Fall is an exciting time for teens. School is back in, football games are underway, Homecoming festivities are quickly approaching. It’s time to celebrate!
We want our teens to be smart about how they celebrate, though. Keep them safe, keep them healthy. Teens need to know that underage drinking not only puts them in harm’s way physically, it is a legal risk not worth taking.
Getting charged with an MIP – minor in possession of alcohol – is no minor problem. Teens who get caught with alcohol will face a legal nightmare with consequences that can carry over into adulthood.
The underage drinking law in Michigan is strict, and carries stiff penalties from the very first offense. According to Michigan law, a minor cannot (1):
Purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol
Consume or attempt to consume alcohol
Possess or attempt to possess alcohol
Have ANY bodily alcohol content – even a few sips of a beer is punishable!
First-time offenders face fines up to $100, community service, and probation which could include substance abuse screening and assessment at his or her own expense.
Get caught a second time and the fines go up to $200. If the second violation is within a probationary period, offenders also face jail time up to 30 days.
Third-time offenses will cost up to $500 and can lead to up to 60 days of jail time.
Alcohol-related offenses are reported to the Secretary of State, which can affect their ability to get a driver’s license later on, or get it back after having a suspended license.
Michigan underage drinking law is a zero-tolerance policy. And for good reason. Teens don’t need to consume alcohol to have fun at a football game. And they certainly don’t need the ongoing legal problems they will face if they are caught drinking.
Many of us grew up familiar with the phrase “don’t drink and drive.” It’s obvious that driving under the influence of alcohol is a bad choice. Alcohol impairs judgment, slows muscle reflexes, decreases response time, and reduces the ability to concentrate. And let’s not forget the possibility of simply passing out behind the wheel!
Drunk driving is illegal. Because it’s dangerous, and people have died as a result.
But, what about “drugged driving?” This is a relatively new conversation, gaining momentum following the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says of drugged driving:
Use of any psychoactive (mind-altering) drug makes it highly unsafe to drive a car and is illegal—just like driving after drinking alcohol. Drugged driving puts at risk not only the driver but also passengers and others who share the road.
A newly-published Columbia University study found that “toxicology exams of nearly 24,000 driving fatalities concluded that marijuana contributed to 12% of traffic deaths in 2010, tripled from a decade earlier.”
We have seen and heard this response many times in discussions about driving under the influence of marijuana; “Alcohol is worse than marijuana!” The truth is, marijuana affects the body in all the same ways – the same NEGATIVE ways – that alcohol does. Impaired judgment, slower reflexes and response times, reduced concentration.
Let’s not argue how the chemicals are consumed. Can we just agree that operating a vehicle under any sort of chemical influence is dangerous?
Despite the constant attention to marijuana, there are other drugs that contribute to the problem of drugged driving.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs carry warning labels. “May cause drowsiness.” “Use care when operating a car or machinery.” Despite the clear warnings, people will still get behind the wheel under the influence of these drugs! Mind boggling, don’t you think? Opiate pain relievers, anxiety medications, cough and allergy syrups…all of these medications can have an effect on driving skills. Misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs combined with driving puts everyone at risk for harm, even death.
Whether it’s alcohol or pot, legal or illicit…chemicals can, and will, drastically reduce your brain and body’s ability to safely operate a car. Our humble suggestion – rather, our most sincere plea – just don’t do any of them before getting behind the wheel of a car!
Video: Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman. Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, speaks to Katie Couric
The world was shocked last week over the news that Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an alleged heroin overdose. The tragic image of a successful, intelligent man dying with a needle stuck in his arm is nothing short of unbelievable to many. How did someone, who seemed to have it all, die in such an extreme and lonely way?
What were the images of heroin users in the past, no longer apply. Users now tend to be more affluent and live in the suburbs. Many of them made the transition from prescription pain pills to heroin, because it is cheaper. Heroin use has been described as an epidemic. The number of heroin users in the United States has nearly doubled in the last 5 years to 660,000.
In Oakland County, we have heard whispers that heroin has injected itself into our communities. Lake Orion has experienced overdoses and drug traffickers. It is not a hushed rumor – heroin is here. It has always been here. It is the silent killer, the drug no one likes to admit their community wrestles with, or their child or spouse is addicted to. But ignorance, and indifference gets us nowhere, and it kills.
What is Heroin?
Heroin is a highly addictive drug processed from morphine and usually appears as a white or brown powder or a black, sticky substance. Heroin is smoked, snorted or injected. It enters into the brain rapidly and binds with receptors involved with breathing, blood pressure, and mood. Heroin is physically and psychologically addictive. Heroin potency is many times for powerful than even 20 years ago. Heroin mixed with other powerful drugs such as Fentanyl is increasingly popular and has a greater potential for overdose and death.
Heroin goes by these street names: Smack, Big H, Black Tar, Chiva, Hell Dust, Horse, Negra, Thunder, Ska and Junk
What are the Health Effects of Heroin?
Coma, death
Drowsiness; alternatively wakeful and drowsy states
Respiratory depression – slow and shallow breathing; blue lips and fingernails
Constricted pupils
Nausea, dry mouth
Heavy extremities
Convulsions
Clammy or warm flushing of the skin
What are the Withdrawal Symptoms?
Restlessness and insomnia
Diarrhea and vomiting
Severe craving for the drug
Muscle and bone pain
Cold flashes
Other Health Effects
With regular use, tolerance develops which puts users at high risk for addiction
Because heroin users don’t know the strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at a high risk for overdose or death
For those who inject heroin, a major concern is getting HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C from sharing needles
Physical dependence
Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infections of the heart and liver, or kidney disease
Change in friends, decline in grades, neglected hygiene and appearance.
Unexplained small foil balls or plastic bags/balloons, capsules, Visine Eye Drops squirt bottle (used for snorting), missing items such as spoons, aluminum foil, checks or cash or patterns of borrowing money with nothing to show for it.
If your child is injecting, his/her drug use has likely progressed. Track marks are a giveaway, but users who inject are typically doing so in hidden places on their bodies
Talk to your tween/teen about the dangers of heroin use and other drugs:
Reinforce your stance against substance abuse
Always know where your child is, who he/she is with and what they are doing
Work hard to keep the lines of communication open between you and your child
Program and Prevention Information……………………….248‐858‐0001
Treatment Information PACE..………………. 1‐888‐350‐0900, ext. 85200
Chief Jerry Narsh of the Lake Orion Police Department is a past board member of North Oakland Community Coalition and current member of the NOCC Advisory Council.
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington, there has been a flurry of arguments across the nation. Comparisons to legal – yet still unhealthy – substances, like alcohol and tobacco, have formed the backbone of the argument for legalization of marijuana.
Recently, President Obama had this to say about marijuana:
“I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
The problem with this statement is that alcohol and tobacco are dangerous to begin with. To say that marijuana is NO MORE dangerous than alcohol or tobacco is like saying that swimming with sharks is no more dangerous than wrestling with alligators. They are both dangerous!
According to The American Lung Association, marijuana smoke contains the same cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke. Thirty-three chemicals, to be exact.
The amount of tar deposited into the lungs from a marijuana cigarette is four times more than from a tobacco cigarette because marijuana cigarettes are unfiltered.
One study found that smoking one marijuana cigarette is like chain-smoking the equivalent of up to 5 tobacco cigarettes. Why? Because marijuana smokers inhale more deeply and hold the smoke in longer.
Inhaling toxic chemicals from marijuana has harmful effects on the body. Marijuana smokers suffer from increased respiratory problems including heavy coughing with phlegm, airway obstruction, more frequent lung infections, and increased risk of heart attack due to higher heart rate.
For people who suffer from mental health issues, smoking marijuana is especially dangerous. The head doctor at a treatment center in Colorado warned that exposure to marijuana in the teen years increases the risk of permanent psychosis in adulthood. His facility is gearing up for an increase in the number of teens who will be seeking treatment for marijuana dependence now that Colorado has legalized it.
Fortunately, the President also addressed the issue of his own children smoking marijuana:
“(Smoking marijuana is) not something I encourage, and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.”
Marijuana is unhealthy, dangerous, and can have detrimental long-term effects on our youth’s mental and physical health. To say that it is not more dangerous than tobacco is misleading and false.
Prevention education and parental participation is key to keeping our kids safe from harmful substances like tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol. NOCC supports The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities’ “Clear the Smoke” campaign that offers key research-based information on the dangers of marijuana use in our youth.
“Like” North Oakland Community Coalition on Facebook. Teens can participate by “liking” our Teens in Action page.
This year’s third annual Drug Facts Week will be held from January 27 to February 2, 2014. Drug Facts Week is a national campaign by the National Institute on Drug Abuse aimed at “shattering the myths” about drug use among teens.
With a never-ending supply of information in the news, on the Internet, and through social media about drug use, the facts can become confusing. Kids may not know where to turn to get current data and proven, scientific facts about marijuana and prescription drug use.
North Oakland Community Coalition’s volunteer group Teens in Action is getting involved this year by handing out drug fact information and other fun items to the students at Lake Orion High School, during lunch breaks, on Tuesday, January 28th.
If you are planning on participating in this year’s event, let us know by liking our Facebook page and letting us know what you did.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve are fast approaching. Kids will be on break soon, and college students will be traveling home to visit family and friends for the first time in months. Maybe you are hosting a holiday celebration at your home. Or will you be visiting others? Chances are likely that, wherever you or your children will be this holiday season, there will be alcohol served. It is critical to understand the truth and consequences of underage alcohol consumption.
So, what is the big deal with letting the kids have some spiked eggnog this Christmas, or a celebratory glass of champagne to ring in the New Year? While it may be tempting to allow underage kids to drink at holiday parties, the truth is that it is potentially harmful to their health. It is also a legal risk that carries stiff consequences for both adults and kids.
Unhealthy Behaviors Begin Early
It has been proven that kids who start drinking at age 13 develop alcohol use disorders more frequently than those who started later in life. Alcohol use disorders are diagnosable medical conditions with symptoms including increased tolerance, physical dependence, loss of control, and social issues. Alcoholism is a crippling, long-term affliction.
Since kids can’t legally purchase alcohol for themselves, where do they get it? A report on The Partnership at Drug Free website says that kids who begin drinking before they are of legal age get their first taste of alcohol directly from their parents, not by sneaking it out of the liquor cabinet.
Prevention is key, and parents are on the front lines. Vigilance and consistency are especially important during the chaotic holiday season when alcohol is flowing more freely. Make it clear to your kids that they are not allowed to drink at a party, even if it’s a family member offering it. This rule should apply in your own home as well as gatherings elsewhere.
Legal Consequences
Parties, or “social gatherings”, are not limited to a residence. Parties in banquet halls, public parks, cabins, mobile homes, and even hotel rooms are subject to the same laws. No matter what the setting, an adult providing alcohol to a minor is breaking the law. The Charter Township of Orion “House Party Responsibility” ordinance (83) outlines the penalty as a fine of up to $500 and/or imprisonment in the Oakland County Jail for up to 90 days, in the discretion of the court.
If your child is attending a party where alcohol is being served, the most effective tool is to set the ground rules before they go. If the party is at another person’s home and you won’t be in attendance, call ahead and talk to the adult in charge to make sure they will not be serving alcohol to minors.
In the event that your child was at a party where an adult offered alcohol to underage kids, or you observe it happening, you can take action. The Oakland County Sheriff Department suggests the following:
If there is an immediate danger to life, or property damage, always call 9-1-1 to report it.
If there is a potential for dander or damage to life or property, as in the case of a house party where alcohol is being served to underage kids, call the dispatch office at (248) 858-4911 to report it.
When the sheriff’s department receives a house party complaint, an officer will conduct an investigation. They will look for evidence such as empty bottles or the scent of alcohol, and then write a detailed report. Violators, including underage drinkers, will be issued citations. Those who are 17 and older will be required to appear before a judge in District Court to face sentencing. Youth 16 or below must appear with their parent or guardian in Probate Court.
Celebrate responsibly this holiday season by setting the precedent that underage drinking is unhealthy and unlawful. What’s the best Christmas present for any parent? The safety and well being of their child.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the North Oakland Community Coalition.
Lake Orion, like many American communities, has a long tradition of taking care of those citizens that may struggle to put food on the table or toys under the tree this time of year.
The North Oakland Community Coalition, the Lake Orion Lions Club and Kensington Church have teamed up to collect toys and non-perishable food stuffs for the Lions Club Christmas Basket Program.
“We wanted to partner with different sectors of the community in a community focused event. The Lions Club does Christmas baskets every year,” explained Julie Brenner, North Oakland Community Coalition Executive Director, “so it seemed like a good fit. Kensington is such a strong presence in the community that we were thrilled when they agreed to be a collection site for us.”
The Community in Action Food & Toy Drive will be December 9 to 15, 2013. Kensington Church, Lake Orion Campus lobby at 4640 S. Lapeer Road is the collection point for canned goods, non-perishable food stuffs and unwrapped toys to be distributed by the Lake Orion Lions on December 21.
“We need volunteers at the CERC to help sort food, “shop”, and deliver boxes of food and gifts to needy people in Orion. For more info contact the club at contact@lakeorionlions.org” said Roger Brodeur, President of Lake Orion Lions Club. The baskets or food and toys will be sorted for delivery at the CERC building on December 20, 2013 from 8 am to 4 pm. All volunteers are welcome.
If you have any questions about the Community in Action Food & Toy Drive contact Barb Shea Pote, NOCC Project Coordinator at 248.520.3786 or visit www.noccmi.org.
Underage drinking should not be considered a “normal” part of growing up, or a “right of passage.” It is risky behavior that can have dire consequences on middle and high school aged children. Alcohol alters normal biological and mental development in young people. Decreased brain and body functions can have profound and lasting negative effects on academic and athletic performance in the youth.
When an adolescent consumes alcohol, areas of the brain responsible for learning, memory, and verbal skills are damaged. Cognitive difficulties such as impaired concentration and sleep disturbances result from early and prolonged exposure to alcohol. The combined physical and mental effects on a young, developing brain interfere with the ability to perform academically. According to the Partnership at Drugfree.org, “substance-using students, compared with non-users, are at increased risk for academic failure, including dropout, especially when the use is frequent and heavy.” 1
At a time when adolescents are learning to navigate appropriate social behaviors, the addition of alcohol can cause low self-esteem, depression, conduct disorders, antisocial behavior, and anxiety.2 Poor social skills can lead to alienation and stigmatization amongst peers at school.
Student athletes also suffer consequences outside of academics. The physical effects of alcohol diminish the ability to perform on the field. Alcohol has and immediate and negative effect on motor skills, strength, power, aerobic function, and coordination. If a student athlete is dehydrated from a night of drinking, he or she will experience cramps, muscle strains, and decreased appetite. Athletes who are dehydrated suffer from electrolyte imbalances that can further damage the brain or even cause death. The health risks associated with binge or prolonged drinking – liver damage, stomach ulcers, vitamin deficiencies – impair performance. 3,4 Student athletes not performing well on the field as a result of alcohol also face alienation by their teammates, coaches, and the student body. Many athletes dream of earning sports scholarships. Poor performance because of alcohol use could cause an athlete to be overlooked for scholarships, or to lose one they have already been awarded.
There is too much at stake when an underage person consumes alcohol. Academic performance slides, athletic ability fails, and self-esteem diminishes. The consequences associated with alcohol use in adolescents should never be taken lightly. Encourage your teenager to stay away from alcohol during their most important, formative years.
Have you, or someone you know, experienced negative effects of underage alcohol use? Please feel free to share your comments below.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and participating local law enforcement are coordinating a nationwide drug “take-back” day on October 26th, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This one-day event will provide residents with no cost, anonymous collection of unwanted and expired medicines.
The North Oakland Community Coalition is proud to join the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in providing a convenient and appropriate place to dispose of these medications. This free service allows the public to get unwanted medications out of the homes, and keeps them from contaminating our water supply.
It is important to remove powerful, and potentially addictive, drugs from your home because prescription drugs are quickly becoming an easily accessible “high” for our local youth. More than 60% of teens in the United States say prescription drugs are easy to get from the home medicine cabinet, the homes of relatives, or from friends
According to the 2012 Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey, the percentage of Lake Orion students who took painkillers such as OxyContin, Codeine, Percocet or Tylenol 3 without a doctor’s prescription was:
8.6% for 7th graders
4.6% for 9th graders
8.1% for 11th graders
Lake Orion students participate in the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth every two years. The survey was developed by Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health.
NOCC urges everyone in the Lake Orion and Oxford area to bring unwanted and expired medications to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Orion Substation located at 2525 Joslyn Road in Lake Orion. Find us in the foyer of the police station, facing Civic Center Park, Saturday, October 26th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NOCC Talk 