APPLAUDD: A Prevention Program Learning About Underage Drinking & Drugs
for Parents of Children Grades 5 through 12: Let’s Raise Healthy Teens!
A Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Grant Winner!
sponsored by GeorgetownCARES
This community education series is an innovative, 4-session prevention workshop that educates parents of children grades 5 through 12 to raise healthy teens! Marilyn Belmonte, a nationally known, dynamic speaker, will be presenting the program.
The APPLAUDD Program will be held in Georgetown on Wednesday evenings, March 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th, at the Penn Brook School Library, 7-9pm.
APPLAUDD supports healthy families in the community by addressing the critical substance abuse and related mental health needs of youth while strengthening the bond between parents and children.
A four-part program, APPLAUDD is designed to empower parents of students grades 5 through 12 with proven strategies that reduce risk of alcohol and drug abuse. Aiming to build parent-teen communication skills, specific evidence-based parenting strategies will be taught to promote strong protective factors that will create resilience in children. APPLAUDD will also help change and create more thoughtful social norms about underage drinking, drug use and parental social hosting.
Each presentation will have a unique focus, building on each other as part of one complete program that will underscore parent-child communication, but are also effective as stand-alone events. The presentation topics include 1) Parent Prevention Techniques, 2) Prescription Drugs, 3) Marijuana, and 4) Underage Drinking. Each session ends with small group discussion and a home assignment.
Many parents do not feel that they have any power to influence their adolescents because teens build barriers to keep their parents at a distance. APPLAUDD will focus on how parents can dialog with their children to effectively encourage critical healthy behavior choices, building trust between parents and teens. Researchers have found that specific attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, situations, and/or actions that parents can teach will reduce the likelihood that a young person will struggle with substance abuse and related problems even if that young person is exposed to a substantial number of risk factors. The protective factors explored appear to balance and buffer the negative impact of existing risk factors.
APPLAUDD has won the SAMHSA’s “National Service to Science” award in 2010 for being a unique and innovative program that educates parents on the effect of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs on adolescent brain development and academic potential. As part of this award, participants will be asked to help evaluate the program for its effectiveness through pre-program and post-program surveys. Participation in these surveys is voluntary and not a requirement of attendance.
Refreshments will be served and door prize gift certificates will be awarded at all four sessions. APPLAUDD is presented by GeorgetownCARES, and is open to the entire community. For more information, please contact Pam Lundquist at 978-352-5407. Find more information on the APPLAUDD program at Marilyn@DrugAbuseRecognition.com.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The CDC's 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) Results are out!
Data and Statistics
YRBSS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors priority health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. The YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, territorial, tribal, and district surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments.
To find out more, please check out: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm
YRBSS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors priority health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. The YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, territorial, tribal, and district surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments.
To find out more, please check out: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Prescription Drug Abuse Sends More People to the Hospital
Prescription Drug Abuse Sends More People to the Hospital
By ABBY GOODNOUGH, New York Times www.nytimes.com
Published: January 5, 2011
The number of emergency room visits resulting from misuse or abuse of prescription drugs has nearly doubled over the last five years, according to new federal data, even as the number of visits because of illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin has barely changed.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found there were about 1.2 million visits to emergency rooms involving pharmaceutical drugs in 2009, compared with 627,000 in 2004. The agency did not include visits due to adverse reactions to drugs taken as prescribed.
Emergency room visits resulting from prescription drugs have exceeded those related to illicit drugs for three consecutive years, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, President Obama’s top drug policy adviser.
“I would say that when you see a 98 percent increase,” Mr. Kerlikowske said, “and you think about the cost involved in lives and families, not to mention dollars, it’s pretty startling.”
In 2010, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that the number of people seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers jumped 400 percent from 1998 to 2008. And in a growing number of states, deaths from prescription drugs now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents, with opiate painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin playing a leading role.
In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration organized the first national prescription drug take-back program, and thousands of people dropped off old or unused drugs at designated locations around the country. While the effort captured but a tiny fraction of the addictive drugs in the nation’s medicine cabinets, law enforcement officials said it helped people understand how deadly such drugs can be. Another collection day is being planned for April, Mr. Kerlikowske said.
