Just read this fantastic guest blog on Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode (New York Times). This brave mother, Janice Lynch Schuster, has two teens currently battling what she figuratively refers to as a “big black snake” – or, as it is more commonly known, drug and alcohol addiction. I’m sure that most parents who have watched their children struggle with a drug problem would agree that Schuster is right on target when she compares addiction to a scary – and possibly deadly –snake.

Facing her children’s drug problems, she writes, used to paralyze her. Even when she wanted to confront the monster, she was reduced to ineffectively yelling, taking away things that her kids could just get more of, and convincing herself that drug use was simply a rite of passage for teens. But luckily, Schuster finally got strong enough to intervene and get help for both her addicted children. Here’s a great quote from the post:

“I insisted that first one child and then another be admitted to a substance-abuse recovery program, a residential program that specializes in treating children, like mine, who are alcoholics and drug addicts. Just writing that is painful and foreign; it is as difficult as speaking in the snake’s tongue. The language of addiction is full of loss — lost opportunities, lost lives, lost potential, lost families, lost time. Now both children are in what is called recovery — they have been clean and sober, one for about eight weeks and the other for scarcely more than two.”

For those of you who can relate to Schuster’s story, I highly encourage you to check out Intervene, our newly launched blog here at the Partnership. We’re so proud of Intervene because it’s more than just a website – it’s a supportive community of parents and caring adults concerned about a beloved teen or young adult’s drug use. Right now, we have some very inspiring guest bloggers posting, including two authors with new books out and one wonderful woman who has been running marathons all over the world to raise funds and awareness for drug addiction and treatment.

And remember, you can also visit our website TimeToAct if you suspect or know your teenager is using drugs. TimeToAct has tips on how to initiate a conversation and get your child help.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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In President Obama’s recent online town hall meeting, one of the most discussed issues was the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana as a way of boosting the economy. Personally I’ve never taken much active interest in the debate of whether or not pot should be legal. I suppose that this is mostly because I’ve been sober for a number of years and therefore wouldn’t be smoking it anyway. Besides, pot is one of the few drugs which (despite numerous past attempts) I never developed any affection for. I vaguely remember eating entire bags of Doritos in one sitting before puking them up and then falling into bed and wishing that I’d bought solid colored sheets since the checkered pattern on mine was making me feel as though I was being driven through an M.C. Escher painting with a serious case of motion sickness. Oh, and also, a sensation that my tongue had been re-upholstered with shag carpeting.
 
Nevertheless, a recent story on NPR caught my interest. In it, the show’s producers created a simulated world in which marijuana had been legal for two years in the United States. They then proceeded to interview a variety of experts (all of them real) about the hypothetical affects of such a scenario. Their purpose was to make people think a bit more deeply about the issue. Here are some of the points that were raised:
 
* Despite the expectations of many that legalizing pot would provide a huge boost to our economy, chances are that this wouldn’t be the case. Yes, it would create an additional estimated 20 billion dollars a year in revenue but compared to the size of our deficits, it wouldn’t cure any significant ills. “There may be good reasons to do it but the budgetary part is not a crucial reason to do it.”- Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard economist who has studied and written about the economics of the marijuana market.
 
* Legalizing pot would only increase adolescent use. “They’ll start using it sooner now because it looks like it’s more okay, it seems less harmful because they see their parents doing it.” “Do we know how to keep kids from drinking alcohol? No, we don’t. So why would we expect we’d be any better at it with marijuana?”- Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the Drug Policy Research Center at the RAND Corp.
 
And we should care about that because…
 
* “We know that marijuana use and chronic use, as it is now, in an adolescent population can cause extreme developmental delay…. It can cause memory loss, reduce the ability to concentrate and reduce brain cell activity.” - Dr. Vicki Nejtek, a research doctor who works on drug abuse at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
 
These are only a few of the issues that were discussed but you can hear the entire program here. What I enjoyed about the episode was that although clearly not in favor of the legalization of marijuana, I still thought that they did a fairly good job in presenting the issue realistically from different angles. In other words, unlike so much of the debate on this sensitive topic, the thinking was not all black and white (i.e. the “Legalizing marijuana would be tragedy” school of thinking versus the “There’s nothing wrong with pot and people should be able to smoke it if they want” school of thought). Saying that something is all good or all bad is only a way of giving ammunition to those who feel differently because the truth is that almost every idea is going to have its benefits and disadvantages. It strikes me that a more productive approach to this issue is to look at the possible affects of legalization and make our decisions accordingly rather than planting our feet on one side of the fence and criticizing all those who feel differently. NPR’s program may not cause anyone out there to change their minds but it provides a unique perspective on the subject which I believe is valuable.

• 	Posted by: Johanna Bailey | 11 Comment(s)
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Michael Phelps, Santonio Holmes and Bob Hayes: Three sports legends and one unprecedented weekend.

