Drunken Gummy Bears

The article I chose to talk about for my sixth blog was written by Clark Fouraker from “WLTX-Columbia, SC.” The piece is titled “Vodka Gummy Bears Haunting ParentsThis Halloween”. The title definitely has relevance to this time of year, along with the topic of children drug/substance abuse. This article also has the news clip video along with it. The particular news story is discussing how children have recently started to soak gummy bears in the vodka.

Through this news story/article, there were different experts speaking about the subject. They were brought up in the video clip along with the article. The first one mentioned was Jill Michel, an employee of Palmetto Poison Center.

Her statement consisted of,

“It's very concealable. You have it in a baggie, and it looks like a candy," and, "they're eating these, and they don't know how much alcohol they're ingesting until it's too late."

The other expert to discuss this particular topic was Dr. Diane Hardley from St. Johns University. With her statements, she put into even more detail the discussion of the way the children/teenagers will go the extent of soaking things such as gummy bears in liquor to just get away with it and hide it from authorities. Along with the statements of the experts, they also had a video attached to the article online. The video was a combination of the actual news cast and experts talking, along with having a video of the actual vodka filled gummy bears being made. With the video, it showed teenagers actually making the filled gummy bears step by step.

This is just a sad scenario/social problem and is affecting children and teens all around the world. Even though this might seem like a very simple thing and when looking at this news story/article, we tend to think, “How and why would they want to come up with things like this?” Even though we as a society might not be able to prevent things from having a part in our day to day lives, it is definitely something we can attempt to prevent by speaking to our children/teenagers about it. With awareness of this particular social problem, I do think we can at least attempt to do more to prevent issues like these with just simply bringing about awareness such as having news stories/ news articles such as this.

Drug Facts: Inhalants

What Are Inhalants?


Inhalants are chemical vapors that people inhale to get “high”. The vapors produce mind-altering effects and can be found in many products around the home. Examples of inhalants are some paints, glues, gasoline, and cleaning fluids.

Types of Inhalants


Inhalants usually fall into four main categories; volatile solvents, aerosols, gases and nitrites.

Volatile Solvents are liquids that vaporize at, or around, room temperature. These can be found in paint thinner, nail polish remover, gasoline, and office correction fluid (white-out).

Aerosols are sprats that contain propellants and solvents. These include spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, and fabric protector spray.

Gases can be found in household or commercial products and are often used as medical anesthetics. Gases include butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, and anesthesia.

Nitrites are a class of inhalants used primarily as sexual enhancers. Organic nitrites include amyl, butyl, and cyclohexyl nitrites. When marketed for illicit use, these nitrites are often sold in small brown bottles and labeled as "video head cleaner," "room odorizer," "leather cleaner," or "liquid aroma."

Common Street Names

Common slang for inhalants includes "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide), "snappers" (amyl nitrite), "poppers" (amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite), "whippets" (fluorinated hydrocarbons, found in whipped cream dispensers), "bold" (nitrites), and "rush" (nitrites).

How Are Inhalants Abused?

Inhalants are breathed in through the nose or mouth, usually by sniffing or snorting fumes from containers, spraying aerosols directly into the nose or mouth, “bagging” (sniffing/inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or placed into a paper bag), or “hugging” from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed into the mouth.

Because the intoxication, or “high,” lasts only a few minutes, people who abuse inhalants often try to make the feeling last longer by inhaling repeatedly over several hours.

What Are The Effects?

The lungs absorb inhaled chemicals into the bloodstream very quickly, sending them throughout the brain and body. Within minutes of inhalation, users feel "high." The effects are similar to those produced by alcohol and may include slurred speech, lack of coordination, euphoria, and dizziness. The high usually lasts only a few minutes.

Inhalants also can damage brain cells by preventing them from receiving enough oxygen. The effects of this condition, also known as brain hypoxia, depend on the area of the brain affected. This could affect memory, the ability to have a conversation, or even movement.

Regular abuse of inhalants can cause serious harm to vital organs besides the brain. Inhalants can cause heart damage, liver failure, and muscle weakness.

Specific Effects by Type of Inhalant

Depending on the type of inhalant abused, the harmful health effects will differ. This table lists a few examples.

Lethal Effects

Prolonged sniffing of the highly concentrated chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can cause irregular or rapid heart rhythms and can lead to heart failure and death within minutes. This "sudden sniffing death" is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols.

High concentrations of inhalants also can cause death from suffocation. This happens when the inhalant vapor takes the place of oxygen in the lungs and brain, causing breathing to stop. Deliberately inhaling from a paper or plastic bag or in a closed area, for example, greatly increases the chances of suffocation.

While high on inhalants, people also can die by choking on their own vomit or by fatal injury from accidents, including car crashes.

Genetics and Addiction

Gentics and Addiction would not have been two words I thought could go in the same sentence, but apparently they can. After surfing the internet I found a book called I Want To Change My Life: How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression and Addiction, where it stated children of addicted parents are eight times more likely to have an addiction to some type of substance than a child with no family addiction history.

This number was slightly alarming after doing a little research on my own, where I found out I had two alcoholics and three pain pill addictions that were lurking in my family. Although I have no addictions myself it makes me wonder if my younger days of exploring had anything to do with those addictions my family once faced. Considering that these addictions are fifty percent genetic predisposition and fifty percent bad coping skills it really makes me wonder which half I would have fallen under.

After further reading in the article it goes to talk about addiction being considered a disease and after reading some of the facts it seems quite obvious it is. The biggest thing that blew my mind was the fact of how a disease was labeled; a combination of genes and life style. Which makes perfect sense when you now think about genetics and addiction. After finding out that genes play fifty percent on whether or not you may become an addict the only other thing that can add on to that is life style.

This book seems to have so many key points it hits on and it is actually a recovery book for those who have either one or both odds against them, genetics or a poor lifestyle. If you read even further into the website for this book it goes into other things that can lead to anxiety or depression and how all three of these combine together to put a halt to someone's life.

Red Ribbon Week (in Lexington, South Carolina)

This week is national Red Ribbon Week, a week dedicated to teach students not to use drugs. Pleasant Hill Elementary made learning to say no to drugs fun. Each day of the week students got to dress up in fun way that related to preventing the use of drugs.  

"Monday was polka dots - to remind them to spot good choices. Tuesday, Glasses Day, to keep a look out for leaders. Wednesday, Crazy Sock Day, a reminder to sock it to drugs... On Thursday, the kids will wear red  to represent that they're strong in will power. On Friday, they all get to wear their favorite team jersey to "team up" against drugs."

The article from a local Lexington new station states how this week helps students to reach the career goals in the long run. By informing the students at a young age they hope help the kids make better decisions, by saying no drugs. 

However, the article claims that the first time that individuals try it, referring to drugs, is around the age of 11 or 12 or even younger. Is this a flawed statistic? Where has this data come from? Who was the sample?  It is important when reading articles about substances to understand who and why the statistics are stated. It is possible that this claim was made to make the prevention of drug use among youth seem like a bigger problem than it really is. By making it seem like a bigger problem it helps to justify the reason our tax money goes to support this week long celebration. It also gives parents and the community a sense of hope for the future of our kids. 

Red Ribbon Week as a whole is a great week to education the younger generation on the harms and consequences of drugs. The earlier we inform the more hope we have for the future. Take the time out of you day to have a discussion with your kids, little cousins, brother or sisters, because substance abuse effects everyone around the person who is abusing. Remember that you don't have to wait until Red Ribbon Week 2012 to talk about this issue

For more information on the Lexington county school Red Ribbon celebrations visit this link.

"Crank" It Up

The book/ book review I chose to talk about for my fifth blog is called, “Crank” and was written by Ellen Hopkins. I found this particular book review on commonsensemedia.org. “Crank” was the first book Ellen Hopkins wrote in this particular, what I like to call “Drug Awareness” series. This particular book, along with others in her series, comes partly come from the fact that her own daughter with through a drug abuse problem. Ellen Hopkins has also written other books such as, “ “Burned”, “Impulse”, “Identical”, “Glass”, “Tricks”, and “Fallout”. The books written by Ellen Hopkins are written in a poetry style, which I feel much easier to read. While I personally have only read “Crank” and “Glass”, I have been told that all books Ellen Hopkins are supposed to be, while sad at the same time, “good reads” and informational at the same time.

The book “Crank” is based on a teenage girl named Kristina. Kristina is the narrator in the story, Kristina has suffered from drug problems and her main addiction that is talked about is to the drug Methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is referred to “the monster” in the reading. Along with just the problem of Methamphetamine, she also is going through things such as; “she smokes cigarettes, does ecstasy, and smokes marijuana”, throughout the book, it also discussed how she went through being raped and an unplanned pregnancy. Along with these problems, there is also the everyday bad influence like her so-called “friend”, “Bree”. Through me reading the other book written by Ellen Hopkins, “Glass” I also read that Kristina had another child along with this that had to be taken away from her because of being “unfit” due primarily to her addictions.

Throughout the book review, it discusses the importance of parents being positive influences to prevent things such as drug addiction. It discusses “what parents should know”. This book very well could make no sense, along with being too much of a “mature read” for children, but if parents are able to sit down and read it, they can gain the importance of it and be able to pass valuable messages along to their children. There were a number of comments below the book review, and it was agreed that while it is a good book all in all, it is definitely something that should be monitored as far as who reads it. There are the situations such as sexual interactions, profanity, drug abuse, etc. that can be harmful for someone to read if they are not mentally “ready” for it. It was said that children should be taught about certain drug situations such as this before being told about or reading the book themselves at some point. The book review also specifically talks about the different characteristics of the book such as; educational value, positive messages, positive role models, violence, sex, language, consumerism, and drinking, drugs, & smoking. Along with these it also gives other links to where you can find out more information on the book.

In reference to the book: according to common sense media, “Crank” is “first in controversial verse poetry series about addiction.”

Even though this book didn’t necessarily take place in the South East region of the United States, is a very well known social problem all throughout the United States, along with other areas. I feel this particular book has benefited my blog because not only is it a book (series, etc.) that I am familiar with, but also gives even more knowledge and information pertaining to the social problem my group is focused on, drug abuse with children (meaning teenagers such as Kristina as well). This book is definitely one I suggest to anyone to read who is interested in this type of problem, again even in my own views should be restricted to people that are mature enough and able to take in the information properly.

Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

October 29th marks the third annual prescription drug take-back day hosted by the Drug Enforcement Administrations.  The day titled, National Drug Take-Back Day, is intended to allow people to turn in potentially dangerous, expired, misused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe destruction at thousands of sites nationwide.


The DEA started this event as a way to combat the growing trend of prescription drug abuse among teens. The source of prescription drugs are often the medicine cabinets in their home making it easily accessible to teens.


With thousands of drop areas in all 50 states, the DEA makes it easy for people to drop off their unwanted prescription drugs.  The event occurs from 10 am to 2 pm and the service is completely free and anonymous.   Drop areas are listed on the DEA's website with new sites added daily.




Source: Drugfree.org

Drug Facts: Stimulants

What Are Stimulants

Stimulants are a type of drugs that elevate mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness. Examples of stimulants are cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and ecstasy.

Prescription stimulants include Adderall and Ritalin. Both are used to help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Street Names

Cocaine is generally sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as “coke,” “C,“ “snow,” “flake,“ “blow,” “bump,“ “candy,“ “Charlie,” “rock,” and “toot.” “Crack,” the street name for the smoke-able form of cocaine, got its name from the crackling sound made when it’s smoked. A “speedball” is cocaine or crack combined with heroin, or crack and heroin smoked together.

Methamphetamine is commonly known as “speed,” “meth,” “chalk,” and “tina.” In its smoke-able form, it’s often called “ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” “glass,” “fire,” and “go fast.”

How Stimulants Are Used

Stimulants can be swallowed in pill form, snorted as a powder through the nostrils, injected, using a needle and syringe, or heated in crystal form and smoked.

Injecting, or smoking, a stimulant allows for a rapid high because the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. Snorting or swallowing the stimulant produces a high that is less intense but lasts longer.

Powder cocaine is usually snorted and crack cocaine is often smoked in a glass pipe. Many street dealers dilute cocaine with other substances, such as cornstarch or sugar.

Methamphetamine can be swallowed, snorted, injected, or smoked.

Short-Term Effects

Stimulants produce feelings of tremendous joy, can increase wakefulness, and decrease appetite. Negative effects of stimulants include increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, dilated pupils, nausea, blurred vision, muscle spasms, and confusion.

Long-Term Effects

Long-term effects of stimulant abuse can lead to paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, thinking problems, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and severe dental problems.
Repeated use of cocaine can result in a tolerance of its euphoric effects, causing the abuser to take greater amounts or use the drug more frequently to get the same effects. Repeated use can also cause violent behavior, mood disturbances, and psychosis which can include paranoia and delusions. These mental issues can result in homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

Sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Like other drugs, stimulants can be lethal when taken in large doses or when mixed with other substances. Overdoses can lead to heart problems, strokes, hyperthermia, and convulsions. If not treated immediately, these physical issues can result in death.

ROLEMODEL???

I chose an article dealing with a at one time very bright and beautiful actress that has not come to be known by her movies but by her drug addictions and alcohism. This article starts from the beginning of Lohan's career where she starred in The Parent Trap at 11 years old but soon there after she took a twirling downfall, which lead to one addiction after the other. Since her last couple years of drug addictions she's done a few shocking interviews like the ones by Access Hollywood, Celebritytv.com, and Extra Exclusive.

After two jail sentences and hours of rehab she is still not recovered, her latest court appearence was for a former sentence she failed to fulfill and did not finish her community service at the Downtown's Women Center and in her words was because of her 'busy work schedule' took it upon herself to instead do community service at the Red Cross Center. But Judge Stephanie Saunter would hear none of that saying "No one could change her sentence" and revoked her probation with a $100,000.00 bail. Which is very different from her previous sentences where she only completed 14 out of a 90 day stay where authorities said she did not need to stay the whole time, apparently she used her acting skills on them, since two jail terms later she is still in the same boat.

