Summertime is Risky Business

Summertime…..and the going is easy. School is out. Kids are home. Most extracurricular activities are on hiatus. So what are teenagers doing with their time over the summer months? Most adolescents have too much free, unsupervised time on their hands. That can lead to problems.

"Seasonality of Youth's First-Time Use of Marijuana, Cigarettes or Alcohol," from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows a 40 percent increase in first-time youth marijuana use during June and July, compared to the rest of the year. Each day in June and July an average of 6,300 youths try marijuana for the first time. The number of new underage drinkers and cigarette smokers also jumps during the summer months.

What can parents do to reduce the risk of underage drinking and drug use?
Teens are less likely to use drugs, alcohol, and tobacco if their parents set clear rules about these risky behaviors. According to recent research, when a young person decides whether or not to use drugs, a crucial consideration is: What will my parents think?

If you make your position on drug use clear and set rules and consequences for breaking them in advance, your teen is less likely to step over that line.

Here are some helpful tips from Parents: The Anti-Drug. (www.theantidrug.com)

1. Don’t make empty threats. But be careful not to impose harsh or unexpected new punishments either. Stick to your original plan and show your teen there will be fair consequences for their actions.

2. Reprimands should involve mild, negative consequences. Taking away privileges or grounding teens for a weekend typically fit the bill. Overly severe punishments can undermine the parent-child relationship and lead to rebellious
behavior.

3. Set a curfew and enforce it strictly. Be consistent on this rule, whether it’s to be home in time for dinner or to be home by midnight on a Saturday night. Be prepared to negotiate for special occasions like prom and holidays.

4. Have teens check in at regular times. If your teen has a cell phone, establish clear rules for using it such as, “When I call you, I expect a call or text back within 10 minutes”.

5. Check in with the party host. If your teen tells you he or she will be at a party or at a friend’s house, do not be afraid to call those parents to make sure adult supervision is in place and no alcohol will be served.

6. Make it easy to leave a party or hangout where drugs are being used. Discuss in advance how to signal you or another adult who will pick your teen up when he or she feels uncomfortable.
7. Establish house rules. If your teen is at home alone for long periods of time, set clear rules about who else is allowed in the house – and who is not. Also be sure to set clear rules about what is off limits – such as the car or liquor cabinet.

8. Recognize good behavior. If your teen is respecting your rules, compliment him or her for behaving admirably instead of focusing on what’s wrong. When you are quicker to praise than to criticize, young people learn to feel good about themselves and develop the self-confidence to trust their own judgment as they grow into adulthood.

SOCIAL NORMS SURVEY

UNDERAGE DRINKING SURVEY RESULTS 2009

Total Respondents—
198 high school seniors
368 parents (80 High School; 288 Middle School)
208 8th graders (included only in some calculations)
774 total

Question 2: “How easy or difficult is it for underage youth to obtain alcohol from the following people/places in your community?”

Older Siblings--50% (283 out of 566) said “easy/very easy”
(132 of 198 Srs—67%; 151 of 368 Parents—41%)

Parents--15% (85 out of 566) “easy/very easy”
(32 of 198 Srs---16%; 53 of 368 Parents---14%)

Friends---59% (333 out of 566) “easy/very easy”
(152 of 198 Srs---77%; 181 of 368 Parents---49%)

Adult Strangers---22% (122 out of 566) “easy/very easy”
(47 of 198 Srs---24%; 75 of 368 Parents---20%)

Bar/Restaurant-- 7% (40 out of 566) “easy/very easy”
(16 of 198 Srs--- 8%; 24 of 368 Parents--- 6.5%)

Liquor Store-- 8% (44 out of 566) “easy/very easy”
(19 0f 198 Srs---10%; 25 of 368 Parents--- 7%)

Question 3: “How easy or difficult do you think it would be for underage youth to get alcohol from home without their parents knowing it?”

BHS Seniors: Very Easy 46=23%, Easy 102=51%, Difficult 37=18%, Very Difficult 7=3%
Parents: Very Easy 47=13%, Easy 175=48%, Difficult 81=22%, Very Difficult 61=17%
MSMS 8th Graders: Very Easy 54=26%, Easy 79=38%, Difficult 58=28%, Very Difficult 16=8%

Question 4: “How often do you think parents in your community provide alcohol at parties their children host?”

22% of high school seniors (43/198) said “often/very often.”

Question 5: “How serious a problem is alcohol consumption by underage youth (14-20 years old) at unsupervised gatherings in your community?”

BHS Seniors: Very Serious 28=14%, Serious86=43%, Not Serious 59=29%, Uncertain 23=11%
Parents: Very Serious 60=16%, Serious 160=44%, Not Serious 51=14%, Uncertain 88=24%
MSMS 8th Graders: Very Serious 29=14%, Serious 61=29%, Not Serious 59=29%, Uncertain 48=23%

Question 6: “How effective is your community at enforcing laws against drinking and driving?” (BHS Seniors only)

Very effective Effective Ineffective Very ineffective
94 (17%) 354 (63%) 83 (15%) 13 (2%)

Question 7: “How effective is your community at enforcing laws against adults buying alcohol for minors?”

