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School officials in North Carolina are concerned about the excessive caffeine consumption by many students. A recent survey of Charlotte-Mecklenburg students indicated that caffeine-laden energy drinks are extremely popular with teens - a fact that has some local drug abuse prevention officials worried.

To collect baseline data on teen use of energy drinks, Charlotte's Substance Abuse Prevention Services included questions about energy drinks in its annual student survey. According to this year's survey, one-third of participating students reported consuming energy drinks. A recent study published by the Journal of American College Health has also spurred concern over energy drinks; the study linked consumption of energy drinks to troubling behaviors among teens.

Although the U.S. has not issued official recommended caffeine limits for teens, the Canadian government recommends that youth ages 10 to 12 consume no more than 85 milligrams of caffeine per day. Many energy drinks contain about twice the recommended amount of caffeine - as much as 160 milligrams, the equivalent of four cans of Coke. Experts warn that excessive caffeine consumption can cause insomnia, irritability, and headaches.

(Source: www.charlotteobserver.com)

Labels: caffeine, abuse, kids, high school kids

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One in 10 high school seniors has used a narcotic painkiller for non-medical reasons, according to a new study by the Substance Abuse Research Center of the University of Michigan. Researchers collected data on opioid use among 12,441 American high school seniors to find out whether they used opioids and their reasons for using. Approximately 12.3 percent of students reported using opioids for non-medical reasons, and 8 percent reported using them within the last year.

The top reasons reported by students for using opioids recreationally included to relax (56.4 percent), to feel good or get high (53.5 percent), to experiment (52.4 percent), to relieve physical pain (44.8 percent), or to have a good time with friends (29.5 percent). The study also found that students who used opioids only to relieve pain were less likely to drink or use other drugs.

Dr. Adam Bisaga, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and addiction psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, stated that more than 90 percent of participating students reported using opioids for reasons other than to treat pain. "That is, for their psychoactive effects, either to achieve euphoria or to relieve psychological distress. Not surprisingly, those who use opioids for their psychoactive effects were more likely to use other substances with addictive potential and show early signs of substance use disorder."

(Source: usnews.com)

Labels: high school kids, narcotic painkillers

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