Gambling is an addiction!

And a high risk behavior for our youth.

Youth Problem Gambling- We need your feedback!

We need your feedback-please feel free to share this post! The New York Council on Problem Gambling would like Putnam County parents to view this powerpoint: http://www.putnamncadd.org/pdfFiles/2013_Parent_Education_ppt..pdf
 
After viewing, please take a quick survey to let them know your thoughts about the topic of youth gambling! This is the link for the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SK7933T

Do You KNOW! Where Your Kids Are Online?

Chances are, they’re not on Facebook. According to NBC’s recent TechNewsDaily report, we (parents) have chased our kids off this particular social media site. Youth have apparently grown tired of us, especially moms, being their “friend,” with the ability to look over their shoulder and monitor their online exchanges.

It should come as no surprise that so many kids are now referring to Facebook as “Mombook,” with the percentage of moms on Facebook having increased from 50 percent in 2010 to 72 percent in 2012. But that just means we are doing our job, right? Parents have been told to monitor our children’s online use, and that is what we are doing.

The challenge is that most kids are more tech-savvy than their parents, and always seem to be one step ahead of us. But, while it can be difficult to keep up with their online activity, it is vital that we do.
So they’ve moved on from Facebook, but where have they gone?

Tumblr: This site, which boasts of 74.9 million posts daily, is supposedly the most popular current teen hangout. Tumblr is more about content and not so much about relationships. Users post and follow the things that interest them.
Twitter: With 22 percent of all teens “tweeting,” Twitter is definitely a hotspot. It is a real-time information network where users “follow” who they like and share their thoughts in 140 characters or less.
Instagram: This is a photo-sharing social network site with about the same number of teen users as Twitter. More than 40 million photos are posted on Instagram every single day. Users can choose to “follow” and be “followed” on this site.
Snapchat: You won’t find many adults here. This is a picture-messaging app for iPhone and Android, and is used almost exclusively by youth. The twist here is that the sender chooses how long the recipient can view the picture before it disappears.
Reddit: This site, similar to Twitter, is a real-time information network. The idea is for users to join or create their own online reddit community, then vote on content. The stories and discussions with the most votes rise to the top for all to view.

Simply “Google” the name of any of these popular teen social networking sites to learn more.
Please note: Know! does not endorse any of the above social networks, nor are we encouraging parents to allow their children to be on these sites. We simply want to make you aware of the online locations youth are choosing to congregate. Each site, even when used appropriately, can pose dangers. It is extremely important to talk to your children about what is okay and not okay to click on, to send, to follow or to post. It is also important to remind them that nothing shared online or through their cell phone apps should be considered private. And while it may be an annoyance from the youth perspective, parents need to continue to monitor their children’s online activities.

Click here to learn more about Snapchat, from a previous Know! Parent Tip.
Click here to download the Know! Family Cell Phone Contract.

Courtesy of the Drug Free Action Alliance

Putnam County Victim Impact Panel Speakers Honored

Volunteer speakers were honored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam, the Putnam County Executive’s Office, Putnam County Probation, STOP DWI, and the Walter Hoving Home on May 10, 2013 for their contributions to the Putnam County Victim Impact Panel Program.

The purpose of the program is to impact DWI/DWAI offenders mandated to attend the program and others deemed appropriate by the judicial system, and to provide restorative benefits to victims speaking as panel members. The speakers talk briefly about an impaired driving crash in which they were injured, or in which a loved one was killed or injured, and how it has impacted their lives and the lives of their families.  Panel members include people in recovery, emergency services providers, police officers, and past DWI/DWAI offenders.

“This program wouldn’t be a success without the strength of the volunteer panel members who bravely share their stories every other month at the VIP Program.  The evaluation responses we receive from those who attend the class show how their stories really touch and impact those who have been intoxicated and/or impaired while driving. We are forever grateful to them for their willingness to discuss one of the most difficult times of their lives” stated Kristin McConnell, Executive Director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam.

Many panel members who accepted the award expressed their gratitude in being part of the program and stated that speaking about their experiences helped them through the day to day healing process.

If you would like more information about the Putnam County Victim Impact Panel Program or are interested in speaking at one of the programs, please contact NCADD Putnam at 845-225-4646 extension 10.

Urban Outfitters Selling Products that Promote Prescription Drug Use

Urban Outfitters, the national retail store popular with teens, is currently selling pint glasses, flasks and shot glasses made to look like prescription pill bottles. These products make light of prescription drug misuse and abuse, a dangerous behavior that is responsible for more deaths in the United States each year than heroin and cocaine combined. Medicine abuse has increased 33 percent over the past five years with one in four teens having misused or abused a prescription drug in their lifetime. Combined with alcohol, the misuse and abuse of prescription medications can be especially dangerous, making the Urban Outfitter Rx pint and shot glasses and flasks even more disturbing.

As recent research from The Partnership at Drugfree.org shows, teens and parents alike do not understand the health risks associated with the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. In fact, more than a quarter of teens mistakenly believe that misusing and abusing prescription drugs is safer than using street drugs.
Tongue-in-cheek products that normalize and promote prescription drug abuse only serve to reinforce the misperception about the dangers associated with abusing medicine and put more teens at risk.
Ask Urban Outfitters to remove these products from their stores and website immediately.
Feel free to use the information above to help make your point.
CONTACT INFO FOR Urban Outfitters:

Send an e-mail to:
Richard A. Hayne; CEO & Chairman
richard.hayne@urbanout.com
Write a letter:
Urban Outfitters, Inc.
5000 South Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19112-1495

*This information was posted by The Partnership at Drugfree.org
You can also go to www.causes.com/actions/1749784-stop-urban-outfitters-from-selling-products-that-promote-prescription-drug-abuse to sign a petition in support.