Synthetic drugs are a growing concern in our community due to their dangers and the fact that they are readily available. According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future survey on drug use trends among youth, 11.4 percent of seniors in high school had tried spice or K2 in the previous year.

There is a common misconception that synthetic drugs, such as bath salts or spice, are safer because they can be purchased in some legal retail outlets, such as gas station convenience stores. However, these synthetic drugs are laced with various substances referred to as synthetic cannabinoids that can cause serious health risks. "Bath salts" and other synthetic drug powders have been linked to a shocking number of ER visits and calls to poison control centers across the country.

Parents, make sure you know the dangers and how to identify synthetic drugs. Communicate with your children and share this information so they too know the health risks of synthetic drugs. Showing that you disapprove of drug use will make them less likely to partake in it.

Parents 360: Synthetic Drugs (Bath Salts, K2, Spice)
Watch this video from The Partnership at DrugFree.org to learn more about synthetic drugs, their dangers and resources that can help you start a conversation with your kids:

Your teen is undoubtedly excited to start driving for the first time and is eager to enjoy this newfound freedom. However, as a parent of a teen driver, you are probably anything but excited. Being the parent of a new teen driver can be a nerve-wracking experience, but with the right involvement, you can make a difference in your teen's safety on the road. Here are some safety tips you can arm your teen driver with:

Buckle Up
Using a seat belt is the single most effective way to stay safe when driving. According to the National Safety Council, wearing a seat belt can reduce your risk of crash-related injuries by 50 percent and can be life-saving. Between 2004 and 2008 alone, seat belts saved more than 75,000 lives. Make sure your teens always buckle up in the car, whether they are going a mile down the road or taking a week-long road trip!

Avoid Distractions
Distracted driving is a major safety concern. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16 percent of fatal crashes in 2009 were related to distracted driving and 20 percent of injury crashes were related to distracted driving. DistractedDriving.org states that distracted driving is any activity that could take a driver's attention away from the primary task of driving. Reinforce the dangers of distracted driving to your teen driver.

… Including Friends
Talking to passengers is considered distracted driving. Crash rates are lowest among teens who do not have teen passengers with them, and the crash rate increases with just one teen passenger. Don't allow your teen drivers to take passengers until they have become accustomed to driving.

Only Allow Day Driving
Driving at night is dangerous for teens because it can be more difficult to see, it is harder to judge speed and distance, and there are more unsafe and impaired drivers on the road at night. The hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. are the most dangerous for teen drivers. Make sure your teens have months of daytime driving under the belt before driving alone at night.

Stay Within the Speed Limit
Make sure your teens know the speed limits in the areas they drive. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the chance or serious injury and death doubles with every 10 mph over 50 mph a vehicle travels. Share with your teens the consequences that speeding can have.

For more information on driving safety, you and your teen can access the Florida Driver's Handbook or talk to you teen's high school about the availability of driver's education courses.

Prom is something you’re going to remember for the rest of your life; it’s the highlight of your high school career, and YOU make the choice on how you want to remember it. It should be a time when you are surrounded by friends, fun and dancing–an all-around celebration. You are graduating high school and moving on to college, leaving your longtime friends and entering the next big stage of your life. As you invest in YOU and your future, you have an opportunity to make important decisions and evaluate personal choices. Please consider choices that avoid underage drinking, prescription drug use, tobacco use, marijuana use and other drug use.

When alcohol and drugs become involved, prom can also be a dangerous time for teens. Alcohol and drug use can lead to other risky behaviors like driving under the influence, physical or emotional violence, sexual mistakes and accidental overdose. Prom should be a celebration that you remember forever–it should never end in tragedy.

It’s up to you to make healthy decisions this prom and celebrate without drugs or alcohol. When you look back at this memory years down the road, you’ll be proud of yourself and the positive choices you made.

Pledge to make healthy decisions this prom by tweeting to @LiveFreeFL and encourage your friends to do the same. Friends are the most powerful influence over other teens–make sure you are a positive one.

How to Tweet your LiveFree! Prom Pledge

Use our pre-written tweet: @LiveFree: I pledge to have a safe, fun prom, free from alcohol and drugs. #LiveFreeProm

Or create your own, making sure to tweet @LiveFreeFL and include the hashtag #LiveFreeProm

As the weather heats up, teens start looking forward to the summer break from school. Help prepare your teen for the transition from the structure of the school year to the wide open schedule of summertime. Offer your teen plenty of options for activities to prevent boredom and risky behavior.  By researching summer opportunities now, you'll help your teen establish reasonable summer expectations.

Summer Employment
Help your teen look for a safe, rewarding summer job. Teens can work at camps for younger kids, at summer facilities such as swimming pools or in restaurants. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, almost 30 percent of food and drink employees are under the age of 20. Landscaping and lawn service are also popular jobs for teens during the summer. Contact your teen’s employer to verify the safety and validity of the position.

Summer Camps
If your teen is younger, try looking into a summer camp or overnight camp. In this case, your teen should be able to give you input regarding her interests. Sending a teen to a camp she doesn’t want to attend is an unnecessary punishment. Look into camps that teach specific skills or adventure camps that incorporate travel and physical fitness.

Summer Volunteering
High school students are required to complete a certain number of volunteer hours to graduate. Service organizations and other clubs often require additional hours. The summer is the perfect time to get in a good chunk of volunteer time. Help your teen look into short term volunteering opportunities, such as work for local animal shelters or with service organization with summer activities.

Summer Travel
Older teens may have the opportunity to travel during the summer. If your teen is driving to his destination, share safe driving tips and help your teen navigate the safest routes. Discourage teens from driving while sleepy and help map out safe places to stay the night on longer trips. Look into opportunities for teens to spend summer time with extended family for a safe, budget-friendly chance to travel.

Summer Homework and School
Unfortunately, homework can’t be entirely ignored over the summer. Encourage teens to read and to work on skills needed for the upcoming school year. The summer is a good chance to take test prep courses and specialized courses such as driver’s education. If your teen has to complete or retake basic courses during summer, give her opportunities to unwind so she doesn’t feel left out of summer fun.

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According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, 89% of kids say they know other kids who shoplift. Whether your teen has been caught shoplifting or not, it’s important to talk to him about shoplifting and the consequences. While often perceived to be a prank, shoplifting is a real crime and needs to be addressed seriously.

Be straightforward about shoplifting
Don’t wait to bring up shoplifting until your teen or a friend of your teen has been caught. Start a conversation about it. Instead of worrying about hurting your teen’s feelings by assuming she might shoplift, let her know that you’re aware of how common it is and that it might be tempting. Once you start a conversation, you can more easily gauge what your teen’s thoughts on shoplifting are.

Get real about consequences
Talk to your teen about the serious consequences of shoplifting. When a kid is caught stealing from a store, the store is very likely to press charges. Charges can land a teen in juvenile detention or prison, and can result in permanent marks that affect job searches and education applications down the road. Ask your teen to imagine how life would be affected by a criminal charge or a punishment like public service. Kidshealth.org reminds teens that consequences may also be emotional, such as feeling guilty or ashamed.

Allow for second chances
If you catch your teen stealing, you may want to give her a second chance. Take her to the store she stole from and encourage her to return the item with a serious apology. It may be frustrating and scary to do this, but you need to stand up to your teen with a very firm stance on the fact that shoplifting is wrong and not a game. If your teen faces serious consequences from shoplifting, make yourself available as a resource for rehabilitation and support. Your goal should be helping your teen move on and succeed in life.

Talk about how shoplifting affects others
Teens steal for a variety of reasons. Some want revenge against a store, others strongly desire unaffordable items, while some teens steal frequently to sell goods to buy drugs or other goods. Other teens may steal socially, caving in to peer pressure for the thrill of it. This can be similar to a high experienced from drugs or alcohol. Regardless of why your teen may be interested in shoplifting, help him understand how it affects employees and business owners. Stealing from a store can cause employees to lose wages or even be fired. Always insist that shoplifting is a real crime, not a prank.

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Just like adults, kids experience stress. Stress can have detrimental effects on health, from disrupting sleep and digestion to triggering depression and anxiety. Stressed out kids may get sick more easily and may struggle in school. As a parent, you can help guide your child through stressful times by teaching healthy stress management techniques.