BHS Seniors: Very Effective 19=9%, Effective 88=43%, Ineffective 77=38%, Very Ineffective 11=5%
Parents: Very Effective 75=20%, Effective 205=56%, Ineffective 60=16%, Very Ineffective 4=1%
MSMS 8th Graders: Very Effective 26=13%, Effective 91=44%, Ineffective 79=38%, Very Ineffective 9=4%

Question #9: “How effective is your community at enforcing policies pertaining to student alcohol use?

BHS Seniors: Very Effective 41=20%, Effective 90=45%, Ineffective 50=25%, Very Ineffective 13=6%
Parents: Very Effective 78=21%, Effective 218=60%, Ineffective 46=13%, Very Ineffective 4=1%
MSMS 8th Graders: Very Effective 44=21%, Effective 119=57%, Ineffective 31=15%, Very Ineffective8=4%


Question 10: Who should Burlington penalize for underage drinking?
Y= Youth only, A=Adult providing alcohol only, B=both underage drinker and the adult?

BHS Seniors: Y 30=15%, A 17=8%, B 127=63%
Parents: Y 25=7%, A 34=9%, B 240=66%
MSMS 8th Graders: Y 33=16%, A 25=12%, B 131=63%

Question #11A: Is it acceptable to get DRUNK at……

Graduation Parties?
BHS Seniors: No 99=49%, Yes 96=48%
Parents: No 327=89%, Yes 17=5%
MSMS 8th Graders: No 118=57%, Yes 88=42%

Sporting Events?
BHS Seniors: No 84=42%, Yes 110=54%
Parents: No 329=90%, Yes 14=4%
MSMS 8th Graders: No 53=26%, Yes 151=73%


Question #11C: Is it acceptable for underage youth to drink at……

Graduation Parties?
BHS Seniors: No 125=62%, Yes 71=35%
Parents: No 330=90%, Yes 11=3%
MSMS 8th Graders: No 173=84%, Yes 30=14%


Sporting Events?
BHS Seniors: No 149=74%, Yes 46=23%
Parents: No 334=91%, Yes 5=1%
MSMS 8th Graders: No 177=86%, Yes 24=12%

PARENTS ONLY:
Question #14: If you knew of an underage drinking party in your community, would you…..

Confront Homeowner:
75=20%

Contact Police:
11=31%

Do Nothing 27=7%

Don’t Know 99=27%


PARENTS ONLY:
Question # 15: If a by-law is proposed in Burlington that holds homeowners responsible for underage drinking in their homes even if the homeowner is NOT present, would you support it?

Yes 142=39%
No 111=30%
Don’t Know 93=25%

NOT IN OUR HOUSE:
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING PARTIES

PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF THE
BURLINGTON DRUG & ALCOHOL TASK FORCE

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2010
7pm to 9pm
MARSHALL SIMONDS MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM


RESULTS OF THE UNDERAGE DRINKING SURVEY WILL BE PRESENTED!

• 76% OF BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS SAY IT IS EASY TO GET ALCOHOL FROM HOME WITHOUT PARENTS KNOWING.

• 58% OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS & 59% OF PARENTS SAY THAT UNDERAGE DRINKING IN BURLINGTON IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM.


Prevention strategies including a Social Host By-Law will be discussed.
If you have teenagers, you need to know what may be done in our community
to prevent adults from providing alcohol.
Get your questions answered and voice your opinions.


For more information, contact Marilyn Belmonte at 781-229-2638 or
Charlie Franich at 781-270-1964

New Study Shows a Link Bewteen Early Onset of Drinking and Drug-Related Car Accidents

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, the earlier a young person begins drinking, the greater risk of drug-related car accidents. The researchers surveyed over 40,000 over 18 year old drivers and found that 22% also used drugs, 10% drove under the influence of drugs and 1% had been in drug-related car accidents. Extrapolation of these proportions to the national population would mean 1 million people had been in drug-related crashes.

The research also looked at early age of drinking. They found the the greatest predictor of a drug-related car crash is early onset of drinking. Their conclusion is that the best method for prevention of drug-related car accidents is to increase alcohol abuse prevention in young people.

Age of Drinking Onset, alcohol Depemndemnce and their Relation to Drug Use and Dependence, Driving Under the Influence of drugs, and Motor Vehicle Crash Involvement Because of Drugs. Volume 69, Issue 2 March 2008

And the Survey Says.......

It is Survey Time in Burlington!

The BDATF is surveying the parents of adolescents and students of the Marshall Simonds Middle School and Burlington High School to find out what the current perceptions are on underage drinking. Students are being given the survey through their health classes to allow discussion about the questions. Parents will be asked to complete the survey at parent-teacher conferences on the evenings of November 18 (MSMS), November 19 (BHS) and the day of November 20 (both MSMS & BHS).

The multiple choice questionnaire will include questions about where teens get alcohol, do parents host underage drinking parties and who should be held liable for such parties.

