Candy Meth -THIS PRESENT DANGER

What if someone had the brilliant notion to make "the world's most dangerous drug" sweet tasting by adding candy flavors and making it look like Pop Rocks? Well, someone did and it might be catching on. As a father of a fifth grader, I was naturally concerned when I heard about the newest form of methamphetamine, known as "candy-meth." An e-mail has been circulating on the Web, alleging that candy-flavored meth is being passed out to kids at elementary schools. To verify evidence to support the claims in the e-mail go to Snopes.com .

(see link http://www.snopes.com/horrors/drugs/candymeth.asp),

Candy meth is a potential threat to anyone tricked into thinking that it’s not harmful.

Parents need to be informed on what kind of drugs are out there. Furthermore, parents need to talk to their children about the present dangers of drugs.

Here are the basic facts that exist regarding candy-flavored meth:

- candy meth is most commonly flavored with strawberry and is known on the street as "Strawberry Quick."

- other flavors may include chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape, and orange

- tell your children to never accept candy from strangers, or even friends if received from someone else

-meth is especially dangerous for kids, with symptoms of anxiety, paranoia, and increased heart rate

Pharming, it’s not the 4H Club

Worried that your teenager is visiting dangerous neighborhoods or hanging with the wrong crowd to obtain illegal drugs? The source of their drug use might be much closer than you think. With increased accessibility to and use of prescription drugs, including prescription pain relievers, stimulants, sedatives, and tranquilizers, you might only need look as far as your own medicine cabinet for your teens’ “pusher.” According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the use of prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval is the second most common type of illegal drug use.

“Pharming,” the slang term for obtaining pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical use from a home medicine cabinet, is a dangerous trend that is becoming a major source of illegal drugs for teens. Easy accessibility and extensive prescriptions of such drugs for legitimate reasons, coupled with low security and a lack of parental awareness, makes this source of drugs particularly tempting for teenagers who may be using drugs or experimenting with drug use. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.2 percent of youth aged 12-17 had used a prescription psychotherapeutic drug for nonmedical reasons in the past year, and 4.0 percent were current users. Vicodin is one of the most commonly abused drugs among teens, but opioids such as OxyContin are increasingly being abused. Amphetamines such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin, which are commonly prescribed for ADD, are easily obtained from school acquaintances or are legitimately prescribed, and then misused either in dosage or in intake (such as snorting or injection).

The ingestion of multiple prescription medications, as is common in pharming, is particularly dangerous. Teens may be unaware of the potencies of the drugs they are ingesting. They may be unaware of the potential for addiction. Teens may also be unaware, or unconcerned, with potentially severe drug interactions, which could cause serious health problems, hospitalizations, or worse. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitors drug abuse from emergency departments (Eds) across the nation, benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan) accounted for 100,784 ED visits categorized as drug abuse-related cases. Opioid pain relievers (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, methadone, and combinations that include these drugs) accounted for more than 119,000 in 2002. Between 1994 and 2002, ED reports of hydrocodone and oxycodone overdoses increased by 170 percent and 450 percent, respectively.

Prescription drugs obtained illicitly are also commonly sold by teens to other teens. “Pharming parties” are events where teenagers swap pharmaceuticals that they have either stolen, or have been prescribed for legitimate reasons. Teenagers may be unaware that selling prescription drugs for money, or trading them with others for non-medical use is illegal and can result in serious criminal charges. Be sure to inform your teen of the dangers of non-medical drug use, and the potential for legal problems.

So what can you do to prevent prescription drug abuse in your child? According to theantidrug.com parents should:
• Keep your prescription medications in a safe place where only you have access
• Take inventory in your own home. Just as you do for alcohol, make note of the amount in each bottle. Also know which medications are commonly abused, and dispose of any medications that you no longer need.
• Monitor the web sites that your child visits on the Internet. Some teens order medications via web sites that are not monitored by the FDA. Check your Internet history to make sure that your child isn’t ordering medications online.
• Know the signs of abuse. The symptoms are pretty obvious: slurred speech, staggering walk, sweating, nausea, vomiting, numbness of extremities, dilated pupils, drowsiness, dizziness. If your teen shows these signs of drug abuse, ask questions immediately -- then talk calmly with them about the risks of abuse.

