Substance Abuse | Page 2 | Adolescent Counseling Services

ACS’ Program Directors Words of Advice for the Holidays

in Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Teens and holidays / Uncategorized by acsteens December 20, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

With the holidays quickly approaching, many parents wonder how to survive this time of year with their troubled teens. Here are some words of advice from Adolescent Counseling Services’ experienced program directors: Roni Gillenson, LMFT On-Campus Counseling Program Director In my work with teens and families over almost 20 years, probably my favorite moments have […]

Palo Alto Students Report Better Mental Health

in California Healthy Kids Survey / Mental Health / Parenting / Recent Trends by acsteens October 15, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

Article from Palo Alto Weekly By: Chris Kenrick Palo Alto youth are emotionally healthier than they were two years ago, according to newly released data from the California Healthy Kids Survey. The percentage of ninth- and 11th-graders who said they had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months dropped from 18 percent to 11 […]

California Suburban Teens Transition from Painkillers to Heroin

in Heroin / Prescription Drugs / Recent Trends / Uncategorized by acsteens August 22, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

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, […]

How to Keep Your Teen’s Safe in the Summer

in Drugs & Alcohol / Mental Health / Parenting / Teen Motivation by acsteens July 18, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

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 […]

The “Good-Grade” Drug-Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, etc.

in "Good Grade" Drug / Academic Stress / Depression / Drugs & Alcohol / Prescription Drugs / Sleep by acsteens June 15, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

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 […]

Marijuana is Most Popular With Teens, How to Notice the Signs of Use

in Drugs & Alcohol / Marijuana / Parent Tips / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse by acsteens April 12, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

Since marijuana use among teens is thought to be more widespread than alcohol, About.com has posted some very informative statistics about marijuana use amongst teens. These statistics come from trusted government studies and prevention organizations and they tell a powerful story about when our children begin using substances like marijuana. Here are just a few: […]

New Study Finds US Adolescent Substance Abusers Started Using at Age 14

in Drugs & Alcohol / Prevention / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse / Upcoming Events by acsteens April 3, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

A new study published in the April issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry found many alarming statistics about what age US children begin using substances such as; alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and harder narcotics. In the study, Joel Swendsen, of the University of Bordeaux in France, and colleagues analyzed data from a U.S. survey […]

After-school Alcohol Education Program for Middle School Ages Shows Positive Results

in Drugs & Alcohol / Other / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse by acsteens February 17, 2012January 27, 2022 0 comments

The age at which children begin drinking is surprising. According to a pamphlet distributed by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse, “by 8th grade, 38.9% of American children have tried alcohol and 17.9% of 8th graders have been drunk at least once.” To combat these percentages Elizabeth D’Amico, a psychologist who has been […]

Everything You Wanted To Know About Your Middle Schooler But Were Too Afraid To Ask – Part 3

in Drugs & Alcohol / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse / Uncategorized by acsteens December 19, 2011January 27, 2022 0 comments

By Philippe Rey, Psy. D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services Previously we looked at information that helped us recognize when a problem in our middle school children is serious enough to require professional assistance, versus a bout of normal adolescent behavior or mood change. This week we will focus on substances and how best […]

The Underage Drinking Epidemic

in Drugs & Alcohol / Parent Tips / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse by acsteens July 14, 2011January 27, 2022 0 comments

Binge drinking, drinking four (for females) and five (for males) alcholic beverages withing a two hour span, has become a growing problem in today’s society. Statistics show that more and more teenagers are consuming extreme amounts of alcohol – comparable to that of an adult alcoholic. Not only is the amount of consumption alarming, but […]