It’s a sign of the times:  kids now spend more time online than they do watching TV, going to the movies or playing video games.  Parents may occasionally check in to see what they’re children are doing while surfing the web - and most probably believe that the humorous videos which have become such a dominant online force are little more than a harmless chuckle of potty humor or at worst inappropriate language.

A recent study might change that perception drastically.

According to research at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, a large percentage of the most popular viral videos have content relating to drug or alcohol use.  Consider the following statistics gleaned from the studyL

• In 2008, almost one million teens (aged 12-18) watched an Internet video pertaining to drug or alcohol use
• 39% of those videos portrayed explicit drug or alcohol abuse
• 85% of those videos featured at least one comment posting that mentioned alcohol or drug use

Mary Reiser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab GA believes that parents may have more to worry about the Internet than online sexual predators or cyberbullying, “Parents often think their teens engage in harmless chatting and posting on the web.  While this may be the case, an online survey showed it may not… They are tought to avoid predators, but what else should they avoid?”

The study Ms. Reiser is referring to should serve as yet another alarm for those parents who are not doing a good enough job of monitoring what their children are doing online.  In many ways, the Internet has replaced the “street corner” or the school yard of years gone by.   This is where kids are learning about drugs and alcohol and very well be falling into a trap that could lead to drug addiction or alcohol addiction in the later teen years.

Parents of teenagers struggling with addiction should contact a drug rehab program that speaks to the specific needs of teenagers and their families.  These life-saving facilities provide a second chance for those who have fallen into the cycle of drug or alcohol dependence.

Parents are urged to supervise as much as of their children’s Internet time as possible, and educate them about the dangers that lurk online, and of course, the potential damage they could do to their health, well-being and future by engaging in drug or alcohol-related behavior.

Drugs have been a problem in our high schools for decades now.  But one thing that never seems to change is that wherever there are teenagers, there will be substance abuse and addiction issues.  What has changed is the different types of substances that teenage kids are using to get high.

Consider the following information from the University of Michigan

Most commonly abused drug by High School Seniors in 1975 (% who have tried the drug)

1. Marijuana (47.3%)

2. Amphetamines (22.3%)

3. Tranquilizers (17.0%)

4. LSD (11.3%)

5. Cocaine (9.0%)

Now let’s look at the top 5 from 2006

1. Marijuana (42.3%)

2. Opiates - Heroin, Vicodin, OxyContin (14.4%)

3. Amphetamines (12.8%)

4. Inhalants (11.2%)

5. Cocaine (8.5%)

It is interesting to note that opiates and inhalants have made significant gains over the past several years, while marijuana has continued to remain atop the list.  Also, in 1975 the amphetamines kids were taking were traditional “uppers”, but in 2006 the majority of amphetamines used were crystal meth - a far more dangerous drug.

If your child is struggling with drug abuse, get help immediately by contacting the caring professionals at a drug rehab and addiction treatment center in your area that works spefically with teens.

When TV host and ex-wife of Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldof Paula Yates died of a heroin overdose in 2006, few were surprised.  Yates had struggled with heroin and drug addiction for much of her adult life.

Much sadder is the news that Yates and Geldof’s 19-year old daughter Peaches Geldof was recently found unconsious in her London apartment as a result of a drug overdose.

Peaches survived the incident, but the disturbing event must be a blow to her father- who does not want to see his daughter travel down the same path as his late ex-wife.

The celebrity status of the family has drawn attention to this saga, but families from all walks of life suffer through similar situations every day.

Whether they wish to admit it or not, kids model their behavior after their parents. Peaches Yates is like any child who grew up in home with a permissive attitude towards drugs - she doesn’t see anything wrong with substance abuse, and engages in the behavior in a reckless manner.

Parents who are doing drugs and have children in their home need to consider the ramifications of their actions, and take the following steps immediately:

• Cease and desist all drug use in the home
• Remove all drugs and drug paraphenalia from the home
• Get help!  Check into a drug rehab facility so that you can break the cycle of addiction before it trickles down to your children.

Irish youth using heroin at a shockingly young age

The Irish Examiner is reporting that there is a growing heroin addiction problem among children as young as 12 years old. The shocking report is based on the findings of Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, that surveyed 86 teenagers in Dublin who were drug users and discovered that many had started using heroin at the age of 14 and many were addicted by the age of 16.

Mental illness played a significant role in the findings as well, with 52% of those surveyed having visited a psychiatrist at some point during their lives.

Families in the United States and around the world would be well-served to pay attention to these findings, as many of the drug addicted teens came from stable, two-parent family homes and did not exhibit any kinds of criminal behavior outside of the drug use.

Visit Michael’s House today and find out about their results-oriented resdiential drug rehab program.