Besides the drunk driving dangers there are many other dangers associated with drinking. Your inhibitions are lowered. After many drinks you suddenly have the courage to ask the cute football player out or to tell the class bully what you really think of him. Teens may do something under the influence of alcohol that they wouldn’t have dreamed of doing while sober. They may experiment with sex or drugs. They may puff away on a cigarette. They may leave the party with somebody they wouldn’t think of trusting normally. They may pass out. They may end up with alcohol poisoning. While it’s fantastic that teens aren’t getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking, they also need to understand the other risks involved with alcohol.

Lynda Steverman, whose son disappeared after a keg party and was later found dead in a swamp, created “Choices,” a documentary warn teenagers of the potentially life changing effect of alcohol. She says, “This is about accepting responsibility for your actions and watching out for your friends and yourself.”

Some parents are resorting to more than just more education. They are forcing their kids to take a breathalyzer test when they come home from school events or friends houses.

My husband and I have some friends who regularly give their son a drug test. You can now purchase simple drug tests at convenience stores or local grocery stores. And they are fairly inexpensive. You can stop at Wal-Mart to pick up toothbrushes, socks, and a drug test.

However, I wouldn’t suggest regularly subjecting your teen to a breathalyzer or drug test unless you have reason to. Our friends test their son because he has a problem with drugs and has been in rehab several times. The woman in the article tested her daughter because she had a strong suspicion her daughter was lying to her about her drinking.

There is a fine line between trusting your teens to make their own decisions (and mistakes) and protecting them. Be on the lookout for signs that your teen may be using drugs and alcohol. If you suspect a problem you may need to resort to testing to help them control the problem before it gets out of hand.

Post from: Blisstree

Drug Testing Teens

College students are using Adderall (or it’s cousin Ritalin) to help them study. Adderall and Ritalin are commonly prescribed to kids with Attention-deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD). It helps a person stay on task, boosts concentratioin, and helps him/her stay focused. All things college students are looking for when studying for a big test.

One girl said “Addy” (as college students often refer to it as) helped her feel motivated and not restless. She felt like she could focus on her homework without longing to watch television or get distracted by the radio. She went on to say with “Addy” she doesn’t feel jittery or anxious like she does with a big cup of coffee.

College students say they can get the drug just about anywhere; the library, the cafeteria, the dorms. Students who have a legitimate prescription sell their stash rather than taking the pills themselves. A student can get one pill for around $5 except during exam time when the price hikes up to around $25 a pill due to supply and demand. So it’s easy to get, it’s fairly cheap, and it gives kids the results they are looking for.

But it is still a drug and, as with any drug, there are some pretty serious side effects. It can cause “severe sleep deprivation, rare heart problems…and it can be addicting.” My son doesn’t take Adderall, but he does take medication for ADHD and there are many other side effects that weren’t mentioned in this piece, including:

• loss of appetite,
• dry mouth,
• headaches,
• stomach pain,
• nausea,
• weight loss,
• diarrhea,
• confusion,
• chest tightness,
• heart Palpitations,
• depression,
• aggressive behavior, and
• suicidal thoughts.

Plus it can be a precursor to abusing other prescription drugs. Or even illegal drugs. With habit forming drugs like Adderall kids feel like they need their fix.

Another student said using Adderall is kind of like cheating, “It takes away your own coping skills and your own ability to evolve your own study skills and work ethic. So it’s kind of an easy way out.” Teens need to learn good study habits and not rely on a drug to help them get good grades.

Post from: Blisstree

College Students Abusing “Smart Drugs”

Technically states have the right to decide their own drinking age, but in 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act forced states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose federal highway funding. Of course, the states quickly changed their drinking age to 21 in order to keep their funding. Teens can smoke, vote and serve in the armed forces at 18, but they can’t legally drink alcohol until they reach 21. High school sweethearts who get married shortly after high school can’t even have a celebratory champagne toast at their wedding. They are legally adults, but they can’t make their own decision about having a beer with dinner.

However, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and many substance abuse counselors are against lowering the drinking age. According to MADD, the nationwide “proportion of drivers 16-20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes, and were intoxicated, dropped 33 percent” from 1988 to 1998 because of the increased drinking age. Additionally, a substance abuse counselor interviewed on my local channel stated a child’s brain is not fully developed at 18. She believes college presidents should encourage education on alcohol rather than trying to change legislation.

What do you think? Should the U.S. drinking age be lowered?

Post from: Blisstree

Debating the Legal Drinking Age

I immediately thought about my teens’ friends and their parents. We’ve already had some run-ins with some parents I’m less than thrilled with. There was the parent who left my not-quite-fifteen-year-old home alone all night long while she went over to her ex-husband’s house for a booty call. And we also had the weirdo mom who called my son at 2am to tell him not to call her daughter after 9pm.

Some parents just don’t have the same house rules that we have in our home. Some parents don’t have the same morals that we try to instill in our kids. We worry about other teens pressuring our kids to do things we disagree with, but we also need to worry about some of their parents. It can be confusing to a teen when another adult is encouraging behaviors they know are wrong. Often that turns in to “your mom is so cool” and “my mom is such a prude.” When in reality the “cool” mom is reckless.

I tend to be the mom who calls to make sure a parent will be at the party. I like to meet the parents of my kid’s friends. I’ve even been known to look some parents up on the court website to see if they have any outstanding warrants or assault charges. Overprotective? Maybe. But now that I know 40% of teens are getting alcohol from somebody else’s parents I would rather be overprotective than uninformed.

Post from: Blisstree

Overprotective?

And it’s legal.

Yep, you heard me. Teens can legally buy this drug in most states and many countries. A drug that causes kids to blackout, lose their balance, get in to accidents and distort their vision can legally be bought by anyone. They can purchase it on the internet. There are tons of videos on YouTube of kids on a Salvia trip and it’s not pretty.

So be on the lookout for this herb and any changes in your kids behavior. And make sure your teens understand that just because something isn’t illegal (yet) doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.

Post from: Blisstree

Teens Getting High On Salvia

Last week I read an article in the NY Times about young adults drinking 21 drinks for their 21st birthday. 21 DRINKS?!? WOW! That’s a lot. I’m pretty sure I never came close to 21 drinks on my 21st birthday and I was clearly way too drunk. These young people obviously have no clue how dangerous this binge drinking is.

Although the article is great and a real eye-opener about this new issue, what I really liked was one of the comments. This commenter had suggestions for celebrating the big day without killing brain cells.

Maybe you can convince your friends to pool their money and buy a few great bottles of champagne and caviar and share a single quality toast with your friends. Or try some other indulgence or feat — a 21 minute massage, make all your friends do 21 pushups, take one bite out of 21 different pieces of chocolate, eat 21 pieces of sushi or taste 21 desserts, kiss 21 cute boys, do 21 good deeds and take a Polaroid to capture each one…– there are so many fun ideas to mark that day that don’t involve excessive alcohol and the great thing is you will remember every minute of your 21st birthday.

I love these ideas and have even thought of a few more.

• Give the birthday boy or girl 21 small gifts
• Try to stuff 21 big marshmallows in your mouth
• Try to squeeze 21 people in to your [parked] car
• Tell 21 people it’s your 21st birthday
• Have a scavenger hunt all over town to find 21 items
• Make a scrapbook with 21 big memories
• List 21 things you love about your child or friend
• Visit 21 places you loved as a child (a special park, favorite museum, old restraurant, etc)
• Write 21 letters to 21 people who have influenced your life

What ideas do you have?

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrating the 21st Birthday

This is becoming a new trend with young people. We’ve beat in the “Just Say No” message so overall drug use is down, but more kids are now seeking other ways to get high. According to ABC news the Office of National Drug Control Policy claims that each day 2,500 kids age 12-17 try prescription pain killers for the first time in hopes of getting high. Teens think it’s safer to get high off prescription drugs because they are prescribed by doctors rather than some drug dealer.

