July 2011
1.   Our 14yr old daughter is becoming very difficult to handle.  She’s verbally abusive to everyone in the family and has been physical with me on a couple of occasions-nothing major just a shove.  Her younger brother is actually becoming fearful of her.  Not sure how to deal with this.  We’ve talked about counseling but she refuses to go.
Of course there could be many, many reasons for your daughter to be acting this way.  Without being familiar with your existing family system ( meaning, how your family deals with conflict, stress, and change) and also, without knowing if there has been any stressful or even traumatic incidents in her life, it is very difficult to provide a definitive answer.  But assuming that none of the factors above are playing a role in her thinking, it looks as if she is on her way, if not already there, to being a bully.  Bullying is a trait in children, most often learned from observing some adult model in their life that teaches them to get their way by pushing the limits as far as they think it is possible to do so.  A clear example of this is the ’shove’ she gave you.  She was careful not to push you too far, but far enough for you to be emotionally responsive.  Her brother is an easy target for her to practice on.  She does not realize how much long-term negative effect it will have on their relationship because, even at 14, she is still a child.  We see bullying in many children and especially in smart kids who have a strong desire to get their way.  The more response, positive or negative, the more they engage in this behavior.

Even her refusing to go to counseling is a bullying tactic.  Our suggestion is that you schedule family counseling and require everyone to go.  Make sure you find a counselor who is familiar with bullying and will know how to help the entire family.

2. My 13 year old son is generally a pretty good kid – good looking, athletic, smart & funny.  Two issues concern me a) pretty much everything is a joke to him – he’s laid back almost to the point of lazy – and takes very little seriously; and b) he’s always been a big kid, but now I’m really concerned about his eating.  Sometimes it’s almost like he just can’t stop himself – I try to keep an eye on him but this worries me.
Sounds like a great many things are going on with your son, least of all would be a poor sense of self.  Even very smart, good looking, and athletically gifted kids are often attempting to prove something to themselves and to others.  ‘Disordered eating’ is a strong sign of a distorted sense of who he is, and what his worth is to others.  His laid back attitude could be his way of making sure he does not disappoint others, and especially himself. 

If his eating habits begin to negatively affect his good health, or his attitude begins to spiral down his progress in school, it is time to seek professional help – someone who specializes in children’s  issues.

The questions above are from parents who live in the South Bay. The responses have been provided by members of the South Bay Coalition whose expertise and experience lies in parenting, counseling, and/or substance abuse prevention. The South Bay Coalition is a non-profit partnership of agencies working to prevent substance abuse among our community’s youth. For local resources or more information, please visit our website www.thefutureiswatching.org or contact: events@sbcoalition.com

So says the latest analysis conducted by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which notes almost one out of 11 alcohol radio ads in 75 markets across the nation in 2009 failed to comply with the industry’s voluntary standard for the placement of advertising.

The report recalls that in 2003, trade groups for beer and distilled spirits (i.e. The Distilled Spirits Council DISCUS) committed to placing alcohol ads in media venues only when underage youth comprise less than or equal to 30% of the audience, since 30% of the audience is 20 years old or younger. However, the CAMY analysis found that 9% of the ads in 75 markets (accounting for almost 50% of radio listeners age 12+) failed to meet the industry standards. These markets represent 46.5% of the U.S. population age 12+. Three brands alone – Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Coors Light – placed more than half of these “violating” ads.

Note that DISCUS in May upped the demographic placement standard in its Code of Responsible Advertising Practices to reflect the 2010 Census data released showing that 71.6% of the U.S. population is 21+. Under the new guideline, beverage alcohol advertising and marketing should be placed in media only where at least 71.6% of the audience is reasonably expected to be above the legal purchase age (21+). The previous standard was set at 70% that was expected to be above the age of 21+, from 2000 Census data.

The National Research Council, the Institute of Medicine and 24 state attorneys general have called on the alcohol industry to beef up its standard and meet a “proportional” 15% placement standard, given the fact that the group most at risk for underage drinking – 12-20 year-olds – is approximately 15% of the U.S. population.

“A nine percent failure rate for an already weak standard means that a significant number of young people are being overexposed to alcohol advertising on the radio,” said Dr. David Jernigan, CAMY director. “Reducing the voluntary standard to 15% would go a long way to keeping our young people safe and away from the undue influence of alcohol marketing.”