Let your child know it’s okay
Start off by making it clear that it’s normal and okay to be stressed out. Tell your child that it doesn’t make her weak and that she shouldn’t be embarrassed. Whether her stress comes from school sports, an upcoming test or drama between friends, the way she feels is real and valid.

Address the causes
Sometimes stress can be relieved by changing a situation. If your child is struggling with a specific concern, such as a teacher or friend he doesn’t get along with, look into ways to solve the problem. Some kids don’t thrive in high pressure situations like team sports and shouldn’t be forced to participate if it’s causing too much stress.

Talk it out
Make yourself available as a sounding board for your child’s problems. If she isn’t interested in bringing up stress and anxiety, broach the subject gently. Ask about upcoming events, her friendships and her grades without judgment or expectations. Encourage her to talk to her friends and to other supportive members of the family.

Get your child moving
According to womenshealth.gov, physical activity can help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. Encourage your child to play outside, to try sports or to work on stretches. Many recreational centers offer forms of yoga and dance that are appropriate for children.

Make sure your child is sleeping
Stress can eat away at kids, especially at night. If this happens, it can actually cause the stress to get worse when kids end up exhausted during the day. Help your child to break the cycle of worrying in bed at night by teaching good bedtime habits. Allow your child to get up and read if he’s feeling stressed out and unable to sleep.

Teach coping skills
Kids can be taught to cope with stress. Talk to your child about deep breathing techniques and ways to shake off bad feelings, such as visualizing a calming place. Some kids respond well to talking about problems while others do well keeping a private journal. Kidshealth.org suggests that kids try tensing and relaxing muscles in the body to help focus and calm.

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Everywhere you look in the news, there are stories of teens making poor decisions that lead to life-altering consequences. “Where were the parents?” people ask. As a parent, you already know that neglect isn’t necessarily the cause of bad behavior. It’s too easy to blame parents, but at the same time, parents are responsible for shaping behavior. Parenting is a complicated balancing act between being too overbearing and too lenient. Think about your own parenting style and learn to be tough when it counts.

The Importance of Discipline Style
The Underage Drinking Research Initiative conducted a study on parenting practices  They discovered that regardless of the outcome examined, children raised by authoritative parents tended to fare better than their peers. Developmental outcomes studied included body image, academic success and substance abuse.

Authoritative vs. Authoritarian
Studies approached parenting from four categories: neglectful, permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian. While neglectful and permissive are straightforward, it’s important to note the distinction between authoritative and authoritarian. An authoritative parent is tough on discipline, but also offers warmth and guidance to help kids improve and cope. An authoritarian parent is tough on discipline, but also tends to ignore achievements and fail to reward kids for good behavior.

Knowing When to Back Off
While it’s clear that setting tough standards and monitoring kids’ behavior is important to many aspect of a teen’s life, it’s just as important to be a source of support and love for your teen. If you choose to be overbearing and controlling of every aspect of your teen’s day to day routine, you may find yourself being pushed out of the role of a supporter. Stick to your guns when it comes to safety, behavior and health. But choose your battles wisely. Consider being lenient when you can, such as with internet use, gaming or curfews.

Warmth and Support
If your child fails to reach a goal or shows a lapse in judgment, become part of the process of improving. Don’t just lay on the consequences and discipline. For example, if your child tries drugs or alcohol, help your teen come up with ways to prevent drinking or doing drugs in the future. Show your teen pride and love for her accomplishments. Your teen may be desperate for your approval. Take the time to guide her through these fragile developmental stages with compassion and understanding.

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In 2009, studies showed that 37 percent of 8th graders and 72 percent of 12th graders had tried alcohol, according to the CDC. These statistics can be very scary from the perspective of a parent. Whether your child is in middle or high school, now is the time to talk about and continue talking about the dangers of underage drinking.

Talk to your teen about statistics
Your kids are used to reading facts at school in textbooks. Talk about drinking in factual terms. Make sure that your kids understand that underage drinking, particularly underage binge drinking, contributes to serious injury and death.  For example, according to the CDC, in 2008, there were approximately 190,000 emergency rooms visits by underage drinkers. While it may be an uncomfortable topic, discuss the fact that drinking increases the risk of sexual assault. Discuss this topic regardless of your teen’s gender. Visit SAMHSA to discover talking points to share the risks of drinking with your teen.

