As your child gets older, they sometimes distance themselves from you. How do you stay connected?

As parents of a teenager, you know that their attitudes can sometimes go from pleasant to….not so pleasant, without warning. That kind of back-and-forth makes it hard for you to stay connected with them. The more you are involved in your teen's life, the better they tend to behave and listen.

When you talk to your teen, does it seem as if they are on another planet? With all of the technology today, it's hard to get them to actually focus and have a real conversation — but you can still stay connected. Here's how:

1. Share their interests — Find something they enjoy doing and do it with them. It will show that you care about what they are involved in.
2. Don't lecture them — Unless they did something absolutely terrible, don't be too hard on them, because the last thing you want is to push them away.
3. Give them their space — If they want to go listen to music in their bedroom, let them. They need to be alone sometimes too.
4. Connect with them online — If you can't beat them, join them! If they have a Facebook and Twitter, make sure you are friending them and following them. And don't forget you can text them too — we all know how much they love to text!
5. Talk about your teenage years — They might not want to hear it, but they will eventually thank you for telling them what you went through when you were their age.

The key to really connecting with your teen is to find one thing that works the best and keep doing it until it becomes something that eventually brings you together — and don't worry, once they mature a little, you'll probably be the best of friends!

The LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a coalition of members of the community who strive to address alcohol and drug use in Pinellas County. Visit us online today to see how you can get involved in this cause that is so important to our community.

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Are you safe when you are surfing online?

With all of the Tweeting, Facebooking and Instagraming going on, you should be cautious about what you are posting. By now, most of you use social media on a regular basis — but how safe is it? Are your privacy settings correct? Are you only friends with people you know? Do your parents monitor your pages? All of these things go into question when you are on the internet.

Internet safety isn't limited to Facebook or Twitter, either. You should be aware that everything you look up online for a project in school or just for fun is traceable. Here are ways that you can protect yourself and stay safe while you are online:

• Don't post any personal information like your address, phone number or where you go to school.
• Never meet someone you "met" online in person, this is extremely dangerous.
• Be careful what you do post on Facebook and Twitter — never give out your location.
• Never give out your password.
• Make sure you take advantage of your privacy settings correctly.
• Don't talk to or add people you don't know on your social media sites.

Along with keeping yourself safe, you need to protect your image. If you or a friend posts a photo of you, and it gives the impression that you are at a party drinking, it could be damaging to your college and/or professional future. Be sure that you are careful about what you post and what you post about others, too.

Click here to learn more about internet safety and what you can do. To learn more about LiveFree! and our mission, visit our website.

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It can be hard to sit back and watch a friend who is caught up in drugs. How do you know if they have a problem?

The use of drugs among teens is rising every day.  It may not seem like a big deal because you see it all of the time, but it can lead to big problems. If you notice that a friend is abusing drugs, make sure you get them help while there is still time.

How will you know if a friend had a drug problem? There are many things to look for and you may not have to look very far. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse website, there are signs that you can look for that will tell you if a friend may be addicted or abusing drugs:

• He or she may take the drug more often or in large quantities.
• He/she may have tried to quit, but can't resist the craving.
• He/she may spend an excessive amount of time trying to find the drug.
• He/she may continue to use the drug even though he/she knows it's harming them and others.
• He/she might give up other things they enjoy for the drug.

If you spot any of these changes in your friend, get them help right away. You can talk to your friend and tell them how much you care about them, but don't try and help them on your own — enlist the help of a counselor, teacher or parent to help. And remember, withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be dangerous, so it's important for them to seek medical help after they stop using them.

For more information on drug abuse and what you should do, click here. To learn more about LiveFree! and their mission, visit their website.

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Learn why this important health observance week is observed.

When it comes to drugs, many teens are misinformed. Myths abound, and teens will often share false information with other kids to promote or excuse drug use. Learn how National Drug Facts Week can help.

The National Drug Facts Week mission
It can be challenging for teens to wade through information on drugs and pick out the facts. National Drug Facts Week focuses on educating teens with real, hard facts about drug use and abuse. From January 28 to February 3, National Drug Facts Week helps to share helpful, scientific facts with teens who have questions about drugs.

Connecting teens with experts
One of the cool aspects of National Drug Facts Week is that it offers teens the chance to contact medical professionals and scientists with questions. Teens may question the information given to them by parents or other mentors, but it’s hard to argue with experts. Tweet using #drugfacts during the week or register for other 2013 events.

