Marijuana, A Gateway Drug- Middle School!

What they’re saying about marijuana use: even a little is too much.

Teens sample marijuana, sometimes as early as middle school. Some parents believe early experimentation is mostly harmless. Others may look at this gateway drug and realize their teen’s usage of this “recreational” substance was a step on the path toward more serious drug and/or alcohol abuse.

How tempting it is to say or think, “My child is only smoking pot—it could be much worse.” But it’s not that simple.

The facts are familiar and clear. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says Cannabis sativa’s active chemical—delta-9- tetrohydrocannabinol aka THC—causes distorted perception, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving and problems with learning and memory. Moreover, marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Studies have not proven the link between marijuana smoke and lung cancer, but users do show signs of respiratory distress similar to what smokers experience: phlegm production and frequent coughing, more frequent acute chest illness and heightened risk of lung infections.

Consider these statements, too, on THC’s other negative effects, from the San Diego Alcohol and Drug Treatment program Lasting Recovery, a nationally accredited one located in Sorrento Valley:

“Marijuana is not a harmless drug and used by teens, when their brains are forming, is setting the baseline for a lifetime of attraction to mind and mood altering chemicals as a way to deal with boredom, loneliness, stress, frustration and other normal life experiences….(Young users) were changing their brain chemistry to an uncontrollable dependency on chemicals to mask their feeling and block their problem solving abilities, effecting all areas of their lives.”

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released in 2007, 14.4 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed. Date indicates that users were primarily male (73.8 percent), White (51.5 percent), and young (36.1 percent were in the 15-19 age range.) And how about this: the 2008 National Survey on Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIII provided scary statistics on the availability of pot for teenagers: 42 percent of 12-17 year-olds said they could obtain (buy) marijuana within a day or less.

So it’s out there and it’s not good—even though much of society tries to downplay the harmful effects. For some casual users or those who need it for medical purposes, it may very well be the case that pot is relatively harmless and possibly even helpful if used in a controlled setting for a specific purpose. However, for a child or teen predisposed to addiction, even a little is too much.

Will marijuana be legalized here in Wisconsin, as California is proposing to do? Will that stop the problem of teen usage or make it worse? Time will tell.
The organization Because I Love You is a national group dedicated to supporting parents with troubled teens. Their website gives good advice on approaching the problem of pot (or any drug) usage from another angle: reduce stress and improve on problem-solving skills, both important keys for safe emotional development. Their list of “Ways to Reduce Stress Step-by-Step” is geared toward parents, but the suggestions are universally applicable and could help a teen make a better choice than to light up. My favorite is # 3: Stop being a perfectionist.

The website also includes a section called “Helping Teens with Stress” and “10 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School.” Check it their reference library at: bily.org

Horizon High Students Speak at the Wisconsin Association of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Conference

Congratulations and thanks go out to several local teenagers who participated in a panel discussion on recovery schools at the Wisconsin Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse conference in Middleton Tuesday, May 11. Amy Sanchez, Connor Johnson and Sam Doctor shared their stories and talked about how recovery schooling has helped them succeed. Their involvement shows real dedication and insight. Way to go!

Unfortunately, involved teenagers like Amy, Connor and Sam, who are able to talk about their experiences with alcohol and drugs, are still the exception to the “Don’t talk, don’t tell” rule. And that, experts agree, should not be the case.

Surveys prove—and anyone who spends time with teenagers will confirm—that usage is not a hot topic of discussion. But recent news points to the importance of bringing up the subject anyway, for the health of your teen. And doctors, it turns out, can play an important role in getting the conversation started if parents are struggling.

Last month a national pediatrics organization issued a policy statement confirming that frank talks between teens and their doctors might prove to be a crucial step in stopping harmful behaviors.

The Committee on Substance Abuse for the American Academy of Pediatrics, based in San Antonio, Texas encourages early screening—starting at the middle school level—to determine potential alcohol abuse. If followed up by helpful discussions on strategies to avoid drinking and how to seek help, this could protect teenagers from permanent brain damage, which could include future organizational, memory and emotional problems.

