For parents, a child’s addiction also brings social stigma (Patriot Ledger)

(Hat Tip: NOPE TaskForce)

The Patriot Ledger

Posted Jan 09, 2010

BRAINTREE — Bill Brids wakes up every morning knowing that today could be the day his 20-year-old son goes back to heroin. He knows that it could be the day his son dies. It started at 16, when Dave Brids dipped into his mother’s stash of pills. She was dying of cancer. “I was drinking, and one night we couldn’t get beers,” Dave Brids said. “So I tried the drugs (Oxycontin), and I fell in love.” He didn’t know that what he was taking was essentially the same drug he swore he’d never use. Heroin was for junkies. “I looked at it as smoking weed and drinking beer,” Dave Brids said. “Little did I know it was a pharmaceutical form of heroin.”

Read the full story HERE

If you would like more information on treatment options and support for anyone suffering from opiate addiction visit any of these sites:

SAMHSA's Treatment Locator -

http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ 

Narcotics Anonymous (Maine) -

www.namaine.org

Maine Office of Substance Abuse -

www.maineosa.org

Portland Public Health Division -
http://substanceabuse.portlandmaine.gov/resourcesforsouthernme.pdf

Parent reports underage drinking party (21 Reasons)

From 21 Reasons Talk Blog:

"Over the weekend, Portland police broke up an underage drinking party, thanks to the report of a parent whose teen was involved:

Charges stem from Portland teen party

PORTLAND – Police broke up a party during the weekend involving 35 to 40 teenagers, mostly from Deering and Portland high schools. Police were called to 16 Hope Ave. at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, after the parent of a teenager who had been drinking at the party reported it, police said …Police issued a court summons to a 16-year-old for furnishing the alcohol. [A father and son] were ordered to appear in court on charges of furnishing a place for minors to drink.

Reporting a party can be difficult choice for a parent, and we appreciate this parent’s decision to prioritize the health and safety of the young people involved. It’s up to each one of us to help make sure youth are safe, and we all are responsible for reporting dangerous situations—like underage drinking parties.

To those who are wondering, “What’s the big deal as long as they’re not driving?...
READ THE FULL POST HERE

Learn more about preventing underage drinking by visiting www.maineparents.net or www.21reasons.org

Many Parents Encourage Underage Drinking, Australian Study Finds (ScienceDaily)

ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2009) — Half of Australian adults and 63 per cent of Australians on a higher income believe 15- to 17-year-olds should be allowed to consume alcohol under parental supervision at home, according to the latest MBF Healthwatch survey.

Read the full article HERE...

What these Australian parents are missing is that there are other significant risks to underage drinkers such as: poor school performance, addiction, violence, suicides, sexual assault, falls, drowning...
 
To learn more about how you can prevent underage drinking here in Maine, visit www.maineparents.net

To learn more about the risks and consequences of underage drinking, visit www.niaaa.nih.nida.gov

Texts 2 U?

The Portland Public Health Division's (HHSD) Substance Abuse Prevention Program is trying to gather information from parents/parenting adults to see if they'd like to receive a substance abuse prevention-focused message sent to their phone via text on a monthly basis. (Messages would be conversation starters, tips for getting involved, informational statistics about teen substance use, and more.)

We appreciate your feedback as it will guide us in our decision-making process about whether or not this would be a valuable tool to parents working to address teen substance use.

Click Here for the Anonymous 3-Question Survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=G6nz3pD0Z_2b2ECri_2bOUxDiA_3d_3d

The messages just keep coming...

The more and more we search the 'net and blogs, we keep coming across a very universal message when it comes to teens: parental involvement matters.  Whether it's about teen pregnancy prevention, substance abuse prevention or a variety of other topics, parents - your voice matters!  Below are links to a few articles about the influence parents have.  Want to know more about what you can do as a Maine parent or caregiver?  Find Out More, Do More at MaineParents.net

 

From Child Trends
Parents Matter: The Role of Parents in Teens' Decisions about Sex
"Positive parent-teen relationships, high parental awareness and monitoring of whom their children are with, and family dinner routines are all linked to delayed sex among teens, according to a new Child Trends research brief.  The brief, Parents Matter: The Role of Parents in Teens' Decisions about Sex, explores how parenting practices that occur before adolescents have had sexual intercourse are associated with the probability of first sex by age 16."

From CESAR FAX
Students With Parents Who Set and Enforce Clear Rules

Less Likely to Report Illicit Drug Use
"Youths whose parents set clear rules for them are less likely to report using illicit drugs, according to data from the 2008-09 PRIDE Survey. Middle and high school students* whose parents set clear rules for them “a lot” or “often” were less likely to report using illicit drugs in the past year (12% and 21%, respectively) than students whose parents never set clear rules (49%)."

From CASA's Family Day
The Power of Parenting
"Whether you’re cooking a gourmet meal, ordering food from your favorite take-out place or eating on the go, rest assured that what your kids really want during dinnertime is YOU! Family meals are the perfect time to talk to your kids and to listen to what’s on their mind.  The more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs."

From The Int'l Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity
Parental influences on adolescent physical activity: a longitudinal study
"Strategies to promote physical activity among adolescents should focus on increasing levels of family cohesion, parental engagement, parent-child communication and adolescent self-esteem."

Can texting bring teens, parents closer 2gether?

(Hat tip to YPulse Essentials Blog)

Lisa Schnecker, Salt Lake (UT) Tribune)

Traditionally, asking teens to do chores has been a tricky venture.

But when Paula Fox asked her 15-year-old daughter to unload the dishwasher recently, her daughter simply replied "fine." No attitude. No sulking -- at least not any that Fox could see. The exchange was brief and simple.

It was done via a cell phone text message.

"It's way easier to do over a text than when I ask her to do it person," said the Salt Lake County mom. "I don't get the rolled eyes or have to hear 'I know, Mom.' Maybe there's a little bit of avoidance there, but it works for both of us."

While many worry the rise of text messaging will lead to the downfall of social skills and relationships, some say it can actually help parents and teens connect. At an age when many kids give their parents the cold shoulder, texting can actually lead to more communication and help diffuse tense situations, said Alyson Schafer, a Toronto-based psychotherapist and author of several parenting books.

"It doesn't detract from our face-to-face interactions," Schafer said. "I see it as being additive and enhancing the existing relationship. [The teen years are] when we know they need the most parental support and communication tends to break down." READ ON...

FMI about connecting with teens visit: www.maineparents.net or the Partnership for a Drug Free America at www.drugfree.org

Shouting Inside: Whispers in the Roar

This unique website is dedicated to the voices of teens with parents who have alcohol or drug problems.

"Do you have a story of your own about a parent who has a problem with alcohol or drugs? Do you feel like you’re shouting inside but just want to get it out? Then these blogs are for you – to connect with others who have similar experiences. Check out how other people deal with a mom or dad who drinks too much or has a drug problem. You aren’t alone and now you don’t have to keep shouting inside."

Time To Act

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has launched yet another fascinatingly-accessible tool for parents seeking resources for teens regarding substance abuse prevention. The PDFA's latest effort is for 1) Parents who THINK their child is using and 2) Parents who KNOW their child is using.

http://timetoact.drugfree.org/

This new site offers interactive options such as video segments from leading doctors and psychologists, 'signs and symptoms' checker, risk factors (family, school, peer), mock situations teens are likely to find themselves in, as well as common misperceptions about alcohol & drug use. There are also checklists for parents, tips on how to handle conversations, setting limits, monitoring and seeking outside help.

Check it out or visit our timetotalkportlandmaine on Yahoo! Groups to JOIN THE DISCUSSION with Cumberland County parents and adults!