Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 4, 2017 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | 
A new screening test is being developed to help alert parents and healthcare workers of a potential for abuse among teenagers. Prior research has proven that young people who score high on novelty seeking tests are more likely to develop drug or alcohol addictions in the future. However, scientists believe they may have found a better way to determine the potential for addiction in teenagers. By using a brain scanning test called Monetary Incentive Delay Task (MID), researchers believe they get more accurate results and therefore they can potentially help more patients avoid a life of drug and alcohol dependence.
In order to test their theory, scientists gathered 144 children who had taken and scored high on the novelty seeking tests. Novelty seeking is a personality trait associated with impulsiveness, extravagance, and disorderliness. In the past, teenagers who have scored high on these tests had slightly higher chances of becoming addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.
The researchers specifically chose the 144 young adolescents who had taken these tests because they scored high, but had not developed drug addictions. They then gave them a video game where the child could play for points that could eventually be converted into money. While the child was playing the game, they were also hooked up to an MRI. This is important because scientists are interested in measuring the brain as the child begins to plan for future rewards, like the amount of money they can earn while playing the game.
Traditionally, children show less brain activity than adults when they plan for future rewards. However, drug use diminishes this brain activity even further. So, the scientists are essentially getting a baseline and will monitor these children as they move through their teenage years. If any of the children develop an addiction towards drugs, the scientists will be able to compare their baseline brain activity to their present-day brain activity. They are looking to determine if drug use in teenagers is because of low brain activity (which can be caught and monitored) or if drug activity suppresses further brain activity.
The ultimate goal for these scientists however is to be able to one day diagnose people with future drug abuse, so the problem could be addressed before the individual started taking drugs in the first place.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 24, 2015 under Synthetic Drugs |
Man-made drugs that mimic popular street drugs have become more popular among children and teenagers in Arizona and throughout the country. Manufacturers are producing drugs that create similar effects as many illicit drugs. One of the most popular types of synthetic drugs is synthetic marijuana, which is often called Spice or K2. Synthetic marijuana has been available gas stations and has been sold as other types of products. Manufacturers package and market the drug as potpourri, although it is understood that the intention is to smoke the dried leaves.
Once in the system, the synthetic marijuana quickly goes to work making the person feel high and lethargic, much like marijuana does. But this is where the similarities often stop. Synthetic marijuana has some dangerous side effects. Users of the drug, children and teenagers being the overwhelming majority, have reported feelings of intense paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, cravings and depression.
Recently, researchers set out to investigate the risk factors associated with synthetic marijuana usage. Researchers determined that young, white males were the main demographic who abused synthetic marijuana. Further study showed that teenagers that abused synthetic marijuana were more likely to abuse other drugs down the road. Despite the perception that synthetic marijuana is a safer alternative, most children were using the “potpourri” as a stepping stone to other illicit drugs down the road. The study indicated that teenagers that were abusing synthetic marijuana were twice as likely to suffer from alcohol problems in the future as well.
The main concept here is that regardless of the substance, if a young person is willing to ingest something looking to create some type of altered state, then that same intention translates to other drugs. In that sense, any first type of substance abuse ultimately becomes the “gateway drug.” Helping to eliminate that desire through other meaningful interaction is a great step in the direction of drug prevention.
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.
