parents: signs of alcohol & drug use and what do about it

PARENTS: SIGNS OF Alcohol & Drug

Use and What Do About IT

Presented by Dr. Donnie Watson Program Director, Thelma McMillen

Centerwatsondonnie@aol.com

310.294.4544

Adolescence

motivation

emotion

judgment

cerebellum

amygdala

nucleus accumbens

Pruning occurs in stages, from Pruning occurs in stages, from back of the brain to the frontback of the brain to the front

prefontal cortex

physical coordination; sensory processing;

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Teenage Drug Use

• Signs in the Home• Signs at School• Physical and Emotional Signs• Drugs that Teens are Abusing• Why and Why Not• The Negative Effects• 12 Tips for Parents• Know what to do

• Signs in the Home• Signs at School• Physical and Emotional Signs• Drugs that Teens are Abusing• Why and Why Not• The Negative Effects• 12 Tips for Parents• Know what to do

Signs in the Home

• Loss of interest in family activities

• Disrespect for family rules • Hostility or lack of

cooperation• Withdrawal from

responsibilities• Verbally or physically abusive• Sudden increase or decrease

in appetite• “It’s not mine. It belongs to a

friend”

Signs in the Home

• Borrowing money often, or suddenly having extra cash

• Not coming home on time• Lies about activities• Constant excuses for behavior• Change in friends• Heightened secrecy about actions or possessions,

using “coded” language • Use of incense, room deodorant, or perfume to hide

smoke or odors

Signs at School

• Sudden drop in grades • Truancy • Loss of interest in learning • Sleeping in class • Poor work performance • Not doing homework • Defiant of authority • Poor attitude toward sports or other extracurricular activities • Reduced memory and attention span • Not informing you of teacher meetings, etc.

Physical and Emotional Signs

• Smell of cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana • Unexplainable mood swings and behavior • Negative, argumentative, paranoid or confused,

destructive, anxious • Over-reacts to criticism acts rebellious • Sharing few if any of their personal problems • Overly tired or hyperactive • Drastic weight loss or gain • Cheats, steals • Sloppiness in appearance

Drugs that Teens are Abusing

• Alcohol• Tobacco• Prescription drugs and

medication• Inhalants• Over-the-counter• Marijuana• Club DrugsIncreasing in use:• Depressants• Heroin

Key Findings From 2010:PATS

• There was a significant 67 percent increase in the number of teens who reported using Ecstasy in the past year (from 6 percent in 2008 to 10 percent in 2010).

• Past-year marijuana use among teens increased by a

disturbing 22 percent (from 32 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2010)

• Of those teens who reported alcohol use, one in four (25

percent), said they drank a full alcoholic drink for the first time by age 12 or younger.

• Among teens who reported drinking alcohol, the average age of first alcohol use was 14.

Why and Why Not

Why…• Adolescence is a time for trying new things.

Using as a teen increases the risk of using other drugs later. A teen may abuse drugs for many reasons including;

Curiosity, bullied, escape anxiety, excitement, it feels good, relief from low self esteem, to reduce stress/boredom, Lose weight, to feel grown up, and to fit in, “everybody’s doing it”

Why and Why Not

Why Not…• It’s illegal• Affects adolescents differently

than adults• Impaired judgment can cause

danger• Genetics• Delays maturation process• Lost opportunities

The Negative Effects

Tobacco• Peak time for the initiation of smoking

is in 6th and 7th grades.• Youth who do not start using tobacco

by age 18 will most likely never start.• Teens who smoke are 3x more likely

to drink and 14x more likely to smoke pot.

The Negative Effects

Alcohol• A 12 oz. beer has the same amount of alcohol as 1.5 oz. of

hard liquor.• Children of alcoholics have a 4 to 10x greater risk of becoming

addicts.• Millions of teens qualify for rehab.

The Negative Effects

Marijuana• Increased THC potency.• Stored in the body and brain for

weeks.• Affects cognitive functioning and

behavior.• Harmful effects on coordination.• Young people who use weekly,

have double the risk of depression later in life.

The Negative Effects

Inhalants• 17% of 8th graders have used

inhalants at least once.• Can be fatal, cause brain

damage, CNS.• Young teens may inhale

household substances because they are inexpensive and accessible.

