SATUCI Youth Partners e-Newsletter
 May 2015

Flakka latest synthetic drug to know about

A drug known as "flakka" is the latest synthetic compound to raise concern among public health experts. Flakka is a tweaked version of bath salts. In some cases, Flakka can cause heart palpitations and aggressive, violent behavior. Use of the drug can affect the kidneys, leading to kidney failure or death. Flakka use has recently been reported in Florida, Ohio and Texas. Read more.

Children who sip alcohol more likely to drink alcohol as teens

Children who are allowed to sip alcohol are more likely to drink by the time they reach ninth grade, a new study finds. Researchers at Brown University found children who had sipped alcohol by the time they were in sixth grade were five times more likely to have a full drink by the time they were in ninth grade. They were four times more likely to binge drink or get drunk, compared with teens who hadn't sipped alcohol when they were children. Read more.

10 over the counter medicines abused by teens

Is your medicine cabinet a source for a teen's legal "high?" Because a doctor's prescription is not needed, many mistakenly believe that over-the-counter medicines are safer than prescription medicines and illegal street drugs. They are in fact safe and effective when taken as directed, but even OTC medicines-including herbals-can cause serious and potentially fatal side effects when abused. Read more.

Mental health a greater worry than substance abuse for parents of teens

Parents are more concerned about their teens' mental health than about their use of drugs or alcohol, a new survey finds. While 65 percent of 3,100 parents surveyed said they are concerned their teen suffers from anxiety or depression, more than three-quarters say they think their teen never uses drugs or alcohol, according to the survey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 66 percent of students say they have had at least one drink of alcohol, and 41 percent of students have used marijuana at least once. Read more.

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Alcohol poisoning - a serious risk to inexperienced drinkers

Hundreds of people die each year from acute alcohol intoxication, more commonly known as alcohol poisoning or alcohol overdose. Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking too much alcohol too fast.

If more people knew about alcohol poisoning, it could be avoided. Like other drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning can occur after drinking a large amount of any alcohol beverage. Inexperienced drinkers, or those sensitive to alcohol, may become actually intoxicated and suffer serious consequences after drinking smaller amounts. Because of those differences in body chemistry, women can overdose after drinking lesser amounts than men.

Alcohol is a depressant drug and once ingested, works to slow down some of the body's functions including heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. When the vital centers have been depressed enough by alcohol, unconsciousness occurs. The amount of alcohol that it takes to produce unconsciousness is dangerously close to a fatal dose. People who survive alcohol poisoning sometimes suffer irreversible brain damage.

Most teens and young adults think the worst that can happen is they will pass out and have a hang-over the next day. Many are surprised to learn that death can occur.

Signs of alcohol poisoning include:

  • The person is passed out, unconscious or semiconscious
  • Slow respirations of eight or less per minutes or lapses between respirations of more than eight seconds
  • Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin
  • Vomiting, which causes choking, asphyxiation and death
  • Strong odor of alcohol
Source: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc
Binge drinking is high risk drinking

Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration level to 0.08% or more in a short period of time.  This pattern of drinking alcohol usually occurs in less than two hours and corresponds to five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women.

The body can only eliminate alcohol from the system so fast, and when large amount of alcohol are consumed in rapid succession, the body cannot cope. That's when alcohol poisoning occurs.

The majority of teens who drink engage in binge drinking. Mixing alcohol with other drugs, even some over the counter medications such as Tylenol, increases the danger of developing certain health problems.

Teens are at particular risk when drinking with their friends, because they know underage drinking is illegal. If they begin to show signs of alcohol poisoning, their friends are often reluctant to seek emergency medical care for them because they don't want to get in trouble themselves for drinking.

Many teens don't realize how dangerous teenage binge drinking is. They think they are not alcoholics because they don't drink every day, so they feel occasional binge drinking is OK.

Also, if their parents often drink, they believe drinking alcohol is all right.

Teens need to not only learn about the risks of binge drinking, but they need to have other outlets for entertainment and alcohol-free parties. Teens need to be armed with ways to say no when their peers encourage them to drink. 

Read more about binge drinking.

Alcohol energy drinks - trendy and risky for teens

Caffeinated alcoholic beverages and alcohol energy drinks are premixed beverages that contain not only alcohol but also include caffeine and other stimulants.  Sold in tall, narrow cans similar to non-alcoholic energy drinks, which are popular drinks among teens, they carry teen-friendly names and contain a lot of sugar and flavoring.  A typical can has about as much caffeine as a large cup of coffee, along with additives like guarana and ginseng that can speed up the central nervous system.

Drinking alcohol and energy drinks together has become trendy, but it can also be risky.  Marketed to kids, often through "new media" marketing campaigns and "grassroots" strategies using youth-oriented imagery and slogans, the new alcohol energy drinks have high alcohol content, sometimes as high as 12% as compared with 5% for a typical can of beer.

A major concern is that mixing energy drinks with alcohol can lead to "wide-awake drunkenness," where caffeine masks the feeling of drunkenness but does not decrease actual alcohol-related impairment.  As a result, you feel less drunk than you really are, which can lead to consumption of even more alcohol or engaging in risky activities like drunk driving.

There have been numerous health problems reported and research has shown the dangers of adding caffeine to alcoholic drinks.  In November 2010 the Food and Drug Administration warned companies that the caffeine added to some of their alcoholic beverages makes the products unsafe and, as a result, some products were removed from the market and other companies agreed not to make the beverages in the future.

There is still no regulation on the amount of caffeine in energy drinks, however, and no requirements related to the labeling.

 
 
Parent tip for the month


The summer social scene is very exciting: No school, relaxed rules and free time. There are frequent parties, sleep-overs, outings, concerts, and camping trips. Parents work during the day, often leaving teens to watch younger siblings. Some parents will go on vacation and leave teenagers for a week or more with an easy-going grandmother or with one of their friends. Many older teens are even left alone when parents go on short trips or overnighters. A house without parents can become an automatic party. Here are some ways to help get your teens through the summer:

  • Don't relax the rules. If anything, take 'em up a notch. And, don't be surprised when the rules are stretched or broken.
  • Make consequences clear... and make 'em harsh. Write them down and get your teenagers to sign it. Seal the bond of trust with a hug.
  • Supervise your kids. Your teenager has plenty of friends; you need to be their PARENT. Be prepared and expect to be unpopular from time to time.
  • Openly discuss alcohol use and abuse. Make it clear that teenage drinking is illegal and dangerous. As a parent, if you drink at home, do so responsibly and count your beers. Lock up your liquor. Make sure your vodka hasn't mysteriously changed to water.
  • Ask questions. Stay involved. Teenagers need and deserve a certain amount of privacy in their lives, but that does not imply parents should stop parenting.
  • Check and double-check teenage party plans. Talk to those supervising parents. Do not hesitate to make surprised visits. Embarrassing your teenager is your privilege and right.
  • Make sure your rules are not ambiguous. Teenagers are famous for being vague or "changing plans" at the last minute. If there is a loophole in the rules, a teenager will jump through.
  • If you are going out of town, do not leave teens unsupervised overnight. Even responsible teenagers get into big trouble when the supervisory distance increases.
  • Follow through with your consequences. Your primary mission is to keep your teenager safe and on the right road to responsible adulthood.
  • It's OK to say no.