Sue Scheff: It’s Time to ACT! Drug Free America
by Sue Scheff on Aug 07, 2010
According to a survey of 6,500 teens by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, 73 percent said the number one reason they turn to drugs and alcohol is to relieve stress at school. As the new school year begins, how can you help your teen adjust especially if they are starting a new school.
TIME TO ACT! is a first-of-its kind online help resource for parents and caregivers who suspect or know their child is experimenting, using or has a problem with alcohol or drugs.
Discovering that a teen is using drugs or alcohol can be a scary experience for parents — many feel alone, ashamed, and confused about what to do next. The Partnership believes that no parent should go through this alone, without guidance from experts and other parents.
Time To Act! was created to ensure that every parent has free access, on their own terms, to the most current research-based information on how to help their child — and their family — take the next steps. It is the only site of its kind designed to address parents in an active state of concern about how to help their child, whether they’ve used once or have a known drug or alcohol problem.
Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens.
Communication is key to drug prevention, talk to your kids, they will listen!
Source: Drug Free America, Time to Act
Tags: At Risk Teens, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health, Teen Help, Teen Issues
Sue Scheff: Addiction Affects the Entire Family
by Sue Scheff on Mar 24, 2010
If you have a family member or friend that has an addiction, you know first hand the stress and toll this takes on the entire family as well as close friends that care about them.
Addiction is an obsession in that the addict’s entire life becomes focused on getting more of the drug. In the same way, family members of the addict become obsessed with the addict: Will he come home tonight? Will he get violent? Will he go into work? Will he lose his job? Will we lose the house?
Family members tend to adapt their personas in an attempt to handle the dysfunction that the addict has created. The caretaker or enabler, for example, makes it possible for the addict to keep functioning in addiction. He may give the addict money, provide a home and food, bail the addict out of jail and in general provide a safety that the addict can depend on no matter how violent, irresponsible or hurtful the behavior.
The caretaker role is just one example. Others include the hero, who makes sure that everything appears to be fine to outsiders, the jester who tries to make light of the situation, the ghost who never comments or makes his needs known. Family members of addicts become so focused on the addict’s problems that they often lose themselves along the way. Source: ProjectKnow.com
As the reality world of television expands, the latest addition is “Addicted” on TLC. Tune in to Addicted, a one-hour docu-series produced by Asylum Entertainment, that follows the lives of individuals struggling with addiction as they work with interventionist Kristina Wandzilak. Each episode will take viewers on the unpredictable journey of recovery and the harrowing struggle to become sober.
Take a few minutes to watch the powerful video to understand how serious addiction is and how it affects the entire family. Read more.
Tags: Addicted, Addiction, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health, Teen Help
Sue Scheff: Dr. Drew Talks about Cough Medicine Abuse
by Sue Scheff on Mar 09, 2010
Recently I was privileged to be part of an interesting and educational conversation with Dr. Drew and Jeff Wolfsberg.
Jeff Wolfsberg posted an excellent outline of our discussion. For parents that are raising teens today, it is imperative you understand the dangers of cough medicine abuse as well as other medicines in your home.
Tags: At Risk Teens, Cough Medicine Abuse, Dr. Drew, Drug Use, Parenting, Parenting Resources, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Help, Troubled Teens
Sue Scheff: Fake Pot – Do you know what your teens are smoking?
by Sue Scheff on Mar 04, 2010
As parents scramble to keep up with the challenges of raising teens today, they are now thrown another curve ball. Most know that smoking pot, although not legal and seems to becoming more addictive among youths, is a trend that some parents brush under the rug with the justification that “it is only pot.”
Recently after speaking with a parent of an at risk teen, she said her therapist actually told her teen it was “okay” to smoke marijuana. Excuse me? This parent was horrified and this only empowered the teen. Obviously they are not returning to that therapist, but how many others feel this way?
Parenting is hard enough, and it is the parent that is the strongest tool in helping our teens to understand the dangers of drug abuse.
