From the Novi News:
By Kelly Murad • STAFF WRITER • March 19, 2009
A charcoal drawing dated Christmas 2003 hangs on the dining room wall of Suzanne Okun's Country Place condominium, outlining the face of a 15-year-old boy who had his whole life ahead of him. He was a straight-A student who wore the No. 50 for Wildcat football. A boy who had aspirations of becoming an attorney.
But, if you look closer, behind the almond-shaped eyes and charming smile, is a troubled boy whose last years of life were spent battling the demons of addiction.
“He hadn't gotten in trouble yet, but you could see that was where he was heading,” Okun said of the sketch.
Joshua Charles Short, or “Joshie” as Okun says when referring to her only child, died Dec. 11, 2008, of a drug overdose. He was 20.
“Josh was brilliant. You'd never know the kid was an addict,” Okun said. “He had that charismatic personality, he could hide anything.”
According to Novi police Chief David Molloy, Short was one of five heroin-related deaths in Novi since 2006.
“The kids, they're not snorting heroin, they are actually injecting it,” he said. “Kids are traveling with candles, spoons ... anything they can use to melt the heroin down.”
Okun refuses to hide the truth of her son's death.
“I'm not going to let my son's memory just fade away,” she said.
Shooting up
Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal opiate drug, which users snort, smoke and inject, to achieve a feeling of euphoria.
According to the National Drug Threat Assessment for 2007 issued by the National Drug Intelligence Center, there is little change in the overall amount of heroin use, but an increasing number of high-school and college-age students abusing the drug.
“My first 10 years on the bench, I saw maybe two heroin cases. This week alone, I've seen four,” said 52-1 District Court Judge Brian MacKenzie. “It's more fashionable than it was five years ago. My guess is that heroin is becoming cheap again, and there's been an increase in production.
“It used to be an urban drug, but now it's a suburban drug too.”
The 52-1 District Court handles cases from Novi, Commerce, Wixom, Walled Lake, South Lyon, Milford, Highland and Wolverine Lake.
Studies show a common effect of heroin is the addiction itself. A tolerance to the drug develops, causing users to take more heroin to achieve the desired euphoric effect.
“I've heard people say kids take it once and they're hooked,” Okun said.
From gateways to graves
Less than one year before Josh's tragic death, another Novi mother, Sandy, lost her 20-year-old son, Kyle, to a heroin overdose.
Kyle, whose last name is being withheld for anonymity, died Jan. 26, 2008.
Josh and Kyle were friends. They both began experimenting with gateway drugs at an early age.
“The group of kids are not stereotypically how you would think of heroin users to be,” said Claudia Walter of Novi Youth Assistance. “These were good kids, these were your neighbors and at some point the drugs took over.”
Kyle, who was an avid hockey player, began smoking marijuana and drinking after losing his father to cancer at 15. By 16, he had his first run-in with the law and received a minor in possession citation.
“Sometimes we're criticized for arresting kids for MIPs, but we see a trend of kids starting with these gateway drugs and it seems the progression is to go to heroin,” Molloy said. “It doesn't mean that every kid that drinks a beer is going to end up addicted to heroin.”
In Josh's case, he too received a minor in possession early on, and was prescribed medication while on probation.
“We had the suspicion he was dabbling into things, but not in excess, and certainly not into harder drugs,” Okun said. “The whole idea is in an affluent community you don't think your kids are going to get involved with this stuff.”
Kyle also abused prescription pills, which is what Sandy believes led to the heroin addiction.
“No child starts off using drugs with the expectation that they'll get addicted to heroin,” said Novi High School guidance counselor Donna Roemer. “It starts off often times with the pills, the Vicodin, the OxyContin.”
Along with the painkillers, Molloy said the anti-anxiety medication Xanax is another prescription drug abused by young adults.
“I'm concerned about heroin, but I'm more concerned about prescription drug abuse,” he said. “That is something parents need to be cognizant of.”
Certified Adolescent Addiction Counselor Robin Walsh, of Henry Ford Maplegrove Center, believes prescription pills are the second most popular drug among young people today.
The cost of addiction
All Kyle wanted was to be normal again; the big brother to his two younger siblings.
“Drugs and alcohol have taken me to some dark places, and I have experienced many hardships and severe consequences for my destructive actions,” he wrote months before he died in a paper titled “Drug Addiction,” penned for a Schoolcraft College class. “Addiction is a disease, not a flaw. It ruins lives and can leave you bankrupt, six-feet deep or behind bars.”
After learning of her son Kyle's addiction through a text message, Sandy tried everything from substance abuse programs to collecting his paychecks to help him kick the habit.
But the night before he died, Kyle relapsed and stole his $110 paycheck from his mother. She found him the next day with $50 in his pocket.
“I say it cost him $60 to die,” Sandy said.
Traces of marijuana, heroin and cocaine were found in Kyle's system.
“In addition to the deadly health effects, it can also have an effect on the community because of the crimes they are committing to purchase the drugs,” said Molloy, noting addicts often commit theft and robbery to pay for their habit. “They're getting money for it somewhere.”
For Josh, his addiction cost him his dreams.
“He wanted to be an attorney. He would have been great,” said Okun, noting weeks before his death Josh was accepted to Wayne State University. “I think Josh always thought he could beat it, he could give it up. He made a stupid mistake.”
Left behind
Quantcast
Prior to the night of his December death, Josh had been clean since September.
“I don't want to portray him as a perfect kid because he's not. He was hard to handle,” Okun said. “But finding out that he was clean, that's heartbreaking for me.”
As any mother would, Okun is still trying to piece together the chain of events that occurred the last day of her son's life.
“We know Josh bought heroin that day,” she said, explaining text messages from his phone revealed he didn't get high, so she thinks he did other drugs. “The combination probably put him in a coma and he crashed.
“These kids and young adults think they have nine lives, they think they're infallible. (I want to tell them) ‘It's not what you do to yourselves, because you're going to be gone, it's what you do to those you leave behind.'”
MacKenzie said there's a myth that heroin is not that dangerous.
“Heroin takes the tightest grip and the deepest ownership. It is the scariest substance there is,” he said. “Once you start (using heroin), the wall of overcoming that addiction is so high that a lot of heroin addicts are addicts until they die.”
What now?
Three months after finding Josh's lifeless body on the basement floor, Okun is determined to bring awareness to parents and kids of the dangers of heroin use.
“The plan is to get the community involved,” she said with hopes of forming a Novi task force to address the issue. “They need to know this is prevalent in the community.”
The Novi Youth Assistance is seeking interested participants to join its drug and alcohol committee, slated for the fall, to help identify and address community needs, while promoting dialogue related to healthy decision making.
“I think there's a real need for some further education in Novi,” Walter said. “I think awareness brings empowerment. If more parents are watching, our kids are safer as a community.”
kmurad@gannett.com (248) 349-1700, Ext. 263
Friday, March 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
$1 Spent on Prevention Saves $10, Study Says
From Join Together:
Investing in addiction prevention programs yields a 10-1 return for society, according to researchers from Iowa State University (ISU) who studied the Iowa Strengthening Families Program and the Life Skills Training Program.
Researchers Richard Spoth, Ph.D., and Max Guyll, Ph.D. detailed findings from the "Prevention's Cost Effectiveness: Illustrative Economic Benefits of General Population Interventions" and "Prevention of Substance-related Problems: Effectiveness of Family-focused Prevention" studies for a conference sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization.
"Effective and efficient prevention promises to save possibly billions of dollars per year, provided we can learn how to effectively implement it on a larger scale," said Spoth, director of ISU's Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute (PPSI).
This is an emergency
One family writes about the impact of marijuana addiction in their family. (Skeptics - Stop focusing on the drug and think in terms of the response of the individual to the drug.)
Highlights here:
Highlights here:
And for the last four years, this is how it's been. Two steps forward, two steps back. We effectively remain where we have been since it started.
This is cannabis. It stops you, it rips out normal reactions, normal kindness, normal motivation. It draws a line and you stand patiently behind it. And this is why we have broken one of the most serious prohibitions facing any writer. You Do Not Write About Your Children. Yes, your kids might enter your work now and then in charming disguise but you do not ever lay out their genuine, raw problems on the page. You fictionalise them, you do not present it up-front and true. There is a glass-fronted box in the corner of every writer's room, protecting the real lives of their children: Smash Only In Case Of Emergency.
...
Imagine if you could wave a wand and instantly all the spliffs and baggies were transformed into bottles of gin. You leave for work on Wednesday morning and suddenly you see kids on the way to school with a quarter of Gordon's sticking out their rucksack; at Thursday lunchtime, you see them sharing a swig of Tanqueray at the bus stop. And if you saw that daily, all around you, you would say there's a genuine problem. Except it's worse than that.
...
Their arguments - some ill-informed, some plain vitriolic - have all rested on an implicit belief that "a bit of pot" simply does not cause this kind of aggression, this sort of abuse. Yes, they say, if this was a heroin addict, nicking your stereo, your jewellery and flogging it down the pub, that would be credible. And they're right, you don't need to flog a stereo for a spliff - it costs less than a pint. And anyway, cannabis makes you mellow - stoners are hippies, laid back, docile to a fault. We used to smoke it, they imply, and we just giggled.
That was then. Skunk is GM cannabis. Evidence from the Forensic Science Service suggests that skunk cannabis (otherwise known as sinsemilla) is remarkably stronger than ever before. It is unquestionably different, definitely stronger. In skunk, the active ingredient, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), has been ramped up significantly. But perhaps more importantly, this has been achieved at the cost of another component of naturally occurring cannabis, CBD (cannabidiol). And some scientists are starting to think that CBD has antipsychotic properties - something to offset the THC in old-fashioned marijuana but absent in skunk.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Survey says most parents ‘clueless' on teen drinking
From the Livonia Observer:
By Ken Abramczyk
OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
Just under 60 percent of Livonia ninth-grade students reported drinking once in the previous year, according to a 2007 survey presented at a Town Hall meeting Thursday on underage drinking with the Livonia Save Our Youth task force.
Other statistics showed that 69 percent of ninth-graders said that they rode in a car where someone had been drinking and 22 percent had participated in binge drinking.
And more than 90 percent of the students think their parents are clueless about underage drinking.
Those were just some of the results from the survey reported by Bob Douvill, student assistance counselor at Franklin High School, and Kathy Weaver, student assistance counselor at Churchill High School.
The task force discussed how the use of alcohol is risky for teens.
Dr. Mark Menestrina, a task force member, cited statistics that revealed that drinkers who started younger than 14 were seven times more likely to be in an accident than those who waited until they were 21. That same group was four and a half times more likely to develop drug or alcohol problems and three times more likely to attempt suicide.
