Pathway to Prevention

Dangerous Teen Craze Whip-Its Making a Comeback?

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:38:40 +0000

There is growing concern among health professionals that Whip-Its — small canisters filled with nitrous oxide that can be used as a recreational drug and were reportedly used by actress Demi Moore shortly before she was rushed to the hospital in January — are making a comeback among teenagers and young adults across the country.

“What makes them really popular is they’re easily accessible,” said William Oswald, founder of the Summit Malibu drug treatment center. “You can get them at a head shop, you can get it out of a whipped cream bottle.”
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Talking to Kids About Underage Drinking

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:31:18 +0000

When Wyckoff Police showed up at a Lawlins Road home on Friday, March 16, they found about 40 juveniles drinking alcohol — half of the teens scattered and half of them were turned over to their parents by police.

Authorities said a 17 year old hosted the party at his parents’ house while they were away for the weekend. The teen was charged with providing property for underage persons to consume alcoholic beverages.
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Getting high on Adderall?

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:23:50 +0000

Kids who can’t focus in school are often prescribed medicines to help them pay attention.

But a growing number of students are now using those drugs to get high, according to Gloucester police.

“During the course of this school year, we’ve noticed an increase in Adderall abuse,” said Detective Thomas Quinn.
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Caring Teachers May Help Keep Kids From Trying Alcohol, Drugs

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:18:46 +0000

(HealthDay News) — The connections youth have with their teachers may help prevent kids from experimenting with alcohol and drugs at an early age, a new study suggests.
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Grandparents Unknowingly Supply Drugs to Children; Prescription Drug Drop-Offs Taking Place

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:11:59 +0000

Imagine that your children’s grandparents are providing them with an endless supply of addictive narcotics that will lead them directly to heroin addiction.

In too many cases, according to experts and local police departments, this is happening in a home near you.
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Spice, K2 Sending Teens to the Emergency Room

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:52:39 +0000

March 19, 2012 — “Spice,” “K2,” “Mr. Smiley,” “Red X Dawn,” and “Blaze” are just some of the street names for synthetic marijuana drugs. They sound like something out of a video game, but the drugs themselves are nothing to play around with, according to a new study.

When smoked or ingested, these drugs produce a similar high to marijuana. Until recently, these compounds were sold in gas stations and convenience stores. The Drug Enforcement Administration has banned five chemicals found in Spice and K2, but people may still be able to find these substances on the Internet.
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving Minnesota Harnesses the Power of Parents

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:09:13 +0000

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — For many families in the Twin Cities, the arrival of spring means a rite of passage as their teenaged children attend prom and even prepare for graduation. It’s also one of the more dangerous times of the year for teens on the brink of adulthood as parties stretch late into the night and opportunities for underage drinking abound.
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Teen girl dies of ‘caffeine toxicity’ after downing 2 energy drinks

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:05:08 +0000

Fourteen-year-old Anais Fournier downed two 24-ounce energy drinks on one December day, while hanging out with her friends at the mall. The next day, the Maryland teenager went into cardiac arrest — and just six days later, she was dead.
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After daughter’s drinking death, mother tells teens: Look out for each other

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:56:57 +0000

Molly Ammon’s room is exactly the same as she left it a year ago for a spring break party at a beach condo near her family’s home. Molly’s mom, Angie Ammon, didn’t think she had to worry. Nineteen-year-old Molly, a star student, had always been the responsible one.

But things went terribly wrong. Friends say Molly drank too much and they put her to bed to sleep it off. She never woke up.
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Painkiller Opana, new scourge of rural America

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:34:34 +0000

(Reuters) – Back in high school in Houston, Texas, C.J. Coomer got good grades and played football. He was dark-haired and handsome, popular with his friends and doted on by his family.

But when his mother got divorced and moved to be near family in rural Scott County, Indiana, Coomer began running with a crowd there that abused prescription painkillers to get high. His weight dropped from 210 pounds to just 140 pounds (64 kg), he couldn’t work, and was constantly borrowing money.
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