The data will be tabulated and presented to the entire community at a forum in February. The "Not in Our House" event will include potential plans to prevent underage drinking in our town. Strategies from other local communities will be discussed and explained. Parents and students will have an opportunity ask questions and voice their opinions about these ideas.

The task force is committed to keeping our young people healthy and safe. We want the community to understand what we do and to take an active role in shaping our efforts.

Please complete your surveys and play a part in shaping a healthy community!

MA Among 16 States with Higher Drug Deaths Than Car Accident Deaths

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) concluded that in more than 16 states, more people were killed by drugs than by auto accidents. The study, which was reported by the Associated Press, found that the majority of drug-related deaths were caused by the abuse of painkillers.

The report, which analyzed data from the National Vital Statistics System Mortality File, found that in 2006, more than 90 percent of poisoning deaths involved drugs. In fact, from 1999 to 2006 drug-related poisonings accounted for the largest portion of poisoning deaths overall.

Opioid analgesics, which are usually prescribed to treat pain, were involved in almost 40 percent of all poisoning deaths in 2006, up from about 20 percent in 1999. According to the AP story, for decades traffic accidents have been the biggest cause of injury-related death in the U.S. While they are still number one nationally, drug overdoses are pulling ahead in one state after another.

The number of states in which drug-related deaths have overtaken traffic fatalities has gone from eight in 2003 to 12 in 2005, and 16 in 2006. They are: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

CDC’s data also show that among opioid analgesic-related deaths, those involving methadone increased the most during the period 1999-2006. Methadone is a long-acting opioid used to help people addicted to painkillers and other opioid-based drugs, and in some cases as a painkiller.

"People see a car accident as something that might happen to them," said Margaret Warner, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the AP article. But as for death from a drug overdose, "maybe they see it as something that's not going happen to them."

CDC researchers counted more than 45,000 U.S. deaths nationwide from traffic accidents in 2006, and about 39,000 from drug-induced causes. Nationally, the death rate from traffic accidents fell by about 6.5 percent from 1999 through 2006 - from 15.3 deaths per 100,000 people to 14.3 per 100,000, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Press Release from National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

CASA 2009 TEEN SURVEY REVEALS:
TEENS LIKELIER TO GET DRUNK, USE MARIJUANA, SMOKE CIGARETTES IF THEY SEE PARENT DRUNK
NEARLY NINE MILLION 12- TO 17-YEAR OLDS CAN GET PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO ABUSE IN A DAY, NEARLY FIVE MILLION IN AN HOUR

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 26, 2009 – Compared to teens who have not seen their parent(s) drunk, those who have are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times likelier to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The CASA survey found that 51 percent of 17-year olds have seen one or both of their parents drunk and 34 percent of 12- to 17-year olds have seen one or both of their parents drunk.

Teen drinking behavior is strongly associated with how teens believe their fathers feel about their drinking. Compared to teens who believe their father is against their drinking, teens who believe their father is okay with their drinking are two and a half times likelier to get drunk in a typical month.

The survey found that five percent of 12- to 15-year old girls and nine percent of 12- to 15-year old boys say their fathers are okay with their drinking. Thirteen percent of 16- and 17-year old girls and 20 percent of 16- and 17-year old boys say their fathers are okay with their drinking.

“Some Moms’ and Dads’ behavior and attitudes make them parent enablers—parents who send their 12- to 17-year olds a message that it’s okay to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs like marijuana,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and founder and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. “Teens’ behavior is strongly associated with their parents’ behavior and expectations, so parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drink and use drugs.”

Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, teens who get drunk monthly are:
• 18 times likelier to have tried marijuana;• Four times likelier to be able to get marijuana in an hour;
• Almost four times likelier to know someone their age who abuses prescription drugs;
• More than three times likelier to have friends who use marijuana; and
• More than twice as likely to know someone their age who uses meth, ecstasy, or other drugs such as cocaine, heroin or LSD.

Compared to teens who have never tried alcohol, those who get drunk at least once a month are:
• Twice as likely to know a girl who was forced to do something sexual she didn’t want to do; and
• Nearly four times likelier to know a guy who uses drugs or alcohol to hook up.

“The message for parents is loud and clear. If your teen is drinking, the odds are your teen is getting drunk. And teens who get drunk are much likelier to try marijuana and hang out with friends who are abusing prescription drugs and illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin,” said Elizabeth Planet, CASA’s Vice President and Director of Special Projects. “Parents who think their kids are just having an occasional drink each month need to wake up and smell the beer and pot.”

Teens whose parents believe the decision to use marijuana is not a big deal are almost twice as likely to use the drug, compared to teens whose parents say this decision is a big deal.

Most teens who smoke cigarettes (56 percent) say the decision to use marijuana is not a big deal.

“Parents are the key to raising drug-free kids and they have the power to do it if they send their children the clear message to choose not to use and demand that the schools their children attend be drug free,” noted Califano whose book How to Raise a Drug Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents, was published this month by Simon & Schuster’s Touchstone/Fireside Division.


For more information visit www.casacolumbia.org.