When 20-year-old Benjamin Britt went out into the woods near Trenton, Maine, he was just joining some friends for a party. But as the group passed around bottles of vodka, an alcohol-induced disagreement broke out, and the group scattered. Britt died of hypothermia, a death that officials attributed to underage drinking.

In a Dec. 19 Bangor Daily News article, writer Abigail Curtis addressed Britt's death in the context of the area's ongoing struggles with underage drinking:

Underage drinking cost Maine $234 million in 2007, according to a research paper distributed by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. The 2008 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey reported that more than a quarter of Maine high school students had used alcohol in the past month and that 12.5 percent had binged in the past two weeks.

Underlying those numbers are countless incidences of fights, car crashes, risky sexual behavior, property crime, poisoning, injury and even fetal alcohol syndrome.

While numbers of sixth- to 12th-grade students who drink seem to be declining, high-risk drinking among 18- to 25-year-olds is now on the agencys radar, said Guy Cousins, director of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. Although it is legal to drink alcohol at age 21, younger legal drinkers are very vulnerable to problematic behaviors such as binge drinking, he said.

"Lowering the drinking age is not the answer," Cousins said. "People talk about there not being as many problems when the drinking age was lower. There were a whole lot more. They just werent reported the same way they are now."

Labels: death, underage drinking, maine

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A nationwide survey of over 46,000 high school students found that fewer adolescents and teenagers are using methamphetamines. The survey also found that most kids arent using any drugs at all, NBC has reported:

Use of methamphetamines is down, along with cocaine, cigarettes and alcohol. Theres no increase in teens using LSD, Ecstasy, heroin or "date rape" drugs like GHB and Rohypnol.

One disturbing trend the survey found was an increased belief among teens that marijuana use is safe. There is a similar belief about prescription drug use as well.

Labels: binge drinking, methamphetamine

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Local and national debates over the medical use of marijuana may be having an unintentional side effect: increased recreational pot use among teenagers. The 35th annual Monitoring the Future has revealed a slight uptick in the number of teens who admitted to trying marijuana.

A Dec. 14 Associated Press article provided the following details about the study's marijuana-related findings:

Marijuana use, while well off peak levels of the late 1990s, has edged up. According to the study of 47,097 students, among 12th-graders, 20.6 percent said they used it within the past month, compared with 19.4 percent in 2008 and 18.3 percent in 2006. Among 10th-graders, pot use in the past month rose to 15.9 percent this year from 13.8 percent in 2008.

In the past year, the share of eighth-graders who smoked pot was 11.8 percent, compared with 10.9 percent in 2008. Tenth-graders' use was 26.7 percent this year and 23.9 percent in 2008. The percentage of 12th-graders was 32.8 percent compared with 32.4 percent in 2008.

"The upward trending of the past two or three years stands in stark contrast to the steady decline that preceded it for nearly a decade," said Lloyd Johnston, who has directed the annual survey since it started in 1975.

Labels: teen_drug_use, marijuana

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A study involving laboratory animals and smoking may explain why adolescents are more prone to substance abuse.

Nicotine raises the level of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical responsible for feelings of pleasure and well-being.

The study found that teenage rats experience increased sensitivity to the rewarding effects of nicotine compared to adults. However, they do not experience the same nicotine withdrawal effects that adults do, because their dopamine producing system is underdeveloped.

"These findings might also be relevant to other addictive abused drugs," said Dr. Neil Grunberg, of the Faculty of 1000 Biology.

The study appears in the journal Synapse.

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Some teens (and some adults) are under the impression that drinking coffee can help them sober up after they have been drinking. But aTemple University study on rats proves that this is not the case:

• Professor Thomas Gould and his colleagues gave mice doses of alcohol and caffeine and then had them navigate a maze.
  
• The mice that got only alcohol failed the maze test, as did the mice who consumed both alcohol and caffeine.
  
• Under the influence of both chemicals, the mice appeared alert, but they were incompetent at avoiding stimuli in mazes.

"The myth about coffee's sobering powers is particularly important to debunk, because the co- use of caffeine and alcohol can actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes," said Dr. Gould.

The study appeared in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

Labels: alcohol, caffeine, sobriety

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During the final two weeks of November, the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems (SIPADP) arranged for plush toys in the shape of a yellow dog to be handed out to postal customers as a way of reaching out to children of alcoholic parents.

According to a Nov. 12 article on the Swiss news site swissinfo.ch, the dog is also the star of a book that was written for the SIPADP to help children under the age of 10:

Boby is a dog whose master, Fred, sometimes forgets to feed and pet him  and he doesn't know why. Boby thinks he must have done something wrong to make Fred behave like this. And he is too ashamed to tell other dogs about the problem.

