By Holly V. Kapherr If young adults use alcohol before age 15, their risk for alcohol dependence or abuse is six times greater than if they started at 21, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you find out your teen or a teen you love has fallen prey to addiction to […]
Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes. A key component of the adolescent experience involves exploring consciousness and experimenting with mood-alteration. While not all teens turn to substances to do this, teenage experimentation is a common and developmentally normal part of this life stage. In addition, teens share information at a rate that would […]
#DidYouKnow that the United States represents 5% of the world’s population, yet are home to 75% of prescription drugs in the world? Add to that startling statistic that 60% of teens who abuse prescription drugs, get them from friends or relatives. The Alliance for Safe Kids has partnered with the Yorktown Police Department to have a permanent […]
Teenagers from the Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK) have joined forces with other teens and scientists across the United States as part of “National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week” (NDAFW). The week-long health observance, organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part […]
As the new year approaches, we have a unique opportunity to pause and reflect on the many gifts that we have received in life, express our grateful appreciation and remember our obligation to the community: to promote awareness and prevention of substance use/abuse and other destructive behaviors damaging to our youth. It takes courage, determination and […]
On November 1, 2016, the Yorktown Police Department (YPD) disposed of 154 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs collected through the Prescription Drug Disposal Unit. Since ASK partnered with the YPD on this initiative in May 2012, we have collected and disposed of 2,622 lbs of drugs – that is averaging out to be 49lbs […]
DID YOU KNOW? Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. The Alliance for Safe Kids (ASK) invites the community to take a visible stand against drugs by celebrating Red Ribbon […]
Here are some facts to keep in mind when talking to your kids about drugs: Addiction is a complex brain disease with roots in adolescent use. Talk to your child about how nicotine, alcohol and other drugs can impair brain function. Teens are exposed to an excessive amount of promotion for alcoholic products like beer, […]
Join the Alliance for Safe Kids in celebrating Red Ribbon Week® . Our children have the right to grow up drug free – and we have the responsibility to make that happen. Red Ribbon Week activities are generously sponsored by Hudson River Financial Federal Credit Union.
July 12, 2016 – Thirty-three people were hospitalized after an apparent K2 overdose in Brooklyn, police said. What is K2-Spice (or synthetic marijuana)? K2 or Spice is a mixture of herbs, spices or shredded plant material that is typically sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. What does it look […]