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

Posted By: Staff Writer 0 Comments

Confidential surveys of more than 4,000 Cleveland-area schools have revealed a troubling relationship between excessive text-messaging and a wide range of dangerous teen behaviors.

According to Case Western Reserve University researchers, teens who send more than 120 text messages per day (which just under 20 percent of teens do), are at increased risk for engaging in the following behaviors:

• 40 per cent more likely to have tried cigarettes
• Two times more likely to have tried alcohol
• 43 per cent more likely to be binge drinkers
• 41 per cent more likely to have used illicit drugs
• 55 per cent more likely to have been in a physical fight
• Nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to have had sex
• 90 per cent more likely to report four or more sexual partners

Labels: texting

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 0 Comments

In a commentary that was posted Dec. 31 on Cleveland.com, Strongsville High School senior Divya Raj identified peer pressure as a common cause of teen drinking:

Why is it, that by the end of high school, 75 percent of students have consumed more than a few sips of alcohol, according to Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD)?

And according to the U.S. Department of Justice, people under the age of 21 drink 19.7 percent of the alcohol consumed in the U.S. It cannot be because students don’t know the risks of drinking.

We practically come out of the cradle knowing that drinking equals bad. So why do underage students drink?

The answer might be described as peer pressure, but that might not be 100 percent accurate. If a person refuses to drink, they’re probably not going to be forced to. Instead, their fellow drinkers will just feel that “there’s more for me.”

However, it’s more likely students start to drink because their friends are doing it. They might just not want to feel left out. Or they might feel like they’re missing something by not getting drunk. It’s probably a combination of reasons, but once someone has taken their first drink, chances are it won’t be their last.

Labels: alcohol, peer-pressure

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment

In an article that appeared in the Jan. 2 edition of the Dallas Morning News, writers Diane Jennings, Selwyn Crawford and Darlean Spangenberger revelaed that, contrary to its "tough on crime" reputation, Dallas is relatively lax when it comes to punishing youths who have been arrested for drinking and driving:

A Dallas Morning News analysis of Dallas' municipal court found that about 850 kids under age 17 were ticketed for those offenses between 2004 and 2009. Hundreds more go through justice of the peace and other municipal courts in the county. And some are never ticketed at all.

It is "completely contrary to our 'tough on DWI' " stance, says Clay Abbott, DWI resource prosecutor for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

The philosophy of juvenile justice is to give young offenders a second chance. But some experts say merely giving a young person a ticket with a few hours of community service and six hours of "alcohol awareness" lectures is a missed opportunity to stop the cycle of drinking and driving through treatment.

Some youthful offenders need more than a long lecture, they say. They need a substance abuse evaluation and, if they are deemed to have a problem, intensive treatment.

"We want to forgive and overlook youthful indiscretions," Abbott said. But studies show that young drinkers are more likely to reoffend. "By not punishing the kids earlier, it becomes more serious as an adult problem."

Labels: drinking_driving

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment

According to a Jan. 3 article in the Reno Gazette-Journal, a mother was taken into custody for allowing teenagers to drink and use drugs under her supervision:

Washoe County Sheriff’s deputies were alerted to the party at Romick’s home in the 12500 block of Thomas Creek Road after a teen boy who had previously run away returned home under the influence of alcohol. Deputy Armando Avina said the boy told his mother he had been at Romick’s home with some other boys.

When deputies went to investigate around 4:15 a.m. Saturday, they said they saw teen boys through the front window who were running to the back of the home, Avina said. In plain view, deputies saw a bag of suspected marijuana and drug pipes.

Though allowing teens to use drugs is clearly a parental "no-no," many parents may not be aware that allowing underage individuals to drink alcohol is also illegal. Many states and communities are taking a harder line regarding the prosecution of adults who factilitate or allow teen alcohol abuse.

Labels: alcohol, marijuana, parental_involvement

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment