Teens Allowed to Drink Alcohol at Home

A Dutch study in which teens were allowed to drink alcohol at home found that they were more likely to drink outside of the home as well, and to drink more often. Parents who had hoped that by setting an example of moderate, safe drinking within the home would prevent alcohol abuse in their teens most often found that their teen was more likely to drink on their own. The study concluded that to avoid teen alcohol abuse, the onset of teen drinking should be delayed for as long as possible.
For teens that are struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, residential adolescent treatment can help. Establishing structure and learning new coping tools within a safe and nurturing environment allows teens the chance to get on the road to recovery. Teens who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse require treatment that addresses all aspects of a teen’s life- from academic and behavioral challenges, to dual-diagnosis and eating disorder issues, teens are given the opportunity to find wholeness and happiness within a loving support system. In addition to a wide range of daily activities, group, family, individual, equine, and art therapy all contribute to your teen’s well-being. There is no single solution to teen drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, but rather, there are multiple facets to achieving recovery. Visions explores every possible solution to craft an individual treatment plan for every individual teen.

What Causes Teen Drug Abuse?

What causes teen drug abuse?

Unfortunately there is not one simple solitary cause for teen drug abuse. As we know addiction is a Bio-Psych-Social disease and all of these components (Biological, Psychological and Social) play a part in addiction. Some teens are more vulnerable than others. Having a relative that is an addict, battling with depression and hanging out with a crowd that uses drugs are all examples of factors that contribute to one’s vulnerability to addiction. Other factors that place teens at more risk than others include:

-lack of parental supervision

-poor communication or relations between teens and their parents

-inconsistency within the family

-inconsistency regarding rules or consequences

-impulsivity

-psychological distress

-excessive mood swings and sensitivity

- lack of drug education

Forbes Eight Warning Signs That YOUR Teen Is Using Drugs

Dr. David Lewis, medical director of Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Malibu, Calif., says that poor performance in school is also a major clue. Numerous tardies might also mean kids are using between classes. Comments from teachers about a child's attention level may indicate that he or she is attending class under the influence.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers Medical Director, Psychiatrist M. David Lewis MD, FSAM - quoted on the Forbes Magazines Website

Dusters

Dusters

Huffing, or inhaling substances is common form of drug abuse among kids and teenagers, there are many products that can be bought legally at the local store. Some typical household products teens are using include glue, butane, thinners, paint, and a wide variety of aerosols. Huffing is on the rise according to research and can be deadly. Many teens huff because it does not show up on drug tests. It’s a cheap, two-minute high that causes an intense feeling of euphoria, loss of balance, slurring of speech, and some visual hallucinations.

One particular huffing agent known on the street as a “duster” seems to be broadly in use. Dusters are small aerosol canisters used for cleaning particulate matter and dust off of hard to reach places. Teenagers may ask for them to clean their computer, but they may be using them to get high. Huffing of aerosols can cause immediate damage to the brain and can cause heart failure. Long-term use of inhalants can cause liver and kidney damage. Studies have also shown that inhalants cause memory and hearing loss amongst chronic users. Many users have blackouts, and again, inhalants can be deadly.

Warning Signs of Teen Drug Use at Home (part 2)

Other Warning Signs: HOME

There are many signs that your teen may be using and abusing drugs. Many warning signs can be observed in the few hours that teens are actually at home. Commonly, adolescents will make excuses for their behavior. They will refrain from telling you vital information, such as where they are going, where they have been, and who they were with. You may notice a significant lack of interest on the part of your teen in participating in family functions. In fact, when they are home, they may be completely withdrawn from routine events like having an evening meal. They would rather stay in their room to talk with friends, listen to music, watch TV, or surf the Web. In this way, they neither have to confront you if they are under the influence, nor do they have to answer incriminating questions you may have about their recent behavior.

When you do ask your teen simple questions, that any concerned parent would ask, they may seem irritable or evasive. Many will act out both verbally and physically. Sleep patterns may be irregular or they may be in a state of withdrawal, which can greatly influence their mood in a negative manner. You may notice that they make little effort to prioritize their time. They may not make ample time for homework, chores, and their hygiene may begin to suffer. Due to poor performance in school, they may be hiding the fact that their grades are dropping. That’s not all they may be hiding! Many clues may be right under your nose. If you drink, keep track of the liquor cabinet. Many teens steal prescription drugs and money from their own parents, so it’s important to prevent the temptation. Check their rooms for paraphernalia such as pipes, baggies, rolling papers. You may feel like you are violating their privacy, but what you really may be doing is saving their life.

How Drugs Effect Teenagers

How Drugs Effect Teenagers

A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect within a body. Teenagers may be involved with legal or illegal drugs in various ways. Sometimes, experimentation with drugs during adolescence can be common. However, teenagers generally do not see links between their actions of the present and their consequences of the future. Teens also tend to feel invincible and immune to the problems that others around them experience.

Using alcohol, marijuana and tobacco at young ages will increase the potential of using other drugs like heroin, cocaine or speed later down the road. Some teens might experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others.

When teenagers use drugs, they will tend to have symptoms or signs of something being wrong. For example, as far as physical appearance goes, the teen might have a sense of fatigue, red and glazed eyes and/or a lasting cough. On an emotional level, the teenagers might have general mood swings, or irresponsible behavior, possible low self-esteem, general lack of interest in anything or could be generally depressed. In a family environment, a teen drug abuser can often be argumentative, or they become very secretive in movements. In school, a teenager could decline participation, drop in grades, skip certain classes, or generally accumulate a myriad amount of tardiness. These are some of the reasons why it is important to keep kids safe and pay more attention to all that they need. They (teenagers) are always in need of something one way or another.

Household Inhalants

Teresa Roy
1/17/08
Blog

Household Inhalants

Abuse of common household products, often called “huffing” or inhalant abuse, is common among teens (healthatoz.com). The abuse of household inhalants is as common as marijuana with young people.

Paint thinner, liquid paper, spray paint, house cleaners, glue and solvents are more accessible and less expensive. There are more than 1,000 products that are dangerous when inhaled. Some suggestions from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Michigan Health System and the AAP on what to look for if you suspect your child of “huffing” are: odors of the inhalant on clothing or breath, spots or sores around their mouth, loss of appetite and weight loss, poor performance in school, changes in behavior, unusual number of bottles or cans in his/her bedroom, or in unusual places.

I Was Adopted When I Was Born

I was adopted when I was born. My birth mother was 17 when she had me. I grew up as a teen using dugs with a huge resentment towards her for 21 years. I hated her for giving me up. It created abandonment issues and low self esteem inside me. felt less than, and unwanted. I was jealous of all my friends for knowing their background and ethnicity. I was jealous that they had REAL parents. I felt stupid that I didn't know anything about myself, and when I went to the doctor, they always asked me about my medical family history, and I had no answers for them. As a child, when I got upset I had the tendency to lock myself in my bathroom and stare at my fingerprints because it was the only thing I had left of my birth parents. I dreamed about how they looked, and what my life would have been like if I were still with them but I always went back to hating them for throwing me away. Last year, I finally got the chance to meet my birth mother. It was a life changing experience. She wasn't what I dreamed of, and the story about how I came to be was not what I had imagined. My birth mother had been raped by her step brother, and that's how she got pregnant. She was bulimic too, so she couldn't tell that she was pregnant until it was too late to have an abortion. I realize now that I was so judgemental towards my birth mother. I had no idea what she had been through, and I was so selfish that I never even thought about her feelings. Today, my birth mother and I are still in contact. We email each other every so often, and I just found out that I have a baby brother. They live in Portland, and I hope to visit them soon!

When Confronting Teens About Their Drug Use

When confronting teens about their drug use, teens often respond with minimization, rationalization, excuses and flat out lies. If you find drugs in your teen's room and confront them on it, you may hear things like; "those aren't mine", "I bought them, but decided not to use them", "I have only used them once", "My friend bought it and asked me to keep it for them", "It's only weed, it's natural" or "Thurman Murman gave it to be for free, so I'm not spending your money". If signs are pointing toward your teen and drug abuse, when confronting them, you may hear things like; "I'm just all way tired", "I'm just not hungry", "I'm not interested in college anyway", "I'm FINE", "Stop trying to ruin my life", "My eyes always look like this", and "I don't smell like chemicals, that just my detergent".
If you suspect your teen of using drugs, contact a professional. Tell the professional, only the facts about what is going on and not what your teen may be trying to convince you about. The professional will then be able to better guide you toward a solution. It is import to communicate your teen. But remember, drug users are not the most honest people in the world. Take what your teen says about his/her drug use "with a grain of salt".

Teen Prescription Drug abuse Increases

Studies may indicate that the overall percentage of elicit teen drug use has declined over recent years. However, the teen use and subsequent teen abuse of prescription medication has steadily increased in this age group at an alarming rate. Many teens find the pills in their parent’s medicine cabinet IE., Oxycontin, Vicodin, Zanax, Klonopin and Ambien. Others share or buy them from peers. Shockingly, some teen drug abusers even rummage through their neighbors trash to find leftover prescriptions. Furthermore, teens may not risk buying illegal drugs when they can get high on many household products, such as aerosols and other inhalants.

Based on this information, it is important to remember that what we regard as “unsafe to children” extends to teens as well. Reconsider locking up anything that you might consider dangerous to a child. When you throw away an old prescription, seal it, and grind it up in cat litter or old coffee grounds. These simple precautions may save the life of someone, namely someone you love.

Cough Medicine Abuse

Cough Medicine Abuse

About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12-25 have used cough and cold medicine to get high, the government reported Wednesday.

Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is cough suppressant that teens drug abusers are looking for in many over the counter cough, allergy and cold medications. When DXM is used as directed it is a safe and helpful medication with very little side effects. Although when taken at doses that exceed the recommended dose DXM has mind altering properties and potentially dangerous side effects. When taken at these high doses DXM can produce similar stimulating and euphoric effects to the drug ecstacy on the user, and at even higher doses DXM has been known to cause hallucinations. These hallucinations can include out-of-body experiences where teen drug users can feel complete disconnection from their body and surroundings.

DXM can have many negative side effects while taken at a mind-altering dose such as nausea, loss of consciousness and slowed breathing. Many long term effects of DXM are unknown but there is confirmation that long term abuse may lead to learning and memory impairment.

Teen Drug Abuse Symptoms

A frightening number of teens today are using and abusing drugs. Parents need to be educated on the signs and symptoms of teen drug use in order to keep their teens safe. The two categories or teen drug abuse symptoms are physiological and behavioral.
Physiological:
-Sleeplessness
-Exhaustion
-Blackouts
-Flashbacks
-Red Eyes
-Glassy Eyes
-Dilated Pupils
-Pinned Pupils
-Runny Nose
-Cough
-Needle Marks
-Withdrawal Symptoms
-Increase or Loss in Appetite
-Weight Loss or Gain
-Poor Coordination
-Shakes or Tremors
-Nausea
-Vomiting
-Sweating
-Hyperactivity
Behavioral:
-Extreme Change in Attitude
-Change of Friends
-Social Isolation
-Change or Loss of Interest in hobbies
-Slipping Grades
-Low Self Esteem
-Apathy
-Anger
-Paranoia
-Depression
-Secretive Behavior
-Dishonesty
-Unexplained need for money or stealing
One of these symptoms alone may not be a sign of teen drug use, but if a teen has several of these symptoms there is a strong change that the teen is using drugs. If parents are aware of the signs and symptoms of teen drug abuse it will make early detection easier and help prevent teens from slipping into teen drug addiction.

My High School Graduation

I won't ever forget my high school graduation. It isn't the personal
significance of the day that remains in my memory, but the collective grief that was felt by my whole graduating class. I remember how quiet the whole day seemed, despite the sunshine and cheers. I remember that we all wore sunglasses, and spoke quietly among ourselves. I remember the words of farewell written on the caps of many of the girls. I remember having to tell my friends two nights before at my graduation party that our friend and classmate had been murdered after coming home from a graduation party. I don't think that we mourned only her loss that afternoon. There had been a host of senseless deaths that final year, more in the year to follow. A friend killed and two others shot while partying in a church parking lot by a crazed transient. A student shot in a drive by. Four classmates instantly snuffed out when they smashed into a tree at a hundred miles an hour. Another when he launched his motorcycle off a cliff. The teen years are difficult and dangerous for all of us. During this time of life we take risks based on a lack of experience, a need for excitement, a chance to experiment, a feeling that we are invincible. None of this was helped by the fact that most of us, all of my friends, and it seemed everyone at my high school spent a good part of our days drinking, smoking pot and snorting coke. Everyone who died that year was drunk or high when they were killed. Nobody died of an overdose, or a heart attack, or jumped off a building in a LSD induced mind trip, but I can't help but think that the impaired judgment caused by substance abuse played a part in all of their deaths. The girl who was murdered was high on coke, the classmates killed in the car crash were drunk, the boys who were hanging out in the parking lot were smoking pot. We all made poor choices, some of us paid a higher price than others. Grief and loss are invariably a part of a modern teen's experience. Such experiences, tragic as they are, are an opportunity for teens to look at their own behavior, an opportunity to see that there is an effect for every cause. While nobody can take away the risks of growing up, of moving outward into the world, perhaps we can use the moment of grief to pause and reflect. When some students of mine were recently talking about the loss of a classmate who died in a car accident, I used the opportunity to discuss with them the fragile nature of life. They began to get a glimpse into their own mortality. We discussed how the number one cause of teenage death is car accidents, how distractions by friends and excessive speed can lead to a tragic end. I know that all of this must seem a bit grim. It's not a topic that any of us want to discuss or face, let alone talk to our children about. But teens are faced with judgment calls everyday. Do they get into the car, do they go to the party, and should they try ecstasy? If young people are not equipped to make these decisions, then we have a responsibility, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to discuss with them our experience, to talk with them about the choices they will face. Perhaps if we do that now, then maybe later they won't have to have their own memories of a somber graduation.

Teen Drug Treatment/ Anabolic Steroids

The teen sports world is not known for its teen drug abuse as it's high prevalence of Anabolic Steroid abuse. A report given by The National Institute of Drug Abuse says that about 1 in 20 high school athletes used steroids in 2001. Steroids are substances used to increase the amount of testosterone in the body, in turn enhancing
performance. Steroids increase protein synthesis and enhance anabolism, in the body. Steroids also stimulate bone growth, increase bone marrow and red blood cells. Anabolism results in the buildup of the body's cellular tissues.

Steroid use is associated with numerous negative side-effects. These side effects are liver disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stunted bone growth, kidney disease, aggression, impulsively, sterility, death, enlargement of female genitalia, deepening of voice, testicular shrinking, high blood pressure, increased libido and male breast growth. Also, steroids can cause the muscles to grow at a faster rate than the tendons can strengthen. The athlete can then lift more weight than their tendons or cartilage can support, causing damage to one or both. Depression is a common side effect of steroid abuse. In a study done in 2005, 20 percent of steroid abusers questioned suicide and 3 percent actually attempted it.

Most teen steroid abusers today, are known to be educated of all these negative
side effects. In another study, teen steroids abusers were asked why they still
use steroids even though they come with heavy consequences. The most common
responses were, “I have never personally encountered any negative side-effects
and believe the education is a scare tactic.” Scare tactic or not, the
consequences are real and denial will not prevent there occurrence. Despite
there illegality and dangers, steroids are a dark reality of today’s teen
athletes. Teen drug treatment centers have been seeing more anabolic steroid use in teens today.

Teens Getting High on Houselhold Products

Studies may indicate that the overall percentage of elicit teen drug use has declined over recent years. However, the use and subsequent abuse of prescription medication has steadily increased in this age group at an alarming rate. Many teens find the pills in their parent’s medicine cabinet. Others share or buy them from peers. Shockingly, some even rummage through their neighbors trash to find leftover prescriptions. Furthermore, teens may not risk buying illegal drugs when they can get high on many household products, such as aerosols and other inhalants. Dust Off, super glue, oven cleaners, and other strong smelling chemicals will kill brain cells and possiably do irreparable damage to the brain.

Based on this information, it is important to remember that what we regard as “unsafe to children” extends to teens as well. Reconsider locking up anything that you might consider dangerous to a child. When you throw away an old prescription, seal it, and grind it up in cat litter or old coffee grounds. These simple precautions may save the life of someone, namely someone you love.

Teen Drug and Eating Disorders

Most teen drug treatment professionals will agree that teens with eating disorders share risk factors with teens who abuse substances. They also say that there are shared characteristics in both addictions. Up to half the adolescents that have eating disorders abuse drugs and/or alcohol. It is said that 35% of teens who abuse drugs and alcohol have eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Teens at risk for both addictions share risk factors including low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, an approval seeking personality, the tendency to be impulsive and are usually experiencing stress or a transition of some sort. Those suffering from co-occurring disorders like eating disorders combined with drug addiction often use caffeine, alcohol, laxatives, amphetamines, emetics, cocaine and heroin. These substances relieve anxiety and stress, may suppress ones appetite and rid the body of excess or unwanted calories. Characteristics in both might include chronic disease with a high rate of relapse, preoccupation with behaviors such as; using drugs, drinking, eating or not eating, secretiveness, rituals and compulsive behavior. The combination of both addictions may be life threatening and usually requires intensive treatment.Mental health professionals say that often times teen eating disorders and teen drug abuse go hand in hand.

Teen Prescription Drug Use on The Rise

Prescription drug abuse among teens in on the rise. Recently there are more
teenagers seeking teen treatment for addiction and more putting their lives on the line for prescription narcotics. The case on October 20th of the Junction City boy, just fourteen years old, who overdosed on vicoden and morphine at a party is one more case that illustrates how serious this problem has become. Teenagers are now attending parties in which they bring pharmaceuticals, throw them in a bowl, mix them together and each take a handful. These parties are called "pharming" parties. Use of stimulants used to treat ADD and ADHD, such as Ritalin and Aderol are also rising. These amphetamine stimulants are popular among teens because of their availability. In 2006 there were lower numbers of adolescents who abused illegal drugs. There were fairly big numbers of teens who abused prescription narcotics. Teens drug abusers seem to be shying away more from street drugs and beginning to use prescription drugs to produce the same kind of high. These adolescents drug users are under the false impression that prescription drugs are safer. In fact these drugs are just as addictive and dangerous, and mixed with alcohol can be fatal.

New Designer Drugs

There is a new wave of designer drugs available to teens today and Guess what? They are completely legal and only a click away. Powerful synthetic psychedelics derived from the same drug families as LSD,Mushrooms and Mescaline. These new drugs do not have common street names. They have Laboratory names like 2C-1, 5-Meo-DMT, etc. Unlike illicit street drugs like Ecstasy, Speed, LSD, GHB thee drugs are not made in bath tubs or street labs. These "research Chemicals" are made in legal labs right here in the United States and are legally available to Teenagers on the Internet, they are easily ordered with a credit card and usually delivered by Fed Ex. These drugs typically appear in a white powder form and can be ingested by eating, smoking, snorting and injecting. While the purity of these drugs is probably hire then their illicit counterparts the same potential for abuse will remain.

Khat a New Drug

Confusion surrounds a new drug called Khat. It is a dried leaf that many East Africans use as a Stimulant. The confusion stems (no pun intended) from differing state and Federal statutes, the fact that it is hard to identify and it's chemical properties change with time. Within the first 48 hours of harvest the plant contains an illegal drug called Catholine that causes a Strong euphoric high when chewed. After those first 48 hours the psychoactive chemical becomes Cathine, a much milder form of the drug that is often steeped in hot water to make a tea. It is unclear Whether this drug has left it's cultural circles and the teenage culture.

Teen Meth Use

Crystal Meth is an Amphetamine that is classefied as a stimulant. Meth is known to create a sense of well being, increase energy, alertness, etc. It is also known to depress the appetite which is very attractive to teenage girls with body image issues or eating disorder as a form of weight control. Meth is extremely addictive for adolescents and adults alike. It is very damaging to an adolescents mind and body development. It's use among the teen culture has grown at an alarming rate over the last five years. Crystal Meth is often referred to as Speed, Meth, Crank, Ice, Chalk, Tweek, etc. Other Stimulants are cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Adderall, Ritalin and Amphetamine.

