4 Troubled Teens Blog

Teens who drink when they are depressed are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, according to a study that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Dr. Elizabeth Schilling of the University of Connecticut Health Care Centerstudied 32,000 young people in grades three to 12. About 12 percent said they drank when they were depressed. Of this group, one in five had attempted suicide. "Drinking while down was associated with significantly greater risk of suicide attempts among those not reporting suicidal ideation in the past year," Dr. Schilling said.

With teen suicide rates remaining disturbingly high, experts advise parents to be on the lookout for any indications that their children are suffering from depression or are engaging in substance abuse as a means of dealing with stress and pressure.

Labels: suicide, depression, teenagers, substance_abuse, drinking

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According to a 2007 survey, nearly 60 percent of ninth-grade students in a Southeast Michigan school district drank at least once during the previous year. The results of the survey were presented at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Livonia Save Our Youth task force.

"[Claudia] Rushlow said parents could take steps to ensure children aren't drinking in their home. When children say they are going to a classmate's home, make the call to the other parent, Rushlow said. 'And when other parents call, welcome the phone calls.'"

Livonia police officers reminded the audience that parents and guardians need to take responsibility, and proactive steps, to keep alcohol out of the hands of teenagers. Source: Livonia (MI) Observer

Labels: drinking, teen_alcoholism

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When my oldest daughter turned 4, I threw her a birthday party complete with a pony, a visit from a clown who did face painting, and loads of those cute little plastic jugs of non-nutritious juice I believe were called "hugs." My daughter is now 17 and the bashes she goes to often have a bit more than Kool Aid for partygoers to chug.

Last weekend, my daughter attended a party where some of the attendees got a bit too enthusiastic with the libations. She left the party early. I know this because my middle child told me there was drinking at the party - something my oldest didn't share with me. However, my middle child tattletale also told me that my oldest left the party early because she didn't want to be associated with what she called the "stupid drinkers." I couldn't help thinking to myself, in a little sing-song voice, "I've got the good kid."

Something, somewhere along the line that I said to my oldest, obviously near perfect, daughter must have struck a chord. Perhaps it's the fact that I rarely drink myself. Now, I'm not a teetotaler, but I don't crack one open after a long day's work, either. I've got a four-pack of wine coolers in the refrigerator that have been there since last New Year's Eve (I was going to have one then opted for the Seven-Up punch with green sherbet instead). The kids know they're there and every now and then I threaten to down all of them when the kids are driving me nuts. I never do, though.

Perhaps it's the fact that, in general, I think "the stuff tastes nasty." That's what I say when the kids ask me about alcohol in general. I hate beer. The stuff tastes nasty. Mixed drinks? Blech! Better than beer, but you can still taste the alcohol. Give me a virgin cocktail any day. I have a friend who loves beer. She drinks it all the time. I've asked her how she can stand the stuff. She says it's an acquired taste. She hated it at first, too.

I guess the problem is that I just don't understand consuming something that you hate long enough for it to become palatable. I mean, if you hate Brussels sprouts, you don't keep eating them, do you? Especially if they make you hurl, like beer. I actually like Brussels sprouts, but my position on beer is probably pretty clear. It's not like work, where you have to do it whether you like it or not. Drinking is a completely unnecessary pursuit.

As early as my kids began to query me about how alcohol tastes and how it makes you feel, I was completely honest with them as is my, sometimes lamented, habit. I told them that the stuff tastes nasty. They asked me, of course, if I tried beer. I said that I had and that ... well ... the stuff tastes nasty. I never made it through an entire cup ('cause beer is served in plastic cups at a keg party).

Once, the day after a party that my boyfriend threw, there was beer left in the keg and his friends came over to suck up a little hair of the dog the morning after. It was a super hot day and they all kept saying how "refreshing" that ice cold beer was. Well, like a nice tall glass of iced tea, I started downing that plastic cup (I believe it was one of those blue "solo" brand cups) of cold, "refreshing" beer. Argh! The stuff tasted nasty!

As far as telling my kids how alcohol makes you feel, I don't talk about ever being drunk. Sure, I've been drunk. Done some pretty stupid things, too. However, I don't think my kids need to know that and I don't feel the need to regale them with stories of Mommy's drunken displays of idiocy. Chances are they'll find out for themselves one day. I do say things like, "sure, 'cause barfing in public is a lot of fun" and "wow, how awesome that hair holding has now become a sign of true friendship," and "what a blast to make an idiot out of yourself in front of perfect strangers."

Look, my kids have heard the usual propaganda about underage drinking. However, they've also heard some honest, real-life talk about alcohol from a no-holds-barred kind of parent. Since my ex-husband, their father, has remarried a woman who is an alcoholic, I know it's not his stellar influence that has swayed them (unless he has taught them what not to do by example). I can only assume that, somewhere, sometime, at some point, I must have done something right. As a parent, that's good news!

Labels: peers, drinking, alcoholism

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The recent death of a Massachusetts teenager is a painful reminder of the dangers of teen drinking. The 17-year-old was found in the woods a few days after she'd gone missing from a Friday night teenage party.

"[Richard] Gallagher said the brains of adolescents are different from adults and they... progress from a 'little high' to 'very drunk' rapidly... Teenagers can quickly drink, get alcohol poisoning, pass out and get hurt or killed."

Sadly, despite all the warnings, few teens believe they're at risk when they drink, which means occurrences of underage drinking continue at alarmingly high rates. To counter this behavior, experts advise parents to talk to their teens about the dangers of drinking, and to set clear rules about alcohol. Source: The Sun Sentinel (MA)

Labels: risky_behaviors, drinking, alcohol_poisoning

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When Lucy was 14, whenever she felt overwhelmed by pressure or despair, she didn't turn to parents, school counselors or friends - she turned to blades or bottles of pills. Now 21, Lucy admits making at least seven suicide attempts.

"That's an attitude that doesn't surprise Tillie Black Bear, chairman of the Rosebud Suicide Task Force. She is convinced that it exists to a greater extent than many people on her reservation are willing to believe."

Children who grow up on reservations often deal with levels of alcoholism, poverty, and gangs that most kids don't ever experience. This makes them far more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, experts say. Source: Argus Leader (Sioux Fall, MD)

Labels: suicide, drinking, cutting

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Researchers with St. Louis' Washington University School of Medicine have determined that women who begin drinking at a younger age face an increased likelihood of becoming dependent upon alcohol later in life.

"An early age at the onset of drinking is a strong predictor of subsequent alcohol dependence," said Richard A. Grucza, Ph.D., who authored the study. "About one in three individuals who start drinking at age 17 or younger become alcohol dependent. For those who wait until age 21 or older, that number is one in ten."

Grucza, an assistant professor of psychiatry at WU, was quoted in a press release about the study that was posted on the school's website:

"In our previous work, we found that women born after 1944 had a substantially higher risk for alcohol dependence compared to those born prior to that. Now we have found that women born during this 'high risk' period also began drinking earlier than their predecessors, and this earlier drinking might explain the higher rates of alcoholism.


As the age of drinking onset got lower for women, the rates of alcohol dependence increased. ...There is a lot of discussion about whether the minimum drinking age should be lowered again. Our findings would suggest that from a public-health point of view, lowering the legal drinking age might lead to increased rates of alcohol dependence."

Grucza and his team analyzed data that had been compiled during the 1991-1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which was completed in the early 1980s.

The results of the study are scheduled to be published in the August 2008 edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Learn about The Value of Gender-Specific Addiction Programs.

Labels: girls, drinking, addicts

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A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on teenagers and risky behavior was mostly good, with overall numbers down among the observed groups. But researchers noted a disturbing trend among Hispanic teens - that they're more likely to drink alcohol, use drugs, and have sex than are their Caucasian or African-American counterparts.

"Experts were unable to come up with an explanation for why Hispanic behavior trends differed. However, they speculated that school environments many Hispanics face may differ considerably from what adolescents of other races encounter."

Because the reasons for increased risky behavior were unclear, experts have yet to suggest solutions, but are working toward that end. The study's results come from surveys taken by about 14,000 U.S. high school students. Source: ABC News.

Labels: risky_behaviors, drug_use, drinking

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Police in Lombard, Illinois who were investigating parties in which underage drinking was said to have taken place used the online social networking site Facebook to indentify some of the suspected drinkers.

"On January 5, a party at a house in Lombard was apparently the hot spot for some partying teens. A DuPage County sheriff's deputy found pictures of Glenbard South and East high school students at the party of Facebook pages. Four students shown drinking were charged with possession of alcohol by a minor..."

A total of nineteen students were identified in the photos, several of who were student athletes and are likely to be suspended for a portion of their seasons.

Labels: drinking, social_networking, underage_drinking

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