Drug Addiction

District Schools Work Together Against Substance Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Prescription Drug Abuse on May 16th, 2012

In 2010, the Illinois Youth Survey yielded alarming results that showed about 10% of 8th graders in Lake County have already encountered alcohol at the tender age of 10 or even younger. It was also uncovered that 6% of sophomores are lighting up pot at least twice in a month.

teen drug abuseThis is why the Stevenson High School community took the responsibility of holding the “Saving Our Children” symposium which tackled issues on the use of illicit drugs. Aside from their own parents and students, families from Libertyville and Vernon Hills High schools were also present during the event.

Elisabeth Nelson from the Lake County Health Department said that the data gathered in 2010 failed to include the use of OTC drugs among kids but promised to include the subject in this year’s survey. “We have seen a slight increase in prescription drug abuse in the past year’s data,” Nelson added. “Cough medicine is higher than pain killers.”

According to Nelson, it has been recorded that children who start with the abuse of pain killers, such as Oxycontin and Percocet, ultimately go up the ladder towards heroin addiction. She added that the best sources of these pain medications are the home medicine cabinets where parents and grandparents store their prescriptions without proper security.

While alcohol remains the top drug choice among kids in Lake County, other household substances like inhalants are easily misused especially by middle school students.

Thus, Stevenson High School student assistance program coordinator Stephanie Elsass makes it a point to solicit the support of nearby schools in hosting the symposium every year. For the past seven years, schools in their area have taken turns as panel of experts during the forum.

In a report from the Sun Times, Nelson reminded parents to monitor their children especially in the coming summer season and that the talk on drugs and alcohol should be done at the earliest time possible.

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Parents, Teens Gather to Talk About Drug and Alcohol Use

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on May 10th, 2012

The Trackside Teen Center was packed with parents and students during the Wilton Youth Council’s Community Conversation held last April 25.

teen alcohol abuseThis is the third time that the council had the event where the latest survey and reviews with regards to teen substance abuse was tackled.

Board of Education member and director of the Partnership for Success Grant at Positive Directions Lory Rothstein presented the most recent results of the online survey participated in by 883 students from the 7th to 12th grades and 446 parents from the 6th to 12th grades.

So far, this is their largest sample ever handled with the number of students accounting for 45% of the total population in the respective levels.

The report put the spotlight on alcohol, drugs, and tobacco and marijuana use among students. It was noted that there was a decrease in the use of the said substances yet the average for alcohol use is still a little over than the national average; 12th graders who admit to alcohol intake within the past 30 days was below 50%.

The relationship between alcohol and marijuana use was also discussed. The Youth Council has long named alcohol as a “gateway drug” and statistics seem to agree with them. An alarming 27.9% of students confess to drinking and smoking marijuana with only 0.7% saying they never tried any of the two substances. From the teen drinking population, 35% also owned up to pot use.

Guest Speaker for the forum Chris Brown said that a teen’s brain is not at all the same as an adult’s brain. Brown, who is a school psychologist and licensed professional counselor, made it clear to everybody that a teen’s brain’s reward center is extra sensitive compared to adults’ which makes them more vulnerable to addiction.

Mr. Brown also added that teens are not fully prepared to make the right decisions and acknowledge the consequences of their actions all the time as their brains aren’t fully developed yet.

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Early Alcohol and Drug Habits May Damage Teenage Brains

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction on May 9th, 2012

It is very important for teens to know what drugs and alcohol can do to their brains. Despite the numerous campaigns against these substances, the problem of drug and alcohol abuse continues to grow.

effects of drugs and alcohol on teen's brainIn a study done by the researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health using magnetic resonance imaging, it was found out that the brain reaches its vital development stages during the teenage years. This is when the frontal lobes, which directs decision-making, emotion, self-control, judgment, and processing consequences, goes into a lot of changes until it reaches full development.

Dr. Aaron White from the Duke University Medical Center explains that a teenager’s brain is not comparable to that of an adult. “Available research suggests that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of alcohol on learning and memory.”

It has been noted that an adolescent’s brain is clearly more susceptible to the effects of alcohol and drugs which could lead to abnormalities due to tissue and nerve damages.

Teenagers should realize that taking alcohol at their age could cause irreversible damages to the brain. While it may be true that more and more kids are hooked on drinking and that alcohol remains the top drug of choice amongst US teens, children should be equipped with the necessary ammunition to resist the temptation of alcohol in their lives.

As the brain continues to grow, teenagers will find it hard to make the right decisions. If the element of alcohol or drugs is added, the brains capacity to process logical and more reasonable decisions will be overpowered thus results to risky behaviors and decisions of teenagers.