So once again we see another child movie star take a horrible turn and instead of having a great career ahead for their adult life they get caught up on addictions such as cocaine, pills(prescribed and non-prescribed), alcohol and abusing substances at a very early age. The sad thing about this is that so many other children are facing these exact same problems but most go un-noticed and with out any help and miss out on their entire childhoods. Lindsay Lohan is getting, well has gotten three more chances than any other child or adult for that matter has gotten and has not took advantage of one but instead is still denying all addictions and need for help. So the really important question to answer here is, How exactly does one individual help another individual with problems they do not notice themselves?

Unused Prescription Drugs Discarding

An article by WISTV, posted October 19, explains how the Drug Enforcement Agency would like to help South Carolina citizen to get rid of cabinets filled with unused prescription drugs. 

"The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most prevalent category of drug abuse in the United States," said William Douglas, DEA assistant special agent in charge.

The DEA is willing to take the drugs that you are no longer using and ones that are expired at one of the 70 collection locations in the state on National Drug Take Back Day. However, the 70 sites will only be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 29. DEA authorities are expecting a bigger turn out this time compared to the previous event held last spring. "In South Carolina alone, our citizens turned in over 1,250 pounds of unwanted or expired prescription drugs at over 43 collection sites," said Douglas.

It is important to get rid of prescription drugs in the household to help prevent substance abuse.  There are many people who may come in and out your house, therefore by participating in National Drug Take Back Day you are not only looking out for your safety but others as well. Remember taking drugs that are not prescribed to you is illegal.  So why not prevent harm by cleaning out your medicine cabinet.  It is one day and a small piece of your time that can make the world of change for you or loved ones. You will not be penalized for dropping off your prescriptions. 

Should Marijuana Be Legalized

According to the article, marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S. There are three main arguments that those who oppose the legalization of marijuana state. The first is that marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. and legalizing it would only make this worse. A study done in 2008 on people, aged 12 or older, who are classified with the dependence on, or with the abuse of, an illicit drug, showed that 4.2 million out of 7 million people used marijuana. This means that nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering from any substance disorder suffer from marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence.

Another factor that contributes to the anti-legalization of marijuana is that drug-impaired driving would increase dramatically. The article mentions that marijuana is a significant factor in highway crashes, injuries, and deaths. It goes on to say that in a recent national roadside survey of weekend nighttime drivers, 8.6 percent tested positive for marijuana use. This was nearly four times the percentage of drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL (2.2 percent), completed during the same survey.

The third and final argument suggested by the article is through the analogy of marijuana use to that of gambling. Sports gambling, most of which is still illegal, has had a significant increase in illegal gambling since other forms of gambling have been legalized. This precedent strongly suggests that illegal drug suppliers would sell more potent marijuana products outside the legal channels so that their wares are not taxed or restricted. As the article says, if marijuana were legalized, the only way to eliminate its illegal trade would be to sell marijuana untaxed and unregulated to any willing buyer.

So should marijuana be legalized? You decide.

Drug Facts: Marijuana

Over the next few weeks I will be discussing the drugs most commonly used in the United States. The first common drug I will discuss is marijuana.

Marijuana comes from the cannabis sativa plant. It is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers from this plant. The mixture can be green, brown, or gray. Marijuana also has over 400 chemicals in it. The most psychoactive chemical, also known as mind alterering, is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The THC content of marijuana determines marijuana’s potency and it has been steadily increasing since the 1970s.

Street names, or slang terms that refer to marijuana, include; pot, grass, herb, weed, Mary Jane, reefer, skunk, boom, gangster, kif, chronic, and ganja.

Marijuana can be used in many ways. The most common is smoking loose marijuana rolled into a cigarette known as a joint or nail. Marijuana can also be smoked through a water pipe called a bong. It could also be smoked through a hollowed out cigar known as a blunt. Other users brew marijuana as tea or mix it with food.

Within minutes of inhaling, a user of marijuana begins to feel “high”. This is because THC activates the chemical dopamine in the brain which creates good feelings but these feelings are short lived. Marijuana affects memory, judgment, perception, and decision making. Many factors contribute to how a person will be affected by marijuana. These factors include; a person’s genetics, whether they’ve used marijuana or any other drugs before, how much marijuana is taken, and its potency. Combining marijuana with other drugs is not only unpredictable, but is dangerous.

THC affects the brain in more ways than just activating dopamine. It also interferes with learning in memory by affecting the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a critical role in certain types of learning. This leads to problems studying, learning new things, and recalling recent events. Another part of the brain affected by marijuana is the cerebellum which controls balance and coordination, resulting in slower reaction times, impaired judgment, and problems responding to signals and sounds.

Long-term use of marijuana leads to higher risk of psychosis. Psychosis is a severe mental disorder in which there is a loss of contact with reality, including false ideas about what is happening (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinations). Marijuana has also been known to increase depression and anxiety, particularly when a user tries to stop using the drug.

Currently there are no medications that treat marijuana addictions. There are many treatment programs that claim to help with breaking the addiction but they focus on behavioral therapies rather than treating the addiction itself. Marijuana is known as a “gate-way” drug because users of marijuana are more susceptible to trying “harsher” and more addictive drugs like cocaine. This susceptibility is not because of a direct cause of the marijuana but because the user has a higher likelihood of being exposed to the harsher drugs and therefor more likely to try them.

Next week I will be discussing the facts about stimulants such as cocaine, methamphetamines, and ecstasy.

How Secure Are Your Medications?

The article I chose to talk about for my fourth blog was written by Alison Johnson from the “Daily Press” Newport News, Virginia. The piece is titled “How to keep medicine out of the reach of children”. The article was also published and linked to the Post and Courier website from Charleston, SC. Even though this was written by an author in Virginia, it is clear that this issue does pertain to a much bigger area, including us in South Carolina and much more. Children and drug abuse, I have realized through just how I felt before I started this assignment, and have definitely grown through my research and my “blogging”, it is very significant social problem in our world today.

This particular piece discussed the issue of children having the ability to get prescription drugs through family and friends. From the family and friends I myself am surrounded by, this is definitely something that shocks me. It is bad enough that the children are receiving these prescription drugs in the first place, but by people that are close to them is just beyond belief. Through the different stories I have read so far, in the first couple of articles it was children being affected by a parent/guardian’s drug abuse, and now is going to children being enabled to have substance abuse problems by receiving them through people like friends and family. Honestly can’t tell you which one is worse and I feel it is both poor parenting in many ways.

Even though the article did discuss children getting the prescription drugs from family and friends, it also discussed the risk and different steps people like parents could take to try to prevent drug abuse being an issue with their own children. The group the author got information about this issue through “National Family Partnership”. From what I have gathered, this is one of the many different organizations are centered on things such as the issue of drug abuse (along with other issues) within families. In my eyes, there definitely can’t be enough of them! According to “National Family Partnership”, “seventy percent of children who abuse prescription drugs get them from friends and family.” Looking at these numbers makes the realization even bigger on how big of an issue this really is.

According to the President of “National Family Partnership” Peggy Sapp,
“The No. 1 mistake parents make is thinking it can't happen to their child.”

During the part of the article that discusses ways of preventing substance abuse with children, there are eight different tips discussed. They are recognize the risk, explain the risk, store drugs safely, dispose of drugs safely, set a good example, have family dinners, get to know your child’s friends, and collection information from places such as LockYourMeds.org for more ways to prevent risks and substantial information on the issue. As I said earlier on, reading this articles and looking at the number of children affected by the issue of drug abuse. This social problem is definitely a scenario that needs all of the awareness and risk prevention possible, as a society it is definitely something that needs to be brought up and prevented as much as possible.

Student Athletes Held to a Higher Standard

It is no new news that University of South Carolina Quarter Back Steven Garcia was dismissed from the football team this past Tuesday. In this article by ESPN, they state the reason for Garcia's dismissal was do to testing positive for alcohol and marijuana. Which was a direct violation of his contract to stay on the team.

"Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right and we remind all of our student-athletes that there are consequences for their actions," Eric Hyman said in a statement.

However, this is not Garcia's first run in with alcohol problems in his college football career. This past April he arrived to skills seminar under the influence. Also, during the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta he ran into a few issues, that began this long downward spiral. When asked if by the media if he had an alcohol problem Garcia stated "negative, no."

Many make arguments that Garcia had too many opportunities. However, no matter how many chances he was given, this is a good example of how ones actions with drugs and alcohol can have long term consequences. Now Garcia, can no longer play college football and also unlikely to be drafted to an NFL football team. This also, goes to show that when one is a public figure and many are looking at that one the societal standards are raised higher.

This semester USC has provided several cases of the importance of understand drinking and drugs -especially with underage drinking. Which leads to the point that many argued in favor of Garcia that he does not drink more than the average college student. However, that is not the principal of this situation, the principal is when you have other obligation and they require you to have a zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, you must weigh out the consequences. As show through Garcia's dismissal you can lose opportunities of a life time, that many only dream of having.

There are many other consequences that could have happened. It is important to know that it only that it only one time use of illegal/legal substance for these consequences to happen. The worst case scenario is the lost of ones life. So please before partaking in any substance make sure you think about the consequences.

Columbia moves to outlaw fake pot and bath salts

This past month The State newspaper reported Columbia and Richland county are making moves to make the fake marijuana, K2 and spice, illegal.  K2 and spice are currently legal drugs sold in gas stations and smoke shops in South Carolina.  Three stores in Five Points currently sell the drugs.

While K2 and spice is a chemically produced substance to mimic the affects of marijuana, bath salts are a white powdery substance that can mimic the affects of cocaine or amphetamines.


"Earlier this month, a 17-year-old in Lexington County was hospitalized after becoming unresponsive from smoking K2, Watkins said. Local emergency rooms also have reported treating patients on bath salts who are so agitated that they have to be restrained for 72 hours, she said."


