Tips for Parents During the Holiday Season

The Putnam County Communities That Care (CTC) Coalition is an anti-drug coalition that works to build a safe and healthy family-oriented community, which includes reducing the use of harmful substances by our adolescents. It is composed of individuals from all sectors of the community who work together to reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors through education, enforcement and policy initiatives. As part of our mission to educate the community, we are posting this release as a way to provide you with information that you can share with your coaches, parents and participants. 

As parents take part in holiday festivities, it is of critical importance that they make healthy choices around the use of alcohol. According to a recently released report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, “teens that have seen their parent(s) drunk are likelier to drink and get drunk than teens that have not seen their parent(s) drunk. They are also likelier to try cigarettes and marijuana”.

Research has taught us time and again that active parents, voicing their disapproval of alcohol and other drug use, have proven themselves to be the most effective preventative method for keeping our children substance-free. A cohesive family with parents who model healthy decision making can make all the difference in helping young people to avoid antisocial behavior. 

Holiday parties give individuals more of an opportunity to use drugs and alcohol.  This accounts for the increase in alcohol and drug related tragedies during the festive season.  

A few holiday party tips for parents:

• Lay down the law. Tell your child, prior to the party, that he or she is absolutely prohibited from drinking and using illegal substances.
• Be a model for conscientious behavior. Have a plan for those who drink too much and make sure your guests do not drink and drive.
• If you are hosting the party, offer an ample amount of non-alcoholic drinks, foods, and games to all.
• Children may drink leftovers. Dispose of all unfinished beverages to prevent alcohol poisoning.
• If your child is going to a party at a friend’s house, phone ahead and make sure there will not be any alcohol beverages available.

For more holiday safety tips, please visit: http://www.madd.org/media-center/media-library/safe-party-guide.html

To further reduce the prevalence of underage drinking, legislation has been passed in all Putnam County towns, entitled the “Social Host Liability” law, which makes it a crime to “host, suffer, permit, organize, or allow a party, gathering or event at his or her place of residence or other private property where three or more minors are present and alcoholic beverages are being consumed by any minor”. This crime is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.

 A 2010 survey of Putnam County students in grades 8 - 12 revealed that 44.6% of respondents believe that parental attitudes favor drug use. What better way to end 2011 and begin 2012 than for parents throughout Putnam County to loudly and affirmatively voice their disapproval of alcohol and other drug use. 

Members of the Putnam CTC are available if you have any questions or would like for us to do a presentation to your organization on this or any other substance abuse trends that affect our children.  Please visit and join us on Facebook by searching “Putnam County Communities That Care – NY” or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/PutnamCTCNY or call 845-225-4646.

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CDC Reports on Prescription Drug Abuse Rates in the United States

Overdose deaths from prescription painkillers have skyrocketed in the past decade. Every year, nearly 15,000 people die from overdoses involving these drugs—more than those who die from heroin and cocaine combined.

Overdoses involving prescription painkillers—a class of drugs that includes hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone—are a public health epidemic. These drugs are widely misused and abused. One in 20 people in the United States, ages 12 and older, used prescription painkillers nonmedically (without a prescription or just for the "high" they cause) in 2010. A recent CDC analysis discusses this growing epidemic and suggested measures for prevention.

A Public Health Epidemic

The problem of prescription painkiller overdoses has reached epidemic proportions.

Consider that:

• Prescription painkiller overdoses killed nearly 15,000 people in the US in 2008. This is more than 3 times the 4,000 people killed by these drugs in 1999.
• In 2010, about 12 million Americans (age 12 or older) reported nonmedical use of prescription painkillers in the past year.
• Nearly half a million emergency department visits in 2009 were due to people misusing or abusing prescription painkillers.
• Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers costs health insurers up to $72.5 billion annually in direct health care costs.

Groups at Greatest Risk

Certain groups are more likely to abuse or overdose on prescription painkillers:

• Many more men than women die of overdoses from prescription painkillers.
• Middle-aged adults have the highest prescription painkiller overdose rates.
• People in rural counties are about two times as likely to overdose on prescription painkillers as people in big cities.
• Whites and American Indian or Alaska Natives are more likely to overdose on prescription painkillers.
• About 1 in 10 American Indian or Alaska Natives age 12 or older used prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons in the past year, compared to 1 in 20 whites and 1 in 30 blacks.

Steps for Safety

There are steps that everyone can take to help prevent overdoses involving prescription painkillers, while making sure patients have access to safe, effective treatment.

States can:

• Start or improve prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), which are electronic databases that track all prescriptions for painkillers in the state.
• Use PDMP, Medicaid, and workers' compensation data to identify improper prescribing of painkillers.
• Set up programs for Medicaid, workers' compensation programs, and state-run health plans that identify and address improper patient use of painkillers.
• Pass, enforce and evaluate pill mill, doctor shopping and other laws to reduce prescription painkiller abuse.
• Encourage professional licensing boards to take action against inappropriate prescribing.
• Increase access to substance abuse treatment.

Individuals can:

• Use prescription painkillers only as directed by a health care provider.
• Make sure they are the only one to use their prescription painkillers. Not selling or sharing them with others helps prevent misuse and abuse.
• Store prescription painkillers in a secure place and dispose of them properly.*
• Get help for substance abuse problems if needed (1-800-662-HELP).

Health insurers can:

• Set up prescription claims review programs to identify and address improper prescribing and use of painkillers.
• Increase coverage for other treatments to reduce pain, such as physical therapy, and for substance abuse treatment.

Health care providers can:

• Follow guidelines for responsible painkiller prescribing, including
  • Screening and monitoring for substance abuse and mental health problems.
  • Prescribing painkillers only when other treatments have not been effective for pain.
  • Prescribing only the quantity of painkillers needed based on the expected length of pain.
  • Using patient-provider agreements combined with urine drug tests for people using prescription painkillers long term.
  • Talking with patients about safely using, storing and disposing of prescription painkillers.*
• Use PDMPs to identify patients who are improperly using prescription painkillers.

http://cdc.gov/Features/VitalSigns/PainkillerOverdoses/#