Dr. Patricia Kokotailo, director of adolescent medicine and associate dean for faculty development and faculty affairs at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said the policy statement “provides better evidence about how alcohol affects the brains of young people and why it is important to screen children.”

“A remarkable amount of brain development is still occurring for young people through their 20s,” said Dr. Kokotailo, the lead author of the study.

Few teenagers think about the long-term consequences of early alcohol consumption. And while it may not be easy to get the conversation going, enlisting a family doctor to help is a step in the right direction.

Horizon Joins Speak Out for Alternative Education this Saturday, Noon on the Square

Horizon High joins Speak Out Saturday in Madison on behalf of alternative education.

Do you care about alternative schooling? Madison-area supporters of alternative programs, including Horizon High School—Dane County’s only recovery school—are voicing their concerns and sharing thoughts on the need for alternatives to traditional schooling. You can join us Saturday May 15 at noon on the steps of the Capitol building downtown and Speak Out. Anyone who wishes to talk to the public about this issue will have an opportunity to do so. Check-in will take place at the State Street corner and the speaker list will start at 11:30. (Please limit your address to 2-5 minutes.) You will receive a t-shirt and number upon signing up.

If you’re concerned about the direction our schools have taken regarding students at risk—Dane County alone has 700-900 dropouts every year—then come and take a stand for non-traditional education. If you believe in experimental education or think different learning styles may call for different teaching environments, we need your voice, too.

What a difference a transition schools can make for students at-promise. We see this every day at Horizon High School. In the five years we have operated we have helped more than 40 students. These students were disenchanted with school and often weren’t attending school and were using alcohol and other drugs. At Horizon High, we’ve seen them become reengaged and succeed.

Dane County Transition School director Judith Reed recently related the story of two sisters with a shared past of abuse who take different paths in life. One receives the option of attending an alternative school for two and a half years; the other, expelled from her district repeatedly, was not given access to an alternative school and continues to struggle. A quote from that story:

“While Sara has learned to grow from trauma, Teresa is being pushed further into a dark, desolate hole…Teresa deserves to learn, grown and become a productive person.”

Want to read the full story? Click here. http://www.dcsc.org/dcts/index.html

The facts are there. Every 26 seconds a student in our nation drops out of school. Events like Saturday’s Speak Out aim to bring awareness to this problem and point toward possible solutions. To RSVP please e-mail www.dctsalternative@gmail.com

What is a Recovery School? Why Does Dane County Need One?

What are recovery schools?

Recovery Schools are separate learning communities that provide education, peer support and support services for teens working to recover from alcohol, other drug abuse and emotional problems.

What makes them unique?

• Personal Relationships teens and the staff build strong personal relationships that motivate these teens to be able to use their strengths and succeed.
  


• Peer Pressure for sobriety. Students support each other in living life without alcohol and other drugs, and learn to cope successfully with life
  


• Multi-sensory experiential education. Teaching methods that match their learning styles, leading to academic success. Many who attend say they never would have graduated high school with out this approach.
  


• Life skills and counseling on how to live happily sober
  


• Accountability, students agree to random drug tests to support their sobriety

Why Does Dane County Need One?

• 97% of all teens surveyed are offered alcohol and other drugs on their very first day back at school after alcohol and drug treatment.
  
  


• Ken Winters who researches alcohol and the adolescent brain says,
  
  "Sending a teen back to their school is like sending an adult alcoholic back to their favorite bar for 6 hours a day and expecting he or she to stay sober! "
  


• Dane County has a terrible record for treating teens with substance abuse problems!


• National average 10% of all teens who need treatment receive it.


• Dane County? 1.5% of all teens who need treatment receive it.

Horizon High School is the only aftercare available for teens with substance abuse problems.

Research shows that recovery schools work!

Teens have fewer relapses, more days of attendance and higher graduation rates.

For more information on Horizon go to http://www.horizonhs.org/

For more information on Recovery Schools go to http://www.recoveryschools.org/

Read an article about why New York City chose to form a recovery school

http://facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/resources/inthenews/2009/2009-10-16recoveryschools.php