Local governments and officials have not reported and increase in crime due to the drugs, but are working on banning them in order to get ahead of any potential problems.  Across the country local governments are placing bans on the synthetic drugs and the U.S. Drug Enforcement has placed a ban on five synthetic drugs earlier this year.

The problem with these drugs are they are chemically based and are constantly changing.  The affects of these drugs are inconsistent and users do not know exactly how much of each chemical are in a package.  A person can use K2 without serous side affects one week and experience suicidal thoughts from using the drug the next week.

The move to ban these currently legal drugs are good move for the city of Columbia.  It is smart to get ahead of a drug trend that is already showing can create problems.  What are your thoughts on the potential ban of these synthetic drugs? Feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below.

Drug education training session-Columbia SC

The Lexington-Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council recently held a training session to educate schools, law enforcement and legal officials of the recent drug and alcohol trends among teens.  The session covered topics including the recent marketing trends of drugs and alcohol and the larger use of synthetic drugs being used by teens.

In recent years there have been a change the drugs and alcohols marketed and used among teenagers.  There has been a growth in the use of synthetic drugs, particularly the use of Adderall, a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  This drug has only recently become available to treat those with ADHD and has become a largely abused drug among teens and college students to aide in their studying.  It is important for adults to become aware of the issue of abuse with that drug as it is a situation that was not in occurrence years ago.

The marketing of alcohol has also greatly changed in recent years and has made products more appealing to a younger consumer.  Alcohol beverages are now being marketed with energy drinks and often times cheaper than the latter.  Some areas are beginning the ban the selling of alcoholic energy drinks, such as Four Lokos, which contain caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee and alcohol equivalent to six beers all within one can.



Educating those in authority of the newest trends with drugs and alcohol allows them to better regulate and understand what teens are encountering in their lives.  Without this education, leaders will not be appropriately prepared to handle the negative results of drug and alcohol abuse.

Police Presences in Five Points (Columbia, South Carolina)

In an article by The Daily Gamecock, the University of South Carolina student run newspaper, discuss the new improvements that police chief Randy Scott has made in his first year. Within the first year Scott has increased the police presence in the Five Points, an area which is well known to many USC students to partake in underage drinking.The number of cops in the area on any given day is about eight and can swell up to as many as 30, for celebrations and home football games.

Scott has also created a hospitality team, which goes into places that sell alcohol in the Columbia area. He has created several other changes, however they do not pertain to drugs and alcohol.

At an ceremony, given this past Wednesday, in Scotts honor he stated that his efforts over the past year have decreased the numbers of arrest, while increasing the disciplinary programs use.

“We get no benefit from sending someone to jail and [giving them] a criminal record,” Scott said. 

Also, to fight the underage drinking problem of students at the university, Scott has increased referrals to the Office of Student Conduct. Therefor allowing the university to deal with the issue verses given the student a criminal record, as stated before. The increase of police in Five Points, however has created a large discussion among student of the university. Many students say that Scott is just trying to ruin a good night out with friends.

Overall, the presence of the cops in Five Points have done their job, even if students do not like it. The use of fake identification is illegal regardless if you want to drink underage or not. By cracking down they have begun to kill two bird with one stone. Truthfully, they have begun to kill three issues that have surrounded the area for years. The third issue being the party atmosphere of the school.

The cops are not trying to ruin a good time, they are trying to regulate the laws that have been apart of society for years. These laws, that have been broken time and time again, which have been back by data from when the drinking age was 18. It is important to know what is going on with drugs and alcohol in your area. Understanding the laws helps to prevent the many issues that surround them.

Abuse, Abuse, and More Abuse

What I liked most about this article was the fact that it tied in with the material I had actually been learning in class. This article talked about how, throughout society, substance abuse intertwines with poverty and child abuse. I enjoyed that the article talked about substance abuse and poverty along with substance abuse and child abuse, and also provides some solutions to both.

The article made a very valid point that just because people are in poverty does not mean that they do drugs, but one reason they may be in poverty could be because of an addiction to drugs. This addiction will cause people to lose their jobs and lose their families. But a big misconception about people in poverty is that they all use drugs or have some type of substance abuse problem. I myself have lived in poverty my entire life with a single father but never because of drug addictions. That goes to show that just because a family lives in poverty does not necessarily mean there is a substance addiction that led to that family relying on government and state funds.

Another huge thing that this article talked about was just how much these substance abusers do more than abuse drugs but abuse their children as well and even mentally abuse themselves from these addictions. The fact that these drugs alter a person’s mind and mood shows most within their family first. If there are children involved they will be the first to get the wrath of their parent’s addictions especially if they are unable to get their addicton dose. According to the article, “children that grow up with an abusive addict for a parent are more likely to have poor self-image, self-destructive behaviors, hidden fear, and greater risk of substance abuse themselves someday”.

