The Summer Before College Sees Increase In Teen Drinking

Summertime and the living is easy. But not too easy for parents whose children will head to college in the fall.

University of Rhode Island Psychology Professor Mark Wood, a nationally recognized alcohol researcher, wants parents to be aware that this is a time when teens tend to increase their alcohol consumption.The URI expert advises parents to monitor their children--know where they are, whom they are with and what they are doing.

"This type of monitoring, particularly in combination with an emotionally supportive parenting style, is associated with less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems across numerous studies," Wood said."It is also important for parents to express clear disapproval of alcohol use and to provide clear and fair consequences associated with breaking the rules. Research shows this combination of factors decreases alcohol use and problems through adolescence and into college," continued Wood who helps create interventions to reduce alcohol related-harm, particularly among college-age students. Results of his recent study bear this out.

Is Wood advocating that parents become helicopter parents--ones who hover over their children and their problems or experiences, especially when they are in college?
"We live in a era when students are texting and talking to parents, sometimes many times a day. Although the term helicopter parent does have a negative connotation, I think conversations about drinking are good whenever and wherever they occur," said the researcher. But is it too late for parents to begin monitoring teenagers after they have already graduated from high school?

"Most American teenagers begin to drink by age 15. By the time they go off to college, most have considerable drinking experience," explained Wood. "Ideally, parents should be having conversations about alcohol throughout high school. But it's never too late to begin an ongoing dialogue about drinking with teens."
There is good reason to be concerned. It's estimated that more than 1,800 college students die each year in car accidents and more than 750,000 are involved in alcohol related physical or sexual assaults.

Active Parenting Now -Leader Training Workshop

Oct 3-5
Thursday, May 27 2010, 10:00 AM


This special Leader Training Workshop will prepare participants to lead both the Active Parenting Now and Active Parenting of Teens video-based parenting education programs. The training will be conducted by the programs’ author, Dr. Michael Popkin with additional sessions offered by two experienced Active Parenting leaders, Bruce and Carolyn Gillette, co-authors of Active Parenting in the Faith Community, about the use of these programs in church settings.


Dr. Michael Popkin
The workshop will feature a combination of lecture, brief video vignettes, experiential activities and group discussion. Participants will receive 14 hours of continuing education credit from NBCC (National Board of Certified Counselors) and, upon completion of their first course with parents, be qualified for certification from Active Parenting in both programs. Learn more about Dr. Popkin and these programs at www.activeparenting.com

The cost of the two-day training is $350 and includes lodging, meals, participants workbook, and two Parent Guides, plus a coupon good for 20% off the price of each of the two curriculums being taught. Standard lodging is a shared double room in one of our lodges. If requested at registration, a limited number of private rooms may be available at an additional cost. Download our Program Registration Form here . Email our Program Registrar or call 845-786-5674 x107 with any questions. For transportation information email our Transportation Coordinator .

Teen girls say kids more likely to drink, do drugs to cope

Teen girls are more likely than teen boys to identify potential benefits from drugs and alcohol, says a study released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. In the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, more than two-thirds of teen girls reported that using drugs helps kids cope with problems at home, and half said drugs help teens forget troubles. The nationwide study, paid for by MetLife Foundation, surveyed 3,287 teenagers in grades nine to 12 in private and public schools.

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TEEN DRINKING: Pediatricians warn parents not to be lax

People should not believe girls are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than boys, says Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The partnership's research shows alcohol and marijuana use increasing among girls and boys alike. "Your daughter, who you may assume may not be doing drugs, is actually more predisposed to this," he says.

Teens are using drugs and alcohol not to rebel or get high but as a way to "escape for a short period of time," Pasierb says. The increasing number of teens abusing prescription drugs is a "very serious problem," says Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation. Television advertisements for prescription drugs give children and teens the wrong impression about medicine, she says.

"We've become a society that basically says, 'If things aren't perfect in your life, take a pill,' " Fay says. "This causes our young people to see drugs as an answer." Stress is a main reason why teen girls use drugs, drink and smoke, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. But teens drink and smoke for other reasons as well. In the survey, 41% of boys responded that "parties are more fun with drugs" — an increase from 34% in 2008. More than half reported that drugs help teens relax in social settings.

Some Providers Fail To Adopt CDC Recommendations For Teen HIV Testing

Many physicians are not offering teenagers HIV testing, despite a 2006 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation urging health care providers to test all patients ages 13 through 64 routinely unless a patient declines, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Thirty-four percent of new HIV infections in the U.S. are among 13- to 29-year-olds, a rate higher than any other age group, according to 2006 CDC data. About 48% of teens with HIV are unaware of their status, compared with 21% of all HIV-positive U.S. residents.

Experts say physicians might not know about CDC's recommendations or might not have enough time to test all patients, especially in states that require extensive counseling and consent. In addition, some providers might feel uncomfortable discussing sexuality with teens. According to a recent study in Pediatrics, about two-thirds of more than 700 pediatricians surveyed said they were uncomfortable discussing sexual issues with adolescents. More than 50% said they did not have adequate training to talk with teens about testing for HIV or other sexually transmitted infections, the study found.

Preventing Mothers Feeding Cow's Milk Too Early

Some low-income mothers are more likely than others to introduce their infants to cow's milk too soon. In doing so, they may put their children at risk of health complications, according to a study by researchers at Penn State and the Institute for Children and Poverty, New York.

The study showed that women who enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's WIC program during their first or second trimester of pregnancy - from week one to week twenty-seven - were far less likely to introduce cow's milk too soon than women who enrolled in WIC during their third trimester or who did not enroll at all.

"What this study tells us is that if we intervene by enrolling low-income women in WIC earlier on in their pregnancies, it will be healthier for the babies," said Daphne Hernandez, assistant professor of human development and family studies, Penn State.