Teen Drug Help
Delaware Researcher Studies Parental Alcoholism, Child Substance Abuse
The University of Delaware (UD) launched a new website this week for its Adolescent Adjustment Project (AAP), a UD research endeavor that is exploring the links between parental alcoholism and child substance abuse.
The AAP was initiated in the spring of 2006 by Christine Ohannessian, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Ohannessian and her team of researchers are working on a longitudinal study (study conducted over time) that is following a group of adolescents as they grow into young adulthood. According to Ohannessian, the primary question that she and her team are attempting to answer is: "Why do some children of alcoholic parents turn out to be well adjusted, whereas others do not?"
Study participants include approximately 1,100 adolescents and their parents. Families began participating when the youth were in 9th or 10th grade, and researchers have been following the growth of each adolescent for the past four years. The research team has been attempting to determine whether individual characteristics (for example, coping abilities or sense of self-worth) and/or the environment (for example, family relationships, peer relationships and involvement in extracurricular activities) affect the relationship between parental alcohol abuse and adolescent adjustment.
Ohannessian commented on her decision to study adolescents: "The examination of this age group is critical since adolescence is the time when both the initiation of substance use and a dramatic rise in the prevalence of psychological problems occurs."
(Source: www.udel.edu)
Alcohol Abuse Decreases at Sacramento State University
Since 2006, liquor law violations at Sacramento State University have decreased. Violations have also decreased throughout the California State University (CSU) system.
According to the fourth biennial report on CSU's Alcohol Policies and Prevention programs, the overall number of students abusing alcohol has declined since the University first initiated alcohol abuse prevention efforts in 2001.
CSU's alcohol policies and prevention programs require each campus in the CSU system to report the status and progress of alcohol education and prevention efforts every two years. The goal is to decrease and prevent alcohol-related incidents among students, including drunk driving, underage drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related injuries and fatalities.
Cyndra Krogen-Morton, professional staff and health educator of Sacramento State's Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Education Program, commented on the encouraging trend: "I am very excited about it. We have been working hard with the law enforcement and Alcoholic Beverage Control. I'm happy that the chancellor's efforts are paying off."
(Source: media.www.statehornet.com)
Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, college-drinking, substance use, underage-drinking
Prescription Drug Abuse Increases in Mississippi
In 2008, Mississippi recorded only one increase in drug use -- prescription drugs.
Jerri Avery, Director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health's Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Services, commented on the trend and how most teens are gaining access to prescription drugs for recreational use:
"It's not drug dealers who are supplying the drugs -- it's the home medicine cabinets ... Only 4 percent of prescription drugs are sold by drug dealers. ... Teenagers taking their parents,' grandparents' and friends' prescription drugs. Parents and caregivers need to remember they are the first line of defense in addressing this troubling trend."
According to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), symptoms of prescription drug abuse may include constricted pupils, slurred speech, flushed skin, sweating and loss of appetite. Users may also exhibit personality changes, mood swings, irritability, and excessive energy or excessive sleepiness.
(Source: www.hattiesburgamerican.com)
Labels: prescription drugs, prescription-drug-abuse
Florida Teen Charged with Felonies for Pot Brownies
According to the online student newspaper for Florida A&M University, The Famuan Online, a Florida teen was recently charged with nine felony counts of poisoning food and water after he baked marijuana into brownies and fed them to two teachers and seven fellow students without their knowledge.
Every person who ate the brownies experienced adverse effects, and one student was taken to the hospital. The teen did not think that the marijuana's effects would be significant when he served the brownies.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, can cause allergic reactions, including rashes, breathing difficulty, fatigue and unusual mood swings.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, short-term effects associated with marijuana use can include loss of motor coordination, increased heart rate, dry mouth, anxiety, problems with memory and learning, and trouble with thinking and problem solving.
(Source: www.thefamuanonline.com)
Labels: drug-use, marijuana, pot
Teen Attitudes toward Smoking Linked to Risk for Substance Abuse
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College recently published a study exploring the specific ways that parents and peers may influence teens to smoke, drink and use marijuana.
The results of the study indicate that teens' attitudes toward smoking influence their use of multiple drugs (smoking, drinking and marijuana), and that the influence is different between boys and girls. For girls, those with friends who were ambivalent or permissive of smoking were at greatest risk for using multiple substances. For boys, the greatest predictor of use of multiple substances was the extent to which they perceived that smoking was prevalent in their peer group.
Dr. Jennifer A. Epstein, lead author and assistant professor of public health in the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior at Weill Cornell, commented on the study's findings: "If a teenager feels smoking is socially acceptable and widely practiced, they are much more likely not only to smoke, but to also drink and possibly use marijuana ... While the differences between how boys and girls are influenced by these social factors are subtle, they could help us develop new gender-specific educational tactics for preventing these behaviors."