It's only when his friend Felix talks about the experience of another dog and her mistress, and explains that the bottles in the dustbin show that Fred is ill, that Boby realises not only that it isn't his fault, but also that there is hope for Fred. &

The Boby book ... is designed to raise the awareness of anyone who reads it, so they too can play the role of Felix to a child's Boby.

That's why the new campaign is being launched via post offices: local branches, used by most people, are seen as a good way of raising public awareness as a whole about the issue. It is also hoped that greater public understanding will help parents accept their dependence as an illness that can be treated.

Labels: awareness, parents, switzerland, alcoholism, children

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One of the more significant challenges in the fight to end teen abuse of prescription medications is the fact that so many young people have such easy access to the drugs via their parents' medicine cabinets.

In the effort to reduce this problem, a CVS pharmacy in Montana has announced that it will accept any medications for safe disposal. A Dec. 3 Great Falls Tribune article provided the following details about the drug disposal program:

People can bring their unwanted medications to CVS Pharmacy in the Holiday Village Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The drugs will be disposed of at no cost, and no questions will be asked of anyone bringing in prescription medications.

The goal of the event is to keep prescription drugs out of the hands of people who might abuse them, health department spokeswoman Kate Marone said.

"A lot of it has to do with prescription-drug abuse becoming such a big problem," she said. "This is a safe way to get rid of (prescription drugs)."

As of 2008, 2.9 percent of children and teenagers ages 12 to 17 nationwide reported nonmedical use of prescription medications, according to the health department. Of those, 62 percent of teenagers claim that they are abusing prescription medications from their parents' medicine cabinets.

Labels: prevention, prescription drugs

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In Ohio, deaths from accidental drug overdoses kill more people than car accidents. The victims vary in age, race and socio-economic status. One thing they have in common, the Port Clinton News-Herald has reported, is that their addictions began as abuse of prescription medication.

Many victims didnt start with the needle, but with pills, often prescribed by a doctor for legitimate reasons. They slipped unwittingly into their addiction. Others swiped drugs from a relatives medicine cabinet, not realizing they would become slaves to the powerful narcotics. Once hooked, they learned to game the medical system to get their fix.

Communities are beginning to notice, and take action against, increased abuse of prescription drugs, but lack of funding makes it difficult. Yet, studies have found that every dollar spent on drug abuse prevention saves about $60 that would have to be spent on treatment.

Labels: prescription drugs, drug_abuse, painkillers

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The problem of stimulant abuse among young people is not exclusive to the United States. Officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have warned students against abusing prescription meds during exam time.

"Abdullah Sarouji, executive director of the Society to Combat Smoking and Drug Abuse, said its field studies affirmed that the drug pushers keep on trying to win more addicts by giving samples to students," Arab News reported. "Sarouji warned parents and teachers that if any student shows a tendency to smoke heavily during the examination season he might drift toward drug habits."

According to Abdul Llah Al-Sharif, assistant director of preventative medicine at the Anti-Narcotics Department, many students are under extreme pressure  often from families  to do well on exams. Saudi border guards have foiled several attempts to smuggle stimulant medications across into their country.

Government officials estimate they have prevented more than five million pills from illegally coming into the country in the past year.

Labels: students, saudi arabia, stimulants

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The annual Young Voices for Recovery contest is proof of the adage that "words matter."

As correspondent Jim Ott wrote in the Nov. 29 edition of The Oakland Tribune, the 'Voices" contest gives teenagers who are making their way through substance abuse recovery the opportunity to put their experiences down on paper:

The contest encourages youngsters between the ages of 13 to 19 to write about their experiences in seeking drug and alcohol treatment. Designed to celebrate successes, the essay contest also helps spread the word that substance abuse disorders are not just bad habits, but treatable diseases.

"Our eventual goal is to remove the stigma associated with substance abuse and treat it for what it is  a disease," said Sue Compton, chief executive officer for Axis [Community Health, which sponsors the contest]. ...

Through news releases, fliers distributed to Tri-Valley schools, and reaching out to young people who participated in the agency's drug and alcohol recovery program, Axis encourages teens to write about the impact long-term recovery has had on their lives through either their own experience or that of a person close to them.

First place in the "Voices of Recovery" contest is a $500 prize. Second place is worth $150, and third place will net one writer $50.

For more about Axis Community Health or the "Voices of Recovery" essay contest visit www.axishealth.org or call 925-201-6017.

Labels: recovery, teenagers, contest, writing

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