The availability of over-the-counter medications that contain DXM is a major problem that parents need to pay attention to. Many families have cough syrup in the medicine cabinet, ready to be abused. Experts say that many parents are in the dark about the dangers of using DXM to get high.

When combined with other stimulant drugs like caffeinated beverages, energy drinks, and prescription drugs to treat ADHD, the effects can be fatal.

According to a 2006 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) survey, more than three million people ages 12 to 25 abused cough medications. About 48 percent of the people who were taken to the emergency room for DXM abuse were between the ages of 12 and 20, according to the survey.

Signs of DXM abuse include a medicinal smell on your child’s breath, empty or missing cough syrup bottles, and changes in attitude and sleeping habits.

Parents should talk to their children about the dangers of abusing cough syrup and be aware of the websites he or she visits, as there are a number of web sites that give information on how much cough syrup to take, how to extract DXM from cough medications, and even how to buy a powdered form of DXM for snorting.

Sources: CNN Health, Parents Be Warned: Your Kids May Be "Robo Tripping," July 8, 2010

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Teen Cough Syrup Abuse

The Dangers of DXM is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

This study – the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control – found that just over one in five high school students in the United States admits to having taken a prescription drug without a prescription from a physician.

Within the survey, the CDC found that 20.2 percent of high school students report having taken a drug such as Ritalin, Xanax or OxyContin without a prescription. In addition, prescription abuse was most common among white students at 23 percent, followed by Hispanics at 17 percent and African-Americans at 12 percent.

Drug abuse proved to be the most common among high school seniors at 26 percent and least common among freshman at 15 percent. There appeared to be no difference in prescription drug abuse by gender as it was 20 percent for both male and female students.

“We are concerned to learn that so many high school students are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them,” Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, saidin a news release. “Some people may falsely believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs, yet their misuse can cause serious adverse health effects, including addiction and death.”

Teen Drug Abuse Increasingly Focused on Prescription Drugs is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Dextromethorphan is included in a number of different brand name medications, including Benylin, Delsym, Hold DM, Percussion CS Children, Percussion ES, Robitussin Cough Calmers, Robitussin Maximum Strength, Robitussin Pediatric Cough Suppressant, Scot-Tussin Diabetic, St. Joseph Cough Suppressant, Tussin Pediatric, Vicks 44 Cough Medicine and Vicks Formula 44.

Abuse of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers

Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers present a high potential for abuse simply due to its ease of acquisition and low cost. The greatest concern for abuse is among teenagers and young adults. The Internet also contributes to this abuse as it has becoming increasingly home to “how to” abuse information on a number of different websites. The powered form of dextromethorphan is also marketed illegally over the Internet.

Those users who are taking Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers for recreational purposes tend to report a heightened sense of perceptual awareness, altered time perception and visual hallucinations. Abusers may also display hyper-excitability, lethargy, ataxia, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension, and/or nystagmus.

Effects of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers

Taking Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers can induce feelings of drowsiness and relaxation, which many report is very similar to the effects marijuana can create. When taking Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers, the body will slow and feel more at ease while the brain acts at a reduced capacity. When large amounts are taken, Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers become the equivalent of a hallucinogenic drug such as LSD.

The side effects of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers can occur as allergic reactions that include: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. More serious side effects include severe dizziness, anxiety, restless feeling, or nervousness; confusion, hallucinations; or slow, shallow breathing.

Withdrawal of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers

Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers can act much like that of narcotic drugs or prescription medications. If an individual develops a dependence on dextromethorphan, problems arise in cessation, especially if it is abrupt. An individual who stops taking the drug can experience withdrawal symptoms.

Any and all of the following symptoms can occur in the Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers withdrawal stage:

• Restlessness
• Muscle aches
• Bone aches
• Insomnia
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Cold flashes

Treatment of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers Addiction

Dependence and an addiction can easily arise if Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers is taken too long or in too high of doses. The withdrawal process has the ability to be life-threatening if not monitored in a treatment facility. It is important that those with an addiction seek the help they need to stop taking the drug and to learn how to function normally without it.

The person should go through a detoxification process to cleanse the body of Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers and it should be done under the care of a board-certified physician and a board-certified psychiatrist. A quality treatment center will suggest comfortable detox using withdrawal medications specific to Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers abuse.

Robo-Tripping with Scot-Tussin DM Cough Chasers is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The CDC sent out questionnaires to over 158 schools across the country, with 16,460 student participants responding. The YRBS surveys students in grades 9–12 on their health-risk behaviors, including unintentional injury or violence; tobacco use; alcohol consumption; substance abuse; sexual activity that involved unintended pregnancy, violence, or disease; unhealthy dietary practices; and physical inactivity. This year’s YRBS was the first in its history to include prescription medications as a substance of abuse in its questionnaire, and is the first national survey from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to specifically pole teenagers on their activity related to prescription drugs.

Participants were asked if they had ever consumed prescription drugs such as Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Adderall, or Ritalin without a doctor’s prescription. Based on the results, 20.2% of participants admitted to having illicitly taken a prescription medication one or more times in their lifetime. White students were more likely than any other demographic group in the survey to abuse prescription drugs (23% of all white participants). Following were Hispanic students with 17.2% and black students with 11.8% of their respective demographics. Students were more likely to abuse prescription drugs as they progressed in age: twelfth grade students were more likely to abuse (25.8%) than eleventh grade students (22.7%), tenth grade students (18.2%), and ninth grade students (15.1%). There was no significant disparity among male and female genders regarding use, however white females were more likely than non-white females to abuse (23.3% of white females vs. 16.6% of Hispanic females and 10.3% of black females) and white males were more likely than non-white males to abuse (22.8% of white males vs. 17.8% Hispanic males and 13.3% of black males).

These statistics are evidence of the growing misconception that prescription drugs are somehow safer to use than illicit ‘street drugs.’ Even though these drugs are prescribed medications for legal use, they can be just as toxic and detrimental to one’s health if misused and can potentially lead to addiction, overdose, and death. Both parents and children may believe that no harm is being done by taking these drugs since they are not illegally distributed and sold in some dark alley. Prescription drugs are the most easily accessible drugs for teenagers to get their hands on. Teenagers can swipe prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets to get high or self-medicate, and there are also substantial reports of high school students having ‘pill parties’ in which partiers bring whatever prescription drugs they can obtain and share them with friends. While rates of adolescent illicit substance abuse may seem unchanged over the last decade, prescription drug abuse is disturbingly high among this age group and continues to rapidly increase.

Concerning other substances of abuse, statistics among teenagers in the 2009 survey were similar to 2007. Regarding overall use, 72.5% of high school students reported they had used alcohol; 37% reported they had used marijuana; 8% reported they had used hallucinogenics such as LSD or mescaline; 6.7% reported they had used ecstasy; 6.4% reported they had used cocaine; 4.1% reported they had used amphetamine/methamphetamine; and 2.5% reported they had used heroin.

Prescription drug abuse is now more prevalent that heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine abuse combined. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Drug Abuse Warning Network estimates that an average of 195 emergency hospital visits per day (or 71,175 per year) nationwide relate to prescription drug abuse (including prescription and nonprescription pain relievers, prescription narcotic pain relievers, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and ADHD medications) among individuals ages 12–17. This estimated average exceeds the expected averages of teenage emergency hospital visits related to cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, amphetamines/methamphetamines, and inhalants combined. The CDC hopes that its new report will create awareness among parents, health care providers, and community leaders and encourage them to promote safety and responsibility for the future generation.

References

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdf/press_release_yrbs.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639796.html

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100603/survey-reveals-rx-drug-abuse-by-teens

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/185/185TypicalDay.htm
 

National Study Shows 1 in 5 Teens Abuses Prescription Drugs is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A study in 2009 examined the effects of exposure to cannabis in music on adolescents’ cannabis use (Primack et al, 2009). The researchers hoped to better understand the association between hearing about cannabis and actual use of cannabis.

To gather information, the study used baseline survey data of an anti-smoking clinical trial. The 959 participants were all recruited from health classes from three large high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The baseline survey included information about socio-demographic variables, parenting style, sensation seeking, rebelliousness and alcohol use.

The researchers used two methods to measure the exposure students had to lyrics in two ways. The students were asked how many hours per day they listened to music, and they were asked which musician was their favorite. The researchers then analyzed this data to determine the student’s unique exposure to cannabis lyrics by measuring the number of hours per week multiplied by the number of cannabis lyrics per hour in their favorite artist’s songs.

The second way that the students’ exposure was measured was by determining the number of songs that contained cannabis lyrics by the artists named as favorite artists.

The primary outcome variables of interest were divided into those who had ever used cannabis (even a puff) and a measure of past 30 day cannabis use (even a puff).

The researchers used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine that the students with the highest exposure to cannabis lyrics also had the highest odds of past 30 day cannabis use when compared with those students who had low cannabis lyrics exposures.

The regression analysis also revealed that those who had the highest song exposure had higher odds of past 30 day cannabis use than those who had the lowest song exposure.

The study’s results may be limited by the use of self-reported data. In addition, the study assumes that the favorite artist of the student is also who they listen to most, which may not be true. The study also does not determine causality with its cross-sectional design.

This study’s findings are the first to examine the relationship between lyrics containing references to cannabis and actual cannabis use among adolescents.

Reference
Primack, B. A., Douglas, E. L., & Kraemer, K. L. (2009). Exposure to cannabis in popular music and cannabis use among adolescents. Addiction, 105, 515-523.
 

Study Examines Impact of Music with Cannabis References on Adolescent Marijuana Use is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

What are Inhalants?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) defines inhalants as liquids, sprays and gases that people sniff or inhale for the purpose of getting high or feeling good – but their use can cause damage to major systems and cognitive processes.
Examples of inhalants include many household products such as aerosols, air fresheners, glue, spray paint, cleaning fluids, gasoline, propane, nail polish remover, correction fluid, and marker pens. According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Study, unlike all other classes of drugs, use of inhalants is most common among younger adolescents and tends to decline as they grow older.

Some of this may be due to the fact that inhalants are cheaper and easier to obtain than other classes of drugs, such as marijuana, ecstasy, and prescription drugs used for non-medical purposes. They are also legal to buy and use and most often are found in the home.

As youth become older, they may graduate to other drugs, having left the “kids’ drugs” behind. Availability of other drugs is also a factor as adolescents mature, as is their ability to pay for the drugs.

• Young Teens – Among past-year inhalant initiates age 12 to 15, common inhalants included lighter fluid or gasoline, glue, shoe polish or toluene (a solvent).

• Older Teens – Among past-year inhalant initiates age 16 to 17, nitrous oxide or whippets were the most common form of inhalants used.

Prevalence of the Problem

In 2008, 729,000 persons aged 12 or older were first-time users of inhalants within the past 12 months, according to the 2009 National Household Survey on Drug Use from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The percentage of those under the age of 18 was 70.4 percent.

In terms of overall first-time users in the past 12 months, the numbers are down from 871,000 in 2003, 851,000 in 2004, and 877,000 in 2005. That’s the good news.

But a more disturbing trend is that the average age at first use among recent initiates is decreasing. In 2008, the average age was 15.9 years, compared to 17.1 years in 2007.

The number of individuals aged 12 and older in 2008 who were dependent upon or abused inhalants was 175,000 – numbers which have not significantly changed between 2007 and 2008 or between 2002 and 2008.

The 2008 Monitoring the Future Study, which studies drug use and trends in 8th through 12 grades, found that there may be “generational forgetting” about the hazards of inhalant abuse. Currently, relatively low proportions of youth perceive “great risk” in using inhalants once or twice. A Partnership for a Drug-Free America anti-inhalant campaign in 1995 and 1996 succeeded in raising awareness about such dangers, but those adolescents are now grown, and the subsequent generation of youth has not benefited from such messages. This, says the MTF study, is worrisome.

While 80 percent of those surveyed in the MTF study said they disapproved of inhalant use, this percentage has been gradually falling off since 2001, especially among 8th graders.

