Four Loko: Teens Are Loco for New Alcohol Energy Drink

By Chrissie Dziembowski

You may have heard of the newest caffeinated malt beverage on the market, Four Loko. This alcoholic drink is quickly gaining popularity, especially among teens--and it is easy to see why.

Four Loko, available in various fruit flavors including grape, orange, blue raspberry and watermelon, is sold in bright aluminum cans and prices per can start as low as $2. The 23.5 ounce cans contain 10%-12% alcohol--the equivalent of about 3 beers--combined with high amounts of caffeine. The exact amount of caffeine is undisclosed, though it is one of the four primary ingredients (hence the name "Four Loko"): caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol. Taurine and guarana are also stimulants.

What are the dangers of mixing alcohol and caffeine?

When alcohol is mixed with caffeine, it masks the effects/feelings/influence of the alcohol and sends mixed signals to the nervous system. Since one feels less intoxicated than they actually are, they are likely to consume more alcohol, leading to black outs, alcohol poisoning, and even death from overdose. Additionally, both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, therefore mixing them can cause dehydration. A dehydrated body is slow to process alcohol, and that can interfere with coordination, balance and ability to regulate body temperature. CBS News recently reported on the serious health implications of this dangerous combination, citing a Wake Forest University study which found college students who combine alcohol and caffeine are more likely to suffer alcohol-related injuries and accidents.

Legislators and public health officials are also taking action to prevent possible tragedies that could come from the Loko craze. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the safety of the product as well as the manufacturer's marketing practices.

Locally, community organizers and politicians have been working to eradicate Four Loko since early summer. Rev. William Rocky Brown III, a candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, said that the new drink "is having our young people black out.” Nafis Nichols of Chester Youth Collaborative called it "legalized liquid cocaine."

Four Loko is considered an "alco-pop", an alcoholic beverage made with fruit juices and other flavorings which tend to conceal the alcohol content of the drink behind a sweet, fruity flavor. The colors, the flavors, the website, and the language used to market this product clearly targets teens, i.e. underage drinkers.

If you see your son or daughter is a fan of a Four Loko group on Facebook--which states in their information section: "mission: to get us all drunk :)"--or you find a neon can in the trash/in a picture/in a backpack--talk to your teen about the dangers of alcohol, especially when mixed with caffeine. Explain that they are the target for these products--and do they really want to be "told what to do"? Use the sites in the right sidebar for tips to start the discussion. You'll be glad you did!

Teens smoking incense and new web resource!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

CBS news ran an article this spring about an herbal mixture (actually to be used as incense) called "K2" that mimics the symptoms of smoking marijuana. This legal product is on the verge of being banned, but in the meantime teens are using it to get high "legally". Side effects include vomiting, elevated heart rates, seizures, and other effects to the cardiovascular and central nervous system. This substance is also particularly difficult because it won't show up on a drug test since it doesn't contain THC. K2 is sold online and can also be found in smoke shops and stores where incense is sold. To read the full story from CBS news click HERE.

In other web-browsing and email blasting...

Drug Free Action Alliance has a website, Know!, that is a great resource for parents. They have an archive full of parent tips including this one about how Times of Transition Increase Risk of Youth using Drugs and Alcohol.

Know! Times of Transition Increase Risk

---

There are specific times in a child’s life that place him or her at increased risk for using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs…heading back to school is one of them. If your child is entering middle school, high school or moving to a new school, you will need to be especially vigilant. But even a change in grade level, teachers, coaches or friends may be cause enough for added stress that can also lead to experimentation with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

While we know every child is at-risk for using substances, the danger triples for a young person entering high school. For youth entering middle school, the threat is also alarming, as this is an equally high time of transition. Most kids in younger grades tend to have strong anti-substance use attitudes. But the move to middle and high school brings with it a shift in attitudes, due in part, to increased exposure to other students who may be drinking, smoking and using other drugs. Many of these kids are older or are considered popular and may appeal to your child’s natural desire to be like them and be liked by them. The many changes that accompany a new school year calls for parents to be especially aware.

Parents, here’s what you can do:

1. Be active and supportive in your child’s daily life.

2. Ask questions about substance use and reinforce no use messages.

3. Make clear your expectations and consequences for breaking rules.

4. Know where your child is and who he or she is with.

5. Do not allow your child to hang out with friends unsupervised

Get Your Teen to Open Up...and Put Down Their Phone!