Menestrina, a physician, also reminded the audience of the controversial T-shirts worn last year by students with the words “Pusching it to the Limit” (a word play on Busch beer) and “Class of .08.” Many parents were concerned, but others remained indifferent, Menestrina said. “Some adults thought there was a problem, then shortly thereafter there was an accident involving alcohol that involved a death, changing many lives forever,” Menestrina said.
Michelle Moccia, a nurse who works in the emergency room at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, said she and her colleagues see all ages in the ER resulting from underage drinking.
Drinkers increase the risk of injury or death, she said. “We see fractures, they lose their teeth, and they often don't realize how badly they are hurt,” Moccia said. “Thank God for their friends who bring them in. We'll tell them, ‘You saved their life.' We're so glad because we can hydrate them. Their heart can stop or they can stop breathing.”
Livonia police Officer Jim King and Monte Banks, a school resource officer, said they work closely with the schools. Banks said parents can help by getting more involved in their children's lives. “Why are they allowed to go out at night without any questions?” Banks asked.
The officers also reminded the audience that if parents or guardians don't take reasonable steps to keep alcohol out of the hands of teenagers in their own homes, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and a $500 fine.
The Livonia Police Department also offers a Parent Evaluation Resource kit, which includes testing kits for a parent's own personal use with their children. “The idea is not to catch a kid, the idea is to make the parents less clueless,” Banks added.
The task force also heard from four young adults who discussed their teenage drinking. “It's very prevalent,” said one of them. “(Alcohol) is easy to find. There's older friends over 21 and parents allow it.”
“Where there's a will, there's a way. If you want to get a drink, you will get it,” said another.
They reminded the students in the crowd that they are not alone. “Surround yourself with positive people,” one of them said.
Claudia Rushlow, a state-certified preventive specialist and family advocate at Maplegrove in West Bloomfield, told the audience “be a parent, not a pal.”
Rushlow said parents could take steps to ensure children aren't drinking in their home. When children say they are going to a classmate's home, make the call to the other parent, Rushlow said. “And when other parents call, welcome the phone calls.”
“Talk to your teens daily,” she said. “Consider your teen's temperament. Meet your children's new friends and parents when their environment changes.”
“Help your child with a plan of action in handling risky situations. Help them develop a strategy. Please do not wait until they are failing at school or are in trouble to intervene.”
Rushlow told parents to check their child's vehicles. Drugs and alcohol use often evolve around car usage, she said. “Cars can be used as storage unit or bedrooms,” she said.
“Make sure you have a key,” Rushlow said. “If you're suspicious, show up where they're supposed to be.”
The Livonia Task Force welcomes new members. For information, visit www.saveouryouthtaskforce.com.
By Ken Abramczyk
OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
Just under 60 percent of Livonia ninth-grade students reported drinking once in the previous year, according to a 2007 survey presented at a Town Hall meeting Thursday on underage drinking with the Livonia Save Our Youth task force.
Other statistics showed that 69 percent of ninth-graders said that they rode in a car where someone had been drinking and 22 percent had participated in binge drinking.
And more than 90 percent of the students think their parents are clueless about underage drinking.
Those were just some of the results from the survey reported by Bob Douvill, student assistance counselor at Franklin High School, and Kathy Weaver, student assistance counselor at Churchill High School.
The task force discussed how the use of alcohol is risky for teens.
Dr. Mark Menestrina, a task force member, cited statistics that revealed that drinkers who started younger than 14 were seven times more likely to be in an accident than those who waited until they were 21. That same group was four and a half times more likely to develop drug or alcohol problems and three times more likely to attempt suicide.
Menestrina, a physician, also reminded the audience of the controversial T-shirts worn last year by students with the words “Pusching it to the Limit” (a word play on Busch beer) and “Class of .08.” Many parents were concerned, but others remained indifferent, Menestrina said. “Some adults thought there was a problem, then shortly thereafter there was an accident involving alcohol that involved a death, changing many lives forever,” Menestrina said.
Michelle Moccia, a nurse who works in the emergency room at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, said she and her colleagues see all ages in the ER resulting from underage drinking.
Drinkers increase the risk of injury or death, she said. “We see fractures, they lose their teeth, and they often don't realize how badly they are hurt,” Moccia said. “Thank God for their friends who bring them in. We'll tell them, ‘You saved their life.' We're so glad because we can hydrate them. Their heart can stop or they can stop breathing.”
Livonia police Officer Jim King and Monte Banks, a school resource officer, said they work closely with the schools. Banks said parents can help by getting more involved in their children's lives. “Why are they allowed to go out at night without any questions?” Banks asked.
The officers also reminded the audience that if parents or guardians don't take reasonable steps to keep alcohol out of the hands of teenagers in their own homes, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and a $500 fine.
The Livonia Police Department also offers a Parent Evaluation Resource kit, which includes testing kits for a parent's own personal use with their children. “The idea is not to catch a kid, the idea is to make the parents less clueless,” Banks added.
The task force also heard from four young adults who discussed their teenage drinking. “It's very prevalent,” said one of them. “(Alcohol) is easy to find. There's older friends over 21 and parents allow it.”
“Where there's a will, there's a way. If you want to get a drink, you will get it,” said another.
They reminded the students in the crowd that they are not alone. “Surround yourself with positive people,” one of them said.
Claudia Rushlow, a state-certified preventive specialist and family advocate at Maplegrove in West Bloomfield, told the audience “be a parent, not a pal.”