Before the 6th or 7th grade, inhalants are the third most popular abused substance after alcohol and tobacco, reports the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. Furthermore, after the 7th grade, inhalants drops to fourth place after alcohol, tobacco and marijuana, but their use far exceeds the other substances. Inhalants are considered a “gateway” drug leading to other drug use. But the difference is that with inhalants, even first-time use can lead to death.

A SAMHSA (2006) report of records of admissions treatment show that adolescents age 12 to 17 represented 48 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions for inhalants. The report, from the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS), shows that adolescents who reported inhalant abuse were more likely to have a co-occurring mental health problem. Forty-five percent of adolescent admissions reporting inhalants had a concurrent psychiatric disorder, compared to 29 percent who did not report inhalants.

Facts About Inhalants

Separating fact from fiction is an important way to combat inhalant abuse. Being armed with the specifics about the dangers of inhalants gives parents, caregivers, and educators tools with which to counter the misconceptions adolescents and teens have about the dangerous practice.

Harmful Vapors – Many adolescents and teens think that because inhalants are found in many household products, they must be safe. The truth is that, while there are legal and useful purposes for these products, they are not intended to be inhaled. In fact, the products carry specific warnings on the packaging that include language such as the following on Easy-Off BAM Grime & Lime Remover, “Vapor may be harmful. Avoid breathing in vapor. If inhaled, move to fresh air. Get medical attention if needed.”
One Huff Can Kill – Another mistaken belief many young people hold is that they’ve seen their friends huffing vapors – or they’ve done it themselves – with no apparent ill effects. They think that they can huff once or twice or 10 or 100 times and be just fine. This is playing a deadly game. The fact is that even one huff can kill an individual. Or, it could be the 10th, 100th or anytime in-between. Medical experts say that there’s absolutely no way of predicting when huffing will lead to major health consequences – even death.

Inhalants Make You Lose Control – The ingredients in household products – that cause harmful vapors when inhaled – affect the brain in very unpredictable ways. The vapors can make the individual act irrationally, lose control, or become violent and act in a deadly manner.

Club Inhalants – Chemicals distributed at dance clubs and concerts in the form of amyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite (“poppers”) and nitrous oxide (“whippets”) can permanently damage both body and brain.

Inhalant Use Linked to Major Depressive Episode – A recent NSDUH study found that the rate of past-year inhalant use was more than twice among youth aged 12 to 17 who had a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year than among those who did not. Furthermore, an estimated 218,000 youth had used inhalants and experienced a MDE in the past year. Youth age 12 to 13 had the highest past-year inhalant usage after experiencing MDE, as compared with youth in the same age group who had used inhalants but had not experienced MDE (13.9 versus 3.7 percent).

How Inhalants are Used

Inhalants can be breathed through the nose or mouth in a variety of ways:

• Snorting or sniffing fumes from containers
• Spraying aerosols directly into the nose or mouth
• Bagging – sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or deposited inside a plastic or paper bag
• Huffing – from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed in the mouth
• Inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous oxide

How Inhalants Affect the Body

There isn’t a part of the body that benefits from inhalant use. Just the opposite is true, in fact. Here are some of the areas of the body that are most affected by inhalants.

• Brain – Sniffing, or huffing, the fumes or substances from products such as glue, household cleaners, paint thinners, solvents or spray paints produce an immediate high. That’s the major attraction for users, who seek the instant gratification of a euphoric state. But the speed and extent to which inhalants affect the brain, in comparison with other substances, is what makes them so dangerous. Before the user knows what has happened, irreversible physical and mental damage to the brain can occur.

• Heart – The human body requires oxygen in order to survive. Inhalants starve the body of its required oxygen intake. This forces the heart to work harder to pump and distribute the oxygen. It may make the heart beat irregularly or too fast. This is very dangerous to the body.

• Damage to Other Body Parts – Besides the heart and the brain, chronic (or occasional or even first-time) use of inhalants may cause nosebleeds and nausea, result in the development of problems with the liver, kidneys, and lungs. Long-term inhalant abuse leads to a wasting of the muscles, loss of muscle tone and strength.

• Loss of Function – Regular inhalant users may permanently lose the ability to perform everyday functions such as thinking, talking, and walking.