(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)
Labels: marijuana, teen drinking, teen smoking, teen substance abuse
Hearing About Parent Experiences with Drug, Alcohol Use Benefits Teens
Teens may benefit from hearing about their parents' own experiences with alcohol and drugs, according to a recent study.
The study, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the Hazelden Foundation, found that most teens go to their parents first for advice about alcohol and drug use. About two-thirds of teens (63 percent) said that hearing about their parents' experiences with drugs or alcohol made them more responsible about their own substance use. Hearing about how drugs or alcohol negatively impacted a parent's life helps to dispel the idea that drinking or using drugs "doesn't hurt anyone."
About 67 percent of teenagers who participated in the survey reported that their parents had told them about their past experiences with alcohol and drugs, and 95 percent of participants appreciated that openness. About one-third of teens reported that their parents had not shared any information about their own experiences with substance use, and a majority of those teens said that they would like to talk openly with their parents about it.
(Sources: abcnews.go.com, www.startribune.com)
Labels: alcohol, parental drinking, teen drug use
Teens with Psychosocial Disorders Prone to Internet Addiction, Study Says
A study conducted in Taiwan found that teenagers with psychosocial disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), social phobia and depression are at higher risk for Internet addiction.
The study, which appears in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, followed 2,293 seventh graders (who were an average of 12 years old) for two years. At the beginning of the study, the students completed a questionnaire about whether they suffered from any psychosocial disorders and about their Internet usage habits. After two years, approximately 11 percent of students were addicted to using the Internet, and teens with psychosocial disorders were more likely to become addicted.
Michael Gilbert, senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, commented on the findings:
"It makes a great deal of sense to me why children with these kinds of issues would find the Internet utterly compelling ... If you have a child that is hyperactive, the Internet can move at their pace ... If you have a child that is depressed or has social phobia, they can get in touch with other kids dealing with the same kinds of issues.
"They can go into artificial worlds, like 'Second Life,' where they can live out fantasies or take on different personas. For kids who have anger or hostility, the Internet gives them a chance to play out their aggression there."
(Source: www.ajc.com)
Labels: ADHD, depression, Internet addiction
Health Crisis for Staten Island Teens: Substance Abuse Is Rampant
Experts warn that Staten Island teens may be facing a health crisis within the next few years if rates of substance abuse persist.
Recent statistics from the New York City Department of Health show that Staten Island's teen population has the highest rate of smoking, alcohol abuse and drug abuse in the city. According to data from the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, nearly three times as many Staten Islanders ages 13 to 30 sought help last year for prescription drug abuse than four years earlier.
Frances Magno, managing director of a local rehabilitation facility, commented on the care that teens will need if current trends persist: "They are going to need much more sophisticated care ... Kids are kids. They don't believe they have the ability to get illnesses or diseases. Reality doesn't touch them. 'Just say no' doesn't work with these kids."
(Source: www.silive.com)
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen smoking, teen substance abuse
Teen Arrested for Selling Poisonous Plant as a Drug
A North Carolina teen was arrested last week at a high school football game based on accusations that he was selling an exotic and dangerous plant as a recreational drug. The flowering plant, known as Angel's Trumpet, is prevalent in North Carolina.
Parents and authorities were stunned at the development. Prior to this incident, no one in the community had ever heard of ingesting the plant as a way to get high.
The teen, Joshua Jenkins, was charged with selling the drug to at least five students at East Gaston High School. One student who ingested the plant had to be taken to the hospital, but is now okay.
Captain Bill Melton of the Gaston County Police Department commented on the unknown nature of the plant: "I've been in law enforcement 21 years and this is the first time I've seen or heard of it."
(Source: www.wsoctv.com)
Labels: Angel's Trumpet, drug dealing, drug-abuse
Connecticut Boy Suffers Frostbite, Hospitalized after 'Huffing' Propane
Authorities called to the home of a 13-year-old boy in Canton, Conn., originally thought he was experiencing a severe allergic reaction. They soon realized that he was suffering the effects of huffing propane to get high.
Propane, which exits canisters at approximately 40 degrees below zero, is capable of causing severe injuries when huffed or inhaled to produce a chemical high. As a result of the incident, the Canton teen suffered severe frostbite to his hands, eyes, face, throat and lungs. Frostbite is essentially a severe burn caused by cold rather than heat; as the result of frostbite, human tissue dies and begins to rot.
Other dangers from huffing chemicals can include liver and kidney damage, impaired heart and lung functioning, and instant death.
Buddy Sangalli, director of the Connecticut Poison Control Center at the University of Connecticut, advises parents: "The opportunities are plentiful out there, and you need to have an extra degree of suspicion as to what these substances are doing in the possession of children."
(Source: www.courant.com)
Labels: huffing, teen substance abuse