How you can get involved
Want to get involved with National Drug Facts Week?

• Teens: Register and participate! Ask as many questions as you can think of.
• Parents: If you’re a caregiver or parent, help your teen get involved and encourage active questioning and fact-seeking.
• Other Adults: If you have a teen audience of any kind, consider hosting your own National Drug Facts Week event. Invite a local expert who can provide teens with real time answers to questions about addiction myths, drug use side effects and other common issues related to drug use and abuse. Here’s a step by step toolkit for hosting your own National Drug Facts Week event in 2013.

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It's that time again–school is out and the kids are bouncing off the walls with boredom. Never fear! There are plenty of ways for kids and teens to stay active and have fun in Pinellas County all summer long!

From free options like volunteering, to summer camps and park programs–there is something for everyone! Check out these ideas for keeping kids and teens busy (and out of trouble!).

Give Back to the Community
Volunteering is a wonderful way for teens to make use of their free time over the summer. They will learn a valuable lesson in helping others and may even earn volunteer hours toward the high school graduation requirement that many schools have. Visit this link to search for volunteer opportunities in Pinellas County.

• VIP: Volunteers in Pinellas

Visit a Park or Volunteer at One
There are so many options for beautiful parks to visit in Pinellas County, but you can volunteer at parks as well. Visit the county's website to learn more.

• Volunteer in Parks

Join the Y
The YMCA of the Suncoast has 10 locations and offers various programs from summer camps to fitness classes, swimming lessons and sports programs for kids and teens of all ages.

• YMCA of the Suncoast

Enroll in a Summer Camp
Summer camps are a great way for kids and teens to stay active, make new friends and continue learning over the summer. There are a variety of summer camp programs in the Pinellas County area, but here are just a few to check out:

• Pinellas County Summer Camps 2012
   
• Tampa Bay Watch Summer Camps

• American Stage 2012 Summer Theater Programs
   
• City of Largo Summer Camp Programs

• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Summer Camp

Whether teens want to make the most of their summer by giving back to their community, making new friends or learning life skills, there are plenty of options in Pinellas County. LiveFree! is an organization focused on educating people about and ending substance abuse in Pinellas County. Our goal is to make the community a better place for us to live in and for our children to grow up in. Learn more about our goals by visiting us online.

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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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We’ve got good news and we’ve got bad news. The good news is that fewer teens are doing illegal drugs. The bad news is that more teens are abusing prescription drugs. From 2002 to 2008, illegal drug use declined from 11.6% to 9.3% among teens. However, greater than 60% of teens said that drugs were available and sold at their school. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stated that there has been more than a 400% increase in abuse of prescription painkillers. This increase in prescription drug abuse has increased the number of related deaths, as 7 Floridians die every day from them.

In addition to prescription drugs, an unlikely drug that teens have been using is synthetic stimulants marketed as bath salts. They’re also called Aurora, Stardust, Cloud Nine, Vanilla Sky, Bliss, or Hurricane Charlie, just to name a few. They are legal in some states, but have been banned in Florida since February 2011. Bath salts, which are usually ingested by sniffing or snorting, are similar to amphetamines or cocaine. Over 3,470 calls have been made to poison control centers nationwide this year. Theses substances can cause paranoia, seizures, rapid heart rate, chest pains and vomiting.

Another teen drug trend that’s on the rise is Spice. It’s known as legal marijuana, but its effects can be 10 times stronger than marijuana as it’s made from synthetic cannabinoids. The biggest concern with Spice is that it doesn’t show up on drug tests. It has recently been banned by the federal synthetic ban on marijuana (K2 incense/bath salts). In 2010, over 1,500 calls were made to poison control centers in just the state of Florida. Spice can cause bad trips, paranoia, illness and lung damage.

While marijuana abuse had declined for the past decade, it is again on the rise. Unfortunately, so is Ecstasy. However, parents can help prevent drug abuse in teens! Parents who talk to their teens about alcohol and drugs and their associated risks are up to 50% less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than teens whose parents do not. By being involved with their teens on a daily basis, parents can influence their decisions and help them to make the right choices.

The LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Pinellas County is dedicated to helping teens make good choices. Visit us online to find out how you can help the teens in your life say “no” to drugs.

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