Alcohol Alert
From the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. 37, July 1997
Youth Drinking: Risk Factors and Consequences
Despite a minimum legal drinking age of 21, many young people in the United States consume alcohol. Some abuse alcohol by drinking frequently or by binge drinking–often defined as having five or more drinks* in a row. A minority of youth may meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for alcohol dependence (1,2). The progression of drinking from use to abuse to dependence is associated with biological and psychosocial factors. This Alcohol Alert examines some of these factors that put youth at risk for drinking and for alcohol-related problems and considers some of the consequences of their drinking. Prevalence of Youth Drinking
Thirteen- to fifteen-year-olds are at high risk to begin drinking (3). According to results of an annual survey of students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, 26 percent of 8th graders, 40 percent of 10th graders, and 51 percent of 12th graders reported drinking alcohol within the past month (4). Binge drinking at least once during the 2 weeks before the survey was reported by 16 percent of 8th graders, 25 percent of 10th graders, and 30 percent of 12th graders. Males report higher rates of daily drinking and binge drinking than females, but these differences are diminishing (3). White students report the highest levels of drinking, blacks report the lowest, and Hispanics fall between the two (3).
A survey focusing on the alcohol-related problems experienced by 4,390 high school seniors and dropouts found that within the preceding year, approximately 80 percent reported either getting “drunk,” binge drinking, or drinking and driving. More than half said that drinking had caused them to feel sick, miss school or work, get arrested, or have a car crash (5). Some adolescents who drink later abuse alcohol and may develop alcoholism. Although these conditions are defined for adults in the DSM, research suggests that separate diagnostic criteria may be needed for youth (6). Drinking and Adolescent Development
While drinking may be a singular problem behavior for some, research suggests that for others it may be an expression of general adolescent turmoil that includes other problem behaviors and that these behaviors are linked to unconventionality, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking (7-11).
Binge drinking, often beginning around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18-22), then gradually decrease. In a 1994 national survey, binge drinking was reported by 28 percent of high school seniors, 41 percent of 21- to 22-year-olds, but only 25 percent of 31- to 32-year-olds (3,12). Individuals who increase their binge drinking from age 18 to 24 and those who consistently binge drink at least once a week during this period may have problems attaining the goals typical of the transition from adolescence to young adulthood (e.g., marriage, educational attainment, employment, and financial independence) (13). Risk Factors for Adolescent Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Dependence
Genetic Risk Factors. Animal studies (14) and studies of twins and adoptees demonstrate that genetic factors influence an individual’s vulnerability to alcoholism (15,16). Children of alcoholics are significantly more likely than children of nonalcoholics to initiate drinking during adolescence (17) and to develop alcoholism (18), but the relative influences of environment and genetics have not been determined and vary among people.
Biological Markers. Brain waves elicited in response to specific stimuli (e.g., a light or sound) provide measures of brain activity that predict risk for alcoholism. P300, a wave that occurs about 300 milliseconds after a stimulus, is most frequently used in this research. A low P300 amplitude has been demonstrated in individuals with increased risk for alcoholism, especially sons of alcoholic fathers (19,20). P300 measures among 36 preadolescent boys were able to predict alcohol and other drug (AOD) use 4 years later, at an average age of 16 (21). Childhood Behavior. Children classified as “undercontrolled” (i.e., impulsive, restless, and distractible) at age 3 were twice as likely as those who were “inhibited” or “well-adjusted” to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence at age 21 (22). Aggressiveness in children as young as ages 5-10 has been found to predict AOD use in adolescence (23,24). Childhood antisocial behavior is associated with alcohol-related problems in adolescence (24-27) and alcohol abuse or dependence in adulthood (28,29).
Psychiatric Disorders. Among 12- to 16-year-olds, regular alcohol use has been significantly associated with conduct disorder; in one study, adolescents who reported higher levels of drinking were more likely to have conduct disorder (30,31).
Six-year-old to seventeen-year-old boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were also found to have weak social relationships had significantly higher rates of alcohol abuse and dependence 4 years later, compared with ADHD boys without social deficiencies and boys without ADHD (32).
Whether anxiety and depression lead to or are consequences of alcohol abuse is unresolved. In a study of college freshmen, a DSM-III (33) diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence was twice as likely among those with anxiety disorder as those without this disorder (34). In another study, college students diagnosed with alcohol abuse were almost four times as likely as students without alcohol abuse to have a major depressive disorder (35). In most of these cases, depression preceded alcohol abuse. In a study of adolescents in residential treatment for AOD dependence, 25 percent met the DSM-III-R criteria for depression, three times the rate reported for controls. In 43 percent of these cases, the onset of AOD dependence preceded the depression; in 35 percent, the depression occurred first; and in 22 percent, the disorders occurred simultaneously (36).
