Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/237882
5A No such thing as 'the most depressing day of the year' Tuesday, January 7, 2014 – Daily News Teens and pot use Parents, here's what you need to talk about Parents who have convinced their children that alcohol and tobacco are bad for them are likely struggling next with how to talk with their teens about marijuana. The perceptions many teens — and often, their parents — have about pot are not only wrong, they can be dangerous, say medical and treatment professionals. An ongoing study of the behaviors and attitudes of teens and young adults has found that while teens aren't necessarily reporting higher use of marijuana, they're less likely to consider it "risky." The 2013 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that from 2005 to 2013, the percentage of high school students seeing great risk from being a regular marijuana user has fallen among eighthgraders from 74 percent to 61 percent, and among 12th-graders from 58 percent to 40 percent. This concerns members of the medical community who say that pot is bad for developing brains. We asked a few professionals in Colorado to address some of the questions teens often ask about pot. Pot isn't addictive — is it? "No scientist in the field would have any qualms about it being [called] addictive," says Dr. Paula Riggs, director of the Division of Substance Dependence at the University of Colorado-Denver's School of Psychiatry. "It has a similar effect on the brain reward system as other drugs of abuse like heroin or cocaine." When pot use interferes with daily life, those effects point to the drug's addictive qualities, says Riggs, who recently appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show" to talk about the topic. She suggests asking these questions: "Does a person have difficulty cutting down on his use of pot? Have there been negative consequences with family members over its use? Has he been kicked out of school or continued to use despite such consequences? Have they increased the amount of time they spend using and cut other things out of their life?" "The studies are clear that one out of 11 adults who try marijuana will become dependent or addicted, while one out of six adolescents will become daily or neardaily users," Riggs says. Isn't it basically harmless? There's a perception that marijuana is fairly benign, but medical pro- fessionals say it is bad for brain development, which can last until people are in their mid-20s. Riggs, who has recently begun a program treating students for substance abuse at Adams City High School, says ongoing research shows that pot is neurotoxic, or disruptive to the brain and other parts of the nervous system. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, binds to sites called cannabinoid receptors on brain cells. When the CBRs are overstimulated, their function is altered, and it can lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms when use stops, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Among the research Riggs cites is the Dunedin Study, in which more than 1,000 people were tracked over a 30-plus-year period. Those who used pot regularly as teens and young adults permanently shaved 6 points off their IQ scores. Isn't it safer to drive while high on pot than on alcohol? "I clearly tell teens it's not safe to drive when you are high on marijuana," says Sheryl Ziegler, a counseling psychologist who runs The Child & Family Therapy Center at Lowry. "Concentration is difficult; your coordination is in jeopardy; it's hard to judge distance, speeds or identifying sounds. In combination with alcohol, it's worse." Riggs notes that the effects can last longer than alcohol. "You can have a couple of cocktails, and while you might be impaired for a time, you can drive perfectly fine tomorrow," she says. But the THC in marijuana stays in the system longer. For people who have smoked several times over the course of a day or night, it results in "reduced reaction time, impaired balance and interference with memory and decision-making." Pot is medicine, so it's OK, right? "This is not about interfering with those who have diseases and needs for it," Riggs says of medicinal marijuana used for pain or nausea Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy relief. But just because it's used to treat some conditions doesn't mean it's for everyone. For example, Riggs and others worry about young pregnant women thinking it might help them with morning sickness since medical marijuana is used by some cancer patients as an anti-nausea drug. That's dangerous because research has shown the developing child's brain is affected as well as the mother's, Riggs says, citing a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. My parents smoked pot when they were growing up, so why shouldn't I? Parents may be afraid that if they say they admit to using it as youths, they're giving their children permission to use it as well, Ziegler says. "I tell parents to think about how their children may use that information," she says. "I don't encourage lying," she says, but the parents have to decide how much to reveal about their past. And it's important to get the topic on the table, she says. "Being open and engaged with your kids is important." Also important to know: Much of the marijuana available today is more potent than it was in the past, so the potential exists for it to have more intense deleterious effects on the user. "We are seeing more emergency room visits with [excessive vomiting], and with adolescents, there is greater risk of psychosis and delirium." Pot doesn't cause cancer, does it? A Mayo Clinic report published in 2006 and reported on in procon.org found that "marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke and has the potential to cause cancer of the lungs and respiratory tract. Marijuana smoke is commonly inhaled deeper and held longer than is tobacco smoke, increasing the lungs' exposure to carcinogens." Isn't pot a good way to chill out? Teens often think they're OK as they start to use, but when it becomes habitual, problems develop, Ziegler says. Business Managers: "I talk about how it's associated with school failure, motivation, attention and learning. They get lower grades, are more likely to drop out and have lower salaries and job success." Using pot also increases the rates at which people engage in risky behaviors, such as unplanned sexual activity, and use of other intoxicants like alcohol and other drugs, Ziegler says. Pot use might also keep an important medical condition from being identified. "They might have an anxiety disorder, for example," Ziegler says. "There's a high correlation between ADHD and marijuana. They like to use it because it gives them a short-term release from their condition. But then if they start using it daily, it will no longer be calming. They can become paranoid." Everyone is doing it, so why shouldn't I try it? In the 2011-12 Colorado Healthy Kids Survey, 32 percent of 12thgraders reported using marijuana in the previous month. That means 68 percent didn't. "It's about prevention and building self-esteem so that kids as young as fifth and sixth grade know how to say no and stand up for themselves," Ziegler says. Dr. Christian Thurstone agrees that avoiding pot is the best policy. He runs a program at Denver Health for those 12-21 years old, called the Substance Abuse Treatment Education & Prevention Program, or STEP. "[Parents] shouldn't just throw up their hands," Thurstone says. "I encourage pro-social activities that build selfesteem — sports, chess, youth group, debate or other interests. You can also set forth expectations and norms." Need a Physician? Doctors who listen ... Doctors who care. A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE Call toll free 888.628.1948 FLYING www.redbluff.mercy.org 530-824-4546 Family business, owned & operated 30 Lb. Pork Pack DOMESTIC & EUROPEAN AUTO REPAIR 5 lbs. Pork Chops 5 lbs. Country Ribs 6 lbs. Pork Steaks 4 lbs. Shoulder Roast 4 lbs. Boneless Ham 6 lbs. Breakfast Sausage Certified Mechanic Smog, Brakes, Diesel Smogs, Oil Change, Transmission, Alignment & More flyingaperformance@att.net Respecting People. Impacting Business $3.79 per lb. Approx. $114.00 Call us. 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One recent study, published in December 2013 in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests that there's actually no seasonal variation in depression in the general population at all, and any studies that do suggest it might have just overestimated the prevalence. So this latest incarnation is worrying for a number of reasons. While at first it comes across as a re-packaging of earlier guff about Blue Monday for the sake of promoting a product, on closer inspection it appears to be more insidious in nature. We're all bored of nonsense pseudoscientific equations now. But analysing Twitter activity is new and different. Upbeat has changed the game, and the press release comes across in a way that suggests that somehow, there is a clear way to quantify how "depressing" a given day is. But it is based on an assumption that has never been tested – that tweets are an accurate reflection of the mental wellbeing of the entire population – so it's impossible to know how meaningful or informative the research actually is. And because it sounds more believable than a stupid equation, it further promotes the trivialization of depression. Moaning on Twitter about having to go back to work after the holidays is not depression. Likewise, there doesn't appear to be a generalized set of factors that will cause widespread depression across the nation at exactly the same time. Depression doesn't work like that, and to suggest that it's something minor that everyone goes through from time to time belittles actual clinical depression and makes those who suffer from it acutely aware of how difficult it is to explain to people what they're going through. Red Bluff Bulls American Legion Baseball is currently accepting applications for managers for the 2014 season for the 15u team. Applications are due 1/10/14. For information and an application contact Harold Dodero 276-5141 716 6TH St, Corning You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption. Every year, towards the end of January, we're subjected to a particularly annoying and persistent form of bull—- in the national news known as "Blue Monday." It first cropped up in 2005, when psychologist Cliff Arnall produced a formula that claimed to show which was the most "depressing" day of the year. By mushing together obvious things such as weather conditions, debt, the amount of time since Christmas, and the fact that we all hate Mondays, Arnall decided that it should crop up on the third Monday of January, or thereabouts. It's a complete load of rubbish, of course – the work was originally paid for by a travel company. And there's a bit of a conflict of interest in a travel company getting people to think about booking a holiday by pointing out how miserable life is at the moment. But that doesn't stop news outlets regurgitating the same old gibberish year after year and presenting it as scientific fact. It also hasn't stopped other companies trying to capitalize on it, either. And what better way to capitalize on it than to bring it forward! This year, U.K. drinks company Upbeat has announced thatwe've had it wrong all along. Blue Monday is a "myth," they claim – it's not the third Monday of January we should be worried about. Instead, it's the first week of January that's the most "depressing" for us. And to be more specific, it's the first Monday back at work that's the worst. Instead of relying on made-up equations, Upbeat has instead turned to the internet. Using a brand new tool called the "Upbeat barometer," it claims to have analyzed millions of tweets over the past three Januarys, via some sort of sentiment analysis. According to the press release, the results "…reveal a nation struggling to overcome a lack of sleep and bemoaning an inability to keep New Year's resolutions. Tweets relating to feeling guilty are nearly five times higher than average on the first Monday in January as people head back to work and realise that all their good intentions have already been long forgotten." It sounds pretty bad. But if you're wondering how you might be able to combat the blues, don't worry, Upbeat has you covered. Just grab one of their 3 lbs. Chuck Roast 3 lbs. Whole Chicken 3 lbs. Pork Chops 4 lbs. Meatloaf 3 lbs. Breakfast Sausage 4 lbs. 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