Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Growing Up Poor May Raise Odds for Smoking: Study

Health Day News, July 30, 2013

"Poor children are more likely than their wealthier counterparts to smoke cigarettes, but less likely to binge drink and no more likely to use marijuana, a new study reveals.
The Duke University researchers also found that economic struggles early in life -- such as family worries about paying bills or having to sell possessions for cash -- can reduce a child's self-control, even if they receive strong parenting during their teen years." Read More

LGBT Teachers Less Likely To Challenge Anti-Gay Bullying Out Of Job Safety Concerns, Study Finds

Huffington Post, July 30, 2013

"Despite the ever-present challenges lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students face at school, a new study finds that gay teachers are actually less likely to challenge bullying in the classroom than their straight counterparts out of fear for their own jobs.
As TES Magazine reports, the study comprised interviews with more than 350 teachers and school principals over how they deal with anti-gay incidents at school. The bulk of the interviewees who identified as LGBT said that not only did they not feel safe coming out at school, but they had rarely intervened when they witnessed homophobic remarks being made." Read More

Pediatricians asking parents about tobacco use

The Columbus Dispatch, July 28, 2013

"If you are a parent and a smoker, you can expect your child’s pediatrician to talk to you about quitting.
In fact, some parents might leave a visit with a prescription for a nicotine patch or gum, the number of a quitting hot line and a date set for their last cigarette.
Secondhand-smoke exposure during childhood can cause a variety of health problems, including attention-deficit disorder, aggression, asthma, hearing problems, pneumonia, increased hospitalizations and developmental delays." Read More

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Drug prevention groups warn of new teen drug trend 'dirty Sprite'

WSOCTV (Charlotte, NC) July 22, 2013

"Some local drug prevention groups said they are seeing a new trend when it comes to teens and drugs.
'I'm seeing what's called dirty Sprite,' said Begg, a student assistant specialist with Caron, a nonprofit drug and alcohol addiction treatment center.
In the past year she said more teens are talking about something called dirty Sprite, also known as 'purple' and 'drank.'" Read More

Facebook Debuts New Anti-Bullying Features

90.0 WBUR, July 23, 2013

"Child psychologist Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, is working with Facebook to develop what he says is the first emotionally-intelligent bullying prevention system on a social network.
Brackett says that if young teenagers — 13 and 14-year-olds — encounter posts they think are a problem, they will see icons designed specially for them that say 'this post is a problem,' and they will be guided through screens that help them sort through their emotions and how best to respond." Read More

Police: 11 Danbury Stores Sold Alcohol To Minors

Danbury Voice (Danbury, CT) July 23, 2013

"Nearly a dozen Danbury package stores sold alcohol to minors in a recent Danbury police liquor compliance check, according to a police report.
The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, which also assisted in the operation, provided three youths who went into 44 package stores in the city and attempted to buy alcohol, police said.
Officers watched the youths as they entered the stores, police said. Of the 44 stores, 11 sold alcohol to the minors who were working with the police, police said." Read More

Monday, July 22, 2013

Connecticut drivers must take responsibility

CT Post, July 19, 2013

"Summer can be an especially dangerous time for inexperienced younger drivers who might be tempted to mix drinking with trips to the beach, summer concerts and parties. Underage drinking poses huge dangers by itself, but when combined with driving, the risks are magnified. To curb this dangerous behavior and to help educate teens and parents, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division are lead members of an underage drinking coalition to implement a multifaceted, high visibility media campaign centered on educating residents about the dangers of high-risk drinking and drunk driving." Read More

State Selected For National Initiative On Prescription Drug Abuse

FoxCT (Hartford, CT) July 22, 2013

"Deaths from prescription painkillers have reached epidemic levels. The state of Connecticut has been selected by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to participate in a national effort to address policy options and other strategies to decrease prescription drug misuse, abuse, and diversion. Drug overdose death rates in the United States have more than tripled since 1990 and have never been higher. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses, and most of these deaths were caused by prescription drugs. In Connecticut, drug poisoning is the leading cause of accidental death among adults. Connecticut is one of only 16 states in which death from overdose is more common than death from vehicular accident." Read More

