Month: January 2008

Celebrity rehab isnt only the first tv series to expose famous people and their drug abuse habits… it’s the first show to exhibit a real rehab experience period. In some ways, this is a good thing that VH1 is doing. It shows that celebrities are getting sober, and it shows how real and hard this program is. Unlike Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan who have been to treatment time and time again and keep relapsing and faling into old behavior, these ceebrities seem like they have a real passion for geting sober and staying sober. The seem to want sobriety and seem to be doing for themselves, rather than for their image. Of course the process is difficult, and at times they seem as though they want to give up, but as a sober alcoholic and drug addict I remember those times too. We work through the pain, and come out victorious. Dr. Drew Pinksy (aka Dr. Drew from Loveline) has placed these celebrities at his facility in Pasadena and all clients have agreed to tape their recovery process for the world to see. This may serve as a inspiration to other addicts and alcoholics out there. If these celebrities can do it, in Hollywood no less, then for sure they can too!

Lindsey-
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Image by © Natalia Balcerska Photography via Flickr

Attending a concert, or “show” is an important part of many teenagers’ lives. Music can represent the center of teen culture, and concerts are often the only acceptable or available social activity. They can represent new found freedom for a teen, and an opportunity for them to express their individuality. However, the thought of allowing one’s child to attend a concert gives many parents serious anxiety. The thought of dropping their son or daughter off in a strange location, and leaving them surrounded by crowds of weird-looking strangers may seem dangerous. There are other fears too: about drugs, crowds out of control, exposure to sinister influences of other young adults. But almost all parents these days probably have fond memories of their first concerts and wouldn’t want to deprive their kids of the same experience, so when the day comes that the bird needs to leave the nest for an outing into the counterculture, here are some tips to consider:

1. Have your teen go with one of their friends that you trust, or with a “cooler” family friend that they wouldn’t mind going to the show with. Having a friend with you at a concert is a must, especially one you can count on! Concerts can be overwhelming experiences for a new concert-goer, especially a large festival or arena show. It’s good to have a friend to rely on when things get intense.

2. If you are driving your son or daughter to the concert, make sure that you have an agreed upon and easy-to-find meeting place after the show. Make sure you have an agreed-upon time as well, but know in advance that it will probably be late. Most concerts are not early-bird affairs, and your teen is not going to want to leave early. Don’t count on being able to reach them on their cell phones, in the bustle of crowds it’s easy to loose items from pockets. It’s also hard to hear a phone ring! You may also want to insist on driving them if you are concerned that they or their friends may be drinking or using drugs at the concert. It’s always better to have a drunk teenager in the backseat than behind the wheel.

3. Make sure that your teen is dressed appropriately. Many concerts are outdoors and expose concerts goers to sun all day and cool temperatures at night. Also “general admission” shows tend to generate a great deal of contact with strangers, and often have “pits” where the dancing can get boisterous. Good shoes are a must. Clothing that may seem “cute” at home may bring unwanted attention, or simply be uncomfortable while standing for long periods of time in a large group. Remind your teen that it’s a concert, not a dance or club.

4. Make sure that they eat and drink water before they go. Food and even water can be expensive at a concert, and often you won’t be able to leave your “spot” once you’ve secured it. It can get hot and sweaty at a good show, and it’s a good idea to have a full stomach and be well hydrated. Additionally, if your teen might need any prescription medication during the concert, such as an asthma inhaler, make sure they take it with them.

5. Check out the band and venue before you agree to let your child go to the concert. It may be a fairly mellow affair that you can gladly agree to, but you might not want your child to experience the “wall of death” at the Lamb of God show just yet. Check out live videos of your child’s favorite band or festival on YouTube to get an idea of what to expect and take a look at the band’s website as well before you say yes.

6. Use common sense. If your gut tells you the risks are too great, then put your foot down. The 3-day “world’s largest” rave, whose adverts are surrounded by little dancing mushrooms probably isn’t the best place to drop off your child for the weekend. You will probably have to let go of some your judgments, because, yes, that probably is a tattoo on the lead singer’s neck and, no, I really can’t tell you why they dress like that. If you “got it,” then it probably wouldn’t be cool anyway.

Check out these links for more concert tips and discussions by parents of their experiences with concerts:

https://www.rockmed.org/Show-Tips/tips.htm


https://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/teens/concerts.html

How Drugs Effect Teenagers

A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect within a body. Teenagers may be involved with legal or illegal drugs in various ways. Sometimes, experimentation with drugs during adolescence can be common. However, teenagers generally do not see links between their actions of the present and their consequences of the future. Teens also tend to feel invincible and immune to the problems that others around them experience.

