Springtime Conundrums...

1)    What does gateway drug mean anyway?

“Gateway” drug refers to any drug that may lead to the use of other more harmful or addictive drugs.  In recent years we have heard a lot about marijuana being a “Gateway” drug.  So, what’s the scoop?  The bottom line is if have experienced altering your consciousness with any substance – alcohol, marijuana or pain medication, for example,  you are more likely to try other substances that alter your consciousness.  Most likely this is true because the type of experience is much more familiar.  Certainly if you look at the history of many people who struggle with addiction, most of them started with drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana – there is a high correlation between youthful experimentation and addiction.  At the same time, smoking pot or drinking a few beers does not guarantee that you will try other substances nor is there a guarantee that you will become addicted or dependent on that substance or a substance in the future.  The bottom line is that your risk of addiction increases if you

a) use before the age of 15 (your risk actually quadruples if you use at 15 or younger)

b) have a family history of addiction – and addiction may also include eating disorder history, gambling addiction, sex addiction, or drugs and alcohol. 

c) have a lot of stress in your life

d) are surrounded by people where substance use and abuse is normalized

So, if you are using or are thinking about it just keep in mind the risks.  You only have one body and one brain.  You only live once. Precious cargo.  Treat with love and care.  THINK IT THROUGH.  You’re worth it.

2)   So, I think I want to talk to someone about my drinking, but I am afraid my parents will find out.  What should I do?

It is against the law for a substance use counseling organization to require parental consent before getting treatment or to set up an appointment.  So, there is no need to fear that your parents will have find out.  Confidentiality laws are very strict and without your elicit permission – in writing – a substance use treatment provider cannot contact your parents.  With that said, a counselor may recommend that your parents be informed if they feel that your safety is in danger or that your treatment success would improve with their support.  However, you hold the reigns.  The other possible loop hole is payment.  If you have health insurance or MaineCare, a bill or a summary of services will get sent to your parent or guardian.  So, if you don’t want anyone to find out, best pay out of pocket.  If needed some places offer sliding fee scales, scholarships or payment plans – just ask!  Local places to get support: Acadia Family Center in Southwest Harbor 244-4012, MDI Behavior Health Center 288 – 8604, Open Door Recovery Center – 667-3210.  To find a counselor who is not part of an organization call 211 or go to: www.211maine.org for a list of providers.   

If you are thinking about getting help and are nervous about making the first step and you go to MDI high school, go to the Teen Drop In Group at 2:15 on Wednesdays in the library resource room or at 9:30am on Thursdays in the guidance office.   Check in with guidance for more information – Kip Young, LADC or Milja Brecher-DeMuro, LMSW-CC look forward to talking with you.

    3) We’ve gotten a lot of questions about anal sex, so we turned to expert Linda Robinson, Certified Nurse Midwife at the Women’s Health Center in Bar Harbor, to help answer your questions.

Anal sex, in which the anus rather than the vagina is penetrated, can be sexually pleasurable for some women.  In many parts of the world, it is practiced as a means of birth control.  However, many women find anal intercourse painful and not at all pleasurable.  No one should feel pressured or forced to engage in it.  There is danger of tearing the rectal lining cells (mucosa) during anal penetration, because the tissue is very thin compared with that of the vagina.  Tearing of the mucosa can lead to an increase in the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.  The rectum does not have the natural protective barriers to disease that are present in the vaginal mucosa and it's secretions.  Also, vaginal or oral sex should never follow anal sex without thorough washing of the penetrating object.  Bacteria from the rectum can cause infection when introduced into the mouth or vagina.

With anal intercourse, infective organisms (bacteria and viruses) can be more easily transmitted into the bloodstream and are therefore more pathogenic (i.e., more capable of causing disease).  Lubricating jellies can diminish the discomfort of anal intercourse. Condoms are protective!

You can contact Linda Robinson by calling the Women’s Health Center at 207-288-8100.

   4) The rumors are running amok…Can you get drunk from a Vodka   soaked tampon? – Responded to by Linda Robinson, Certified Nurse Midwife, of the Women’s Health Center in Bar Harbor – 207-288-8100.

"When an alcoholic beverage is consumed it passes down the esophagus through the stomach and into the small intestine. Although a small amount of alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membrane, the vast majority of alcohol enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. Alcohol is water soluble and the bloodstream rapidly transports the ethanol throughout the body where it is absorbed into the body tissues in proportion to their water content."

 "The rate at which alcohol is absorbed depends on how quickly the stomach empties its contents into the intestine. The higher the dietary fat content, the more time this emptying will require and the longer the process of absorption will take. One study found that subjects who drank alcohol after a meal that included fat, protein, and carbohydrates absorbed the alcohol about three times more slowly than when they consumed alcohol on an empty stomach. Normally, total absorption occurs within 120 - 150 minutes after the cessation of alcohol consumption."