This can lead to a cycle that just like poverty happens every day, and unless there is some type of worldwide illegalization against these drugs and just completely banned there will always be a demand for these products which ultimately leads to the supply.

Getting Help and Staying Clean

In this new and exciting installment of P.A.S.A, I will continue to analyze the article from kidshealth.org.

After recognizing that you or someone you know is facing an addiction problem, the fact that you recognize this is the first step to getting help. Many drug or alcohol abusers believe that they can end their addiction on their own but sadly, this seldom occurs. The best solution is to find someone to talk to. Find someone that is supportive and understanding and will help you without judging you. Though this helps, overcoming an addiction is not easy. Addictions are so hard to break because as I mentioned in an earlier post, both your body and mind become addicted to the substance. This makes it extremely difficult to end the cycle. Many people need professional help or treatment programs to end the addictions and this is both normal and healthy.

The article mentions a few tips for recovery that include telling your friends about your decision to stop using drugs. This means that you may need to find a new group of friends that will support you and your decisions. Also, ask your friends (new friends if necessary) and family members to be available when you need them. This might be in the middle of the night or during the last few minutes of a football game, but if you are going through a rough time and need someone, they need to understand what you are going through and realize that helping you beat your drug addiction is more important than a lot of other things. When someone is trying to beat a drug addiction, just knowing that they are supported and loved makes the breaking process easier and more likely to occur.

Most people do not realize that beating a drug addiction is a lifelong process. Every day is a new battle between satisfying a craving or staying clean. Some people who have beaten their addictions find it beneficial to help others beat their addictions. Their understanding of the recovery process helps support other people’s battles with addictions.

And above all else, as the article says, “if you do have a relapse, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help”!!!

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The article I chose to talk about for my third blog was written by Yasmin Rammohan from the “Chicago Tonight: WTTW), the piece titled “Pregnancy and Alcohol”. The main discussion was brought up from the book, “The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy and the Vulnerable Child” written by author (and the head local physicians) Dr. Ira Chasnoff. The main focus of the book and the discussion with in the article is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and how it affects the children through the toxins from the drugs and alcohol consumed by the mother’s in these particular cases, along with neglect and trauma the children are exposed to because of it. The many different risks of fetal alcohol syndrome were discussed throughout the article. Within the article posted online, there are also two videos shown of Dr. Chasnoff himself.

The first video is of Dr. Chasnoff discussing different signs and symptoms you can look for in children. According to this video, the three main criteria he says to look for are, “poor growth, deficits in nervous system, and changes in the in the structure of the facial features” (Chasnoff). It is stated that children are very well susceptible to suffer from issues such as damage to their “developing nervous system” (Rammohan), according to the first video with Dr. Chasnoff, these are also the children that seem to be normal when looking for these three major symptoms, but at the same time they are also more at risk as far as developing behavioral problems and other things of that nature.

"This damage may lead to learning and memory deficiencies, and behavioral problems, from temper tantrums in early childhood to acts of physical and sexual violence in later adolescence” (Rammohan).

After talking about the different risks of fetal alcohol syndrome, Dr. Chassnoff also mentioned, within his book, how ““risk is not destiny” (Chassnoff) for those children. He discusses how they can come out of these situations through “alternatives” that help the children such as giving them a successful school experiences, getting them away from negative situations like gang activity and drug abuse. All of this can happen with help and investment from others in their society in some cases. Even though examples weren’t given in the article, I feel that solutions such as getting them in better families and better environmental situations would tremendously improve these children’s lives.

In the second video within the article, Dr. Chassnoff discusses more in detail about the book, “The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy and the Vulnerable Child”. In one of the statistics he states that “20-30 percent of woman use substances during their pregnancy”. This statistic is rather shocking to me and shows how horrible of a problem it is! He also discusses the “nature vs. nurture” effects to children that have been exposed to substances such as alcohol, and how the environment can help change the long term outcome of a child suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. Throughout the rest of the second video there were comments from different readers/critics expressing how they felt, all which seemed to be fond of Dr. Chassnoff’s work.

It brings to your attention the number of families that are affected by fetal alcohol syndrome and other situations similar to it. Not only is this the problem of several families, but also discussing how we all, as ‘society’, (knowing it is a social problem) can possibly help this situation would be a great improvement in any way. Even though this wasn’t written by a local author, these cases are still happening all throughout the country, world, etc. and can definitely affect us all in one way or another.

Unsuspected influence on teenage alcohol consumption

Ask a parent whom they believe that largest source of peer pressure on the teen comes from and you will find they place the blame on best friends and girlfriends or boyfriends.  In an article recently posted in the Los Angeles time, research shows that another group of people have a larger impact on the likelihood of a teen consuming alcohol.


The best friends of a teens significant other is shown to be the biggest influence in a teens alcohol consumption according to a study done by the American Sociological Review.