Suicidal Behavior. Alcohol use among adolescents has been associated with considering, planning, attempting, and completing suicide (37-39). In one study, 37 percent of eighth-grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink (40). Research does not indicate whether drinking causes suicidal behavior, only that the two behaviors are correlated. Psychosocial Risk Factors
Parenting, Family Environment, and Peers. Parents’ drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents’ initiating and continuing drinking (41,42). Early initiation of drinking has been identified as an important risk factor for later alcohol-related problems (43). Children who were warned about alcohol by their parents and children who reported being closer to their parents were less likely to start drinking (42,44,45).
Lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication have been significantly related to frequency of drinking (46), heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents (47). Harsh, inconsistent discipline and hostility or rejection toward children have also been found to significantly predict adolescent drinking and alcohol-related problems (46).
Peer drinking and peer acceptance of drinking have been associated with adolescent drinking (48,49). While both peer influences and parental influences are important, their relative impact on adolescent drinking is unclear.
Expectancies. Positive alcohol-related expectancies have been identified as risk factors for adolescent drinking. Positive expectancies about alcohol have been found to increase with age (50) and to predict the onset of drinking and problem drinking among adolescents (51-53). Trauma. Child abuse and other traumas have been proposed as risk factors for subsequent alcohol problems. Adolescents in treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence reported higher rates of physical abuse, sexual abuse, violent victimization, witnessing violence, and other traumas compared with controls (54). The adolescents in treatment were at least 6 times more likely than controls to have ever been abused physically and at least 18 times more likely to have ever been abused sexually. In most cases, the physical or sexual abuse preceded the alcohol use. Thirteen percent of the alcohol dependent adolescents had experienced posttraumatic stress disorder, compared with 10 percent of those who abused alcohol and 1 percent of controls. Advertising. Research on the effects of alcohol advertising on adolescent alcohol-related beliefs and behaviors has been limited (55). While earlier studies measured the effects of exposure to advertising (56), more recent research has assessed the effects of alcohol advertising awareness on intentions to drink. In a study of fifth- and sixth-grade students’ awareness, measured by the ability to identify products in commercials with the product name blocked out, awareness had a small but statistically significant relationship to positive expectancies about alcohol and to intention to drink as adults (57). This suggests that alcohol advertising may influence adolescents to be more favorably predisposed to drinking (57). Consequences of Adolescent Alcohol Use
Drinking and Driving. Of the nearly 8,000 drivers ages 15-20 involved in fatal crashes in 1995, 20 percent had blood alcohol concentrations above zero (58). For more information about young drivers’ increased crash risk and the factors that contribute to this risk, see Alcohol Alert No. 31: Drinking and Driving (59).
Sexual Behavior. Surveys of adolescents suggest that alcohol use is associated with risky sexual behavior and increased vulnerability to coercive sexual activity. Among adolescents surveyed in New Zealand, alcohol misuse was significantly associated with unprotected intercourse and sexual activity before age 16 (60). Forty-four percent of sexually active Massachusetts teenagers said they were more likely to have sexual intercourse if they had been drinking, and 17 percent said they were less likely to use condoms after drinking (61).
Risky Behavior and Victimization. Survey results from a nationally representative sample of 8th and 10th graders indicated that alcohol use was significantly associated with both risky behavior and victimization and that this relationship was strongest among the 8th-grade males, compared with other students (62).
Puberty and Bone Growth. High doses of alcohol have been found to delay puberty in female (63) and male rats (64), and large quantities of alcohol consumed by young rats can slow bone growth and result in weaker bones (65). However, the implications of these findings for young people are not clear. Prevention of Adolescent Alcohol Use
Measures to prevent adolescent alcohol use include policy interventions and community and educational programs. Alcohol Alert No. 34: Preventing Alcohol Abuse and Related Problems (66) covers these topics in detail. See the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA’s) World Wide Web site at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.
Youth Drinking: Risk Factors and Consequences–A Commentary by NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D. Alcohol, the most widely used and abused drug among youth, causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Although alcohol is sometimes referred to as a “gateway drug” for youth because its use often precedes the use of other illicit substances, this terminology is counterproductive; youth drinking requires significant attention, not because of what it leads to but because of the extensive human and economic impact of alcohol use by this vulnerable population.
