KQED, the public media station for Northern California recently did a series of stories on the increase of suburban California teenagers who are transitioning from using painkillers to black tar heroin. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhgdZHPxYds&w=560&h=315] California Watch, a reporting initiative started by the Center for Investigative Reporting, posted this story and video (shown above) on August 15th, […]
As medicinal marijuana is more available in some states, via legal marijuana dispensaries, a new study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine found that it is very common for adolescents in substance abuse treatment programs to use medical marijuana recommended to someone else (also known as “diverted” medical marijuana). The study, “Medical Marijuana […]
As posted on Teen Talk in July 2011 and January 2011 the rise in the popularity of synthetic marijuana and bath salts, has increased immensely over the last year and has brought with it troubling stories of the affects the drugs have on users. These synthetic drugs are typically sold over-the-counter as “legal highs” in […]
Summer time for a teen can be a great time to unwind from a stressful school year, get a part-time job for extra spending money, or prepare for future challenges such as; college prep tests, college applications, AP classes or driving tests. For some teens it can also mean a plenitude of idle time without […]
An article published in the Saturday, June 9th, 2012, New York Times put a brilliant spotlight on the prescription drug abuse of Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, and other medications prescribed to treat symptoms of A.D.H.D, by high school students pushing themselves to succeed in high school and get into top colleges. At high schools across the […]
A study recently released in the Journal of Consulting and Clinicial Psychology found a correlation between the treatment of severe depression in teens and the likelihood of future substance abuse. Nearly 200 youths at 11 sites across the United States were studied for five years. The participants analyzed by the study were ages 17-23 at the […]
A recent study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, shows that the use of 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, by adolescents with a history of drug and alcohol abuse not only reduces the risk of relapse but also leads […]
Many parents worry that when their adolescents go off to college they will lose all control and begin experimenting with substances that they were not allowed in high school. According to Jeff Wolfsberg, author of the new book “Message in a Bottle: Questions from Parents About Teen Alcohol and Drug Use” and a drug education […]
The date 4/20 or time 4:20 pm has long been popular with the marijuana sub-culture. Even mainstream media will sometimes mention the infamous date/time in reference to marijuana use. It is used as code or slang for many marijuana users as the time when one smokes. It is also a date that many marijuana users […]
National Alcohol Awareness Month was first started in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to create awareness about the use of alcohol and the serious consequences associated with its misuse. The NCADD reports that teens who experiment with alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol […]