Dr. Megan Moreno once met a teen who went to bed every night with her smartphone tucked under her pillow and its alarm clock set to 2 a.m. When the phone woke her in the middle of the night, she’d grab it, open her Facebook app, delete any new mean comments, and go back to sleep. Being a teenager isn’t what it used to be. Neither is being a parent. Moreno, an adolescent pediatrician and Read More
Children And Substance Dependent Parents
“In a way, I wanted my mum to go back to prison, because she was clean (drug free) for a few weeks when she came out of prison.” ~ Child, (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction). The children of parents with substance dependence and abuse problems suffer silently. Substance-related problems are seldom short-lived. From the beginning of the problem through its progression men and women find they have become parents. This was likely Read More
Doctors can help prevent teen smoking, panel says
Children and teens may hear about the dangers of smoking from parents, teachers and friends, but they may be less likely to take up the deadly habit if they hear the message from at least one more important person: their doctor. That’s the conclusion of an influential panel publishing new recommendations today in two medical journals, the Annals of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. In a number of studies, kids were less likely to try smoking Read More
Fox says Glee episode will deal with drug use in Monteith tribute episode
Glee‘s fantasy world of high school choirs has never been afraid to discuss real-life problems, and a Fox executive said a tribute episode to Cory Monteith will be no different. Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said the third episode of the fifth season will be a tribute to Monteith, who died of a drug overdose last month. Reilly said the episode “will deal directly with the incidents involved in Cory’s passing and the drug use Read More
Cory Monteith’s Long Battle with Substance Abuse
For the indie movie McCanick, Cory Monteith didn’t audition for the role of a drug-addicted hustler sent to prison for murder. He just talked to director Josh C. Waller about his past. “He opened up quite a bit,” Waller tells PEOPLE of their meeting for the movie that shot last September. “He was like, ‘I can do this character. I know this character. I was this character. I have lived elements of this.’ He said, Read More
Underage Drinking Laws on Campus
It is no secret that alcohol use is prevalent on college campuses. According to the National Institute On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 80 percent of college kids drink alcohol, and over 50 percent of them have partaken in binge drinking in the last two weeks alone. Because less than half of the collegiate student body is over 21 (the legal drinking age in the United States), most schools are left with a choice; they can Read More
Success Over Teen Drinking
Teenagers have an incredible capacity to learn, grow and change. And that capacity may be of service when it comes to reducing unhealthy drinking behavior among teens. Recently, a group of researchers ran a trial to test a personality-focused alcohol intervention program on a group of 9th graders. The results of the trial showed that a long-term reduction in unhealthy drinking behaviors among teens could be achieved through teacher-led sessions focusing on how to better Read More
How Should I Handle My Teen Trying Marijuana?
My 15-year old son just told me that he tried marijuana a few weeks ago with his buddies. I don’t know if I should punish him or if doing so will only make him become dishonest. He said he didn’t like it, but I’m not sure I believe him. Within the world of parenting teens, the issue you’ve raised is one of the most difficult to address. Despite all the talks we have about the Read More
CDC issues final report on 2012 state teen suicides
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a final report Monday about the rash of teenage suicides in Delaware last year. Between Jan, 1 and March 4, 2012, 11 young people in Kent and Sussex counties died by suicide. There were also 116 non-fatal suicide attempts. Last March, the state Department of Health and Social Services asked the CDC to conduct an epidemiological investigation into the then six known suicide deaths. The CDC published Read More
Depressed Teens 13 Times More Likely to Smoke
New research on teen depression reveals that those with depression are 13 times more likely to pick up smoking, and that the children of divorced parents are about 50 percent more likely to take up the habit. According to the Centers for Disease Control, cigarette use among youth has declined over the past decade, but 19.5 percent of high school students report smoking one or more cigarettes in the past month. The two newest studies Read More