CROSS ADDICTION

An issue that adolescents have with recovery is replacing the drugs, alcohol, or other self-harming behavior with positive behaviors. One fear is that the adolescent will change or switch addictions, this is known as cross addiction. For example, an unhealthy behavior that has to be addressed is sexual promiscuity. One of the biggest distractions that teens use to not focus on themselves is to focus on each other. Switching from one partner to the next can become just as much as a rush as using a substance. In this case sex and the partners they use become the addiction. Another example of cross addiction occurs when an adolescent gets clean and sober from mind-altering substances and develops a gambling habit. In gambling the person can experience the same adrenaline rush that the substance once gave them. Both of these behaviors can be very destructive for any adolescent in recovery and may eventually lead to relapse. Some other examples of cross addiction are: cutting, internet, video games, shopping, energy drinks and unhealthy eating habits.

The goal of every adolescent in recovery should be to live a happy, healthy, and productive life. Negative influences are always going to be a part of society, but through the self – esteem building process of treatment the adolescent will learn to make better choices. Education for adolescents is a key component. It is important to educate adolescents in the disease concept of addiction as well as relapse prevention. It is important to raise adolescents awareness of their self – harming escape behaviors. In addition, it is important to give adolescents healthy alternatives/hobbies to negative behaviors, such as: doing well in school, playing a sport, exercise, eating healthy, music or art. These alternatives will lower the adolescents likelihood of using negative coping mechanisms, and decreases the likelihood of cross addiction and eventually relapse. Getting adolescents involved in a 12-step component support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous is essential. Working with a sponsor to help relate to another person that has already made the changes necessary to live a positive life is equally as important. Dealing with current issues and educating adolescents on possible cross addictions gives them the best chance at success and reaching their fullest potential.
Brian Wildason

Celebrity Influence on Teen Drug Use

Celebrity influence on teen drug use and Teen Drug rehab is at an all time high. Adolescents acquire much of thier beliefs about drugs and alcohol from role models. With celebrities like Brittany Spears and her abuse of prescription drugs. Lindsay Lohan's cocaine abuse and eating disorder. Pete Doherty's cocaine use and heroin abuse. Model Kate Moss's addiction and stay in drug rehab. The list could go on as a virtual who's who of hollywood elite's stays in drug treatment centers. If you combine the facts that celebrities are looked up to by adolescents with social pressures and a genetic predisposition it's no wonder so many teens end up struggling with addiction and alcohol abuse today.

AMERICA’S SCHOOLS INFESTED WITH DRUGS

Teens at Drug-Infested Schools Likelier to Use

Compared to teens at drug-free schools, those at drug-infested schools are:

· 16 times likelier to use an illegal drug other than marijuana or prescription drugs;

· 15 times likelier to abuse prescription drugs;

· six times likelier to get drunk at least monthly;

· five times likelier to use marijuana;

· four times likelier to smoke cigarettes;

· four times likelier to be able to buy marijuana within a day; and

· nearly six times likelier to be able to buy marijuana within an hour.

Click here to read more about the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XII.

Teens abuse over the counter, prescription drugs

July 30, 2007

Thomasville -- It's a growing drug abuse trend. More young people are abusing easy-to-access over the counter and prescription drugs. Drug education officers say if kids think that's not dangerous, they're wrong. Deputies in Thomas County say this school year, they plan to crack down.

Thomas County D.A.R.E. Officer Sgt. Steven Jones says teen drug abuse is a different game in schools today. "Drug use is down in every category except one. That one category being over the counter and prescription drugs."

Cold medicines, with an ingredient called dextromethorphan, are the most common source of over the counter drug abuse.

"Kids are figuring out, learning from the Internet, learning from their friends that cold medications give them a particular kick or feeling that they're looking for," says Jones.

Most parents don't realize, kids are using what's right in their own medicine cabinet to get high. The best idea is to keep these items, along with your prescriptions, in a place where kids can't get to them."

"It's easy access, it's right there in the home, in the medicine cabinet, that's where so many of them get it," says Jones.

At Thomas county schools, the sheriff's office dealt with around half a dozen cases last school year, but they say there probably were even more than that. Here, authorities have mainly discovered teens abusing a drug called, Coricidin, a brand of over the counter cold tablets.

"It's illegal for them to have those on campus. Anything they bring on campus they're supposed to take to the school nurse and we're going to try to do a better job this year of cracking down on that."

Small amounts of the drugs are fine, but officers say many teens are ignoring use and dosage labels, a dangerous idea.

"They're experimenting, and that's what's scary because this stuff can cause some really serious side effects, as well as can kill them."

With a special eye on the look out for over the counter meds, DARE officers say this school year their zero-tolerance drug policy will be enforced more strongly than ever.

This week during planning, D.A.R.E. officers in Thomas county are educating school staff on what these drugs look like and the signs to look for in kids who use the drugs.

Area Father Must Have Read Some Drug-Slang Brochure or Something

Area Father Must Have Read Some Drug-Slang Brochure Or Something

How We Get Addicted

"Addictions," says Joseph Frascella, director of the division of clinical neuroscience at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "are repetitive behaviors in the face of negative consequences, the desire to continue something you know is bad for you."

- A good read from TIME mag.

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

Unsupervised Teens Have More Sex

Unsupervised Teens Have More Sex

Phone 866-889-3665

The less after-school supervision teens have, the more likely they are to have sex, new research says. And that sexual activity is likely to happen at the home of one of the teens, claims a new study in the December issue of Pediatrics.

Dr. Deborah Cohen, a researcher at the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., and her colleagues evaluated more than 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12 in six public high schools. They found that 56 percent were home without an adult present at least four hours each day after school.

Then they compared supervision with sexual activity and found a strong relationship between the number of unsupervised hours and sexual activity. Those who were unsupervised for at least 30 hours a week, or roughly six hours each weekday, were more likely to be sexually active compared with those left alone for no more than five hours a week. Those who were unsupervised for more than five hours weekly also reported more sexually transmitted diseases.

They also found that among those who had intercourse, 91 percent said the last time occurred at their home, their partner's home, or a friend's home -- usually after school.

The students who were evaluated were 98 percent black, many from low-income families and more than half from single-parent homes. While the study results may not be applicable to all populations, Cohen says, it "should raise red flags."

She adds there were no differences between single parent and two-parent families, further lending credence that it was indeed the lack of supervision, not the family structure, that was associated with the sexual activity.

She also points to a report done earlier this year by Child Trends, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, in which those researchers found that more than half of boys and girls aged 16 to 18 had sex for the first time in their own home or that of their partner's -- presumably when parents were not around, although the researchers didn't ask that question. In the current study, the most surprising finding to Cohen was the amount of unsupervised time. "These are high school kids," she says. "People expect them to be more responsible."

