| Welcome to the June 2008 Newsletter! Continuing to provide information on the prevention of substance abuse, violence and other high risk behaviors, has been our united effort as The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities.
Our previous newsletters are available on the ACHC website.
What's Happening Now
Summer Means Safety First
Summer months are times of great fun, but are also times of greater need to be a responsible parent. Here are some reminders for having a safe summer:
Be alert for safety, safety, safety
Children should be monitored while playing outdoors. Make sure you check for helmets before kids are one their bikes, scooters or skateboards. All types of water activities need careful attention, and pools should be empted or covered in the absence of adult supervision. As summer is the time of year known for excessive temperatures, check your backseat before leaving your car and NEVER leave a child in the hot car.
Childproof those windows.
Use window guards for all rooms above the first floor. Screens do not protect children from falling out of windows.
Lock up those medications and alcohol
Be safe by making prescriptions drugs and alcohol unavailable to your teens and their friends
Ask questions, stay involved
Teenagers need and deserve a certain amount of privacy in their lives, but that does not imply parents should stop parenting. Check and double-check teenage party plans. Talk to those supervising parents. Do not hesitate to make surprised visits. Embarrassing your teenager is your privilege and right.
Make sure your rules are clear and enforced.
If you are going out of town, do not leave teens unsupervised overnight. Even responsible teenagers get into big trouble when the supervisory distance increases. Follow through with your consequences. Your primary mission is to keep your teenager safe and on the right road to responsible adulthood. It's okay to say NO.
Be computer literate and web savvy.
Establish simple rules for you child's computer use, and enforce those rules, like restricting your child to one e-mail account, limiting their time online, and do not allow access to a web cam. Keep your computer in a public area of your home where adults are present.
If your child is part of a social networking site (i.e. MySpace, Blogger, Facebook, Friendster, Tagged), have them set their profile to "private". Make sure they NEVER give out personal information, and clearly explain what is considered personal (name, age, photos, gender, physical description, telephone number, address, etc.).
Parents should also know who their friends are online, by learning screen names, buddy lists and email addresses. Careful addition should be brought to any activity in chat rooms where contact with strangers is greatly increased, and they should not be allowed access to private chat rooms or those that are adult orientated. Make sure they know to NEVER AGREE TO MEET ANYONE THEY MEET ONLINE IN PERSON.
Watch that summer weight
Structure your child's summer to include outside activities and exercise. Plan ahead to create healthy summer treats.
Make that sunscreen work
Use sun protection as directed, even on cloudy days. Clothing is the best defense against the sun, but physicians often recommend broad spectrum sunscreens that block both ultra-violet A and B with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Travel smart
Plan activities throughout the day that keep your children's attention, and be sure to plan multiple rest stops and prepare health snacks and water.
Lights out, please!
Make sure to maintain a healthy sleep schedule for your self and your children.
Headlines
ACHC adopts position on legalization of "medical" marijuana
Michigan voters will decide in November whether "medical" marijuana will be legal. Members of the Michigan Prevention Association have discussed the lack of research and policies to monitor the outcome of prescriptions for marijuana use, and issued a statement May 15 in opposition to this ballot initiative.
At the ACHC Board meeting on May 20, the MPA position statement was reviewed, and the members unanimously approved the following statement:
"It is the position of the board of ACHC that approving marijuana for medical purposes will increase the availability of marijuana and create an environment where the use of the drug is considered safe and acceptable, especially among youth inMichigan. Therefore, ACHC is opposed to the legalization of marijuana".
Every voter is encouraged to study the statistics and results in other states where the legalization has occurred before voting on this important ballot initiative.
Current Research
Energy Drinks lead to High-Risk Behaviors
Teens who consume high-energy drinks are more likely to engage in high risk behaviors due to the extreme levels of caffeine in the blood stream. These behaviors could include, increase levels of drug and alcohol consumption, violence, and engaging in un-protected sex. Read More
Teen Drivers are Influenced by Peer and Adult Driving Behaviors
Motor accidents are among the leading causes of death among the teen population, research has been conducted to determine the impact that adult and peer driving behavior has on our youth population. Read More
Marijuana’s Increase in Potency
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has reported the growing potency of Marijuana over the past several years. This increasing strength of Marijuana can also be seen in the growing number of teen treatments for abuse, addiction, and emergencies. Read More
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