PARENT PARTNERSHIP II:Responding to your needs...

2014 - NOVEMBER

DRUG & ALCOHOL AWARENESS◻ Common drugs amongst adolescents and

trends you need to know◻ Impact of substance abuse on adolescent

development◻ Insight into AAS substance use via a preview

of the FCD Survey -Freedom from Chemical Dependency. A Global Non-Profit Substance Abuse Prevention Organization.

◻ General conversation and collaborative work

Selected Survey ?’sStrongly Agree Agree

Disagree or Strongly Disagree

My child is engaged and interested in learning at school.

51.9% 43.3% 4.5%

There is a strong sense of community within the school.

39.2% 52.1% 6%

Trends and Insight

Fiona Clark● Parent● Freelance Author for The Lancet● Former Editor of “It’s My Health” - a consumer health website.

Global Drug Survey 2014

Drug use in UK and Russia (United Nations Illicit Drug Trends in the Russian Federation 2006)

UK Statistics (Drug Misuse Report 2013-14) In the last year 16-25 year olds tried:◻ Cannabis 13.5%◻ Nitrous oxide 6%◻ Cocaine 3%◻ Ecstasy 1.4%

Drug Users Registered in Russia (UN Illicit Drug Trends in the Russian Federation 2006)

◻ Cannabis 6%

◻ Stimulants 1%

◻ Polydrugs and others 4%

◻ Opiates 89%

It’s estimated there are 8.5 million intravenous drug users. Somewhere between 700,000 to 1.3 million people in Russia have HIV/AIDS. Annually approximately 70,000 new cases of HIV - 56% spread through sharing needles.

Factors affecting drug use

◻ Access◻ Cost◻ Peer group acceptance

Based on that this cohort is most likely to be:◻ drinking (alcohol, energy drinks)◻ smoking (tobacco, e-cigarettes, shisha, cannabis)◻ inhaling nitrous oxide

Underage drinking US stats (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

Prevalence of Underage Alcohol Use:Prevalence of Drinking: ◻ 2 out of 5 15-year-olds report that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives.15 ◻ In 2012, about 9.3 million people ages 12–20 (24.3 percent of this age group) reported drinking

alcohol in the past month (24.7 percent of males and 24 percent of females).16

Prevalence of Binge Drinking: ◻ Approximately 5.9 million people (about 15 percent) ages 12–20 were binge drinkers (16.5

percent of males and 14 percent of females).16

Prevalence of Heavy Drinking: ◻ Approximately 1.7 million people (about 4.3 percent) ages 12–20 were heavy drinkers (5.2

percent of males and 3.4 percent of females).16

How much we should drink: Units of alcohol (http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/alcohol-lower-risk-guidelines-units.aspx)

WomenMen

Number of units of alcohol in drinks

Shots: 1 x 25ml single spirit and mixer (40%) = 1 units

Pre-mixed drinks: 1 x 275ml bottle of alcopop (5.5%) = 1.5 units

Beer/Cider: 1 pint or 600 ml (4%) = 2.3 units

125 mls red wine 175 ml red wine 250 ml red wine

Energy drinks

Top 10 Energy Drink Side Effects Listed in order of most common to least common:

1. Palpitations / tachycardia

2. Tremor / shaking

3. Agitation / restlessness

4. Gastrointestinal upset

5. Chest pain / ischaemia

6. Dizziness / syncope

7. Paraesthesia (tingling or numbing of the skin)

8. Insomnia

9. Respiratory distress

10. Headache

recommended intake of caffeine: Aduts 400 mg/day, adolescents 100 mg/day.

1 can contains about 240 mg max per day but one can of monster contains the max daily allowance. FDA reports 5 deaths since 2009 from heart attacks possibly caused by the drinks and there have been numerous hospitalisation.

(MJA, wed md, mayo clinic)

Alcohol vs drugs - deaths/100

The UN says number of deaths caused by drug abuse is 1 in 100 each year.

The number of deaths due to alcohol is 5 in 100.

UK hospital admission stats for 2013 show:

200,000+ admissions related to alcohol (accidents, disease related) - 34,000 of those were alcohol poisoning.

12,238 admissions primarily related to a drug overdose or drug related injuries.

Smoking

◻ Tobacco - addictive, causes lung, mouth and esophageal cancers

◻ e-cigarettes - split medical community- may be useful if quitting smoking- some contain nicotine, some don’t- not all tested so it’s not known exactly what’s in the vapours as industry is

not regulated- some tests have found carcinogens like formaldehyde in microparticles

that can get deep into the lungs.

Shishas/hookah

Hookah Smoke and Cancer

● The charcoal used to heat the tobacco can raise health risks by producing high levels of carbon monoxide, metals,

and cancer-causing chemicals, even after it has passed through the water.1,4

● Hookah tobacco and smoke contain several toxic agents known to cause lung, bladder, and oral cancers and heart

disease1,4

Hookah Smoking Compared With Cigarette Smoking

● While many hookah smokers may think this practice is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking has

many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking.1,2

o Water pipe smoking delivers nicotine2 and the tobacco in hookahs is at least as toxic as cigarette

smoke.1,2

● Because of the way a hookah is used, smokers may absorb more of the toxic substances also found in cigarette

smoke than cigarette smokers do.1,2

o An hour-long hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs, while smoking an average cigarette

involves 20 puffs.1,2 (Inhaled 37 timed more smoke than a cigarette ).4

● Nontobacco Hookah Products

o Studies of “herbal” shisha products show that they contain carbon monoxide and other toxic agents

known to increase the risks for smoking-related cancers, heart disease, and lung disease.10,11

(source: CDC)

Nitrous oxide

Laughing gas:◻ home delivered for about 3000 roubles◻ causes light-headedness or dizziness ◻ a feeling of eurphoria and makes people giggle.

Side effects: ◻ hypoxia (lack of oxygen) - blue lips◻ passing out ◻ in rare cases, death.

Cannabis (dope, weed, marijuana)

Active ingredient - tetrahydrocannabinol or THC◻ Causes: relaxation, hunger, laughing sleep◻ Side effected: paranoia, nausea, lung damage as per smoking◻ Is associated with mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia

- so best avoided if these run in the family.◻ Can in rare cases cause psychotic events.◻ Can be addictive in about 10% of regular uses.

Is it a gateway drug?About one third of Americans, Australians and English people have smoked dope.Less than 2% of these populations have used heroin. Not all heroin users used dope.

Spice and others not so nice...

Synthetic cannabinoids – like spice – are are herbs laced with a synthetic or man made cannabinoid. These act like the THC but are stronger, increasing the risk of a psychotic event.

It is readily available, marketed as natural.

It can be smoked or drunk as a tea.

Mephadrone (plant food, meow meow, bath salts – based on an amphetamine-like substance found in the khat plant.)

Known a ‘legal highs’ they can cause hallucinations and psychotic events which can result is death or other violent behaviours.

salvia – or the ‘herbal high’ or ‘herbal ecstasy’ …

It’s a derivative of a Mexican type of mint plant and has hallucinogenic properties. It can be smoked or chewed.

The effects last for between 1 – 30 minutes.

At the moment there are no long term studies in human on it but in rats it has been shown to affect their memory and ability to learn.

Avoiding drugs - communication

The advice is to keep your lines of communication open. Talk to them about what’s going on.

If they ask questions about drugs… do you lie or tell the truth?

These are all individual decisions but experts say it’s best to tell the truth, and if you don’t know the answer, why not look it up together.

If you just say ‘don’t do it’ they aren’t likely to talk to you about their issues as they already know there will be a dead end conversation and a possible conflict. So, try and be rational and run through the pro’s and con’s, making it clear you don’t approve and why, even if it means you’re a hypocrite because ‘you did it.’ New research about health shows it wasn’t a good choice.

This will also allow you to address the issues of ‘everyone does it…’

Despite the headlines of 20% of kids take drugs, you’ve now seen the statistics that prove this isn’t the case, it’s actually the minority who do, and that information can be very powerful in helping kids feel better about saying no and diminishing ‘peer pressure’ – they are in the majority.

And finally, it will give you the opportunity to discuss safety.

Drunk too much - staying safe

The never do’s are:

◻ Ply them with coffee - it will dehydrate them more

◻ Ply them with water – small sips are ok if the are capable of sitting and drinking safely

◻ Put them in a cold bath or shower - risk of slipping, head injury or drowning

◻ Force feed them thinking it’ll soak up the alcohol– risk of choking

◻ Never leave them alone even if they tell you too as they could pass out and hit their head or vomit and choke on it.

If they have passed out…

◻ Put them in the recovery position and prop something behind them to stop them from rolling backwards.

◻ Do not leave them – if they roll onto their back they can choke on their vomit, if they roll onto their front they can choke on their vomit. – Note the hand under the face there – very important as it keeps the face a little bit higher.

◻ Monitor their breathing rate – if it falls below ten breaths per minute or there are gaps of ten seconds or so between breaths, call an ambulance. 112 is the universal number here – or make sure you and your children have the number for EMC or whoever you use in their phones.

Recovery position

Your Child’s Brain

Joe GeorgeMS Counselor

Your Child’s Brain

FCD Preview & Legal Insight for Russia

Legal boundaries...

Russia has moderately strict laws regarding drugs (for adults) …and no educational program◻ Chapter 25, Articles 228-234 of Russian Law

Crimes Against Human Health and Public Morality

◻ Jail terms◻ Fines◻ Confiscation of property

◻ Drug List expanded in July, 2014

Legal boundaries...

Russian Law continued…◻ Criminal Culpability generally at 16◻ Lowered to 14 on serious crimes, but not on drug

offenses

◻ So, if under 16, the following is likely by student group:⬜Russian citizen: suspended sentences to detention

in educational facilities for up to 4 years⬜Expatriate and Diplomatic students: Likely expelled

from country (?)

FCD Preview - From 2010-2014

Key Findings:◻ Alcohol use decreased among 9th-12th grade◻ Marijuana use decreased◻ Perceptions of social encouragement to use alcohol

decreased◻ Fewer 9th-12th grade students perceive that AAS

students think heavy or binge drinking is OK◻ Number of students classified as “higher-risk drinkers”

decreased by over 60%◻ Percentage of students who have ever used alcohol or

other drugs before coming to, or during a school event, decreased from 8% to 2%

Corrected typo from original presentation (never to ever)

Key FCD Quote...

“While students engaged in risky, irresponsible behavior pose a threat to themselves and the school community, there are far more students at AAS making healthy decisions. These students can be a powerful force for maintaining and strengthening the health of the school.”

Also...

As a community, AAS has set substance abuse prevention as a priority. Survey results show a strong need for continuing an intensified program. AAS has a strong foundation of non-using students. We believe that these students support the school efforts to maintain a healthy community, with the majority of students finding the school policies and enforcement “about right.”

FCD Next Steps

November 24-28◻ All 8th and 10th meet with FCD in advisories◻ Parent Presentations on the 27th

(Conferences)⬜9:00 a.m.⬜1:00 p.m.

◻ Parent Drop in Times on the 27th⬜10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.⬜2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

It’s all about communication…

- Discipline does not extend beyond school boundaries.

- Communication DOES!!- Forums - purpose is to set stage for this and

offer opportunity for two-way dialog.

Deepen our understanding of next steps.

Working Together

Small Group Conversations:

1. What did we cover that was helpful?2. What do you need more of?3. What else do we need to address?

Key Questions...

Zimplicity: http://blogs.aas.ru/director