Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 23, 2014 under Addiction Trends | 
The teenage years are often very difficult for children and parents. These soon-to-be adults are learning who they are as people and developing their own viewpoints and opinions about life. They have more freedoms than they have had in the past, they are much more influenced by their peers and they are confronted with a lot of hard decisions.
One thing that makes the teenage years especially hard for parents and children is the increased amount of pressure to experiment with drugs. Studies indicate that at this age teenagers are more likely to listen to their peers than their parents, so when their friends are consuming drugs the chances that poor decisions are going to be made increase exponentially. Due to all this, it is becoming more important to discuss drugs with children than ever before.
Some parents are content with letting the educational system lecture children on the dangers of drug abuse. Uncomfortable conversations about choosing friends, drug abuse, sex and peer pressure are often avoided to keep the peace during these tumultuous years. Some experts share why this is detrimental to the safety of teenagers and why parents need to have open, honest conversations regarding all of these topics – because they are real issues going on in most teenager’s lives.
Telling a teenager not to do something can often be a fatal mistake. At this age, teenagers are oftentimes rebellious and believe that they know best. Since they are already more inclined to take advice and direction from their peers instead of their parents, it is important to not alienate them further by forbidding them from association. Instead of taking such a contentious route, it is better to help them understand why they should not experiment with drugs. Using examples from their life will help them to see that they do not want to take chances with drugs. For instance, if a teenager is very involved with sports, show them how drugs would prevent that sort of lifestyle from continuing. Using real life examples is better for this age group, as extreme examples tend to be brushed off as too hypothetical to happen to them.
Praise and encourage teenagers when they make good, healthy decisions. Acknowledging a correct decision is important when building self-confidence and it shows the teenager that they have the ability to do the right thing for themselves.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 15, 2014 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
Federal law enforcement took action against hundreds of websites participating in activities ranging from selling illegal goods and services, including dozens of “dark market” websites selling illegally selling drugs. According to the United States Department of Justice, the website addresses and computer servers hosting these websites was seized early this week as a part of an international law enforcement collaboration.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell stated that criminals are using advanced technology to commit and conceal evidence of their illegal activity. “The global law enforcement community has innovated and collaborated to disrupt these ‘dark market’ websites, no matter how sophisticated or far-flung they have become,” Caldwell said.
“Dark market” websites are designed to work through anonymity of both the seller and the buyer. The sites are only accessible through the Tor anonymizing network, and payments to the sites for illicit goods and services are made via anonymous virtual currency like bitcoin.
The operation involved the seizure of more than 400 Tor website addresses (.onion addresses) and the servers hosting them. Examples of the websites seized during the operation are “Pandora” (pandora3uym4z42b.onion), “Blue Sky” (blueskyplzv4fsti.onion), “Hydra” (hydrampvvnunildl.onion) and “Cloud Nine” (xvqrvtnn4pbcnxwt.onion). These sites are similar to Silk Road 2.0. They offered illicit goods and services ranging from illegal drug sales, selling medications without prescriptions, counterfeit money and fake identification documents.
The investigation into these “dark markets’ is an ongoing effort between federal, state and international law enforcement agencies.
Associate Director Peter Edge of Homeland Security Investigations said that underground websites like Silk Road and Silk Road 2.0 are like the Wild West of the internet. “We will continue to use all of our resources and work closely with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners to shut down these hidden black market sites,” Edge said. He also said he wants to hold criminals responsible for using anonymous internet software to conduct illegal activities.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 11, 2014 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
In a state where drugs are a constant threat, whether because they are smuggled across the border or because many residents are addicted to some sort of substance, it may not be too shocking that a third of Arizona students are using illegal drugs. State officials recently reported that more students in the Arizona are abusing drugs than ever before.
Surveys conducted last spring and reported their findings earlier this month, which showed that one-third of the 48,000 school-aged children in 8th, 10th and 12th grades reported that they had used drugs within the past month. When questioned on where they obtained the drugs, 75% of the children reported receiving drugs from their friends. Friends were responsible for providing alcohol, tobacco products, prescription drugs and marijuana.
Due to the fact that more people are able to obtain marijuana from a medical marijuana card, the number of young people receiving marijuana from those who have legally obtained the drug rose as well. In fact, that rose from 11.6 percent just a couple of years ago to 14.3 percent this year.
The hope is that with this new information law enforcement, teachers and parents can make a more concentrated effort on handling the drug problem among Arizona children. Understanding and knowing where children are obtaining their drugs is a good step. Parents can be more aware of their children’s friends and monitor their activities more closely. While these new efforts will by no means eliminate the drug problem among children in Arizona, officials hope that the information can be used to their advantage.
Staying on top of current trends in drug use and associated behaviors will allow people to adapt and develop new programs for drug education and prevention.
