Teen Drug Help
Inhalant Use in Pre-Teens
Inhalant abuse is defined as “the deliberate inhalation or sniffing of common products found in homes and communities with the purpose of ‘getting high.’” Though there are many illegal drugs that are inhaled, the term “inhalant” refers to products that, in and of themselves, are not illegal, but can be used to produce similar effects. Products used as inhalants include spray paint, nail polish remover, rubber cement, hair spray, and paint thinner.
The three most common ways of using inhalants are called sniffing, huffing, and bagging. Sniffing is the most common and easiest method, and refers to inhaling product fumes directly from the product; i.e. a bottle of rubber cement. Huffing is done by soaking a rag or other piece of cloth with a product and holding the rag to the face or stuffing it in the mouth. Substances are bagged when they’re sprayed or placed inside a paper or plastic bag and the fumes are inhaled from the bag.
Regardless of the method, inhalants are dangerous. They can cause blackouts, lung damage, and even seizures if someone has an adverse reaction to the chemical.
Inhalants are especially dangerous for young children, as the products used are often found right in the home. Studies have found that kids as young as 5 have tried inhalants and that 3 percent of kids will have tried it at least once by the time they reach the fourth grade.
Studies have also found that nearly as many eighth-graders use inhalants as use marijuana, yet parents are 50 percent less likely to talk with their kids about the dangers of inhalants.
One of the gravest dangers associated with inhalant abuse is called Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (SSDS). SSDS occurs when an inhalant causes the heart to beat erratically and quickly at the same time that the fumes inhibit the body’s ability to produce enough oxygen. The user suffocates.
There’s no formula for determining when someone might be at risk of Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. It could happen the 50th time inhalants are abused, or it could happen the first time. Even if death doesn’t occur, inhalants can cause brain damage, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. They can also damage the central nervous system.
Kids who abuse inhalants may appear to be disoriented, dizzy, or uncoordinated. They may also have slurred speech, a red or runny nose, unusual breath, or sores around the mouth.
If you suspect your child or another young person is abusing inhalants, get them help. Sit down and have a long talk about the dangers and consequences of their behavior. Make sure he or she takes the conversation seriously. Not only are inhalants used by very young kids, but they often become a gateway to abuse of illicit drugs and/or alcohol.
Labels: parents, teen-inhalant-abuse
The Effects of Alcohol on the Developing Mind
Until recently, it was thought that the worst thing that could happen to young people who drink alcohol is the risk of accidents or injury – and a bad hangover. But new research about the developing mind suggests that there may be more serious issues that result from alcohol use during childhood.
Researchers have found that brain development is not finished within the first few years of life, but continues to undergo refinement in several important regions at least into a person’s early twenties. Introducing alcohol during this developmental stage may cause permanent damage.
Extensive studies comparing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brains of adolescents 14 to 21 years old who had abused alcohol with a similar population of those who did not drink showed significant differences. One of the most startling results was that the drinkers had, on average, a 10 percent smaller hippocampus.
The hippocampus is a part of the brain that helps us not only to file away memories but also to connect these memories to other related memories in order to give them meaning. This kind of unconscious recognition is crucial for reasoning and learning. In fact, studies have shown that alcohol damage to the hippocampus during the adolescent years results in problems with vocabulary and visual-spatial learning. Furthermore, those with this type of damage perform poorly in school, often falling behind and experiencing social problems, depression, and even suicidal thoughts as a result.
Alcohol ingestion during adolescence can also damage the prefrontal area of the brain. This is an area that is often called the “CEO of the brain” because it helps us to sort through conflicting thoughts and make decisions based upon what is socially acceptable or what is the best thing to do in a certain situation. The prefrontal area of the brain plays an important part in the formation of adult personality and behavior.
Many experts believe that those who drink frequently during the period of time that the brain is developing may never catch up with important learning and emotional and social growth that is missed due to alcohol use.
Labels: teen-alcohol-abuse, teen-drinking
Study says young drug abusers may be more prone to seizures
By Hugh C. McBride
Researchers in Chandigarh, India, have discovered an association between epileptic seizures and heavy drug use, particularly among young addicts.
The findings, which were first reported in a July 9, 2008 article on the expressindia website, followed a six-year study of 312 patients in the de-addiction center of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Department of Psychiatry.
According to expressindia reporter Neelam Sharma, PGIMER researchers discovered that 20 percent of the patients they studied had experienced seizures during the time they were addicted. “We have found that 63 patients had seizures,” Additional Professor D Basu, a member of the research team, told Sharma. “Only five patients had any past history of seizures and only three had a family history of the disease.”
