Youth drug abuse a "big problem" according to adults

Adults rate drug abuse and obesity as the top health concerns for children, according to a recent study. 

After drug abuse and obesity, tobacco use is ranked third and alcohol abuse is ranked eighth. 

The report goes on to state, "Drug abuse rises to the top of the list of child health concerns in 2011, with one-third of adults overall rating drug abuse as a big problem . . . Whether this increased concern translates to greater support for drug prevention and/or drug treatment programs remains to be seen."

State by state analysis of adolescent drug use

When it comes to adolescent substance abuse, how does Washington stack up compared to other states?  Below are a bunch of maps showing rates of use among young people ages 12-17.  States in red have the highest rates of use and the states in white have the lowest. 

Source: State Estimates of Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders from 2008-2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Prescription drug abuse leading to heroin abuse

Yesterday, KING5 broadcast a story about a teenager who recently died from a heroin overdose. 

Dean Shumway died of a heroin overdose just before his 19th birthday. He did not fit the stereotype of a heroin addict, down on his luck and homeless--but perhaps Dean does represent what's becoming the new face of heroin addiction: white middle class teenager.

Frank Couch, a counselor with Science and Management of Addictions (SAMA), says Dean is not an isolated case.

"It's a huge problem out there. It's a huge problem with young folks and adolescents,” said Couch.

Couch says these kids used to smoke Oxycontin, but now that the prescription painkiller has been reformulated, they're turning to heroin.

"It's cheaper, it's more readily available so the trend is moving back to heroin use again," he explained.

New parent helpline provides support for teen substance abuse

From the Join Together Newsroom:

When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs or alcohol, the family’s immediate focus is generally on getting help for the teen. But parents are often in great need of help themselves. They may need advice on what to say to their teen, how to evaluate whether he or she needs professional treatment and where to find the appropriate substance abuse treatment program if one is needed. A new toll-free telephone helpline is providing that assistance.

The Parents Toll-Free Helpline, 1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373), is staffed by clinical social workers with practical experience in substance abuse prevention and treatment. The helpline will offer bilingual support (English/Spanish) beginning in mid-August.

“When a child has substance abuse issues, the whole family needs support,” says Ken Winters, PhD, Director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota and member of The Partnership at Drugfree.org Science Advisory Board. “Parents may need a counselor to walk them through exactly what they will say to their teenager when they suspect substance abuse. If they have not already done so, parents need to establish rules about alcohol and other drugs, and consequences for breaking those rules. They may also need help figuring out whether their adolescent should get a professional assessment. These are some of the things that a counselor on the helpline can assist them with.”

Youth drug use at Laurelhurst Park

A recent post to the Laurelhurst Blog describes the ongoing parties at Laurelhurst Park.  Following is an excerpt:

We regularly smell cigarette and marijuana smoke coming from that direction and have seen kids (only boys although that doesn’t mean girls haven’t been there) running up there with backpacks on (often coming on bike or scooter and even out walking their dog in daylight). They tuck deep in the corner and have complete coverage.

Currently there are broken beer bottles, in-tact bottles as well as a strong smell of urine.

If people are missing their junior high boys, I suspect they’d find them here… I’d guess these kids are junior high or early high school.
 
On Friday, I posted information to this blog about underage drinking parties at Magnuson and Golden Gardens.

Most people who are addicted to drugs started using drugs as teenagers

Nine in ten people who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol began to smoke, drink and/or use drugs before the age of 18, according to a report recently released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.  The report goes on to state that the earlier teens use any substance, the greater the risk of addiction.

TIME spoke to Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children's, about the report:  Adolescent health experts say that part of the reason for the upward trends has to do with the mixed messages that both parents and society send to adolescents about drug use. "One of the things you hear is that every teen is going to [try some addictive substance]," says Walker. "So what's the big deal, this is normative, and it's fine. But the data shows that no, we should not accept this as normative for adolescents to use and there's a reason they shouldn't be using, and there are things we can do about it."

Science-based fact sheets about marijuana

The University of Washington's Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI) recently launched a new website that "is intended to serve the Washington public by providing up-to-date science-based information about marijuana." 

Currently, the site contains multiple science-based fact sheets that will be updated and added to by UW scientists.  Among the fact sheets are:

• Adolescents & Marijuana
• What is Cannabis?
• Dependence on Marijuana
• Marijuana & Sports
• Alcohol & Marijuana

Depression and substance abuse linked to bullying

A coalition member forwarded this to me this morning . . .

According to a study completed at the University of Washington, girls who are bullied are at risk for substance abuse through depression.  Findings were published in the December 2010 issue of Prevention Science. 

"Both boys and girls who are victims of bullying, including bullying through e-mail and the internet, are at elevated risk for depression. However, according to a new study, adolescent girls may engage in substance use as a result of bullying-related depression . . . If your daughter is a victim of bullying, take it seriously, do all possible to prevent recurrence, and attend to possible depression and substance use."

How do parents know if their child is abusing drugs?

A Prevention WINS coalition member from Sound Mental Health who works in schools wrote the following article for parents of high school students. 

