Alcohol And Marijuana Use Among Teens Is On The Rise

Parents may have a reason to be concerned about the results of a recent study sponsored by the MetLife Foundation. After a decade of reports showing decline, the study released Tuesday found alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America conducted a study with teens in grades 9 through 12, where 3,287 teens were surveyed by researchers. Data was collected from teens who filled out questionnaires anonymously from March to June 2009.

Up until last year pot and alcohol use had been steadily declining since 1998, but, now 50 percent of teens reported drinking in the last month and 27 percent used marijuana. Today, for whatever reason, teenagers are not as worried about the long term effects of using drugs and alcohol. Marijuana has certainly become more acceptable in households around the country as a result of medical marijuana - but alcohol is any one's guess. The study showed that teens are more accepting of their friends using drugs and alcohol even if they, themselves, do not.

The annual survey found:

• Teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent last year - about 6.5 million teens reporting alcohol use. Up from 35 percent in 2008.
• 25 percent of teens reported smoking marijuana in the last month, up from 19 percent.
• Six percent of teens said they used Ecstasy in the past month, up from 4 percent.
• About 1 in 7 teens reported abusing a prescription pain medication in the last year.
• About 8 percent of the teens questioned reported over-the-counter cough medicine abuse in the past year.
• Teen steroid and heroin use remained low at 5 percent for lifetime use.

If you believe that your child might be abusing drugs or alcohol it is crucial for you to step in. Early detection of addiction can be so important for getting your child the help they need; the longer the problem is left unchecked the harder it will be to intervene. Fortunately, with the rising numbers of reported use there are plenty of options available to seek out for guidance. Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, said, "Monitor them more closely, talk with them about drugs, set rules and consult outside help, like a counselor, doctor, clergy or other resource".

The Longer People Use Cannabis or Marijuana the More Mental Problems

Marijuana is a topic on the minds of many people around the world. More studies involving the drug are taking place than ever have before. With medical marijuana sweeping across the United States and whispers of legalization in the streets, people want to know the facts about this drug/medicine. Marijuana is not just a topic for a America, it is a topic that the entire world is dealing with; the Unites States has been the spearhead in the creation of no tolerance drug policies that have traveled half-way around the world. The University of Queensland in Australia (a country that has modeled America's zero-tolerance policies) recently conducted a study regarding the long term effects of marijuana use. The results of this recent study are shocking as much as they are surprising, and as most studies do, will leave you with more questions than answers.

The new study indicates that the longer people use cannabis or marijuana the more mental problems they may encounter, including hallucinations, delusions, and can even suffer from psychosis. The study, lead by John McGrath, observed that individuals age 15 or younger that used marijuana had were twice as likely to develop a "non-affective psychosis", such as schizophrenia than individuals who refrained from using the drug. "Among all the participants, a longer duration since the first time they used cannabis was associated with multiple psychosis-related outcomes," the study said.

According to General Psychiatry, the study which is not the first of its kind, included 3,801 twenty-year old individuals; 17.7 percent of the test group said they had been using marijuana for three or fewer years, 16.2 percent for four to five years, and 14.3 percent for six or more. The study asserts that sixty-five individuals were diagnosed with "non-affective psychosis", i.e. schizophrenia and another 233 people had in their life experienced at least one hallucination. Past studies had come up with similar results, but, concerns were raised about the research not properly accounting for particular variables. One interesting point, according to the study: people who were more likely to have a psychotic episode, were more likely to use more marijuana, thus increasing one's chances of developing a full blown psychotic disorder.

Teaching Responsible Drinking, It Appears To Have The Opposite Effect

A new study has shown that parents providing alcohol for the teenagers at home may be the wrong thing to do. The study which was published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs claims that although parents may have good intentions by teaching responsible drinking, it appears to have the opposite effect on teenagers. There are some experts who claim that parents that drink with their teenage children are teaching them how to drink responsibly and that it will also limit the amount of alcohol outside of the home. The recent study conducted flies in the face of that line of reasoning.

Researchers worked with 428 Dutch families in order to conduct the study. The 428 families had two children between the ages of 13 and 15; they answered questionnaires on their drinking habits at the outset of the study and again one and two years later. The results showed that the more teenagers were allowed to consume alcohol at home, the more alcohol they would drink outside the home; in turn the children had a greater propensity for problems. The study also showed that children who drank under their parents' supervision had a heightened risk of encountering alcohol involved problems.

The idea that children will model their parent behavior when it comes to drinking is absolutely unfounded and untrue. The leader of the study Dr. Haske van der Vorst of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands claims that the old belief was based off common sense and not scientific evidence. "For example, the thinking is that if parents show good behavior -- here, modest drinking -- then the child will copy it. Another assumption is that parents can control their child's drinking by drinking with the child, I would advise parents to prohibit their child from drinking, in any setting or on any occasion", said van der Vorst. The best way to promote responsible drinking is to limit the teenager's exposure, who children drink with or where children drink alcohol does not have the effect that doctors had once hoped.