• Coma – The brain shuts down all but the most vital functions.

• Sudden Death – Inhalants can cause sudden death in the user due to suffocation, choking on their own vomit, or having a heart attack.

Signs of Inhalant Use and Abuse

You know when your child doesn’t look or act right. Sometimes, however, it’s difficult to tell what’s causing the problem, whether it’s a sudden illness, emotional difficulties, trouble at school, or involvement with drugs, alcohol – or inhalants. There are some specific signs to be on the lookout for that may indicate the use or abuse of inhalants.

• Appearance that seems drunk, dazed or dizzy
• Breath odor that seems unusual
• Chemical smell on clothing
• Depression
• Eyes that are red
• Inattentiveness
• Irritability
• Lack of coordination
• Paint stains on body and/or clothing
• Runny nose
• Slurred speech

Treatment for Inhalant Abuse

Treatment experts say that because of the damage that neurotoxic chemicals do to the brain, chronic inhalant abusers should be considered as having a dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and mental illness. While many of the techniques and approaches used in typical alcohol and drug treatment may apply, other more specific issues also need to be addressed by the treatment professionals.

The first requirement, if inhalant abuse is suspected, is a complete medical exam. The physician seeks to determine if there is any damage to the central nervous system, kidney or liver abnormalities, lead poisoning, the possibility of cardiac arrhythmia or pulmonary (lungs) distress, and any nutritional deficiencies.

Long-term inhalant abusers will most likely require a longer term of detoxification – getting the chemicals out of the body. This is because the chemicals stay in the fatty tissues of the body longer. Detoxification time may be weeks, instead of days for the casual inhalant abuser.

Neurological or neuropsychological testing should be considered early in the treatment process. Testing should be repeated in several months in order to assess improvement. Anecdotal evidence points to dramatic improvement in cognitive functioning over the course of treatment.

Therapeutic intervention with the family helps by educating parents and siblings provides tools and bonding skills. Assessment of any other alcohol or substance abuse present in the family is also recommended.

Counseling for the inhalant abuser is critical in order to help the individual break the patterns of substance abuse, learn coping skills, and develop better communication skills. Often inhalant use is a group activity. This will necessitate the patient finding new friends who do not abuse inhalants.

Length of treatment time varies, but for chronic, long-term inhalant abusers, it far exceeds the typical “28-day” treatment program and may extend for many weeks and months. That is because inhalants remain in the body for extended periods of time. In addition, intensive aftercare and follow-up are essential in order to build up the patient’s life skills, and to help re-integrate the individual back into the family, school and community.

Recommendations for treatment include individual and group counseling, regular medical checkups to detect relapses, maintenance and evaluation of records on a regular basis, and involvement of the families in the treatment process.
Specific intake and assessment considerations include:

• Determining the extent, duration, range and context of the inhalant products abused
• Medical screening
• Neurological tests
• Behavioral/emotional patterns
• Cognitive history/testing
• Evaluation of other drug use
• Possession/access to the inhalant products abused
• Family history
• Peer group

When Parents Should Be Concerned

Education about the hazards of inhalant abuse, types of inhalants, taking precautions to safeguard inhalants, and having candid and frequent discussions with your children about inhalants can go a long way toward helping to keep your family safe.
Parents should be concerned if they see any of the warning signs previously listed, or empty containers of those products in closets, under the bed, or about the bedroom – which may signal the presence of inhalant abuse. Seek medical attention for obvious signs of physical and mental distress, and consult with your physician about the advisability or necessity of treatment to combat inhalant abuse.

For more information on inhalants, or to obtain referrals to treatment programs in your community, contact SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727), available in English and Spanish. TTY number is 1-800-487-4889.
When in doubt, seek help – immediately. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
 

Combating Inhalant Abuse is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

"First of all, the adolescent brain is still undergoing several maturational processes that render it more vulnerable to some of the effects of substances," Tapert says. In other words, key areas of the brain are still being developed during the adolescent years, and are more sensitive to the toxic effects of drugs and alcohol.