Rushlow said parents could take steps to ensure children aren't drinking in their home. When children say they are going to a classmate's home, make the call to the other parent, Rushlow said. “And when other parents call, welcome the phone calls.”
“Talk to your teens daily,” she said. “Consider your teen's temperament. Meet your children's new friends and parents when their environment changes.”
“Help your child with a plan of action in handling risky situations. Help them develop a strategy. Please do not wait until they are failing at school or are in trouble to intervene.”
Rushlow told parents to check their child's vehicles. Drugs and alcohol use often evolve around car usage, she said. “Cars can be used as storage unit or bedrooms,” she said.
“Make sure you have a key,” Rushlow said. “If you're suspicious, show up where they're supposed to be.”
The Livonia Task Force welcomes new members. For information, visit www.saveouryouthtaskforce.com.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Parents go to school to pick up drug clues in St. Joseph Mercy Hospital program
From the Ann Arbor News:
by David Jesse | The Ann Arbor News
Friday March 13, 2009, 9:26 AM
It looked like a typical teenage girl's room.
Makeup was stacked on a table. T-shirts were strewn around the floor. A stack of CDs sat on the bed.
Also scattered around the bedroom were more than 70 items that could either be used to take drugs or alert a parent that his or her child is likely using drugs.
Some were obvious, like the marijuana bong and the bottle of Bud Light.
Some weren't, including a Coke can used to store drugs, and a can of degreaser, which could be used as an inhalant.
While most of the 30 parents who gathered Thursday night at St. Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital were able to spot the most easily identifiable items, none of them were able to come up with much more than 40 of the 70.
Explaining all those signs fell to health system educators Cheryl Phillips and Gretchen Nachazel, who taught the "Drugs 101: What Every Parent Needs to Know" class.
They said parents need to be alert to their students' behaviors and start having tough conversations with them.
"Some kids give you telltale signs. Some kids don't give you any signs," said Nachazel. "Drug use has become very sophisticated.
"It's a hard subject to talk about, but if we're not talking about it, who is?"
That's why Esther Ayers, who has a teenage son, came to the session.
"I want to be real about what's going on," she said. "I wanted to know things to look for."
Besides showing the different items to the parents, the educators also talked about various drugs and their affect on the body.
The same presentation is scheduled to be given several more times in different locations, including in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. For details, visit Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's Web site at www.sjmercyhealth.org and search their classes listings.
David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6937. Join the discussion at blog.mlive.com/study_hall.
by David Jesse | The Ann Arbor News
Friday March 13, 2009, 9:26 AM
It looked like a typical teenage girl's room.
Makeup was stacked on a table. T-shirts were strewn around the floor. A stack of CDs sat on the bed.
Also scattered around the bedroom were more than 70 items that could either be used to take drugs or alert a parent that his or her child is likely using drugs.
Some were obvious, like the marijuana bong and the bottle of Bud Light.
Some weren't, including a Coke can used to store drugs, and a can of degreaser, which could be used as an inhalant.
While most of the 30 parents who gathered Thursday night at St. Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital were able to spot the most easily identifiable items, none of them were able to come up with much more than 40 of the 70.
Explaining all those signs fell to health system educators Cheryl Phillips and Gretchen Nachazel, who taught the "Drugs 101: What Every Parent Needs to Know" class.
They said parents need to be alert to their students' behaviors and start having tough conversations with them.
"Some kids give you telltale signs. Some kids don't give you any signs," said Nachazel. "Drug use has become very sophisticated.
"It's a hard subject to talk about, but if we're not talking about it, who is?"
That's why Esther Ayers, who has a teenage son, came to the session.
"I want to be real about what's going on," she said. "I wanted to know things to look for."
Besides showing the different items to the parents, the educators also talked about various drugs and their affect on the body.
The same presentation is scheduled to be given several more times in different locations, including in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. For details, visit Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's Web site at www.sjmercyhealth.org and search their classes listings.
David Jesse can be reached at djesse@annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6937. Join the discussion at blog.mlive.com/study_hall.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Underage Drinking in Livonia: Not a minor problem
If you weren't able to attend the town hall meeting, look for it on Bright House. It should be available OnDemand soon and will be played on channel 8 from time to time.
Here's the presentation from the event.
Here's the presentation from the event.
2009 Soytf Town Hall
View more presentations from jschwartz.
Keep teens safe from the dangers of underage drinking
From the Livonia Observer:
If you have a teen in your family, there's probably no more important thing you could do tonight than attend the town hall meeting on underage drinking.
It goes from 7-9 p.m. in Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive.
A panel of experts will discuss how any use of alcohol - not just binge drinking, and drinking and driving - is risky for teens.
Alcohol can affect teens' developing brains. It also is strongly correlated with violence, risky sexual behavior, poor academic performance, alcohol-related driving incidents and other harmful behaviors.
The experts - including Sgt. Mike Killingbeck of the Livonia Police Department, Bob Douville of Franklin High School and Kathy Weaver of Churchill High School - will discuss the scope of the problem among Livonia teens.
If Livonia teens are like other Michigan students - and there's no reason to believe they're not - 73 percent have drunk alcohol, 38 percent have drunk alcohol in the past month and 23 percent have had five or more drinks in a row in the past 30 days.
The Livonia Save Our Youth Task Force believes parents, police, school officials, treatment professionals and other community members must act together to help solve the problem of underage drinking. We agree.
Parents can start by attending tonight's meeting.
