For the most part, our society targets education and enforcement of drug laws toward adult users and rehabilitation of adult offenders, but very little is steered toward children. In some areas, educational programs for school children, such as the DARE program, have been phased out over the years, primarily due to lack of funding.

The most common reasons children get involved in drug and alcohol abuse are:

• Availability of drugs or alcohol at home

• Extensive periods of time alone at home without supervision

• Contact with adults who already exhibit drug or alcohol problems

• Peer pressure

• Advertising that tends to show alcohol in a positive light

A National Institute on Drug Abuse study showed responses from high school seniors about high school student drug usage:

• Marijuana – 41.8 percent have tried the drug and 5 percent use it every day. Think of your local high school that would conservatively have between 3,000 to 4,000 students. That would mean that 1,200 to 1,600 of those students have tried marijuana. It would also translate into 150 to 200 of those students using marijuana on a daily basis.

• Cocaine – 7.8 percent have used and 2 percent have used within the last month.

• Tranquilizers – 9.5 percent of high school seniors report having used tranquilizers

• Alcohol – 72.2 percent have used alcohol and 3.1 percent use alcohol daily.

• Prescription pain pills – 15.4 percent of high school seniors reported having used prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Oxycontin during the last 12 months.

Parents should be aware of common warning signs indicating possible drug use by their children. Some indicators could be:

• Frequent and exaggerated mood swings

• Unusual and frequent fatigue

• Verbal or physical abuse toward family members

• A sudden change of friends

• Extreme weight loss or gain

• Loss of appetite

• Lack of interest in personal grooming

• Changes in grades or school attendance

• Withdrawal from responsibilities

• Disappearance of money or valuables

To understand and keep up with the times, parents must keep up with the new street drug terminology. Here are a few:

• Today, the term “handlebars,” “bars” or “zbars” are names for a prescription medication commonly sold and used on the street.

• “Bowling” describes a party where teenagers bring medication from their family’s medicine cabinet, dump it into a bowl, stir it up and then take turns blindly taking one, two, or more of the unknown pills. The consequences can be deadly.

• “Wet” describes a marijuana cigarette soaked in embalming fluid, then dried.

• “Kibbles and bits” refers to small crumbs of crack cocaine.

I encourage parents to research teenage drug use, terminology and trends. Information can be easily found at the local library or on numerous websites. For more information and the complete studies, you can find the National Institute on Drug Abuse at www.nida.gov , or the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov . Parenting and prevention are the keys to keeping children away from drugs.

For more information on this or any other crime prevention topic, contact the Conroe Police Department Crime Prevention Unit at 936-522-3327 or 936-522-3226. If you have a neighborhood problem or want to report drug activity, contact the Conroe Police Department Narcotics Unit at 936-522-3303. If you have a suggestion, comment, or question about this article, contact Sgt. Berry at bberry@cityofconroe.org.

Published Date: October 3, 2011

Tags: Benedictine, priest, rehabilitation, Vietnam

Benedictine Father Francis Xavier Tran Van An (left) and a building contractor at the construction site

BENEDICTINE Father Francis Xavier Tran Van An Thursday presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for a new drug rehabilitation center near the national Marian Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in Quang Tri province.

About 100 people attended the event for the center, which the Benedictines hope will help local drug abusers kick their habits and return to normal lives.

“The center aims to provide free rehabilitation, spiritual healing, health care and vocational skills for a rising number of drug addicts in the area,” said Fr. An, 40, who heads the project.

Fr. An, who has provided rehabilitation services at his monastery for years, said many parents have sought assistance from the Benedictines after their children have failed to overcome their addictions in state-run facilities, for which they must pay as much as 3 million dong (US$300) per month.

A former drug addict himself prior to becoming a Benedictine, Fr. An said the order since 2008 has been providing rehabilitation services, accommodation and vocational training to about eight drug addicts each year. He added that about 25 people have given up drug use through the program and now have employment, while five have joined the Catholic Church.

Report from ucanews.com

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VANCEBURG — Drug addiction and abuse is so rampant in Lewis County every family is affected, said Vanceburg Mayor Todd Ruckel.

                Despite the obvious need, the county lacks the recovery support necessary to help those battling addiction get their lives back, said David White, a recovering addict. Seven months ago, a group of concerned citizens began to meet to discuss the problem and brainstorm a solution. What the group decided was that in Lewis County, addicts need a chance for a New Beginning.

                Saturday, Ruckel announced that a building has been located to house a new drug recovery facility which, appropriately, will be called New Beginnings. The facility will be located in the former Pizza Corner building on Third Street, Ruckel said. The building has been made available through the Vanceburg Lions Club which is purchasing the building.

 Ruckel made the announcement about the new facility to the group of people who gathered for a golf tournament fund-raiser at Tee City Golf Course in Tollesboro, Saturday.  Funds raised from the tournament will be used to pay for the electric and other utilities for the facility, Ruckel said.

                White, who was involved in a similar facility in Maysville called Never Alone Never Again, will be manager of New Beginnings. White recently resigned from his position on the board for NANA after he reported to police the suspected theft of grant money by NANA’s former director Curtis Oliver. Oliver was subsequently charged with theft by unlawful taking for allegedly stealing more than $3,000 in grant funds. His case is currently in Mason County District Court.