For some youth, alcohol use alone is the primary problem. For others, drinking may be only one of a constellation of high-risk behaviors. For these individuals, interventions designed to modify high-risk behavior likely would be more successful in preventing alcohol problems than those designed solely to prevent the initiation of drinking. Determining which influences are involved in specific youth drinking patterns will permit the design of more potent interventions. Finally, we need to develop a better understanding of the alcohol treatment needs of youth. Future questions for scientific attention include, what types of specialized diagnostic and assessment instruments are needed for youth; whether treatment in segregated, “youth only” programs is more effective than in general population programs; and, irrespective of the setting, what types of specific modalities are needed by youth to increase the long-term effectiveness of treatment.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa37.htm
Fifty Ways to Reduce Stress Without Using Drugs
By: Terri Maguire
Yoga
Meditate
Exercise
Write in a journal
Read a good novel
Listen to music
Play sports
Talk to friends
Practice a martial art like Tai Chi
Do breathing exercises
Get a massage
Light a candle and listen to relaxation tapes;
nature sounds like rainstorms or waterfalls
Take a bubble bath – dry off with warm towels
Pamper yourself with a manicure or pedicure
Make something
Color in a coloring book
Rent a good movie
Avoid caffeine, sugar, and junk food and drink lots of water
Sleep – make sure you are getting adequate rest
Practice smiling and positive thinking
Reminisce happy memories by looking at good-time photos
Leave work problems at work
Take a break from a difficult situation
Learn to say “no”
Eat healthy, well-balanced meals
Don’t rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress
Forgive yourself!
Forgive everybody else!
Prioritize your tasks, so as to not become overwhelmed
Set reasonable deadlines to complete tasks
Minimize noise pollution
If you are cooped up inside, get outside in the sunshine and fresh air!
If at work and trying to meet a deadline, take steps to limit interruptions by others
Do not procrastinate
When taking on a series of tasks or project, plan it out first
Reduce clutter and disorganization
Use scented candles and essential oils – aromatherapy
Buy fresh, fragrant flowers
Decorate with relaxing colors, green, pale blue, stone, lavender, lilac, cream
Play with a pet
Pray; read scriptures
Avoid shopping when stressed out–you may overspend and consequently become even more stressed
Invite a close friend or family member over for a nice, quiet dinner
Light a fire in the fireplace
Get away from the computer!
Replace the phrase, “I have to…” with “I get to…”
Drink some orange juice – Vitamin C reduces the production of stress hormones
Write a song
Sing the song you just wrote
Enjoy knowing you are loved by many!
Consequences of Drug Use
By Terri Maguire
After searching the Internet for a credible list of consequences to using drugs, I found so many it would take several reams of paper to list and properly cite them. So I decided to summarize the list and paraphrase it in my own words. Before using drugs (INCLUDING ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO), stop to think, “Is it worth it?” Once you read this list, you will hopefully see that it isn’t. Drug use consequences:
Alienation / loss of relationships such as your family, friends
Termination from your job
Inability to get another job
You could commit a crime you wouldn’t otherwise commit
You could be implicated in a crime you didn’t commit, because you were hanging with your friends who do drugs
Jail time
Hard, prison time
Loss of everything for love of the drug(s)
Legal expenses
Health problems
Heart rate increase/decrease
Bad hallucinations
Withdrawal effects when you can’t get the drug
Blood infections
Stroke
Respiratory failure
Liver damage
Permanent kidney damage
Blood clots
Skin abnormalities
Viral hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Tuberculosis
Cancer
HIV/AIDS
Other STD’s from reckless sexual behavior as a result of drug use
Possibility of overdose
Seizures
Coma
Loss of spirit and self respect
Dependence and/or addiction
DUI
Possible manslaughter charge or even murder charge (in many states)
Flunk out of school
Sexual impotence
Public embarrassment
Graduation to more illicit drugs
Despair, depression
Self mutilation
Suicide attempt(s)
Suicide success
Younger brother or sister start using because YOU are!
You lose your “true” self – you become the drug
You become paranoid
Unintended pregnancy
Miscarriage
Fetal addiction
Fetal abnormalities
Newborn retardation
Newborn death
You become responsible for child support payments
Total economic loss/failure
Homelessness
Drug poisoning
You are sexually abused / raped
Use of illicit drugs counteract medications you DO need
Brain Damage
Permanent memory loss
Death
Not pretty, is it?
Dead at 17
by John Berrio
Originally printed by Ann Landers
Agony claws my mind. I am a statistic. When I first got here I felt very much alone. I was overwhelmed by grief, and I expected to find sympathy.
I found no sympathy. I saw only thousands of others whose bodies were as badly mangled as mine. I was given a number and placed in a category. The category was called “Traffic Fatalities.”
The day I died was an ordinary school day. How I wish I had taken the bus! But I was too cool for the bus. I remember how I wheedled the car out of Mom. “Special favor,” I pleaded. “All the kids drive.” When the 2:50 p.m. bell rang, I threw my books in the locker … free until tomorrow morning! I ran to the parking lot, excited at the thought of driving a car and being my own boss.
It doesn’t matter how the accident happened. I was goofing off — going too fast, taking crazy chances. But I was enjoying my freedom and having fun. The last thing I remember was passing an old lady who seemed to be going awfully slow. I heard a crash and felt a terrific jolt. Glass and steel flew everywhere. My whole body seemed to be turning inside out. I heard myself scream.