Parents should share this information with their friends, relatives and the families of their children’s friends to reduce the availability of such drugs to their children. Knowledge and communication may be the most effective anti-drug for you and your family.

The Chemical Dependency Counselor: Nurturer

A Chemical Dependency Counselor is both a nurturer and a disciplinarian. The clients that we work with at Visions definitely need structure. They are in denial that their lives are spinning out of control. Most of them have a dangerous combination of low self-esteem and an invincibility complex. Academically, their grades are dropping due to a lack of motivation and numerous absences. Their family is falling apart because of a breakdown in communication. By the time our clients reach us, their parents have lost trust and are extremely frustrated. That’s where I come in.

As a Chemical Dependency Counselor, I attempt to help the client put the fractured pieces of their lives back together. The trick is finding a balance between providing the necessary structure, but in a nurturing way. The basic problem with the kids I see is that they don’t have the tools they need to deal with the problems of adolescence. They try to fix themselves with drugs and alcohol. I teach them new ways to cope with the stress of being a teenager. My clients are educated about addiction as a disease of the mind and the body. They need to find new ways to process their feelings. I assist them in finding outside support, such as a sponsor and good 12 Step meetings. I meet with them individually throughout the week, formally and informally. When the client leaves Visions, the clinical team tries to make sure that everything is in place so that the transition will be easy. Working with the clinical team, I help in planning a home contract that will keep them on the road that they started in treatment. Even though we do everything possible to ensure success, not knowing how things will work out is one of the hardest parts of my job.

My path began during my adolescence. I went off the deep end. I “bottomed-out,” felt lost, and had nowhere to turn (or so I thought). Fortunately, I found AA and now I am a recovering addict, so I bring a wealth of experience to my job. I’ve been working at Visions for three years. I started out as a Program Aide and I am now a counselor. I completed a two-year program at Glendale Community College. I have helped many young people regain their hope and sanity. I remember one particular client who came in with low self-esteem. He couldn’t imagine life without alcohol. After a couple of months of working the program and sharing his feelings, he used his personality to become a leader, sharing his confidence, and speaking at meetings. Now, others want to be like him because he has the structure and the discipline that he lacked while he was using.

Brian Wildason

The Cheese

In 2005 a new and deadly recreational drug emerged on the street market, focused towards pre-teens and teenagers alike. “Cheese” or “Cheeze” is the mixing of one illegal drug (Heroin) with a legal drug (Tylenol PM). Tylenol PM is a combination of Acetaminophen and Diphenhydramine (the main ingredient of Benadryl). Heroin by itself is a potent and highly addictive opiate narcotic which can be very expensive; therefore it can be very difficult or next to impossible for young people to afford and maintain a habit. Drug dealers, as always, took it upon themselves to find a way to make it affordable. When they cut the drug with Tylenol PM it makes a less potent and less expensive, yet still addictive, street drug.

People are not injecting or smoking “Cheese”, rather the standard form of consumption is snorting; snorting drugs like Amphetamines (i.e. Ritalin) and Cocaine is common in middle and high school, so naturally “Cheese” would be consumed the same way. A line of “Cheese” ($2) is much cheaper than a line of cocaine ($10) these days; however, the dangers of snorting “Cheese” are much greater with regard to overdose.

The combination of different drugs in “Cheese” has proven fatal in a number of cases throughout Texas; Dallas seems to have become the epicenter of this new and deadly drug. The human liver can only process so many things at one time, especially in younger under developed bodies such as teenagers. The other issue with “Cheese” is the level of purity with regard to the varying percentage of heroin from one batch of “Cheese” to another. A teenager may be under the impression that the amount of the drug he did yesterday will affect him the same way today with a new batch. These inconsistencies can and will prove fatal with continued usage.

If you are a parent and may have knowledge of your child using “Cheese” or any other opiate narcotic, and are interested in getting help or more information you are at the right place. Seek help before any more damage can be done, “Cheese” is very dangerous and will only lead to continued and potentially more fatal drug use.