Teens can get prescription drugs several ways. They can raid the medicine cabinet at home, get them from their friends, steal them from their grandparents or even order them online without a prescription. Some teens get their fix at “pharm parties.” At these parties teens bring whatever pills they can find and drop them in a bowl which they then pass around like trail mix. In that case they don’t know what they are taking or even what medicines they are mixing together in their systems.

Another trend is abusing over-the-counter drugs like cough syrup and cold medicine. Some teens participate in “Robostripping” where they spin a bottle of Robitussin cough syrup on the end of a string to separate the drugs to the top of the bottle. This gets a kid high and hallucinating. Others are using Sudafed to make meth. In my state you are required to show ID and go in to an electronic log when you purchase OTC drugs like Sudafed, but not all states monitor these purchases.

So what can we do to prevent our kids from abusing prescription and OTC drugs? Plenty.

• Set a good example. Carefully follow instructions on your medications.
• Talk to your teens about being responsible with medicines. Tell them it’s not safe to take drugs that are not prescribed to them. The anit-drug also has some great tips for talking to your teen about drugs.
• Be mindful of your dosage. Watch for any missing pills.
• Set limits and rules about websites visited and check website histories. There are many websites that tell a kid exactly what pills to use to get high. Not to mention the websites that sell prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
• Watch to see if your kids go to the grocery store often before going out with friends.
• If you think your teens are abusing drugs, lock your drugs in a safe cabinet and hide the key.
• Check your teens room for empty medicine bottles.
• If your teen takes prescription medicine, such as Adderall for ADHD, check their dosage and make sure they aren’t out of meds before they are supposed to be.
• Be weary of empty packages in their room that may be prescription drugs sent via postal mail.

What signs should you look for to tell if your teen is high?

• constricted pupils
• mood swings
• personality changes
• clumsiness
• drowsiness
• secretiveness
• withdrawal from friends and family
• trouble in school
• anxiety
• flushed skin
• excessive energy
• lack of sleep
• irritability
• loss of appetite

Even if your teen is a good kid and you think he/she would never do drugs, you still need to keep your eyes open. Even straight ‘A’ students and athletes are using. One mom found out the hard way when her smart and athletic son, Ryan, died of a drug overdose. It’s such a tragic story. It just proves it can happen in any family.

Post from: Blisstree

Getting High on Prescription Drugs

Now there is another new energy drink that is really pushing the First Amendment right to free speech. It’s called Blow Energy Drink. You can order this “drink” online. It will be shipped to you in a styrofoam cube that resembles a brick of cocaine. It contains the “blow” in a vial like you would expect to receive cocaine from a drug dealer. It also contains a mirror and a credit card. The consumer can pour this powder in to any drink they want to get a burst of energy (i.e. as much caffeine as three cups of coffee). Depending on which package you choose, it also comes with stickers and tattoos or a t-shirt. Their website blares rock music and has photos of scantly clad women. Plus they also have a Myspace page.

The company says their target audience is not teenagers, but rather young adults in their twenties. And those in their twenties may be swayed by the “rockstar” lifestyle this product portrays, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know this will also appeal to rebellious teenagers who also want to live that “glamorous” lifestyle. And stickers and tattoos? That’s teen all the way.

I don’t need a product that makes illegal activities look cool. I don’t need my teens pretending to make lines of cocaine on a mirror with a credit card. I don’t need my teens drinking 240mg of caffeine. Hopefully my teens don’t discover this energy drink any time soon.

Post from: Blisstree

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Drinking?

I know a couple who allows their sixteen-year-old to drink with them. Apparently it is legal for a minor to drink in a bar in Wisconsin as long as their parent is with them. This couple took their son to a bar and watched while their son drank until he was drunk. To them this was a right of passage. An opportunity for their teen to realize his limits and what it felt like to be hungover the next day. I felt sick to my stomach when I heard them tell this story.

I’ve heard all the excuses. Kids will do it anyway. Parents want to teach their children to drink in moderation. Parents want them to know how it feels so they will never do it again. But I still think allowing your underage child to drink is a weird way to teach your child to be responsible with alcohol.

