Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain. Rats exposed to THC (main psychoactive chemical in marijuana) before birth, soon after birth, or during adolescence show notable problems with specific learning and memory tasks later in life. Cognitive …
How to Talk to your Child about Marijuana
Talking to your child about marijuana and other drugs is undeniably difficult. Often, the hardest part is starting the conversation. It is important to get in the right frame of mind and set the stage for an effective conversation about substances. Here are some strategies to do so. Keep an open mind. If you want to have a productive conversation …
Parenting Styles and Underage Drinking
Drinking alcohol undoubtedly is a part of American culture, as are conversations between parents and children about its risks and potential benefits. However, information about alcohol can seem contradictory. Alcohol affects people differently at different stages of life—small amounts may have health benefits for certain adults, but for children and adolescents, alcohol can interfere with normal brain development. Alcohol’s differing …
Positive Parenting Prevents Marijuana Use
Talk to your children about the dangers of drug abuse. The following five questions, developed by the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon, highlight parenting skills that are important in preventing the initiation and progression of marijuana and other drug use among youth: 1. Are you able to communicate calmly and clearly with your teenager regarding relationship …
February Fast Facts
FACT #1 About 10 percent of 12-year-olds say they have tried alcohol. By age 15, that number jumps to 50 percent. The sooner you talk to your children about alcohol, the greater chance you have of influencing their decision not to drink. (SAMHSA) FACT #2 Research shows that children exposed to family alcohol abuse or dependence are more likely to …
Prescription Opioid Abuse: A First Step to Heroin Use
Prescription opioid pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin can have effects similar to heroin when taken in doses or in ways other than prescribed, and are currently among the most commonly abused drugs in the United States. Research now suggests that abuse of these drugs may open the door to heroin addiction. Nearly half of young people surveyed who …
Rx Drug Misuse…Not What the Doctor Ordered!
Prescription drug misuse is when someone takes a medication that was prescribed for someone else or takes their own prescription in a way not intended by a doctor or for a different reason—like to get high. It has become a big health issue because of the dangers, particularly the danger of misusing prescription pain medications. For teens, it is a …
Underage Drinking…
IT’S NON-NEGOTIABLE NO USE – NO WAY! Many parents wrestle with the issue of underage drinking. Ideally, no parent wants their teen to drink or use drugs, but some parents are tempted to accept teen drinking as a harmless rite of passage. It’s unhealthy and unsafe behavior. So how can you protect your child from harm? Here are some tips: There …
Is Drug Addiction a Mental Illness?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) drug addiction is classified as a mental illness because addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires, and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using drugs. The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses despite the consequences are similar …
The Dangers of Drugged Driving
Use of illegal drugs or misuse of prescription drugs can make driving unsafe – just like driving after drinking alcohol. Drugged driving puts the driver, passengers, and others who share the road at risk. The effects of specific drugs differ depending on how they act in the brain. For example, marijuana can slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and …