The addiction-seizure link was strongest among individuals who had been addicted to the painkillers propoxyphene and dextropropoxyphene.
Propoxyphene is marketed by Eli Lily and Company under the brand name Darvon. Dextropropoxyphene is the primary active ingredient in Darvocet-N and Darvon-N. Several websites list seizures and convulsions among the potential side effects of the drugs, especially if taken in conjunction with carbamazepine, an anti-seizure medication.
The PGIMER researchers found that the likelihood of seizures was greatest among abusers of dextropropoxyphene, with prolonged use of the drug and a history of high doses increasing the risk.
Though the PGIMER study is one of the first to draw such a strong correlation between drug abuse and seizures, experts have previously noted that the risk exists. For example, along with stress, fatigue, and insufficient food intake, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons lists alcohol use and drug abuse as factors that may increase the seizure risk in individuals who are already predisposed to experiencing seizures.
However, as Professor Basu noted in the expressindia article, the vast majority of patients who were evaluated by PGIMER researchers had no history of seizure disorders prior to their abuse of dextropropoxyphene.
Decreed by the Indian Parliament in 1967 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, offers direct care to patients, provides instruction in medical and surgical fields, and undertakes an ongoing program of community-based research.
Labels: teen-drug-abuse
Teens Swapping Prescription Drugs
Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse estimates that illegal use of prescription drugs by teenagers has increased more than 200 percent in that past 15 years.
It’s been in the news often enough to no longer be news – prescription drugs are quickly becoming the adolescent’s drug of choice. For some it’s even become a moneymaker. Leftover medication, or pills “borrowed” from the parents’ medicine cabinet can often be sold for several dollars each, making it a tempting business venture.
Newspapers across the country have, in recent months, featured numerous stories about teenagers who were arrested for selling prescription drugs. These young people now face the possibility not only of expensive monetary fines, but of imprisonment.
Those who don’t sell pills often swap them with friends, trading an opiate like Vicodin for a stimulant like Ritalin. While some do it for the “high,” others use them to increase concentration, to keep them awake so they can cram for a test, or to help them fall asleep.
More and more teenagers are drawn to prescription drugs because of a misconception that they’re safer than illegal drugs. Few teens are aware of the dangers inherent in taking medications that were prescribed for someone else. Because these drugs are regulated, they’re assumed to be less addictive, safer, and more acceptable than street drugs like heroin or cocaine.
One of the most unusual aspects of this new trend is that it isn’t limited to one “clique” or socio-economic class. Previous trends have typically been found in one specific group; cocaine use, for example is most prevalent among upper-middle-class teenagers. But prescription drug use crosses all lines: Athletes, artists, kids in the Honor Roll Society, and kids with failing grades are all using illegal medication. Not only is the wide-ranging appeal disturbing, but it makes prevention difficult because so many types of kids are using for so many different reasons.
Parents with teenagers need to exercise caution with regard to prescription medication. If possible, all medications should be kept in a medicine cabinet or other location that can be locked. If that isn’t possible, parents need to keep careful track of their medications so they’ll know if something begins disappearing too quickly.
If a child has been prescribed medication, like Ritalin for ADHD or a painkiller because of a recent injury or surgery, parents should administer the pills themselves. Don’t just give the bottle of Vicodin to your child and let him keep it with him. Give him what he needs for the day, and no more.
Preventative measures take some extra time and can be inconvenient, but the alternative is that your child runs the risk not only of over-medicating but sharing his medicine with his friends or, worse yet, selling it.
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen-drug-abuse
Arizona County Reports Significant Reduction in Meth Use
Teen use of meth has declined in Navajo County, Arizona, by more than 50 percent over the past two years. This finding came from the recently released 2008 Arizona Youth Survey, conducted by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. Also according to the survey, less than 1 percent of students reported meth use within the 30 days prior to taking the survey.
Lifetime incidence of use (that is, whether a student has ever tried meth) is still high for Navajo County, compared to the statewide average. However, the recent reductions show a positive trend. The numbers of new initiates to meth use are declining, which shows that young people are beginning to understand the dangers of meth use.
Local experts believe that declining imports of meth from Mexico, combined with the efforts of local authorities to seek out and dismantle clandestine labs has made meth much less available to local youth.
While the survey showed significant reductions concerning meth use, it showed a marked increase in the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drugs, particularly among high school seniors. According to local authorities, an influx of heroin and cocaine at cheaper prices across the United States’ southern borders and the rising availability and use of prescription drugs represent significant concerns to rural communities in the Southwest.
