The seven positive and negative attributes studied by the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development included:

1. Antisocial attitudes
2. Antisocial behaviors
3. Influence of antisocial friends
4. Family history of drug and/or alcohol abuse
5. Positive academic experiences
6. Positive community events
7. Healthy family dynamics

The Penn State researchers analyzed how these factors affected alcohol use in 200,000 teens in 8^th and 10^th grade. The results were published in the American Journal of Public Health; it was found that, on the positive end, living in a caring community decreased the risk of teen alcohol abuse, and on the negative side, having antisocial friends had the greatest predictive ability for teen alcohol abuse.

The Big Picture Matters When It Comes to Teen Alcohol Use

One important finding from the Penn State research was that no one individual factor – either positive or negative – functioned in isolation. Even the most influential factors could be buffered and neutralized by one of the other seven factors. For example, having antisocial friends and attitudes were both highly predictive of alcohol use in adolescents. However, when a caring community was added into the mix, the antisocial factors were no longer as strongly tied to teen alcohol use. This leads scientists to believe that developing strong community-based programs may be a huge key in reducing adolescent drug and alcohol use.

Does the Type of Community Matter?

The monetary resources for teen drug and alcohol prevention in this country are not widely available, according to Mark E. Feinberg, a professor at the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development. He is interested in seeing further research on this topic in a variety of different urban, suburban, and rural communities to see if the same effect is seen in all regions.

Says Feinberg: “If we can drill down to that level, we can become even more precise in how we target precious prevention resources by targeting the most important risk factors in each community.”

If your teen is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, the best way to help is to take large strides toward eradicating the problem completely. Contact us at Newport Academy and speak to a counselor about your child’s needs in rehabilitation today.

The federal government and many states are currently at odds because they have laws in complete opposition to one another on the topic of marijuana. It started with states legalizing the drug for medical purposes and just this last November, in a game-changing election, both Colorado and Washington made it legal for individuals to possess a small amount of cannabis for recreational purposes.

Kerlikowske worries about what message these new laws are sending to America’s young people, especially since recent surveys of youth in this country show that the number of teens who recognize that driving after using marijuana is a dangerous activity have been dropping in recent years.

The ONDCP Director has also pointed out publicly that in 2012 in California, a state where medical marijuana is legal, 7.4 percent of drivers tested were found to be positive for cannabis. If that sounds like a large percentage, it is; it surpasses the rates of drivers under the influence of alcohol on the road.

Marijuana Legalization Advocates Say It’s an Adult Issue Not One for Children

One pro-marijuana supporter from Portland, Doug McVay takes issue with the ONDCP’s position that legalized marijuana sends a poor message to kids. He believes we need to mature as a society and realize that legalization does not equate to healthy or even “appropriate” activity. He went on to say, “This is about adults so stop treating us like children.”

Anti-marijuana advocates, say that this may be a discussion for adults, but the kids are watching and forming their own opinions about marijuana based on how the adults around them behave.

A National Conversation on Marijuana Must Take Place Soon

One thing is for sure, according to Kerlikowske: “It is clear that we’re in the midst of a serious national conversation about marijuana.”

For anyone trying to avoid the debate, the laws recently passed in Washington and Colorado made the discussion absolutely necessary. The most immediate need is to understand whether federal or state law reigns supreme on this issue because currently they are in disagreement on multiple levels, and then of course, we have to have a candid debate on identifying the safest, healthiest options for our society as a whole, including our children.

Do you think legalizing marijuana sends the wrong message to kids? Does your opinion change if it’s for recreational use or for medical purposes? Share your opinions below.

A research team from the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Social Work surveyed more than 14,000 kids and teens ranging in age from 5^th grade to 11^th grade and analyzed the impact that military deployments had on the rates of drug and alcohol use and abuse among the youth. The study’s findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, did indeed show an increased risk for the youngsters who had lived through multiple deployments in their family. In fact, there was a 14 percent hike in lifetime drug use and a rise of 18 percent for recent drug use for these kids.

Deployment of Any Close Family Member Connected to a Rise in Drug Abuse

Most attention focuses on kids who have had a parent sent off to war, but there is also a profound emotional blow to children who have older siblings deployed to a war zone. Perhaps surprising to some, the USC researchers found that subjects who had siblings with multiple deployments actually used drugs and alcohol more frequently than those with parents in combat.

Experts theorize that this increased stress for siblings may be because they are left behind to deal with their parents’ worry in addition to their own. Their parents may interact differently with the younger sibling, or it might just be obvious how stressed the parents are which further negatively affects the younger sibling’s own emotional state.

Tamika Gilreath, PhD, was lead author of the study. She says: “Parental concern may influence their interactions with the younger sibling who is left to cope with their own sense of loss as well as their parents’.”

Children and Siblings of Deployed Military Should Be Targeted for Drug Prevention

Although this may be hard news to hear for military families, the study’s authors suggest using the results to our advantage. The authors would like to see the children and siblings of military personnel who have been deployed receive drug and alcohol abuse prevention training aimed at their specific issue. Providing kids and teens with the knowledge of their increased risk and coping mechanisms for the difficult feelings they may face can hopefully give them the skills and knowledge they need to avoid the pitfalls of substance abuse.

If you know a teen struggling with alcohol or drugs, effective treatment is available. Call us and speak with one of our professional counselors about how we can help your family member move forward from drug and alcohol abuse.

• Personality traits
• Peer pressure

With this knowledge, psychologists wanted to find out if helping teens understand their own personality strengths and weaknesses would result in lowering substance abuse rates. The findings from this study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers reported that educating youth on how best to handle their own personality vulnerabilities allows them to develop all of the following skills including:

• Controlling impulses
• Appropriately analyzing the intentions of others
• Ability to conquer fears
• A more objective self-image
• Healthy coping skills for difficult emotions

Researchers Find Teaching Kids About Themselves More Effective Prevention Than General Drug Info

A research team at the King’s College Institute of Psychiatry in London conducted a two-year study with teens starting in 9^th grade. The subjects were separated into two groups. One set of participants were given a personality-based drug intervention curriculum while the other set of students received the standard drug prevention program given to most teens in the United Kingdom.

The subjects were given personality tests and then the drinking patterns of each group were tracked and analyzed. The personality traits that correlated with higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse included:

• Anxiety
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Impulsive behavior
• Tendency to seek out sensations

Teachers were trained in the personality-based alcohol prevention program and provided workshops aimed at the varying personality types.

Lead author, Dr. Patricia Conrod, said: “Our study shows that this mental health approach to alcohol prevention is much more successful in reducing drinking behavior than giving teenagers general information on the dangers of alcohol.”

Teaching About Their Personalities Led to Significant Reduction in Drinking

The researchers followed the subjects’ drinking habits for a two-year period. When the results were analyzed, the students who had received the personality-based program ended up drinking far less than their counterparts who had been given the normal drug prevention curriculum.

Guiding teens through the process of understanding their own personality weaknesses in relation to drug abuse helped teens overall to slow down their progression to heavy drinking in those with an increased risk of substance abuse. In addition, the research team saw the following reductions in the teens’ drinking habits:

• Binge drinking: 43 percent
• Underage drinking: 29 percent
• Alcohol abuse: 29 percent

Effective and early intervention and treatment can help teens who are experimenting with drugs and alcohol to gain the confidence they need to avoid developing a full-blown drug abuse or addiction problem. Contact us at Newport Academy today to learn more about the types of therapeutic intervention that may be appropriate for your child.

It’s an issue that has many parents concerned. Though their children seem to be the least likely candidates for drug abuse, they may be the first at risk for abuse of stimulant medication. And when these high-performing students head off to college, their risk of stimulant drug abuse increases. Is your high school or college student using prescription drugs to enhance their academic performance?

ADHD Medications Cause a Problem Even When Used for Medical Purposes

The number of emergency department visits involving ADHD medications rose substantially among all age ranges over age 18 during the five years measured by the SAMHSA study. Between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age, ER visits increased from 2,131 to 8,148, an escalation of more than 300 percent. All these issues were for individuals with legitimate prescriptions who may or may not have been following their physician’s instructions.

The number of ER visits caused by the non-medical use of ADHD medications had a similar jump as it nearly tripled in the period analyzed by the study, increasing from 5,212 in 2005 to 15,585 in 2010. In fact, the abuse of these drugs accounted for approximately half of all cases in need of emergency assistance due to ADHD meds.

More Public Awareness Is Needed for Young Adults on the Dangers of Abusing ADHD Drugs

SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success program is aimed at educating young people age 12 to 25 on the potential hazards of prescription drug abuse. Results from SAMHSA’s latest research shows that more emphasis may need to be put on prevention and education in the college population as well.

In fact, one SAMHSA representative, Pamela S. Hyde, stated, “This study indicates that a better job has to be done alerting all segments of society – not just the young – that misuse of these medications is extremely dangerous.”

If your child is addicted to their ADHD medications or abusing medications they get from friends, we can help. Here at Newport Academy, we provide a comprehensive care program for teens struggling with substance abuse. Call us today and discuss the options we provide that will enable your child to get on the road to recovery.