White said he plans to focus his efforts in Lewis County, where he resides.

                White was a successful golf pro when he became “hopelessly addicted” to Oxycontin, he told the group at Tee City. While golf remains a passion, White’s focus is now helping others who have also struggled with addiction.

                “I’m really passionate about helping people get their life back,” White said to the group assembled at the golf course.

                The search for a building has been underway for some time, White said. Several locations were looked at, but it wasn’t until Kevin Duff, president of the Vanceburg Lions Club, was approached about the possibility of buying the former Pizza Corner building that the group had a solid lead.

                “Our motto is to serve the community,” Duff said of the Lions Club. “And that’s what we’re doing with this building.”

                Duff said the Lions Club worked with Community Trust Bank in Flemingsburg to purchase the building. The closing for the building is still pending, but should be completed within the next couple of weeks, Duff said.

                Ruckel said some cosmetic work will be necessary, but the city of Vanceburg will clean up the building and get it in shape so that meetings can be held at the site.

                White said he hopes to have at least three 12-step meetings per week in the facility to begin with, but eventually would like to have meetings daily.

                “People use drugs on a daily basis, so we’re hoping they’ll go to a meeting every day,” White said.

While prescription drug abuse is possibly the most prevalent addiction and a focus for New Beginnings, White said the facility will be available for any kind of 12-step meeting.

The facility will be open daily for 12 to 14 hours, White said, and he hopes members of the faith-based community will become involved in ministries through New Beginnings.

While the efforts to get the building in shape progress, White said there will also be efforts to establish a formal board of directors for New Beginnings. White said the board will have representatives from every part of the county, since drug addiction is a county-wide problem.

                The target date for opening New Beginnings is Dec. 1.

“We’re real excited,” White said. “People up here need hope because right now, there’s nothing.”

“Anything that’s good for the community, we’re for,” Duff said. “And we feel like this is going to fill a major need in the community.”

 

CEBU, Philippines – Research has shown that the key risk periods for drug abuse occur during major transitions in children’s lives. These transitions include significant changes in physical development (for example, puberty) or social situations (such as moving or parents divorcing) when children experience heightened vulnerability for problem behaviors.

The first big transition for children is when they leave the security of the family and enter school. Later, when they advance from elementary school to middle or junior high school, they often experience new academic and social situations, such as learning to get along with a wider group of peers and having greater expectations for academic performance. It is at this stage-early adolescence-that children are likely to encounter drug abuse for the first time.

Then, when they enter high school, young people face additional social, psychological, and educational challenges. At the same time, they may be exposed to greater availability of drugs, drug abusers, and social engagements involving drugs. These challenges can increase the risk that they will abuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

A particularly challenging situation in late adolescence is moving away from home for the first time without parental supervision, perhaps to attend college or other schooling. Substance abuse, particularly of alcohol, remains a major public health problem for college populations.

When young adults enter the workforce or marry, they again confront new challenges and stressors that may place them at risk for alcohol and other drug abuse in their adult environments. But these challenges can also be protective when they present opportunities for young people to grow and pursue future goals and interests. Research has shown that these new lifestyles can serve as protective factors as the new roles become more important than being involved with drugs.

Risks appear at every transition from early childhood through young adulthood; therefore, prevention planners need to consider their target audiences and implement programs that provide support appropriate for each developmental stage. They also need to consider how the protective factors involved in these transitions can be strengthened. For more information, please feel free to contact us anytime at 03202315229 or 032-2389143.

SOME problem gamblers are so ashamed of their behaviour they would rather admit a heroin habit than an addiction to the pokies, says problem gambling expert Professor Alun Jackson.

Professor Jackson said only 10 per cent of those addicted to gambling access help services.

Instead he said it was problems like drug abuse, illness, domestic violence and criminal behaviour that brought them to the attention of health and community support workers.

“They’re more likely to seek help for the other things that are going on,” Professor Jackson said.

“They are still quite ashamed about having a gambling problem because they think it’s a moral failing.”

The issue was raised with Border health and support workers at a free workshop organised by Upper Hume Primary Care last week.

Health promotion officer Jay McGough said it was important the group was able to recognise, and help, those with gambling problems, even if they may have come to them for a different reason.

“People with gambling problems often experience other issues at the same time and are more likely to present at general health and community services, than to seek help from problem gambling services,” Ms McGough said.

“The issue affects more than just the person who gambles, with each problem gambler affecting seven other people, such as their family or employer.”

Chandigarh, Oct 1 : In a bid to effectively check the menace of drug-addiction in the state, the Punjab government has constituted a ten-member Punjab Drug Prevention Board under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary. Stating this here today, an official spokesman said that the other members of the Board would comprise Principal Secretary Social Security and Women and Child Development, Principal Secretary Home and Justice, Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare, Principal Secretary Youth Services, Principal Secretary Medical Education and Research, Principal Secretary Higher Education, Additional Director General of Police (crime), Excise and Taxation Commissioner besides the Director Social Security and Child Development as Member Secretary.Outlining the objectives of the newly set up Board, the spokesman said it would initiate concerted efforts to prevent the supply of drugs, treat and rehabilitate the drug-addicts, launch anti drug addiction awareness programmes.Besides, the Board would also chalk out a comprehensive state action plan to control drug addiction efficaciously, he added.