Pubdate: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 Source: Salem News (OH) Copyright: 2005 Salem News Contact: http://salemnews.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4051 Author: Cathy Brownfield, Family Recovery Center Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women) A GIFT YOU DON'T WANT Teens want to fit in with a group of peers somewhere. Sometimes they do things that they think will get them on the inside track, but they don't think about the consequences first. They just want to fit in so badly somewhere that they jump in with both feet, and later have regrets that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Susan grumbled often when she was younger because her parents didn't like some of her friends. She wasn't allowed to do the things those other kids did. Mom and Dad told her that the wrong friends would lead her down the primrose path. They'd be around until the first sign of trouble, then they'd be gone. Debbie was her best friend for a number of years. Or were they really best friends? They seemed more like competitors to Susan's parents. They seemed to be playing, "Can You Top This?" One would do something, then the other would have to do something bigger, riskier. Debbie started to smoke. Susan had always promised her parents that she wasn't ever going to smoke. "It stinks and only losers do it." But one day she made the leap despite everything she and her parents had talked about. Susan began to see a boy steady. She promised her parents she didn't want to have sex until she got married, but things got out of hand and it happened. Then Debbie had to outdo Susan. She made out with Susan's boyfriend. But what goes around comes around and when Susan got the chance, she stepped between Debbie and her boyfriend. The risky behaviors got even more risky. They weren't thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex, alcohol and tobacco use, marijuana, and risky drug use including sharing needles. Like so many others before them-and who will follow after them-they thought, "Those things just happen to other people. That will never happen to me." HIV/AIDS hasn't gone away. For a quarter of a century the AIDS epidemic has been around. "Drug abuse prevention is HIV prevention," says Dr. Nora D. Volkow, .NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) director. "Research has shown that a significant proportion of young people are not concerned about becoming infected with HIV. "In recent years, the number of young people in the United States diagnosed with AIDS rose substantially. Because drug use encourages risky behaviors that can promote HIV transmission, NIDA views drug abuse treatment as essential HIV prevention." The reality is that there is a very real danger for those engaged in risky behaviors. In 2004, black and Hispanic women represented about 25 percent of all U.S. women, NIDA advises, yet they accounted for 80 percent of AIDS cases diagnosed in women that year. African-Americans made up 12 percent of the 2004 population and accounted for about half of the total AIDS cases diagnosed that year, the report continues. NIDA, working with other agencies including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, and the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corp., want teens and young adults to know and understand the link between drug abuse and HIV. NIDA has launched a website, www.hiv.drugabuse.gov which provides the latest information on the relationship. For teens, know the link: www.teens.drugabuse.gov. How can you tell when someone is substance dependent? The criteria list is lengthy. The short version is this: o Crave more. o Can't cut down. o Sacrifice everything else for the addiction. o Use substance even though they know it's harmful to them. o Substance used to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms. "Why are your hands shaking?" Mom asked Susan. "Is it the nicotine?" "It could be the caffeine," she answered. "I tried to stop drinking the pop but I got a bad headache, I got dizzy. I can't stop drinking it because I don't want to go through the withdrawal symptoms." Susan had said the same thing about quitting smoking. For more information about this topic or to learn about our treatment and prevention programs, contact Family Recovery Center at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake