what families need to know…. teen substance use and abuse
TRANSCRIPT
What Families Need To Know….
Teen Substance Use and Abuse
Overview
Objective: Explain Why Parents & Other Adults Matter In Preventing Teen Substance Use and Abuse
*Teens are Listening & Watching*New Science on Teen Brain Development*Harmfulness of Substance Use to Youth
*Wellness-Health*Trends and Challenges *SD Law & Code Update
*What You Can Do?*Summary
Teens are Listening & Watching
Teens Fall Into One of These Categories Able to talk to parents about their problems and think their parents would be extremely upset if they used alcohol/marijuana
Can’t talk to parents about their problems but think their parents would be extremely upset if they used alcohol/marijuana
Able to talk to parents about their problems but don’t think their parents would be extremely upset if they used alcohol/marijuana
Can’t talk to parents about their problems and don’t think their parents would be extremely upset if they used alcohol/marijuana
Ever drank drank last 30 days Ever drank drank last 30 daysMS HS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
9%
0%
28%
8%
23%
5%
51%
19%
32%
13%
68%
36%
49%
17%
74%
42%
Alcohol Use By Ability to Talk to Parents About Problems and Parental Disapproval of Underage Alcohol Use
Able to talk to parents about their problems and think parent would be extremely upset if they drank alcohol
Cant talk to parents about their problems but think that their parents would be extremely upset if they drank alcohol
Able to talk to parents about their problems but don’t think parents would be expremently upset if they drank alcohol
Cant talk to parents about their problems and don’t think parents would be extremely upset if they drank alcohol
Why Parents Matter
Rapid City Area School: Youth Development Survey Nov 2011
Ever Used Marijuana Used Marijuana last 30 days Ever Used Marijuana Used Marijuana last 30 daysMS HS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
3% 1%
16%
6%10%
4%
32%
16%
36%
23%
59%
33%
39%
23%
65%
41%
Marijuana Use By Ability to Talk to Parents About Problems and Parental Disapproval of Marijuana Use
Able to talk to parents about their problems and think parent would be extremely upset if they used marijuana
Cant talk to parents about their problems but think that their parents would be extremely upset if they used marijuana
Able to talk to parents about their problems but don’t think parents would be expremently upset if they used marijuana
Cant talk to parents about their problems and don’t think parents would be extremely upset if they used marijuana
Why Parents Matter
Rapid City Area School: Youth Development Survey Nov 2011
New Science•Teen Brain Under Construction•Impact of Alcohol and Other Drugs
Brain Science &
Brain
Imaging:New insights about:
• Risk taking by teenagers
• How teenagers may be highly vulnerable to drug abuse
Brain DevelopmentMaturation Occurs from Back to
Front of the BrainBlue represents maturing of brain areas
Images of Brain Development in Healthy Youth (Ages 5 – 20)
So what are these changes?Biological Changes
*Mood changes*Body changes
*Greater interest in boys/girls
Emotional Changes
*Confused over who you are
*Confused about what group you belong to
*Happy and sad within minutes
*Feel nervous, edgy, irritable
*Small things may set you off
Social Changes*Frequent arguing
with friends*Changing friends
*Friends become one of the most important
things*Pleasing friends more
despite your needs/wants
*Friends may act different around
boyfriend/girlfriend
Intellectual
Changes*Schoolwork getting
harder; more demanding
*Able to make more decisions; think about
consequences of behavior
*Making hasty decisions
Family Change
s*You want
more privacy*Embarrassed by parents or
siblings*Love/hate relationship with parents*May want
your parent’s opinion
sometimes but get mad at other times
they give it to you
Gender Specific Differences:
Boys Girls
Develop the right side of the brain first which is the physical side
Develop the left side of the brain first which is more verbal
Boys define themselves by competition
Girls define themselves by relationships
Boys talk to report Girls talk to relate
Boys say anywhere from 5,000-7,000 words per day
Girls say anywhere from 16,000-21,000 words per day
Boys 150% hormonal change in 24 hours
Girls 600% hormonal change in 30 days
So: “Girls cry, guys hide”, “Girls get ready for school, guys get dressed”
Harmfulness of Alcohol and Other Drug Use to
Teen Wellness-Health
Alcohol Abuse Vulnerability
“Are teens more susceptible than adults to alcohol?”
Adults become physiologically addicted to alcohol after 6-18 YEARS Teens become physiologically addicted to alcohol after 6-18 MONTHS
With regular use of alcohol;
A survey of over 40,000 adults indicated that among those who began drinking before age 14, nearly half had become alcoholic dependent by the age of 21.
In contrast, only 9% of people who began drinking after the age of 21 developed alcoholism.
U.S. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Marijuana Teens who started smoking at earlier ages are less able to perform certain reasoning and decision-making tasks, compared with those who started later in life.