“The most important thing that actually seems to be gaining a lot of traction,” he said, “is the recognition that the prescription drugs sitting in your medicine cabinet can be dangerous. That’s huge.”
A version of this article appeared in print on January 6, 2011, on page A18 of the New York edition.
By ABBY GOODNOUGH, New York Times www.nytimes.com
Published: January 5, 2011
The number of emergency room visits resulting from misuse or abuse of prescription drugs has nearly doubled over the last five years, according to new federal data, even as the number of visits because of illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin has barely changed.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found there were about 1.2 million visits to emergency rooms involving pharmaceutical drugs in 2009, compared with 627,000 in 2004. The agency did not include visits due to adverse reactions to drugs taken as prescribed.
Emergency room visits resulting from prescription drugs have exceeded those related to illicit drugs for three consecutive years, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, President Obama’s top drug policy adviser.
“I would say that when you see a 98 percent increase,” Mr. Kerlikowske said, “and you think about the cost involved in lives and families, not to mention dollars, it’s pretty startling.”
In 2010, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that the number of people seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers jumped 400 percent from 1998 to 2008. And in a growing number of states, deaths from prescription drugs now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents, with opiate painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin playing a leading role.
In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration organized the first national prescription drug take-back program, and thousands of people dropped off old or unused drugs at designated locations around the country. While the effort captured but a tiny fraction of the addictive drugs in the nation’s medicine cabinets, law enforcement officials said it helped people understand how deadly such drugs can be. Another collection day is being planned for April, Mr. Kerlikowske said.
“The most important thing that actually seems to be gaining a lot of traction,” he said, “is the recognition that the prescription drugs sitting in your medicine cabinet can be dangerous. That’s huge.”
A version of this article appeared in print on January 6, 2011, on page A18 of the New York edition.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Time Magazine: 4 Reasons Binge Drinking is a Public Health Problem
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/13/4-reasons-binge%c2%a0drinking-is-a-public-health-problem/#ixzz18hFLWsdm
The four reasons are:
- Car Crashes
- Assault and Violence
- Long-Term Illness and Death
-Unintended Pregnancy and STDs
Binge Drinking in America
By Meredith Melnick Wednesday, October 13, 2010, TIME Magazine
One out of 3 adults and 2 out of 3 high school students who drink alcohol binge drink, according to recent government surveys. Startlingly, the data suggest that 90% of the alcohol consumed by high-school kids and more than half the alcohol consumed by adults is downed during the course of binge drinking. What's with Americans' overindulgence? (More on Time.com: If I'm Drunk, Then You Stepped On My Toes On Purpose)
"Binge drinking as a problem has been largely unrecognized," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a press conference. "It may be because binge drinking hasn't been widely recognized as a problem that it has not decreased in the past 15 years in this country."
The CDC surveys defined binge drinking as having had five or more drinks in a couple of hours for men and teens, and four or more for women, at least once in the previous 30 days. But Frieden says the average binge drinker consumes a lot more alcohol than that — more like eight drinks in a sitting, about once a week. Worse, another recent study suggests that people aren't even fully admitting to their drinking behavior, finding that government survey data identifies only 22% to 32% of presumed alcohol consumption based on states' alcohol sales.
The short-term personal cost of excessive drinking is high — as anyone who's ever suffered a nasty hangover knows — but the public-health consequences are costly too. Dangerous driving, assault, risky sexual behavior and long-term illness are just some of the larger problems that result from binging on alcohol.
When drunk people get behind the wheel, they put countless others at risk. And binge drinkers are 14 times more likely than non–binge drinkers to drive while impaired, according to a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, contributing to the risk of fatal car crashes.
Interestingly, another study in 2010 concluded that cognitive deficits from chronic binge drinking actually impaired sober driving as well. Researchers found that binge drinkers — independent of income levels — exceeded speed limits more often and for longer, compared with high-income non–binge drinkers.
According to a 2008 CDC assessment, 32% of all traffic accidents were related to alcohol.
Among college students alone — 80% of whom drink, including 51% who binge drink — an estimated 700,000 are attacked by another student in alcohol-related incidents, according to a survey by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Nearly 100,000 college women also report being sexually assaulted in attacks that involve drinking, although experts suggest that number is far higher in reality, since sexual assault is notoriously underreported. (More on Time.com: Study: An Earlier 'Last Call' May Reduce Assaults)
Off campus, older adults suffer just as much: two-thirds of episodes of domestic violence involves alcohol, according to Bureau of Justice statistics. And 45% of men arrested for violent assault of any kind report drinking first.