(Source: WMICentral.com)
Labels: teen-drug help
Boston Parents Renew Efforts Against Drunk Driving
More than 100 concerned parents congregated this week at a high school in the suburbs of Boston to discuss new measures against teen drunk driving. According to the story published in The Boston Globe, Newton South High School called the meeting in response to three car accidents that occurred in one weekend last month. All three accidents involved students from the school, and all three involved drunken driving. Principal Brian Salzer said to parents:
"I don't want you to feel like you are being lectured. …This [meeting] is to answer the question, 'What are we doing?' What are the school, police and district attorney's office doing to help kids around drinking and driving?' "
At the meeting, parents received information from police officials, former students, school officials, and a prosecutor. Parent reported that this information was helpful.
Area police reportedly asked parents to inform the police of house parties, which they called “a real serious problem and a hard one to manage.” The police said they were more interested in keeping intoxicated party-goers off the road than anything else.
(Sources: Boston.com)
Labels: parents, teen-drinking
Prescription Drug Abuse on the Rise in Central New York
Use of illegal prescription drugs is on the rise among teens in central New York State, according to a story published this week by the Central New York News. State Trooper Jack Keller, who was interviewed for the story, reports that students as young as 12 and 13 are resorting to prescription drugs as an easy and cheap way to get high.
These drugs are cheap because many teens obtain them from their parents’ or relatives’ medicine cabinets. Teens have also been known to knock on a stranger’s door and ask to use the bathroom, and then steal prescriptions and other drugs. Keller also reports a number of cases in which teens tell realtors at open houses that their parents are on their way to look at the house, and ask if they can use the bathroom, just to steal drugs.
According to Keller, Oxycontin (a chemical relative of heroin) and Vicodin, both painkillers, are the most frequently abused drugs in local schools. Keller emphasizes that these are average kids who probably wouldn’t try cocaine or heroin because they think those drugs are too dangerous. What they don’t realize is that prescription drugs can be just as potent and dangerous.
Beth Hughes, a social worker at Liverpool High School's ninth-grade annex, reports a trend of “pill parties” being held in local homes. Teens bring their own supplies of pills and dump the pills into a common container. The teens then grab the pills like jelly beans and ingest them in random combinations and dosages. The possible consequences of this behavior are frightening and severe.
A recent national survey by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America confirms this trend. The 2008 survey found that:
• One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication.
• One in five report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers.
• One in 10 has abused cough medication.
(Source: Syracuse.com)
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen-drug-abuse
Parents Open to Alcohol Screening at Pediatrician’s
According to a recent study by the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) at Children's Hospital Boston, parents are open to being screened for alcohol use during their child's pediatric visit. The study also found that parents are inclined to discuss their drinking habits with a pediatrician.
Over 90% of parents who completed the anonymous survey indicated openness to alcohol screening. Surprisingly, over 75% of those who screened positive for alcohol use also indicated openness to screening during a pediatric visit.
According to research cited in the story, “children of alcoholics are at increased risk for behavioral, cognitive and mental health problems. They are more likely to witness domestic violence, and have a greater chance of becoming victims of all forms of child maltreatment including neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Furthermore, children of alcoholics are 3 to 4 times more likely to have their own alcohol problems later in life.”
Experts at children’s hospital feel that pediatricians could provide a valuable service to families who are struggling with alcohol abuse. “When a potential drinking problem arises, the pediatrician could provide educational materials about alcoholism, and refer the parents for evaluation or treatment.” (Source: Newswise.com)
Labels: parents
Adderall: Prescription Medication Gains Popularity as Illegal Study Aid
A teen in Warren County, New York (near Albany) was arrested this week for selling his prescription medication, Adderall, to another young person. Adderall is a narcotic that is generally prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder. However, it has recently gained popularity among younger people as a study aid. The seller has been incarcerated and charged with a third-degree felony for illegal sale of a controlled substance.
According to a recent study by the University of Wisconsin, as many as one in every five college students are currently using Adderall or similar drugs as study aids. Young people who begin using these medications are typically unaware that these substances are addictive and can have significant negative side effects. Adderall is used to regulate dopamine functioning in individuals who have biological problems with this process. When used by an individual who does not have a dopamine problem, the drug acts as a potent stimulant. Many students ingest the drug in pill form, or by snorting it, to increase their focus and energy before an exam.
Individuals who are prescribed Adderall and take the medication under a doctor’s supervision rarely experience worse side effects than dry mouth, sleep disturbance, or increased heart rate. When the medication is taken without a prescription, without a doctor’s supervision, and in increased dosages, the side effects can become drastically more severe. Side effects under these circumstances may include paranoia, delusions, and stroke, among other serious health risks.