The brain is forming new connections to encourage further drug use.
There is a general perspective out there that using marijuana socially is not a problem—
that it is a “safe” drug. Scientists are seeing that is not the case.
Teen Working Memory Performance
Source: Jacobsen et al. Impact of cannabis use on brain function in adolescents. Annals NY Acad Sci. 2004.
Please do not try this at home
Trends and ChallengesFacing Communities
Marijuana of Today
THC is often described as the psychoactive component of the plant – the part that gives the
“high” and changes the way you feel.
In 2012, THC concentrations in marijuana averaged 14.5% compared
to around 4% in the 1980s. Some current strains and “waxes” contain as much as 30%-80% THC
This is based on analyses of marijuana samples confiscated by law enforcement agencies.
Marijuana Potency
1970s
THC 4% CBD 1%1:4
2015
THC 25% CBD 2%1:12
Anxiety, Paranoia, Depression, Schizophrenia
Portable vaporizers◦ lip-gloss sticks◦ pink or sparkly purple
as teenage girls' Smartphone cases.
◦rainbow of neon colors looking a lot like marking pens.
◦fill vaporizers with dried weed, waxes or oils
Hookah Pens
The devices are easily available online.
The Denver Post, Dec. 6, Nancy Lofholm
Law and Activities CodeRelated to Alcohol and Other
Drugs
No person acting as a social host may knowingly permit a person under the age of 18 to illegally consume any alcoholic beverage.
Class 1 Misdemeanor: 1yr of imprisonment in a county jail or $2,000 fine or both.
No person acting as a social host may knowingly permit any person aged 18, 19, or 20 to illegally consume any alcoholic beverage.
Class 2 Misdemeanor: 30 days imprisonment in county jail or $500 fine or both. Effective July 2014 expanded version SB 163
Social Host Law
Immediately upon learning of the illegal consumption, the social host will
take effective and appropriate action to stop the illegal consumption and to secure or attempt to secure contraband alcoholic beverages. If the social host was off the premises but knew of the illegal consumption of alcohol, he/she is still liable.
New Law Effective July 2014
Extracurricular Activities Suspension due to Controlled Substance Violation
First offense: 1 year suspension reduced to 30 days AFTER the student receives an assessment with a certified or licensed addiction counselor AND completes the prescribed recommendations.
Subsequent offense information and full version of coded law is 13-32-9.
What You Can Do?
Action Steps - Clear Messages
Action speaks louder than words Communicate – take time – get the facts Decide on your expectation and rules Teens need clear and consistent limits Talk about and encourage opportunities
for healthy and positive activities
Points to Remember
Promote activities that capitalize on the strengths of the developing brain
Assist your child with challenges that require planning
Reinforce their seeking advice from you and other adults
Encourage lifestyle that promotes healthy brain development
Never underestimate alcohol and drug effects on developing brain
Tolerate “oops” behaviors common during the teens
Recipe for a Healthy Brain• Good nutrition• Exercise• Sufficient sleep• Social connections• Learning music• Positive thinking• Helping others • New learning
1. Delay the onset of alcohol use, especially if it is delayed until adulthood, is better for both brain development and reduces future risk for addiction.
2. Alcohol and other Drug abuse may contribute to learning deficits.
3. Alcohol and other Drug use increases risk of other harms (social, legal, etc.)
Key Reasons for Prevention
Summary Parents & other Adults - What you say
does matter and teens hear you.
The brain undergoes a considerable amount of development during the teen years. The last area to mature is the prefrontal cortex region; involved in planning, decision making and impulse control.
Evidence suggests that adolescents are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and other drugs.
New trends: marijuana has potentially 30%-80% more THC; hookah/vapor pens are the new delivery system for many different drugs.
It is illegal to host a party for minors & students that are apart of school extracurricular activities and use a controlled substance, will be suspended from the activity.
Parents need to take action to ensure healthy and full potential brain development by delaying substance use/abuse in the teen years, through clear messages, rules
and consequences.
For more on adolescent brain development, visit www.mentorarabia.org 3D-Brain
www.Parents4parentsrc.org
www.drugfree.org or call 211
Comments
or
Questions?
Many of the brain development slides were prepared by Ken Winters, Ph.D. Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota
Support for this work was provided by the Archie and Bertha Walker Foundation, RKMC Private Foundation, and the Mentor Foundation.
Other colleagues whose work and consultation significantly contributed to the development of this presentation:
Jay Giedd, National Institute on Mental Health (USA)Jeff Lee, Mentor Foundation (UK)Tom McLellan, Treatment Research Institute (USA)Linda Spear, SUNY at Binghamton (USA)Susan Tapert, University of California – San Diego (USA)
Acknowledgements