If they can't attend, and even if they can, here are other things they can do to protect their children from the dangers of underage drinking:
If you have a teen in your family, there's probably no more important thing you could do tonight than attend the town hall meeting on underage drinking.
It goes from 7-9 p.m. in Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive.
A panel of experts will discuss how any use of alcohol - not just binge drinking, and drinking and driving - is risky for teens.
Alcohol can affect teens' developing brains. It also is strongly correlated with violence, risky sexual behavior, poor academic performance, alcohol-related driving incidents and other harmful behaviors.
The experts - including Sgt. Mike Killingbeck of the Livonia Police Department, Bob Douville of Franklin High School and Kathy Weaver of Churchill High School - will discuss the scope of the problem among Livonia teens.
If Livonia teens are like other Michigan students - and there's no reason to believe they're not - 73 percent have drunk alcohol, 38 percent have drunk alcohol in the past month and 23 percent have had five or more drinks in a row in the past 30 days.
The Livonia Save Our Youth Task Force believes parents, police, school officials, treatment professionals and other community members must act together to help solve the problem of underage drinking. We agree.
Parents can start by attending tonight's meeting.
If they can't attend, and even if they can, here are other things they can do to protect their children from the dangers of underage drinking:
- Don't allow anyone under age 21 to consume alcohol in your home. Allowing minors to drink at home, in your presence, does not protect them from many of the dangers of underage drinking.
- Model the responsible use of alcohol. Do you sometimes drink too much or unknowingly convey the message that in order to have fun, you must have alcohol at every social function?
- Get involved in your teens' lives. Do things they enjoy with them so they naturally converse with you about what they're thinking and feeling.
- Get to know your teens' friends and their parents. Make sure their friends' parents won't allow alcohol or unsupervised get-togethers in their homes before letting your teen visit.
- Greet your teen at the door after an evening out to make sure he or she hasn't been drinking.
- Have high expectations and communicate those to your teen - frequently. Expect your teen not to drink. If you think kids will drink no matter what, they will. Parental disapproval is the greatest deterrent to alcohol and drug use. Kids really do listen to what their parents say.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Drug overdoses suspected in brothers' deaths
From the Livonia Observer:
Two Livonia brothers in their early 20s died Wednesday, in separate incidents, of what police say were apparent drug overdoses. Their names were being withheld on Thursday.
The first death occurred in Livonia at a house on Henry Ruff south of Five Mile. A 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Lt. Greg Winn of the Livonia Police Department. A friend had called 911 about 7:30 a.m. after finding the man unresponsive, police said.
In the second incident, about 12 hours later, emergency personnel were called to a house on Brookline in Plymouth Township after a man found a 21-year-old friend unresponsive in a bathroom, said police Chief Thomas Tiderington. An ambulance crew tried to resuscitate the man, and he was transported to St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Tiderington said there was drug paraphernalia in the bathroom and the man appeared to have suffered “some type of narcotics overdose.” He said he did not know what drug may have been used.
Likewise, the earlier death is a suspected drug overdose, Winn said. “We don’t have anything else we’re really looking at,” he said.
Winn said the second victim was at the house on Henry Ruff when the first incident was reported, but was not the person who called 911.
Detectives in both communities were continuing their investigation on Thursday. Complete autopsy results, including toxicology reports, could take several weeks, Tiderington and Winn said.
Two Livonia brothers in their early 20s died Wednesday, in separate incidents, of what police say were apparent drug overdoses. Their names were being withheld on Thursday.
The first death occurred in Livonia at a house on Henry Ruff south of Five Mile. A 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Lt. Greg Winn of the Livonia Police Department. A friend had called 911 about 7:30 a.m. after finding the man unresponsive, police said.
In the second incident, about 12 hours later, emergency personnel were called to a house on Brookline in Plymouth Township after a man found a 21-year-old friend unresponsive in a bathroom, said police Chief Thomas Tiderington. An ambulance crew tried to resuscitate the man, and he was transported to St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Tiderington said there was drug paraphernalia in the bathroom and the man appeared to have suffered “some type of narcotics overdose.” He said he did not know what drug may have been used.
Likewise, the earlier death is a suspected drug overdose, Winn said. “We don’t have anything else we’re really looking at,” he said.
Winn said the second victim was at the house on Henry Ruff when the first incident was reported, but was not the person who called 911.
Detectives in both communities were continuing their investigation on Thursday. Complete autopsy results, including toxicology reports, could take several weeks, Tiderington and Winn said.
Friday, March 6, 2009
20th Annual Teen Study Shows 25% Drop in Meth Use Over 3 Years; Marijuana Down 30% Over 10 Years
Data Reveal First Major Increase in Number of Teens Reporting “Learning a Lot” About Risks of Drug Use From Parents
Teen Abuse of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicines Remains a Serious Concern
NEW YORK, NY – February 24, 2009 – The Partnership for a Drug-Free America today announced the findings from the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, (PATS) which revealed the first major increase in the number of teens who reported “learning a lot” about the risks of drugs from their parents. The study shows that 37 percent of teens reported learning a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents, a significant 16 percent increase from the previous year and the first major increase since the inception of the study. Research consistently shows that teens who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use, yet many parents have difficulty talking with their kids about drugs and alcohol.
This progress coincides with data showing remarkable, sustained declines in several drugs of abuse – notably methamphetamine (meth) and marijuana – over the past several years.