Using alcohol, marijuana and tobacco at young ages will increase the potential of using other drugs like heroin, cocaine or speed later down the road. Some teens might experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others.

When teenagers use drugs, they will tend to have symptoms or signs of something being wrong. For example, as far as physical appearance goes, the teen might have a sense of fatigue, red and glazed eyes and/or a lasting cough. On an emotional level, the teenagers might have general mood swings, or irresponsible behavior, possible low self-esteem, general lack of interest in anything or could be generally depressed. In a family environment, a teen drug abuser can often be argumentative, or they become very secretive in movements. In school, a teenager could decline participation, drop in grades, skip certain classes, or generally accumulate a myriad amount of tardiness. These are some of the reasons why it is important to keep kids safe and pay more attention to all that they need. They (teenagers) are always in need of something one way or another.

• Teen addiction is generally used to make up for something that is missing or not visible in a teen’s life. It generally meets the needs of an addicted teenager who knows no other options. This could result in depression, general unhappiness, or a simple inability to deal with everyday situations that occur in real life.

  Cocaine is a quite common weapon of choice for troubled/addicted teens. No matter how cocaine is taken, whether it is snorted or smoked, it is highly dangerous and in some instances has killed some users when it (cocaine) has been mixed with alcohol. Serious health problems can evolve from using cocaine such as: major heart conditions, including heart attacks, respiratory conditions, nervous system breakdowns, including strokes, as well as extreme digestive complications.

  According to www.wrongdiagnosis.com 91% of hospital consultant episodes for mental and behavioral disorders due to use of cocaine required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03).

  Additional stats that are highly startling are as follows from www.drug-statistics.com
• 1 out of 4 Americans between the age of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime
• According to the Minnesota Institute for Public Health and Drug Resource Center, 5,000 adults in the United States try cocaine for the first time each day. (1985)-
• Today it is estimated that 22 to 25 million people have tried cocaine at least once. Conservative estimates indicate that there are over two million cocaine addicts in the United States today.
• Contrary to earlier belief, high dose use of cocaine can be detected as long as 10 to 22 days after last use.
• Near half of all drug related emergency room visits are due to cocaine abuse.

  Hopefully, if more information about cocaine addiction is voiced more extensively, it will educate the population and possibly prevent future rising statistics.

  Andrew C

I’ve Found My Place

All my life, all I ever wanted was to feel like I fit in. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. I never felt like I belonged. When I was a teenager at fifteen, I got high on drugs for the first time, and finally felt like I fit. I felt comfortable in my own skin and felt a sense of belonging. The only problem was that the high only lasted for so long. And, when t came to an end, I craved more; more of that sense of belonging. So, for the next 5 years, that is what I did, I chased that feeling by drinking alcohol and using drugs. No matter what, it was never enough because the feeling was not genuine. I needed an illicit drug or pharmaceuticals to produce it for me because I did not know that what I needed was to start to love myself.

Now that I have been sober for a couple years, have worked the 12 steps, and practice the principles of the program in my life, I have finally found my place in the world. I finally feel like I fit. It has definitely been a long and strenuous journey, but it gets better each day. I no longer need a drug to make me feel ok; I can be ok on my own. And, my newfound sense of belonging is no longer temporary. It will be with me as long as I remain in contact with my higher power and stay connected in Alcoholics Anonymous.

If feels good to love who I am today. My life is far greater than I ever imagined it would be.

Elizabeth M

Shakespeare = Sober (kinda, sorta… not really.)

I was a freshman in high school when I was given an assignment to read and analyze a lengthy poem by William Shakespeare. The poem, ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ is almost 1900 lines long and, in Shakespearian form, very hard to follow for a fourteen year old brain under the influence of anything I could get my hands on. I never read the poem. I failed the class and many others that followed. It was only after I got sober almost a decade later that I discovered a passage in that same poem that has helped me maintain perspective in my own continuous recovery from the disease of more.
I was crawling through my first year of sobriety and knee deep in my guilt reading phase. I decided to read all of the books that I was supposed to read as a way to make some amends to myself. It is an endeavor that I continue still, and through which I have gained a great deal. When I rediscovered ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ I struggled through it, but was able to take with me the following:

What win I if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy?
Who buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?
For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Or what fond begger, but to touch the crown,
Would with the scepter straight be stricken down?

I get a lot out of those seven lines. There are more times than I like to admit that drinking and using drugs sounds like a great idea. There are those times when I don’t want to go to meetings, or call my sponsor, or be of service. Those are also the times when I can open my wallet and read that part of the poem, take a deep breath, and keep walking. “What win I if I gain the thing I seek?” What will getting loaded avail me? At the very least it is a hangover. At most it would cost me my life. “A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy?” Mere moments of the ease and comfort that comes with that first drink, and the spiral that surly will follow. “Who buys a minutes mirth to wail a week? Or sells eternity to get a toy? Who in their right mind would give up four and a half years of recovery and immeasurable progress for just ‘one more time’? Today I have the opportunity to make the right choice. One day at a time, I hope to continue making the right choice.

Brian C.-
Visions Teen Drug treatment Center

Ecstasy, also referred to as MDMA, is a hallucinogenic amphetamine that is recreationally used and abused by teens. there is a recent trend towards an increase in ecstasy use among teen entering teen drug rehab. “X” is usually taken in pill form and one pill can last between 4-6 hours. “X” is most commonly used by teens at parties, nightclubs and raves, this may be because “X” produces a blend of mellowing effects, heightened arousal and enhanced self and group consciousness. The most common side effect for teens and other users produced from “X” is a rise in body temperature, which usually results in minor dehydration, which is dangerous considering that dancing for hours without very many breaks or water is common while using this drug. Other common side effects include an increase in blood pressure, chills, sweating, blurred vision and nausea. However, heavy use can result in speed-like symptoms of paranoia, liver damage and heart attacks.
Studies show that “X” uses serotonin, which is a chemical in the brain that affects the mood. After the initial high, the user might feel depressed, tired and moody. The body eventually does produce more serotonin, but it may take some time to get the serotonin back to normal levels. Although research has not concluded that “X” will produce brain damage in humans, heavy use of the drug has produced neurological damage in rats and monkeys.

Teresa Roy
1/17/08
Blog

Household Inhalants

Abuse of common household products, often called “huffing” or inhalant abuse, is common among teens (healthatoz.com). The abuse of household inhalants is as common as marijuana with young people.

Paint thinner, liquid paper, spray paint, house cleaners, glue and solvents are more accessible and less expensive. There are more than 1,000 products that are dangerous when inhaled. Some suggestions from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Michigan Health System and the AAP on what to look for if you suspect your child of “huffing” are: odors of the inhalant on clothing or breath, spots or sores around their mouth, loss of appetite and weight loss, poor performance in school, changes in behavior, unusual number of bottles or cans in his/her bedroom, or in unusual places.

I was adopted when I was born. My birth mother was 17 when she had me. I grew up as a teen using dugs with a huge resentment towards her for 21 years. I hated her for giving me up. It created abandonment issues and low self esteem inside me. felt less than, and unwanted. I was jealous of all my friends for knowing their background and ethnicity. I was jealous that they had REAL parents. I felt stupid that I didn’t know anything about myself, and when I went to the doctor, they always asked me about my medical family history, and I had no answers for them. As a child, when I got upset I had the tendency to lock myself in my bathroom and stare at my fingerprints because it was the only thing I had left of my birth parents. I dreamed about how they looked, and what my life would have been like if I were still with them but I always went back to hating them for throwing me away. Last year, I finally got the chance to meet my birth mother. It was a life changing experience. She wasn’t what I dreamed of, and the story about how I came to be was not what I had imagined. My birth mother had been raped by her step brother, and that’s how she got pregnant. She was bulimic too, so she couldn’t tell that she was pregnant until it was too late to have an abortion. I realize now that I was so judgemental towards my birth mother. I had no idea what she had been through, and I was so selfish that I never even thought about her feelings. Today, my birth mother and I are still in contact. We email each other every so often, and I just found out that I have a baby brother. They live in Portland, and I hope to visit them soon!

I started using drugs at the age of fifteen. All my teen life I was an Honor Roll Student. I never received a grade below a “B”. When I started using drugs, that didn’t change. I still managed to bring home all As and Bs. Which, looking back was both good and bad. Good because I didn’t mess up my chances of getting into college, but bad because it was that much easier to fool my parents. From my experience, parents seem to think everything is ok if their teen is still bringing home good grades. But, that’s not always true. Sometimes, I’d stay up all night on drugs and go to school to take an exam and set the curve. But, I wish my parent’s had seen through that facade, because maybe they would have intervened on my drug use earlier and I would have gotten sober at an earlier age. I knew that my parents were for that facade, and I used that as my main tool for manipulation. So, my message here is for parents to be aware that although your kid may be a straight-A student, they may be hiding a lot behind that Honor Roll report card.