Assault and accidents, which lead to death and injury, account for the acute problems of excessive drinking. But, over time, chronic binge drinking is also associated with a variety of long-term health problems. According to Dr. Bob Brewer of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, those problems include cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, cancer and an increased risk of sexually transmitted disease. A study in the Medical Journal of Australia found that 42% of alcohol-related deaths could be attributed to chronic illness.
Chronic binge drinking can lead to cognitive deficits as well. A 2009 study in Psychological Bulletin found that young binge drinkers had verbal and auditory memory deficits, difficulty with spatial memory and problems with planning, compared with non–binge drinkers.
Overall, the new CDC study finds that from 2001 to 2005, binge drinking was responsible for more than half of the estimated 79,000 deaths and two-thirds of the estimated 2.3 million years of potential life lost each year as a result of excessive drinking.
Binge drinking leads to risky sexual behavior, including engaging in unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. That in turn increases rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. A 2008 study of sexual behavior and binge drinking found that rates of gonorrhea were nearly five times higher in female binge drinkers than in women who abstained from alcohol.
The risk of unintended pregnancy is also associated with binge drinking, particularly in young people. A large-scale study published in Pediatrics in 2003 looked at nearly 73,000 pregnancies that resulted in live birth in 14 states. Surveys of the mothers showed that 45% of the pregnancies were unintended, and that women with unintended pregnancy were much more likely to have engaged in binge drinking in the three months before becoming pregnant than women with intended pregnancy.
Overall, 14% of women reported preconception binge drinking, and the relationship between binge drinking and unintended pregnancy varied by race: white women who reported unplanned pregnancy were 63% more likely to have binge drank before getting pregnant than white women who planned their pregnancies; the same effect was not seen in black women, however.
Women who reported binge drinking in the three-month period before pregnancy were more likely to be white and unmarried. They were also more likely to smoke and be exposed to violence before conception, and to consume alcohol, binge drink and smoke during pregnancy.
The four reasons are:
- Car Crashes
- Assault and Violence
- Long-Term Illness and Death
-Unintended Pregnancy and STDs
Binge Drinking in America
By Meredith Melnick Wednesday, October 13, 2010, TIME Magazine
One out of 3 adults and 2 out of 3 high school students who drink alcohol binge drink, according to recent government surveys. Startlingly, the data suggest that 90% of the alcohol consumed by high-school kids and more than half the alcohol consumed by adults is downed during the course of binge drinking. What's with Americans' overindulgence? (More on Time.com: If I'm Drunk, Then You Stepped On My Toes On Purpose)
"Binge drinking as a problem has been largely unrecognized," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a press conference. "It may be because binge drinking hasn't been widely recognized as a problem that it has not decreased in the past 15 years in this country."
The CDC surveys defined binge drinking as having had five or more drinks in a couple of hours for men and teens, and four or more for women, at least once in the previous 30 days. But Frieden says the average binge drinker consumes a lot more alcohol than that — more like eight drinks in a sitting, about once a week. Worse, another recent study suggests that people aren't even fully admitting to their drinking behavior, finding that government survey data identifies only 22% to 32% of presumed alcohol consumption based on states' alcohol sales.
The short-term personal cost of excessive drinking is high — as anyone who's ever suffered a nasty hangover knows — but the public-health consequences are costly too. Dangerous driving, assault, risky sexual behavior and long-term illness are just some of the larger problems that result from binging on alcohol.
When drunk people get behind the wheel, they put countless others at risk. And binge drinkers are 14 times more likely than non–binge drinkers to drive while impaired, according to a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, contributing to the risk of fatal car crashes.
Interestingly, another study in 2010 concluded that cognitive deficits from chronic binge drinking actually impaired sober driving as well. Researchers found that binge drinkers — independent of income levels — exceeded speed limits more often and for longer, compared with high-income non–binge drinkers.
According to a 2008 CDC assessment, 32% of all traffic accidents were related to alcohol.
