Scary time to be a parent?

One of my favorite trainings to do through The Governor's Prevention Partnership is to present emerging drug and alcohol trends to parents, coalition leaders, prevention professionals, school counselors, police officers, and other concerned adults. Without fail, at the end of our 1-3 hour training (depending on time restraints) at least a hand-full of audience members comment about how scary it is to be a parent these days. 

It's true, we do live in a society where new trends are hard to track, teens become increasingly "stealthy", and our young people are constantly bombarded with messages glamorising and at times encouraging risky behavior. All hope is not lost, if anything it provides parents with more talking points in order to address risky youth behaviors with their youngsters. 

The training started as a look into "youth friendly or appealing" alcoholic beverages. We showcased the typically fruity malt beverages, jello shots, and more. Over time it was expanded to include the alcoholic energy drinks, which in my opinion were the first step in a growing concern of introducing the new "blackout in a can" product trend. Beyond the obvious risks of mixing alcohol (a depressant) with caffeine (a stimulant) these new wave of beverages often contain 12% alcohol by volume in a 23.5 oz can making each can the equivalent of 6.6 standard drinks. Aside from the alcoholic beverages, and of course the typical illegal substances there is a growing trend of legal synthetic substances that mimic marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine. 

With the growing field of synthetic drugs, availability of illicit drugs, and ever changing alcohol industry it is important to talk to your kids about the dangers associated with substance abuse. For more information on products, and tips for talking to your kids you can visit The Governor's Prevention Partnership online at www.preventionworksct.org