Do not allow supervised drinking
SAMHSA reports that most underage drinkers get alcohol from a friend or family member. Some parents mistakenly believe that underage drinking is safe if kids are supervised when drinking. Regardless of parental supervision, drinking can still lead to accidents and all known risks. Supervision promotes a sense that underage drinking is safe when it’s not. Never offer your teen a drink or allow teens to drink in your home or another parent’s home. If you have older children, actively discourage them from providing alcohol to your teen. Make sure other parents are aware of your stance.

Support teens at school and at home
Teens need support to say no to underage drinking. Studies by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism show that parents have the ability to prevent underage drinking by improving parent-child relations in ways such as providing discipline, listening and communicating, monitoring kids and strengthening family bonding. School resources are also important. Encourage your teen to get involved in extra-curricular activities and meaningful relationships with friends. Be available to your teen as a resource for her emotional needs as well as a sounding board to talk about drugs and alcohol.

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According to the CDC, people from 12 to 20 years drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States. That is a stunning statistic considering that it’s against the law to drink when you’re under 21. As a community, we can work together to prevent underage drinking and the associated risks and dangers.

Know the Facts
Kids who drink are in danger of health risks, problems at school, drug abuse and a higher risk of suicide. Underage drinkers often binge drink, putting them at risk of death from alcohol poisoning, accidents and assault among other risks. With these facts in mind, is it really worth it?

Don’t Encourage It
According to SAMHSA, most children who use alcohol get it from a friend or family member. If you’re a parent, older sibling or friend, don’t become part of the problem. It may be tempting to be cool or seem smart to supervise kids while they drink, but the fact is that you shouldn’t be giving alcohol to minors ever.

Talk to Kids
Make sure kids know about the dangers of drunk driving. Never drink and drive in front of your kids. If you set a bad example, you can’t expect your kids to listen to you. Ask tough questions, get to know your kid’s friends and be open with your life as much as possible. You and your child are in this together.

Work Together
Parents should involve friends, peers, family members and teachers in a group effort to talk to kids about underage drinking early and repeatedly. With a strong support system in place, kids will be less likely to drink underage.

Get Involved
On April 3 at 5:30 PM at Pinellas Park High School, the 2012 Florida Kids and Alcohol and Prescription Drugs youth led Town Hall meeting will address underage drinking. Join your peers to discuss the real dangers of underage drinking, ways to prevent underage drinking and how drinking has affected members of the Pinellas community.

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Everyone has heard a spring break horror story. Don’t be one of those statistics this year. Instead, play it safe, avoid peer pressure and have fun. The best spring break memories are the times you spend with friends and the time spent having adventures you can’t have at home. Learn how to have a safe, fun spring break.

Plan activities
Instead of arriving at your destination with nothing to do, create a busy itinerary. You’ve been studying for weeks. This is your chance to let loose. Go on hikes, rent water crafts or try a new activity you’ve never done before. Visit local attractions and keep yourself busy. You’ll be less likely to fall into a habit of binge drinking on your vacation if you have plenty of fun things to do.

Travel with safe friends
The best way to avoid peer pressure is to surround yourself with peers who respect you and those you admire. Ditch the friends who do things that make you uncomfortable and make you feel bad about yourself. On vacation, it’s more important than ever to be with people you trust and enjoy hanging out with.

Be street smart
Travel in groups and never go somewhere with a stranger. Keep your identification and health insurance on you and keep an copy of your driver’s license and passport somewhere safe. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times, and use a system of checking in with your friends so that everyone is accounted for. Avoid going to someone’s residence if you’ve just met them, even if you’re in a group.

Don’t binge drink
According to the CDC, about 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinking. Binge drinking can lead to violence, injury, alcohol poisoning and risky sexual behaviors. During spring break, don’t let this risky action put you and your friends in danger. The CDC also states that in 2008, there were approximately 190,000 emergency rooms visits by people under 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol. Think about how much you’ve been looking forward to your break and the chance to get away and relax, not end up in the hospital.

The LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a coalition of community advocates who strive to address substance abuse in Pinellas County. To see how you can get involved in this cause to help make our community a better place, visit us online.

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