Teen Binge Drinking LInked to Attention Problems

Teens who binge drink may be more likely to experience problems with attention as well as making decisions and carrying them out (executive function), a study shows.

The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also shows that teens who smoke marijuana tend to have trouble with their memory.

Substance abuse during the adolescent years can have significant lifelong consequences on the developing brain. "Both animal models and observational studies in humans suggest that binge drinking during adolescence alters normal developmental processes in a way that negatively impacts learning and social adjustment into adulthood," says study researcher Robert J. Thoma, PhD, a psychiatrist at the Center for Neuropsychological Services of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in an email.

"On one hand, the adolescents in our study were functioning largely within the normal range on cognitive tests, [but] it is likely that they are under-performing on many of these tasks relative to their ability before initiation of binge drinking," he says.

"Consistent under-performance in school could shift an adolescent’s trajectory of educational attainment, thereby affecting subsequent job placement and socioeconomic status," he says.

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-Denise Mann, Webmd.com

Christian Parenting Advice on Classifying Drugs Your Teenager Uses

The main reason I write all the articles I do on teenage drug abuse is because of my own drug abuse problem as a teenager and even young adult. You could say I used more drugs than not. I say this not to glorify it in any way but to say I know of the damage because I use to be there. I have some understanding of the issue and effects of certain drugs.

For instance, when I was growing up we would pick and choose the drug we would use depending on the activity we were going to engage in. Because we knew that different drugs would produce different results.

Even as a parent we might find ourselves responding differently to the knowledge of the type of drug our teenager is using. You would feel better if your child is smoking dope instead of shooting up heroin. Because of the stigma and effects of each drug. We would probably not even bat an eye if we knew our child went and got drunk somewhere?

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-Phil Longmire

Parents face tough choices when child seems in trouble

One of the most difficult things for parents of teenagers who are thinking about hurting themselves to face is that sometimes right before a troubled teen tries to take his life, he or she might seem to be getting better.

"For teens in particular, a sudden cheerfulness after a period of depression may be a threat that they're going to take their life," Debbie Helms, program director for the Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, said. "There's an energy and period of clear thinking because they've already made the decision to kill themselves."

Yvonne Vissing, associate professor of sociology at Salem State University and director of the university's center for Child Studies, said that's one of the aspects of teen suicide that's particularly confusing - and torubling - for families.

"One thing is when people are very depressed that's not usually when an attempt will happen," Vissing said. "It's usually when a person is feeling better."

Saugus High School senior Felix Sacco jumped off an overpass last week in Saugus after leaving school in what police are calling a suicide.

Helms said although there are exceptions, most teens who commit suicide do so after suffering from "an underlying mental-health issue." "Suicides rarely occur because of one thing that happens in someone's life," Helms said.

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By: Jeff McMenemy/The Daily Item

Christian Parenting Advice – Co-Dependency With Teen Drug Abuse

After portion for over 10 years as a priest we have to contend which there is usually as most dysfunctions as good as masks which we wear in a church as people do outward a church. we consider we usually sense to censor them improved upon Sunday Morning.

But what happens when we wear those masks as good as do not understanding with a issues during hand, is which we find ourselves essentially apropos as good as vital as co-dependents to a teenagers. We find ourselves stealing as good as masking a dysfunction, hurts, pain, as good as annoyance which comes with a teenagers wrong meditative as good as behaving.

I am not certain if we know this or not though co-dependency is essentially a schooled behavior. You can essentially pass it down from a single era to another, all a time training those which we lift how to duty as good as live in a habituated relationship.

When a primogenitor lives in a habituated attribute with their teenager who is abusing drug it not usually affects both parents, though siblings as well. It has a mortal settlement which plays out via a complete house. It shows as good as allows those who have been harming a family to live any approach they wish whilst dire in upon those who have been not abusing drugs, over compensating upon parenting so which they themselves do not go down a same path.

Some examples of dysfunctional family groups with teenagers who have been regulating drug competence not admit which problems exist. The family will not speak about them or confront them. As a result, family members sense to restrain emotions as good as negligence their own needs. They turn “survivors.”

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-Phill Longmire