Parental Concern Over Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Has a Racial Divide

The researchers found some widely varying opinions about the teen prescription drug abuse epidemic among parents of different ethnicities. The following percentage of parents believed they should worry about the possibility of painkiller abuse within their own family:

• African Americans: 38 percent
• Hispanics: 26 percent
• Caucasian: 13 percent

The irony of these results is that national statistics thus far show that teen prescription drug abuse is three times as likely to occur in white households than in Hispanic or African American households.

Survey Results Show More Parent Education Is Needed for Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

Researchers asked parents about their opinion on policy changes designed to reduce the potential for prescription drug abuse, including in the teen population. Parents had mixed answers when it came to possible policy changes in regard to pain medications. In certain cases, there was a strong majority, and for other ideas, they were neutral.

Here is the breakdown on parental support for the following proposed prescription drug policy changes:

• A doctor’s office visit would become standard practice before painkiller prescriptions are renewed: 41 percent
• Parental identification mandatory when picking up a child’s pain meds: 66 percent
• Ban ability to obtain the same pain medication from two different doctors simultaneously: 57 percent
• Require leftover pain pills be returned to either a physician or pharmacy: 50 percent

Some experts see these results as a need for further education for parents on the topic of teen drug abuse.

Sarah Clark is the Associate Director of the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan. She explains why some parents may not feel worried about prescriptions drugs, despite possible danger: “…parents may downplay the risks of narcotic pain medicine because they are prescribed by a doctor…That ‘safe’ prescription may serve as a readily accessible supply of potentially lethal drugs for children or teens.”

If you believe that prescription drug abuse is a problem for your teen, don’t wait to intervene. We can assist you here at Newport Academy. Call now.

The research published in the journal Pediatrics and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that the power of a best friend over a teen’s decision to drink was the most important factor in his decision-making process. This key component was stronger than the teen’s own poor behavior track record or their genetic history of alcohol abuse.

Friends Give Teens Their First Alcoholic Beverage

In the majority of cases, even for adolescents of alcoholic parents, drinking the first full alcoholic beverage does not happen at home. This almost always comes from friends who have found access to alcohol through a parent’s liquor cabinet, a fake ID, or from an older friend or sibling willing to buy it for them.

The Iowa research team surveyed 820 teens ranging in age from 14 to 17. Less than 50 percent of the kids surveyed had a parent with an alcohol dependency. The data found that if a teen’s best friend drank alcohol then their risk for doing the same doubled. For teens reporting that they had indeed tried alcohol, 40 percent of their close friends also were drinkers.

Other Recent Research on Friends’ Influence Over Teen Drinking Supports New Findings

This is not the first study to find such a strong connection between the drinking habits of teens and their peers. Past research has shown that specific social relationships within an adolescent’s immediate social circle can have a powerful effect on their drinking behavior. In fact, a study in 2011 found that the drinking habits of the friends of either a girlfriend or boyfriend were a greater driving force than even their own best friends. On the abstinence side of drinking, a separate study found that teens whose close friends had authoritative mothers were far less apt to try alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana than teens whose friends had more permissive parents.

If you are worried about your teen’s drinking habits, we can help you determine how to most effectively address the situation. Contact us at Newport Academy today.

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Elevated blood pressure
• Obesity
• Rapid heartbeat
• Seizures

According to the SAMHSA report, a large proportion of these ER trips in the wake of energy drink consumption occur with adolescents and young adults who have chosen to drink the beverages with alcohol. When combined with alcohol, energy drinks can pose an even bigger threat for an individual’s physical and emotional safety due to the following additional potential risks:

• Driving under the influence
• Engaging in risky sexual behavior
• Accidental physical injury

Experts Say That Parents Should Not Teach Kids Caffeine Is Best Way to Get Energy

Our society is addicted to caffeine. There’s a Starbucks on every corner, and in many households, soda is the drink of choice over water. Children are given caffeinated beverages from an early age and many teens are already daily coffee drinkers. Some worry that teens are receiving the message at home that caffeine allows us to feel energetic and alert. It is true that caffeine can provide increased energy, but this should not be how we are taught to get our energy for our daily activities.

One child and adolescent psychologist in New York City, Jennifer Hartstein, thinks that teens are drawn to energy drinks because they believe they need them to obtain the energy they need to get through their overly packed daily schedules. Harnstein wants teens to hear that it is fine to not overdo it.

Said Harnstein: “The belief is the more that you do, the more desirable you are. Unfortunately, you are then spread way too thin.”