“Parent-child communication about the risks of drugs and alcohol is critically important, and research has shown a lack of parental awareness of adolescent substance use,” said Dr. Amelia Arria, a senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute and a nationally recognized researcher on the identification of risk factors for adolescent and young adult drug involvement. “This study may indicate that parents and teens are finding some common language and that these important messages are getting through. We hope to see this trend continue to increase, as there’s still much work to be done.”
According to the study, teen meth use has experienced a steep three-year drop, with past-month use down to 3 percent of teens – a significant 25 percent decline versus 2005. Teen attitudes about meth use corroborate this drop – 83 percent of teens see great risk in using meth regularly, about 85 percent see great risk in “getting hooked on meth” and more than half of teens, (54 percent) see trying meth once or twice as very risky.
While marijuana remains the most widely used illegal drug among teens, PATS indicates marijuana use has been declining for a decade, with past-year use down 24 percent since 1998, and past-month use down a full 30 percent (from 23 percent of teens down to 16 percent) over the same time period. Teen attitudes also reflect growing social disapproval of the drug, with 35 percent of teens agreeing strongly they “don’t want to hang around with anyone who uses marijuana,” up from 28 percent a decade ago.
The study also indicates a strong correlation between increased teen exposure to anti-drug messages on television and a decreased likelihood of trying drugs over the past ten years. Four out of ten teens (41 percent) agreed that anti-drug messages made them more aware of the risks of using drugs and less likely to try drugs (42 percent).
Red Flag: Parents Still Not Discussing Abuse of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicines
Despite the increase in parent-teen discussions, only 24 percent of teens report that their parents talked with them about the dangers of prescription (Rx) drug abuse or use of medications outside of a doctor’s supervision; just 18 percent of teens say their parents discuss the risks of abusing over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine.
“The strong declines in illegal use combined with the news that teens are learning a lot about drugs and alcohol at home underscores the power and influence of parents,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. “Yet too many parents are missing opportunities to talk about the intentional abuse of prescription and OTC medications, which is the most pressing—and least understood— threat to our kids. This risky behavior is still not on parents’ radar, many of whom don’t realize that when abused or used without a prescription, these medications can be every bit as dangerous as illegal drugs.”
According to the survey, about 1 in 5 teens (19 percent) or 4.7 million reports abusing a prescription medication at least once in their lives, and 1 in 10 teens (10 percent) or 2.5 million teens reports having abused a prescription pain reliever in the past year. About 7 percent or 1.7 million teens have reported OTC cough medicine abuse in the past year. The prevalence of and attitudes behind this behavior are cause for ongoing concern. PATS shows 41 percent of teens mistakenly believe that abuse of medicines is less dangerous than abuse of illegal street drugs and 61 percent of teens report prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs, up significantly from 56 percent in 2005.
One positive note is teen attitudes toward the abuse of OTC cough medicine have improved with the number of teens who agree that “taking cough medicine to get high is risky” significantly increased from 45 percent in 2007 to 48 percent last year.
Warning Signs: Teens See Slightly Less Risk in Steroid and Inhalant Use
Steroid use remains low at 4 percent for lifetime use among teens. While there has been little overall change in the number of teens who see “great risk” in abusing steroids, fewer teens this year (65 percent) agreed strongly that teens who use steroids for athletic performance or physical appearance are putting their health at risk, down from 69 percent last year.
Pre-teen and teen inhalant use remains steady at 11 percent for past year use, yet only 66 percent of teens report that “sniffing or huffing things to get high can kill you.” Both categories of abuse merit careful monitoring— as attitudes towards inhalant and steroid abuse weaken, use is more likely to increase.
“We must be vigilant when attitudes show signs of weakening because this may portend future increases in substance use,” said Pasierb.
Insight: Today’s Teens More Open About Discussing Substance Abuse, Seeking Help for Friends
The 20th annual study offers new insights into the way the current generation of teens view substance abuse. PATS 2008 showed a statistically significant increase in the number of teens who reported trying to talk a friend out of using drugs at 41 percent and 40 percent of teens report being aware that they have a family member with a drug or alcohol problem.
“With over 6,500 teens from across the nation in the study, these data indicate this generation has greater sensitivity to the health risks and downsides of substance abuse,” said Pasierb. “Teens live in a world of social networking and connectedness – they’re more open, constantly sharing their thoughts and experiences. Teens recognize the impact of use, know others with a problem and seem to attach less stigma to getting help for themselves or a friend who is in trouble.”
Given that kids who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to ever use, parents are encouraged to have frequent ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the abuse of Rx and OTC drugs. Parent visitors to http://www.drugfree.org/ can learn to talk with their kids about drugs and alcohol and take charge of the conversation with their kids.
The 20th annual national study of 6,518 teens in grades 7-12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 1.3 percent margin of error. PATS Teens 2008 was conducted in private, public and parochial schools for the Partnership by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research. For more information and the full PATS Teens Report visit www.drugfree.org.
About the Partnership
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a national non-government, nonprofit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. Best known for its research-based national public education programs, the Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from alcohol and drug abuse, intervene when drug and alcohol use is present and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble. Visit drugfree.org for more information.
Teen Abuse of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicines Remains a Serious Concern
NEW YORK, NY – February 24, 2009 – The Partnership for a Drug-Free America today announced the findings from the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, (PATS) which revealed the first major increase in the number of teens who reported “learning a lot” about the risks of drugs from their parents. The study shows that 37 percent of teens reported learning a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents, a significant 16 percent increase from the previous year and the first major increase since the inception of the study. Research consistently shows that teens who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use, yet many parents have difficulty talking with their kids about drugs and alcohol.
