The recent release of the Partnership/MetLife Foundation Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) of teen drug use, and parent and teen attitudes toward substance use, shows both encouraging and alarming trends.  The data point to notable increases in teen use of alcohol, marijuana and Ecstasy, marking an end to a decade of long declines in drug and alcohol use among young people.  This coupled with the decline in “perceptions of harm,” among  both teens and parents is a strong indication that American society may be in for a perfect storm of increased adolescent drug and alcohol abuse not experienced in the United States since the 1990s.

This storm is fed by a growing climate of parental denial, which sees teens agreeing that “being high feels good” and parents of teens who have drug and alcohol problems either waiting to act or taking no action at all to address the problem.

The ever growing number of pro-drug cues in popular culture while, coupled with declines in federal funding of prevention programs, only adds to the tempest.  The 2009 PATS Report should be a clarion call to parents to arm themselves with the online tools that are now available to combat youth substance abuse, and act decisively.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s online resources for parents available at  Time to Talk and Time to Act provide valuable insight and guidance at those critical junctures when parents need them the most,  to confront the challenges of teen drug and alcohol use.  What to do, what to say and where to go for help are always the first questions parents ask when they discover a problem.

In 2000 when my wife and I discovered that our 15 year-old son David had a serious problem abusing alcohol and marijuana we took him to a treatment center to be assessed and were told he needed professional help.  The Center was temporarily full so we decided to try and handle it on our own.  But we were wrong.  Our delay in seeking help enabled his disease to progress rapidly in spite of the efforts of his counselors, family and friends.  David died in a drug related drowning eleven months after we first learned of his problem. Addiction in adolescents can occur rapidly, which is why it is crucial to identify the signs of youth substance abuse and act immediately.

Delay is not only perilous but it can have tragic results…we know that all too well now.

• 	Posted by: Kim Manlove | 0 Comment(s)
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I can say without reservation that one of the top questions I get from parents goes to the issue of letting their teens have beer and other alcohol at home.  Not that they necessarily want to, just that there seems to be so much pressure – real or perceived – that other parents are doing it.  Obviously, beyond the issue of breaking the law, my answer is “no,” that childhood drinking can present a number of potential health risks and also developmental risks to the teen brain including those detailed in our Parents Guide to the Teen Brain.

Now comes a new study, looking at Dutch teens (428 families with 13-15 year-olds were studied), that says despite their best intentions, the more parents permitted their teens to drink alcohol at home, (More…)

• 	Posted by: Steve Pasierb | 4 Comment(s)
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Some parents believe that one way to prevent their children from binge drinking in college is to allow them to drink in high school. (I guess their thinking is that by letting their teens “practice” drinking in high school, they won’t overdo it when they find themselves on campus — especially if they’re at one of the top party schools, free of parental supervision.)

One way that parents do this is by hosting parties for teens and serving alcohol.

But, a new report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism challenges the idea that prior experience drinking in high school will prevent teens from going overboard in college.

The article, How NOT to Raise a College Binge Drinker highlights research from the Prevention Research and Methodology Center at Pennsylvania State University that says parents who allow their teens to drink alcohol in high school (More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 5 Comment(s)
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Since I write a column for a Spanish gastronomy publication, I often find myself reading wine magazines to see what’s out there pleasing palates these days. I do wish I could be one of those people who delights in taking small delicate sniffs and dainty sips of a prized vintage before making learned comments in which I would toss around terms such as oaky and smoky. Alas, back in the day I tended to do much more swigging and swilling than I ever did swishing and sipping and therefore, it’s always a bit hard for me to relate to the whole world of wine-tasting. Tasting is all well and good but what’s the point really if you can’t go on to guzzle? That’s what I always say anyway. I guess that’s one of the reasons I no longer drink…

Back to my point. I was recently flipping through the June issue of Decanter magazine when I came across an article that really irritated me. It was called “How to Get Your Kids into Wine.”  Author Beverley Blanning kicks off by writing  about how horrible it is that the UK government has actually given the warning that “Parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and not drinking is (More…)

• 	Posted by: Johanna Bailey | 1 Comment(s)
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One of the questions that comes up time and again is how do we safeguard our children from being exposed to drugs and pro drug use content on the Internet?

Most parents are already attuned to risks on the web like online predators and sexual content. Increasingly, sites that promote illicit drug use — actually explaining which drugs to use and how to do it — are coming to the attention of parents as their children are exposed.  What’s more, rogue online pharmacies and their e-mail spam promote painkillers and other drugs to teens with “no prescription needed” while blogs and teen content portray drug and alcohol abuse as no big deal.

Our colleagues at the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia have been studying the growth of these sites.  They came away so worried about the scale and scope that they’ve invited us to partner with them and an Internet developer to launch a new online platform called WebSafe Parent available at www.websafeparent.com

WebSafe will be an online community educating adults about this content and how their children are exposed to it.  WebSafe will also provide (More…)

• 	Posted by: Steve Pasierb | 3 Comment(s)
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Performance in a Feature Film, Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline, Benjamin Bratt, “The Cleaner”; Performance in a Comedy Series, Dana Delany, “Desperate Housewives”; Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries, Chandra Wilson, “Accidental Friendship”; Talk Show Episode, Dr. Phil, “The Bridge” Credits: Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. and PRISM Awards

Last night the Partnership was proud to co-sponsor the Entertainment Industries Council’s 2009 PRISM Awards showcase on Capitol Hill. The PRISM Awards are presented each year to members of the entertainment industry to honor the accurate depiction of substance abuse, treatment, recovery and mental health issues. Given the power of the media to shape our attitudes and beliefs, (More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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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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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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Something I see a lot of in my field is the classic (and fraudulent) tactical mistake parents too often make when disciplining their teens. This tactic takes on features that are Ponzi-like in the realm of parenting, which is why I call this strategy “Ponzi Parenting.”

As I’m sure most of you know, in the financial world, a Ponzi scheme is a scam that aims for short-term gain instead of long-term success, setting off a whole series of bad behaviors. Similarly, “Ponzi Parents” try to please their kids — and make life easier for themselves — in the short term, without worrying about larger, and possibly lifelong, negative consequences.

The main theme of the error is that when parents discipline for the moment and get in the habit of choosing the easy way out, they bank on the short-term gain of pleasing their child and on the hope of avoiding conflict. But keeping children happy doesn’t necessarily mean (More…)

• 	Posted by: Ken Winters, Ph.D. | 1 Comment(s)
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