Among college students alone — 80% of whom drink, including 51% who binge drink — an estimated 700,000 are attacked by another student in alcohol-related incidents, according to a survey by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Nearly 100,000 college women also report being sexually assaulted in attacks that involve drinking, although experts suggest that number is far higher in reality, since sexual assault is notoriously underreported. (More on Time.com: Study: An Earlier 'Last Call' May Reduce Assaults)
Off campus, older adults suffer just as much: two-thirds of episodes of domestic violence involves alcohol, according to Bureau of Justice statistics. And 45% of men arrested for violent assault of any kind report drinking first.
Assault and accidents, which lead to death and injury, account for the acute problems of excessive drinking. But, over time, chronic binge drinking is also associated with a variety of long-term health problems. According to Dr. Bob Brewer of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, those problems include cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, cancer and an increased risk of sexually transmitted disease. A study in the Medical Journal of Australia found that 42% of alcohol-related deaths could be attributed to chronic illness.
Chronic binge drinking can lead to cognitive deficits as well. A 2009 study in Psychological Bulletin found that young binge drinkers had verbal and auditory memory deficits, difficulty with spatial memory and problems with planning, compared with non–binge drinkers.
Overall, the new CDC study finds that from 2001 to 2005, binge drinking was responsible for more than half of the estimated 79,000 deaths and two-thirds of the estimated 2.3 million years of potential life lost each year as a result of excessive drinking.
Binge drinking leads to risky sexual behavior, including engaging in unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. That in turn increases rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. A 2008 study of sexual behavior and binge drinking found that rates of gonorrhea were nearly five times higher in female binge drinkers than in women who abstained from alcohol.
The risk of unintended pregnancy is also associated with binge drinking, particularly in young people. A large-scale study published in Pediatrics in 2003 looked at nearly 73,000 pregnancies that resulted in live birth in 14 states. Surveys of the mothers showed that 45% of the pregnancies were unintended, and that women with unintended pregnancy were much more likely to have engaged in binge drinking in the three months before becoming pregnant than women with intended pregnancy.
Overall, 14% of women reported preconception binge drinking, and the relationship between binge drinking and unintended pregnancy varied by race: white women who reported unplanned pregnancy were 63% more likely to have binge drank before getting pregnant than white women who planned their pregnancies; the same effect was not seen in black women, however.
Women who reported binge drinking in the three-month period before pregnancy were more likely to be white and unmarried. They were also more likely to smoke and be exposed to violence before conception, and to consume alcohol, binge drink and smoke during pregnancy.
Friday, December 10, 2010
What’s nutmeg good for? Parents, take note.
What’s nutmeg good for? Parents, take note.
How’s your nutmeg supply this holiday season? Wondering where the ground nutmeg is going, besides for your pumpkin pie and a topping for eggnog?
Parents take note: some teenagers are using the common spice nutmeg to get high. When nutmeg is snorted, smoked or eaten in large quantities, it can cause mild hallucinations. And several poison control centers are reporting teenage use of nutmeg to get high is a growing trend.
Nutmeg use is becoming a problem in Oklahoma, and has attracted the attention of law enforcement. Although they say there's nothing illegal about it, it's what happens down the road that has them concerned.
"What we want to stress to parents if you've got a kid that's looking nutmeg or some of these other products to get a high, you probably already have a kid getting high, and he's simply looking for a legal and easier way to do it," said Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Doctors say smoking nutmeg does induce short hallucinogenic effects, but beyond that brief high it mainly causes unpleasant side effects including headaches, nausea/vomiting, dizziness and rapid heartbeat. Also that a nutmeg high is not likely to be fatal, but also not likely to be pleasant.
Sources: Fox23.com, abclocal.go.com, news.gather.com
How’s your nutmeg supply this holiday season? Wondering where the ground nutmeg is going, besides for your pumpkin pie and a topping for eggnog?
Parents take note: some teenagers are using the common spice nutmeg to get high. When nutmeg is snorted, smoked or eaten in large quantities, it can cause mild hallucinations. And several poison control centers are reporting teenage use of nutmeg to get high is a growing trend.
Nutmeg use is becoming a problem in Oklahoma, and has attracted the attention of law enforcement. Although they say there's nothing illegal about it, it's what happens down the road that has them concerned.
"What we want to stress to parents if you've got a kid that's looking nutmeg or some of these other products to get a high, you probably already have a kid getting high, and he's simply looking for a legal and easier way to do it," said Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Doctors say smoking nutmeg does induce short hallucinogenic effects, but beyond that brief high it mainly causes unpleasant side effects including headaches, nausea/vomiting, dizziness and rapid heartbeat. Also that a nutmeg high is not likely to be fatal, but also not likely to be pleasant.
Sources: Fox23.com, abclocal.go.com, news.gather.com
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Understanding Teen Behavior
Adolescent Brain Development
Research shows that the brain goes through dynamic change and development during adolescence and into early adulthood. Alcohol can seriously damage long and short term growth process. The prefrontal area, (behind the forehead) undergoes the most change during adolescence. Adolescent alcohol use can cause severe changes in this area of the brain which may alter the formation of adult personality and behaviors. Immediate reactions to this area of the brain include impairments to impulse control, planning and decision making, and speech.
The hippocampus, an area located deep inside the brain which handles many types of memory and learning, suffers significantly from adolescent alcohol use. Teens who had been drinking longer and more (binge drinking) showed significantly (10%) smaller hippocampus.
American Medical Association’s Drinkers vs. Non-Drinkers: Research Findings
Adolescent drinkers scored worse than non-drinkers on vocabulary, general information, memory, memory retrieval and at least three other tests.
Verbal and nonverbal information recall was most heavily affected, with a 10% performance decrease in alcohol users.
Adolescent drinkers performed worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.
Alcohol affects the sleep cycle, resulting in impaired learning and memory as well as disrupted release of hormones necessary for growth and maturation.
Alcohol takes a greater toll on brain development of those under 21 than on any other age group. Findings indicate that adults would have to consume twice as many drinks to suffer the same damage as adolescents, and that even occasional heavy drinking injures young brains.
Risk Taking
Adolescents’ involvement in risky behaviors has often been attributed to their thinking of themselves as invulnerable-bad consequences will not happen to them. Studies show that teenagers see occasional or experimental involvement in health-threatening activities as less dangerous than do their parents.
Peer-Pressure
As adolescents develop, drinking behavior becomes more influenced by peers
Studies have shown that youth who have a positive relationship with their parents are less likely to succumb to peer pressure. Glastonbury youth have reported that when parents do not set clear guidelines and expectations regarding behavior it is harder to say no to peers. When peers know that parents have not set rules it is much harder to avoid situations that may lead to unhealthy choices
Adolescent girls are more likely than boys to drink to fit in with their peers
Adolescents often turn to their peers for advice rather than parents or other adults
At this stage, adolescents crave peer acceptance at any cost and will not stand up to challenges from their peers. This often leads to poor decisions
Peer Acceptance
Peer selection rather than peer influence may be the more important factor for initiation of risky behaviors. Peer influence may be more important to maintenance of risky behaviors
Know your child’s peers and try to get to know their parents
Actions vs. Consequences
Teens perceive they must be exposed to a hazard numerous times before experiencing negative consequences
“Now” Oriented: Teens deal only with present, not looking ahead
Teens Don’t Feel Valued at Home, School, and Community
Attention tends to be placed on negative behaviors exhibited rather than the many positive activities and accomplishments by our youth.
Causes of teen stress
- Grades
- College/Perception that Getting Accepted into a Good
School =Lifetime Financial Success
- Sports/Activities/Groups
- Peer Acceptance
- Work
Symptoms of stress in young people include:
- Lack of energy or decreased energy
- Drop in grades
- Changes in appearance or personality
- Crying, moodiness or sulkiness
- Easily frustrated or angered
Untreated stress may lead to Depression/Anxiety
Resources:
www.211infoline.org and www.http://www.stonington-ct.gov/Pages/StoningtonCT_Youth/Teen%20Behavior
Research shows that the brain goes through dynamic change and development during adolescence and into early adulthood. Alcohol can seriously damage long and short term growth process. The prefrontal area, (behind the forehead) undergoes the most change during adolescence. Adolescent alcohol use can cause severe changes in this area of the brain which may alter the formation of adult personality and behaviors. Immediate reactions to this area of the brain include impairments to impulse control, planning and decision making, and speech.
The hippocampus, an area located deep inside the brain which handles many types of memory and learning, suffers significantly from adolescent alcohol use. Teens who had been drinking longer and more (binge drinking) showed significantly (10%) smaller hippocampus.
