Teens Smoking Cigarettes

A casual smoking habit can easily turn into a lifelong battle with addiction. Find out how to keep your teen from starting to smoke – or help him/her quit now.

With school opening, peer pressure can start.  Maybe a friend picked up this bad habit of smoking and your teen is curious about it.  Curiosity is normal - however be sure you have taken the time to talk to you your teen over and over again about the dangers of smoking.  It is a topic you don’t just talk about once, you have to remind your teen over and over about taking care of their bodies.

The Florida Quitline has valuable information, resources and tips to help you or your teen to quit smoking. It is easier said than done, as with many addictions, you have to have the desire to quit before you can start to give it up.

Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) is a state of the art anti-tobacco program specifically designed for high school students who want to quit smoking. N-O-T helps teens to stop smoking or reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke by identifying why they smoke, pinpointing social influences that encourage them to smoke, combating social pressures, understanding immediate benefits of quitting, setting realistic and attainable goals for change, and developing life management skills.

Call 1-800-LUNGUSA to learn more about N-O-T in your area.  Read more.

Texting and Teens: Did your teen teach you to text?

Cellphone use! Yes, according to the recent Nielsen Study, Florida ranks fourth in the United States for cell phone use among all ages, joining seven other Southern states whose residents chat on cell phones for more than 800 minutes a month, the highest nationwide.

Also according to this study, teens rule when it comes to texting:

Not surprisingly, teens text the most, sending or receiving an amazing 2,779 SMS messages a month. In the next two age brackets, text usage falls by more than half each time, with those aged 18-24 sending or receiving 1,299 messages and those aged 25-34 exchanging an average of 592 messages. While the text usage varies greatly between those 18-24 and those 25-34, their voice usage is quite close (981 voice minutes for 18-24 and 952 minutes a month for those 25-34 years old.)

See the complete study here.

Davie resident 14 year-old Jaycee said she text’s her parents more than she talks to them.  Whether this is accurate or not, the recent study does confirm that texting is a primary source of communication for teens.

Cellphone Safety Tips from Connect Safely can help you be an educated parent.

• Smart socializing. Use the same good sense about what you post from your phone as from a computer. Once they’re posted, text, photos, and video are tough to take back, can be copied and pasted elsewhere, and are up there pretty much forever. Think about the people in them (including you!). Reputations are at stake – even more so if nudity or sex is involved.

• Phones are personal. Letting other people use your phone when you’re not around is like letting them have the password to your social network profile. They can impersonate you. Which means they can play tricks on you that could really become a problem. It’s a good idea to lock your phone when you’re not using it. It’s not a good idea to let friends text for you while you’re driving. Don’t text while driving; just be safe and turn the phone off!

• Bullying by phone. Because people socialize on cellphones as much as online, cyberbullying can be mobile too. Treat people on phones and the Web the way you would in person, and the risk of being bullied goes down. Be aware, too, of people randomly taking pictures at parties – you may not want to be tagged in their social-network photo albums.

• Sexting: It’s the same on phones as on the Web – do not take, send, post or even store on your phone nude photos of anyone under 18. You could be charged with production, distribution, or possession of child pornography, a serious crime. You could also be subjected to jokes, bullying, blackmail, expulsion from school, loss of a job, etc. and the images can circulate forever.

• The value of “presence.” If you do a lot of texting, consider the impact that being “elsewhere” might be having on the people around you. Your presence during meals, at parties, in the car, etc. is not only polite, it’s a sign of respect and appreciated.

• Down time is good. Constant texting and talking can affect sleep, concentration, school, and other things that deserve your thought and focus. You need your sleep and real friends understand there are times you just need to turn off the phone – harassment can happen between midnight and morning too.

• Social mapping. Most cellphones now have GPS technology and there are a growing number of services that allow friends to pinpoint each other’s physical location. If you use such a service, do so only with friends you know in person, and get to know the service’s privacy features!

Reprinted with permission from Connect Safely.

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Addiction, Teen Addict, Get Sober Today: Recovery Month 2010

Sadly many parents watch their teens spiral out-of-control using drugs and drinking.  Today it seems there is more accessibility as well as freedoms that teens are taking advantage of.  Worse than all of this is if your teen becomes addicted.  Addiction can control your life and ruin it, as well as destroy families.

Now the positive side. Year after year, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) witnesses tremendous success and commitment from people and organizations across the country. For more than 20 years, the campaign has joined together millions of people to celebrate recovery and educate communities about addiction.