For the study, published last month in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Tapert looked at 12- to 14-year-olds before they used any alcohol or drugs. Over time, some of the kids started to drink, some rather heavily (consuming four or five drinks per occasion, two or three times a month).

Comparing the young people who drank heavily with those who abstained from drinking, Tapert’s team found that the binge drinkers did worse on thinking and memory tests. There was also a distinct gender difference.

"For girls who had been engaging in heavy drinking during adolescence, it looks like they’re performing more poorly on tests of spatial functioning, which links to mathematics, engineering kinds of functions," Tapert says.

"For boys who engaged in binge drinking during adolescence, we see poor performance on tests of attention — so being able to focus on something that might be somewhat boring, for a sustained period of time," she adds. "The magnitude of the difference is 10 percent. I like to think of it as the difference between an A and a B."

Pediatrician and brain researcher Ron Dahl from the University of Pittsburgh notes that adolescents seem to have a higher tolerance for the negative immediate effects of binge drinking, such as feeling ill and nauseated.

"Which makes it easier to consume higher amounts and enjoy some of the positive aspects," Dahl says. "But, of course, that also creates a liability for the spiral of addiction and binge use of these substances."

He adds that there is a unique feature of the teenage brain that drives much behavior during adolescence: The teen brain is primed and ready for intense, all-consuming learning.

"Becoming passionate about a particular activity, a particular sport, passionate about literature or changing the world or a particular religion" is a normal, predictable part of being a teenager, he says.

"But those same tendencies to explore and try new things and try on new identities may also increase the likelihood of starting on negative pathways," he adds.

Tapert wanted to find out in what way binge drinking affects a teen’s developing brain. So using brain imaging, she focused on the white matter, or nerve tissue, of the brain.

"White matter is very important for the relay of information between brain cells; and we know that it is continuing to develop during adolescence," Tapert says.

She imaged the brains of two groups of high school students: binge drinkers and a matched group of teens with no history of binge drinking. She reports in her recent study a marked difference in the white matter of the binge drinkers.

"They appeared to have a number of little dings throughout their brains’ white matter, indicating poor quality," Tapert says.

And poor quality of the brain’s white matter indicates poor, inefficient communication between brain cells.

"These results were actually surprising to me because the binge drinking kids hadn’t, in fact, engaged in a great deal of binge drinking. They were drinking on average once or twice a month, but when they did drink, it was to a relatively high quantity of at least four or five drinks an occasion," she says.

In another study, Tapert reported abnormal functioning in the hippocampus—a key area for memory formation — in teen binge drinkers. Reflecting their abnormal brain scans, the teen drinkers did more poorly on learning verbal material than their non-drinking counterparts.

What remains unknown, says Tapert, is if the cognitive downward slide in teenage binge drinkers is reversible.

Study Shows that Teen Drinking May Cause Permanent Damage is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Dorian Block of the Daily News writes that "Choices and Consequences" has been bringing victims’ families and physical evidence to high school auditoriums in Brooklyn since 1998, but has now been expanded to the whole city.

"Everyone loves ‘CSI,’ but with this, they see how tragic it is and that it’s real," said Maureen McCormick, the prosecutor who created the program. "The purpose of doing this county to county is that we use accidents that happened where these kids live. It isn’t someplace else. This happened three blocks away to kids just like you,” she added.

The program is one of a series of initiatives that were announced Tuesday at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx to coincide with Leandra’s Law, which goes into effect in New York on Friday. Leandra’s Law is named after Leandra Rosado, 11, who was killed in October in a crash that occurred when a friend’s mother was driving drunk.

As of Friday, it is a felony to drive drunk with a child in the car, and all convicted DWI offenders will be mandated to install ignition interlocks in their cars that would require drivers to take a Breathalyzer test to start a car.

"We are saying to the rest of the country that we put our children first," said Kathleen Hogan, president of the state’s District Attorney’s Association. "If you choose to drink and drive, you are acting recklessly. If you choose to drink and drive with a child in the car, that is reprehensible conduct,” she said.

Also unveiled Tuesday was a powerful traveling multi-media exhibit of drunk-driving accidents involving children, and a statewide expansion of a physics and math curriculum called "CRASH!"