American Medical Association’s Drinkers vs. Non-Drinkers: Research Findings
Adolescent drinkers scored worse than non-drinkers on vocabulary, general information, memory, memory retrieval and at least three other tests.
Verbal and nonverbal information recall was most heavily affected, with a 10% performance decrease in alcohol users.
Adolescent drinkers performed worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.
Alcohol affects the sleep cycle, resulting in impaired learning and memory as well as disrupted release of hormones necessary for growth and maturation.
Alcohol takes a greater toll on brain development of those under 21 than on any other age group. Findings indicate that adults would have to consume twice as many drinks to suffer the same damage as adolescents, and that even occasional heavy drinking injures young brains.
Risk Taking
Adolescents’ involvement in risky behaviors has often been attributed to their thinking of themselves as invulnerable-bad consequences will not happen to them. Studies show that teenagers see occasional or experimental involvement in health-threatening activities as less dangerous than do their parents.
Peer-Pressure
As adolescents develop, drinking behavior becomes more influenced by peers
Studies have shown that youth who have a positive relationship with their parents are less likely to succumb to peer pressure. Glastonbury youth have reported that when parents do not set clear guidelines and expectations regarding behavior it is harder to say no to peers. When peers know that parents have not set rules it is much harder to avoid situations that may lead to unhealthy choices
Adolescent girls are more likely than boys to drink to fit in with their peers
Adolescents often turn to their peers for advice rather than parents or other adults
At this stage, adolescents crave peer acceptance at any cost and will not stand up to challenges from their peers. This often leads to poor decisions
Peer Acceptance
Peer selection rather than peer influence may be the more important factor for initiation of risky behaviors. Peer influence may be more important to maintenance of risky behaviors
Know your child’s peers and try to get to know their parents
Actions vs. Consequences
Teens perceive they must be exposed to a hazard numerous times before experiencing negative consequences
“Now” Oriented: Teens deal only with present, not looking ahead
Teens Don’t Feel Valued at Home, School, and Community
Attention tends to be placed on negative behaviors exhibited rather than the many positive activities and accomplishments by our youth.
Causes of teen stress
- Grades
- College/Perception that Getting Accepted into a Good
School =Lifetime Financial Success
- Sports/Activities/Groups
- Peer Acceptance
- Work
Symptoms of stress in young people include:
- Lack of energy or decreased energy
- Drop in grades
- Changes in appearance or personality
- Crying, moodiness or sulkiness
- Easily frustrated or angered
Untreated stress may lead to Depression/Anxiety
Resources:
www.211infoline.org and www.http://www.stonington-ct.gov/Pages/StoningtonCT_Youth/Teen%20Behavior
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Safeguarding a Happy 2010 Prom Season
We’re coming to that special time of year again….PROM Season! A time to create cherished memories and show our young people how much we care about them in an evening of fun never to be forgotten! But let’s remember that one of the most important things we can do for youth at this time is to keep them safe and substance free. Let’s protect this time-honored tradition by taking steps to prevent the many possible tragedies than can and do accompany underage drinking every year.
The Social Host Law in Massachusetts is clear: Whoever furnishes alcohol for a person under 21 years of age shall be punished by: 1) a fine of up to $2000, 2) imprisonment for up to a year, or 3) both. “Furnish” shall mean to knowingly of intentionally supply, give, provide to, or allow to possess alcoholic beverages on premises of property owned or controlled by the person charged. Massachusetts General Law, chapter 138, section 34.
A Social Host is anyone, adult or juvenile, who is in control of the premises, who serves or allows alcohol to be served. Social Host Liability is the legal and financial responsibility of a person who furnishes liquor to a guest, which increases exponentially if and when the guest incurs property damage, kills or hurts themselves or a third party on or after leaving your premises. Host Liability is the legal term for the
How can people protect themselves from social host liability? Don’t serve alcohol to anyone under 21. Don’t allow anyone under 21 to possess or consume alcohol on your property. Make your rules and expectations clear to all guests.
Even if your child has a party while you are away that you do not know about, you can pay the consequences. Because the law applies to those under 21, as well. So while you may not be found liable, in terms of intention, perhaps if you have taken precautions such as forbidding such a gathering, you child still can be. And you legally must pay for all damages incurred that your children are found responsible for under age 21.
