Winnacunnet (N.H.) School Board voted to increase the penalties for students who violate the school's drug policy. Winnacunnet students who are caught using alcohol or another drug three times will be permanently banned from high school sports.

Currently, if a student violates the policy, he or she is suspended for 10 days. [Students] can 'buy back' five of those days by enrolling in an approved substance abuse education program. A second offense during the season means removal from the team for the remainder of the year. (Source: Seacoast Online)

Athletic Director Carol Dozibrin said the change in policy came after the school realized it had the weakest penalties in the district.

Labels: drug use, high school

The rate of teen prescription drug use in South Wood County, Wisconsin, is higher than the national average. DaNita Carlson, health educator for Wood County, wants parents and teens to better understand the dangers of teen prescription drug use, and take steps to prevent abuse.

"Prescription drugs are particularly dangerous when young people indiscriminately mix and share them, or combine them with alcohol or other drugs," Carlson said in an interview with the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune. "Prescription drug misuse in teens is particularly problematic because adolescence is the period of greatest risk not only for drug experimentation but also for developing addiction."

Carlson urged parents to educate themselves not only on what types of drugs kids are abusing, but where (and how) the young people are getting these substances.

Labels: prescription drugs, teen_drug_use