I have several problems with this let them drink to discourage drinking school of thought:

It’s illegal to drink when you’re under 21
In all fifty states in the US, it is illegal for anybody under the age of 21 to consume alcohol. I realize there are some exceptions, such as the law in Wisconsin and the fact that most states allow a teenager to drink in their own home with parental supervision, but ultimately the state believes a person should be 21 to drink. And I want my children to respect the law. I don’t want to teach them it’s ok to ignore one law, but obey others. It wouldn’t send a very good message if I allowed my child to drink before his 21st birthday. Even with the threat of breaking the law, there is still a chance my kids will ignore my rules when they are under pressure from their friends. I understand that, but I don’t think that should deter me from making my wishes clear to my child. I want to make sure they have my voice in their ear when they are in the process of making that decision. I want them to know I do not condone that behavior. I want to make it clear that they should wait until they are 21 to drink.

A teenager’s brain is still developing¹
The age of 21 wasn’t chosen arbitrarily. Studies have shown that a person’s brain is not fully developed until they are in their twenties. This means that a teenager may not completely understand the consequences of their actions and may often act impulsively. Teens are more likely to engage in “bad” behavior when they are drinking; including driving drunk, getting in to fights, taking drugs, or having sex. It also means that alcohol effects a teen’s brain differently than it would an adult’s brain. Adolescents can experience difficulty with learning and memory. Also, a teen’s repeated exposure to alcohol can cause permanent damage to the brain.

We can teach moderation without allowing them to drink
I agree, it is important to teach teens that drinking should be done in moderation. But we can teach by example rather than experimenting. My husband does not drink at all. I will drink a glass or two of wine with dinner when we go out to a restaurant. They see me drinking, but they also see me stop and switch to water. And they never see me drive after I’ve had even one drink. By viewing our actions, they are learning what they should do as an adult. Even though it seems like our teenagers are pushing us away, parents are still the number one influence on a child’s life. Be a good influence.

I don’t believe I have to allow my children to drink to teach them not to drink. That seems like a bit of a mixed message to me. That’s a bit like teaching your child about safe sex by allowing them to have sex in your house to make sure they are safe. I think we can all agree we won’t do that.

The other day I was reading an article in the Marin Independent Journal about teen drinking in Marin County, an affluent area of California. A survey of 987 Marin County high school students found 11% of students get alcohol from their parents. That’s over 100 kids who’s parents gave their underage kids alcohol. And 22% of the teens surveyed who drink four or more times a month think they parents wouldn’t mind that they drink. More than 200 kids think their parents are fine with them drinking four times or more a month. That just blows my mind.

What are you thoughts? Do you let your underage child drink alcohol?

¹White, Aaron M., Ph.D., Alcohol and the Adolescent Brain. http://www.duke.edu/~amwhite/Adolescence/index.html. 2004.

Post from: Blisstree

Parents Are Buying Alcohol For Their Kids

In the first incident, the middle school aged daughter tried to escape from her father’s moving vehicle because he picked her up from school drunk. He ended up crashing the vehicle and was apprehended by the police, but how terrifying for a child to have to deal with this.

In the second incident (which happened in my community), a 13 year old girl was shot and killed by her own father after she confronted him about his drug use. Neighbors were interviewed and social services had been called on more than one occasion, but the father retained custody and it cost a precious child her life.

On tonight’s news they reported an incident that happened at a house that I pass every day on the way to my children’s school. Every day. The house is very old and run down. There is trash and old stuff in the yard. Apparently a 16 year old boy – high on marijuana – killed his 22 year old sister and harmed the 2 year old child she was babysitting. Now I have seen this girl talking on the phone in the yard many times. I have seen the parents sitting out in the yard on a hot summer day. And I can’t tell you how many times I have asked my friends and husband what could be done to help the family.

What is this world coming to?  What can we do as a community to provide a safe haven for children who have no other choice but to live with a parent who abuses alcohol and/or drugs? What can we do to reach out to these families who are so far off society’s radar?

Post from: Blisstree

It just breaks my heart