What is medical marijuana?
What is medical marijuana?* *From the National Institute on Drug Abuse Photo by ©Shutterstock.com/Atomazul The term medical marijuana refers to using the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine. However, […]
How Does Alcohol Affect the Teen Brain?
When teens drink, alcohol affects their brains in the short-term – but repeated drinking can also impact it down the road, especially as their brains grow and develop. Short-Term Consequences of Intoxication (being “drunk”): An intoxicated youth has a harder time making good decisions. A youth is less aware that his/her behavior may be inappropriate […]
Teach medicine safety during National Poison Prevention Week
Why Poison Prevention Week is Important Protecting our children is our top priority The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that 9 out of 10 unintentional child poisonings happen in the home. Poison Prevention Week gives us the tools to make sure our children don’t become another statistic. There’s so much to know It’s easy to […]
Teen Depression
Being a teenager can be tough. There are changes taking place in your body and brain that can affect how you learn, think, and behave. And if you are facing tough or stressful situations, it is normal to have emotional ups and downs. But if you have been overwhelmingly sad for a long time (a […]
Rx DRUG MISUSE…NOT WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!
National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) is coming!! NDAFW, Jan. 22-28, 2018 is an annual, week-long series of educational events that brings together teens and scientific experts to SHATTER THE MYTHS® about substance use and addiction. Learn more from the Director of NIDA by watching the video above. Prescription drug misuse is when someone takes a medication […]
Creating Safe and Joyful Holiday Celebrations
The winter holidays are a time to enjoy the company of family, friends and co-workers. Where does substance use fit into this picture? The widespread availability of alcohol at holiday parties gives our youth many opportunities to sneak alcohol when no one is looking, or convince a relative to let them enjoy “just one” alcoholic […]
POSITIVE THINKING: STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK TO REDUCE STRESS
Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health. Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided. By Mayo Clinic Staff Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic — […]
October is Medicine Abuse Awareness Month
Prescription medicine is a critical part of our cultural fabric and it sometimes seems as if there is “a pill for every ill.” The fact is we live in a society where the potential for prescription drug abuse and addiction is ever present. Among teens and young adults, next to marijuana, Rx drugs are the […]
IT’S NOT PESTERING…IT’S PARENTING
Every day it seems that we hear about kids using a new drug, such as K2, Molly, or Bath Salts. Although the drugs change over time, alcohol is still the most widely used substance among teens in America, followed by tobacco and marijuana. Also, kids still sniff glue to get high, but now they also […]
Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic; Painkillers Driving Addiction, Overdose
Every day, 60 people die from opioid pain medications. That’s 22,000 people every year. Opioids are being overprescribed. And it is not children reaching in medicine cabinets who have made drug poisoning the #1 cause of unintentional death in the United States. Adults have been prescribed opioids by doctors and subsequently become addicted or move from pills […]