The Partnership for a Drug-free America
August 2009 – Decoder - Breaking down teen culture, substance abuse, and parenting

“Top Party Schools” of 2009 Encourage Risky Drinking

Aug 28, 2009 by Joe Keenan | Categories Alcohol, Binge Drinking, College, Communicating, Culture, Drugs

Princeton Review has recently released its 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges, ranking American colleges and universities by almost every criterion possible, from knowledgeable professors to quality of dorm food. But despite the fact that nearly seventy lists are included in the guide, there is one list in particular that has students, parents, and college officials across the country talking: “Party Schools,” which ranks the top 20 party schools of 2009.

According to Princeton Review, the “party schools” are determined (More…)

  • Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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How To Tell If Your Teen Is Lying to You

Aug 27, 2009 by Vanessa Van Petten | Categories Advice, Communicating, Daughters, Marijuana, Monitoring, Sons, Teenagers

We all lie.  For parents, it is important to tell if their teens are lying.  After watching and interacting with thousands of teens, parents and families, I’ve compiled a list of clues for adults, teachers and parents to look out for:

(Disclaimer: the following is list of observations and does not always mean that the person you are speaking with is lying)

Verbal Cues
* Timing is off between (More…)

  • Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 2 Comment(s)
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Make Like a Teen and Get Online!

Aug 6, 2009 by Vanessa Van Petten | Categories Advice, Communicating, Connecting, Culture, Internet, Monitoring, Pop Culture, Teenagers, Tweens

Last night I tried to teach my mom (love you!) how to download a song onto her iPod.  It was a nightmare.  Not just because I had to explain the concept of an iPod (and of downloading — at least music she understood), but also because of her fear and self-doubt that came along with it. Because I am a professional blogger, I teach people and companies about the Internet, technology and social networking all the time.  I have come to realize that sometimes grown-ups are virtual kids and kids are virtual grown-ups!

Why I Think Adults are Virtually Immature and Kids are Virtually Grown-Up:

1) Learning to use a social network, such as Facebook, is like learning to ride a bike. If you learn it as a child, you are fearless, you try everything, it comes naturally and you have time to practice.  But if you learn as an adult (I am still trying to learn how to ride a bike, so I know), it is scary.  (More…)

  • Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 0 Comment(s)
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This Week in Pop Culture: Promoting Underage Drinking

Aug 5, 2009 by Joe Keenan | Categories Alcohol, Binge Drinking, Celebrities, College, Communicating, Culture, Drugs, General, High School, Illegal Activity, Internet, Middle School, Movies, Pop Culture, Prescription Medicine/Rx Drugs, Role Models, Teenagers, Television, Tweens

As a father of two teens, I know it’s impossible to shield our kids from messages that promote underage drinking. That said, it’s always nice to be given a heads-up so we know just who and what in pop culture may be negatively influencing our kids – and right now in particular, I think you’ll be surprised to find out some of the sources sending pro-drinking messages to our teenagers. Here’s a quick round-up of where our kids have been seeing and hearing “cool” alcohol-related messages lately:

Tweens and younger teens: The latest Harry Potter movie. If you think I’m kidding, check out this article from the New York Times, which cites a number of scenes in which our favorite young wizards, only about 16, drink “butterbeer” and appear to get drunk.

(More…)

  • Posted by: Joe Keenan | 6 Comment(s)
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