No doubt, parenting a teen is very challenging. Parenting a teen with an alcohol or drug problem is an abolute nightmare of the worst kind. Having just participated in an outreach panel to parents of teens in a rehab facility, the distraught faces of the parents was heart wrenching. I am involved with parents of addicted teens on a regular basis, and it never fails to rouse my passion for conveying the realities of the "family disease of alcoholism/addiction." There is just too much pain around this disease, and especially in a child.

In addition, April is Alcohol Awareness Month and, for the 25th Anniversary of NCADD’s Alcohol Awareness Month, the organization has chosen an “open ended” theme “One Too Many” designed to highlight the impact that alcohol, alcohol-related problems and alcoholism have on individuals, families and children, and in the workplace.

 So, for April, we are offering a few more insights and tools to help you be a more aware and involved parent, teacher, therapist, law enforcement officer or just plain caring adult! Let's catch the problems early. STAY INVOLVED, be aware, and spread the tools and encouragement!

APRIL NEWSLETTER CONTENT
• Teen Text Codes Every Parent Needs to Know
• Wealthier Teens More Likely to Drink Alcohol
• Teen Problem Drinking, Not a Phase, Study Shows
• Talking Teen Drinkings: Madd and ER Help Parents
•  More States Favoring Treatment Over Lock-UP

Pictures Above:
Pics 1 & 2: Massachusetts Student Council Assoc Conference in Hyannis, Cape Cod - Fantastic! 1500 student leaders and advisors. Pic 2 is Susie with Garrett Powell, consummate MASC Executive Director!
Pic 3: JUST RELEASED - The BEST-EVER, totally current DVD of LEGACY OF HOPE® program!
We are proud to offer this DVD - Guaranteed to be a moving and worthwhile hour for every adult/teen viewer. More info below or Order Now 
Pic 4: Another NEW RELEASE - Gorgeous RECOVERY CARDS for AA, Al-Anon, NA, OA and other 12-steppers to encourage, acknowledge, and celebrate birthdays! Check them out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/GiftsofaGarden?section_id=7947321. Hope you'll check out a variety of photos, greeting cards and more at our Gifts of a Garden Shop Sections while you are there :)

 Access 12 years of newsletter articles on our website!

TEEN TEXT CODES EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO KNOW

With great appreciation, we acknowledge Sue Scheff and the Broward County Parenting Teens Examiner article where she provides an extensive list of TEEN TEXT CODES you'll really want to know!

Scheff aptly says, "Learning the teen language is only the beginning of parenting teenagers today."

Did you know that girls typically send and receive 80 texts a day while boys send and receive 30?

84% of girls text long message on personal matters; 67% of boys.

14-17 year-old girls typically send 100 or more messages a day or more than 3,000 texts a month!

However, one-fifth of teen texters send and receive just one to 10 texts a day.
15% of teens send more than 200 texts a day or 6,000 texts per month.

Check out TextZapper! TextZapper is a parental-controlled cell phone app, which essentially has a message monitoring component that notifies the parent who is alerted via a text on their cell phone – if a suspicious text or email is sent to their son or daughter.

Any language which makes reference to sex, sexting, as well as things related to cyberbullying, suicide, guns, weapons or drugs – among many other things – are red-flagged.

There are more than 11,000 key words and phrases that trigger the notification. In addition to the alert about the message, the parent will also receive the phone number responsible for sending the message.

Do you know the A-Z text codes?    

Here is an A-Z list of text codes you should know about:
Parents, Teachers, Adults - This is a MUST READ!
 

 WEALTHIER TEENS MORE LIKELY TO DRINK ALCOHOL

March 15, 2011 - from Join Together 
 Research Summary   

Researchers in the U.K have found that teens from more affluent families are more likely to drink than teens in poverty, although having a mother with a higher level of education is a protective factor for teens at any income level, Reuters reported March 14.

The longitudinal study, led by Roberto Melotti of the University of Bristol, surveyed the mothers of 5,837 children when they were pregnant, and followed up with surveys of the children at age thirteen about their use of alcohol and tobacco.

After dividing up the respondents into five income groups and controlling for other socioeconomic factors, the researchers found that teens in the poorest group of families were 22 percent less likely than those in the middle income group to have tried alcohol or indulged in binge drinking in the past six months.

The study's authors suggested that the difference might be explained by the fact that better-off families may have more access to alcohol.

The results ran contrary to studies of other behavior linked to health risks, which have tended to link lower socioeconomic status with a greater incidence of risky behavior. "More advantaged families tend to have healthier behavior," Melotti said. "Our results indicate an example where this is not the case."

Melotti and his colleagues also found that in families where the mother had a college degree, youth were 13 to 40 percent less likely to drink than kids whose mother did not, regardless of income level. They speculated that mothers with better educations could be more likely to emphasize the benefits of healthy lifestyle choices with their children.

In contrast, researchers found that kids from poorer families were more likely to have tried tobacco than kids from the wealthier demographics.

Melotti said the results were important, because early drinking signaled greater health problems later in life.

"Drinking at an early age," he said, "has been related to a series of adverse outcomes, including the risk of developing alcohol-use disorders in later life."

The study, "Adolescent Alcohol and Tobacco Use and Early Socioeconomic Position: The ALSPAC Birth Cohort," appeared online March 14, 2011, in the journal Pediatric

TEEN PROBLEM DRINKING, NOT A PHASE, STUDY SHOWS
February 23, 2011 from Join Together
 Research Summary 

A new study led by a researcher at Indiana University suggests that drinking problems in teens is not "just a phase," but strongly predicts they will be alcohol dependent in their twenties, CNN Health reported Feb. 15.

The key finding was that the more drinking-related problems experienced by an adolescent at age 18, the greater the likelihood that adolescent would be diagnosed with alcoholism seven years later, at age 25,"
said Richard R. Rose of Indiana University, who led the study.The researchers recommended early screening for alcohol problems as an important part of reducing alcohol dependence.

The full study, "Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index Scores at Age 18 Predict Alcohol Dependence Diagnoses 7 Years Later," was published online Feb. 11, in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.  

Can we help bring awareness to teens and families in your school or community?
Contact us here

What's a parent to do?

Talking with teens about alcohol and drinking can be difficult for parents -- but emergency room doctors and MADD just made it a little easier.

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) teamed up with MADD to create and release a new, free handbook as part of MADD's "Power of Parents, It's Your Influence" campaign.

The handbook is part of the lead-up to PowerTalk 21 Day, scheduled for April 21, a national day for parents to talk to their teens about alcohol.

"Parents are the first line of defense against underage drinking, but it can be daunting to know exactly what to say. This booklet helps guide parents through these conversations with their kids," said Dr. Sandra Schneider, president of ACEP.

According to HealthDay, ACEP said that when youth drink before turning 21, the likelihood increases that they will have trouble in school, be assaulted, get in a car accident involving alcohol, "drown or fall, [or] abuse alcohol later in life."

MADD's parent handbook will help parents start what could be a life-saving conversation with their child.