Transcript Adolescent Drug Trends

Alicia Ozenberger
ACT Missouri
www.actmissouri.org
(Special thanks to Tri-County Mental Health for the original presentation.)
What Drives Experimentation/Use
Perceptions of Risk/Harm
Perceptions of Availability
Perceptions of Acceptability
Over the Counter Products
 Energy/Downer Drinks
 Inhalants
 Over the Counter (OTC) Medications
Regulation of Energy/Downer Drinks
 Energy/downer drinks are
unregulated by the Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) and have not
been ‘recognized as safe’.
 The FDA does regulate the caffeine
level of soft drinks to .02% or 71 mg
per 12 ounces; however, because
EDs contain herbal ingredients they
are classified as “dietary
supplements,” which are not subject
to the same guidelines (FDA, 2007)
Caffeine Intoxication
• Symptoms:
• Nervousness/Anxiety
• Restlessness/Insomnia
• Gastrointestinal upset
• Tremors/Tics
• Arrhythmias and Tachycardia
• Psychomotor agitation
(restlessness and pacing)
• Death (in rare cases)
Do Energy Drinks Give You Energy?
• Energy drinks work by causing an artificial “stress
response” by causing the release of stored hormones
and neurotransmitters in the body.
• Reductions in immune and endocrine system
functioning.
• Energy Drinks work in the short term, but regular use
will result in decreased energy levels and mood.
• Athletes need to be aware that for every high there
comes an inevitable low or “CRASH”
Downer Drinks
“Downer” Drinks
Calm in a Bottle
 Drank (the original)– a sweet purplish potion touted
to deliver “extreme relaxation”
 Ichill – laced with melatonin and valerian root
Sold as 2 oz shots
 RelaxZen - Vacation in a Bottle and Blue Cow
(opposite of Red Bull) – at least 20 brands can be
purchased on-line
Dietary Supplements
Lazy Cakes
Lazy Cakes – The relaxation
brownie
 Drug filled brownies containing melatonin, valerian
root, passion flower and rose hips.
 Has enough melatonin to put the average adults into a
deep sleep – recommended dosage is .2 mg., but each
cake has 7.8 mg.
 Melatonin can cause impairment to the central
nervous system, trouble breathing, and nausea.
 Valerian Root is comparable to valium or tranquilizers.
Lazy Cakes - Cont.
 Appealing to children since it looks like
candy
 Sold in colorful, psychedelic wrappers and
features a cartoon character – Larry
Lazycakes.
 Its slogan is “Peace, Love and Lazy Cakes”
According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH), there were 729,000
persons aged 12 or older who had used
inhalants for the first time within the past 12
months; 70 percent were under the age of 18.
How are inhalants used?
 “Sniffing" or "snorting" fumes from containers
 Spraying aerosols directly into the nose or mouth
 “Bagging"—sniffing or inhaling fumes from
substances sprayed or deposited inside a plastic or
paper bag
 “Huffing" from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed in
the mouth
 Inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous oxide
DEADLY CONSEQUENCES
 Asphyxiation—from repeated inhalations, which lead to





high concentrations of inhaled fumes displacing the
available oxygen in the lungs
Suffocation—from blocking air from entering the lungs
when inhaling fumes from a plastic bag placed over the
head
Convulsions or seizures—from abnormal electrical
discharges in the brain
Coma—from the brain shutting down all but the most
vital functions
Choking—from inhalation of vomit after inhalant use
Fatal injury—from accidents, including motor vehicle
fatalities, suffered while intoxicated.
Over The Counter Medications (OTC)
and Dietary Supplements
-Cough and Cold Medicines
-Diet Pills and Laxatives
(
DXM (Dextromethorphan)
 Cough-suppressing ingredient in
a variety of OTC cold and cough
medications
 Produces feelings of euphoria
 Creates both depressant and
mild
hallucinogenic effects
 AKA-Robo, Skittles, Triple C’s,
Dex,
 Vitamin D, and Tussin
Over The Counter Cough/Cold
Medications
Short-term effects
Impaired judgment, nausea, loss of
coordination, headache, vomiting, loss of
consciousness, numbness of fingers and toes,
abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, aches,
seizures, panic attacks, psychosis, euphoria,
cold flashes, dizziness, and diarrhea.5
Long-term effects
Addiction, restlessness, insomnia, high-blood
pressure, coma, or even death
Alcohol
Nicotine
Prescription
Drugs
Dangers of teen drinking
Teens don't just drink.
They drink to excess.
 Age of first use
 Binge Drinking
 New products – alcopops, whipping
cream, ice cream and hand sanitizer
 Boozy Bears
Delivery methods:




Bongs
Tampons
Enema
Eyeballing
ALCOHOL + ENERGY DRINKS =
DANGEROUS MIX!
 Mixes a strong stimulant with a depressant. You may feel more
alert but actually the alcohol is having the same effect on you.
So you might perceive that you are less impaired than you are.
 One study indicates that those who drink energy drinks are
twice as likely to abuse other substances (including alcohol,
tobacco and marijuana)
WHICH IS WHICH?
Healthy Alcohol?
NICOTINE TRENDS
Targeting Products To Youth
 New flavors and new products
 Cigarettes
 Smokeless Tobacco
 Little Cigars

Many flavors
 Candy- bubble gum
 Fruit- sour apple
 Alcohol- scotch
HOOKAH
 Consists of Flavored Tobacco (fruit)
 Peach
 Grape
 Mango
 Strawberry
 Cherry
 Mint
Smokeless tobacco comes in a variety of
candy flavors
Begin new product slides
Misuse of Rx drugs has recently
surpassed marijuana use
 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication
 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
 Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have
legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get
high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as
using street narcotics and other illicit drugs.