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Alcoholism
Among
Pre-Teens
Often
Unnoticed,
Untreated
From
Join
Together
http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/addiction/alcoholism-among-pre-teens
Most
alcoholics
start
drinking
during
their
teen
years,
but
the
disease
can
also
strike
those
who
begin
using
alcohol
at
a
younger
age
—
and
the
problem
often
goes
unrecognized,
experts
say.
The
San
Francisco
Chronicle
reported
July
16
that
Mary
Brennan
of
suburban
Chicago
began
drinking
at
age
10
with
friends
of
her
older
brother;
by
15,
she
was
bringing
vodka
to
school
in
Gatorade
bottles
and
getting
drunk
every
day.
Her
father,
a
single
parent,
didn’t
recognize
the
problem,
even
after
she
overdosed
and
nearly
died.
The
underage-drinking
rate
in
the
U.S.
has
remained
steady
in
recent
years,
but
some
research
indicates
that
youths
are
starting
to
drink
at
a
younger
age.
One
study,
from
the
Partnership
for
a
Drug-Free
America,
concluded
that
about
10
percent
of
nine-year-olds
had
consumed
more
than
a
sip
of
alcohol.
And
research
from
the
National
Institute
on
Alcohol
Abuse
and
Alcoholism
indicates
that
children
who
begin
drinking
before
age
15
are
four
times
more
likely
to
have
drinking
problems
than
those
who
start
drinking
at
age
21
or
later.
“A
third
of
kids
ages
12
to
17
had
their
first
drink
before
13,”
said
Susan
Foster,
director
of
policy
research
for
the
National
Center
on
Addiction
and
Substance
Abuse
(CASA)
at
Columbia
University.
“That’s
about
6.4
million
kids,
many
more
than
there
have
been
historically.
Very
young
drinkers
are
a
huge
concern.”
“We’ve
received
calls
from
parents
of
kids
as
young
as
8,”
said
Cole
Rucker,
CEO
and
cofounder
of
the
Echo
Malibu
treatment
center.
“Every
year,
alcohol
use
shows
up
in
younger
and
younger
kids.”
Young
drinkers
often
get
started
with
alcohol
use
by
getting
drinks
from
friends
or
family
liquor
cabinets.
Polls
have
shown
that
youths
ages
13
and
up
say
it
is
easy
to
get
alcohol
from
adults
—
and
sometimes
their
own
parents,
who
may
themselves
have
drinking
problems.
“The
traditional
thinking
is
that
risk
factors
for
alcohol
abuse
show
up
in
adolescence,”
said
Robert
A.
Zucker,
Ph.D.,
director
of
the
Addiction
Research
Center
at
the
University
of
Michigan.
“But,
actually,
they
can
show
up
earlier
—
in
children
9
or
younger,
even
in
preschoolers.”
Few
treatment
programs
exist
for
very
young
alcoholics,
who
rarely
get
adequate
services,
such
as
intensive
inpatient
care.
Let
us Let
us
help
create
awareness
of
this
disease
and
healthy
choices
in
pre-teens:
Contact
us
for
a
school
assembly,
teacher
in-service
or
parent
education
program.
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Marijuana
grown indoors, where
temperature and light
can be controlled, can
be sold for more than
marijuana grown
outdoors—at least
$3,000 a pound compared
with $750, according to
Drug Enforcement
Administration spokesman
Jeffrey Scott.
.........>"Did
you know people gut
houses and the entire
inside is a greenhouse?
Mortgage
Crisis Turns into
Opportunity for
Marijuana Growers
The
surplus of empty
houses caused by the
mortgage crisis has
led to an increase in
the number of homes in
Las Vegas that have
been turned into
marijuana greenhouses,
the Los
Angeles Times
reports.
In
2010, Nevada authorities
seized 153 indoor
marijuana greenhouses
containing more than
13,000 plants. That
represents a large
increase from the 18
sites and 1,000 plants
seized in 2005. So far
this year, authorities
have discovered at least
130 indoor growth sites,
more than at the same
point last year. Nevada
still lags far behind
California, which found
791 indoor growing sites
last year.
“You
can’t have crime
without opportunity,”
William Sousa, a
criminologist at the
University of Nevada,
Las Vegas, told the
newspaper. “And all
those empty homes
present an opportunity
for criminal
activity.”
With
so many homes in the
state abandoned because
of foreclosure, a
marijuana greenhouse
with dark windows and
empty driveways is less
likely to attract
attention, the article
notes. Suspicious
neighbors are usually
the ones to tip off
authorities about
suspected indoor
marijuana growing sites.
Marijuana
Use and Adolescents:
What Research tells us
now
By Join
Together Staff |
November 11, 2011
As
marijuana use among
teenagers increases and
its perceived danger
among this age group
decreases, clinicians
need to know the latest
science about the
harmful effects of the
drug on the adolescent
brain, according to a
researcher at the
University of Colorado,
Denver.
Paula
Riggs, PhD, Professor of
Psychiatry, notes the
most recent Monitoring
the Future Survey
shows a significant
increase in marijuana
use, including daily
marijuana use among U.
S. high school students
and a decrease in
perceived risk of use.
“There are a number of
indicators, including
the increasing number of
states that have passed
‘medical marijuana’
legislation, and that
society as a whole tends
to view marijuana as a
relatively benign,
recreational drug.
However, scientific
research does not
support this.”
A
growing body of research
shows that adolescent
marijuana use can be
detrimental to the brain
development and may
produce long-lasting
neurocognitive deficits
and increased risk of
mental health problems
including psychosis,
said Dr. Riggs, who
spoke about this topic
at the recent California
Society of Addiction
Medicine meeting.
Marijuana
is the most commonly
used illicit drug in the
United States. Although
some have questioned
whether marijuana is an
addictive drug,
scientific research
shows that one in 10
people overall, and one
in six adolescents, who
use marijuana develop
dependence or addiction,
Dr. Riggs says. Research
shows that marijuana can
cause structural damage,
neuronal loss and impair
brain function on a
number of levels, from
basic motor coordination
to more complex tasks,
such as the ability to
plan, organize, solve
problems, remember, make
decisions and control
behavior and emotions.
Dr.
Riggs also cited recent
studies indicating that
adolescents may be more
vulnerable to addiction,
in part due to rapid
brain development.
“Emerging research
suggests that
individuals who start
using marijuana during
their teenage years may
have longer-lasting
cognitive impairments in
executive functioning
than those who start
later,” she says.
“Animal studies also
suggest that exposure to
marijuana during
adolescence compared to
adulthood may increase
the vulnerability or
risk of developing
addiction to other
substances of abuse such
as cocaine and
methamphetamine.”
She
adds, “It is important
for pediatricians,
psychiatrists and other
mental health clinicians
to be aware of current
research because they
are on the front line to
identify teens when they
first start to
experiment. They need to
be able to effectively
screen adolescents for
marijuana use, and be
armed with the
scientific facts to
educate teens and
families about
associated risks.”
Article
online here.
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