Underage Drinking-Related Hospital Visits Almost Double over July 4th Weekend!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking nearly double during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The study reveals that daily underage drinking-related visits to hospital emergency departments are 87 percent higher during the Fourth of July weekend than they are on an average day in July. The report estimates that on an average day in July, there are 502 hospital emergency department visits involving underage alcohol use. For the three day Fourth of July weekend however, the number of daily hospital emergency department visits jumps to 938.

"Underage drinking is not a harmless right of passage. It has far-reaching consequences. In addition to emergency department visits, injuries, arrests and embarrassment, 5,000 deaths in people under age 21 are linked to alcohol each year," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "Parents are a leading influence in their children’s decision to avoid alcohol. To help parents make the tough job of raising children a little easier, SAMHSA provides an online action plan to help parents talk with their children about expectations regarding alcohol use."

SAMHSA's site Talk Early, Talk Often, Get Involved has tools to help you talk your kids about drinking, including an Action Plan Tool to help start the conversation.

Some ways to celebrate healthfully include:

Be mindful of where the alcohol is stored in your house and how much you have on hand. Check the amounts regularly.

Be a good role model: If you choose to drink, set a good example for your child by drinking in moderation and monitoring what you say about alcohol. Remember that your actions and behaviors have a direct impact on his or her opinion about drinking.

Encourage healthy alternatives to drinking: Play outdoor games like horseshoes, bacche, ladder golf or washers; swim or play sports--batgammon anyone?; take the time to relax with a good book, magazines, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.; or if you're on the beach have a sandcastle contest!

Girls More Likely to Perceive Benefits in Drug and Alcohol Use

By Chrissie Dziembowski

Survey data released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America^® and MetLife Foundation found that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to perceive potential benefits from drug use and drinking, making teen girls more vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse.

According to a new research analysis of the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), sponsored by MetLife Foundation:

• Teen girls are more likely to perceive self-medicating benefits with drinking and getting high.
  
  
• More than two-thirds of teen girls responded positively to the question using drugs helps kids deal with problems at home�.
  
  
• More than half reported that drugs help teens forget their troubles.

What Can Parents Do?

Research consistently shows that kids who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use than those who do not get that crucial message at home. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to take charge of the communication with their families, have frequent, ongoing conversations with their pre-teens and teens about the dangers of drugs and alcohol use and to take early action if they think their child is using or might have a problem.

For tips on how to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol visit Time to Act where you can also sign up for their emails to receive news, tips and tools on raising healthy kids.

1 in 5 US Teens Abuses Prescription Drugs

By Chrissie Dziembowski



The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found 1 in 5 U.S. teens has abused prescription drugs, including powerful medications such as OxyContin and Percocet.

"Some people may falsely believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs yet their misuse can cause serious adverse health effects, including addiction and death," said Howell Wechsler, director of the CDC's division of adolescent and school health. To read the full story click HERE.

On this same topic, another CDC report found that for the first time emergency room visits from the abuse of medicines have become as common as those from illegal drugs.

ERs in 2008 saw about 1 million visits from the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter medicines — mostly painkillers and sedatives. That was about the same number of visits from people overdosing on heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

Health officials are not sure why painkiller abuse is increasing so dramatically, but the number of prescriptions has been increasing.

Prescription and over-the-counter meds are not to be taken lightly--or at all without cause and script from your doctor--just because they are technically legal substances. The same as you may lock up your gun, your weapons and your liquor from your kids, you should lock up your meds too!

For more information and tips on teens and prescription drug use visit THIS PAGE on the Partnership for a Drug-Free America website.

Phillies Pitcher supports Healthy Competition!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

Phillie's pitcher Jaime Moyer, and other Major League Players, haved joined forces with The Partnership for a Drug Free America to teach parents to encourage their kids to stay fit, eat right, and choose not to use drugs and alcohol. On their new website, Healthy Competition, you'll find videos, tool kits and more. Check out Healthy Competition HERE!

To read more about Jaime Moyer and his parenting experiences as a father of 8--yes 8!--click HERE!

Police using Social Media to Keep Tabs on Underage Drinking--You Can Too!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently held a training for law enforcement professionals about how to use social networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, to track illegal activity including: gang recruitment, underage drinking parties, and cyberbullying.

Some tips discussed in the training that you can implement in your home include:

• Having your family computer in a public/communal space in your home


• Becoming a member of social networking sites your children belong to


• Instead of forbidding the sites, learn to use them together, then youth aren't learning to navigate the site on their own--making them more susceptible to internet predators and scams
  
  To read the full story click HERE!

Guide to the Teenage Brain

By Chrissie Dziembowski

Is your teen rebelling against you? Obsessed with clothes and appearance? Glued to their phone/im/facebook/myspace/friends? Well, there is an actual scientific answer as to WHY they are acting this way!

Check out A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain, from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, HERE to learn the science behind your teen's behavior, and skills, tools and tips to learn what you can do!

Stay safe and sober during prom and graduation!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

Its that time of year again--prom season and graduations! As you are charging your camera, stocking the fridge, and buying flowers and balloons, don't forget to consider ways to healthfully celebrate sans alcohol. Julie Mack, a parent and writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette of Michigan, recently wrote a wonderful and thoughtful article on the cost of social hosting and "how parents who host lose the most". To read the full story click HERE!

In her column, Mack references different fines and penalties in Michigan for providing alcohol to minors. In Pennsylvania, if an adult provides alcohol to minors it is considered a 3rd degree misdemeanor and may result in fines up to $2,500 and/or jail time up to 2 years. Its true--parents who host do lose the most!

If you suspect or know that someone in the community is hosting an underage drinking party, you can anonymously report it by calling 1-888-UNDER-21. This free, anonymous hotline is provided by Pennsylvanians Against Underage Drinking in partnership with the PA State Police. Use it--no one will know!

Lastly, as Carie Fletcher recently wrote in the Harris, Texas Police News:

Responsible parents and responsible teenagers can make high school celebrations a fun and lasting memory for everyone without the alcohol. Parents, teenagers, and communities have to work together to keep prom and graduation fun and safe!