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Expressing concern about binge drinking can influence student choices

Medical Express, July 18, 2013

"Jeff Hayes, a professor of counseling psychology in Penn State's College of Education, helped conduct a study and co-wrote a journal article on alcohol consumption of college-aged students. The study focused on how students who had people in their lives who expressed concern about alcohol consumption were more likely to be concerned about their own alcohol consumption.
The consequences of binge drinking on college campuses can be dire, both for the student and others, according to Hayes. He pointed to a statistic that more than half of college students who sought counseling reported drinking alcohol at a level considered to be "hazardous" by the World Health Organization." Read More

Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut Youth program makes plea for mentors

New Haven Register (New Haven, CT) July 16, 2013

"There are children in foster care or in the justice system in Greater New Haven who need the non-judgmental guidance that an adult mentor can give them.
Mentors can give a young person a new perspective and help them to make better choices in life.
Ansonia native Patricia Nicolari, a former educator, is coordinator of the youth mentoring program at Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut. The nonprofit organization is based in Westville." Read More

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sweet Tooth May Foretell of Binge Drinking, Brain Scans Show

Healthfinder.gov, July 12, 2013

"A love of sweets might predict a fondness for the bottle, a new study suggests.
Researchers used functional MRI technology to scan the brains of 16 young adults while they drank either plain water or an intensely sweet mixture of sugar in water. Their brain activity was then compared to their drinking patterns.
There was a strong association between the participants' response to the sweet water in their brain's left orbitofrontal area -- part of the brain's reward system -- and binge drinking, according to the study published in the July 10 online edition of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research." Read More

The Partnership at Drugfree.org to Lead Above The Influence Campaign

Herald Online (New York, NY) July 16, 2013

"The Partnership at Drugfree.org is taking the lead on Above the Influence (ATI), a popular and effective teen-targeted drug and alcohol prevention campaign. The nonprofit will be responsible for all national youth outreach, including advertising, social media and campaign websites. ATI was previously a project of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
'No one is better suited than The Partnership at Drugfree.org to ensure the continued success of Above the Influence,' said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of ONDCP. 'The Partnership has been there since the beginning of Above the Influence, and together, we have made a difference in the lives of teens.'" Read More 

Help GASP Help Our Kids

Groton Patch (Groton, CT) July 15, 2013

"Calling all Groton adults!
While waiting out this heat inside an air conditioned space is a perfect time to take this important Groton Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention (GASP) Coalition survey.
Why? It’s pretty simple. GASP 'wants to understand the role adults play in the use of alcohol and other substances among adolescents, to guide development of prevention programs.'" Read More

Monday, July 15, 2013

Study: LGBT youth face higher rates of online bullying

One Community (New York, NY) July 12, 2013

"LGBT youth experience nearly three times as much bullying and harassment online as non-LGBT youth, but also find greater peer support, access to health information and opportunities to be civically engaged, according to a new report released today by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.
The study, 'Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth on the Internet,' is based on national surveys of 5,680 students in 6-12th grade, and is the first to examine in-depth the experiences of LGBT youth online." Read More

TD Charitable Foundation Supports The Governor's Prevention Partnership

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT) July 12, 2013

"TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of TD Bank, recently presented The Governor's Prevention Partnership with $20,000 to support their positive youth behavior initiatives.
The Governor's Prevention Partnership is a public-private partnership created in 1989. It is a unique alliance between state government and business leaders with a mission to keep Connecticut's youth safe, successful and drug-free today for a stronger workforce tomorrow. Co-chaired by Governor Dannel Malloy and Mary McLaughlin, senior vice president of Comcast's Western New England Region, The Partnership provides leadership and services to help schools, communities, youth organizations, and businesses create and sustain quality programs in mentoring, prevention of underage drinking and drug abuse, bullying, and by responding to emerging threats and raising awareness through the media." Read More

