Dinner Makes a Difference - Family Day is September 24th!

Teens that have infrequent family dinners are likelier to smoke, drink, and use marijuana according to the The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia). CASA has been surveying teens for eighteen years.

Family Day is a national movement to encourage parents to frequently eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children’s lives. Family Day will be celebrated nationwide this year on Monday, Sept. 24th. According to CASAColumbia’s report The Importance of Family Dinners VII, compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are:  

•          Almost four times likelier to use tobacco

•           More than twice as likely to use alcohol

•          Two-and-a-half times likelier to use marijuana

The report also found that teens that have frequent family dinners are likelier to get better grades in school and to say they have an excellent relationship with their parents.

The CASA Columbia family dinners report reveals that 58 percent of teens report having dinner with their families at least five times a week, a proportion that has remained consistent over the past decade. Having frequent family dinners also encourages healthy family relationships. According to the report, teens that have dinner with their families consistently are:

• One-and-a-half times likelier to report having an excellent relationship with their mother;
• More than twice as likely to report having an excellent relationship with their father; and
• Almost twice as likely to report having an excellent relationship with their sibling(s).

“Family meals are the perfect time to have a conversation with your teen. It affords you the opportunity to spend time with your child, talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Parental engagement is the key, as this study proves.” stated Kristin McConnell, Executive Director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam.

The study also states that teens that have infrequent family dinners have more access to alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs (to get high) than teens who have consistent family dinners with their parents and siblings.

“Having meals, even if they are on the go, with your child gives parents the opportunity to answer questions and recognize that they (the parent) have the power to help keep their children substance free. This is a very powerful study, and the best thing about it is that family dinners are an actionable goal for parents and teens to achieve. It’s not always easy because of busy schedules, but it is doable”, stated Elaine Santos, Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition Coordinator.

For a FREE Family Dinner Kit please visit: http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/tools-you-can-use/family-dinner-kit/

Members of the Putnam CTC Coalition 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.

Putnam CTC Coalition Represents Putnam at National Convention in Nashville!

Health advocates from Carmel, NY headed to Nashville, Tenn. and joined more than 1,800 substance abuse prevention specialists and advocates from throughout the country for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA) 2012 Mid-Year Training Institute.

CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute, held July 22-26, was a unique training opportunity designed specifically for community-based substance abuse prevention organizations. Participants took part in a variety of half-day and one-day courses to expand their knowledge in prevention science and improve their skills in implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce drug and alcohol use. The theme this year was “Ticket to Community Change.”

“We are so excited to be able to spend a week with other similar organizations from across the country, learning and honing our prevention skills so our community can be a better place, one that doesn’t suffer from the harms of drug and alcohol abuse,” says Elaine Santos, Coalition Coordinator.

CADCA’s Mid-Year covered a wide range of topics – everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse and the abuse of synthetic drugs like bath salts and K2 to how to create tobacco-free environments and develop policies to reduce underage and excessive drinking.

Ellen's Take on The Danger of Energy Drinks

Check out Ellen's charming delivery on why energy drinks, especially those with alcohol, are dangerous. Thanks to Ellen for spreading awareness!

Attention Parents and Educators: Health Concern Over New Synthetic Drugs

There’s a drug dealer in town. It’s not a person, it’s the internet.

Public health officials are concerned about the internet sale of two synthetic drugs 2C-E, and bromo-dragonfly, nicknamed Dragonfly and Mephedrone, nicknamed Meow Meow. Both are cheap, toxic, rising drug trends that have been the cause of deaths across the country. Many young people that are buying and using the drugs, often marketed as herbal plant food, are unaware of what they are actually ingesting, leading to rising injury and death.

Parents, the following hazardous drugs are out in the market:

• The synthetic drug Dragonfly, named because of its chemical compounds superficial structural resemblance to a dragonfly, is a long lasting psychedelic hallucinogen. The drug causes spasms, seizures, disturbing experiences, heart arrhythmia, lack of circulation (which leads to organ failure) and death.  The drug is illegal in many European countries including Australia and Sweden, but is still sold in the United States over the internet.

• Mephedrone, also known and Meow Meow or MCAT, named because it is chemically similar to the cathinone compounds found in the khat plant of eastern Africa. Despite its similarities Meow Meow is not plant or plant food and is not for human consumption. The stimulant can be consumed by snorting, swallowing or injecting. Users have their perception altered for days, or do not experience ever feeling “normal again”. The drug also causes anxiety, paranoia, heart attacks, violent behavior (including self harm), severe nosebleeds, flashbacks, seizures and death. While the “2cb” family of the drug is illegal in the United States, the “2c1 and 2ce” classifications of the drug are still be sold online under the guise of MDMA and mescaline.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

1. Monitor your child’s internet browser history.  Even if your child has cleared their activity, there is software available that holds onto memory of website visited. You can also block sites that are questionable.
2. Monitor your credit cards, especially any linked with Paypal accounts. If you see charges you don’t recognize, or if you are getting packages in the mail that you didn’t order addressed to your teen, talk to your child.

Members of the Putnam CTC Coalition 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.   

FASD Awareness Day 9.9.12

At 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, the first international Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Awareness Day was observed. The date and time were chosen to mark the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month, which serves as a reminder that FAS, like all Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), is completely preventable. Yet, alcohol-exposed pregnancies continue to be a leading cause of birth defects and mental retardation in the United States, and children with an FASD often go unrecognized or are misdiagnosed, even as adults. (SAMHSA)

 “In the United States half of all pregnancies are unplanned” per the CDC. This includes the unplanned pregnancies of teenagers. 5 things you should know about Drinking Alcohol during Pregnancy:

1. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with birth defects and have disabilities. These conditions, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs, are among the top preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities. FASDs can cause problems in how a person grows, learns, looks, and acts. FASDs can also cause birth defects of the heart, brain, and other major organs. These problems last a lifetime.
    
2. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. All drinks with alcohol can hurt an unborn baby. A 12-ounce can of beer has as much alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of liquor.
    
3. There is no safe time to drink during pregnancy. Alcohol can harm a baby at any time during pregnancy. It can cause problems in the early weeks of pregnancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
    
4. Too many women continue to drink during pregnancy. About 1 in 8 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use in the past 30 days. And about 1 in 50 pregnant women in the United States reports binge drinking in the past 30 days (having five or more drinks at one time).
    
5. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100% preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant. (CDC)

Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Signs and Symptoms of an FASD include: Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum), small head size, shorter-than-average height, low body weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, difficulty paying attention, poor memory, difficulty in school (especially with math), learning disabilities, speech and language delays, intellectual disability or low IQ, poor reasoning and judgment skills, sleep and sucking problems as a baby, vision or hearing problems, problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones.

A toll-free inquiry line (1-866-STOPFAS) and email address (fasdcenter@samhsa.hhs.gov) available for questions you may have.  If you are someone you know is struggling with alcohol and addiction, please call the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam for information and referral services at (845) 225-4646.