Suddenly, I awakened. It was very quiet. A police officer was standing over me. I saw a doctor. My body was mangled. I was saturated with blood. Pieces of jagged glass were sticking out all over. Strange that I couldn’t feel anything. Hey, don’t pull that sheet over my head. I can’t be dead. I’m only 17. I’ve got a date tonight. I’m supposed to have a wonderful life ahead of me. I haven’t lived yet. I can’t be dead.
Later I was placed in a drawer. My folks came to identify me. Why did they have to see me like this? Why did I have to look at Mom’s eyes when she faced the most terrible ordeal of her life? Dad suddenly looked very old. He told the man in charge, “Yes, he’s our son.”
The funeral was weird. I saw all my relatives and friends walk toward the casket. They looked at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. Some of my buddies were crying. A few of the girls touched my hand and sobbed as they walked by.
Please, somebody — wake me up! Get me out of here. I can’t bear to see Mom and Dad in such pain. My grandparents are so weak from grief they can barely walk. My brother and sister are like zombies. They move like robots. In a daze. Everybody. No one can believe this. I can’t believe it, either.
Please, don’t bury me! I’m not dead! I have a lot of living to do! I want to laugh and run again. I want to sing and dance. Please don’t put me in the ground! I promise if you give me just one more chance, God, I’ll be the most careful driver in the whole world. All I want is one more chance. Please, God, I’m only 17.
Drugs Made My Life a Living Hell
by Frank Smith
Printed by Partnership for a Drug Free America – http://www.drugfreeamerica.org
After having a huge fight with my girlfriend one night, I decided to go out with some friends to have a good time and forget my problems. I was very drunk and high on Methamphetamine when I foolishly climbed up a tree and fell about 40 feet to the ground. The next thing I remember is waking up from a coma eight weeks later and feeling a pain so tremendous and so severe that I could barely endure it. I had lost control of my bowel movements, could no longer perform day-to-day tasks by myself and the legs that once carried me swiftly down the football field in high school were now lifeless. I weighed less than 100 pounds and was faced with the harsh reality that at 22 years old, I would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life. I was lucky to just be alive, but I knew my life would never be the same again.
It has been 20 years since the stupid act I committed in a severe drug-induced state changed my life forever. But I can tell you it has been hell on earth — an existence filled with enough misery to last a lifetime.
As a kid, I was your average American teen growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey. I was a B student, had lots of friends, an out-going personality and a passion for playing sports. I was a polite, quiet kid and part of a nice middle-class family.
When I was in sixth grade, I convinced myself that drinking beer wasn’t a big deal. “I’ll only drink on the weekends,” I thought, “anyway it’s only beer, and everybody else drinks.” My friends were all the “jocks” in the school and playing football and other sports was what we lived for. But yes, a lot of them were drinking beer and I wanted to do what they were doing to fit in. I didn’t want to feel left out or be the only kid who wasn’t cool. Not surprisingly, I graduated from beer to harder liquor and I continued to drink more frequently once I entered high school. The heavy drinking led me to experiment with drugs and I put my life on a direct crash course with disaster.
I started smoking Marijuana (or “dope” as we used call it) in 10th grade and I began losing interest in all the activities I was involved in. I even lost interest in practicing hard for the junior varsity football team at my high school in New Jersey. Then during a game one day, I tore all the ligaments in my right leg and a doctor informed me that I would never play sports again. I was crushed. Sports had always been such an important part of my life and a way for me to release frustration. I spent my newfound free time with a new group of drug-using friends. We smoked a lot of marijuana, which led me to harder drugs like Cocaine , acid and methamphetamine.
By the time I was a senior in high school I was using heavily. Somehow, I still felt like I had everything under control. In my own mind, my freedom was rooted in the notion that I did what I wanted, when I wanted. Going out with my friends and getting wasted became more important to me then going to school. Nothing else mattered and I didn’t care about anybody or anything, except getting high.
My parents didn’t know I was using drugs at the time and I started lying to my family to hide my abuse, even as I failed out of school. They all watched at the ceremony where I was supposed to graduate as I was handed an empty diploma sleeve with no diploma. I told myself that if I finished my classes I could graduate with a real diploma. Another lie.
Occasionally I’d make attempts to change things so I could turn my life around to escape the drugging environment that surrounded me. I always found aeronautics interesting and a guy I knew was attending an aeronautics school in Oklahoma. So I moved there to try school again and to do something with my future. But drugs just seemed to follow me wherever I went. After a year at the school of aeronautics, I flunked out and started using drugs again. Choosing the two roommates I lived with in Oklahoma was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. We did so many drugs together and made light of the situation. We owned two pure white German Shepherds; we named one “Coke,” the other one “Caine.” I found myself knee-deep in drugs again and I really didn’t care.
We were all passing around marijuana joints at a rock concert one night, when I mistakenly handed a joint to an undercover police officer. He in turn handed me a pair of shiny, new handcuffs and arrested me.
