An underage drinking prevention program was recently run in a rural area of Minnesota, as well as more urban areas of Florida. Though the program was exactly the same, the two areas saw very different results.

"...at the end of the study, year-end surveys showed no difference in alcohol use among the teens [in urban areas] who took part in the project and those who did not... One particular problem surfaced during the community component of the project. The organizers struggled to rally some community members around the cause, often having to explain why they should be concerned about adolescent alcohol use."

One positive find of the urban study was that family interventions had a more significant impact than any other aspect of the program. Researchers also found that young people's ability to buy alcohol was reduced by 64 percent in neighborhoods where community teams asked stores not to sell alcohol to underage kids. Read more at HealthNewsDigest.com.

Underage drinking can lead to a variety of problems, including academic failures and trouble with the law. If your teen is drinking and would benefit from a safe, structured, sober environment, then SunHawk Academy in Utah is a good options. SunHawk offers a private boarding school programs with accredited academics, counseling and therapy, and daily 12-step meetings.

Labels: prevention, interventions, underage_drinking

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Alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and can affect a person's ability to recognize dangerous situations or unhealthy decisions. Studies have shown that 55% of females and 75% of males have been drinking when an alleged date rape occurred.

"A fact that often goes unnoticed is people are more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted by people they know versus the hooded stranger standing in the corner. Date rape may happen to you, your loved ones or friends."

Teens need to be alert to dangerous situations and parents, of course, need to be looking out for their kids. Know the people your child goes out with, and when possible, make sure they're not going out alone. Read more at GuamPDN.com.

Labels: alcohol, risky_behaviors, rape

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The National Institute of Health is funding a $4 million, four-year study of the long-term effects of marijuana. Dr. Barbara Mason, director of Scripp's Laboratory of Clinical Psychopharmacology, will lead the study which involves three other labs.

About one in nine people who try marijuana become dependent, according to research form the University of Michigan. While alcohol clears the human body within hours, marijuana lingers and can be detected up to 30 days after use. Some symptoms of marijuana withdrawal are sleep disturbances, anxiety, and irritability.

The new research will investigate whether marijuana use affects learning, judgment, and self-control. Dr. Mason and others will also study whether marijuana affects young people differently than adults.

"The thing that troubles a lot of us is that marijuana has an appeal to younger people," said Dr. Reese Jones, a professor of psychiatry at the University of San Francisco. "In recent time we have learned that the adolescent brain is so different in many ways than the final adult version. There is a lot of reason to think that all these issues may be a bigger deal for young people."

NorthStar Center is a residential treatment center for young adults in recovery from substance abuse. Learn more about their program that combines therapy with academics at NorthStarCenter.com.

Labels: marijuana, long_term_drug_use, effects

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Warning to emergency room doctors: Cocaine reactions look like heart attacks. If you treat a cocaine patient like a heart attack victim, you could kill him.

The American Medical Association reports that cocaine reactions cause the same symptoms as heart attacks: chest pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations, dizziness, nausea, and heavy sweating. However, if a doctor uses clot-busting drugs or beta-blockers, which are typically used to treat heart attacks, he could cause a lethal reaction in a cocaine user.

"Not knowing what you are dealing with and giving the wrong therapies could mean death rather a benefit," said Dr. James Reiffel, professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Almost 200,000 people, many of them under 25 years old, go to ERs every year because of cocaine reactions. The number of cocaine-related ER visits rose 47 percent between 1995 and 2002.

Labels: cocaine, death, hospitals

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Community leaders, doctors, law enforcement officials, school personnel, and doctors gathered together in Lafayette, Colo., to discuss the current state of underage drinking. The panel was one of hundreds that took place across the country.

"[Leisha Conners-Bauer] said a 2005 survey of Boulder Valley School District students found that while 70 percent to 75 percent of all high school students said they think there is harm involved in drinking alcohol frequently, and as many as 90 percent said they know their parents would disapprove of them drinking, most students still think it's OK to drink in moderation."

Many experts on the panel expressed concern over this viewpoint, citing the likelihood that someone who begins drinking at a young age is at a much higher risk for alcohol dependence than an adult. Read more at DailyCamera.com.

Labels: underage_drinking, risky_behaviors, acceptance

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On April 5, a group of young people will be setting the stage for a "party gone wrong." The simulated teen party will give adults an idea of what can happen when things get out of control.

"Youth leadership teams from Dayton, Silver City, Fernley, Silver Springs and Yerington have created dramatic skits involving worrisome situations for each room in a model home staged to look like a wild, unsupervised youth party. Adults will be led through a 20-minute tour of the staged party with a guide who will explain what they're witnessing."

When the tour is over, parents will have a chance to "debrief" with police officers, young people, and some adults who have recovered from addictions. The hope is that this simulated party will help parents get a better understanding of the things that can go wrong at teen parties, and how those things can be prevented. Read more at News.RGJ.com.

Parents also need to learn what they're liable for if their teen throws a party at their house. Read Hosting Teen Parties: What's Your Liability? to learn more.

Labels: prevention, parental_involvement, parties

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Results of a study released by the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition found that pre-teens are more likely to try inhalants than marijuana. This trend continued into the early teen years.

"In the past year, 3.4 percent of 12-year-olds report using an inhalant, while only 1.1 percent tried marijuana, and 2.7 percent took prescription painkillers. That trend continued with 13-year-olds, with 4.8 percent using inhalants, 4 percent trying marijuana, and 3.9 percent taking prescription painkillers."

Inhalants can cause severe neurological damage and sudden death. Nevertheless, more than 45 percent of 12- and 13-year-olds who tried drugs last year used inhalants. Read more at NLM.NIH.gov.

Labels: death, inhalents, risky_behaviors

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Parents in Chattanooga, Tenn., gathered together on Tuesday night to discuss the issue of teen drug abuse. The forum was called in response to the March 1st death of a 15-year-old who overdosed on prescription medication.

"A group of students volunteered to start a peer council and share the experience of teen angst with their classmates... Parent Alan Broom said the peer council was the most well-received idea at Tuesday's forum, which was attended by dozens of parents but closed to the media."

Parents also discussed the importance of meeting their kids' friends and their friends' families. Read more at TimesFreePress.com.

Pharm parties are ways for teens to experiment with prescription drugs. Learn more about pharm parties and prescription drug abuse at ByParents-forParents.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, prescription_drugs

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Last Wednesday, the Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County hosted a town hall meeting intended to inform parents of the dangers of teen binge drinking. Unfortunately, few parents attended the meeting.

"The incidence of young men getting into a fight due to intoxication is huge, Callahan said. It's equally common for young girls to find themselves in physically vulnerable positions at parties because they're drunk, she added."

Lack of parental involvement and lack of understanding about the dangers of teen drinking lead to increased drinking incidents and also can lead to trouble with the law for both parents and teenagers. Read more at TheUnion.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, binge_drinking

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A 19-year-old writes in to an advice column asking what to do about her boyfriend. He treats her well and is a good guy. He has just one "small flaw": He's a recreational cocaine user.

"...ask - demand - that Derek stop using cocaine. I hope he will, but I fear, despite his assurances to the contrary, that he's already hooked and unable to quit on his own... Insist that he do what's necessary to get off this substance and don't stay with him if he gives you excuses instead of immediate action."

Dr. Wallace also reminds her that cocaine is highly addictive and most who try to quit are unable. Read more at HollandSentinel.com.

Labels: addiction, cocaine, treatment

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The New London Community & Campus Coalition has introduced a plan intended to increase community involvement in preventing underage drinking. The coalition is concerned that parents in this Connecticut town don't take adolescent drinking seriously.

"'They don't look at it as an issue generally. They don't talk about it in the same way they might about sex or other issues,' [Tony] Mollica said. Alarmingly... an overwhelming majority of teens are getting alcohol at home or from a friend - approximately 94 percent."

As part of the coalition's strategic plan, it will host a "community conversation" to encourage parents and teen to talk about the dangers of underage drinking. Read more at TheDay.com.

Labels: prevention, awareness, underage_drinking

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The governor of Pennsylvania says his administration has heard numerous stories of addicts whose treatment has been hindered due to lack of information. The administration contends that insurance companies aren't able to get the information they need in order to approve payment for necessary treatment.

"'We have a system where one (service) provider is not allowed to talk to another,' Health Secretary Dr. Calvin Johnson said. 'The system is not working in the best interest of the client.' The administration's proposed solution, a set of Health Department rule changes undergoing a lengthy review, is to provide a wider range of information to insurers, governments and other entities that pay for health care."

Some critics of the proposed changes, however, worry that increased sharing of information could violate client confidentiality rules and stop some addicts from seeking treatment. Read more at PhillyBurbs.com.

Labels: treatment, addicts, insurance

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TAG, the Teen Advisor Group, is comprised of high school students who travel to elementary schools several times a year to talk about the benefits of clean living, and the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

"Not just anyone can be a member of TAG. Applicants must go through a strict screening process to ensure that those who are promoting a healthy lifestyle are truly living it."

Selected applicants go through a training process in the fall, and then begin traveling to schools. Most visit the same school - usually the same classroom - once a month. This year, TAG members will also give a presentation highlighting steps the community-at-large can take to help protect kids from the drug and alcohol-related danger. Read more at PortClintonNewsHerald.com.

Labels: sobriety, role_models, healthy_alternatives

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Talk about teen substance abuse typically centers on extreme behavior - getting drunk at parties, habitual drug use, and so on. But even occasional use can create a dangerous habit.

"Most teenagers will tell you gulping down an occasional glass of beer along with a cigarette at a bar is fun, not substance abuse. That's where they are wrong. One glass of beer may not be addictive, but can lead to a chain of behavior that can leave you a physical and mental wreck. It can become a habit."

The habit becomes an even greater risk when parents aren't actively involved in their kids' lives. Read more at HindustanTimes.com.

NorthStar Center teaches teens and young adults how to have safe, sober fun. Learn more about their adolescent substance abuse treatment program at www.northstarcenter.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, parties, behaviors

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Lindsey was a 4.0 high school student who was into swimming and was also the MVP of her softball team; until an older boyfriend introduced her to cocaine. Her addiction was immediate and the next year of her life was consumed by the drug.

"According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, by the time a teen reaches age 17, 7 out of 10 will have been offered an illegal drug. Many, like Lindsey, underestimate how quickly they can develop an addiction."

The key to recovery, according to therapist Paul Hokemeyer, is to put the addicted person in a new community; a residential treatment program that can help him or her break the cycle. Read more at WUSA.9.com.

Labels: addiction, athletics, high_school

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