America's Youth Have Voted-SuperBowl Commercial Faves

What commercials do students remember most from the SuperBowl? Not surprisingly, it's the junk food and alcohol advertisements. 

Number of sixth through twelfth grade students across the nation participating in this year’s Big Bowl Vote: More than 13,000 (and counting). 

Number of participating states: 27 states.

*Please note: Due to weather-related issues in multiple states, the reporting deadline has been extended. The Drug-Free Action Alliance will post final results on their website.

Top 5 FAVORITE Commercials
 

Middle School Students
1.            Doritos – Time Machine

2.            Budweiser – Puppy Love

3.            Doritos – Cowboy Kid

4.            Audi – Doberhuahua

5.            Budweiser – Hero’s Welcome

High School Students
1.            Budweiser – Puppy Love

2.            Doritos – Time Machine

3.            Geico – Pig Gets Drivers License

4.            Doritos - Cowboy

5.            NFL – Jerry Ricecake

Top 5 Most RECALLED Commercials

Middle School Students
1.            Doritos

2.            Budweiser  

3.            Bud Light

4.            Coca Cola

5.            Pepsi

High School Students
1.            Doritos

2.            Budweiser

3.            Bud Light 

4.            NFL

5.            Coca Cola

 

(COLUMBUS, OH)  - According to Nielsen, 112.2 million viewers tuned in for this year’s Super Bowl, making it the most-watched U.S. television broadcast in TV history. However, individuals, especially youth, tuned in for the commercials as much as they did for the game.

Sponsored by Drug Free Action Alliance, The Big Bowl Vote surveyed students and found that middle-school students ranked the Doritos’ “Time Machine” as their number one favorite commercial, tightly followed by Budweiser’s “Puppy Love.” High school students were also surveyed and results were similar with the Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” being the clear favorite over the number two favorite, Doritos’ “Time Machine.”   When asked which brand products they remember being advertised during the Super Bowl, both middle school and high school students ranked Budweiser and Bud Light in the second and third position as the most remembered commercials.

“Looking at the results from the Big Bowl Vote, we see that the majority of these youth are watching the Super Bowl and we know they are being exposed to alcohol advertising,” said Drug Free Action Alliance Executive Director, Marcie Seidel.  “Youth will continue to be flooded by this and other alcohol ads on their computers, televisions, billboards and radio.”

Research shows the negative impact alcohol advertising has on youth.  The Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth from the Bloomberg School of Medicine at John’s Hopkins quoted a national study from 2006 that showed that the greater exposure to alcohol advertising contributed to a rise in underage drinking. 

According to the Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation, underage drinking cost society $25.1 billion dollars in 2010 in lost work and medical costs.  Also, youth drinking is a key factor in the three most common reasons for death among young people – homicide, suicide and unintentional injury.
 

The Big Bowl Vote is a simple, three-question, student questionnaire given Monday morning following the Super Bowl, where middle and high school students shared their thoughts on what advertisements they remember seeing and which commercial takes their top vote.

Drug Free Action Alliance is a non-profit organization providing leadership to promote safe and drug free communities throughout Ohio.  Other programs and initiatives include Drug Free 24/7, Know!, Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence, Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking and Ohio Youth Philanthropy Council. For more information on the Parents Who Host, Lose The Most:  Don’t be a party to teenage drinking campaign, please visit www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.

The U.S. Surgeon General asks that movies with smoking be Rated R

Check out the statement which will be printed in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.

Sizzurp: It’s Not Cool

Click this link from NIDA for more information: Sizzurp: It’s Not Cool

Putnam County Communities That Cares Coalition Supports “Children of Alcoholics Week”

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) will be observing its Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week from February 9-15, 2014. COA Week “celebrates the recovery of the many thousands of children (of all ages) who have received the help they needed to recover from the pain and losses suffered in their childhood, and it offers hope to those still suffering from the adverse impact of parental alcohol and drug addiction”. (SAMHSA)

According to the NACOA,

• it is estimated that one in four children in the United States under age 18 is hurt by family alcohol abuse or alcoholism, and that countless others are affected by parental drug use.
• there is strong scientific evidence that alcoholism runs in families with children of alcoholics being 2 to 4 times more likely to develop alcoholism than children of non-alcoholics.
• young children of alcoholics exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety to a greater extent than children of non-alcoholics; and incur increasing health care costs and experience more life problems over the lifespan.
• young children of alcohol or drug dependent parents often have difficulty in school and are more likely to be truant, drop out of school, repeat grades, or be referred to a school counselor or psychologist.
• children of addicted parents, with interest and support from family, friends, health professionals, teachers, clergy, and others, can avoid the negative effects of familial alcoholism and drug dependence.

“Home is what most children consider a safe environment, but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. It is essential that children currently living in the difficult situation of parental alcohol addiction know that there are resources out there to help them and that there are individuals out there who are in recovery from the situation and are living healthy and full lives.” stated Joseph DeMarzo, CTC Coalition Co-Chairperson. “The Youth Bureau offers Pegasus, which is a free and confidential program for children ages 6 to 14 who have a parent or family member suffering from alcoholism or other drug dependency.  Pegasus is an eight week program held twice a year that offers information, support and hope to both children and families. For more information, please call us at (845)808-1600.” DeMarzo said.

“We support and spread the word on this observance because we don’t want those who need the encouragement the most to fall through the cracks. An average of 40% of individuals at each of Putnam County outpatient treatment providers (Putnam Family and Community Services, Arms Acres, and St. Christopher’s Inn) report that they were a child of an alcoholic or substance abuser. This doesn’t mean all children of alcoholics will repeat their parent’s behavior, but it does prove that there is a correlation and we need to help those struggling now so they know they aren’t alone” stated Kristin McConnell, Coalition Co-Chairperson.

The Truth About Energy Drinks

Coalition's collection of Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are beverages that are specifically marketed to young people, with names like Red Bull (“Red Bull gives you Wings”), Venom, Monster, Adrenaline Rush, 180, ISO, and even one named Cocaine.  These drinks contain large doses of caffeine (as much as 80 mg), sugar and other legal stimulants like guarana and ginseng. When compared to the 37mg of caffeine in a Mountain Dew or the 23mg in a Coca-Cola Classic, it is clear that energy drinks pack a big punch.

A 2013 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that from 2007 to 2011 in the US, energy drink-related emergency department visits doubled, climbing from 10,068 to 20,783. The researchers note that most of these cases occurred in patients between the ages of 18 and 25, but this was followed by patients aged 26 to 39.

In November of 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted adverse-event reports for two more energy drinks: 40 illnesses and five deaths linked to Monster Energy, and 13 illnesses and two lasting disabilities linked to Rockstar Energy.  The FDA report detailed the events suffered by users of 5-Hour, Monster, and Rockstar energy drinks. These include:

• Strain on the left ventricle that could trigger arrhythmias
• Deaths due to heart attack or suicide linked to 5-Hour Energy
• A miscarriage linked to 5-Hour Energy
• Convulsions, life-threatening fear, deafness, and hemorrhage linked to 5-Hour Energy
• Deaths due to heart attack or loss of consciousness linked to Monster Energy drink
• Hospitalization due to irregular heartbeat, severe diarrhea, migraine, psychotic disorder, heart attack, and/or vomiting linked to Monster Energy drink
• Disability from irregular heartbeat or stroke linked to Rockstar Energy drink
• Hospitalization due to psychotic disorder, increased heart rate, or loss of consciousness linked to Rockstar Energy drink

There are also alcoholic energy drinks that are in the market that children are getting their hands on that look similar to the non alcoholic energy drinks. Examples of these dangerous drinks are Four Loko, Joose and Sparks. The marketing on the television and on the internet use fun or dramatic names, messages and colorful graphics that attract young people.

Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages (CABs) also pose a risk to teenagers and young adults who may not fully recognize the seriousness of mixing caffeine and alcohol. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that these energy drinks “are very popular among youth and are regularly consumed by 31% of 12- to 17-year-olds and 34% of 18- to 24-year-olds”.