Once I got out of jail, I decided to try and make a new start and move back to New Jersey without drugs. But I would fail myself one last time; my worst mistake would be that night when I climbed that tree.
With the help of loved ones and a lot of strength and resolve, I’ve been able to put my life back on the right track. I finally graduated from community college and I now serve as a youth drug-abuse prevention motivational speaker. I’ve shared my personal story with over 34,000 kids and teens. This is my life force now.
The unique opportunity to connect with teens and help them make the right decisions about substance abuse is what keeps me motivated. Looking back on my own teen years, I now realize that the decision to do drugs is a very personal and critical choice. It is choice between ruining your life the way I did, or giving yourself a chance at happiness and a promising future. Please, learn from my mistakes and make the right choice.
Things You Can Do Instead of Drugs
Published by Drug Free AZ – http://www.drugfreeaz.com/audience/kidsyouth_things.html
There are so many cool things to do (in Arizona). Doing drugs is NOT one of them. Here’s a list of fun activities you can do instead of drugs.
Listen to music
Write a story
Make up a new dance
Surf the Internet
Go hiking
Help your parents make dinner
Play a video game
Play a board game with your family
Watch television
Learn how to ice skate
Write a letter to a relative
Learn how to play a musical instrument
Have a slumber party
Make cookies with your family
Draw or paint a picture
Learn how to do magic
Send a friend an e-card
Volunteer
Write a song
Go to the zoo
Read a book
Learn karate
Go skateboarding
Make a web page
Play a sport
Watch a movie
Learn a new hobby
Have an ice cream party
Start a journal
Go fishing
Make up a new joke
Play with a pet
Go shopping
Start a club
Ride a bicycle
In Their Own Words
by Eric Koenig, Staff Writer, The Examiner
Printed by The Texas Youth Commission – http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/news/teen_violence2.html
In order to fully understand what turns many teens to violence and crime, interviews were conducted with some of the juvenile offenders currently serving time at the Jefferson County State School.
Anthony, age 19, has a history of drug abuse and violent behavior. He was sentenced to seven years after he stabbed his girlfriend. The stabbing wound, to her lower back, was not fatal. Jason, age 18, also has a history of drug abuse. He was convicted on seven counts of aggravated robbery. He has served two years of an eight-year sentence. Here are their stories.
Anthony
“I come from a pretty big family. I have three brothers and two sisters. I lived at home with my parents. It wasn’t really a close-knit family. Everybody was always out doing their own thing. I guess nobody really got to know each other.
“When I was 12 – or 13-years-old, I started getting into trouble. I was influenced by my older brother, who lived in an apartment next to my parents. He was into drinking and drugging, and I started looking up to him and getting into that, too. I was smoking pot and then got into doing cocaine.
“When I was growing up, I had a very bad temper. I was always getting into fights over little things. I was always blowing things out of proportion. I got into trouble when I got into an argument; I ended up stabbing somebody.
“I had been arguing with my girlfriend all day. Earlier that day, she had wrecked my mother’s truck and I had gotten very angry about that. It pretty much escalated all day and I ended up stabbing her.
“It hurts to be in here sometimes, because you’re away from your family and you don’t get to see them.
“The days are monotonous. You go through the same things everyday. It gets ingrained into your mind and you don’t want to put up with it anymore. There’s going to be people that you don’t get along with in here, and you just want to mouth off to them because that’s what you been doing for the past years of your life. But, you can’t do that here because it’ll only get you into trouble. It ain’t going to get you home.
“I know I’m always going to have a problem with my anger, but now I have better means of coping with it. Before, I had a real bad attitude and would get into fights over any little thing. I was basically just looking for a fight.
“In here, I can take the little things and blow them off. I know what my anger is going to do. I’ll either hurt someone or myself in the process, and I don’t want to do that anymore. “Now, I know what my warning signs are. I start shaking, my hands start twitching and I feel bigger and stronger. That’s when I know I’m getting angry and I know I need to leave or I’ll go off on somebody.
“I remove myself from the situation. I give myself time to calm down and then maybe I can go back and talk about it. I also make sure somebody comes with me. If it was just me and the person that made me mad, I’m more likely to fly off the handle. “The thing when I was growing up, a lot of people came to me and told me what I need to do. You need to stop doing this and you need to do that. Stop drinking and doing drugs. Learn how to control your temper. Everybody was telling me what to do, but they weren’t telling me how to do it.
“That’s one reason I didn’t listen to anybody. They weren’t trying to come to me on my level. Everybody was coming to me on a higher level, talking down to me, telling what to do. “When I got put here, I had to wake up to my situation. Where I am right now . . . it’s one foot in freedom and one foot in prison.
“One of my big problems before was asking people for help. I couldn’t do that. Then, I realized I’ve got to if I’m going to get out of here. I can’t do this by myself. It was that macho idea that I could handle everything by myself.
