Archive for February, 2010

Drug Abuse Prevention During Grade School Years

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Raising Healthy Kids on February 22nd, 2010

While the process of helping your kids avoid drug abuse starts in preschool, you need to make sure you continually make them aware of the benefits of healthy choices as they grow during their grade school years. Here are some tips to help you sail through this stage.

grade school kidsAlways remain realistic. While you may want to emphasize to your kids the dangers of drug abuse, do not overdo it. Telling them scary stories that sound out of this world would not help. Give them examples they can understand. Tell them, for instance, that alcohol abuse may make them feel sick or that cigarette use may cause bad breath. These are simple, but very real, examples.

Discuss drug-related ads, scenes and events that your children may see on TV. Make sure they understand the messages clearly and that everything they find difficult to understand are explained immediately.

Encourage your kids to speak their minds. Tell them that it’s alright to share what they think or to say no when they don’t like something. Many teens grow up with a difficulty to say no or to disappoint other people. Always ensure your children that expressing themselves is perfectly fine.

Set a good example. Most kids do what their role models – parents, teachers, older siblings, older neighbors – do. Make sure you set the right example. Do not smoke, drink or abuse drugs so your children don’t grow up thinking these activities are alright.

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Drug Abuse Prevention Starts in Pre-School

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Raising Healthy Kids on February 21st, 2010

Helping you child avoid the dangers of drug abuse is a most challenging task for many parents. Some believe that you must check your children starting on their pre-teens until they reach college. The truth is preparing your child against the temptation of peer pressure and drug abuse should start when he or she is still in his or her pre-school years. Here are simple ways you can start leading your child to the right direction.

preschoolerAllow your child to make small decisions. Let him choose what to wear or which little bag to use. This will enhance his decision-making skills.

Introduce him to healthy activities and healthy choices. Let him play around and remind him how healthy activities help improve the mind and body.

Allow your child to make mistakes and use these opportunities to help him understand the realities of life. Teach him the value of endurance, patience and determination.

Explain to your child how important it is to take care of one’s self. Do not simply force him to eat vegetables just because you say so. Make him choose between fresh orange juice and milk. Although both are good options, this will still provide him an opportunity to make healthy choices.

While fairy tales may sometimes be helpful, always make sure your child is fully aware of the differences between real life and what he sees on television, especially if violence is involved. Be with him when he watches TV shows and be ready to explain certain scenes that may be misinterpreted by a child.

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Teens and Diet Pill Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Prescription Drug Abuse, Raising Healthy Kids on February 20th, 2010

Diet pills come in different packages. These pills were formulated to help those suffering from obesity to lose some pounds and ultimately achieve a healthier weight. Obese people have increased risks of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, arthritis, certain types of cancer, premature death and other related diseases.

However, some teens who are overly conscious of their looks tend to use and abuse diet pills with the goal of losing more weight even if they do not fall under the category ‘obese’. Some just want to look thinner or shed a few more pounds here and there.

diet pillsMost teens who fall into the trap of diet pill abuse are usually those with low confidence levels. They falsely believe that they are unattractive and unlikeable if they don’t fit in the clothes others are wearing. Parents need to always encourage their children to believe in themselves, to trust their capabilities and bring out their natural talents. Increased confidence will help teens accept who they are. Parents need to constantly remind teens that everyone is created differently, and that we can never be like others in the same way that they can never be like us.

There are several kinds of diet pills. Appetite suppressants control hunger and urge to eat. This may lead to ulcer, chest pain and migraines. Fat and carb blockers promise to eliminate fats in one’s system. Common side effects are diarrhea, oily discharge and allergic reactions. Other common kinds are metabolism boosters and cortisol managers, which disturb natural body processes. Also, these pills add unnecessary stress to the kidney and the liver.

In truth, the only healthy way to lose weight and look great is to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly. There are – and should be — no shortcuts.

