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