By Chrissie Dziembowski

I recently read this really useful post on the Partnership's Decoder Blog about how to talk to your teen and increase communication. To check out the Decoder click on the link in the right sidebar. Keep reading below for the post from the Decoder.

How to Get Your Teen to Open Up and Talk to You More (and Text A Little Less) By Julie Ross

When I asked my 17-year-old son if teens would rather text their friends than talk to their parents, he laughed and replied, “Oh yeah.” When I asked why, he said, “Because parents just aren’t that interesting and friends are.”

In her article for the Utne Reader (November/ December 1992), Brenda Ueland writes, “Don’t ask your poor children those automatic questions – ‘Did you wash your hands, dear?’ – those dull, automatic, querulous, duty questions (almost the only conversation that most parents have to offer). Note the look of dreadful exhaustion and ennui and boredom that comes into their otherwise quite happy faces. And don’t say, ‘How was school today, dear?’ which really means: ‘Please entertain me (mama) who is mentally totally lazy at the moment with not one witty or interesting thing to offer …’.”

Let’s face it. Teens are not that interested in talking to someone whose sole intent is to pepper them with questions, judge their answers, and offer unsolicited advice. In fact, these forms of communication serve to obstruct rather than facilitate communication with our teens. As a matter of fact, they are part of a longer list of communication blocks that parents would do well to avoid if they want their teens to talk to them.

Are you guilty of any of the following communication blocks?

Commanding: “Do your homework. Go brush your teeth. Get your backpack packed.”
Advising: “Well, what you should do is…”
Placating: “Oh, honey, it’ll be ok. You’re a beautiful girl and I know you’ll get a date to the prom.”
Distracting: “Don’t dwell on it. Let’s watch the game together – that’ll take your mind off of it.”
Interrogating: “What happened? What did you do then? Why did you do that? What were you thinking?”
Sarcasm: “Oh come on. It’s not the end of the world after all.”
Being a know-it-all: “Well you should have known better. Cyber bullying is out of control and the more sites you’re on where you interact with others, the worse it can be. I told you about your second cousin, right? Well, she was on Facebook and I know everyone says it’s harmless, but it certainly wasn’t for her. In fact, one day she went to her wall and blah, blah, blah, blah…”
Denying your teen’s reality: “You’re wearing that? It’s freezing out.” “I’m not cold.” “Put on a coat or you’ll freeze!.”
Negating feelings: “You don’t need to feel embarrassed (sad, overwhelmed, nervous) about that.”

Most parents, upon hearing these, wonder if they’ll be able to say anything to their teen again because, as Ueland observes, these communication blocks form “almost the only conversation that most parents have to offer.”

So does this mean that we should forgo our parental role and become entertainers? Of course not. It does mean, however, that we should respect our teens as burgeoning adults and afford them the same courtesy we would to a good friend. Ms. Ueland suggests that it is part of our job as parents to be “the fascinated listener” to our children’s remarks. Once your child believes that you are truly interested in him, he will open up and begin to talk… even if he’s never done so before.

So how do we go from communication blocker to fascinated listener?

• If your teen has already shut down and does not talk to you about his day, communicate with him about yours. Find something interesting that you can talk about with passion or humor and tell him– just like you would a friend.



• If your teen is telling you something that makes you itch to respond by teaching her a lesson, hold your tongue – for now. Parenting is about both technique and timing. Sometimes we are teaching the right lesson at the wrong time. When your teen is talking to you, it is the wrong time to teach him a lesson. Remember that unless it requires an ambulance, it’s not an emergency. Things that are important, rather than urgent, can be handled after you’ve had some time to think about the most effective way to communicate the lesson.



• When your teen talks to you, use the skill of “Tell Me More.” Perhaps she is telling you how unfair it is that she got a poor grade in school. Instead of leaping in with advice and a lesson in morals, simply say “tell me more” in a non-judgmental tone. Then listen without judging.



• Learn the techniques (which I will include in my next post) that you need to know in order to impart advice, guide your teen, and teach him ethical behavior: it’s worth the effort.
  

So how will you know if you’re succeeding when you and your teen are face-to-face? Brenda Ueland sums it up nicely by saying “the light in a child’s eyes is a splendid gauge and tells you in a split-second if you are failing…”
Avoid blocking communication and pay attention to the light in your teenager’s eyes – it may transform your teen from a texter to a talker.

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!