This progress coincides with data showing remarkable, sustained declines in several drugs of abuse – notably methamphetamine (meth) and marijuana – over the past several years.
“Parent-child communication about the risks of drugs and alcohol is critically important, and research has shown a lack of parental awareness of adolescent substance use,” said Dr. Amelia Arria, a senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute and a nationally recognized researcher on the identification of risk factors for adolescent and young adult drug involvement. “This study may indicate that parents and teens are finding some common language and that these important messages are getting through. We hope to see this trend continue to increase, as there’s still much work to be done.”
According to the study, teen meth use has experienced a steep three-year drop, with past-month use down to 3 percent of teens – a significant 25 percent decline versus 2005. Teen attitudes about meth use corroborate this drop – 83 percent of teens see great risk in using meth regularly, about 85 percent see great risk in “getting hooked on meth” and more than half of teens, (54 percent) see trying meth once or twice as very risky.
While marijuana remains the most widely used illegal drug among teens, PATS indicates marijuana use has been declining for a decade, with past-year use down 24 percent since 1998, and past-month use down a full 30 percent (from 23 percent of teens down to 16 percent) over the same time period. Teen attitudes also reflect growing social disapproval of the drug, with 35 percent of teens agreeing strongly they “don’t want to hang around with anyone who uses marijuana,” up from 28 percent a decade ago.
The study also indicates a strong correlation between increased teen exposure to anti-drug messages on television and a decreased likelihood of trying drugs over the past ten years. Four out of ten teens (41 percent) agreed that anti-drug messages made them more aware of the risks of using drugs and less likely to try drugs (42 percent).
Red Flag: Parents Still Not Discussing Abuse of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicines
Despite the increase in parent-teen discussions, only 24 percent of teens report that their parents talked with them about the dangers of prescription (Rx) drug abuse or use of medications outside of a doctor’s supervision; just 18 percent of teens say their parents discuss the risks of abusing over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine.
“The strong declines in illegal use combined with the news that teens are learning a lot about drugs and alcohol at home underscores the power and influence of parents,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. “Yet too many parents are missing opportunities to talk about the intentional abuse of prescription and OTC medications, which is the most pressing—and least understood— threat to our kids. This risky behavior is still not on parents’ radar, many of whom don’t realize that when abused or used without a prescription, these medications can be every bit as dangerous as illegal drugs.”
According to the survey, about 1 in 5 teens (19 percent) or 4.7 million reports abusing a prescription medication at least once in their lives, and 1 in 10 teens (10 percent) or 2.5 million teens reports having abused a prescription pain reliever in the past year. About 7 percent or 1.7 million teens have reported OTC cough medicine abuse in the past year. The prevalence of and attitudes behind this behavior are cause for ongoing concern. PATS shows 41 percent of teens mistakenly believe that abuse of medicines is less dangerous than abuse of illegal street drugs and 61 percent of teens report prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs, up significantly from 56 percent in 2005.
One positive note is teen attitudes toward the abuse of OTC cough medicine have improved with the number of teens who agree that “taking cough medicine to get high is risky” significantly increased from 45 percent in 2007 to 48 percent last year.
Warning Signs: Teens See Slightly Less Risk in Steroid and Inhalant Use
Steroid use remains low at 4 percent for lifetime use among teens. While there has been little overall change in the number of teens who see “great risk” in abusing steroids, fewer teens this year (65 percent) agreed strongly that teens who use steroids for athletic performance or physical appearance are putting their health at risk, down from 69 percent last year.
Pre-teen and teen inhalant use remains steady at 11 percent for past year use, yet only 66 percent of teens report that “sniffing or huffing things to get high can kill you.” Both categories of abuse merit careful monitoring— as attitudes towards inhalant and steroid abuse weaken, use is more likely to increase.
“We must be vigilant when attitudes show signs of weakening because this may portend future increases in substance use,” said Pasierb.
Insight: Today’s Teens More Open About Discussing Substance Abuse, Seeking Help for Friends
The 20th annual study offers new insights into the way the current generation of teens view substance abuse. PATS 2008 showed a statistically significant increase in the number of teens who reported trying to talk a friend out of using drugs at 41 percent and 40 percent of teens report being aware that they have a family member with a drug or alcohol problem.
“With over 6,500 teens from across the nation in the study, these data indicate this generation has greater sensitivity to the health risks and downsides of substance abuse,” said Pasierb. “Teens live in a world of social networking and connectedness – they’re more open, constantly sharing their thoughts and experiences. Teens recognize the impact of use, know others with a problem and seem to attach less stigma to getting help for themselves or a friend who is in trouble.”
Given that kids who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to ever use, parents are encouraged to have frequent ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the abuse of Rx and OTC drugs. Parent visitors to http://www.drugfree.org/ can learn to talk with their kids about drugs and alcohol and take charge of the conversation with their kids.
The 20th annual national study of 6,518 teens in grades 7-12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 1.3 percent margin of error. PATS Teens 2008 was conducted in private, public and parochial schools for the Partnership by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research. For more information and the full PATS Teens Report visit www.drugfree.org.
About the Partnership
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a national non-government, nonprofit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. Best known for its research-based national public education programs, the Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from alcohol and drug abuse, intervene when drug and alcohol use is present and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble. Visit drugfree.org for more information.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Study Finds Adolescents Undertreated for Addiction
Only about 10 percent of adolescents needing help for substance abuse problems actually enter treatment, partly because of the lack of adolescent-only services in the nation´s treatment system, according to a new study released this week by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study also found that very few of the available addiction programs for teens received high marks for quality.