In addition, the act of snorting the drug intensifies the “rush” and may also acclimate young people to a behavior which can easily lead to the snorting other stimulants, such as cocaine.
Officials at Georgetown University believe that Adderall use and abuse is becoming a significant problem with their students and with students around the country. (Sources: CBS6.albany.com, media.www.thegeorgetownindependent.com)
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen-drug-abuse
Many Parents Feel Helpless to Prevent Teen Drug Use
According to a study recently released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 51% of parents with kids in the 6th to 8th grades say they lack the tools and information to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey (PATS) found that parents of middle school students were the most likely (46%) to encounter reluctance from their children to discuss drug and alcohol use, and more than one-third (37%) reported feeling helpless over their children’s decisions to use drugs or alcohol. Only 1 in 4 parents reported feeling extremely prepared to handle the discussion of drug and alcohol dangers.
The good news for parents is that these perceptions may be unnecessarily pessimistic. The Partnership’s research continues to show that children who learn more at home about the dangers of drugs and alcohol are less likely to use. (Source: DrugFree.org)
Labels: parents
Heroin Use on the Rise Among Teens in Southern California
According to a story from the Crescenta Valley Sun (a Southern California local newspaper), local law enforcement authorities are seeing a rise in heroin use and talk about heroin among area teens. According to the story, law enforcement officials often hear rumors about problems or events among teenagers before word reaches the general public. Recently, they have been hearing a lot about heroin.
According to talk among teens, heroin is no longer injected with syringes but heated up to be smoked or inhaled. A popular misconception among teens is that smoked heroin is not as addictive as injected heroin. When law enforcement officials recently gave a presentation at a local high school, many teens expressed surprise that smoked heroin is just as addictive. Deputy Scott Shinagawa, interviewed for the story, said, “Heroin seems to be the [young drug users’] new drug of choice.”
In addition, law enforcement officers feel that parents are often unprepared to recognize or deal with drug pushers. According to officers, pushers don’t always come from outside the community. Many of them appear to be regular neighborhood kids or upstanding adults in the community. In addition, pushers who do come from outside the area are likely to be involved with gangs; these individuals are involved in violent lifestyles and represent a heightened threat to teens who become involved with them. (Source: CrescentaValleyOnline.com)
Labels: teen-drug-abuse, teen-substance-abuse
Teen Drug Use = Are Parents to Blame?
The availability of prescription drugs and marijuana has increased dramatically, and parental attitudes play a pivotal role in keeping teens away from substance abuse. Some conclusions about teen drug use were announced in an August 2008 press release from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
CASA recently published the results of its eighth annual National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse. According to the study, more teens are now saying that prescription drugs are easier to obtain than beer. Disturbingly, one-third (34%) of teens reported getting prescription drugs from “home, parents, or the medicine cabinet.” Other sources included friends or classmates (31%), other (16%), and from a drug dealer (9%).
In addition, the survey points to parental attitudes as a strong predictor of teen involvement with substance abuse. According to the survey, “…problem parents — those who fail to monitor their children’s school night activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of drugs in their children’s schools, and set good examples — increase the risk that their 12- to 17-year-old children will smoke, drink, and use illegal and prescription drugs.”
Experts at the center recommend that parents increase supervision of teens at night, and closely monitor prescription substances kept in the home. The survey found a correlation between adolescents who were allowed to stay out later on school nights and higher rates of drug and alcohol use. (Source: casacolumbia.org)
Ecstasy Popular among Teens Despite Dangerous Side Effects
This week a teenager the Sacramento area wrote to the local Sacramento Bee looking for information about ecstasy. According to this teenager, whose identity is limited to the pseudonym “Seeking Some Answers,” ecstasy or “E” is everywhere—at every party, kick-back, and other kind of social gathering. The teen relates that peers enthusiastically endorse the drug’s effects, saying it gives the user “tons of energy and incredible sensations.” Seeking Some Answers wants to know why the drug is so popular and what the risks are in using it.
Ecstasy first came to the attention of American mainstream culture in the 1990s. At first, experts weren’t sure how dangerous the drug might be, but study soon revealed far more danger than initially suspected. Though the drug’s notoriety seems to have waned in the popular media, based on the note from Seeking Some Answers, the drug appears to still be popular among young people.
The Sacramento Bee’s advice columnist, “Kelley,” responded to Seeking Some Answers with some of the well-known side-effects of the drug, including, “increased heart rate and blood pressure, muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movements, faintness and chills or excessive sweating…elevated body temperature, dehydration, seizures and possible cardiovascular and renal failure leading to coma and death.”