If a social host is found guilty criminally, the door opens very fast for large-dollar civil suits, which are easy to prosecute once criminal guilt has been established. The amount of these suits may often exceed the extent of your home insurance, and ultimately, your ability to pay.
What happens if you give a party that you intend to be alcohol & drug free, and then you find kids drinking or drugging on your property? You should not let a kid who has taken drugs or alcohol leave. You must either call his or her parents, or call the police.
Calling the police is appropriate when anyone on your property appears drunk, impaired or not well. If there is a medical emergency, police will call EMTs to bring a person to a hospital for medical care. Also, the police can place the impaired persons in protective custody for twelve hours, alerting families as an effective way to prevent this from happening again.
Let’s teach children by example to respect the law this prom season. Carefully consider your responsibility when you host a social event that includes anyone under age 21. Both your responsibility and liability are greater than most people think.
Large teen parties can escalate out of control quickly. Don’t take the car keys of young people at a party, that conveys the expectation and tolerance of underage drinking. Be a Safe Home - Pledge to not serve alcohol to minors in the first place. Let your kids go only to the houses of other families who have done the same.
Hosting an adult party? Remind your guests to plan ahead, always offer alcohol-free beverages during the event, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober designated driver. Remember, the designated driver is a bad idea with youth; it implies the expectation of a designated drinker.
Furnishing alcohol to anyone under 21 is a CRIME….It’s All about You. Want to know more about MA social host liability law? Check out www.socialhostliability.org and www.georgetowncares.blogspot.com.
The Social Host Law in Massachusetts is clear: Whoever furnishes alcohol for a person under 21 years of age shall be punished by: 1) a fine of up to $2000, 2) imprisonment for up to a year, or 3) both. “Furnish” shall mean to knowingly of intentionally supply, give, provide to, or allow to possess alcoholic beverages on premises of property owned or controlled by the person charged. Massachusetts General Law, chapter 138, section 34.
A Social Host is anyone, adult or juvenile, who is in control of the premises, who serves or allows alcohol to be served. Social Host Liability is the legal and financial responsibility of a person who furnishes liquor to a guest, which increases exponentially if and when the guest incurs property damage, kills or hurts themselves or a third party on or after leaving your premises. Host Liability is the legal term for the
How can people protect themselves from social host liability? Don’t serve alcohol to anyone under 21. Don’t allow anyone under 21 to possess or consume alcohol on your property. Make your rules and expectations clear to all guests.
Even if your child has a party while you are away that you do not know about, you can pay the consequences. Because the law applies to those under 21, as well. So while you may not be found liable, in terms of intention, perhaps if you have taken precautions such as forbidding such a gathering, you child still can be. And you legally must pay for all damages incurred that your children are found responsible for under age 21.
If a social host is found guilty criminally, the door opens very fast for large-dollar civil suits, which are easy to prosecute once criminal guilt has been established. The amount of these suits may often exceed the extent of your home insurance, and ultimately, your ability to pay.
What happens if you give a party that you intend to be alcohol & drug free, and then you find kids drinking or drugging on your property? You should not let a kid who has taken drugs or alcohol leave. You must either call his or her parents, or call the police.
Calling the police is appropriate when anyone on your property appears drunk, impaired or not well. If there is a medical emergency, police will call EMTs to bring a person to a hospital for medical care. Also, the police can place the impaired persons in protective custody for twelve hours, alerting families as an effective way to prevent this from happening again.
Let’s teach children by example to respect the law this prom season. Carefully consider your responsibility when you host a social event that includes anyone under age 21. Both your responsibility and liability are greater than most people think.
Large teen parties can escalate out of control quickly. Don’t take the car keys of young people at a party, that conveys the expectation and tolerance of underage drinking. Be a Safe Home - Pledge to not serve alcohol to minors in the first place. Let your kids go only to the houses of other families who have done the same.
Hosting an adult party? Remind your guests to plan ahead, always offer alcohol-free beverages during the event, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober designated driver. Remember, the designated driver is a bad idea with youth; it implies the expectation of a designated drinker.
Furnishing alcohol to anyone under 21 is a CRIME….It’s All about You. Want to know more about MA social host liability law? Check out www.socialhostliability.org and www.georgetowncares.blogspot.com.
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