"A friend's recent history of binge drinking increased a child's likelihood of doing the same (over and above his or her established drinking patterns) by 30%. And romantic partners mattered too: If the guy or girl  your kid likes has recently gotten blasted, your kid was 32% more likely than he or she already was to binge-drink too."

While this article was printed in the L.A. it holds truth to teen parents across the country.  It challenges the typical point of view parents hold about their teenagers friends and encourages them to turn their eyes to another source of influence.

Problematic Parents

The article, Children of Addicted Parents, from hopenetworks.org, gives information and statistics about children living in homes with addicted parents. One interesting thing mentioned is that alcoholism and other drug addictions have been known to run in families. This is because children of addicted parents are at a higher risk for drug abuse than other children. This connection between a child’s drug use in relation to their parents’ drug use is because of genetic factors and because of the influences of the parents’ attitudes towards drug use.

Addicted parents are often unable to provide the structure and discipline needed by children. The children in these families are often surrounded by increased family conflict involving emotional or physical violence. Many of these children are taken away from their addicted parents and forced into foster care as a way to protect them. This detachment from their parents frequently results in symptoms of depression and anxiety and the children often have anger issues because they feel abandoned.

If a child stays in the home with addicted parents, they commonly experience greater physical and mental health problems which lead to higher health and welfare costs. These children also have high rates of behavior problems because they often “act out” for attention or end up addicted to drugs themselves because they were not taught to avoid drugs.

The article has many statistics to support its statements, but since statistics can easily be misleading, I did not include them. The article itself can be found in its entirety here.

Substance Abuse vs. Substance Addiction; What’s the Difference?

In an article from kidshealth.org, readers are informed on what exactly substance abuse and substance addictions are and the differences between the two. There is a very fine line between substance abuse and addiction. Many people refer to substance abuse as “casual” or “social” drug use. These terms refer to instances when people use drugs to fit in in certain situations. Addictions begin as abuse but become addictions when the user develops a need for the drug.

Addictions do not just occur with drugs or alcohol, but people may also become addicted to medications, cigarettes, or glue. Some substances, like crack or heroin, are more addictive than others and may only take one use before the user develops a need. These addictions can be physical, psychological, or both.

When a person’s body becomes dependent on a substance, they are physically addicted. This means that they begin to build up a tolerance to that substance. This tolerance then leads to that person needing larger doses, as time goes on, to receive the same effects that the first-time-use created.

A psychological addiction is when the cravings for a drug are emotional or psychological. These people feel overwhelmed by the desire to have a drug, rather than the dependency. These individuals often lie or steal to satisfy the cravings of their addiction.

The common and obvious sign of an addiction is the need of a person to continue to use a specific substance. Other, less common, signs of a possible addiction include changes in mood, weight loss or gain, depression, or eating disorders. Physical signals of substance addiction include changes in sleeping patters, and feeling shaky or sick when trying to stop. Psychological signals include using drugs or alcohol as a way to relax, withdrawal from family and friends, loss of interests in what used to be important activities, mood swings, or anxiety and anger.

If you recognize these signs in yourself or of a friend/family member please seek help quickly. Early help leads to an easier recovery.

More information on Getting Help, Tips for Recovery, and Staying Clean will be given next week.

DSS in Trouble?

The article I chose to talk about for my second blog was written by Cliff Leblanc in the “State” newspaper titled “On drugs Children at mercy of parents”. The main arguments were the fact of when DSS workers should be punished for not having children out of these homes. One of the statements made in the article was, “At least five children have died and others are in danger unless the Department of Social Services removes children more quickly from homes where parents have drug abuse problems, according to the state’s Child Fatalities Review Committee.” It was also said that the caseworkers have to make sure it is a safe facility before letting the children go back into the home. Even though it is a requirement, I definitely feel this should go without saying.

Throughout the article there are people like the DSS director Kathleen Hayes and one of the children protection supervisors at DSS headquarters, Pamela Rice. Kathleen was discussing that she was upset about the cases and was saying how she hoped none of it was caused by DSS employees. Rice had made a few comments earlier throughout different conversations about the issue like, “She has known people who smoke (marijuana) and other drugs that can still take care of their children.” Even though she did apologize for these statements and does agree about children needing to be taken out of that kind of environment, she was not able for an interview.

As far as the DSS workers not caring about the children’s safety, the statement Richland County forensic pathologist made was that "It’s not that they don’t care, the problem is there are still lapses in judgment or common sense." Others like former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford also agree that no matter how serious this case is, children should be removed no questions asked. According to the article, in the year 2009 (when this article was written), there were 4,000 DSS employees that are also dealing with other issues like well-fare and child support, not including the caseworkers and other employees working on cases like these with their limited budget of 1.2 billion that was cut $229 million in that year. This is definitely a huge social issue affecting many families not just locally but all around, and definitely needs all the support and help it can get.