Youth Community Coalition

Back To School Health Fair

columbiayc2 — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:35:17 +0000

The Youth Community Coalition and The Voluntary Action Center along with many other community organizations will be coming together to host The Back To School Health Fair, on August 7th from 9 A.M. till 2 P.M at Calvary Baptist Church (606 Ridgeway Ave.). This will be a free event for school students that will offer dental, asthma, and vision screenings; along with refreshments and entertainment for the whole family. There will be free backpacks and school supplies given out while supplies last. Parents must accompany their child in order for the child to be screened.

This day is offered in order to give children a Healthy Start which is one of the Five Promises that were started by America’s Promise Alliance in order to help keep kids away from drug and alcohol abuse. The Youth Community Coalition is dedicated to offering Columbia’s youth all five of these promises in order to decrease their chances of drug and alcohol abuse. For more information on America’s Promise Alliance and their vision visit: http://www.americaspromise.org/

And for more information on how the YCC provides the 5 Promises to Columbia’s youth click: http://yc2.org/programs/5-promises/

Recap: July’s Monthly YC2 Meeting.

columbiayc2 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:18:06 +0000

On Thursday May 15, YC2 had Sara Bursac and Lynn Maloney come in to discuss the benefits of acupuncture as a treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Accudetox is a relatively new method used to treat drug and alcohol addiction. The treatment targets five points in the ear that are related to the organs that are associated with detoxification in the body such as the liver, kidneys,lungs, and nervous system. The benefits of this treatment method are that A. Because this method is relatively new the training for those interested is relatively cheap. In Columbia the training is $150 per person (it commonly ranges from $300-$400). B. This is a non-verbal way of treatment which means that the patient is not required to disclose any confidential information. C. Accudetox has been reported to lower cravings, anxiety, sleep insomnia, and need for drugs.

So if accudetox sounds like something that would interest you contact The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association of Columbia phone number: (573) 777-9955

Recap: May’s Monthly YC2 Meeting.

columbiayc2 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:12:59 +0000

On Thursday May 20th, YC2 had their monthly meeting with Speaker Britt Shae. Britt works for the Boone County Sheriff’s Department so he came in to share his knowledge about methamphetamines. During the meeting Mr. Shae gave information on the methods used to make meth, such as the relatively new method ” shake ‘n bake” which decreases the time it takes to make meth but drastically increases the risk. Mr. Shae also discussed many of the noticable traits of a meth addict so that they could be easily identified.

For more information on Methamphetamines visit:http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/methamphetamine.html

For a video on the signs of Meth addiction visit: http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_6387_meth-addiction-information.html

Does Social Hosting Really Fix Anything?

columbiayc2 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:32:05 +0000

Social Hosting is when a parent(s) decide to host a party and provide alcohol for their child and other teens. Many parents host these parties and take the attending teens’ keys (which in many cases the teens get their keys back anyway), this way the teens can drink “safely”. So does the parents presence or “supervision” really make underage drinking safe and okay? The answer is NO.

Social Hosting actually puts the child in more danger, now that alcohol is readily available to the youth. Studies have shown that youth who drink before the age of 15 are 12 times more likely to be unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol, and seven times more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash after drinking. It has also been observed that those who drink while underage are more likely to become alcoholics in adulthood.

Since Social Hosting makes alcohol readily available to youth, it also increases their rate of alcohol-related injury, and potentially turn them into alcoholics. So given the facts, does it really seem that Social Hosting helps solve the problems that underage drinking can cause?

Addicts’ Desperation

columbiayc2 — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:01:10 +0000

Desperate heroin users in African countries have turned to sharing blood with one another in order to prevent withdrawals, or in order to share a high. This practice is known as “flashblooding” or “flushblooding” and although this is not widespread it is highly dangerous considering the high percentage of adults infected with HIV in Africa. So far “flushblooding” has only been observed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the island of Zanzibar and in Mombasa, Kenya. However just as the number of drug addiction continues to grow, sadly so will the number of people “flashblooding”.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13blood.html

Many American Cities and Towns Moving Toward a Smokefree Community

columbiayc2 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:56:17 +0000

The Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights organization recently updated a quarterly list the smokefree cities and towns in America. Some of these communities are 100% smokefree in public facilities. This list shows the progress that many communities have made in recent years to be smokefree, and one can only hope that those efforts will continue and soon most cities will be smokefree.

In order to view the list and the maps yourself follow this link: http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php?id=519

Teens Recruited by Cartel

columbiayc2 — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:06:57 +0000

On May 9th two American teens were caught by U.S. customs attempting to smuggle marijuana into the country, sadly this is becoming a common story in American border states. The teens were carrying $72,000 in marijuana. Customs and Border Protection data show that 130 teens were caught trying to confiscate drugs into the U.S. for drug cartel during 2009, which was a 83% increase since 2008.

The main reason these teens are participating in the smuggling is because they are convinced by the cartel that they will not receive any harsh consequences. However that is not the case these teens can be charged as adults, and can even face prison time if the judge decides.

For more info you can read the article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-05-kid-drugs_N.htm?POE=click-refer

K-2 Bill Finally Signed

columbiayc2 — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:56:56 +0000

Governor Jay Nixon signed the bill in St. Charles, MO which added ” K2″ ( a synthetic form of marijuana) to the controlled substance list. Starting August 28 possessing K2 will be as illegal as possessing marijuana in Missouri. This bill is a great step in preventing drug abuse among Missouri’s youth, up until this point youth in Missouri were able to use K2 without any consequences from the law.

Here is a link to the video on the K2 bill signing: http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-ap-nixon-synthetic-marijuana-070610,0,7833516.story

2 Year Olds Smoking?

columbiayc2 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:34:13 +0000

A shocking video has been circulating the internet. It’s of a two-year old boy in Indonesia smoking. There are so many things that are wrong with this situation, but two to pay special attention to. First, the lack of prevention. There are some treatment options in the community, but nothing to educate about dangers of tobacco or other drugs and encourage positive & healthy choices. Second, tobacco marketing does make a difference. Indonesia has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. It’s no surprise that the tobacco companies flood the country with ads that aren’t allowed in the US. This contribute to the perception that smoking is just a normal thing to do.

It’s shocking, alarming, and heartbreaking, but it should serve as a reminder that prevention is essential. This video shows that habits start young. Parents and youth alike need to be aware of the dangers. Communities need to enact policies and practices to protect their people from vicious marketing. Countries need to take steps toward the health and safety of their youth.

Here is the link to the CBS News broadcast: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/07/01/VI2010070101396.html#

Study Finds Teenage Girls are More Vulnerable to Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

columbiayc2 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:41:56 +0000

Recent survey data was just released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Metlife Foundation that found that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to perceive potential from drug use and drinking, which means teen girls are more vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse. The study also found that teenage girls are more likely to receive ” self medicating” benefits with drinking and getting high. Meaning that they use drugs or alcohol in order to cope or forget their troubles.

So now that this study has shed light on one of the main reasons for teenage girls drug abuse what steps should parents and friends take to help stop the abuse? Act fast. This issue will not resolve itself. If a teen you know needs help with addiction then follow this link for advice with treatment: http://timetoact.drugfree.org/?tr=y&auid=6543689