Kim Martin displays "alcopops" and other drinks that are marketed to youth before Michael Nerney's presentation on the adolescent brain at U-32, March 11.Adolescent Brains, what goes on in their minds?
As most any parent can tell you, living with an adolescent can be a challenge. They can be moody and unpredictable. And communication can be difficult.
To offer insight into these challenges and to help parents with tips on how to have better dialog with their kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, the New Directions Coalition and Community Connections brought drug and alcohol prevention expert Michael Nerney to U-32 on March 11 and 12. Nerney met with teachers and students during the day and gave a fascinating and informative presentation on the adolescent brain and risky behavior for parents and community members in the evening.
Explaining that risk-taking is a natural and normal change built into the teenage brain, he encouraged parents, friends and community members to create opportunities for healthy risk taking and noted that U-32 has many such opportunities in sports, drama, low ropes, and afterschool snowboarding and other programs.
Using humor, Nerney shared an abundance of facts about human brain development, adolescent behavior and trends in substance use. Explaining that there are specific conditions that exist in the brain only during adolescence, he said that understanding the differences between the brains of adolescents and the brains of adults can help us communicate better and create appropriate programs for teens.
Appearance is actually biologically more important in adolescence because there are more brain cells devoted to perceiving appearances. And there are a significantly high number of cells in the adolescent brain devoted to emotional memory that shows that adolescents are more affected by what others say to them; criticism directed at an adolescent is harder to brush off than criticism aimed at an adult. Nerney gave parents tangible tasks for how to help their kids cope such as praising and encouraging them. The more than 150 parents and community members were seen nodding their heads in agreement much of the evening.
Nerney explained that alcohol impacts both behavior and brain function differently in adolescents and adults. For instance, adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of alcohol on both memory and memory-related brain function, while being less vulnerable to other effects of the drug. Although alcohol is sedating in adults, it energizes brains that are 25 and younger, which explains why some youth use it as a party drug.
Among some of the more worrisome facts: a recent Duke University study, using new imaging systems, demonstrates that binge-drinking freshmen, in as few as 9 months, have a 10% reduction in volume of two different parts of the brain, the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. It’s not all bad news; a percentage (not all) of those brain cells can regenerate once the drinking is stopped.
And, new research shows that the chemical L1, which is key to building future cognitive function, is doing its work in the brain from ages 10 to 14, not before and not after. Alcohol is the most powerful deregulator of L1. If youth start drinking between 10 and 14, they are missing this once in a lifetime opportunity for this brain development.
Nerney suggests that parents use any opportunity they can to discuss drug and alcohol use with their children. To have the talk often, not just once. He suggests some things parents and community members can do such as paying attention to how we interact with our kids. He said that as difficult as it can be in today’s busy families, having meals together makes a huge difference, especially to 11 and 12-year-olds who are naturally beginning to separate from their families. In fact, adolescents from families who have meals together fewer than 3 time/week have 2½ to 3½ greater frequency of alcohol and drug use than kids from families who have meals together 5 times/week.
Finally, Nerney said that, “prevention begins at home,” and cited the five A’s of parenting:
- be Aware of friends, music, sleepovers
- be Alert of changes
- be Awake when your kids come home: spend 3-5 minutes homecoming hug/talk
- be Assertive – use the “if/then” construction: “If you chose to use alcohol tonight, then these are the consequences. Because of our values, because it’s important for you to be safe, because we love you, we want you to be happy, and we care for you, we have these boundaries – even if we’ll be in conflict.”
- be Affirmative – tell them the truth – “I don’t like to think about what life would be without you.”
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Resources
Michael Nerney U-32 Presentation DVD--- Did you miss the Michael Nerney presentation this spring? We have the dvd if you want to learn more about “What Are They Thinking?" (Adolescent Brain Development & Risky Behavior)
Contact Ivy Zeller at 223-4949 to borrow a copy.
click here for pdf file of this list
Michael Nerney and Associates - PO Box 93 - Long Lake, NY 12847-0093 - (518) 624-5351
Brizendine, Louann, MD, The Female Brain, Morgan Road Books, NY, 2006.
Gurian, Michael, Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2001.
Howard, Pierce J., The Owner’s Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research, Bard Press, GA 2000.
Kuhn, Cynthia, Swartzwelder, Scott, and Wilson, Wilkie, Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2003.
Lamb, Sharon, The Secret Life of Girls: What Good Girls Really Do- Sex Play, Aggression and Their Guilt, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2001.
Restak, Richard, The Secret Life of the Brain, Dana Press, NY, 2001.
Sheff, David, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction, Houghton Mifflin Company, NY, 2008.
Sheff, Nic, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, Simon and Schuster, NY, 2008.
Simmons, Rachael, Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, Harcourt Inc., New York, 2002.
Walsh, David, Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen, Free Press, NY, 2004.
Web sites:
Brain Development:
Teens and Drugs:
Lloyd Johnson, “Monitoring the Future” Study www.nida.nih.gov
Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse, Columbia University, NY www.casacolumbia.org
Center for Adolescent studies, Indiana University, IN http://www.indiana.edu/~cafs/
Did You Know…?
Drivers under 21 with a blood-alcohol content over 0.02% will lose their license for 6 months on the first offense. Underage drinkers who get caught a second time will lose their license for one year or until they are 21, whichever is longer. Either way, they’ll have to pay to enroll in a drug & alcohol education program, as well as pay higher insurance rates. Sponsored by Central Vermont New Directions Coalition: 802-223-4949 cvndc.org
KNOW THE LAW. ALCOHOL & MINORS DON’T MIX.
Parents did you know how this can affect you?
SELLING or FURNISHING ALCOHOL to MINORS is DANGEROUS & ILLEGAL
• Adults can go to PRISON for 2 years or get a $2000 fine for selling or giving alcohol to a minor.
• You can also be accountable if you provide a place for kids to drink, even on your own property (this includes your car).
• Parents or other adults may be held responsible if there is property damage, fighting, sexual assault, or any other injury. If someone dies, you may be prosecuted with involuntary manslaughter.
• If a minor who consumed alcohol at the party breaks a law, you may be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
• Adults who sell or furnish to a minor or provide them with a place to drink can be charged with a FELONY (fined $10,000 and/or imprisoned up to 5 years) if that minor causes death or serious bodily injury while operating a motor vehicle.
• Having designated drivers or taking away the car keys doesn’t make underage drinking safe: Only one-third of underage drinking deaths involve auto crashes. The remaining two-thirds involve alcohol poisoning, homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries such as burns, drowning, and falls.
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