Minnesota-based Partners in Prevention has chosen a Wisconsin city for a new program that is attempting to battle underage drinking by focusing on parents.

"The main focus of the grant project is starting a parent mentoring group in Edgerton that will help parents create positive experiences for children, making them less tempted to drink."

The program centers around the building of "developmental assets" that have been proven to reduce the risk of teen alcohol use. These assets include family support, adult role models, and creative activities. Parents who participate will meet one-on-one with a mentor who will help them to implement these developmental assets. Source: Gazette Xtra (Janesville, WI)

Labels: parental_involvement, underage drinking, role_models

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Sam Landry is a global language teacher at South Range High School in North Lima, Ohio, who spends a large portion of his free time working at the county and state levels to curb teen substance abuse. In October, Landry received the 2008 Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic Community Service Award for his efforts.

"In addition to [being] the Drug-Free Schools coordinator, Landry is also the chair for the Coalition for Capable and Healthy Youth Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Work Group, and the co-founder of the Coalition to Amend Ohio's Social Host Law."

Landry said he was surprised and honored by the award. The Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic treats approximately 1,500 substance addicts every year in the Youngstown, Ohio, area. Source: Salem (OH) News

Labels: recovery, drug_abuse, role_models

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Pre-teens and teens often decorate their rooms with posters and pin-ups of the latest pop and rock stars. The clothing and life styles of these stars are cause to doubt whether they're the best role models for young people, and now there's one more reason - they are more likely to die young.

"A study of more than 1,000 mainly British and North American artists, spanning the era from Elvis Presley to rapper Eminem, found they were two or three times more likely to suffer a premature death than the general population."

Rock stars are at greatest risk of death in the first five years after they become famous, and their mortality rates don't decline to match that of the general population until about 25 years after their initial success.

Labels: death, influences, role_models

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Partnership for a Drug-Free America has teamed up with Major League Baseball to launch a new online resource about performance enhancing drugs. The program, which can be found at www.drugfree.org/playhealthy, focuses on educating teens about the dangers of steroids.

"Many teens use the Internet to search for information about steroids before deciding to use them. In an effort to communicate the dangers of steroids to teens searching online, the Partnership and MLB have launched the site with a keyword engine buy that works to actively interrupt the search and redirect teens..."

The site also provides information for parents, caregivers, and coaches, as well as tools to help guide conversations with teenagers. Source: PR Newswire

Labels: prevention, influences, role_models

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What is the best solution to underage drinking? Some parents choose to address the problem by hosting parties in their homes; believing that - since kids are going to drink anyway - it's better if they're drinking in a safe environment.

"Skeptical this is a widespread problem? A 2006 survey by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at New York's Columbia University found that 28 percent of teen partygoers surveyed said they had attended parties where parents were present and teens drank."

Adults who provide alcohol to underage drinkers can be fined thousands of dollars and even spend time in jail. Studies show that early drinking is strongly linked to alcohol dependence later in life. Teens don't need "cool" parents who will let them drink, but strict, law-abiding parents who will put alcohol use in proper perspective. Source: Hanover (NJ) Eagle

Labels: parental_involvement, tolerance, role_models

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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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At just 18 years old, Christopher Gleason has enough experience with alcohol addiction to speak with authority about the damage it can cause. He has been drinking since he was 12 and is now in a rehabilitation program. He spoke to a group of Connecticut teens, hoping to discourage them from following in his footsteps.

"As part of a panel discussion on the consequences of underage drinking, Gleason talked about how alcohol and drugs have impacted his life. He'd go to parties and black out, remembering only the earlier part of the evenings. He'd get into fights, he said, and other trouble. He's also burned a lot of bridges."

Though four other panelists participated in the discussion, it was Chris' stories that teens connected with the most. Read more at TheDay.com.

Labels: consequences, role_models, effects

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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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In a study of nearly 5,000 teens and their parents, a group of researchers found strong connections between parental and adolescent drinking behaviors. The study collected data on alcohol use for teens at ages 14 and 17½, and similar data from parents.

"The study found that, among parental dimensions examined, monitoring and discipline played the strongest intermediary role in associations between parental and adolescent drinking behaviors. The researchers also found that the magnitude of this role was much stronger during early adolescence, while parental drinking had a stronger effect on teen drinking in later adolescence."

A rather surprising discovery was that increased discipline by parents actually led to increased alcohol consumption among older teens. Read more at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: parents, influences, role_models

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From 1953 to 1959 he was known at Jumpin' Johnny Kline, member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. By the 1960s he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Now, having turned his life around and earned a doctoral degree in History and Philosophy of Education, John Kline is talking about his decline into addiction and his journey back out.

"'Dr. Kline transitioned from dynamic to destitute to doctoral in his lifetime,' said Tremayne Anderson, president of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni..."

Kline will talk about his journey on Thursday, Nov. 15th at an event being held at Vanderbilt University's Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. The event is part of the center's Living History Series, and is free to the public.

Worried your child is headed down a path of teen drug and alcohol addiction? Visit 4troubledteens.com to learn how to recognize the warning signs.

Labels: treatment, recovery, role_models

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In Muscatine, Iowa, the local chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) is asking students to act as positive role models for their peers.

"Swanson said he thinks students who use alcohol or become involved in other harmful activities should feel comfortable asking for help. He's hoping an active S.A.D.D. group would provide encouragement for students who want to leave drugs and alcohol out of the social equation."

By offering social clubs and activities that are substance free, the students of S.A.D.D. can provide healthy alternatives for their fellow students.

Read more online.

Labels: role_models, SADD, healthy_alternatives

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