Troubled Teens Resources

It depends on what part of the country that you live in, but many teen crisis intervention efforts are directed towards youth in gangs. As traffic continues to moves freely across our Southern borders, gangs are starting to proliferate in areas of the country that never had problems before. With gangs come the usual problems with teen drug substance abuse, crime, murders and abuse of young teen girls.

“Acts of violence and crime are on the rise in St. George due to an increase in gang activity as more gang members are moving to the area, and more kids are becoming involved with these gangs.

Ex-gang member Alii Alo is reaching out to the youth in schools and on the streets. He has seen firsthand the devastation that comes with gang affiliation. Alo, known as Bear on the streets, co-created Team RAW in 2003 with Tami Fullerton. They saw the need for an organization that offers an alternative to the gang lifestyle by providing activities for at risk youth, developing friendships with the kids, and building a rapport with current gang members.”
(source)

Team RAW, like so many community efforts is in need of funding. Staff is short and there isn’t enough money to conduct the type of outreach the founders wish to perform. This is where parents can play a part by being pro-active for their teen’s safety. Gangs are a danger to an entire city, not just the parts of town that they control. When parents demand safety from their law enforcement, they also need to see what they can contribute to community efforts like RAW.

“John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, said, “While destructive street drugs like meth and crack produce gruesome news images and headlines, prescription drug abuse has quietly become a major part of our Nation’s addiction problem. Too many Americans, and increasingly, too many young women, simply do not know the addictive potential of these medicines.”
(source)

Teen Girls Exceed Teen Boys in Script Abuse

The same report goes on to describe an emerging trend. Women have always comprised the minority when it comes to addictions and deaths associated with street drugs. They are now, however, in the lead when it comes to incidents of prescription drug abuse. Teen age drug abuse is represented in those figures as well.

“… when it comes to teen prescription drug abuse. Nearly one in ten (9.2 percent) teen girls report using a prescription drug to get high at least once in the past year, compared to one in 13 (7.5 percent) teen boys.”

Theories describe young teen girls as more vulnerable because, while boys drug use has to do more with “sensation seeking”, females tend to be trying to fulfill emotional and psychological needs, a type of self- medicating

“…females abuse drugs and alcohol to increase confidence, reduce tension, cope with problems, lose inhibitions, or to lose weight.”

Basic Guidelines

Some basic suggestions for parents, especially as prescription drug abuse pertains for young girls :

• Address negative self esteem or body image issues
• Never share medications or use them outside of a physician’s care and supervision
• Closely monitor and regulate the supply of prescription drugs in your home
• Properly dispose of any unneeded or expired prescription drugs

The Office of National Drug Control Policy offers a great deal of relevant information.