Watch List for Parents

• Change in clothing choices: new fascination with clothes that highlight drug use

• Evidence of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, lighters etc.

• Evidence of use of inhalant products (common household products)

• Use of eye drops, to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils

• Use of mouthwash or breath mints to mask smells• Missing alcohol, prescription drugs and/or cold

medicines

12 Tips for Parents

1. Establish rules Set limits with clear consequences for

breaking them. Set curfews and be awake when they come home.

Two-thirds of teenagers fear the risk of upsetting their parents.

Mistakes are not failures.

12 Tips for Parents

2. Praise and reward good behavior for compliance and enforce consequences for non-compliance.

"Let them know that you are always there for them no matter what. It means a lot. It may seem like we're not listening but we really are." — Anonymous teen

12 Tips for Parents

3. Know where your teen is and what he or she will be doing during unsupervised time.

Research shows that teens with unsupervised time are three times more likely to use substances.

12 Tips for Parents

4. Talk to your teen. While shopping or riding in the car, casually ask him or her how things are going at school, about his/her friends, what his or her plans are for the weekend, etc..

12 Tips for Parents

5. Keep them busy — especially between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Engage your teen in after-school activities.

Research shows that teens who are involved in constructive, adult-supervised activities are less likely to use drugs than other teens.

12 Tips for Parents

6. Check on your teenager. check to see that your kids are where they say they’re going to be and that they are spending time with whom they say they are with.

Pick a code phrase as a cue for pick up.

12 Tips for Parents

7. Establish a "core values statement" for your family. Consider developing a family mission statement that reflects your family’s core values.

If there is no compass to guide your kids, the void will be filled by the strongest force.

12 Tips for Parents

8. Spend time together as a family regularly and be involved in your kid's lives. Create a bond with your child.

12 Tips for Parents

9. Be an informed parent. Learn the facts about marijuana, 4/20 and underage drinking and talk to your teen about its harmful health, social, learning, and mental effects.

Teach resistance skills – Saying “No”

12 Tips for Parents

10. Get to know your teen’s friends and their parents.

12 Tips for Parents

11. Know where you kids are in cyberspace. Stay in close touch as they explore the Internet sites and chat rooms.

12 Tips for Parents

12. Stay in touch with the adult supervisors of your child (camp counselors, coaches, employers, teachers) and have them inform you of any changes.

Exercise parental authority.Be a good role model.

Know what to do if you suspect a problem

• Realize that no child is immune.

• If you think there might be a problem, there probably is.

• Seek professional help.

Should You Snoop? Your Decision. If Yes, Where?

• Dresser drawers beneath or between clothes • Desk drawers • CD/DVD/Tape/Video cases • Small boxes – jewelry, pencil, etc. • Backpacks/duffle bags • Under a bed • In a plant, buried in the dirt • In between books on a bookshelf • Inside books with pages cut out • Makeup cases – inside fake lipstick tubes or compacts • Under a loose plank in floor boards • Inside over-the-counter medicine containers (Tylenol, Advil, etc) • Inside empty candy bags such as M&Ms or Skittles

Internet Acronyms to know

• P911 - Parent Alert

• PAL - Parents Are Listening

• PAW - Parents Are Watching

• PIR - Parent In Room

• POS - Parent Over Shoulder

• pron - porn

More Acronyms

• KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless• LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life• MOOS - Member Of The Opposite Sex• MOSS - Member(s) Of The Same Sex• MorF - Male or Female• MOS - Mom Over Shoulder• NALOPKT - Not A Lot Of People Know That• NIFOC - Nude In Front Of The Computer

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change,

COURAGE to change the things I can,and the WISDOM to know the difference.

Questions?

Resources

1.Community of Concern, “A Parent’s Guide for the Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use”, www.thecommunityofconcern.org2.www.netlingo.com/top50/acronyms-for-parents.php 3.Warning Signs of Teenage Drug Abuse, http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/drugsofabuse/adriug_abuse20.htm?p=14. 2010 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, sponsored by MetLife Foundation 5.Keeping Your Teens Drug Free, A Family Guide, www.theantidrug.com (800) 788-28006. Drug Facts – Shatter the Myths, teens.drugabuse.gov