We all know that not getting enough sleep can have its consequences, such as mood swings and tiredness. Remember those instances of sleepy mornings where you snapped at a friend because you only got 6 hours of sleep, instead of your regular 9-10? Yep, we’ve all been there, especially if a Starbucks wasn’t around the corner for a quick fix. But what if I told you that not getting enough sleep may possibly lead to drug use?

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Living on the streets is a dangerous and unhealthy situation for even the most hardened adults, but what about the kids who live out there? The homeless youth population in America is a very serious problem, obviously, but findings from a recent study shed light on the details of the at-risk behaviors these youth are partaking in. Indeed, these youth are at more risk of violence, infectious disease, mental health problems, and substance abuse than their non-homeless counterparts. 

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At age 15, how often did it fly to ask your mom or dad for a beer? While good parenting and common sense would immediately give your parents a pat on the back for flashing you the evil eye in response to you for daring to ask them for even a sip of an alcoholic beverage of any sort, a recent study suggests that parents should perhaps occasionally say yes to a casual drink or two with their teen. Dr. Mark Bellis and a team of researchers examined drinking habits of 10,000 British teens aged 15-16 and found that youth who drank moderately at home with their folks were less likely to binge drink.

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Over the past 15 years, rural areas in the United States have become increasingly associated with crystal meth, so much so that the powerfully addictive amphetamine has earned the moniker "Hillbilly Crack," a term that simultaneously references geography and socio-economic disparity. While meth is still a problem in pocket communities like Lancaster, OH or Riverside, CA, a different drug, Oxycontin is worming its way through small town America, making a profoundly devasting impact on the teen and young adult citizens. And while Oxycontin isn't necessarily a new drug, its use for recreational highs is for the small town citizenry. A recent trip to Tazewell, VA drew a spotlight to this issue. 

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Substance abuse is a lot like fashion. It has a sort of ebb and flow about it, dictated by trendsetters that may banish a substance one day only to revive it later. Case and point: inhalants. I know, I know – that’s sooooo 1994.

A new U.S. study published in the May 2010 edition of Pediatrics suggests that one-third less teens are using inhalants to get high, as measured between 1993 and 2008. However, the picture that the rate decrease paints may not be all that accurate. The numbers are based on some 35,453 reported cases of inhalant abuse; meaning that the folks who didn’t wind up being discoered quivering, sans pants in the fetal position in their grandma’s laundry room by their dad who subsequently called poison control, are not accounted for.

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 Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! It’s complete and total annihilation as Illinois teens take on ‘the system’ in all out sticker warfare! Underage drinking is in for it! Don’t miss out!

Ok, so maybe preventative campaigns aren’t the most exciting thing in the world, particularly in the eyes of teens who constantly strive for social acceptance. In the great state of Illinois, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) - a statewide group of high school aged advocates who promote healthy decision-making through various school chapters - has implemented Project Sticker Shock. Noble idea, okay name, but not very "shocking."

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It's just as easy to be numb to the barage of media messages we are hit with on the daily as it is to be critical and hyper-aware. Virtually every major motion picture is partially funded by corporations who insert their products onto the big screen for some not-so-subtle advertising via product placement, and magazines are stuffed with seemingly more full page ads than quality content. But there are limits, supposedly, to where certain companies, like those selling alcohol or tobacco, can place their copy. But um, well, not really. Recently, researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health, John Hopkins School of Public Health, and Virtual Media Resources published an article in the Journal of Adolescent Health that presents strong evidence that alcohol companies are purposely targeting youth through magazine advertising. 

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