A group of high school students from Lewistown, Pennsylvania have created anti-drug messages that are now appearing nationwide. Nickelodeon, Lifetime and Cartoon Network are just some of the networks that have picked up the ads.

"CNN aired one of the students' PSAs Friday afternoon in the region. In the PSA, two anti-drug messages targeting area youth came across the screen. One message said 'Mifflin County teens have better things to do than drugs.' This message showed area teens involved in extracurricular activities like basketball, band and 4H as opposed to the alternative."

Other ads dispel the myth that "everybody's doing it". A 2005 survey found that 72 percent of teens in the county said they didn't drink or do drugs, but more than 50 percent believed that their peers did. Read more at LewistownSentinel.com.

Labels: anti-drug_programs, media, prevention

It's legal. It causes an experience similar to acid. And it can be purchased online by anyone, of any age. It's called "salvia", and it's a legal drug of which few people are aware.

"[Dave] Baxter has quickly educated himself and what he's learned frightens him, especially when users admit they want someone sober around when they take the drug. 'They talk about the need for a sitter.' A sitter is someone to watch out for and protect salvia users."

People who have experimented with the drug say that, at a certain point, the user is thrown into utter confusion, which is why a "sitter" is needed. Law enforcement officials are stressing the importance of educating parents on the drug's existence and so they're not ignorant of the problem. Read more at Wave3.com.

Learn more from this informative article "Teens Discover Cheap New Hallucinogenic Drug".

Labels: awareness, experimentation, hallucinogenics

Dionne Passacantando was a cheerleader and a gymnast, but her reason for using anabolic steroids had nothing to do with athletics. She just wanted better abs. It's a story that is more common than many realize.

"A recent report by the Oregon Health and Science University using data from the Centers for Disease Control said 5.3 percent of teenage girls admitted using anabolic steroids, mostly for body-enhancing reasons or self-protection, not athletics. According to 2003 CDC data, seventh-grade girls were the fastest-growing group of steroid users, with more than 7 percent using them, the controversial report said."

Though steroids can make you stronger, they also can have devastating psychological effects. Five weeks after Dionne started using, she began feeling suicidal. Steroids also can cause liver tumors, increase blood pressure, and stunt growth. Read more at IHT.com.

Labels: abuse, steriods, supplements

Many parents whose children die from abusing inhalants are shocked. Though it's a form of substance abuse actively practiced by a high percentage of teens (over 50 percent admit having used inhalants by the 12th grade), many parents are unaware of the dangers.

"All of us who have lost a child to this form of substance abuse hope that every parent will learn of and use the tools to warn their children about this deadly high. Children naturally think that 'if it's in the house, it can't be dangerous.' But inhaling can kill..."

Inhalant abuse also can cause organ damage and is highly addictive. Parents who talk to their child about drugs and substance abuse need to include the dangers of inhalants in their conversations. Every child who is not warned is at risk. Read more at WashingtonPost.com.

Labels: drug_abuse, drug_use, involvement

In a study of nearly 5,000 teens and their parents, a group of researchers found strong connections between parental and adolescent drinking behaviors. The study collected data on alcohol use for teens at ages 14 and 17½, and similar data from parents.

"The study found that, among parental dimensions examined, monitoring and discipline played the strongest intermediary role in associations between parental and adolescent drinking behaviors. The researchers also found that the magnitude of this role was much stronger during early adolescence, while parental drinking had a stronger effect on teen drinking in later adolescence."

A rather surprising discovery was that increased discipline by parents actually led to increased alcohol consumption among older teens. Read more at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: influences, parents, role_models

An entire generation of parents and educators has pushed to "open doors" for girls, working to ensure that girls have many of the same opportunities as boys. But the new-found equality extends beyond career and education into some unfortunate territory.

"Teenage girls now equal or outpace teenage boys in alcohol consumption, drug use and smoking, national surveys show. The number of girls entering the juvenile justice system has risen steadily over the past few years."

Girls simultaneously talk about feeling empowered to attend almost any college or pursue any career they wish and also feeling free to explore the "party" scene, which typically includes clubs, alcohol and drugs. Now more than ever, girls need parents who are active in their lives, helping them navigate previously uncharted water. Read more at Charlotte.com.

Copper Canyon Academy is an all girls boarding school for troubled teen girls. Their beautiful campus in Rimrock, Arizona, offers a safe, structured environment for troubled teenage girls.

Labels: binge_drinking, girls, influences

The Drug Prevention Strategy for Canada's Youth got a boost this week by a $10 million investment from the Canadian government. The strategy will be developed and implemented by the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse (CCSA).

"The goal of the CCSA's project is to reduce illicit drug use among Canadian youth between the ages of 10 and 24, including high-risk youth, focusing on risk and protective factors before drug use begins."

National drug prevention program standards will also be developed for use in schools and their surrounding communities. Read more at MediLexicon.com.

NorthStar Center is a American substance abuse recovery center where older teens and young adults can focus on their sobriety while they earn high school and college credits.

