Drugs & Alcohol Archives | Page 2 of 4

How Many High School Teens in Santa Barbara Use Drugs? Where Do They Get Them?

If you’re a Santa Barbara resident – a parent, teen, or a professional who works with adolescents – the current data on substance use among high school students in your area may be of interest. The following information comes from the California Healthy Kids Survey. Officials administer the anonymous survey to every school district in California on an annual basis. The tables below show rates of substance use for high

November 11, 2020

Is My Teen Vomiting From Smoking Marijuana?

Marijuana is popular among teens. According to the most recent Monitoring the Future Survey, 45 percent of high school seniors said they’d tried marijuana at least once, and around six percent of them use marijuana every day. That’s about one in every 16 students. The advent of new e-cigarettes, such as the Juul, which looks like a flash drive, contributes to the problem. In 2018, 60 percent more teens started

October 7, 2020

Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder in Teens

Recent statistics suggest that a growing number of adolescents struggle with alcohol or substance use disorder. The numbers are alarming: 1.3 million adolescents aged 12-17, and 5.8 million young adults aged 18-25, met the clinical criteria for alcohol use disorder. And, even more worryingly, there is a significant treatment gap for this age group, with only 5.8% of the first group, and only 8% of the second, receiving treatment. This

September 28, 2020

Teens and Driving Under the Influence: One Drink is Too Many

A hypothetical scenario: You have to drive somewhere. Maybe your parents asked you to run an errand to the grocery store or the dry-cleaners. Or, if you’re reading this after the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to get home from a party. Problem is, you had a beer. Or a glass of wine. Either at the hypothetical party or at home, when you sneaked a drink from your parents’ liquor cabinet.

July 9, 2020

Drugs That Can Cause Psychosis in Teens

Having a psychotic episode can be scary – for the teen undergoing it, and the parent witnessing it. Psychosis can best be described as an out-of-mind experience. It involves hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. While many are aware of the relationship between psychosis to mental health disorders (like schizophrenia), less is known about drug-induced psychosis. Many teens may experience psychosis after using certain mind-altering drugs. While these drugs may not have

July 2, 2020

My Friend is Using Drugs: What Can I Do?

If your friend is experimenting with drugs or struggling with addiction, you may rightfully be concerned. Addiction – whether it’s to prescription painkillers, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens, opioids, inhalants, or any other substance – can wreak havoc on their mind and body and cause irreparable damage to their short- and long-term health. Substance abuse can also cause other consequences: get your friend kicked out of school, cause problems in

June 15, 2020

Drugs & Alcohol

Help! I Got Drunk and Embarrassed Myself

It’s the morning after. Or a few days after. Or a week or two later. You got drunk – at a party, event, get-together, take your pick – and you did something highly inappropriate. Thanks to the inhibition-reducing effects of alcohol, you might have acted aggressively against a peer, said something you regret, or did something that makes you blush, even now…hours, days, or weeks later. Whatever it was, you

May 27, 2020

Help! My Teen Relapsed During the COVID-19 Lockdown

The coronavirus pandemic has our society at a virtual standstill. But some things don’t stop for a virus. One example: recovery from an alcohol or substance use disorder. Recovery is an ongoing, life-long process that takes the work, care, and diligent attention of the person in recovery. It also takes the care and attention of the people around the person in recovery. By that we mean their social support network:

May 15, 2020

Home Life During COVID-19: Is My Teenager Craving Drugs? How Can I Tell?

Parents of teens who live with alcohol or substance use disorders face an additional challenge during the coronavirus pandemic. On top of everything new happening, such as telework, virtual school, shelter-in-place orders, and all the details related to COVID-19 that now make up part of their lives, they’re concerned how recovery is going for their teen. Before things changed, parents of teens in recovery knew their teen could get support

May 8, 2020

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week 2020 Part One: Shatter the Myths

In 2010, scientists and experts on drug and alcohol use from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) launched a public awareness campaign to offer teenagers real facts about alcohol and drug use among their peer group. The purpose of the campaign was twofold: Present teenagers the latest data on alcohol and drugs. Refute myths and misconceptions about alcohol and drug use teenagers find online and learn from television, music,

March 30, 2020