Joe Califano on The View discusses how to raise kids to be drug free

Joseph Califano, the President of the Columbia Center on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse on the View.

Over 25% of females aged 12-17 have engaged in violent behavior in the previous 12 months

GCASA staff noticed at the Darien Lake Senior Day compliance checks that females apprehended were much more violent and verbally abusive than the boys. Now there is some data to back up that anecdotal observation.

SAMSHA's National Drug Abuse and Household Survey found that over 25% of girls aged 12 - 17 have been involved in violent behavior in the past 12 months. The prevalence in violent behavior increases with a decrease in socio-economic status.

You can read the brief article by clicking here.

Most teens killed in car crashes except for black teens who are murdered

The CDC (Center For Disease Control) reported on May 5, 2010 that about 16,00 teenagers die in the United States every year and most of them are killed in auto crashes.

The largest number of teens to die by race are African American males and the majority of them are killed by homicide. If these were white kids being murdered would society have a different response?

From the CDC web site:

Of the more than 16,000 teenagers who die in the United States each year, most are killed in automobile accidents, but murder, suicide, cancer and heart disease also take their toll, a new government report finds.

In fact, among black male teens, homicide is the leading cause of death, said report author Arialdi M. Minino, a statistician at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

"This is a group of people we don't pay much attention to when we talk about mortality," Minino said. Teen deaths account for less than 1 percent of all deaths per year in the United States, he noted.

Still, Minino thinks that more needs to be done to cut the number of teenage deaths.
"These are preventable causes of death," he said. "So, this is a group where we can extend ourselves so kids won't die, by extending common sense ideas."
Each year in the United States, an estimated 16,375 children between the ages of 12 and 19 die. Nearly 50 percent die in accidents, with car crashes accounting for more than one-third of all deaths, Minino found.

But among black male teens, murder is the leading cause of death. Moreover, the highest teen death rate is among black males at 94.1 deaths per 100,000 people. "That's 50 times more than among white males. That's a very large disparity," Minino said.

While I don't have data collected, I anecdotally know several teens who have been killed in car crashes in the last decade and several murdered. These deaths, of course, are totally preventable.

Treatment saves money

Trauma and substance abuse

Dr. Sandra Bloom wrote a very interesting article which appeared in the American Psychotherapy review in July of 2000 entitled, "Double Trouble: The Perils of Substance Abuse and PTSD."

Dr. Bloom's main point is the high association between trauma and substance abuse and other personal and social problems. She writes in part:

"Approximately 50 - 60% of women and 20% of men in chemical dependency recovery programs report having been victims of childhood sexual abuse. Approximately 69% of women and 80% of men in such programs report being victims of child physical abuse."
Dr.Bloom goes on to cite other very interesting statistics which demonstrate the relationship between abuse and later life problems then she writes:

"Taken together, these research results have staggering implications for drug policy. First of all it means that any approach replicating the 'Just Say No" slogan
of the 1980s is not going to work. Among the most severely addicted substance abusers are people who are so overwhelmed by the physiological impact of prolonged exposure to violence, that sobriety is very unlikely without a great deal of help beginning in childhood. It means that lecturing children on the dangers of substance abuse is not going to be an antidote for drug abuse to the most damaged and most damaging of those children. Approaches that focus on criminal justice alone are not likely to be very helpful."

GCASA offers a great deal of specialized programming for women, adolescents, children, and adults involved in the criminal justice system. While abstinence and harm reduction are important treatment goals, GCASA staff is well aware that substance abuse is often a symptom of problems as well as being the presenting problem itself.

SUPA (Students United For Positive Action) meeting on Tuesday, 9/15 at 5:00 PM

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

Dr. Nora Volkow talks with teens about drugs

Dr. Volkow, the Director of the National Institute On Drug Abuse, talks to kids about drugs.

Video lasts 9:43

Good work done by students in sprucing up community

Kevin Keenan and his kids who belong to SUPA, Students United for Positive Action got some good press on Monday, May, 4, 2009, in the Daily News. The article highlights the good work of Chris Laird and Tevin Bloom who spent Saturday, May 2, 2009 helping to clean up Pringle Park in Batavia, NY.

Kevin Keenan, a GCASA prevention educator works with kids to get involved in positive activities as an alternative to a substance abusing life style. Building up the positive factors in a community goes a long way in decreasing the risk factors in a community.

If you see Kevin and the students who work with him, thank them for their great work in making our community more enjoyable and healthy for all.

To read the whole article click here.

Teen pregnancy at Batavia High School

According to an article in the Batavian last week, Stephanie Loranty, a school nurse at Batavia High School said that there were 10 pregnant teens at Batavia High School last year and 1 in Batavia Middle school. To read the article, click here.