High-Achieving and Religious Students At-Risk Youth For Substance Abuse?
New research shows high-achieving kids are more likely to drink and use drugs during their teen years and develop addictions by adulthood.
DO YOU ASSUME THAT since your kid gets good grades and goes to a good school that they’re not drinking or doing drugs? Think again. That’s the takeaway from two new studies suggesting that academically gifted youths are more likely to abuse substances, both as teens and adults. One surveyed 6,000 London students over nine years. Those with the highest test scores at age 11 were more likely to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana in adolescence – and were twice as likely to do so “persistently by age 20.”
Notably, a study taken by Arizona State University (ASU) study found that high school students who were more afraid their parents would punish them were less likely to drink or get high as adults. One professor, Luthar, said her…
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7 Years and Counting…Sobriety Wins.
Click here to read Kristen’s heartwarming journey to sober living.
How many drinks can I get away with?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? I certainly did, during those dark years when I crawled inside a wine bottle and couldn’t get out. Today, years later, I realize that is the wrong question to ask.
This article lists twelve questions to ask yourself if you ever have a sneaking hunch you might be drinking too much…or if friends and family claim that you are…or your drinking is interfering with your job, relationships, or family life.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/how-many-drinks-a-week-makes-me-an-alcoholic/ar-BBwQ40F?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp#image=AAgNH3Q|1
Thirty years ago, if I’d been honest, I would have answered the same questions as follows:
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Do you often feel guilty about your drinking? Yes
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Do you feel the need to lie to others about your drinking? Yes…I wouldn’t tell my husband I’d gone to the store at midnight to get more beer
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Have one or more of your loved ones expressed concern about your drinking habits? No, because I didn’t drink around anyone who didn’t also drink.
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Do you frequently drink more than you plan on drinking? Almost every time
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Do you black out when drinking? Occasionally.
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Do you feel that you need to drink to relax or feel better? Almost every time
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Do you find that you wake up from a night of drinking with severe anxiety, shaking or sweating that only a drink or medication can fix? Yes, those hangovers were a little taste of hell on earth. My coping mechanism was to pretend I wasn’t miserable.
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Do you feel uncomfortable in environments where alcohol is unavailable? Sometimes, if I was craving a drink
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Have you ever tried to control your drinking? I sure did…tried AA off and on, but it didn’t work.
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Have you had problems at home, school or work as a result of drinking? Yes, I’d call in sick when I had hangovers.
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Have you ever thought that your life would be better if you didn’t drink? No, I thought life would be better if I could drink socially and not get drunk.
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Do you ever find yourself jealous of people who can drink without consequences? Yes, I didn’t understand how they could nurse one or two drinks all night.
Dawn V. Cahill - Hot Topic Christian Fiction 