“Kids who are getting in trouble doing drugs, they need to take a look at what they’ve got. Take a look at your mother; take a look at your family. The road you’re going down ain’t going to get you anywhere but locked up or in the grave.
“It hurts when you can’t be with your family when you want to see them. There are things out there that I missed. I missed my grandmother’s death and funeral; one of my close friends had a baby. I’m missing a lot of things out there and it hurts. That’s the one thing that really gets me.
“All my friends I used to hang out with, they all said, ‘Yeah, it’s cool. You know we’ll write to you. Don’t worry about it.’
“They’ve all disappeared. The only one that writes me now is my mom or my brothers – the people who really love me. All of the others just dropped off and found someone else to hang around with.”
Jason
“I have three older bothers and an older sister. I’m the baby of the family. I’ve got a pretty good family; they’re real supportive. I guess I’m the exception in a place like this. So many of these guys come from bad families or broken families.
“My parents are still married. Both my parents are retired from the military. We moved around a lot. I’ve lived in different parts of the county. It was hard on me, but I kind of like it looking back on it. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. I think you get narrow minded if you stay in one place for a long time.
“In about 7th grade, I started using marijuana and hanging around different people. I kind of shifted from one crowd to another. People I was hanging out with didn’t want to do drugs, so we just lost contact. We didn’t have things in common anymore.
“I guess I was just curious about drugs. It wasn’t peer pressure or anything. I just wanted to see what it was like. After that, I kept on going.
“My parents talked to me some about drugs. They weren’t even heavy drinkers, so I didn’t grow up around it. My parents said, ‘Don’t do it because it will screw up your life’ and that’s as far as it went.
“I think I was stubborn. I think experience was the only way I would’ve learned. I didn’t learn until I got arrested. I just kept on; everything kept snowballing.
“When I got to using cocaine was when everything just stopped. I was in school playing football, but then everything just centered around trying to get the coke. I was spending at least $100 everyday, not counting what friends had to offer. It was just a big party and that’s all I wanted to do.
“I didn’t want to get a job or anything to support my habit. So, I started thinking about ways to get money real quick. I started selling drugs but it didn’t really work out. It wasn’t as fast as I wanted the money.
“I decided to rob somebody. I didn’t want to murder anybody or anything like that. I thought the easiest way would be to go into a store and scare people with a gun. Just get the money and get out. I didn’t care about the risk I put myself in.
“It was easy to get the gun. My friend had one. Basically, everyone I knew had one that they could get. I didn’t have any guns in my house, but they were pretty east to get. Drugs were even easier to get.
“The first time, I robbed a little gas station. I ended up robbing that one a couple more times. And I robbed a video store. The most money I ever got was $500. Looking back, I probably could’ve easily made that much money working minimum wage.
“One time I robbed a motel. I always did it when nobody else was around. I thought there was less of a chance for anybody to get hurt if it was just me and the person behind the cash register.
“It was me and this Arabian guy. I pointed the gun at him and told him to open up the cash register. He just kind of stood there stunned like he wasn’t understanding what I was telling him. Then he told me he was going to call the cops. After that I started screaming at him more. The guy reached under the desk and I knew what he was going for. I was out the door. I looked back he had a shotgun pointed at me. He was yelling at me to stop.
“Back then I was pretty violent. Now, I wouldn’t say that I’m violent at all. I try to avoid any kind of conflict. I can see if a fight is going to happen. I try and stay away from things like that, ‘cause I want to go home.
“I’ve been through the CD (chemical dependency) program and it opened my eyes up. I thought it would be pretty easy to stay away from drugs when I got out. I thought, I’ll just go back out there and start over again.
“The program tells you what it’s really going to be like. They kind of scare you. You learn all the ways that people relapse, and I don’t want to go through that again. I know that it’ll lead to death or right back here. I want to make something of my life.
“I want to go to college and probably major in architecture. I’m also into writing. Since I’ve been taking this class – an English class from Texas Tech – I’ve gotten into writing.
“My parents visit every three weeks. We’re closer now. Me and my mom used to argue. When I’d step in the door, I was always high. She’d start on me. I didn’t want to hear it. I would just slam my door in her face and sleep the hangover off. I stopped spending time at home because I didn’t want to hear what I should do.
“I know they tried their hardest. I think maybe if we could’ve just talked more and not argued with each other so much. If we could’ve talked without accusing each other of anything, maybe that would have reached me better.
“Instead of yelling, ‘Where the hell have you been?’ – maybe if they had tried to understand me little bit better instead of trying to make me into what they wanted me to be.
“It’s horrible being in places like this. If you could show all of the kids out there who are using drugs what it’s like to be in here for one day . . . Everything that you take for granted, you’re going to miss it. Your bed, your food, even your parents that you hate – you’ll miss it all.
“It’s hard being away from your family. A lot of people cry when they get locked up. It hits you. You get to feel alone for the first time. I guess that’s how it was for me. I never knew it could be that depressing.
