Katie is a high school senior who spends part of her school week working at the Teen Health Center, where both staff and volunteers have been hearing more stories about prescription drug use among students.

"The center's coordinator, Mary Tonsmeire, said one of the first things she and other medical professionals did was to gather data to see if the anecdotal information they were hearing was showing a trend."

Tonsmeire then talked to doctors and pharmacists to find out if there were ways to keep track of where teens got prescription medication that didn't belong to them. She and her staff are working closely with high schools to include information about prescription drug use in health classes. Source: Juneau Empire

Labels: abuse, prescription_drugs, health_care

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'Tis the season for prom, graduations, and all the parties that go with them. The Alcohol and Drug Council of North Carolina has released information aimed at helping parents keep their kids safe this prom and graduation season.

"Before the celebrations begin, take a few minutes to talk with your graduate about the dangers of alcohol poisoning. What is it? Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing and the gag reflex, which prevents choking. Someone who drinks a fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop breathing. Even if someone survives an alcohol overdose, he or she can suffer irreversible brain damage."

The council also reminded parents that hosting a party with alcohol for underage teens is illegal and could result in criminal prosecution. Source: Mountain News

Labels: schools, parental_involvement, parties

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A new study of rats indicates that exposure to alcohol in adolescence can predispose them to heavy drinking as adults.

"We know that adolescence is a vulnerable time," said Dr. Nicole Schramm-Sapyta of Duke University Medical Center. "Our key finding is that drinking patterns may be established after only a few exposures to alcohol. Rats that demonstrate a 'taste' for alcohol after only three nights of drinking were very likely to be the biggest drinkers after longer-term exposure."

Dr. Schramm-Sapyta and her colleagues expected to find that "teenaged" rats with elevated anxiety levels or those that enjoyed seeking novelty were more likely to develop a taste for drinking. But this was not the case. She said that early exposure to alcohol was the main factor they found. This study appears in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Teen alcoholism can take its toll on every member of the family. Learn more about teen alcoholism at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: exposure, anxiety, development

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About a fourth of teen delinquents who have prescriptions for asthma inhalers over-use them to get high, according to a study from the University of Michigan. Another 33% abuse inhalers, even though they do not have a prescription for them.

Researchers studied 723 adolescents in residential treatment centers, found that abuse of inhalers was widespread, and linked to increased psychiatric distress. This study appears in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Labels: research, asthma, inhalers

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A 12-year-old girl in New York died of a methadone overdose after taking pills she got from a 15-year-old friend. The friend took the pills from his dad's drawer and he, the girl, and another friend all took some together.

"[Investigator Charles] Lopez said the boy told him he and a male friend each took two pills, and [the girl] downed about four. The boy told Lopez he soon felt sick and went home, leaving [the girl] with his friend..."

The boy is facing several criminal charges. Methadone overdoses have increased dramatically in the United States, a trend that is mostly blamed on the drug's increased use as a painkiller. Source: A.M. New York

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, overdose, criminal_charges

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A note was recently sent home from an Australian school district warning parents that children could be approached and offered crystal methamphetamine that looks and tastes like candy.

"A spokesman for the Department of Education and Training said last night a 'concerned and responsible Rozelle Public parent advised the school they heard a child (not a Rozelle student) was offered chocolate that may have been tainted with drugs.'

"The news has shocked and concerned many parents. Rozelle routinely teaches kids to avoid taking things from people they don't know, and to tell a teacher or parent when something like that happens. Source: The Daily Telegraph

Labels: parental_involvement, warnings, candy

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Law enforcement officials in Placer County, California, have launched a new campaign titled "Parents Who Host Lose the Most" aimed at increasing awareness about the dangers of underage drinking - both for adolescents and the adults who supply the liquor.

"According to a survey conducted by the American Medical Association, 26 percent of parents in the United States with children aged 12 to 26 agree that teens should be able to drink at home with their parents present. A quarter of those parents admitted to allowing their children to drink at home."

Studies have found that the younger a person is when he starts drinking, the more likely he is to develop alcohol dependence later in life. Most states also have laws in place that prosecute adults who provide alcohol to underage kids, including their own. Source: News10 Sacramento

The effects of underage drinking can last long into adulthood. Learn more at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, underage_drinking, role_models

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Alaska is soon to become the second state to implement a statewide drug policy for high school students. It made the move in an effort to curb teen drug and alcohol use, which is among the highest in the nation.

"Students participating in an interscholastic activity who are reported using drugs, alcohol or tobacco will face progressively more severe penalties. A first offense brings a 10-day suspension from all activities. A fourth offense will result in a participation ban for the rest of the student's time at school."