The CDC also reports that, “When alcoholic beverages are mixed with energy drinks, a popular practice among youth, the caffeine in these drinks can mask the depressant effects of alcohol. At the same time, caffeine has no effect on the metabolism of alcohol by the liver and thus does not reduce breath alcohol concentrations or reduce the risk of alcohol-attributable harms.” (Ferreira SE, Tulio de Mello M, Pompeia S, Oliveria de Souza-Formigoni ML. Effects of energy drink ingestion on alcohol intoxication. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006;30(4):598-605.)

In the short-term, consumption of energy drinks can boost the heart rate and blood pressure (sometimes causing palpitations), dehydrate the body and, like other stimulants, prevent sleep. Energy drinks should not be used while exercising or to enhance athletic performance, as the combination of fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic quality of the caffeine can leave the user severely dehydrated. Additional health risks include increased anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, sleep deprivation, and stomach aches. (Marin Institute, 2007)

According to the NCAA Banned-Drug Classes, use of caffeine (guarana) is prohibited, as it is considered to be a stimulant.  Any individual with a urine concentration that exceeds 15 micrograms/ml is considered to be ‘positive’.  It is worthy to note that “the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate the supplement industry; therefore purity and safety of nutritional dietary supplements cannot be guaranteed.  Impure supplements may lead to a positive NCAA drug test”. 

December is National Drunk, Drugged and Distracted Driving (3D) Prevention Month

Did you know that of the fatal crashes in 2010, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (34 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30 percent) and 35 to 44 (25 percent)? Did you know that the number of people killed in distraction-affected crashes decreased slightly from 3,360 in 2011 to 3,328 in 2012. An estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, this was a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011? (Source: Distraction.gov).

On December 1, 2010, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Proclamation stating that December would be observed as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The Proclamation focuses not only on the prevention of drinking and drugged driving, but the prevalence of “distracted driving” due to “electronic equipment and texting”. The Proclamation is a call for all individuals to practice safety by not getting behind the wheel impaired by alcohol and drugs, including those drugs prescribed by a medical provider.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the results of a nationwide survey related to impaired driving. The self reporting survey concluded that “In an average year, 30 million Americans drive drunk , 10 million drive impaired by illicit drugs.”

Thousands of people die due to the prevalence of drinking or drugged driving, and many innocent lives are shattered as a result. The ramifications don’t end with injury or family loss. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies “the annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than 51 million dollars”.

“The Putnam County Communities That Cares Coalition is dedicated to preventive measures geared towards reducing the intake of alcohol and illicit drugs, especially to protect our youth. This includes reckless or negligent behavior when using prescribed medication. This is not only a local priority, but a national concern as well. For drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes, 21 percent of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cell phones ” said Joseph DeMarzo, Deputy Commissioner of Putnam County Mental Health, Social Services and Youth Bureau.

“The prevention of debilitated driving, whether it is from substance use or distracted driving is imperative at any time. That being said, the holiday season is a time when more gatherings take place and traveling is sometimes inevitable. We encourage individuals to utilize public transportation should they drink or use medication. It will protect you, your family, and the community as a whole.” said Elaine Santos, Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition Coordinator.

Coalition Tips for Residents :
Designate a sober driver before celebrations begin. Never serve those under the age of 21 alcohol. Plan safe parties, including providing non-alcoholic drink options to guests and not serving alcohol the last hour of the gathering. Be prepared to get everyone home safe in case your plans or individual circumstances change. Driving is a serious responsibility. Discuss what it means to be a safe driver with your teen and set ground rules for when they're behind the wheel. If your teen is on the road, they should stay off the phone. Remember: It can wait! No text message is more important than your life (or another).

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.

Tips for Preventing Underage Drinking: For Parents During the Holiday Season

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 2012 survey of Putnam County students in grades 8 - 12 revealed that 44.6% of respondents believe that parental attitudes favor alcohol and drug use. What better way to end 2012 and begin 2013 than for parents throughout Putnam County to loudly and affirmatively voice their disapproval of alcohol and other drug use.
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.