Now we have what is being called, K2 – or “Spice,” Genie” and “Zohai” – that is commonly sold in head shops as incense and referred to as the “fake-pot“. Produced in China and Korea, the mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing. – AP
K2 costs between $20 and $50 for three grams, similar to the street price of marijuana, but with the key advantages of being legal and undetectable in drug tests. The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration has classified it a “drug or chemical of concern.”
Kansas and Missouri already have bills to ban the mystery substance. What is your state doing about this latest trend?
Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens.
Read more on Examiner.
Tags: Drug Use, Fake Marijuana, K2, Parenting, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Peer Pressure, Smoking Pot, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Health, Teen Help
Sue Scheff: Could you be your teen’s drug supplier?
by Sue Scheff on Feb 26, 2010
Have you ever considered you may be your child’s drug provider? Have you ever thought when they visit your parents (their grandparents) your teens may be taking their medications too? Broward County, Florida offers Operation Medicine Cabinet.
According to the United Way Commission on Substance Abuse, prescription drug abuse is skyrocketing. This fact has fed the increasing rates of opiate-related deaths in recent years. In addition, the DEA reports that painkillers now cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Florida teens abuse prescription pain relievers more than any other illicit drugs except marijuana, according to the 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse survey.
While illegal drug use among teens is falling, teen prescription drug abuse is on the rise. One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication, and in Florida prescription drugs have killed 300% more people than illegal drugs.
Operation Medicine Cabinet helps you rid your medicine cabinet from expired or unnecessary prescriptions. These prescriptions, in the wrong hands, can be harmful and dangerous. Participants can drop off prescription drugs with no questions asked and receive a $5.00 gift card to local stores and pharmacies. For information about when and where BSO will hold its next “take back” program, download the schedule and plan you drop off.
Take the time to secure your medicine cabinet against teenagers and children. Having a teen overdose can be devastating. How would you feel if he/she overdosed on your very own prescription? Don’t take that chance. Be proactive today!
For more information outside of Broward County, Florida, click here.
Watch video and read more on Examiner.
Tags: Operation Medicine Cabinet, Parenting, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Prescription Drug Use, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health, Teen Help
Sue Scheff: Parents – The Anti-Drug
by Sue Scheff on Feb 13, 2010
Drug prevention with teens and kids today start with PARENTS. Parents need to take the initiative to talk about the dangers of drug abuse, inhalants, Choking Game, trunking, SNAP, Rainbow Game and many other disturbing issues surrounding teens today.
Peer pressure is a powerful tool, parents need to be stronger and more vocal than the peer groups.
Being an educated parent is the beginning of instilling prevention and having safer and healthier teens.
The Anti-Drug begins with parents. About The Anti-Drug:
TheAntiDrug.com was created by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents and other adult caregivers with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids. Working with the nation’s leading experts in the fields of parenting and substance abuse prevention, TheAntiDrug.com serves as a drug prevention information center, and a supportive community for parents to interact and learn from each other.
The site provides parents and other adults caregivers access to:
- Helpful articles and advice from experts in the fields of parenting and substance abuse prevention;
- Science-based drug prevention information, news and studies;
- Support from other parents striving to keep their children drug-free;
- Perspectives of teens themselves.
Where are teens getting prescription drugs? The search starts at home. Teens say they are easily assessable in their own homes, at a relatives or friends house or even online pharmacies. What does this mean for parents? It means you need to learn to safeguard your prescriptions, but more important you need to educate your teens of the dangers of these drugs taken without being prescribed.
Learn much more at The Anti-Drug.com
Read more on Examiner.
Tags: Anti-Drug, At Risk Teens, Parenting, Parenting Tips, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help
Sue Scheff: Parent Denial – Not My Kid
by Sue Scheff on Feb 08, 2010
After speaking with Dr. Drew last week in an insightful call on teens and cough syrup abuse, the conversation turned to the many parents that are in denial or constantly looking to blame others for their child’s behavior.
How many times have you blamed your child’s friend or a neighbor for negative behavior of your child? It is not your child, it is the friends he/she is hanging with. Your child would never do drugs, they are too smart for that. Are they? Yes, many are highly intelligent but that doesn’t mean they are immune to drug use.