“We have known that out of 1.4 million teens needing help for substance abuse, one-tenth of those get treatment, says author Hannah Knudsen, PhD, with the University of Kentucky. “Part of this treatment gap may be driven by the limited availability of adolescent-only treatment services. Less than one-third of addiction programs in the U.S. have a specialized program for adolescents.”
The study appears in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
The study also found wide variations in quality among adolescent-only programs. Knudsen analyzed nine ‘domains’ of quality offered by the programs, including things like whether families are encouraged to be involved in the treatment process or whether programs offer an array of comprehensive services. She found that only a small number of them scored high in each domain. The average treatment program in this national random sample of 154 treatment programs received a medium-ranking score in overall quality.
In addition, the data suggest that some treatment programs mix teens and adults. The practice runs contrary to the recommendations of the U.S. government’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Knudsen said such situations can create problems because adolescents are at a different stage of life than adults. They are typically living with their families, have shorter histories of substance abuse, and they need services to be tailored to their stage of cognitive development.
The Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds research into policies related to alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
[Source: CADCA]
“We have known that out of 1.4 million teens needing help for substance abuse, one-tenth of those get treatment, says author Hannah Knudsen, PhD, with the University of Kentucky. “Part of this treatment gap may be driven by the limited availability of adolescent-only treatment services. Less than one-third of addiction programs in the U.S. have a specialized program for adolescents.”
The study appears in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
The study also found wide variations in quality among adolescent-only programs. Knudsen analyzed nine ‘domains’ of quality offered by the programs, including things like whether families are encouraged to be involved in the treatment process or whether programs offer an array of comprehensive services. She found that only a small number of them scored high in each domain. The average treatment program in this national random sample of 154 treatment programs received a medium-ranking score in overall quality.
In addition, the data suggest that some treatment programs mix teens and adults. The practice runs contrary to the recommendations of the U.S. government’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Knudsen said such situations can create problems because adolescents are at a different stage of life than adults. They are typically living with their families, have shorter histories of substance abuse, and they need services to be tailored to their stage of cognitive development.
The Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds research into policies related to alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
[Source: CADCA]
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Kids Who Wear Beer Gear Drink More, Study Says
March 3, 2009
Binge drinking and alcohol consumption in general is higher among adolescents who own alcohol-related t-shirts, hats and other marketing items, according to researchers at Dartmouth College.
HealthDay News reported March 2 that a survey of about 6,500 youths ages 10 to 14 found that up to one in five said they wore or owned alcohol-branded merchandise, such as clothing (64 percent), hats (24 percent) and items such as jewelry, shot glasses, and posters.
Most of the items promoted beer, and 45 percent of these promoted Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand. Three-quarters of the youths said that friends or family had bought the merchandise, but one in four said they had purchased the items themselves.
Lead researcher Auden C. McClure said the researchers found that owning such merchandise was an accurate risk predictor for underage alcohol use and binge drinking, as well as susceptibility for drinking initiation. "You can't say any longer that these items are just a marker of kids who drink," she said, adding: "It really underscores the importance for policies that restrict the scope of this marketing, so that these products aren't reaching teens and influencing drinking behaviors."
David H. Jernigan, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the findings show that industry self-regulation doesn't work. "There should be pressure put on these [alcohol] companies," Jernigan said. "If you are producing stuff, so much of which ends up in the bodies of an audience that's not the target of your marketing, I hope you would think twice."
Carol Clark, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, said the company directs its marketing at adults only. "Our promotional clothing and merchandise are intended for adults, come in adult sizes and are placed in adult sections of stores," she said. "When it comes to preventing underage drinking, we should focus on restricting youth access, not censoring advertising and marketing."
The study appeared in the March 2009 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.
(Source: Join Together)
Binge drinking and alcohol consumption in general is higher among adolescents who own alcohol-related t-shirts, hats and other marketing items, according to researchers at Dartmouth College.
HealthDay News reported March 2 that a survey of about 6,500 youths ages 10 to 14 found that up to one in five said they wore or owned alcohol-branded merchandise, such as clothing (64 percent), hats (24 percent) and items such as jewelry, shot glasses, and posters.
Most of the items promoted beer, and 45 percent of these promoted Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand. Three-quarters of the youths said that friends or family had bought the merchandise, but one in four said they had purchased the items themselves.
Lead researcher Auden C. McClure said the researchers found that owning such merchandise was an accurate risk predictor for underage alcohol use and binge drinking, as well as susceptibility for drinking initiation. "You can't say any longer that these items are just a marker of kids who drink," she said, adding: "It really underscores the importance for policies that restrict the scope of this marketing, so that these products aren't reaching teens and influencing drinking behaviors."
David H. Jernigan, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the findings show that industry self-regulation doesn't work. "There should be pressure put on these [alcohol] companies," Jernigan said. "If you are producing stuff, so much of which ends up in the bodies of an audience that's not the target of your marketing, I hope you would think twice."
Carol Clark, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, said the company directs its marketing at adults only. "Our promotional clothing and merchandise are intended for adults, come in adult sizes and are placed in adult sections of stores," she said. "When it comes to preventing underage drinking, we should focus on restricting youth access, not censoring advertising and marketing."
The study appeared in the March 2009 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.
(Source: Join Together)
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