While teens are physically more able to take care of themselves than younger children, she says teens would still "be better off if adults were around more."

If that's impossible because of work schedules, parents might investigate after-school activities that are supervised, she suggests.

The findings of the latest study don't surprise Julia Davis, a senior program officer at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "You can only assume the less time parents spend with the kids, the less opportunity [they have] to talk about sex." Even though teens are uncomfortable talking to their parents about sex, says Davis, citing her own research on teen sexuality, they still look to their parents for guidance.

Spending more time with teens will present more opportunities to open that dialogue about sex, Davis says. "Make it clear what your opinion is of being sexually active, what they need to know about protection, risks and consequences," she adds. "The key issue is to communicate to your teen there can be a dialogue. It isn't just one talk, but ongoing dialogue."

The dialogue, she adds, must change as your teen's needs change. A 15-year-old, for instance, probably needs very different information than an 18-year-old about to go off to college.

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Study: Random Drug Testing Is Effective

Study: Random Drug Testing Is Effective

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December, 2002

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Student-athletes subject to random drug testing at an Oregon high school were almost four times less likely to use drugs than their counterparts at a similar school who were not tested, a study shows.

The one-year pilot study by researchers at Oregon Health & Sciences University compared Wahtonka High School in The Dalles, where all student-athletes were subject to random testing, and Warrenton High School, a demographically similar school near Astoria, where they were not.

Of the 135 athletes subject to the random testing at Wahtonka, only 5.3 percent said they were using illicit drugs by the end of the school year, versus 19.4 percent of the 141 athletes at Warrenton.

They also were three times less likely to use performance-enhancing substances like steroids, according to the survey responses, which were confidential.

The study, conducted during the 1999-2000 school year, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an arm of the National Institutes of Health. The results are published in next month's Journal of Adolescent Health.

The differences between the schools were dramatic,'' said Dr. Linn Goldberg, a lead researcher in the study. ``And the differences between the non-athletes (who were not tested at either school but who filled out questionnaires about drug use) were not significantly there'' - 32.2 percent at Warrenton and 26.6 percent at Wahtonka.

The study comes six months after the issue was thrown into the spotlight by the U.S. Supreme Court. In June, the court ruled that children attending public schools can be required to participate in drug testing if they join any competitive after-school activity, from football to chess.

Merry Holland, principal at Wahtonka, said the school has continued to test athletes since the study ended. She said she believes the program has helped curb drug use. But, she said, the drug testing has also led some students to switch to substances that are more difficult to track, like beer.

"There are a lot of parties with alcohol,'' she said. "If they want to stay with sports, and participate, they might switch to something they think is harder to detect.''

Over the past few years, about 5 percent of schools nationwide have required that athletes be drug tested. About two percent have tested students in other activities.

The Oregon pilot study is the forerunner of a wider, three-year study at 13 Oregon high schools.

Dubbed SATURN, for Student Athlete Testing Using Random Notification, the wider study is meant to examine whether the threat of testing really keeps kids away from drugs. It was suspended in its third year after a federal agency expressed concerns about some of the methodology used in the study's latter two years.

The Office of Human Research Policy said the study violated a number of federal regulations by not properly obtaining informed consent from children or protecting research subjects from coercive environments. The survey results used in the published study were not affected.

OHSU issued a response this month offering to better ensure student confidentiality, to stop using principals and coaches to solicit participation in some schools and to end financial incentives for participating schools. Goldberg said researchers are awaiting word on whether the study will be reinstated. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Survey: Parents Underestimate Ecstasy Use

Survey: Parents Underestimate Ecstasy Use

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NEW YORK (CNN) — A survey released Monday found a major gap between the number of teenagers who admit having used the psychoactive drug Ecstasy and the number of parents who think their kids have tried it.

Only 1 percent of the more than 1,200 parents surveyed nationwide by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America said they believe their children may have tried the club drug Ecstasy.

By contrast, the February study found that 12 percent of teens said they had tried the drug.

The survey of parents also found that 92 percent said they had heard of Ecstasy, but 49 percent did not know what effect the drug has on users.

And 41 percent felt it is difficult for children to obtain; only 26 percent of the kids interviewed agreed with that sentiment.

The drug has been largely perceived as harmless by teens, a mistake once made with cocaine, said Stephen Pasierb, the partnership's president and CEO.

“We're at the front end on Ecstasy,” Pasierb told a news conference. “We've got the example of cocaine. And if parents take this information, if kids think about this drug differently, we can avert a problem five years, 10 years, 20 years down the road.”

The partnership also released a new series of public service announcements to inform people about the harmful effects of Ecstasy, known scientifically as 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a broad coalition of media companies dedicated to helping kids reject substance abuse.

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Mixing Sex, Drugs and Alcohol Puts Many Teens at Risk

Mixing Sex, Drugs and Alcohol Puts Many Teens at Risk

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Experts say adolescents should be made aware of how using drugs and alcohol can lead to sexual activities that may change their lives forever. While drinking and having sex may be unofficially authorized milestones in the typical American teen's coming of age, a new study reveals that more and more adolescents are experimenting with both, leaving themselves susceptible to pregnancy, disease and violence.

In a random survey of 1,200 adolescents and young adults ages 13 to 24 throughout the United States, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 81 percent reported that they have had intercourse, and 50 percent agreed that "people their age" mix alcohol and drugs "a lot."

Experts say these findings, to be presented today at a substance abuse and sexual behavior conference at Columbia University in New York, are so disturbing because drugs and alcohol can significantly compromise one's judgment and put teens into high-risk situations.

“We knew that teenagers were doing this, but frankly it is a bit shocking that the numbers were so high,” said Dr. Timothy Johnson, ABCNEWS' medical editor.

Unintended and Unprotected Sex

Drinking and doing drugs often leads young people to engage in more sexual activity than they intended to partake in, and more importantly, to unprotected sex, says Joseph Califano, former U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia.

Overall, 29 percent of sexually active 15- to 24-year-olds surveyed say that they have “done more” sexually than they had planned while drinking or using drugs, and 74 percent say their peers "often do not use condoms when they are drinking or using drugs."

Considering the high rate of alcohol use among high-schoolers, it is no wonder the Centers for Disease Control reports that almost 1 million unwanted teenage pregnancies occur every year, and one in every three sexually active people in the United States will contract a sexually transmitted disease by the age of 24. This includes everything from genital warts to the life-threatening HIV.

In addition, drinking has been shown to play a predominant role in sexual violence, with more than half of college campus rapes including alcohol use by either the victim, the attacker, or both. Experts believe alcohol causes people to both misread and missend sexual signals, and also can create situations where people are vulnerable to attack.

Mix Your Messages

So what can concerned parents do to help their teens avoid these hazards? Califano says the best thing you can do is get involved.

“Parental engagement is probably the most effective way to reduce the risk of smoking, drinking, and doing drugs, and the overwhelming majority of research studies show that teens who are close to their parents are more likely to remain sexually abstinent and postpone intercourse, more likely to use contraceptives if they are sexually active, more likely to have fewer sexual partners, and less likely to become pregnant,” says Califano.

And whether you believe that abstinence is a moral imperative, or if you think that sexual activity is simply a rite of passage for all teens, Califano emphasizes that “everyone must drive home the very real dangers of mixing alcohol, drugs, and sex — pregnancy, HIV, STDs, and rape.”

He also strongly recommends that when having the “big talks” with your kids, emphasize the connection between drinking and sex. Because even though your teen may feel strongly about “how far they will go,” morals and intentions can be easily led astray after a couple of beers at a party.

“Make sure that every time you talk to your kids about sex, you also talk about drugs and alcohol, and every time you talk to them about drugs and alcohol, you talk to them about sex,” Califano advises. He says kids should learn how the topics are connected, so they are better equipped to deal with challenging situations when they arise.

Experts also suggest keeping an eye on the television shows your children watch, the music they listen to, and the Web sites they visit, because staying aware of outside influences helps parents become better equipped, as well.

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Kids Overdosing on Cold Medicine to Get High

Kids Overdosing on Cold Medicine to Get High

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Parents concerned about whether their children are abusing drugs might also want to keep their medicine cabinets under lock and key.

Across the country, children and teens are intentionally overdosing on cold medicine or “robotripping” in order to get a hallucinogenic high. Robotripping,is the slang term for intentionally overdosing on over-the-counter cold medication such as the cough medicine
Robitussin. Although cough syrup abuse is nothing new — it dates to more than 30 years ago — it seems to be undergoing a revival lately, with cases of teens overdosing on the medicine popping up across the country.

Robitussin, NyQuil, Benadryl and Coricidin are among the favorites. Tom, a 16-year-old boy whose last name is being withheld, told Good Morning America that some school friends told him about robotripping and he got high off a bottle of Robitussin. He then began experimenting with other over-the-counter medicines, taking eight to 16 Coricidin tablets at a time, he said.

“I started out with Robitussin, I drank an eight-ounce bottle,” Tom said. “The Robitussin was more like a high off of marijuana, and with Coricidin you can't sit still, you keep talking,” he said.

Ian, 17, said he used Coricidin, Nyquil and Benadryl to get high.

“It kind of got all concentrated into your head, and you really got kind of hyper and are all over the place and acting real stupid,” Ian said.

DXM Is Trouble Ingredient

The culprit ingredient is dextromethorphan, a common additive in cough suppressants that can cause hallucinations when used in large amounts, according to Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction expert.

“There's Web sites out there that tell these kids how to do this, how to get the pills, how to take enough pills,” Pinsky said.

Users can suffer psychosis, brain damage, and seizures. Overdoses can be fatal. Fourteen people died last year from intentional overdoses of cold medicines, and several hundred were hospitalized, Pinsky said.

“These are legal drugs, so only the worst cases of overdose make it into the records,” Pinsky said.

More than 80 over-the-counter cold medicines contain DXM, or dextromethorphan, a chemical that serves as a powerful cough suppressant when taken properly, but produces psychedelic effects when taken in large doses. DXM abuse is hard to track because it is legal and most abusers are under 18.

Ian and Tom say they're off Coricidin and Robitussin now, after getting help.

“I never got caught with it, but I got caught in school for being drunk and high, and they sent me to a drug counseling program and that covered everything,” Ian said. “I've been clean off of that stuff for about two months now,” he said.

Tom, who says he used Coricidin and Robitussin from late last year until October of this year, said he had managed to keep up a normal appearance in front of his teachers and parents, even when he was hallucinating, but away from home or school, he sometimes became uncontrollable. He would sleepwalk, talk in his sleep and have blackouts.

Tom says he's clean today and in an outpatient rehabilitation program while attending narcotic anonymous meetings.

Pee Wee Drug Dealers

There is also concern about the age at which children are abusing drugs, which seems to be getting younger.

In Port St. Lucie, Fla. last week, two 9-year-old children were found with 15 small bags of marijuana, reportedly while riding the school bus to their elementary school. One boy was passing the baggies to the other. The two boys are both in the third grade.
Police are investigating whether the boys intended to sell the drugs.

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Twins Study Bolsters Pot “Gateway Theory”

Twins Study Bolsters Pot “Gateway Theory”

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Study of Twins, Marijuana Bolsters “Gateway Theory” That Pot Can Lead to Hard Drugs

CHICAGO (AP) — A study of Australian twins and marijuana bolsters the fiercely debated “gateway theory” that pot can lead to harder drugs.

The researchers located 311 sets of same-sex twins in which only one twin had smoked marijuana before age 17. Early marijuana smokers were found to be up to five times more likely than their twins to move on to harder drugs.

They were about twice as likely to use opiates, which include heroin, and five times more likely to use hallucinogens, which include LSD.

Earlier studies on whether marijuana is a gateway drug reached conflicting conclusions. The impasse has complicated the debate over medical marijuana and decriminalization of pot.

Because this study involved twins, the findings would suggest that genetics play a subordinate role in drug use.

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association and was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

It does not answer how marijuana, or cannabis, might lead to harder drugs.

“It is often implicitly assumed that using cannabis changes your brain or makes you crave other drugs,” said lead researcher Michael Lynskey, “but there are a number of other potential mechanisms, including access to drugs, willingness to break the law and likelihood of engaging in risk-taking behavior.”

Lynskey is a senior research fellow at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane and a visiting assistant psychiatry professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where some of the research was done.

Lynskey and colleagues acknowledged the study has several limitations, including relying on participants' reporting of their own experiences.

In an accompanying editorial, Denise Kandel of Columbia University's psychiatry department said the study does not explain “whether or not a true causal link exists” between marijuana and hard drugs.

“An argument can be made that even identical twins do not share the same environment during adolescence,” she said.

Study participants were age 30 on average when they were asked about their teenage drug use. They included 136 sets of identical twins, who share the same genetic makeup.

About 46 percent of the early marijuana users reported that they later abused or became dependent on marijuana, and 43 percent had become dependent on alcohol.

Cocaine and other stimulants were the most commonly used harder drugs, tried by 48 percent of the early marijuana users, compared with 26 percent of the non-early marijuana users. Hallucinogens were the second most common, used by 35 percent of the early marijuana twins versus 18 percent of the others.

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Harmful Drugs in Your Medicine Cabinet

Harmful Drugs in Your Medicine Cabinet

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Caroline Stanley

The number of teens abusing illegal drugs dropped 11 percent in the past two years, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Health, but the celebration may be premature. Many kids are getting high on legal medications -- from over-the-counter cough medicines containing DXM (dextromethoxpan) to painkillers such as Vicodin. (In another survey, 8 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds used prescription medicines for nonmedical use.) Scariest of all: "A parent's prescription is the most likely source," says M. David Lewis, MD, medical director of Visions Teen Treatment Program in Malibu, California. Dr. Lewis recommends that parents throw out outdated prescriptions and hide current ones, carefully monitoring the amounts. Symptoms to watch for in your teen: insomnia, weight loss, irritability, agitation, and mood swings. "Dumping an intensely psychoactive drug into a teenager's developing brain is like a chemistry experiment," says Dr. Lewis. "The damage can be devastating."

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal magazine, April 2004.

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Stoned on Cold Medicine: Teens Are Abusing Over-the Counter Cold Pills to Get High

Stoned on Cold Medicine:
Teens Are Abusing Over-the Counter Cold Pills to Get High

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By John Stossel, ABCNEWS.com

Parents have their hands full trying to keep kids away from alcohol, smoking and drugs. Now there's yet another substance that teens are using to get high - legally. They're taking big doses of ordinary cold medicine.

A group of kids who spoke to ABCNEWS said they were using Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold Pills to get stoned. The ingredient that gives kids a high is dextromethorphan, or DXM. It suppresses coughs safely, but in large amounts it produces a chemical imbalance in the brain that allows the kids to get high.

Dextromethorphan is in more than 100 cold medicines, not just Coricidin, but one type of Coricidin has the particular cocktail of ingredients that the kids prefer. This week, the American Association of Poison Control reported teen abuse of these types of over-the-counter cold medications has doubled in the last four years.

'It Tastes Just Like Candy'

Molly, 17, described how taking a large dose of the pills made her feel, "You turn your head and everything went in slow motion. It was like you were in The Matrix or something."

The abuse of Coricidin is so appealing, kids say, because it's easy to get, it's legal, and parents and teachers usually don't have any idea they're taking it. "

As far as drugs go, you don't need to know a dealer, you know. If you can find a Walgreen's or a grocery store, you're set," said Jeff Helgeson, a 20-year-old from Minneapolis. Helgeson says he's been getting high on Coricidin for four years.

Some kids call the habit "skittling," because the pills look like the popular candy Skittles. "It's just like pot, except it's better and it tastes just like candy and your parents won't know if you get high cause your eyes won't be red," said Ashley, 16.

Jason, a 15-year-old from Seattle, said he liked the feeling so much he took the pills every day for five months. Another teen, Kevin, said he took Coricidin for a year and a half.

Parents, Teachers Often Unaware of Abuse

When parents see that their kids have cold pills, they don't think twice. It's just cold medicine, after all; it seems innocent enough.

School principal Judi Hanson says she's finding that Coricidin is becoming kids' drug of choice. It's easier to conceal. There's no smell, there's no dealing with a dealer. It makes it hard to detect.

But Jason's father, Pat, noticed his son seemed stoned when he came home with friends and he confronted him. Jason finally admitted to abusing the medicine. Like many parents, Pat didn't know kids could get high on cold pills.

Often the kids don't even buy the Coricidin - they steal it. Helgeson said he stole it. "I'd wear my coat in there or stuff it in my underwear."

The shoplifting has led some stores to move that type of Coricidin behind the counter. James Holm, a pharmacist at a Hopkins, Minn., store, said they had no choice."

These kids just seem to find it, zero in on it, and believe me, if you have it on the shelf, it's going to be gone," he said. "They'll steal it right out from underneath your nose. … They just grab it and go."

As the kids talked about getting stoned, there was a lot of laughter, even when they talked about accidents and injuries they suffered while taking the pills. Helgeson laughed as he talked about breaking his elbow and ankle while snowboarding and skateboarding when he was high on Coricidin.

Sometimes they laughed about not getting caught. Helgeson said he drag-raced a police car, and thought it was funny the officers couldn't tell he was high when they pulled him over. "They gave me a Breathalyzer. I hadn't been drinking. I didn't have any drugs on me. So they didn't know," he said.

Helgeson was the oldest among the group of young people who talked with ABCNEWS about their experiences. As the younger kids continued to laugh about their experiences, we noticed that Helgeson seemed sort of separate from them. Helgeson says it's still fun when he takes Coricidin, but he says it's wrecked his life. His mom has to drive him places because he'll lose his license if he gets another ticket. He dropped out of school and now lives at home, spending most of his time playing his guitar or just sitting."

Living in the household with Jeff the past few years has been like living with somebody who's sick and they never get well," said his mom, Merrilly Helgeson.

Jeff Helgeson has a twin brother, John, a junior at the University of Wisconsin, whose life is good. His mom says Jeff "always has a reminder right in front of him of where he would be right now if he were not doing Coricidin."

And Jeff doesn't seem happy with himself. "My brain has gone and I'm just wasted. It took all my friends away from me. I threw my life away." Yet he keeps using.

Abuse on the Rise

Failing grades or a trip to the hospital is sometimes what it takes to alert kids and their parents to the danger. Doctors say they're seeing more and more kids in emergency rooms who've taken too much Coricidin.

Over the last three years, there's been approximately a 300 percent increase in calls to poison control centers about dextramethorphan, said Dr. Edward Boyer, an emergency room physician in Massachusetts.

Boyer says the kids who come in to the emergency room are agitated, difficult to control, sweating and unresponsive when you try to speak to them.

Molly and Ashley had a recent close call.

They told Ashley's mom they were going to bed. Instead they took Coricidin, sneaked out of their house, and went to a party where they took more Coricidin."

My fingers were so numb that I couldn't open the package. So me and Molly were literally trying to rip the package open with our teeth," Ashley said.

They went to a boy's house where Ashley may have had sex, but she doesn't know.

"He took me in a bedroom and I guess he tried to have sex with me. … He was on top of me. But I fell asleep."

Later, a hospital test revealed she and the boy had not had sex. She and Molly did get home and later went to sleep. But by morning, they were still very high. The Coricidin high can last a day. Ashley's mom called the poison control center and was told to get the girls to the hospital.

Sometimes Deadly Consequences

At least five people have died after taking Coricidin, but even death doesn't seem to scare the kids. Jason had heard about a boy who died, but said he knows that the boy took the type of Coricidin that contains acetaminophen. And he knows not to take that type. "It tends to cause you to die," he said.

He's right, because acetaminophen can cause liver damage or death when taken in large doses.

Boyer said, "If you talk to kids, they know they should take the stuff that doesn't have acetaminophen in it." It's hard to believe the kids know which type of medicine is going to hurt them less.

But Boyer says he believes they do, and he says they can get a lot of information from an online drug encyclopedia called Erowid. While Erowid warns that high doses of acetaminophen can be fatal, the Web site appears to have been written by drug users. They describe first-time experiences, and suggest dosages - and in the case of Coricidin, warn of its dangers. In fact, you can get more information from these than you get from the government's drug-abuse Web site, Boyer said. "If I need information on a drug of abuse, I go to this Web site," he said.

Easy Access Makes Drug a Greater Threat

Some parents say Coricidin, because it's so accessible, is worse than other drugs. They want it taken off store shelves. But the company that makes Coricidin, Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, said removing it from the shelves would deny cold sufferers access to a helpful medication.

"We want to minimize abuse by warning people and changing the package so it's harder to shoplift, but Coricidin HBP is a valuable cold medicine, the safest and most effective product for patients with high blood pressure," the company said in a statement.

It also said putting it behind the counter would deprive those who need it. Wal-Mart's policy is to sell it only to customers 18 or older, and the chain limits the number of boxes people can buy to three.

Still, kids who want to abuse the medicine can still find it in stores or buy it over the Internet. Ultimately, making the decision not to abuse the medicine will be up to the kids.

Ashley said it's difficult to stop taking it once you get started. "It's addictive," she said. "here's some ingredient in those pills that makes you want to take it again no matter what."

That's not correct. Dextromethorphan is not physically addictive. Ashley and Molly have now stopped taking it. People do quit. Jason has been clean since June, and Kevin for almost a year. But Jeff Helgeson still uses."

I know that the right answer is for me to never do it again. Or drugs in general," he said. "But once you've been down that road, it's really difficult to get on a different path and stay on that path."

Poison Control Information

1-800-222-1222 is the 24-hour emergency number to call to find a poison control center your area. Poison control centers have additional information concerning abuse and misuse of cold medicines containing dextromethorphan.

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Teens Report Peer Pressure To Have Sex

Teens Report Peer Pressure To Have Sex

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Waiting to have sex is a nice idea, teenagers say, but they believe hardly anyone does it. Many teens, particularly boys, feel pressure to have sex, and they say drugs and alcohol often lead to sex -- often without condoms. The teen survey, released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, paints a comprehensive portrait of youth attitudes about sex and the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Teen pregnancy and birth rates have been falling for a decade -- a trend that other surveys have attributed to a drop in sexual activity and an increased use of condoms and other forms of birth control.

Still, the Kaiser survey spotlights areas of concern: Four in 10 sexually active teenagers have taken a pregnancy test or had a partner who did so. A significant minority of young people -- about one in six -- say having sex without a condom occasionally is not a big deal. And one in five say they have had unprotected sex after drinking or using drugs. Other surveys have found that nearly two in three teens will have had sex by the time they graduate from high school. The Kaiser survey shows that many have intimate relationships before that, with more than half of 15-to-17-year-olds saying they have been with someone in a sexual way. Among teens who have not yet had sex, nearly a third say they have been "intimate" with a partner.

"Changing social norms and cultural expectations as well as delayed marriage means many young people have multiple sexual relationships in their lifetimes and need the information and tools to make healthy decisions and communicate with their partners," the report said.

About one in three teens said they had been in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually. Separately, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy was releasing its own study Tuesday examining sex among younger teens. It found that about one in five teens report having sex before they turn 15 years old. That report, a compilation of data from earlier surveys, also found that younger teen girls who are sexually experienced were more likely than older teens to say they wish they had waited to have sex.

"Parents, program leaders, school officials, community leaders and others need to recognize that sex and dating are important issues for middle school age youth that cannot be ignored," the campaign said.

The Kaiser survey found that boys face particular pressure to have sex, often from male friends -- in contrast to the typical portrait of boys pressuring girls.

"There are a lot of expectations for boys to be sexually active," said Julia Davis, senior program officer at the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent group that studies health issues.

One in three boys ages 15-17 say they feel pressure to have sex, compared with 23 percent of girls. The pressure to drink alcohol was greater for both boys and girls; pressure to use drugs was about even with pressure to have sex. Overall, 63 percent of all 15-17-year-olds agreed either strongly or somewhat that "waiting to have sex is a nice idea but nobody really does it," with boys 6 percentage points more likely to say so.

The survey also found:

-More than eight in 10 teens say that a lot or some people their age drink or use drugs before having sex. Seven in 10 said their peers don't use condoms when they are drinking or using drugs. -About a quarter said that alcohol or drugs had influenced their decision to do something sexual at least once. -More than half of teens believe oral sex is not as big a deal as sexual intercourse, with boys more likely to believe this. Four in 10 consider oral sex "safer sex," although some diseases can be transmitted this way.

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Unsupervised Teens Have More Sex

Unsupervised Teens Have More Sex
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The less after-school supervision teens have, the more likely they are to have sex, new research says. And that sexual activity is likely to happen at the home of one of the teens, claims a new study in the December issue of Pediatrics.Dr. Deborah Cohen, a researcher at the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., and her colleagues evaluated more than 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12 in six public high schools. They found that 56 percent were home without an adult present at least four hours each day after school.Then they compared supervision with sexual activity and found a strong relationship between the number of unsupervised hours and sexual activity. Those who were unsupervised for at least 30 hours a week, or roughly six hours each weekday, were more likely to be sexually active compared with those left alone for no more than five hours a week. Those who were unsupervised for more than five hours weekly also reported more sexually transmitted diseases.They also found that among those who had intercourse, 91 percent said the last time occurred at their home, their partner's home, or a friend's home -- usually after school.The students who were evaluated were 98 percent black, many from low-income families and more than half from single-parent homes. While the study results may not be applicable to all populations, Cohen says, it "should raise red flags."She adds there were no differences between single parent and two-parent families, further lending credence that it was indeed the lack of supervision, not the family structure, that was associated with the sexual activity.She also points to a report done earlier this year by Child Trends, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, in which those researchers found that more than half of boys and girls aged 16 to 18 had sex for the first time in their own home or that of their partner's -- presumably when parents were not around, although the researchers didn't ask that question. In the current study, the most surprising finding to Cohen was the amount of unsupervised time. "These are high school kids," she says. "People expect them to be more responsible."While teens are physically more able to take care of themselves than younger children, she says teens would still "be better off if adults were around more."If that's impossible because of work schedules, parents might investigate after-school activities that are supervised, she suggests.The findings of the latest study don't surprise Julia Davis, a senior program officer at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "You can only assume the less time parents spend with the kids, the less opportunity [they have] to talk about sex." Even though teens are uncomfortable talking to their parents about sex, says Davis, citing her own research on teen sexuality, they still look to their parents for guidance.Spending more time with teens will present more opportunities to open that dialogue about sex, Davis says. "Make it clear what your opinion is of being sexually active, what they need to know about protection, risks and consequences," she adds. "The key issue is to communicate to your teen there can be a dialogue. It isn't just one talk, but ongoing dialogue."The dialogue, she adds, must change as your teen's needs change. A 15-year-old, for instance, probably needs very different information than an 18-year-old about to go off to college.
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