ABUSE MAGAZINE
New Teen Trends
Vodka eyeballing
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Afraid to be caught with the smell of
alcohol on their breath, many kids have
taken up the vodka eyeballing trend.
Instead of throwing back a shot, teens hold
the bottle to their eye and pour the liquid
directly into the eye, which is laden with
blood vessels. Here, the alcohol is quickly
absorbed through the mucous membrane
and enters the bloodstream immediately
through the veins at the back of the eye.
Eyeballing may yield a quick buzz without
the bad breath but there can be extreme
consequences: Because most vodkas are
between 40 and 50 percent alcohol, it can
scar and burn the cornea, and even cause
blindness.
Photo Source:www.azfamily.com
Photo Source: www.parentingbookmark.com
way to know the exact time to let go, many
participants pass out and some have actually hanged themselves. Most players are
teens who want to get high with using drugs
or alcohol. Although it is estimated that as
many as 250 to 1,000 teens die from playing
the choking game each year, most are ruled
suicides.
heart problems. Creatine, which is found
in many products, can actually interfere
with a growing adolescent’s own natural
production of creatine, making the body
reliant on supplements. Overuse can actually cause blood acidity, which then draws
calcium from the bones to counteract the
higher acidity of pH in the blood, leading to
declining bone strength and kidney stones
formed by excess calcium. Advertisements
for protein enhancements are ubiquitous in
sports magazines, and the substances will
likely continue to be popular because of
the high protein to low carbohydrate and
fat ratio, but parents and athletic coaches
should monitor their use and encourage a
healthy diet for teen athletes.
“Bath salts”
The new drug sold legally as “bath salts”
in head shops and liquor stores grabbed
national headlines when it was outlawed by
Louisiana in January 2011. Many states are
trying to make the drug illegal, but since
it takes different forms and combines different ingredients, state government officials have struggled with how to define the
illicit substance. The bath salts have been
found to contain mephedrone and MDPV,
two drugs that cause severe hallucinations
and psychosis in users who smoke, snort, or
inject the substances. A single use causes
intense cravings that results in three to four
day binges and can end in suicide. Because
bath salts continue to be legal in many
states, some teens incorrectly assume
the effects are less dangerous than other
known narcotics. In the past six months,
there have been over 3,470 calls to poison
centers in 28 states to report incidents of
bath salt exposure.
The choking game
Overdosing on supplements
This potentially lethal “game” involves
the use of restraints or the assistance of a
friend to choke the player in order to cut off
the flow of blood to the brain. The purpose
is to obtain the high that comes when the
restraint is released and the blood rushes
back into the brain. In actuality, the “high”
feeling comes from thousands of brain cells
dying because of lack of oxygen, causing
long term brain damage, comas, strokes,
and bleeding in the brain (also known as
“silent stroke”). Because there is never a
Studies indicate that as many as 40
percent of all young athletes take protein enhancements, which are available in
forms ranging from bars to shakes to powders. While teens may take the supplement
in order to improve muscle growth, muscle
recovery, and overall athletic performance,
there is no evidence that supplements
are any more “enhancing” than a nutritious diet. In fact, such supplements can
have harmful effects, such as weight gain,
muscle cramping, high blood pressure, and
Marion
IRON COMPANY
Recycling today for our
Children’s tomorrow.
We at Marion Iron Co.
are proud to be a drug
free workplace!
755 26th Street • Marion, IA
319-377-1527
“Plug into Success”
“We proudly support
preventative education
for our youth!”
201 35th Street - Marion, IA
(319) 377-6394
[email protected]
abusemagazine.org | Iowa Fall/Winter 2013-2014 |
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