As a parent, it is important to know what are some of the destructive influences that might be impacting your child.
For example-
Marijuana, Availability Up Sharply
Between 2007 and 2009 there was a 37 percent increase in the percentage of 12- to 17-year olds who say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes, beer or prescription drugs (19 percent to 26 percent).
Forty percent of teens (10 million) can get marijuana within a day; nearly one-quarter of teens (5.7 million) can get it in an hour.
Teens who say that the decision to use marijuana by someone their age is not a big deal are four times more likely to use it compared to teens who say this decision is a big deal.
Teens whose parents believe the decision to use marijuana is not a big deal are almost twice as likely to use the drug, compared to teens whose parents say this decision is a big deal.
Most teens who smoke cigarettes (56 percent) say the decision to use marijuana is not a big deal.
Other Notable Findings
• Two-thirds of high school students say that drugs are used, kept or sold at their school.
• Sixty percent of parents say that their child’s school is not drug free.
• Of parents who say their teen’s school is not drug free, almost half think there is nothing they can do about it, and only a quarter have even tried.
These stats are taken from the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
As a parent or loved one, how does this information effect your view on who your child spends time with or some of the activities they are engaging in? Talk with your child, let them know you care about them and perhaps are concerned over some of the choices they are making. Change often begins with communication.
Best of health and warmest regards, Paul Radkowski
-Saving and transforming lives and families 24/7
info@liferecoveryprogram.com
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com/
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Drinking, Drugging and Sex
As a parent, it is important to know what are some of the destructive influences that might be impacting your child. Here are some sobering figures taken from the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
This year the CASA survey took a close look at teen drinking and discovered that 65 percent of 12- to 17-year olds who drink monthly report that they get drunk at least once in a typical month. Eighty-five percent of 17-year old drinkers get drunk at least once in a typical month.
The survey found that one third of teen drinkers usually drink with the intention to get drunk. Eighty-five percent of teen drinkers who say that when they drink they usually drink to get drunk do so at least once a month. Of those teens who do NOT set out to get drunk, 33 percent find themselves drunk at least once a month.
Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, teens who get drunk monthly are:
• 18 times likelier to have tried marijuana;
• Four times likelier to be able to get marijuana in an hour;
• Almost four times likelier to know someone their age who abuses prescription drugs;
• More than three times likelier to have friends who use marijuana; and
• More than twice as likely to know someone their age who uses meth, ecstasy, or other drugs such as cocaine, heroin or LSD.
Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, those who get drunk at least once a month are:
• Twice as likely to know a girl who was forced to do something sexual she didn’t want to do; and
• Nearly four times likelier to know a guy who uses drugs or alcohol to hook up.
“The message for parents is loud and clear. If your teen is drinking, the odds are your teen is getting drunk. And teens who get drunk are much likelier to try marijuana and hang out with friends who are abusing prescription drugs and illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin,” said Elizabeth Planet, CASA’s Vice President and Director of Special Projects. “Parents who think their kids are just having an occasional drink each month need to wake up and smell the beer and pot.”
As a parent or loved one, how does this information effect your view on who your child spends time with or some of the activities they are engaging in? Talk with your child, let them know you care about them and perhaps are concerned over some of the choices they are making. Change often begins with communication.
Best of health and warmest regards, Paul Radkowski
-Saving and transforming lives and families 24/7
info@liferecoveryprogram.com
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com/
This year the CASA survey took a close look at teen drinking and discovered that 65 percent of 12- to 17-year olds who drink monthly report that they get drunk at least once in a typical month. Eighty-five percent of 17-year old drinkers get drunk at least once in a typical month.
The survey found that one third of teen drinkers usually drink with the intention to get drunk. Eighty-five percent of teen drinkers who say that when they drink they usually drink to get drunk do so at least once a month. Of those teens who do NOT set out to get drunk, 33 percent find themselves drunk at least once a month.
Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, teens who get drunk monthly are:
• 18 times likelier to have tried marijuana;
• Four times likelier to be able to get marijuana in an hour;
• Almost four times likelier to know someone their age who abuses prescription drugs;
• More than three times likelier to have friends who use marijuana; and
• More than twice as likely to know someone their age who uses meth, ecstasy, or other drugs such as cocaine, heroin or LSD.
Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, those who get drunk at least once a month are:
• Twice as likely to know a girl who was forced to do something sexual she didn’t want to do; and
• Nearly four times likelier to know a guy who uses drugs or alcohol to hook up.
“The message for parents is loud and clear. If your teen is drinking, the odds are your teen is getting drunk. And teens who get drunk are much likelier to try marijuana and hang out with friends who are abusing prescription drugs and illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin,” said Elizabeth Planet, CASA’s Vice President and Director of Special Projects. “Parents who think their kids are just having an occasional drink each month need to wake up and smell the beer and pot.”
As a parent or loved one, how does this information effect your view on who your child spends time with or some of the activities they are engaging in? Talk with your child, let them know you care about them and perhaps are concerned over some of the choices they are making. Change often begins with communication.
Best of health and warmest regards, Paul Radkowski
-Saving and transforming lives and families 24/7
info@liferecoveryprogram.com
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com/
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