In addition to these symptoms, “users can get too hot and dehydrated, causing them to pass out. This can lead to seizures and death…some people, unaware of overheating, over-compensate by drinking too much water. No matter how much they drink, it's not enough. The water dilutes their blood and swells their brain, causing death.”
“Kelley” also related side effects of ecstasy that are less well-known, saying: “The drug also has potentially dangerous long-term psychotic effects. Research has shown it may cause confusion and memory loss, depression, anxiety, paranoia, mania, sleeplessness and psychotic episodes. This can occur weeks and even months after the drug has been used.” (Source: Sacbee.com)
Preventing Drug and Alcohol Abuse Is about Communities
This week, the Outlook (the local newspaper of Gresham, Oregon) published a story featuring a 17 year-old girl who almost died as a result of dangerous drinking. Kari Quinn, a recovering alcoholic, relapsed and spent a day drinking by the river with a 21 year-old man. At the end of the day, Kari knew she didn’t feel quite right, but her friend refused to take her home. Instead, he locked her in his car with the windows rolled up on a hot day. So drunk that she couldn’t get out of the car, Kari would have died unless she had been discovered. Paramedics on the scene said she was extremely lucky to be alive. In addition to the heat of the car, her blood alcohol level as 0.40 percent—five times the legal limit for adults age 21 and older.
Since this incident, Kari has been receiving treatment for her alcoholism from the Multnomah county Youth Addictions Team at LifeWorks Northwest Mental Health & Addition Services. The agency collaborates with East County schools to provide drug and alcohol treatment to teens.
The supervisor of this agency, Phil Muir, is featured in a film by the Greater Gresham Area Prevention Partnership. The film, “Community of Choice,” is set to premier on November 1st. The Partnership’s director, Cathy Sherick, summed up the film’s message, saying, “Drug and alcohol prevention is not about drugs and alcohol…it is about people and the communities they live in.” The film’s goal is to educate people that drugs and drug problems really do exist in the community, and to encourage everyone to get involved.
Mr. Muir, a recovering heroin addict who has been sober for over 23 years, works to reach kids with his voice of experience, and it’s not an easy job. Not only to teenagers tend to think they are invincible and live in the moment, but, Muir says, addiction is “the type of disease that makes you believe you don’t have a disease.”
Kari Quinn, a client of Mr. Muir’s program, didn’t fully commit to treatment until she almost died. Muir continues to help kids like Kari because he feels it is a privilege to do so. “They’re our future…If they get the chance, they’ll perform. It’s seeing that they get that chance. … This is a community, this is an environment that we all live in. We have an obligation to protect our children, and if that means dealing with a part of life that we’d rather not admit exists, so be it.” (Source: TheOutlookOnline.com)
San Diego Doctor Gives Tips to Parents
San Diego doctor Keith Kanner, who hosts a location television show called Your Family Matters, made some important recommendations for parents this week. Dr. Kanner gives parents tips for talking to their “tweens” (kids who are in between childhood and adolescence) and teens about drugs.
Dr. Kanner’s suggests thinking about the developmental stages of children in order to connect the discussion with things that are important and real to them. For instance, younger children—between the ages of 5 and 10—probably will not be able to relate to a discussion of life decisions or abstract long-term consequences, but they will be able to understand when a parent tells them that drugs can hurt their bodies or make them sick. Parents can also include in the discussion examples of activities that are good for their bodies, things that will keep them healthy and make them feel good about themselves.
Once children enter pre-adolescence and adolescence, says Dr. Kanner, they are better able to relate to abstract ideas. At this age, parents can introduce discussion of about the long-term negative effects of substance use. This may include academic performance, athletic ability, personal safety, risky situations, sexual activity, relationships, and interactions with law enforcement. These discussions should not focus on scaring kids away from drugs, but on helping them realistically connect substance abuse to the bad things that can—and often do—happen when people get involved in using substances.
In addition to discussion, Dr. Kanner also advises parents to be “brave” and “on-call.” Discussing drug use and the possible consequences can mean talking about some personal and sensitive topics. Parents need to be brave and open in order for the discussion to be effective. Children are more likely to ask questions and trust the answers they receive when their parent appears to be calm, open, honest, and steadfast, instead of nervous, evasive, rushed, or overbearing.
Parents also need to be “on-call,” meaning that they need to be constantly on the lookout for the symptoms of drug use. These often include sudden changes in academic performance, personality, sleeping or eating patterns, and changes in friends. Parent who are responsive to sudden changes in their children are more likely to discover drug use early, and help their children avoid more serious consequences. (Source: Community.Sandiego6.com)