Labels: communities, prevention, treatment

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has been awarded a $3.4 million grant to develop drugs that may be effective in helping people overcome cocaine addiction. The four-year grant will help researchers continue their work on this first-of-its-kind addiction treatment.

"Led by the director of UTMB's Center for Addiction Research, Kathryn A. Cunningham, the effort centers on components of the brain's electrochemical signaling system that laboratory research suggests are crucially linked to success or failure in recovering from cocaine addiction."

More specifically, the research focuses on two serotonin receptors – designated 5-HT2C and 5-HT2A – that appear to affect addiction cravings and behavior. The program itself is divided into three parts; clinical research, neurobiology, and drug-design. Read more at MediLexicon.com.

Labels: medications, research, treatment

A team of researchers out of Johns Hopkins University have found that withdrawal symptoms from marijuana are similar to symptoms experienced from nicotine withdrawal. The findings are based on a self-reporting study of 12 heavy users of both marijuana and cigarettes.

"Since the drafting of the SDM-IV in 1994, an increasing number of studies have surfaced suggesting that cannabis has significant withdrawal symptoms. What makes Vandrey's recent study unique is that it is the first study that compares marijuana withdrawal symptoms to withdrawal symptoms that are clinically recognized by the medical community..."

Results of the study also indicate that withdrawal effects need to be considered when clinicians treat heavy marijuana users. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

Worried that your child is experimenting with drugs and alcohol? Visit our page on the Signs of Teen Alcohol or Drug Use to learn more.

Labels: marijuana, pot, withdrawal

Utah substance abuse prevention advocates are asking for $71,000 in 2009 to launch a campaign against alcohol use that would focus on young, pregnant women.

"They are the most at-risk group but they aren't getting the message for some reason, agency staff members told the Legislature's Joint Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommitee…"

A proposed change in the state law (HB38) would allow the start of a public education and outreach program regarding substance and alcohol use that's especially harmful during pregnancy. Read more at DesertNews.com.

Labels: community_programs, pregnancy, prevention

In conjunction with a nationwide survey, Westchester County, New York conducted a survey of its own to try and gauge parental perceptions of teen drug and alcohol use among the County's children. It found that, though parental awareness of substance use was higher than the national average it was still underestimated.

"The good news from this survey is that Westchester parents overwhelmingly disapprove of teen alcohol and tobacco and marijuana use. But the survey shows that they have more permissive attitudes than their national counterparts, especially when it comes to beers and wine coolers and punishing teens when they break rules."

The findings were based on a survey of 414 parents who responded to a survey-by-mail. Responses were then compared to a national sample of 10,450 parents. Read more at Westchester.gov.

Labels: acceptance, awareness, prevention

Increasing numbers of British teenagers are binge drinking and getting into trouble because of it, according to a new study from the British government.

Researchers in the Positive Futures program surveyed 1250 young people ages 10 to 19 years. Over 40% said they started to drink before age 13, and 29% reported that they drink to get drunk. Half had been in fights when drinking, and 24% got in trouble with the police. Half said that their parents did not care.

"We need to tackle a wider drinking culture and together make certain that parents and peer groups are involved," said Clare Checksfield, chief executive of Crime Concern, which manages Positive Futures. "Young people are taking risks with their health and with their futures by getting involved in alcohol-related violence."

Labels: binge_drinking, crisis, cultures

Researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York are determining whether severe blows to the head are at the basis of many problems, including school failure, alcoholism, drug abuse, learning disabilities and even homelessness.

Dr. Wayne Gordon, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, believes that "Unidentified brain injury is an unrecognized major source of social and vocational failures."

Brain injuries are a very common result of automobile crashes, participation in sports, bike accidents, child abuse and falls. The problem is that parents do not associate their child's current problems with an injury that may have occurred several years before.

The Mount Sinai team looked at 400 children enrolled in programs for learning disabilities and found that 50% had suffered head injuries. Five years ago, they studied 845 patients in drug and alcohol centers and found that 54% had suffered hard blows to their heads. They evaluated 100 homeless people and found that of the 70% were in the bottom 10th percentile for memory and language, 82% had suffered head blows, usually from parental abuse.

The Mount Sinai team is also using the results of a study done in 2000, when researchers went door-to-door in Connecticut, interviewing 5000 people. About 7% of them had suffered head injuries involving unconsciousness or a period of confusion. This group had twice the rate of depression and alcohol and drug abuse.

Labels: alcohol_abuse, drug_abuse, injuries

A survey of 4,000 adolescents in Idaho found that 20% believe using methamphetamine can make a person happy and help them to lose weight. Nearly a third said that they had been offered meth, which can be made in home laboratories by using over-the-counter cold medicines.

Meth releases chemicals in the pleasure centers of the brain, causing a user to feel temporarily happy and/or euphoric. Over time, using meth can destroy dopamine receptors, making it impossible to feel pleasure. These receptors can heal, but some research indicates that meth causes permanent damage to cognitive abilities.

Officials from the Idaho Meth Project are using the results of the survey to design an anti-meth program for their state.

SUWS wilderness programs have bee helping troubled teens for over 25 years. Located in Idaho, SUWS can help your troubled teen too.

Labels: drug_use, meth, research