For those who don’t regularly follow sports, Phelps is an Olympic legend with 14 gold medals, Holmes is a football star with a Super Bowl ring and the Hayes was both - a multiple gold medal winner and one time “world’s fastest man” and also Super Bowl winning wide receiver from the Dallas Cowboys.

And, this past weekend, they gave us three very different perspectives of the intersection of sports and drugs.

On Saturday, Hayes was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Whether Hayes would ever make the Hall has been an ongoing debate for nearly 30 years. He had what most considered a Hall-worthy career, but the taint of a 1979 drug arrest for delivering narcotics to an undercover police officer and the resulting 10-month prison stint had long been considered the reason he was not getting inducted. He finally made it, but didn’t live to see his long time dream realized.

In a story that developed over both Saturday and Sunday, Phelps acknowledged that a picture of him smoking marijuana at a University of South Carolina party was authentic. This has been followed by a series of spin-control, PR moves and apologies and has resulted in Kellogg’s not renewing his endorsement contract and a 3-month suspension from USA Swimming. It is much too early to know how this will impact his standing and legacy.

Then, on Sunday, Holmes who has admitting to dealing drugs when he was in elementary school and was arrested for marijuana possession earlier this year, had a breakout performance in the Super Bowl which ended with him scoring what is already considered one of the greatest touchdowns in football history and being named MVP of the game.

As a parent, these give us plenty of topics to discuss with our kids. We can talk about Phelps’s poor judgment and the contradictions of his supreme physical conditioning and his unhealthful behavior. We can talk about the way that the consequences of our actions follow us much longer than we might realize. We can talk about the brave decisions that Holmes made to change a dead end course into a productive life, but also how that battle still continues. But most of all, we can share with our children the knowledge that brilliance in sports does not make a person a role model and that no one, no matter how wealthy or famous, is immune to the negative impacts of drugs.

• 	Posted by: James Ponti | 3 Comment(s)
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Oops, he did it again. News reports of Olympic swimming phenom Michael Phelps’ latest embarrassing brush with drugs and alcohol last weekend almost outpaced news of our troubled economy and that other big sports event that takes place every February.

Following the 2004 Olympics, Phelps was caught drunk driving, and promised his fans it would never happen again. Just four years later, Phelps was photographed taking a bong hit at what was reported to be a party at a university Phelps was visiting. (View the photo here.) The US Olympic Committee said, “Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people…in this instance, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.”

Many of us know by now that the brain doesn’t fully develop the ability to make good judgments until age 25 — Phelps is 23 — but I’m still surprised at seeing that this unfortunate decision was made so publicly. Reports that Phelps has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also pique my concern — some research studies have shown a greater risk of drug abuse among kids with this diagnosis. It’s not my place to be a parent to Phelps, but it’s definitely my place to talk to my kids about this situation.

Have you talked to your kids? What did they say — and what did you tell them?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 7 Comment(s)
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Did anyone else notice there were quite a few more drug and alcohol references at Sunday night’s Golden Globes than in years past? Here are a few I picked up on:

* Former party boy Colin Farrell while presenting an award, sniffed a few times and said, “I have a cold. It’s not the other thing. It used to be.”

* Ricky Gervais from “The Office” drank a beer on stage while presenting “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

* Presenter Sandra Bullock, when listing James Franco for his performance in “Pineapple Express” as a nominee for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy, mentioned how fun it must have been to rehearse for this stoner film.

* While presenting, “Pineapple Express” star Seth Rogen continued with the drug references by commenting, “I wish I got to do this a long time ago, in a different era in Hollywood. Maybe in the ’80s. That way instead of being drunk with Mickey Rourke tonight I’d be doing cocaine with Mickey Rourke tonight.”

* In the acceptance speech for best picture for “Slumdog Millionaire,” Producer Christian Colson mentioned he’d drunk three martinis.

* And it doesn’t stop there. From stumbling over lines, slurred speech and wobbly walking, many of the night’s presenters looked like they had knocked back a few too many.

* Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor in a Film for his role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” — the year’s biggest success at the box office. And while it wasn’t said outright, it is important to remember that Heath Ledger died just about a year ago from overdosing on a mix of prescription drugs.

As parents, how do you feel about the way these celebrities handled themselves at this year’s award ceremony?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 26 Comment(s)
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Tens of thousands of teens would argue that marijuana should be legal because it is no more harmful than alcohol — some even insist it’s less harmful.  It’s not an unreasonable position to take.  With all the controversy about some college presidents wanting to lower the drinking age, the alcohol debate has been ignited once again.  Maybe it’s time to prohibit alcohol use as well as marijuana.  What kind of message would that send to our youth? 