The policy remains in effect even when a student athlete's activity is over for the year. The only exception is for tobacco use. If a student is caught using tobacco while on suspension, the suspension will start over, and will continue being re-started until the entire 10 days have been served. Source: Anchorage Daily News

Labels: athletics, high_school, suspension

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Information gathered from Florida's 24 state medical examiners reveals a disturbing trend - cocaine-related deaths have been steadily rising in the past several years. Law enforcement officials, substance abuse specialists, and others agree that the drug is gaining popularity among a new generation that's unaware of the drug's dangers.

"What's attracting new users? Low prices, for one. Between 2001 and 2006, the price of a gram of cocaine averaged about 30% less than it was in 2000... In the minds of many, powder cocaine simply doesn't carry the same stigma as crack cocaine, and some mistakenly believe it is somehow safer."

Some experts agree that the true impact of cocaine use in this generation may not be fully realized for years. Deaths from overdoses are just one result of cocaine use. Those who use but don't overdose may be faced with serious health problems - like strokes and brain bleeds - when they're in their 40s and 50s. Source: Florida Trend

Labels: cocaine, crack, rise_in_use

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Six fraternities at San Diego State University have been suspended as the result of a massive drug investigation which led to the arrests of 75 SDSU students.

"All of the arrested students have been suspended and will be barred from attending classes or taking final exams until their cases are reviewed, San Diego State President Stephen Weber said in a statement. Those who live in university-owned housing were evicted, he added."

One of the fraternities that was suspended, Theta Chi, is being investigated by its national office, which may hand out additional disciplinary measures for the fraternity, including expulsion of individuals or the entire chapter. Source: CBS News.

Labels: schools, suspension, drug_busts

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Recently, the National Institute on Drug Abuse hosted its first-ever "Drug Facts Chat Day." The institute invited middle- and high-school students from across the country to submit questions about alcohol, drugs, addiction, and related issues. The questions were then answered by some of the nation's top experts in substance abuse.

"[Q} Would a kid get drunk or high faster than an adult? [A] You bet. A drug can have a larger effect on a child for many reasons. One reason is that children's and adult's brains are different."

Other questions included, "What percentage of high school students drink?" and "How do you know if you're an alcoholic?" Source: U.S. News and World Report

Labels: prevention, awareness, anti-drug_programs

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British psychologists have found that teen binge drinking causes losses in short-term memory.

Researchers at the University of Northumbria found that heavy drinking - five or more drinks in one sitting - caused teens to perform poorly on tests of memory. Particularly affected was "prospective memory," which involves remembering to do everyday tasks such as calling a friend. The students in the study were 17 to 19 years old.

Dr. Thomas Heffernan said the harm might become long-lasting or permanent. "They could be storing up problems for their futures," he said.

The study was presented at the conference of the British Psychological Society.

Read more about the long term effects of binge drinking at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: memory, binge_drinking, effects

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The American Heart Association has recommended that young patients who come in with heart attack-like symptoms - but don't have heart disease risk factors - should be screened for cocaine use.

"The drug can cause chest pains, shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations, dizziness, nausea and heavy sweating - all symptoms of a heart attack. 'Not knowing what you are dealing with and giving the wrong therapies could mean death rather than benefit,' said Dr. James Reiffel, professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital."

Although the drug causes heart attack-like symptoms, it rarely causes actual heart attacks. The AHA statement goes on to say that young people with cocaine-associated chest pain should be monitored so they're not given potentially life-threatening medications. Source: San Mateo Daily Journal

Labels: cocaine, hospitals, heart_attack

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If your child has been diagnosed with a medical condition that requires medication, they can carry around their prescriptions. But it's a different situation altogether when a teenager is found in possession of medications not belonging to her, as several Boulder, Colorado students found out last week.

"Three female Nevin Platt Middle School students were arrested on felony charges this week after an investigation into prescription-drug trading that sent a fourth girl home sick... one of the girls brought two types of prescription drugs - Strattera and Concerta, both used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - to the school..."

Prescription drug abuse is becoming increasingly common among teenagers, but few realize the dire consequences associated with using and distributing the drugs. Source: Boulder Daily Camera

Copper Canyon Academy all girls schools have a program to help girls struggling with risky behaviors such as drinking, drugging, and having sex. Learn more about their boarding schools for troubled teen girls at www.coppercanyonacademy.com.

Labels: prescription_drugs, consequences, arrested

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A few years ago, a group of new drugs looked like they held promise for use in the treatment of alcoholism, substance abuse, smoking cessation, and even obesity. Now, doctors are finding that these drugs have serious side effects for some patients.

Drugs like Chantix, Rimonabant, and Taranabant work by blocking the pleasure centers in the brain. However, they also put some patients at risk for depression and suicide. Certain drug makers are now advising doctors not to prescribe them to anyone with a history of depression.

Prescription drugs alone will never be able to treat addiction; behavior modification and therapy must be part of the treatment for long term recovery. Learn more about the fully integrated adolescent drug treatment program at North Star Center.

Labels: treatment, brain_chemistry, prescription_drugs

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