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Drugs Commonly Abused by Teens

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction on February 19th, 2010

Teen drug abuse is an ever-present threat in society, causing a lot of teen delinquencies and family problems. Among the hundreds of illegal substances that are abused, these are the top drugs that are abused by our teens:

marijuanaMarijuana

Marijuana is often the first drug most drug users have tried. Youth use marijuana as a way to cope with life’s stresses, to deal with anxiety, anger or depression, an escape from reality, or to simply address boredom. Marijuana use increases the heart rate, body temperature and appetite. It also produces drowsiness, dryness of mouth and throat, bloodshot eyes, and a reduction in ocular pressure. Long term effects include respiratory problems like lung damage and cancer, impairment in memory and concentration and possible motivational problems.

Meth, Crystal Meth or Speed

Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that speeds up the central nervous system and metabolism making the user more energetic and alive. This affects the user’s sleeping patterns, promotes euphoria and sex drive. Crystal Meth is commonly smoked, inhaled, eaten or injected intravenously. It is known to produce serious side effects like extreme weight loss, welts on the skin, hyperactivity, shortness of breath, depression, paranoid delusions and suicidal tendencies.

Huffing

There are over thousands of household and classroom products that can be abused. This form of drug abuse is called “huffing.” Most drugs for huffing are found in perfectly legal products.

Volatile solvents are any liquid that vaporized at room temperature like correcting fluid and paint thinners. Aerosols are commonly sprays containing propellants like deodorants, foot sprays and spray paint. Medical, industrial and household products like ether, butane, propane and even whipping cream can also be abused.

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Different Methods of Alcohol Testing

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Testing on February 18th, 2010

There are numerous methods for alcohol testing available but the most used and trusted are among these five: urine tests, blood alcohol tests, alcohol breathalyzer tests, saliva alcohol tests, and hair alcohol tests. Whether for job requirements or sobriety tests, these tests are among the most widely used methods worldwide.

urine blood testsUrine Tests

This test is able to detect alcohol ingestion mainly within a week or longer, depending on the frequency of the alcohol intake. Urine tests are highly reliable for results and can provide the most flexibility in testing for other substances such as drugs and nicotine.

Blood Alcohol Testing

Blood testing can accurately show the amount of alcohol that is present in the bloodstream at the time the sample was taken. This method of testing is the most accurate for testing for a person’s BAC (blood alcohol content) but it is one of the most expensive.

Saliva Alcohol Tests

This method of testing approximates the BAC through the saliva and can detect more recent drug use. The collection of sample is less invasive and can be conveniently done almost anywhere.

Breath Alcohol Testing

By estimating the person’s BAC by measuring the amount of alcohol in one’s breath, we can approximate the level of intoxication of a person. This test is widely used because of its mobility as you can take the breathalyzer anywhere.

Hair Alcohol Tests

Hair is able to absorb special markers called ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) which remain in the hair indefinitely as long as the person doesn’t shave or cut his hair. These markers are produced when alcohol is introduced into the bloodstream.

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Effects of Drinking on Your Driving

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Alcohol Abuse on February 17th, 2010

Alcohol is a dangerous substance when taken irresponsibly because it disrupts our concentration, coordination, observation, discipline and patience. Driving needs all of the skills mentioned and then some.

don't drink and driveThe legal limit of BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is 0.08 for most states, which approximately means two drinks for a 120-pound person.

At 0.02 BAC, the body experiences a slight reduction in visual functions, a decline in their abilities to track a moving object and a drop in the ability to multi-task. These changes, however subtle, are very crucial in emergency situations especially when behind the wheel of a vehicle. It can cause a distortion in the driver’s reaction time and decision making.

At 0.05 BAC level, drinkers might experience exaggerated behaviour, loss of minute-muscle control such their eyes being not able to focus quickly, have weakened judgement, poorer alertness and a release of inhibition. If someone with this level of BAC gets behind the wheel, he will have a reduction in coordination, diminished ability to track moving objects like the cars around him, a difficulty in steering the car and a lowered response-time to emergency situations.

At 0.08 BAC, studies show that the driver at the wheel would now have poor muscle coordination which leads to a loss of balance, slurred speech, poor vision, slowed reaction time and lowered hearing. This driver will find it very difficult to detect danger and exhibit poor judgement, reasoning ability, memory and self-control.

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