Signs of possible drug abuse

Below is a list of possible signs that your son or daughter may be abusing drugs. It is common for adolescents to show mood swings, and impulsive behaviors especially when they are in distress. So it is important not to assume that their behavior is due to alcohol or drug use. It is important to address the issues to figure out the underlying issues. Have a discussion with your adolescent about your concerns. It is also recommended that you make an appointment with your family doctor or mental health professional to rule out possible illness or conditions. From their referrals can be made to chemical dependency professional for further assessment and treatments.

PHYSICAL SIGNS
 Nausea, vomiting, or excessive sweating.

 Cold, sweaty palms, Shaky hands.

 He/she has blood shot eyes, or their nose is runny despite a cold

 Increase/or decrease in sleep patterns

 Needle marks on arms or legs.

 Changes in eating habits, unexplained weight loss or gain,

 Hyperactivity

 Smell of substance or breath

BEHAVIORAL SIGNS
 He/she’s grades have gone down, and school attendance is irregular.

 He/she is uncooperative and or disrespectful to family members and other adults.

 He/she has lost interest in previously enjoyed activities.

 He/she is breaking curfews.

 He/she has an increase in having a difficult time concentrating.

 Increase secrecy about possessions or activities.

 He/she changes friends

 Evidence of inhalant use (such as aerosols, hairspray, correction fluid, gas, and other common household cleaners).

 He/she is borrowing/needing more money than usual.

 Missing prescription drugs

 Presence of pipes, rolling papers, cans (used to make pipes), and lighters.

Drug policy and youth substance abuse

Within the past few years, there has been a call for the public to engage in a conversation about legalizing marijuana.  The conversation includes the impact marijuana legalization would have on adolescents. 

Today's Seattle Times includes an opinion piece about how marijuana legalization could affect adolescents. 

A few years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics published an article entitled, Legalization of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth.

Teen brain development in the news

Here are a few interesting excerpts from an article in Newsweek entitled, The Kids Can’t Help It: What new research reveals about the adolescent brain—from why kids bully to how the teen years shape the rest of your life.

-- One of the most important discoveries in this area of study, says Dr. Frances Jensen, a neuroscientist at Harvard, is that our brains are not finished maturing by adolescence, as was previously thought. Adolescent brains “are only about 80 percent of the way to maturity,” she said at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in November. It takes until the mid-20s, and possibly later, for a brain to become fully developed.

-- . . . a Harvard study found that kids who smoked pot before age 16 had more lifelong cognitive problems than those who started smoking after 16. The tests were done on subjects with an average age of 22, and those who smoked pot earlier had problems remembering details, making decisions, and responding quickly when directions changed.

-- . . . the social and psychological dynamics that make adolescents susceptible to acting on the real or perceived pressure of their peers can also be a system for resisting those same pressures. Sometimes it is the adolescents who have been picked on, but have found compatriots, whose anticonformist attitude protects against both the harassment by, and the social pressure from, higher-status peers. And surprisingly, sometimes the teens most at risk are in the middle and upper range of social status, but not quite at the top.

Nartionwide increase in youth marijuana use

From a December 14 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) press release:

Fueled by increases in marijuana use, the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from last year's 14.5 percent, with daily marijuana use up in all grades surveyed, according to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF).

For 12th-graders, declines in cigarette use accompanied by recent increases in marijuana use have put marijuana ahead of cigarette smoking by some measures. In 2010, 21.4 percent of high school seniors used marijuana in the past 30 days, while 19.2 percent smoked cigarettes.

The survey . . . also shows significant increases in use of Ecstasy. In addition, nonmedical use of prescription drugs remains high. MTF is an annual series of classroom surveys of eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Most measures of marijuana use increased among eighth-graders, and daily marijuana use increased significantly among all three grades.

"These high rates of marijuana use during the teen and pre-teen years, when the brain continues to develop, place our young people at particular risk," said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. "Not only does marijuana affect learning, judgment, and motor skills, but research tells us that about 1 in 6 people who start using it as adolescents become addicted."

"The increases in youth drug use reflected in the Monitoring the Future Study are disappointing," said Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Mixed messages about drug legalization, particularly marijuana, may be to blame. Such messages certainly don't help parents who are trying to prevent kids from using drugs."

Research behind community-based prevention

I was going through some old files this morning and came across the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Preventing Drug Use Among Children & Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders aka The Red Book. Though it was last updated in 2003, it is still relevant today. It provides a great overview of community-based prevention including the risk and protective factors model and prevention principles. The research behind the process our coalition has gone through to create and implement a community prevention action plan is well explained in this guide.

Parent information forum January 29

From the Science and Management of Addiction Foundation (SAMA):

Free Parent Information Forum
Thursday, January 29, 2009
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Broadway Edison Building, 1701 Broadway, in Seattle

Dinner will be served!

The forum is for parents concerned about their kids' alcohol and other drug use. Learn about adolescent brain development and the effects of alcohol and other drugs. Learn how to communicate your concerns about substance use to your son or daughter, and how to get support for yourself and your child.

To register, visit the SAMA website.