“The worst feeling was not knowing where I was going. I didn’t know if they would bring the full punishment on me or not. The District Attorney was talking about certifying me as an adult instead of sending me to TYC (Texas Youth Commission).
“If I had been an adult going to trial for those crimes, I could’ve gotten anywhere from 2 to 99 years. I was real scared.
“I don’t think you really make friends in a place like this. Everybody is coming and going. There’s a couple of people you might find, but I would say the only person you should make friends with is someone that has their goals set on getting out of here, too. You can’t make friends with someone who is trying to put a hit out on somebody or join this gang or that gang. Those aren’t people who are friend material. They just want to serve themselves, they don’t care about other people.
“You can see who is just playing the game, and who really wants to change. You can see it in how they carry themselves. I don’t want to say that they’re going to mess up if they ever get out and come straight back, because after being in TYC for two years, it’s kind of hard to say who’s going to stay out and who’s not. Some people may find something out there that will help them to change. But, I guess some people are just never going to change.”
Real Drugs, False Friends
by Nicole Hansen
Printed by Partnership for a Drug Free America – http://www.drugfreeamerica.org
I never believed something like this would happen to me, but it did –and it happened fast.
I grew up just outside of Salt Lake City with my parents and younger sister in a typical, middle-class suburb. I had friends, but by high school they were few. I didn’t play sports, I wasn’t a cheerleader or a dancer or even a thug. I was just me – and often that left me feeling very alone. I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere.
Everything changed during the summer when I was 17. The people I knew started going to raves. I distanced myself from that scene because I thought it was weird. Slowly, though, my perception changed. The more people I knew who went to raves, the more I believed it couldn’t be that bad.
That October, I decided to go to a party where I knew people would be doing drugs. Everyone seemed to know each other. I have to admit, I was jealous. I felt like an outsider.
Halfway through the night I met a really awesome guy. After talking for a while he offered me Ecstasy. I decided to try it. As I swallowed the pill I thought, there’s no way this could be bad.
A half an hour went by and I began to question its power. But then it hit me like a tidal wave. It was incredible: My senses magnified, the lights became more vivid, the music sounded more beautiful, and my new acquaintances felt like best friends. I didn’t even know half of their names and yet I felt I loved them. I loved everything that night. So, it was no wonder why I wanted to feel that way again soon.
Before long I started popping Ecstasy every other Saturday night. It was fun going to parties and meeting new people. Soon I was using every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I wasn’t alone either – even the cheerleaders and football players were using the “love drug.” And they were buying the drugs from the basketball players and band members who were selling pills right out of their lockers.
All this partying took its toll on me. My body ached from the hours of dancing. My eyes were bloodshot with big, dark circles around them. I was always sick and depressed. I began to hate everything — I hated school, I hated my job and I fought constantly with my family. I thought that I had the worst life. The only time I felt happy anymore was when I was on Ecstasy. Only the drug was never as good as the time before. Now it seemed that even Ecstasy couldn’t numb the pain. So, I began to move on to other drugs — Cocaine, Ketamine and Mushrooms. Despite this, I didn’t think I had a problem because I was still working and going to school.
But within three months my recklessness caught up with me. I was at a small house party and started drinking from a container of Red Bull — which turned out to be full of GHB (roughly 10 times the amount usually used recreationally). Although I don’t remember what happened, the events of the evening were explained to me:
I became unconscious. My body forced itself to throw up several times. My “friends” weren’t too alarmed. They just thought I “G’ed-out” (e.g. passed out from taking too much GHB) and that I would sleep it off. Rather than help me, they just stuck me in the bathroom. I was unconscious for hours and nobody checked on me.
Finally, the owner of the house came home and found me passed out on the bathroom floor. He ran out frantically screaming for answers. When he came back to check on me, I wasn’t breathing.
As he and another guy carried me to the car, they had to set me down every 10 feet to give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Luckily, the hospital was only four blocks away. They dropped me off without telling anyone who I was.
Fortunately, the doctors recognized my symptoms and immediately went to work. They used paddles to revive me. Each time they had me breathing, I would stop. I flat lined twice. I was in a coma for three hours.
Waking up was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. I awoke in a strange, white room, my ears ringing so loud it was unbearable. Then I began to choke. I tried to reach up and pull out whatever was in my throat, but I couldn’t. My arms and legs we’re tied down and I panicked — I thought I was going choke to death. The nurses had to calm me down, coercing me to believe that the tube in my mouth was for my benefit — it was allowing me to breathe.
They asked me if I knew where I was, who I was, or what had happened. I shook my head. I knew nothing.
“You overdosed on GHB,” a nurse said. I couldn’t believe it.
My mom and dad arrived as soon as they could. They found my room in the intensive care unit; the board outside read: “Jane Doe.”
This whole experience was a huge wake up call. While I was using drugs, I thought I’d made some incredible friends. On the night I needed them most, however, my “friends” were not there for me. They just dumped me in the bathroom, not wanting me to disrupt their good time. Only two people came to see me in the hospital. Of course, these people were not true friends. They were there for me as long as it didn’t interfere with their life or their fun, or get them in trouble.
When I left the hospital, I tried to get my life back together. It was hard. I’d gone from partying with groups of people every weekend, to sitting home every night by myself, crying. It wasn’t easy giving up my addiction, but it seemed nearly impossible to give up the lifestyle, the “friends.” Once I stopped using, they wanted nothing to do with me.
My family has been there for me the whole time, wanting to help and always supporting me. Without them I don’t know how I would have ever pulled out of it. When I was ready to tell them everything, I made them promise not to say a word until I was finished. It was just as hard facing my parents as facing my problem. They were in shock at some of the things I told them.
I decided to clean up by myself without rehab or counseling. I got myself into it, so I wanted to get myself out. It may not have been the right way, maybe I should have asked for help. But I made the choice to quit, and I am the one who has stayed clean and sober for over 18 months. But without my parents, I may have relapsed.
have recovered, but not fully. Now, a year and a half later, I still struggle with both short- and long-term memory loss. A lot of the time I don’t remember what I said right after I say it.
Because of the choices I made I wasn’t able to graduate with my class, but did return the following summer to get my GED.
For the rest of my life I’ll be in recovery — because just one slip can blow everything. The most important thing for me to remember is that despite the mistakes I’ve made, I am still a good person and have much to give. I stay clean because I wake up every day and promise myself that I won’t do drugs that day. Imagining not doing drugs ever again sounds too overwhelming, so I take it a day at a time.
In 2001, I entered the Miss Teen Utah contest. Many of the other candidates told me that I didn’t deserve to be there because of my past. It was hard to hear, but I couldn’t let other people’s perceptions prevent me from bettering myself. It turns out I won — and the feeling was ten times better than any high I had on drugs.
I also had many incredible experiences such as the privilege to run the 2002 Winter Olympic torch through Spokane Washington, and appear on the Montell Williams show about club drugs.
Now I’m concentrating on reaching my goals. I recently moved to New York City to pursue my love of singing and performing. I even wrote a song about addiction called “Someone Save Me” which you can listen to here. During the period of time I was into drugs I forgot about my dreams. But now I have some great things lined up. I made it through something as difficult as drugs and addiction, obtaining my dream will be a piece of cake!
I’m also focusing on educating kids about drugs. I speak at elementary, middle schools, high schools, and on college campuses. I want kids and teens to know what can happen when you choose the wrong path. I have seen both sides, lived both lives. Believe me, I now know how lucky I am to be alive.
Teen Commandments
by Paul Anka, Johnny Nash, George Hamilton IV
Now, these are the Teen Commandments: 1. Stop and think before you drink.
2. Don’t let your parents down; they brought you up.
3. Be humble enough to obey. You will be giving orders yourself someday.
4. At the first moment, turn away from unclean thinking ?at the first moment.
5. Don’t show off driving. If you want to race, go to Indianapolis.
6. Choose a date who would make a good mate.
7. Go to church faithfully. The Creator gives you the week; give Him back an hour.
8. Choose your companions carefully. You are what they are.
9. Avoid following the crowd. Be an engine, not a caboose.
10. Or even better, keep the original Ten Commandments.
Lyrics provided by Betty E. Fisher, Hanover, MD (berfisher@aol.com)
at http://www.lyricsxp.com/lyrics/t/the_teen_commandments_paul_anka.html
Learn About Different Ways to Turn Down Drugs
An exerpt from
Teen Drug Use and Violence
Published by National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center – http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens/drugs.asp
Sometimes, watching TV or listening to people talk, it’s easy to believe that everyone is smoking marijuana or trying other drugs. In fact, most teens haven’t tried marijuana or other drugs, and using them doesn’t make you “cool.” If someone offers you drugs, just say, “No thanks,” or “I’m not into that.” You may want to try suggesting another activity instead. Learn to recognize the signs of a drug problem in a friend (or yourself). If a friend has one or more of the following warning signs, he or she may have a problem with drugs:
Getting high on a regular basis;
Lying about the amount of drugs he or she is using;
Believing that drugs are necessary to have fun;
Constantly talking about using drugs;
Feeling run-down, depressed, or even suicidal;
Having problems at school or getting in trouble with the law;
Giving up activities he or she used to do, such as playing sports or doing homework, and shunning friends who don’t use drugs.
If you recognize these signs in a friend or yourself, professional help may be necessary. Check out the Web sites listed below to learn more about how to help a friend, and call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686 for information and referrals. Don’t try to handle this on your own. Talk with an adult you can trust, such as your parents or a trusted family member, a teacher, a school counselor, your clergy, or a professional at a mental health center.