These quotes are from the Intoximeters, Inc. homepage.  As you can see, a vodka soaked tampon may allow a small amount of alcohol to be absorbed into the mucus membrane, but it cannot cause drunkenness.  It would be the same as filling your mouth with vodka and spitting it out.  It may cause some irritation to the vaginal walls, and may alter the ph of the vaginal lining thus allowing for vaginal infections to manifest, but is not a way to get drunk.

 

The questions you asked, the answers you seek...

1) Can doing drugs educe negative behaviors?

Yes.  First and foremost the brain isn’t fully developed until a person reaches about the age of 25. And the part of the brain that is still developing – the pre-frontal cortex – is the part of the brain that is in charge of complex decision making – i.e. what to do in a dangerous situation, how to respond to something that makes you feel uncomfortable, how to get out of a situation that you don’t want to be in.  So, when you put a mind-altering or mood-altering substance into your body it affects the function of your brain.  So, if a brain is not quite developed and then you add something to it that further lessens its ability to function, poor choices are more likely to be made which, in turn, increases the chance of “educing (or bringing out) negative behaviors”. 

Alcohol in particular first effects pre-frontal cortex part of your brain – the complex decision making part of your brain – so, the first part of your brain to feel the effects of alcohol is the part of you that can determine a bad situation from a good situation and help you act, behave or react in the best way you know how.  So, in consuming alcohol before your brain is fully developed you put yourself at risk for a) making poor decisions for yourself and/or b) having someone make a poor decision at your expense – for example: rape, violence, unwanted pregnancy, car accidents, STD’s, infidelity, etc...

The next concern is that if one’s drinking or drug use increases and becomes more regular or increases in amount – a.k.a binge drinking (an average size woman consuming 4 or more alcoholic drinks in 2 hours or an average man consuming more than 5 drinks in 2 hours) – you can actually permanently halt your brain development.  So potentially mentally or emotionally you may stay at 16.  That could be a big problem for someone who wants to become a college athlete, a musician, a poet or a scientist or even a good, solid friend.

The impact of alcohol and drugs affects all of us differently.  Some people are more susceptible than others.  Not everyone will become addicted or dependent on alcohol or drugs.  There are some key factors that may bring each of us closer to that potential line for addiction. 

1)     The age that you first started.  (People that start drinking or drugging by the age of 15 are 4 times (yeah, 4 times!) more likely to struggle with addiction. 

2)     Your family tree – Are there any people in your biological family that struggle with addiction now or in the past?

3)     Your environment – do you hang out with people that use drugs or alcohol?  The people you surround yourself with can have a strong influence on your choices regarding drugs and alcohol.

4)     Your stress level – Does school stress you out?  Is your home life challenging?  Are you struggling in any of your relationship? 

If one of these circumstances rings true to you, your likelihood of addiction is greater – if you have more than one, your likelihood grows even more.

  The bottom line is that if you decide to drink alcohol or use drugs – know the risks – know the chances you are taking with your body, your brain, your life and even the lives of the people around you.

2) Is it okay to call the cops on your friend when they are driving drunk?

Yes it is okay because that friend is not only taking a big chance with their own life but they are also taking a chance with the lives of everyone else on the road. 

It may seem like you are breaking trust within your friendship to call the police or that maybe you’re jeopardizing your relationship – but if you end up saving their life or the lives of others, isn’t that worth the risk? 

Other options – call a responsible, sober adult to come pick them up.  Call a taxi.  Take their keys and make them stay.   For a very emotionally intense and moving video about driving under the influence check out this Public Service Announcement from Australia on You Tube (TAC Campaign – Every Body Hurts) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mf8DtWWd8

3) So what if I got drunk last night?  I’m okay now!

If at 2:00am an individual goes to bed intoxicated with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .25 and if alcohol leaves the blood at .015 per hour, let’s see just what happens to the individual the next morning:

           

                                    TIME                                     BAC

                                    2:00am --------------------   .250
                                    3:00am --------------------    .235

                                    4:00am --------------------   .220

                                    5:00am --------------------   .205

                                    6:00am  Gets up for work       .190

                                    7:00am --Drives to work--     .175

                                    8:00am -----  At work -----   .160

                                    9:00am --------------------   .145

                                    10:00am ------------------    .130

                                    11:00am -------------------   .115

                                    12:00noon Still legally intoxicated .100

4) Isn’t Pot safer than other drugs and alcohol? 
It’s an organic, natural plant after all.

There is a lot of talk these days about marijuana, its potential benefits and its hazards. Some argue that marijuana is not as harmful to the body as alcohol or other drugs and some argue that heavy marijuana use may result in damage to the developing teenage brain.  There are probably truths and untruths to both sides.  The bottom line is when you use a substance such as alcohol, marijuana or any other drug you are disconnecting from reality, you are disconnecting from your life, real emotions and real relationships.  And then when you use a substance to have fun, remove boredom, deal with difficult feelings like sadness, anger or stress, you are removing your own true ability to fully realize your own potential.  You are creating a fantasy world.  And if you use these substances regularly, particularly as a teenager who is still growing and whose hormones are still regulating, you may permanently alter the way that you function.  You may be halting your development or you may be stopping yourself from becoming the ‘you’ that you are meant to become and that ‘you’, the sober you, is the best you, you can be. 

Addiction, reliance or dependence on anything can be destructive – whether it is food, alcohol, drugs, sex, exercise, sports, tobacco, gaming, etc…  When your life revolves around one thing, one obsession, one answer for dealing with any emotion, you miss out on all of what this world has to offer and all of what you have to offer the world. 

5) What are the risks you take when quaffing Monsters?

 Caffeinated tea and coffee are the most consumed socially accepted stimulants in the world. In their natural forms, coffee and tea contain several chemicals that may be beneficial and harmful to ones health. Not all caffeinated drinks are created equal. A typical brewed cup of coffee has about 135 mg of caffeine, while a Starbucks’ espresso, only 35 mg.  Caffeinated soda like Mountain Dew has 54 mg of caffeine in a 12 oz can. Energy drinks such as Jolt and Monster are on the rise. A 16 oz can of Monster has 160 mg of caffeine.  Caffeine's benefits are the alertness it brings. Caffeine can also help (or worsen) headaches, relieve constipation, and possibly help with liver disease. Caffeine also contains antioxidants which may or may not be of benefit. The negative effects of caffeine include: agitation, irritability, dehydration, heart palpitations and arrhythmia's (when your heart beats abnormally) , dizziness, stomach upset, urinary frequency, hallucinations, bone depletion. Caffeine withdrawal can cause the opposite of a stimulant: headaches, fatigue, drowsiness, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, fuzzy/foggy/not clear headed. These of course are all temporary, but uncomfortable symptoms.

The trend now is to drink large amounts of caffeine with alcohol. What this does is give a "wide-awake drunk", but since caffeine's effects wear off faster than alcohol, the drinker is left with much more alcohol than s/he would have been able to tolerate. This leads to black outs.

Also, caffeinated beverages have large amounts of sugar (Monster has 54mg of sugar in one can- that is more than one needs for a whole day). Many people consume their total calories for the day in these drinks. This leads to weight gain.

Bottom line: a cup or two of caffeine (not the high sugar caffeinated drinks) in the morning may be just fine. Keep away from caffeine in the evening (not after 2pm) so not to effect sleep patterns. Go overboard, and you begin to get the side effects of the caffeine. Stop cold turkey and it will take two days to clean out your system, and rid yourself of the headache.

Answer to question 5 submitted by:
Angela DelVecchio, FNP
Master of Science in Nursing; University of Maine, Orono; Areas of interest include women's health, diabetes and preventative care.  Angela works at Cadillac Family Practice in Bar Harbor, ME.  207-288-5119

Thot Box Launch

This is your place to take advantage of the knowledge and wisdom of licensed counselors and health professionals at the Acadia Family Center - ask real questions and get real answers.  Email your questions to: milja@acadiafamilycenter.org or drop your hand written questions in the Thot Box at Mount Desert Island high school by the vending machines near the gym.  Your questions are ANONYMOUS.  Our answers will be honest.  And if we don't know the answers, we will connect with a professional that does.  Check out the resources listed to the right to get more help.

A new blog will be posted every couple weeks.
You can also read the latest edition of the Thot Box in hard copy posted around the school or at www.afcthotbox.blogspot.com.

Question:Can you get an OUI high on pot?

Answer: Yes. OUI stands for Operating Under the Influence and refers to the influence of any substance. You can get an OUI for driving under the effect of a legal prescription, alcohol, marijuana, LSD, cocaine, or anything that may impair your ability to operate motorized machinery.

Question: If my uncle is an alcoholic and has been in recovery for 20 years and my parents don’t drink, are my chances higher to be an alcoholic?

Answer: Yes. If you have any alcoholism or drug addiction anywhere in your biological family you have a higher risk of addiction than someone who has no alcoholics in their family. And if you add an environment that endorses drinking (aka your friends drink and like to party), and add high levels of stress, your chances are even greater. Start drinking before the age of 15, your chance is 4 times even greater.