Substance Abuse Archives | Page 5 of 8

Parents

Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes, and Substance Use in Adolescents

If you follow our articles and blogs, you may have noticed we spend time and energy writing about tobacco use. More specifically, we write about e-cigarette use – a.k.a. vaping nicotine – and its dramatic increase in prevalence in the adolescent population over the past five years. In a recent article highlighting the results of the 2020 Monitoring the Future Survey (2020 MTF), we described this phenomenon in detail. To

January 26, 2021

Marijuana Use Increases Over the Year for Most Age Groups

Parents

Research Report: Quarterly Patterns of Adolescent Marijuana Use

In the summer and fall of 2020, researchers at New York University conducted an in-depth analysis of marijuana use data from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The study, released online in January 2021 and scheduled for publication in February 2021, assessed quarterly trends in past-month marijuana use among people age 12 and over between 2015 and 2019. The goal of the study was to

January 18, 2021

Anxiety & Mood Disorders

Winter Break: Time for a COVID Mental Health Check-In

The holidays are finally here. Which means the new year is right around the corner. This means that very soon, we all get to put 2020 behind us, and look forward to a better 2021. We don’t need to reiterate why everyone is excited to turn the page. We know every one of you is tired of hearing the word “unprecedented.” You don’t want to read one more email that

December 21, 2020

Parenting

Parents: Consider Treatment for Teens Over Christmas Break

2020 has been a year to remember. Or forget. We can’t decide. Either way, everyone will be glad to put 2020 in the rearview mirror. This time last year, we were gearing up for the second half of the winter holidays, highlighted by Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day. This year, things are completely different. In California, the pandemic is triggering a new wave of shelter-in-place orders. Around the

December 8, 2020

Mental Health and Addiction Statistics: Teens in Beverly Hills

What are the rates of suicidal ideation for teens in Beverly Hills? What percentage of high school teens in Beverly Hills use drugs? We have the answers. Every year, the California Department of Education Coordinated School Health and Safety Office administers a survey to public school students in school districts across the state. This annual survey – the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) – is anonymous and confidential. The survey

November 1, 2020

How to Tell if a Teen Needs Residential Treatment

If you worry your teen is getting off track this fall, you’re not alone. Parents across the country understand that the stress and disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic can have a wide range of negative consequences for their teens. Shelter-in-place orders, social distancing guidelines, and virtual school all mean things teens previously took for granted no longer happen the way they did. If they’re happening at all. Depending on

September 15, 2020

How Many 7th Graders in Lafayette, California Think Daily Marijuana Use is Okay?

Too many. During the 2017-2018 school year, the California Healthy Kids Survey asked students in Lafayette, California about their substance use habits and their opinions on substance use. Lafayette is a small city in Contra Costa County, California, situated between Berkeley and Walnut Creek in the East Bay. It’s adjacent to the towns of Moraga and Orinda, and locals have dubbed the area “Lamorinda.” In addition to asking 7th graders if

August 13, 2020

In Moraga, California, Twenty-Five Percent of Fifth Graders Have Tried Alcohol

If you’re a parent, teacher, or professional who works with youth in Contra Costa County, California, you might be interested in the current rates of adolescent substance use in cities such as Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and Moraga. While our past articles have focused on substance use in high school students, this article discusses the alarming rate of early substance use/exposure in elementary school students. The following information

July 22, 2020

Mental Health/Suicide Statistics for Teens in Contra Costa County, CA

The most recent data on substance use and mental health issues among Contra Costa County residents is from 2015/2016. That’s the last year that Contra Costa, countywide, participated in the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS). Contra Costa County includes the following cities and towns: Antioch Brentwood Clayton Concord Danville El Cerrito Hercules Lafayette Martinez Moraga Oakley Orinda Pinole Pittsburg Pleasant Hill Richmond San Pablo San Ramon Walnut Creek The CHKS

July 6, 2020

Report: The Most Commonly Abused Drugs in LA County

Addiction and substance use is a nationwide problem. But specific areas of the country show specific trends and drug patterns. For example, the 2019 Los Angeles County Sentinel Community Site (SCS) Drug Use Patterns and Trends Report shows the current statistics of drug use in Los Angeles County. Dr. Mary-Lynn Brecht of UCLA authored the report, which was funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) together with the

June 25, 2020

Substance Abuse