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

In their regular column in the New York Daily News, Dr. David More and novelist Bill Manville discussed the danger, and destructive nature, of ambiguity as it relates to addiction and recovery.

"...the problem begins with society's destructive Ambiguity - capital A intended - about drug and alcohol abuse... Ambiguity means a lack of social standards that act as community pressure against substance abuse."

This Ambiguity is a silent approval - and sometimes admiration - of the ones who get drunk or high, More and Manville wrote. It encourages their behavior.

In contrast, environments that emphasize pressure to stay or get clean and sober are environments with the fewest substance abuse problems. Source: New York Daily News

Labels: recovery, rehab, sobriety

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: healthy_alternatives, role_models, sobriety

Beginning in January of next year, the city of Waltham, Massachusetts will have a new outpatient substance abuse program. Started by the nonprofit organization Rediscovery, Inc, the program will seek to meet the needs of adolescents who have substance abuse issues and need help abstaining from their destructive behavior.

"Initially, the program will only be offered to a handful of teens. Yet, Ferrier said there is a chance of expanding the program. The patients will be given a specific substance abuse treatment to follow, she said."

The program will be run by a licensed clinician, and will treat substance abuse and trauma simultaneously through both outpatient and therapy services. Rediscovery, Inc. was started in 2001 as a nonprofit organization whose focus is helping foster care children transition into adulthood.

Labels: risky_behaviors, sobriety, treatment