Mixing Alcohol and Energy Drinks Popular for Busy College Students

In a recent survey of North Carolina undergrads, a quarter of students admitted to drinking an alcohol energy drink mixture within the last 30 days. Teens and young adults usually are not aware of the potential harmful consequences mixing these beverages can cause because people feel more sober than they actually are when a kick of caffeine is added to the alcohol. The SAMSHA research found that just one energy drink may contain as much alcohol as a bottle of wine and the amount of caffeine found in several cups of coffee.

Most energy drinks also contain additives such as ginseng or guarana with little evidence on the health consequences of long-term use. Instead of relying on these unknowns, public health officials say quality food, moderate exercise, and getting enough sleep are surefire ways to increase our natural energy reserves.

If you are concerned about your teen’s ingestion of alcohol of any kind or in any combination, there are programs available to help get him or her back on track. Call us at Newport Academy now for more information.

As recently as 2011, the NIAA and the American Academy of Pediatrics teamed up to design a tool known as the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide. The guidelines provided by this joint effort urged pediatricians to ask all teen patients the following two questions in order to screen for a potential alcohol problem:

• How do you drink alcohol?
• How often do your friends drink alcohol?

Based on the teen’s answers, the tool will guide doctors through the next steps to take and will allow them to assess the child’s risk for alcohol problems both in the present and future.

Many Teens Report Their Doctor Never Discusses Alcohol Use With Them

According to the NIAA survey, about one-third of teens are never asked about their habits pertaining to alcohol when they visit the doctor. In addition, only 40 percent of the kids who are asked about alcohol are also instructed on the dangers related to both alcohol use and underage drinking. Even more frightening, of the teens who admitted to their doctor that they had been drinking alcohol within the last 30 days, only 23 percent were instructed by their doctor that they should stop drinking.

The results of the NIAA’s survey were published in the journal Pediatrics and experts in public health feel that the findings showed the absolute necessity for a physician’s intervention whenever possible, given that 26 percent of the teens surveyed admitted to binge drinking. This constitutes five or more drinks at one time for boys and four or more drinks at one time for girls.

Brief Interventions By Doctors on Teen Drinking Have Been Shown to Be Effective

Many people might say that such a quick intervention by healthcare providers will not have any major effect and, in some cases, might backfire, triggering a rebellious reaction in teen patients. Although this is an understandable worry, it is not supported by any research done on the topic. In fact, brief interventions by a teen’s doctor have proved in research to create lasting positive effects in both the amount an adolescent drinks and future problems related to alcohol.

The acting director of the NIAAA, Kenneth R. Warren, PhD, feel these results show that the healthcare field needs to “redouble our efforts to help clinicians make alcohol screening a routine part of patient care for young people in the United States.”

Whether or not your doctor has identified a potential or active drinking problem in your teen, if your child is drinking, it’s not an issue to ignore. Contact us today at Newport Academy to learn more about the options available to you to address your teen’s drinking behaviors proactively.

New research from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that switching the current policies surrounding the minimum drinking age may have long-lasting negative impacts on the health of those allowed to drink at a younger age. The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that teens who were allowed to drink legally by age 18 were negatively affected decades later as compared to those who had to wait until age 21 to drink.

The Lower the Minimum Legal Drinking Age, the More Binge Drinking Throughout Life

The answers to 39,000 surveys were included in the results of the Washington University study and included only subjects who started drinking alcohol in the 1970s, during a time period when many states allowed 18-year-old individuals to drink. Using surveys taken in the beginning of the 1990s and 2000s, the research team measured the following behaviors:

• Frequency of alcohol consumption
• Average alcohol intake on a daily basis
• Frequency of binge drinking

Lower Drinking Age Impacted Individuals Without College Education the Most

The research showed that those who never attended college were by far more negatively impacted by a lower minimum drinking age. Individuals at highest risk, according to the research, were men without a college degree in a state with a lower legal drinking age. Men who were raised in states where drinking was allowed before age 21, were 19 percent more likely to binge drink at least once a month. In addition, males without a college degree in these states were 31 percent more likely to drink excessively each month.

Overall, the daily average between those legally allowed to drink earlier was relatively the same as those not allowed to drink until age 21. However, it’s not the average amount but the pattern in which the alcohol is consumed that matters.

Lead author of the study, Richard A. Grucza, PhD, said: “Merely tracking average daily consumption can hide harmful drinking patterns. Averaging one drink per day doesn’t sound like much, but if that same person has all their drinks for the week in one sitting, well that’s a potential problem.”

Drinking at a young age has been connected to increased rates of alcohol and drug abuse as well as addiction during the adult years. If your high school-aged son or daughter is drinking or abusing substances, don’t wait to get them the help they need to stop. Call us at Newport Academy today.