For Teen Boys, Heavy Drinking & Impulsivity May Be Vicious Circle

Bouts of heavy drinking can increase male teens' levels of impulsive behavior over time, including their propensity for more heavy drinking, a new study finds. The findings were released online in advance of publication in the February print issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
The study included more than 500 boys in Pittsburgh who were assessed each year from first-grade until they were 20 years old, with another follow-up four to five years later.
When they were teens, boys with moderate levels of impulsive behavior showed a significant increase in impulsivity if they had engaged in heavy drinking the previous year, as opposed to those with low or high levels of impulsive behavior.
"Heavy alcohol use in adolescence may lead to alterations in brain structure and function that reduce behavioral (impulse) control, which could, in turn, promote further heavy drinking," first author Helene R. White, professor of sociology at the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University, said in a news release from the journal's publisher.
The findings emphasize the need for prevention, said Andrew Littlefield, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. He was not involved in the study.
"Decreasing heavy drinking during adolescence may decrease impulsivity by preventing damage to crucial brain areas. Findings also suggested that adolescents who stopped heavy drinking later 'rebounded' to lower levels of impulsivity. Therefore, decreasing drinking during adolescence could result in improved self-control at later ages," Littlefield said in the news release.
SOURCE: Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, news release, Nov. 16, 2010

Relapse Prevention Skills: The Daily Drill

One of the hallmarks of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is skills building. Following a “daily drill” is a skill that individuals with substance use disorders have found helpful in preventing relapse.

The Daily Drill has a four-word tagline:  Please, Read, Meet, and Thank

Please

Ask for help from a power greater than oneself, whether that be a “Higher Power” or a support group.

Read

 Read some from an addiction recovery-related book.

Meet

Meet with other people who are living life in recovery.

Thank

Express your gratitude for getting through another day without using drugs or alcohol.

Some remarks from FOUR LOKO Consumers

"Legalized cocaine in a can. If you consume Four Loko you can expect to encounter the same results typically associated with snorting a small mound of cocaine.

 "My dealer isn't picking up? Okay, whatever,.. we'll just get some Four Lokos instead."
 or

"nalcoholic energy drink that has over 11% alcohol and taste like Hawaiian Punch, all my boyz are gettin' crazy off Four Loko. What kinda alcohol is in Four Loko anywayz? "

Four Loko is an energy drink with a high alcohol content and boasts of a 'kick' of caffeine as well. Three alumni from Ohio State University created the power drink in 2006 where it was first introduced in Ohio, then Arizona, California and Illinois by the middle of that same year. This energy drink contains the usual suspects, caffeine taurine but also adds the kicker of alcohol content that is three times that of a regular beer.

Would you want your child to drink this?  Should this be legal?

First Call, Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery: Everyone wants to hear, “No new taxes!”

First Call, Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery: Everyone wants to hear, “No new taxes!”: "But the positive impact of a high alcohol tax has been documented by researchers from the University of Florida. They conclude that doubling..."

Everyone wants to hear, “No new taxes!”

But the positive impact of a high alcohol tax has been documented by researchers from the University of Florida. They conclude that doubling the alcohol tax is associated, on average, with a 35% reduction in alcohol-related deaths, an 11% drop in traffic accident deaths, a 6% reduction in sexually transmitted diseases, a 2% decline in violence and a 1.4% drop in crime. 

Did you know…

Missouri’s beer tax is $0.06/gallon and hasn’t been raised since 1971. 

Missouri has the second lowest beer tax in the nation, with the highest being Alaska at $1.07.

Missouri spirits tax is $2/gallon and is the second lowest spirits tax in the nation.

The State of Washington has the highest spirits tax at $26.45/gallon.

■I'm shouting out because 1.9 million youth age 12 to 17 abused prescription drugs last year. #drugfacts2010

Today, First Call is joining teens, parents, teachers, and scientists across America to kick off National Drug Facts Week by offering up our own shoutout for educating teens about drug abuse!

I'm shouting out because in 2009, nearly 1 out of 10 high school seniors were still abusing prescription pain pills… unintentional overdoses involving pain medicines have more than tripled in the past 10 years, outnumbering total deaths involving heroin and cocaine.

Every day 2,000 teens on average use Rx drugs for the first time - without a doctor's prescription http://bit.ly/d4d6Oj.

In 2007, prescription pain meds were involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined http://bit.ly/djfjGi

I didn’t Cause it, I can’t Control it, I can’t Cure it.

These are “The 3 C’s of Codependence Recovery.”  Once a codependent stops trying to make someone else stop using drugs or alcohol, they can begin to focus on their own recovery. 

Every person struggling with a substance use disorder has parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, spouses, children, neighbors, co-workers, friends, nieces, nephews. Have you tried to control a loved one’s use of alcohol or other drugs? Have you made threats, tried to bargain, begged?  It’s not easy to see that we are all impacted by a substance use disorder.  How we react is what makes the difference in our well-being.

How do you react?

Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.

Legislators, both new and experienced, need to know where you stand on issues of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug prevention and treatment, today and regularly throughout their term.  Know your legislator, vote for your beliefs, know what issues are being introduced and tell your legislator where you stand on the issues.  

Who’s my Legislator - Missouri

http://movotesconservation.org/Home.aspx?ContentID=251

Who’s my Legislator – Kansas

http://www.kslegislature.org/redistricting.html

Kids, Questions, Drugs and Alcohol. Tips on how to answer

Young people can come up with some pretty challenging questions for parents when it comes to drugs and alcohol

So here are some ideas for dealing with challenging questions and some answers to some of the more baffling questions we might have to deal with.

1. (First) Stay calm, be yourself
2. Let your core beliefs guide you
3. Be willing to talk about the topic at length, but don’t get into a debate.
4. Don’t make something up. Know the facts or research the facts from trustworthy sources together.
5. Focus the discussion on the facts and the values you hold.

Some of the more common questions you may be asked, and ideas on how to respond to them.

Q: You smoked/drank/did drugs when you were younger and you turned out okay…

A: I made a lot of mistakes I would hope you wouldn’t make because I want you to have every advantage in life. And, I was fortunate, there’s no guarantee you will be. When I was younger there were no such things as bicycle helmets and very few cars had seat belts and I turned out okay. That doesn’t mean we should abolish seat belts and bicycle helmets.

Q: At 18, I can get married, join the army, vote, etc., but I can’t drink, that’s not fair.

A: It’s not a matter of fair, it’s a matter of your brain not being fully developed enough to handle alcohol until you’re 21. You greatly increase your chances of becoming an alcoholic if you drink when you’re younger.

Q: Marijuana is good for you, it’s a medicine…

A: First of all …do you have AIDS, glaucoma or cancer? (No) Then it’s not for you! Also, it’s illegal, it’s dangerous, and it’s just not worth it.

These are a few of the more common challenging questions a parent may face. Remember to stay focused on your values and your goals for your children, address the questions proactively and remember to keep reaching out for knowledge and support.

First Call is an agency of recovery referral, prevention, and education.  Make the First Call for help; we have counselors available 24/7.  Visit our Speas Resource Center for books, videos and DVDs on prevention, recovery and treatment of substance use disorder.  More about us at  www.firstcallkc.org