This year is no different.  Get ready for September 2010 when Recovery Month is back and ready to reach into your community and make a difference in lives.

in South Florida on September 25th, Family Fun Day sponsored by South Florida Behavioral Health Network/ Concept House starts at 10:00am.  Located at Morningside Park in Miami, there will be a BBQ and lots of fun with games, sack races, food and more.  Contact Martha Morales at mmorales.concepthouse@yahoo.com for more information.

Find your local event for Recovery Month or have one!  Put your zip code in the box on Recovery Month page. Click here. Come back here to watch the quick and powerful video.

Make a difference in someone’s life today.  Download the 2010 Recovery Kit today.  Click here.
Follow Recovery Month on Twitter and join their group on Facebook.

MUST WATCH VIDEO . PASS IT ON.

Extended Screen Time Linked to Teen Depression

Teenage depression is a growing concern among parents.  Depression can lead to negative behavior that could potential cause thoughts of suicide, drug use, self-injury and more.  As school is opening soon, take the time and precautions to have a healthy new school year.

Recently US News reported  on Teen Depression Linked to Internet Overuse:

Depression is common among teenagers; each year, an estimated 2 million teens and preteens develop clinical depression, and last year the federal government recommended that all teenagers be screened for depression. So parents may want to note the link between “Internet addiction” and depression, and keep a closer eye on children who depend on screen time as a pacifier or mood stabilizer. A recent study also found a correlation between video game use and ADHD. Like the “Internet addiction” study, no causal link has been proven, but one-third of children exceed the two hours of daily TV and computer screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Setting limits on screen time— and enforcing them—can really help.

Before school opens, sit down with your teenager.  Set limits, set boundaries and most importantly explain to your teen why it is important to stay healthy and how spending extended amount of time in front of a computer screen is not healthy.  Explaining that depression is not only common in teens, it is also a growing problem in adults.  The time is now to take care of their emotional health.

Signs of teenage depression:

• Sadness or hopelessness
• Irritability, anger, or hostility
• Tearfulness or frequent crying
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Loss of interest in activities
• Changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Restlessness and agitation
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Lack of enthusiasm and motivation
• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Difficulty concentrating
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens!

Communication is key! Start talking today!  Read more.

Troubled Teens – Struggling Teens – Teen Help – Defiant Teens

Parenting adolescents today has become more of a challenge than a joy with many families.  Not all, thankfully, but there are more issues surrounding peer pressure, bullying, social media, music, movies and other influences that can cause a negative environment.

• Drug use: Huffing, inhalants, sniffing, smoking pot
• Alcohol use: Underage drinking, supervised drinking
• Defiance: Blatant disrespect, especially towards parents
• Disengaged: No longer wanting to participate in family activities
• Change of peer group:  Choosing friends that are not a good influence

Obviously this list could go on and on as more and more teenagers are engaging in harmful or dangerous activities.

Is your teen reaching a level that he/she are out-of-control? Going down a negative path with only a few years left of high school? Do you fear for their future if they continue down this road?

Typical teenage behavior, which much of it can be, however what happens when this typical behavior lands them in juvie? Or in the hospital with an overdose?

Most have tried therapists. Most have even tried out-patient programs. Some have tried sending their teen to a relatives to live. What happens when these attempts fail?

For many, it is time for residential therapy. Now you really need to be engaged, do your homework and be extremely cautious. The world of teen-help is a big business and they are waiting for parents that are at their wit’s end to call!

There are many good programs in our country. The most important decision you will make is choosing the right one for your child. Don’t rely on marketing arms, toll-free numbers, and spams of email promises. Do your due diligence and work through this process in the best interest of your family.

Visit www.helpyourteens.com for helpful hints and tips for finding what is best for your family. Remember, if you are on the East Coast (Florida or other states), just because the Internet seems to continue to point you to the West Coast, there are programs on the East Coast that are extremely high quality – and some of the best. Although you don’t want the school/program in your backyard, you also don’t want to be so far away that visiting them would be difficult.

For more detailed information pick up Wit’s End: Advice and Resources for Saving Your Out-of-Control Teen – it could save your teenager today! By visiting Parents’ Universal Resource Experts (PURE) you can receive a free chapter here.

World renown Parenting Expert and TODAY Show Contributor, Dr. Michele Borba, wrote recently about PURE and Wit’s End, click here.

Remember, be a parent first – friendship will come in time. This is not about shipping your teen off, it is about giving them a second opportunity at a bright future!

Parents’ Universal Resource Experts (PURE) is a Member of the Better Business Bureau.

For over a decade, PURE has helped thousands of families!

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