Dr. Judith Newman puts an interesting analogy into the discussion of brain development. “The teenage brain is like a Ferrari: It’s sleek, shiny, sexy, and fast, and it corners really well. But it also has really crappy brakes.”

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Drug Abuse Linked to Brain Networks Among Teens

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Tobacco Abuse on May 3rd, 2012

A new study conducted by the researchers from the University of Vermont could shed light on the issue as to why teenagers behave differently towards substance abuse.

brain scanThe proponents of the study gathered 1,896 14-year-old participants, the largest sample so far for a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning procedure. The participants were given the task to press a button on a keyboard, but researchers would insert a signal at anytime for the duration of the test that commands the participants to stop the task. The brain’s reaction to the stop signal is used to measure a teen’s impulsive behavior.

Data gathered from the study were analyzed and the differences in the brain networks were noted to cause varying impulsive behaviors of the teens. Participants who were able to follow the cue to stop had certain brain networks “light up” on the fMRI scan.

University of Vermont post-doctoral researcher Robert Whelan said that a teen’s impulsive behavior dictates their susceptibility for drug and alcohol abuse and that there are differences as to how a teen’s brain react or “light up” as far as their impulsiveness is concerned.

It was also confirmed by Dr. Hugh Gravan, associate professor of psychiatry, that those whose brain networks function less on the impulse-regulating factor increase their risks for smoking and drugs and alcohol use.

The results of the study could be the answer to the question of whether brain changes occur before substance abuse happens or are caused by the unhealthy habits.

In a feature from CBS News, the team of scientists from the university emphasized the importance of studying brain networks to understand a teen’s risk for substance abuse. This could be a key to hopefully put a stop on meaningless deaths among the youth which are often linked to impulsive behaviors that are all preventable.

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Teens Get Creative in Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Marijuana Use and Abuse on April 30th, 2012

At a forum held in Grovetown Middle School, different methods kids use to get away with drug use were introduced — and kids these days have found clever ways to get access to and use drugs.

School administrators admitted that they have caught students bringing vodka-soaked candies and marijuana pipes made from ink pens at school.

vodka candiesBut Bradford Health Services administrator Terry Childers said parents should be on the lookout if their kids start to read the obituary section of a newspaper. “They would look for people who died of something like cancer, knowing their houses probably had a lot of prescription drugs in them. Then, these kids would wait for when the funeral was being held and rob the house,” Childers said.

Other signs of drug addiction shared by the lecturers include stealing from parents, academic troubles, unusual disruptive behavior, lying, and getting home late.

Childers added that another drug popular to students is Spice. A synthetic marijuana formulated by a scientist from Clemson University, Spice is sold in the United States as incense or potpourri which are readily available in tobacco and convenience stores.

A.J. Creswell who is a senior counselor for the Insight program, a program focused on spreading awareness of teen substance abuse, added that continued use of Spice could lead to psychosis.

Yet prescription medications claim the top spot when it comes to the drug of choice among teenagers. According to Creswell, kids can easily get hold of such drugs with about 70% of users confessing that they get their supply from their parents’ prescriptions.

Creswell warned parents on the growing problem of substance abuse. “The kids who come through my program are some of the smartest I’ve ever met,” he said. “Drug dealing isn’t just some guy on a street corner. Kids are getting them from friends, at home, even at gas stations.”

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Local Parents Urged to Help Fight Teen Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on April 22nd, 2012

The Glendora Unified Parents Summit was held last Tuesday with educators, local police, and drug counselors calling for local parents’ help in keeping kids away from drug abuse.

teen drug abuseAt the event organized by the Glendora Unified School District together with the Glendora Police Department, teen issues including substance abuse and the effect of technology on family relationships were put on a spotlight.

Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro joined the said event and gave a tough message to the parents present during the forum. “We realized as police and school administrators we are not the panacea for helping our kids. It starts at home, it starts with you… It’s not our job, by the time we find out that something is wrong it’s already too late.”

The Glendora Police Department introduced the different types of drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana, prescription drugs, and alcohol. There were also new types of drugs emerging and making their way in the community such as Xanax and spice as well as the re-entry of heroin in the list.

According to Mike Schaub and Robin McGeough from the Charter Oak Recovery Program, teens today are experimenting with more potent drugs. With their work as drug counselors for Whitcomb High School, they have recorded that most teens under drug use or addiction do not only stick to one type of drug but a variety of dangerous substances.

Heroin is fast becoming a drug of choice for the youth again. Parents are warned that kids today do not necessarily need needles to use the drug as they now snort or smoke heroin believing it’s a much safer route.

At the end of the event, only one strong message was left to parents: that they have to be involved in their kids’ daily lives; knowing where the kids are, who they hang out with, and what they do after school are necessary if they don’t want their kids to get into trouble.

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