It would probably underscore the fact that any dangerous substance should be outlawed.  And it would certainly show young people that we’re serious about keeping them out of harms way by practicing what we preach.  I realize that this is a highly unpopular position but every time I read about drunken drivers killing innocent victims it makes my skin crawl.   

What might be the effect of another prohibition?  For starters, less accidental deaths, less discretionary income squandered, less violence, less abuse, and less accompanying medical problems.  Not a bad outcome, I must say.  But what about all those people who responsibly enjoy a drink or two every now and then?  Should they be penalized?  And shouldn’t drinking be an adult’s prerogative? That’s a tough one to answer, particularly since research has shown that a daily glass of wine or two has salutary effects.  

During these difficult economic times, I believe that no behavior of excess should be overlooked.  As we all tighten our belts and make difficult decisions between necessity and discretion, why not revisit an old issue?  Would we really be any worse off if alcohol were unavailable?  Many would insist that organized crime would flourish as it did in the roaring twenties.  But this isn’t the roaring twenties.  And I believe that many changes are in the wind and all options should be considered when addressing the problems of risky behavior.  After all, have you ever heard anyone say, he’s a big drinker and he’s better off for it?

What do you think?

• 	Posted by: Guest Blogger: Neil Bernstein | 15 Comment(s)
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-If they come home smelling like: pot (obviously), cloves (clove cigarettes are often used to cover up the smell of pot), hookah tobacco (also used to cover up the smell of pot), lots of mint (many of my teen friends will literally shower in Listerine and gum before they get home), loads of perfume or cologne.

-If you find rolling papers, lighters, pot (obviously), little baggies, any type of hand-blown pipe/bubbler/contraption, lots of eye drops (my pot-smoking friends always carry Ice Breakers and Clear Eyes to hide the bloodshot eyes) clove cigarettes, loose tobacco peelings, you might want to have a talk with them.

(The following warning signs have lots of other explanations – including normal teen behavior — but I feel I should mention them especially if they are paired with any of the signs above:)

-Blood shot eyes

-Odd behavior after being with friends like extended giggling, lack of eye contact, running upstairs ‘to bed,’ consuming large quantities of food.

-Extreme ups and downs: Some of the pot smokers I know smoke so often, that when they are not high their personalities are extremely different than when they do smoke. Of course, mood swings are a typical part of teen life, but if you notice shortened attention span and extreme changes in energy level or personality, this could be something to look into, whether it is pot or not.

-Unexplained loss of money, unexplained gain of money. Did you just give your kid his Christmas money and now it is all gone and there is nothing to show for it and no clear explanation? How about if they have lots of spending money — too much spending money? There are many teens who will deal pot to their friends to make extra money on the side. (Interesting sidenote: One of my friends in high school used to sell his little brother’s urine to athletes to pass drug tests — he did very well for himself.)

Please, please, please do not freak out if you find eye drops in your kids purse or pockets, there are many reasons why your teen might have some of the signs above, but I think it is important for parents to be aware. To be honest, whether it is marijuana or not, many of these signs also might signify that someone needs help (mood swings, cigarettes, odd behavior, lack of attention). These behaviors and signs — drug related or not — should also be discussed with your teen.

• 	Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 29 Comment(s)
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Don’t know if you folks caught the MTV Movie Awards but there was an “interesting” bit:

Seth Rogen and James Franco play stoners in the upcoming “Pineapple Express,” so MTV thought it would be hilarious if they pulled out a bag of “fake pot” and a joint and lit up as they presented an award.  Apparently, someone had a moment of good sense and the director pulled to a wide shot.  Even so, there was a lot of awkwardness, leaving Robert Downey Jr., accepting for “Ironman,” with a puzzled look.

I’ll say!  After all, Robert Downey Jr. has had a prolonged battle with substance abuse.  And so has a good chunk of the celeb crowd present.  There have been so many Hollywood rehab stories lately that I’ve stopped even commenting on them.  Now MTV thinks this is funny?  Honestly?

 (Getty Images)

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 3 Comment(s)
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Did you guys see this story out of Montreal?—

Dad sells son’s 90-dollar video game online for more than $9,000After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get “Guitar Hero III” video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars.

The sale took place after the father spent two weeks searching for the video game for the Nintendo Wii gameboard.

“So I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time. I couldn’t wait to spread the jubilance to my son,” the father wrote on the eBay website.

“Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard with two of his delinquent friends.”

The man, a school teacher, who kept his identity private, said he sold the coveted video game to punish his son and discourage him from smoking dope.

On the plus side, if his daughter pierces her tongue, the guy could pay off his mortgage!

But in all seriousness, do you think this will work? Shouldn’t he have suspected something if his “innocent little boy” had “delinquent friends?” It’s a huge challenge, isn’t it?

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 4 Comment(s)
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