Going beyond “Just say No”…

This month’s theme is Drug and Alcohol Awareness. This is a particularly tough one for me because I teach at a university just days away from its spring break. Every year I finish the week prior to spring break with those classic words, “Be careful, and make wise and healthy decisions next week.” That is usually followed by an audible snicker from my students.

Unfortunately, not all my students will make healthy decisions during their spring break (just like they don’t always make healthy decision back here on-campus). I also wrestle with the fact that my oldest child started middle school this year and he, too, will soon be subjected to making some decisions that will have potentially long ranging health consequences.

I laugh with friends and colleagues that he would still rather play Star Wars with his younger brother, and could currently care less about impressing older classmates, girls, or even consider doing some things “because the cool kids do it.”

Unfortunately, I know that time will soon reach him. My job as a parent and teacher is to equip him with the most appropriate knowledge I can to help him make his own decisions. Candidly, a very big part of me would rather shelter him from all the unhealthy bad things in the world (especially related to drug, alcohol, tobacco, etc.), but I know I can’t, as hard as I might want to try.

I guess one good think about serving as the editor for this month’s page is that it has forced me to find and read some pretty startling information that will now serve as material for another of those parent-child conferences after lacrosse practice and before dinner.

Jon Poole
Secondary Section Editor

The following comes from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

HEALTHY YOUTH

Alcohol abuse is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States (4% of the total deaths in 2000),¹ and is a factor in approximately 41% of all deaths from motor vehicle crashes.² Among youth, the use of alcohol and other drugs has also been linked to unintentional injuries, physical fights, academic and occupational problems, and illegal behavior.³ Long-term alcohol misuse is associated with liver disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological damage as well as psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety, and antisocial personality disorder.⁴

Drug use contributes directly and indirectly to the HIV epidemic, and alcohol and drug use contribute markedly to infant morbidity and mortality.⁴ Current alcohol use among high school students remained steady from 1991 to 1999, with a significant decrease from 50% in 1999 to 45% in 2003. In 2003, 28% of high school students reported episodic heavy drinking.⁵ Current marijuana use increased from 15% in 1991 to 26% in 1997, then decreased from 26% in 1997 to 22% in 2003.⁵

	Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA 2004;291(10):1238-1245.
	U.S. Department of Transportation. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Web-based Encyclopedia. Accessed May 21, 2004.
	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The relationship between mental health and substance abuse among Adolescents. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999.
	Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Mokdad A, Denny C, Serdula MK, Marks JS. Binge drinking among US adults. JAMA 2003;289:70-75.
	Grunbaum JA, Kann L, Kinchen S, Ross J, Hawkins J, Lowry R, et al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2004;53(SS-2):1-95.

JOIN THE CROWD IN SALT LAKE CITY !

I had the pleasure of living in Salt Lake City while teaching at the University of Utah many years ago, and I can tell you first hand, it is a great city with many things to see and do while you attend the convention.

National AAHPERD & Southwest District Convention, April 25-29, Salt Lake City, Utah.

80th ANNUAL ASHA (American School Health Association) SCHOOL HEALTH CONFERENCE

Planners are busy organizing the agenda and activities for the 80th Annual Conference of the American School Health Association, October 11-14, 2006, St. Louis, Missouri.

The 2006 conference theme is Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds: The Mental Health Connection. Many Programs will address identifying the causes of mental health problems among children and youth, emerging prevention or intervention strategies, the interactions between mental health and other educational and health outcomes, and/or practical approaches to school-based prevention or intervention.

For more information: What's New with ASHA

Heads Up - A cooperative education project between Scholastic and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Heads Up is a drug education series for Grades 6-10 complete with lesson plans and reproducible slides/handouts. This includes some timely information on steroids, and their abuse with high school students.

National Institute on Drug Abuse - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Heath (NIH), created this Web site to educate adolescents ages 11 through 15 (as well as their parents and teachers) on the science behind drug abuse. NIDA enlisted the help of teens in developing the site to ensure that the content addresses appropriate questions and timely concerns.

Recognizing that teens want to be treated as equals, NIDA scientists were careful not to preach about the dangers of drug use. Rather, the site delivers science-based facts about how drugs affect the brain and body so that kids will be armed with better information to make healthy decisions.

Dagga: the stuff you never hear - Previously, dagga use was something that one only ever heard about. It was an activity far removed from our daily lives and we thought of it as something that is only used by reckless, rebellious “drug addicts." Read the rest of this article, and also do a search online using the term 'dagga.' You'll find very impressive information. You can buy it online as a herb. VERY popular lately, and something to pay attention to if you have kids.

More Teens Abuse Over-the-Counter Drugs - 'Robotripping' on Legally Obtained Medicines Can Be Fatal. The number of young people abusing and dying from cold medicine is on the rise. This is an article all parents should read.

Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse - Over-the-counter drugs, especially cough and cold medications are becoming very popular as recreational drugs for young teenagers between the ages of 13 to 16. Hospitals have reported dozens of overdoses in the past two years, including five deaths where the abuse of over-the-counter medicines was a factor. Read the rest of this article...

The Scariest Drug Epidemic You've Never Heard Of - This is a very good article on over-the-counter drug abuse, and the site also contains links to more thorough information on this problem.

Alliance For Consumer Education - This site is dedicated to arming parents with the necessary knowledge to keep their children from falling victim to inhalant abuse.

Tips for Teens: The Truth About Inhalants - Some very good information here. Also check out these links to tons of more information on inhalant use. You should be pretty well informed through these resources.

Read shocking cases involving zero tolerance, and you will also find some useful information through some of the links below. You will find more information on zero tolerance in this months's elementary section.

Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence - An analysis of school disciplinary action. Although this is a PDF file created in 2000, it contains some very good information.

Zero Tolerance Policy: Report - There are many misconceptions about the prevalence of youth violence in our society, and it is important to peel back the veneer of hot-tempered discourse that often surrounds the issue. While it is important to carefully review the circumstances surrounding these horrifying incidents so that we may learn from them, we must also be cautious about inappropriately creating a cloud of fear over every student in every classroom across the country. In the case of youth violence, it is important to note that, statistically speaking, schools are among the safest places for children to be. - source: American Bar Association

OUR HORRIBLE CHILDREN - Documenting Zero Tolerance Idiocy. Our Horrible Children is a frequently updated weblog devoted to tracking the idiocy of the zero tolerance policies prevalent in most public schools today.

Beyond Zero Tolerance - A REALITY-based approach to drug education and student assistance.

The Pros and Cons of Zero Tolerance - Charles Patrick Ewing of SUNY-Buffalo and Joan First of the National Coalition of Advocates for Students take different sides on harsh measures.

Why tolerance is fading for zero tolerance in schools - This article is only a year old, and helps re-affirm that we need some big changes in our schools.

Test Case for Individual Rights (Grades: 6-8;9-12) Assessing whether student drug testing is a violation of student rights. In this lesson, students will examine the different points of view regarding testing students for drug use. They will then work in pairs to create and perform dialogues that flesh out two sides of the argument around this controversial issue. Finally, they will each write a persuasive letter to the editor voicing their own beliefs on the subject.

Don’t Believe the Hype (Grades to 6-8;9-12)
Investigating Scientific Claims Made about Over-the-Counter Cold and Flu Medications. In this lesson, students will conduct independent research on product claims made by various cold/flu/cough medicine companies to test the validity of their claims from a scientific perspective.

Prescriptions for Disaster? (Grades to 6-8;9-12)
Creating Public Service Campaigns About Prescription Drug Abuse Among Teens. In this lesson, students share opinions about prescription drugs, and prepare public service campaigns to inform peers and adults about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. Their ads also offer prevention techniques and possible methods of treatment.

Good For You? (Grades to 6-8;9-12)
Investigating the Health Benefits of Chocolate. In this lesson, students share opinions about nutrition. They then compare the nutritional values of a snack product claiming health benefits with a candy product. Learning is synthesized by reflecting on the responsibility of companies, individuals and the government in determining whether a product lives up to its claims.

Foul Ball (Grades to 6-8;9-12)
Educating Youth on the Dangers of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports. In this lesson, students will consider what they already know about performance-enhancing drugs and examine the ideas at the heart of the congressional hearings regarding Major League Baseball and these drugs. They then create public service announcements warning teens against using these drugs, and write response papers about this topic.