The faster you remove yourself from the “it’s not my child” excuse, the sooner you can work on getting your child the help he/she may need.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, one in five teens reports having abused a prescription drug to get high.
Teens who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are half as likely to abuse drugs. – StopMedicineAbuse
Some red flags parents should be aware of, and not ignore are:
- Change in friends/peer group
- Withdrawn, secretive
- Change in appearance, grooming
- Decline in grades, skipping school
- Dazed eyes, glassy eyes, bloodshot
- Odor or smell to their hair or clothes of alcohol, pot, or nicotine (using body sprays and perfumes more frequently)
- Lying about their whereabouts, defiance
- Loss of interest in their usual interests such as sports, dance etc.
Parents need to understand that ignoring these signs or blaming it on others is not going to help your child. You need to seek treatment so it doesn’t escalate to much worse. A parent in denial is not helping the child, it is actually harming them. There isn’t any shame in having a child that is struggling, there is only shame if you don’t reach out and get help.
Resources:
Time to Talk, Five Moms, Stop Medicine Abuse, Inhalant Abuse, Drug Free America, The Anti-Drug
Read more on Examiner and watch video.
Tags: At Risk Teens, Dr. Drew, Drug Use, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Teen Drug Abuse
Sue Scheff: Dangers of Steroids – Talk to your Teens
by Sue Scheff on Jan 12, 2010
With the recent admission in the news about Mark McGwire using steroids throughout his career has shocked some people. How do we explain this to our children and our teens, especially our athletic ones that looked up to this sports hero?
Ad Council started a campaign a few years ago, Don’t Be An Asterisk. Whether it is a potential college scholarship or just helping the team win, some teens feel pressure to do whatever it takes to get an “edge“, even if it means taking steroids or other illegal substances.
Use this opportunity to explain to your teens about the dangers of steroid use.
- Steroids affect your heart. Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. These heart problems can even happen to athletes under the age of 30.
- Steroids affect your appearance. In both sexes, steroids can cause male-pattern baldness, cysts, acne, and oily hair and skin.
- Steroids affect your mood. Steroids can make you angry and hostile for no reason. There are recorded cases of murder attributed to intense anger from steroid use.
- Steroids increase your risk of infection. Sharing needles or using dirty needles to inject steroids puts you at risk for diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
Help them to be aware of more risks:
- Know the law. Steroids are illegal to possess without a prescription from a licensed physician. It is illegal for individuals to sell steroids.
- Get the facts. Doctors prescribe steroids for specific medical conditions. They are only safe for use when a doctor monitors the person.
- Know the risks. Illegal steroids are made overseas and smuggled into the United States or made in underground labs in this country. They pose greater health risks because they are not regulated by the government and may not be pure or labeled correctly.
- Look around you. The majority of teens aren’t using steroids. Among teenage males, who are most likely to use steroids, only 1.8 percent of 8th graders, 2.3 percent of 10th graders, and 3.2 percent of 12th graders reported steroid use in the past year.
Reference: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Be an educated parent, have safer and healthier teens!
Watch video on Examiner.
Tags: Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Steroid Use, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health, Teen Help
Sue Scheff: Twitter Being Used as a Tool To Shame Drunk Drivers
by Sue Scheff on Dec 24, 2009
One county in the United States is taking drunk driving to Twitter. During the holiday season, drunk driving numbers increase.
A drunk-driving arrest can costs thousands of dollars and maybe your job, but in one local county it could cost you public humiliation, too. Montgomery County (TX) District Attorney has an active Twitter site, and he says he’ll be “Twittering” names and arrest information of DWI suspects according to MyFoxHouston.
“There is definitely a deterrent effect in the potential public humiliation people may face when they get arrested for DWI,” said Warren Diepraam, an assistant district attorney.
Of course this comes with controversy. MyFoxHouston continues:
Tyler Flood is one of Houston’s top DWI defense attorneys and thinks only the names of those convicted should be posted.