Distilled spirits were the most common type of alcohol advertisement to overexpose youth audiences in PPM markets. In diary markets, where the PPM is not yet in use and where people kept a paper diary of radio listening in 15-minute increments throughout the day, beer and alcopops advertising was most likely to overexpose youth.

In the majority of the 11 markets where Arbitron’s Portable People Meters were deployed for all of 2009, girls ages 12-20 were more likely than boys of the same age to be exposed to advertising for alcopops, distilled spirits, and wine.

Other findings:
• In 2009, youth ages 12-20 were more likely per capita than adults to hear 32% of alcohol advertising placements.

• 15 brands garnered 25% or more of their exposure to youth in at least 10% of markets from advertising not in compliance with the industry’s 30% standard.

RBR-TVBR observation: The 9% failure rate is not all that bad, considering the rapidly-changing demographics this nation is experiencing—including the increasing number of youth, as borne out in the 2010 census. DISCUS promptly adjusted the recommended numbers after the 2010 census came out. Discus now says no ads should be aired when 28.4% of the audience is expected to be below the legal purchase age of 21; The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine want that number to be at 15%. We figure that lower number would pretty much guarantee a 0% failure rate. But don’t expect the industry to jump at it—as well, radio is happy to get alcohol’s ad dollars and considering format flips and additional PPM markets added in 2009, the 9% failure statistic may be a little skewed to begin with

Source: RBR/TVBR website

Advertising effectively promotes alcohol brands to teens, researchers from Dartmouth Medical School and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found in a study published in this month’s issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Dartmouth pediatricians Susanne Tanski, Auden McClure and James Sargent found a correlation between alcohol companies’ annual advertising expenditures and underage drinkers’ preferred brands in the study “Alcohol Brand Preference and Binge Drinking among Adolescents.”

The researchers also found that respondents who said they had a favorite brand were significantly more likely to report having engaged in binge drinking than those who did not specify a favorite. “

Youths chose distilled spirit brands in large numbers, brands preferred by youth have tended to have high advertising expenditures, and choosing a favorite brand was associated with binge drinking,” the researchers concluded.

“The important take-home message is that kids who said they have a favorite brand were far more likely to binge drink,” Tanski said in a Dartmouth news release.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said they had a favorite brand of alcohol, with Smirnoff and Budweiser leading as the first and second favorite brands among women, respectively, and Budweiser and Smirnoff as the first and second favorite brands among men.

The correlation between binge drinking and brand favoritism “suggests that the ‘drink responsibly’ message is being swamped by other advertising messages that associate alcohol brands with partying and drinking to excess,” Tanski said, citing a recent Captain Morgan rum commercial as an example.

Future studies will also measure brand consumption, according to David Jernigan, an author of the study and associate professor at the Bloomberg School. He told The Dartmouth that half of the respondents chose a distilled spirits brand as their drink of choice.

CADCA is developing a video tool and publication to help coalitions address college-age binge drinking. Stay tuned.

Source: CADCA

June 2011

1.   Our 16yr old daughter has started dating an 18yr old “boy” who we hear has been known to drink and use drugs. Although our daughter exhibits no symptoms or behaviors suggesting she’s using too, we are anxious and worried about how to handle this situation. What should we do?

You have good reason to be concerned. Teens who socialize with others who drink and use are far more likely to do so themselves, but the danger does not stop there. If this boy is drinking and using, she’s at much greater risk for being involved in an automobile crash, being a victim of dating violence and/or rape, or facing legal consequences secondary to being around illicit substances or intoxicated minors. The first step should be to sit down and have an “adult” conversation with your daughter. Do your best to use only statements that start with ‘I’ and avoid saying ‘you’ – this will prevent you from making any accusations, either intentionally or unintentionally. If your daughter does not feel attacked, judged or criticized, she will be much more likely to listen to what you have to say. Carefully share your concerns about the situation, including the legal ramifications for him, if anything should happen to her.

Use statements such as: ‘I understand that older boys are more attractive because they’re more mature and experienced, however, I also understand that he is in a different place in life, that he is considered an ‘adult’ legally, and will want to seek out adult activities and interests which are not appropriate for someone who is 16”; and other statements like, “ I cannot know for sure, but the word from others is that he is not making very good decisions and chooses inappropriate activities.  It would devastate me to learn that he may try to involve you in these activities.”

Then allow her to talk and carefully listen to see if she seems fully aware of the issues that are involved with dating an older person.  Based on what you daughter tells you, you can decide whether to restrict this relationship.  It’s obvious that any unsupervised time they spend together is potentially dangerous.  While it’s not necessarily true that she is joining in his activities, it is true that he is not to be trusted.

Discussions of the same nature with this young man (and his family) are also in order. If he denies drug use, ask him to take a urine drug screen (most effective if done without prior notice). Although these measures are certainly not the most comfortable to take, you owe it to your daughter to do all in your power to protect her. She is still a child and it’s your responsibility to provide that protection.

2. The other day as I was putting away my 14yo son’s laundry, I discovered plastic baggies in his drawer – one contained several different kinds of pills and the other had what I assume to be marijuana. I haven’t said anything to him yet – I’m terrified of his response. His behavior has been somewhat rebellious lately but nothing I would consider uncharacteristic for a 14 year old boy. I don’t know how to handle this. Help!

98% of the time in this type of situation the young person is definitely involved in using illegal substances and has been for some time but has successfully deceived his parents.  What allows this behavior to not only continue but to also develop, is the fact that most parents have this same reaction – they are terrified and do not know how to proceed without fear of losing their loving relationship with their child.  His response is likely to be extreme, substance abusing or addicted children are volatile far in excess of the already significant amount 14 year olds are. Those who begin using drugs by age fourteen have a strong chance of developing an addiction, far greater than if that use does not start until later years. His current use is doing serious damage to the development of his brain, which is in a critical stage at this period of his life.

We strongly suggest you seek professional help.  Both parents should not waste any time in taking this child to an adolescent drug treatment center, where each person will be interviewed and the teen will be drug tested (so don’t tell your son ahead of time).  He will likely not understand or grasp any of this and be highly resistant, but remember he is a child and he needs you to be a parent, which means often being unpopular with your child. If his reaction is extreme, look at it and ask yourself this: Is this a child in control and healthy, or is this a child in desperate need of help? The center will provide assessment, evaluation and suggestions.  This process is free at many centers in the area and works best because it is far more objective in the evaluation and suggestions.  It will avoid arguments about what is true and not true because chances are great that your child will deny any ‘accusation’ you make.  It is critical to know that the longer parents wait the more difficult it will be to remediate the situation.  It will not be a pleasant experience for you, but it is your duty to deal with this and it will be far less unpleasant than attending his funeral or sentencing. Please confiscate the drugs and call your local treatment center immediately for a referral and/or assessment!

The questions above are from parents who live in the South Bay. The responses have been provided by members of the South Bay Coalition whose expertise and experience lies in parenting, counseling, and/or substance abuse prevention. The South Bay Coalition is a non-profit partnership of agencies working to prevent substance abuse among our community’s youth. For local resources or more information, please visit our website www.thefutureiswatching.org or contact: events@sbcoalition.com

Teenagers who are involved in sports or exercising are less likely to use drugs and smoke cigarettes compared with teens who are not as active, a new study suggests. However, Reuters reports that the study found high school athletes on teams drank more alcohol than their classmates who weren’t on a team.

Data from more than 11,000 teens, who graduated between 1986 and 2001, was included in the study. They were first surveyed as high school seniors, and then surveyed again up to four times through age 26. The researchers found that higher levels of participation in sports, athletics or exercising was related to lower initial use of drugs and cigarettes, which in turn led to lower substance use throughout early adulthood. In those who increased their activity level throughout early adulthood, frequency of use of cigarettes, marijuana and illicit drugs other than marijuana decreased, the researchers report in the journal Addiction.

The research found that about 38 percent of teens who weren’t active said they smoked cigarettes during the past month, compared with 25 to 29 percent of teens who were frequent exercisers and athletes. Among inactive teens, 23 percent said they had smoked marijuana in the last month, compared with 15 to 17 percent of active and athletic teens.

The study also revealed that 57 percent of teens involved in a team sport said they drank alcohol in the last month, compared with 45 percent of teens who weren’t active. Reuters reports that the researchers have many theories about why student athletes drink more, including peer pressure to drink after a game and the close tie between sports and alcohol advertising.

Source: drugfree.org