Two Norwalk Liquor Stores Fail Alcohol Compliance Checks

Norwalk Patch (Norwalk, CT) July 15, 2013

"The Department of Consumer Protection recently the results of alcohol compliance checks conducted on July 10 by the Division of Liquor Control in cooperation with Norwalk Police and youth volunteers from the Governor’s Prevention Partnership.
Agents from the Liquor Control Division and officers from the Norwalk Police Department conducted compliance checks at 27 package stores in the city. Two teenagers—ages 17 and 19—provided by the Governor’s Prevention Partnership, assisted in the operation. Of the 27 stores tested, two stores allegedly failed by selling alcoholic liquor to the minor(s)." Read More

Thursday, July 11, 2013

News 12 rides with undercover cops as part of Gov. Malloy's Prevention Partnership initiative

News12 (Norwalk, CT) July 10, 2013

"News 12 Connecticut's Sara Hagen rode along with an undercover police operation Wednesday to see which liquor stores sell alcohol to minors.
Out of the 27 tested establishments, there were only two stores that sold to minors. Officials say the results were better than expected.
Liquor Center on East Avenue and Harbor View Wine and Spirits on Main Street allegedly sold alcohol to a minor who was trained by the state for Wednesday’s operation." Read More

Binge-Drinking Impairs Brain: New Study

Epoch Times, July 7, 2013

"Binge-drinkers have to work harder to perform random tasks, says a new study.
Researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain compared 26 binge-drinking students with 31 others who didn’t drink as much and found that the binge drinkers had to use more brain power to complete random visual tasks." Read More

A Summer of Drinking: Alcohol’s Effect on the Teen Mind

EmpowHER, July 4, 2013

"Holidays like the Fourth of July are usually characterized by drinking and socializing with friends and family. It’s nice to let loose and enjoy some fireworks after working hard the rest of the year. A new study from Caron Treatment Centers shows just how much Americans love to drink, for better or worse.
The Caron survey found that 83 percent of Americans think Independence Day is the summer holiday where people drink the most.
And while excessive drinking in adults is harmful enough, these toxic behaviors are also hurting adolescents during the summer. The survey showed that 61 percent believe summertime is the time of year where teens are prone to drink the most alcohol." Read More

Health Officials Warn Of Binge Drinking This Summer

Fox CT (Hartford, CT) July 4, 2013

"Dr. Jewel Mullen, commissioner of the state Department of Health, visited Fox CT’s Morning Extra to talk about concerns about binge drinking that crop up during the summer.
According to a survey by the state, 22 percent of high school students reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row) in the past 30 days. For adults, 17.5 percent reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. Dangers of heavy drinking include vomiting, alcohol overdose and impaired judgment that may lead to people engaging in other risky behaviors including unprotected or unwanted sexual activity." Read More  

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Lyme-Old Lyme group fights underage drinking

The Day (Old Lyme, CT) July 4, 2013

"A Lyme-Old Lyme substance-use prevention coalition is initiating a campaign to reinforce the risks of providing alcohol to minors.
Local establishments from post offices to markets in the two towns are hanging posters depicting three hands stacked in front of a bottle with the writing: 'To Get to Alcohol, Kids Have to Get Through Us.'
Shoreline Sanitation trucks will serve as a "moving billboard" featuring an open hand with the message: 'I will be a parent [not a bartender]. The majority of parents say 'no" to underage drinking,' said Lymes' Youth Services Bureau Director Mary Seidner." Read More

Impulsive adolescents more prone to heavy drinking

Health 24, July 8, 2013

"Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that young people who show impulsive tendencies are more prone to drinking heavily at an early age.
The research suggests that targeting personality traits, such as impulsivity, could potentially be a successful intervention in preventing adolescent drinking from developing into problems with alcohol in later life." Read More

State cracking down on underage alcohol sales

Ridgefield Press (Ridgefield, CT) July 5, 2013

"Citing long holiday weekends, a broad array of sold-out concerts and outdoor events, and the arrival of college students home for the summer, the Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division is stepping up enforcement activities, looking for retailers that would sell alcoholic beverages to persons under the legal age of 21, Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said this week.
'There are too many motor vehicle accidents involving youth who have been drinking and too many young people being brought to emergency departments — often unconscious — due to alcohol over-consumption,' Mr. Rubenstein said." Read More