“Here is another form of punishment, if you are arrested for DWI, the problem is it’s a punishment. That is something that comes after a conviction, not before,” said Flood.
During this holiday season and always, remember drunk driving kills. It is also a great reminder that Buzzed Driving kills the same way! Don’t drink and drive – it is that simple.
Watch the video for more information. Feel free to leave your comments.
Also on Examiner.
Tags: Buzzed Driving, Driving Drunk, Drunk Driving, DUI, DWI, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teens Drinking, Twitter
Sue Scheff: Dangers of Drugs – HEROIN
by Sue Scheff on Nov 19, 2009
Personally, I don’t think parents of kids today can hear enough about the dangers of drug abuse. It has never been more deadly, and that is not saying it was not deadly years ago, however the access seems to be easier and the peer pressure is growing. When I hear parents tell me their teen is “only smoking pot” it bewilders me that many don’t understand that is the gateway to many other substances for many kids. I won’t say all, but many will start with pot and graduate to meth, crack, and so many others on the streets now. One of the most dangerous, in my opinion, is heroin. Take a few minutes to read a recent article by Connect with Kids about this drug and some parenting tips.
Source: Connect with Kids
HEROIN
“Yeah, you can snort heroin. Definitely snort heroin. That’s what I do.”
– Christina, 18 years old
In Illinois, Oregon, New York, Alabama and several other states, police are reporting an increase in the number of deaths of young people from an overdose of heroin. In fact, today government surveys show that over 25 percent of high school seniors say heroin is “fairly easy to buy.”
“Smack”, “H”, “Junk” … they’re all street names for heroin. And anecdotal evidence suggests the use of this drug may be on the rise for two reasons, experts say.
First, many kids already using prescription drugs are looking for a new and cheaper high.
“Kids are looking for something different. And this is something different. Every addict- anybody who’s ever been addicted to drugs is always looking for that perfect high, the thing that will get them feeling the way that they want to feel, but they still want to convince themselves that they’re in control. And so addicts are constantly looking for new drugs, new combinations, new ways to take drugs and this is just an extension of that,” explains substance abuse counselor, Dr. Robert Margolis.
Second, heroin today is purer and more refined, which means it can be snorted instead of injected.
“Yeah, you can snort heroin, definitely snort heroin. That’s what I do,” says 18-year-old Christina.
That makes heroin more appealing to kids afraid of sticking a needle in their arm.
“It’s a way for kids to rationalize doing a drug that is highly addictive and highly dangerous. Of course, it’s in no way safe, it’s in no way ok, but it’s a way that in their minds they convince that it’s safe,” says Margolis.
That’s exactly what Christina thought. “I won’t do it because I know shooting things up is stronger and it makes it more addictive.”
But, Margolis warns, it won’t be long until they’re looking for a stronger high. “Give them time. After a few years of snorting, they’ll be shooting up. There’s no doubt about it.”
Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as “black tar heroin.”
According to the National Institutes on Drug Abuse, although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Street heroin can also be cut with strychnine, fentanyl or other poisons. Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin also poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment.
Tips for Parents
Heroin enters the brain, where it is converted to morphine and binds to receptors known as opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain (and in the body), especially those involved in the perception of pain and in reward. Opioid receptors are also located in the brain stem—important for automatic processes critical for life, such as breathing (respiration), blood pressure, and arousal. Heroin overdoses frequently involve a suppression of respiration.
After an intravenous injection of heroin, users report feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by dry mouth, a warm flushing of the skin, heaviness of the extremities, and clouded mental functioning. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Users who do not inject the drug may not experience the initial rush, but other effects are the same.
With regular heroin use, tolerance develops, in which the user’s physiological (and psychological) response to the drug decreases, and more heroin is needed to achieve the same intensity of effect. Heroin users are at high risk for addiction—it is estimated that about 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.
References
- National Institutes on Drug Abuse
Tags: Connect with Kids, Drug Abuse, Heroin Use, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parents Universal Resource Experts, Peer Pressure, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Use, Teen Health, Teen Help, Teen Issues, Troubled Teens