The program, sponsored by the Allstate Foundation, gives kids police reports from real traffic accidents to answer questions such as how far a car traveled while its driver looked away, or how fast a car was going before the driver hit the brakes. The program has already been tested in a couple of dozen schools, but the foundation is expanding it to 225 schools in New York, including 50 in the city this coming year.

Lenny Rosado, who fought for and helped create the law named after his daughter Leandra, was given a standing ovation after he spoke about his daughter and his lobbying efforts in Albany.

"I want to make sure these people pay the price and stay in jail for a long time," he said. "Things are going to change, come Friday."

Anti-Drunk-Driving Program Expanded Across New York City High Schools is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Empty bottles found in bedrooms give a clear indication that a teen is “robotripping”. This term is used to describe the habit of drinking an entire bottle of cough syrup at once or popping rounds of cough suppressant pills.

According to national data, more than 125 commercial cough remedies in the United States contain the synthetic drug, dextromethorphan (DMX). Similar to morphine, this drug acts as a central nervous system depressant.

DMX is very dangerous if abused, especially when it is mixed with other drugs. If it is taken frequently, it is addictive and many users report that once they are addicted, they have a hard time walking by medicine counters in grocery stores as the craving is so great.

Poison control experts have noted a four-fold increase in abuse cases of over-the-counter cough medication since 2000. The DEA is now monitoring the abuse of DXM and warns that the drug could be added to the Controlled Substances Act if warranted.

One treatment center expert warns that drug addiction can occur with many prescription and over-the-counter medications. It is important for parents to keep track of medications, keep them stored in the medicine cabinet and monitor the behavior of their children.

Addiction to DXM can occur at any age and to anyone, regardless of background. Experts suggest that Internet use among children also be monitored as many sites will offer suggestions on how much DXM to take according to weight to achieve the desired high. A proactive approach really is the best way to prevent this abuse.
 

Cough Medicine Becoming Easy High for Students is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

CRAFFT, the diagnostic test developed and currently being employed at Children’s Hospital Boston, allows primary care physicians to accurately screen teens for high-risk drug and alcohol use in a matter of minutes.

According to a new study appearing in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Children’s Hospital researchers have established that the CRAFFT diagnostic test can also identify teens that are more likely to be engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors.

The researchers found that teens who screened positive for substance use had significantly greater odds of having sexual contact after using drugs or alcohol. According to the findings, these teens were more likely to have unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, and even a sexually transmitted illness. The cross-sectional survey consisted of 305 adolescents from ages 12 to 18 years old in 3 different urban clinics. Participants were asked the CRAFFT questions and also completed a self-administered questionnaire about high-risk sexual behaviors.

Of those who screened positive, 42.6% reported having sexual contact without a condom, 26.1% had sex after drinking alcohol, 15.6% had sex after drug use, and 21.7% had sex with a partner who had been drinking alcohol.

Developed by the Children’s Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, the CRAFFT screen, which refers to the mnemonic acronym in the six screening questions, includes questions such as "Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to relax, feel better about yourself, or fit in?" and "Do you ever forget things you did while using alcohol or drugs?" Answering "yes" to two or more questions is highly predictive of an alcohol or drug-related disorder and now at-risk sexual behavior.

"Primary care physicians are on the frontline of identifying adolescents who are at-risk and all should be screened with questions like these at every routine medical visit," says Sharon Levy, MD, co-author of the study and physician in the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Children’s.

"Clinicians should be prepared to discuss high risk sexual behaviors with their patients along with the dangers of engaging in sexual activity while intoxicated. Something as simple as asking an adolescent a few questions during a clinical appointment might make the difference,” she added.

The CRAFFT test is routinely administered during adolescent clinical appointments at Children’s Hospital. All adolescents who take the test receive brief advice on alcohol and drug use, and those who test positive are recommended to further assessment for substance use disorders. The authors suggest that these adolescents also receive counseling to avoid high-risk sexual behaviors and sexual activity after alcohol or drug use.

Substance Abuse Screening for Teens Can Also Predict Risky Sexual Behavior is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment