I've worked with adolescents for over 15 years.  I've been involved in the adolescent substance abuse field for the past 11 years.  And for the past ten years, marijuana has remained the number drug referral to the alternative school.  One thing I have noticed is a change in the variety of other drug referrals.  Back in the early 2000s students abused over the counter cold medicines.  Now they are increasing abusing prescription medications.   And to whom do these medications belong?  Sometimes the medications do legitimately belong to the student, but in most cases the students are stealing medications out of their parents medicine cabinets or buying them from dealers (often classmates).  Xanax (bars) by far is the most popular prescription drug of choice by teens.  Some teens also abuse pain medications such as Hydrocodone or OxyContin. 
    Another new problem has been the development of the a drug that is unique in the Dallas area is called "Cheese."  Cheese is a combination of Tylenol PM and Heroin.  Users of this drug snort this combination.  Heroin is an opiate and is highly addictive and often times teens will need to be medically detoxified from Cheese. 
     Finally, I can not forget K2.  K2 is a brand name for a dried herbal blend that can be smoked.  It produces a high similar to that of marijuana but doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.  It is sold as incense but teens are smoking to get high. K2 is known as synthetic marijuana, created by chemists to mimic marijuana.  Many cities are banning K2.

Want to know more?  http://www.theantidrug.com/

Cellphones - are they a blessing or a curse?  It's great that we can get in contact with our teens rather quickly and if we know how, track who they are talking to, who & what they are texting but are you aware of all the potential dangers that come with teen cellphone use?  I think many of us have become aware of the dangers of texting and driving or talking on cellphones and driving but did you know you could end up with felony charges just using a cellphone?  It's a possibility and it's happened to teenagers, adults and parents.  This is how it can and has happened.  Say your teenager receives a nude or partial naked picture of a teenage friend on their cellphone (Sexting).  You become aware of it, perhaps you know this person's parent and you want them to know what's going on.  Without thinking, you send, via cellphone or internet,  the parent the picture.  You have just commited a felony, distribution of child pornography.  You could end up being labeled a sex offender because of this "innocent" act.   There are great websites out there to help you learn more about this and the many dangers our children, teens and we face out their in cyberland. Here is a great place to start:  http://www.netsmartz.org/  Want to learn the cyber lingo the teens are using? Try this website: netlingo.com

Here are some "quick" parenting tips:

Set Limits ~ Follow Through  ~ Refuse to Rescue ~ Make Rules that are Enforceable ~ Model Appropriate Anger ~ Be an Encourager ~ Check your Expectations ~ Be Truthful ~ Be Consistent ~ Listen Don't Lecture ~ Know your Child's Friends ~   Be a Positive Influence ~ Spend positive time together ~ Monitor TV exposure ~ Be Respectful and Expect Respect ~ Expect Responsibility  ~ Monitor your child's internet (& cellphone) activities ~ Encourage Independence

Raising teens today can be challenging.  Should your teen have a cell phone, a computer, a car?  What time should my teen be in?  What do I do when my teen won't follow the rules?  It seemed so much easier when we grew up.  I remember when I was a teen, whatever my father said, went, no questions asked.  Teens today just don't seem to have the same respect.  And why?  Well, there could be many reasons......but I believe one of the things that has impacted our teens is the decreased amount of time parents spend with their teens.  Teens spend much of their time with their peers, on the computer, and texting their friends, and much less time with their parents.  The time teens spend with their parents in often spent being told to do chores, get up for school etc.   Taking time to build family unity throughout the child's life is vital.  When children reach the teen years and the family has established a spirit of cooperation there is less conflict and more respect.   For more information check out Chick Moorman's website: http://www.chickmoorman.com/

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