A report published recently by a Florida Youth Coalition found that teenagers dont have to go far to gain access to alcohol and other substances. In fact, they dont have to go anywhere at all -- they can get what they want at home.

An Oct. 2 article by Kenya Woodard of the website News-JournalOnline provided the following details about the findings:

The coalition's 14-page report consolidates information gleaned from about 180 students in Flagler's traditional middle and high schools through focus groups held earlier this year. About 75 percent of the participants were middle-school students.

In two separate sessions, different groups of students from sixth through eighth grades and ninth through 12th grades were asked to discuss topics such as substance use, and family and community issues. Coalition staff members and professionals who work with youths served as group facilitators.

A common theme in nearly all sessions was the students' exposure to alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Some students said they knew people who smoked and sold marijuana, admitted to knowing a family member or other person who uses or sells prescription drugs, and knew of peers who regularly smoked tobacco, according to the report.

Labels: drugs, exposure, access

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

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

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments