Takin' Care of Business: R-E-S-P-E-C-T Recovery

I wonder what segment of the public understands the tremendous commitment made by an addict seeking intervention and rehabilitation? Most people seem to identify easily with a smoker or with an obese individual struggling to change, but so many of these same people seem to abhor those with drug habits and to care little about their recovery.

This callous attitude is partly due to the fact drug addicts have been stereotyped as bad people who break taboos and enjoy the culture of criminality. Quite frankly, a large segment of the public views an addict as a loser and as an acceptable fatality of a self-chosen repugnant lifestyle. This view is inaccurate and intentionally degrading.

I know many addicts who have fought overwhelming pain and endured tremendous suffering, humiliation and disrespect to achieve sobriety. These individuals know how lucky they are not to be in prison for life or in a grave. They count their blessings every day of their sobriety and understand that triggers could contribute to an unexpected, spiraling fall into future dependence and further addiction.

Recovering addicts must exercise complete control of their emotions and rely upon special others to help boost their independence. As they come to grips with their disease, they must recognize that they, unlike the majority, are prone to great risks from certain potentially enslaving behaviors. They can ill afford to put themselves into situations that present something as simple as a visual cue that tempts their controlled desires.

These addicts understand that the odds of their recovery are not good unless they -- with heart, mind, and soul -- commit and adhere to long-term professional help. Out of necessity, they understand that old friends and family who continue to use become their enemies. They understand that a commitment to walk a narrow path is their only hope of survival in a forest full of deceptions and deadly snares. And, they understand that surviving the long trek into a new and better life still does not guarantee them a job, a family, or mutual respect. They live clean by their strong wills or they perish by surrendering to their disease.


Society must not treat recovering addicts like damaged individuals. Neither should society treat them as pariahs without redeeming qualities. They are not "bad people" because of their addictions; they are simply people who have made some "bad" choices. Most desperately desire love and wish to find an environment that extends them common courtesies. Many find little consolation, and yet many become much stronger individuals as they learn to cope with the fallout of their disease.

I admire those who relentlessly fight their addictions. As I hear their stories and look into their faces, my ears and my eyes recognize many similarities. I relieve old risks of my own, and I remember my own debilitating bouts of spiraling clinical depression. I understand dependence through my fight with mental illness -- the drugs, the hopelessness, the helpless condition. I realize that I, like them, must be ever mindful of needed treatment, and that I, like them, rely upon people to see me as whole and not irreparably damaged.

We all face struggles. In the obstacles we face, we all suffer some significant losses. But by the grace of God, all of us could be judged by our peers as inadequate or inconsequential or even dependent in some less-than-attractive manner. No one is immune to failure. Sometimes those failures fall directly upon our shoulders. Making mistakes and correcting them are parts of the human condition.

Doesn't every soul who commits to sincere change deserve help? I don't mean to offend anyone, but whether you smoke, you overeat, you drink, you lust, you lie, you steal, you envy, you have a physical or a mental deficiency, or you are addicted to drugs, you should be afforded assistance and offered the means to recovery. I wager you would do all in your power to help family or friends who say, "I need you."

Maybe we should also assist a stranger with a gorilla on his or her back. No one wants to become addicted. Unfortunately, more and more do. Those giving their all to beat a personal addiction are fighting an opponent unequalled in the battles faced by most of the rest of us. Our love will strengthen them and help them testify to scores of others. And, most importantly, our love will help reduce the high body count caused by drug abuse.

Perfect Imperfection -- The Raw and Ready

“There are two things we should always be 1. raw and 2. ready.

When you are raw, you are always ready and

when you are ready you usually realize that you are raw.

Waiting for perfection is not an answer,

 one cannot say "I will be ready when I am perfect"

because then you will never be ready,

 rather one must say 'I am raw and I am ready

just like this right now, how and who I am.'”

  -C. JoyBell C.

Granted, this quote sounds a little like the condition of sushi; however, I believe the wisdom in these words does not refer to consumption but to preparedness. I believe humans are products in the making, and productive beings remain "raw" until their last breath.

People who adopt perfection, either as a state of being or as a realistic goal, accept a self-defeating demeanor. They live false lives by worshipping the unattainable. The concept of perception stems from the Latin word perficio meaning "to finish" or "to bring to an and." I understand satisfaction may be an acceptable condition, yet maintaining contentment requires continual change.

The state of perfection denotes inaction and inaction breeds the stagnation of body and mind -- the human, in accepting his or her own perfection, would be a cold, stone sculpture, an inhuman form existing solely for the idolization of those who prefer fantasy.    

The paradox -- that imperfection is perfect -- applies to humans and human affairs. Everyone desires to feel "perfect" at special times. The baseball pitcher who throws a no-hitter, the beautiful bride on her much-anticipated wedding day, the young child held in a loving mother's embrace, the two lovers seized by the emotion of soul-mated ecstasy -- all of these people bask in the brief glory of perfection. Yet, to continue an athletic career, to make a marriage work, to commit to the changing nature of love, humans must understand that imperfection is the true state of natural affairs and the condition of all things beautiful.

I believe striving toward perfection is a worthy goal as long as a person does so with raw humility. That person must reach for a dream with the knowledge that attaining the goal will not produce complete transcendence. The dream, in every likelihood, is significantly blemished and its attainment will not insure success or even desired favor. The lottery winner who foolishly blows his fortune, the rich man who marries a cheating "trophy wife," the devout follower of religion who loses a child to a terrible tragedy -- all found any semblance of perfection in life was not guaranteed in a natural world.  

To be "ready" with all its connotations of foundation, preparation, willingness, adjustment, responsibility, and such, is quite a commitment. Still, to be ready never assumes perfection. In that respect, a person finds a certain degree of "rawness" to be acceptable within the terms of readiness to move into action. How many soldiers have gone into battle with raw courage? How many heroes have relied on their raw instincts to save lives? How many successful business people have counted on raw initiative to begin new ventures?

Without a raw, native nature, humans lack desire. They often miss opportunities that arise, and they limit their exposure as fear overtakes them. I personally believe passion and desire when applied with significant knowledge can produce desirable results. As a believer in imperfection, I find perfection in people, in art, and in all creation to be very bland and undesirable. The little "rough edges" of works draw attention and stimulate natural curiosities.

To me, the song or the woman or the scenery that screams "Perfection!" lacks the raw content of natural enhancement: the beauty of a degree of roughness of surface. I believe people are most attracted to that which incorporates the fault(s) in a contributing manner. In fact, sometimes what a person perceives to be fault may be inherently attractive. So, I think not only "waiting for perfection" but also "depending on perfection" is silly.

The quote states "one must say 'I am raw and I am ready just like this right now, how and who I am.'” I think this affirmation allows an individual to step up the next rung and improve a life in progress. Despite nicks and bruises, a productive soul has to continue experiencing a challenging reality, a series of circumstances unique to each imperfect individual. Call it "raw" and "ready"? Those terms make sense to me. I hope to maintain both adjectives in my life.



Emotions In Motion Create Dreams

What makes a person human and unique? It must be the emotions that inhabit their minds. Alan Watts, English philosopher (1915-1973), echoes this as he defines "man" in The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.

"I seem to be a brief light that flashes but once in all the aeons of time --

a rare, complicated, and all-too-delicate organism on the fringe of biological evolution,

where the wave of life bursts into individual, sparkling, and multicolored drops

 that gleam for a moment... only to vanish forever."

Emotions are the fuel that drives an individual to act on a belief or on a dream. Emotions allow a person to change, to grow, to learn, and  to love. Emotions are such personal, intimate feelings of  overwhelming individual influence.

The need to wonder is an important feeling that humans must exercise to help facilitate a sense of their own existence. This understanding overcomes feelings of alienation from the universe.

Watts says, "Wonder, and its expression in poetry and the arts, are among the most important things which seem to distinguish men from other animals, and intelligent and sensitive people from morons."

He believes a person needs to "come into" this world rather than to "come out" of it. Watts thinks that a human must understand that every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe, a metaphorical wave on the sea.

Watts explains,

"As the ocean 'waves,'

the universe 'peoples.'"

This fact is rarely, if ever, experienced by most individuals. One of the most strongly reinforced taboos is the taboo against "knowing who you are." In another of his works, Psychotherapy, East and West, Watts writes, "When a man no longer confuses himself with the definition of himself that others have given him, he is at once universal and unique. He is universal by virtue of the inseparability of his organism from the cosmos. He is unique in that he is just this organism and not any stereotype of role, class, or identity assumed for the convenience of social communication."

So what does Watts believe a person must do with his or her unique emotions? If each is an incomparable wave, the answer seems natural. In truth, it is evidenced through a person's very creation. Watts explains, "You are this universe and you are creating it in every moment."

Watts inspires the actions stirred by human emotions with the following proclamation:

"Things are not explained by the past,

they are explained by what Happens Now.

That Creates the past, and it begins here...

That's the birth of responsibility."

I am a believer in the process of finding out who you are. It's work that is not always pleasant, and many who try to undertake it alone fail to make the universal connection that Watts explains. Perfection and final product are words that do not exist in my conception of anyone's "wave."

In fact, when I hear people boasting of even attempting such grand heights, I begin to do some wondering about their intentions and their sincerity. They may, indeed, be tsunamis, but they will still swell and rush as a fraction of an enormous ocean. They, too, will become memories of their mighty past.

Acceptance is a very comforting word to anyone interested in determining their real self purpose. As people explore their individuality, they must understand their limitations and accept their natural gifts in order to break the taboo and "come out" of a sleepy, gray existence.

This kind of acceptance does not mean that they allow others to control them or that they "sway" with the majority out of sheer frustration or stupidity. Instead, they must accept that the natural flow of  humsn existence calls for them to accept responsibility and become a particular, contributing part that supports a larger whole.

To speak in religious terms, a Christian who accepts God's plan for his or her life must still exercise free will and act according to God's directives. To be content to hope and pray without putting that plan into operation does not advance a Holy intention. And, neither can that Christian be an island unto himself or herself. To deny missionary actions to any is both judgmental and selfish.

I believe we all are a significant part of a universe of the present. We are both creations of that universe and creators of the temporal universe we share on earth. Whether we see ourselves as a "brief light" or a "wave," that image is just a conception of our wonder.

The control we have over our emotions is what allows us to explore and discover a path most natural to our individual existence. Call it duty or responsibility, but never ignore the call to keep looking for ways to improve something through those unique talents. The most far-reaching plans are dreams. And dreams can only become realities through cooperation. A dream realized but unshared is fruitless.

Finding Your "Response" In Responsibility

The Responsibility Poem

There was a most important job that needed to be done,
And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none.
But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask
Is who exactly will it be who'll carry out the task?
Anybody could have told you that Everybody knew
That this was something Somebody would surely have to do.
Nobody was unwilling; Anybody had the ability.
But Nobody believed that it was their responsibility.
It seemed to be a job that Anybody could have done,
If Anybody thought he was supposed to be the one.
But since Everybody recognized that Anybody could,
Everybody took for granted that Somebody would.
But Nobody told Anybody that we are aware of,
That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of.
And Nobody took it on himself to follow through,
And do what Everybody thought that Somebody would do.
When what Everybody needed so did not get done at all,
Everybody was complaining that Somebody dropped the ball.
Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame,
And Everybody looked around for Somebody to blame.
Somebody should have done the job
And Everybody should have,
But in the end Nobody did
What Anybody could have.

-Charles Osgood

Charles Osgood, often referred to as CBS News' poet-in-residence, has been anchor of "CBS News Sunday Morning" since 1994. He also anchors and writes "The Osgood File," his daily news commentary broadcast on the CBS Radio Network.

I have color coded the people in the poem to make it easier to break down the meaning. Perhaps answering a series of questions can help solve any comprehension problems you might have as these characters appear multiple times. This exercise may also spark some discussion about theme.

1. Who did Everybody say would "surely" have to do the task?

2. Why didn't Nobody do the task?

3. Who had the "ability" to do the task?

4. Who did Everybody "take for granted" would do the task?

5. Who did Everybody complain was responsible for "dropping the ball"?

6. In the end, what two people should have done the task?

7. In the end, who did the task that Anybody could have done?


Everyone Wants It


Blog author Jonathan Fields writes about the fact he hears everyone say they want change. He gives several good examples. Fields says,

"People want a better economy, but nobody’s willing to share in the financial hit it’ll take to get us back on track.

"People want better schools, but nobody wants to rock the system, the unions, the teachers, the role of parents.

"People want lower health care costs, but nobody wants to endure the changes to medicine, law and bureaucracy it’ll take to get it.

"People want lower insurance, but nobody wants to adopt the changes in lifestyle and behavior that’ll drive it."

(Jonathan Fields, "Everyone Wants Better, No One Wants Change," www.jonathanfields.com, 2012)

In his blog entry, Fields makes two important conclusions:

(1)  Everyone wants to own the result, nobody wants to own the process.

(2) A leader is someone who is willing to own not just the result, but the process.

Responsibility is often viewed lightly. Everybody, in good faith, says they want to be responsible for doing the right thing. However, being responsible for the process to complete any necessary task or being responsible for the process to effect needed change requires tremendous personal commitment and dogged determination. Some find they can't take the responsibility for the process because they lack the will required for full commitment; they limit their fulfillment of commitment to the bounds of their own minds and consciences. They love to say, "I'm with you," shake your hand, and part.

In other words, when many people say, "I will be responsible for this," they mouth their pledge to join the bandwagon that supports completion of the act, but they look past the hard work they must personally do in the process of achieving the act, preferring, instead, to share in any rewards of achieving a positive result.

I have seen this occur time and time again in many groups. Everyone agrees a cause is worthy, and the group must commit to action. There is work to be done. Then, in the minds of some individuals in the group, doubt begins to cast long shadows. Some members decide to cheer lead and not process because of the following excuses:

* This problem is just too big to tackle for me, besides someone else in the group will do it.

* I don't have the time right now to do anything about the problem. I'll get to it someday.

* I've thought about this problem more, and I just can't see the harm in letting it go for awhile.

* I'm not really affected by this problem, so why should I bust my tail to help?

To be fully responsible, we must "buy" the process and we must take ownership of the results. We cannot expect good results unless we apply our best efforts while working toward completion. If we work hard and the result isn't good, then we must examine our mistakes, modify our process, and rededicate ourselves to believing in the new process and carrying it out to a better completion.

When someone says, "I want to help," I find myself wondering whether the statement means "want" is the limitation of the conviction or whether "want" and "help" represent personal commitments necessary for full responsibility. Too often people say, "I've been meaning to..." or "I like what you guys are doing" or "I hope things turn out." It is plain to see why more doesn't get accomplished -- we have grown complacent as we pass buck after buck.

Scioto Community: Accept the Roots of Your Raisin'

Just a couple of generations ago, community was very dependent upon proximity. Before the advent of automobiles, means of improved communication , and other devices that let the population "spread out" to the suburbs and beyond, people drew so much benefit from being massed in tight community groups that helped facilitate most of their needs.

Now, even though people may think of community in terms of school districts or in terms of towns and villages, the real "helpful" community is much more widespread. We can easily access both necessities and friends at greater distances. Naturally, a person's dependence on being an active member of a very small community has decreased as people have widened their travel opportunities and long-distance connections.



The True Scioto "Community"


So what are the limits of community as it relates to a resident of Scioto County, an area containing a total of 616.15 square miles and approximately 80,000 people?

"They came in with a horse, a cow,

 a sack of corn, an iron pot

and a wife and several children,

an ax and a long rifle."

 -Norman Simpkins

"And a King James Bible."

-Unknown 

We who live in Scioto County are Appalachian residents. We can accept this distinction with pride or with regret. Over the course of history, Appalachians, both Native American and white settlers, have experienced isolation largely due to the inaccessibility afforded by the hills and mountains of the area. This isolation has helped preserve many old, treasured traditions while molding a distinct Appalachian character. However it has also caused the rest of the country to accept many stereotypes of our people and our culture.

For example, say "hillbilly" or "Appalachia" and immediately many Americans conjure these images:

* Welfare-type people

* A population that is not very intelligent

* Severe poverty including barefoot children and shanty houses

* Oppressed people in economically bypassed regions

* House trailer "trash"

* Inter-marriage and immoral behavior

* People who think different from the general population

In truth, many of these Appalachian stereotypes have developed because others misinterpret certain traits of the residents.

Traditional values of the mountain people include the following:

 * A present orientation with fatalistic views of the future

* Action vs. dialogue

* Fierce protection of self and kin

With these strong values, Appalachians developed a unique society that built upon its strength in isolation.

The people found it beneficial to do these things:

* Extend kinship networks

* Encourage children to learn from their parents and clan

* Make a family surname a meaningful mark of identification to link others to a kinship network

Strong family links such as these made the inhabitants of this area very independent within their clans. Consider the fact that many of these families survived in the mountains for generations by subsistence farming and by living "from the land" -- knowledge mainly acquired from their Native American predecessors. They developed a deep love of the "home place," and even their deep religious views developed as very important parts of their ties to the sustaining landscape.

So, damn the stereotypes. What are the traditional characteristics of an Appalachian? I understand that generalizing is insufficient, broad support to the scholarly, but, forgive me, I am just one of those shallow "hillbilly" philosophers.

Let's put it like this. Appalachians still seem to fit most of these traditional traits:

* They enjoy participating in a barter economy.
* They understand a "toot" work pattern (work hard, rest a spell).
* They are easy going.
* They are person oriented –see other people as whole individuals.
* They are a proud people
* They are a polite people
* They remain suspicious of "foreigners" (strangers).
* They believe staring is impolite.
* They believe in the equality of women.
* They are independent (love to "fight it out").
* They are more relational than goal oriented.
* They love good humor.
*They take stock in"I can talk about where I’m from, but you can’t."


John C. Campbell (1867-1919) was a distinguished American educator and reformer. His book, The Southern Highlander and His Homeland, published in 1921, two years after his death, deeply influenced the nation’s understanding of the distinctive problems of the region.

The work accomplished by Campbell during his life encouraged the people of Appalachia to become involved in their future by embracing the traditions of their past. Because of Campbell and many others like him, the unique culture and proud heritage of the Southern Appalachians has survived into the 21st century.

Campbell identified four distinct traits of Appalachian Americans. These traits are as follows:

1. Individualism

2. Traditionalism –familialism

3. Fundamentalism in religion

4. Fatalism –accepting life here as is and looking for a better hereafter.


We, in Appalachian Scioto County, are still strongly connected to the ties that bind us together as "hillbillies," "Appalachians," or an "isolated people." We can blame others or ourselves for the lack of jobs, industries, and general progress we have seen during the years. But, what does "looking back" and blaming accomplish today other than make us mindful of not repeating these old mistakes?

Is it not true that rather than investing in education, businesses, and other income-generating concerns, much of our federal aid was used to finance more consumption and more children? Is it  not true that welfare and state aid have become dominant sources of income? Is it not true that many have totally resisted attempts of reform and assimilation? And, is it not true that despite efforts to improve our area, the region has lacked entrepreneurship and education?

I believe blame and resistance to broadening our sense of community only hurt prospects for the future. The very strength of Scioto County rests in the character of the people and their NEW commitment to "come together," redefine "community" as county-wide, and put their traditional Appalachian attributes to the test.

We need to recognize the uniqueness of our Appalachian culture and demonstrate our love for our way of life and our land that has housed those who represent the strongest core of American values.

We can do this by 

(1) Getting off our asses,

(2) Promoting the positive features of our new, broader alliance,

(3) Rejecting (at least, modifying) any old beliefs that hinder our progress, and

(4) Accepting our responsibilities to sustain a proud Appalachian culture.


Do you older readers even realize how ignorant these words of advice sound to the younger generations that have been fed a steady diet of nothing but "Scioto -- my deadbeat, depressing, backwards home"? Like Appalachians of old, these young folks have school pride and small community interests; however, they largely view their county as a place with no opportunity and no interest in cooperation. Most of them can't wait to leave home for better employment or more education.

We must broaden our concept of home from Portsmouth, Lucasville, Sciotoville, Minford, the Burg and such to Scioto and Appalachia. Why? Because nothing is stronger than the human will blessed with the power of God. And, nothing can stop the combined good will of a large group of united Appalachian individuals marching toward necessary change. I believe that because I have seen the results of a handful of determined local people. And, I believe in the eventual victory of good over evil.

OK, folks, this old, half-brained man will shut up and quit his typical overly emotional ranting. Well, in a minute.... You can talk about your Western cowboys, your New England patriots, your West Coast pioneers, your Dixie rebels, and your Dust Bowl Okies. I respect them all and value their tremendous contributions to our American heritage. But, I will never understand how so many people can misjudge the character and contributions of the Appalachian Natives and settlers.

The Shawnee, the Cherokee, the Melungeons, the Scots-Irish, the Germans, the English. Tecumseh, Cui Canacina, Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket), Boone, Crockett, Kenton, even the fierce Lewis Wetzel. The people who have dwelt in Appalachia have defended their land against all enemies. Proud, independent, and fundamental they were, and they all loved the land we now call home.

The task of making our piece of Appalachia a better place falls to the people here. I fear too many have lost the will and the energy to help sustain the greatness of our heritage. All past generations here had overwhelming problems that had to face. Their nature was to fight "tooth and nail" to overcome adversity. Our old clannish ways must not stop us from working together to meet the challenges of today.

"A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong."

-Tecumseh

Pill Probabilities: "Dancing With Mr. D"

The "Youth Bulge"

First of all it is important to understand the definition of the word adolescent. Researchers now refer to adolescents as those aged 10 to 19, due to growing trends in the earlier onset of puberty and delayed transition into adult roles.

A decrease in child mortality rates worldwide is leading to the largest generation of adolescents in history: 1.2 billion to be exact. This has become known as the "Youth Bulge." As many of those teens face poverty, natural disasters and wars in addition to overwhelming physical and emotional changes, researchers worry about the lack of available health resources.

"The high income world has been grappling with a rising tide of risks for non-communicable diseases, including the problems of obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use," write the authors of a paper published in The Lancet this week. "That tide is now overwhelming many [lower-to-middle-income countries] who have yet to bring in measures to control the problems of injury, infectious disease and maternal mortality in this young age group.” ("Mortality Rates Still Too High for World's Teens," CNN Health, April 24 2012)

Believe it or not, the U.S. has the worst adolescent mortality rate out of 27 high income countries. Its rates of violent deaths (gang-related, homicides, etc.) are 10 to 20 times higher than other developed countries.

America's Youth Population

Over 64 million adolescents ages 10 to 24 live in the United States, representing roughly 21% of Americans.1 In the past ten years, the adolescent population has grown by more than 7%, with the largest gains seen among young adults ages 20 to 24. (Howden LM, Meyer JA. 2011. "Age and Sex Composition: 2010." United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov)

Young people in the United States reflect the increasing diversity of American society, as racial and ethnic minority groups continue to expand. Latinos and African Americans account for 20% and 16% of adolescents aged 10 to 19, compared to 18% and 15% of young adults ages 20 to 24. Conversely, while White youth represent 61% of young adults, they account for 58% of adolescents. (United States Census Bureau. 2010. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex and Age for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009." http://www.census.gov)

This growth of minority communities is expected to continue in the coming decades, with estimates projecting that white youth will account for 48% of adolescents by 2040.

Other trends seen among adolescent populations in the United States include a rising number of young people living in immigrant families (19% in 1990 to 24% in 2008), increasing school enrollment, and declining high school dropout rates. Further, 10.2 million young people lived in poverty in 2006, accounting for 23% of all Americans living in poverty.


Youth Mortality Rate Trends in the United States

The very good news is that the rate of unintentional injury – the No. 1 cause of death for adolescents (and children) in the United States plunged nearly 30 percent in the past decade, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ("Death Rates From Unintentional Injury Among Children Dropped by Nearly 30 Percent in 10 years," Press Release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Vehicular deaths remain the primary cause of mortality for youth in the United States, with contributing factors including lack of driving experience as well as presence of other teenage passengers and alcohol use.

And more good news is that the death rates from motor vehicle crashes dropped by 41 percent from 2000-2009. Several factors have played a role in this reduction, including improvements in child safety and booster seat use and use of graduated drivers licensing systems for teen drivers.

The horrible news is that poisoning death rates increased 91 percent among teens aged 15 to 19 between 2000 and 2009, largely a result of prescription-drug overdose, the CDC report said. (Andrew Mach, "Fatal Accident Rate for U.S. Children and Teens Plunges Since 2000," Christian Science Monitor, April 24 2012)

According to CDC research, appropriate prescribing, proper storage and disposal, discouraging medication sharing, and state-based prescription drug monitoring programs could reduce these deaths.

Do teens also seek street drugs today? Of course, some do. But, more and more teens are turning to prescription drugs and over the counter medicines to get high. These drugs include pain killers that might be prescribed after a person undergoes surgery, depressants that are taken for sleep aid, depression or anxiety or stimulants such as those used for ADHD.

The over the counter medicines include cough medicine and cold remedies. Narcotic pain killers like Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet or Lortab, including the generics such as methadone and hydrocodone are highly addictive and are very dangerous. 

Sadly, each day 2,500 students from 12 to 17 abuse a pain relieving drug for the first time. In fact, prescription medicine is the second most abused drug other than marijuana. Most teenagers obtain these prescription meds by stealing them from their parent’s medicine cabinets and even share them with friends or sell them at school. (Richard Hastings, "Prescription Drug Abuse Kills More Teens," Darien Patch, http://darien.patch.com/news, April 24 2012)

Thank God Most Young Adults Stop Abuse As They Age, Right?

Every young death is so tragic. Each causes unbearable pain and suffering for the family and friends of the deceased. Yet, the facts show that as terrible as statistics are for adolescent deaths, the highest poisoning death rates from drug abuse actually occur later in life.

The vast majority of unintentional poisoning deaths occur in older age groups. In 2007 unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of death from all causes for ages 35-44, the number two cause from 25-34 and the third leading cause of death from 45-54. Death due to drug abuse is taking place most often well beyond the age when people should "know better" and before their judgement begins to decline. (Tom LeDuc, "America's Poison Problem," www.worldlifeexpectancy.com)

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 82 Americans die as a result of unintentional poisoning, and another 1,941 are treated in emergency departments every single day. 

Imagine this:

The number of U.S. deaths due

to unintentional drug overdoses in 2006

exceeds that of a large jet crash

killing 350 people every day

for 2.5 months in a row.     

CDC Chart illustrating the massive growth in death by poison while

other leading causes of unintentional injury deaths decline

Excellent Slide Presentation from the Ohio Department of Health Violence and Injury Prevention Program: "Alarming Rise In Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths In Ohio"

http://www.ohiopha.org/admin/uploads/documents/RX%20Drug%20OD%20Slides.pdf

Mexican Cartels Market Heroin in the American Heartland

Old, historic Mexico. Would you like to live in Mexico?

Poverty is widespread (around 44% of the population lives below the poverty line). In Mexico, the average household earned 12,182 USD in 2008

In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Mexico is 75 years, or four years below the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. The level of atmospheric PM10 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs  is 33 micrograms per cubic meter, and is much higher than levels found in most OECD countries.

The average Mexican home contains an estimated 0.9 rooms per person, less than the OECD average of 1.6 rooms per person. In terms of basic facilities, 6.6% of dwellings in Mexico lack private access to indoor flushing toilets, much more than the OECD average of 2.8% dwellings.

In Mexico, 15% of people reported falling victim to assault over the previous 12 months, much higher than the OECD average of 4% and the highest rate in the OECD. 34% of people feel unsafe on the street after dark, higher than the OECD average of 26%.


The homicide rate (the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants) is a more reliable measure of a country’s safety level because, unlike other crimes, murders are usually always reported to the police.In 2009 there were 12 violent homicides registered for every 100,000 Mexican residents.

In Mexico, as in the United States, a violent murder is differentiated from a “justifiable homicide,” such as may occur through self-defense or when a felon is killed by a police officer in the line of duty. Murder in Mexico, as in America, refers to the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.

In 2009 there was 1 violent murder per 20,000 U.S. inhabitants. When compared to Mexico’s current rate of 1 murder per 8,300 Mexican residents, an individual runs a much greater risk of being violently murdered in Mexico than in the United States, yet the U.S. population is more than three times the size of Mexico's. CNSNews.com calculated that there were an estimated 12,400 registered murders in Mexico in 2009. (Cook, Colleen W., ed. "CSR Report for Congress."  Mexico's Drug Cartels. USA: Congressional Research Service. October 16, 2007)

There have been nearly 50,000 drug-related killings in Mexico since President Felipe Calderón began his six-year term. That's more than twice as many civilian deaths in the same period as in war-torn Afghanistan.

This map by Stratfor shows which cartels control which regions, what areas are still up for grabs, and who is smuggling what to where. Part of a full report on the cartels, the map was sent in by Kyle Rhodes of Stratfor who says their analysts work incredibly hard ensuring all their data is highly accurate.

The Government of Mexico Versus Drug Cartels


Mexican cartels advance their operations, in part, by corrupting or intimidating law enforcement officials. Often, the Mexican municipal, state, and federal government officials, along with the police forces, work together with the cartels in an organized network of corruption. A Pax Mafioso, is a specific example of corruption which guarantees a politician votes and a following in exchange for turning a 'blind eye' towards a particular cartel.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) reports that although the central government of Mexico has made concerted efforts to reduce corruption in recent years, it remains a serious problem.

Some agents of the Federal Investigations Agency (AFI) are believed to work as enforcers for various cartels, and the Attorney General (PGR) reported in December 2005 that nearly 1,500 of AFI's 7,000 agents were under investigation for suspected criminal activity and 457 were facing charges.



Felipe Calderón has been widely viewed as having blundered in taking on the drug cartels. Yet, now, many believe his tougher controls have produced some favorable results.

But, when Calderón came to power, Mexico's half-dozen cartels were making up to $10 billion in annual revenue from drugs alone. They bribed officials and the police. Those they could not bribe, they killed. Calderón had no existing means to defeat them so he enlisted the military, a group force that could target cartel leaders and win in an all-out gun battle.

Fifty thousand lives is a heavy price to pay, but this was never going to be an easy war. The cartels had almost taken over Mexico.

Mr. Calderon leaves office in November 2012, as Mexico’s presidents are limited to a single term. In the fall of 2011, he moved to lock in the militarized approach to drug cartels that has defined his tenure, pushing aside public doubts and pressing lawmakers to adopt strategies he hopes will outlast him.

He stepped up calls for Mexico’s Congress to approve stalled initiatives to remake state and local police forces, codify the military’s role in fighting crime and broaden its powers, toughen the federal penal code and tighten laws to stop money laundering.



While Mr. Calderon dismisses suggestions that Mexico is a failed state, he and his aides have spoken frankly of the cartels’ attempts to set up a state within a state, levying taxes, throwing up roadblocks and enforcing their own perverse codes of behavior.

Responding to a growing sense that Mexico’s military-led fight against drug traffickers is not gaining ground, the United States and Mexico set their counternarcotics strategy on a new course in March 2010 by refocusing their efforts on strengthening civilian law enforcement institutions and rebuilding communities crippled by poverty and crime.

The $331 million plan was at the center of a visit to Mexico at that time by several senior Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Could You See America Falling Victim

To the Mexican Drug Cartels?

"With heroin becoming cheaper than a six-pack

and as easy to obtain as pot,

police and prosecutors are turning

to more aggressive tactics against the drug,

dusting off little-used laws to seek

murder charges against suspected dealers

and provide for longer prison sentences."

(Jim Salter and Jim Suhr. "A Shift to More Aggressive Tactics Against Heroin."

ABC News. Associated Press. April 14 2012)

I understand your reluctance to believe the United States could become engulfed by Mexican cartels. But...this report is from St. Louis. Citizens there are fighting quite a battle now. 

In St. Louis, angry suburban parents have organized anti-drug rallies and founded organizations to spread the word about heroin in affluent areas where it is usually considered an unlikely threat. This assertive approach is being adopted more widely and in more areas that have rarely been so bold --comfortable residential communities.

"We are going to treat every overdose scene like a crime scene. We are going to treat every overdose as a potential homicide," said Stephen Wigginton, U.S. attorney for southern Illinois. "Heroin is the bullet."

Wigginton continued, "There is a false belief that you have to be a major drug dealer to be prosecuted. If you give drugs, you'll be treated like a drug dealer, prosecuted like a drug dealer and convicted like a drug dealer."

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2011/09/17/1863588/this-teen-snorted-the-heroin-but.html#storylink=cpy

Heroin has become far more dangerous and accessible in recent years. Mexican cartels a half-decade ago created a form of the drug so pure it can be snorted or swallowed instead of injected, making heroin more appealing to teenagers and suburbanites who don't want the stigma of shooting up.

The extreme purity -- often 50 percent or higher -- means today's heroin is far deadlier than in the past. As a result, heroin deaths have spiked over the past few years in some parts of the country.

Few places have been as devastated as the St. Louis area, where the city and county reported 116 heroin deaths in 2010 and 194 last year. The increase was even more pronounced across the Mississippi River in Illinois' Madison County, where the death toll has climbed from just five in 2008 to 26 last year. (Jim Salter and Jim Suhr. "A Shift to More Aggressive Tactics Against Heroin." ABC News. Associated Press. April 14 2012)

Part of the problem is availability.

"Heroin is easier to get than marijuana now," said Jim Shroba, the Drug Enforcement Administration agent in charge of the St. Louis office.

It's also cheap: A "button" of heroin — enough for one person to get high — can cost as little as $6.

Authorities are also redoubling their efforts to get users into rehab. St. Louis County officers now provide a small card to everyone arrested for heroin with a 24-hour phone help number on one side and police contacts on the other — in case they want to turn in their dealer. 

Tavis Doyle of East St. Louis, who was sentenced to life in prison in August for providing the heroin that killed a man. Prosecutors say Doyle refused to let anyone call 911 after the victim collapsed and instead tried to revive him by putting frozen meat in his pants. 

Tavis Doyle was tailor-made for that charge, according to his lawyer John Stobbs. "His house was a drug den," Stobbs said.

Stobbs said he thought Doyle's was the case on which Wigginton decided to make a stand."You are going to think twice about running a drug house," Stobbs said.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2011/09/17/1863588/this-teen-snorted-the-heroin-but.html#storylink=cpy

In the five years before Tom Gibbons became state's attorney, Madison County filed just one case of drug-induced homicide. In the 15 months since, Gibbons has filed six.

Beautiful Shannon Gaddis, a heroin victim

Triad High School was off for two snow days in mid-January. Shannon Gaddis, an outgoing, well-known student and former cheerleader, spent the first day with two friends. They bought heroin in St. Louis, police reports state.

Just after midnight she snorted a dose and a half by herself. Later that morning one of them, Taylor Kennedy, woke up to find Gaddis lying prone across her bed, and he called 911, police said.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2011/09/17/1863588/this-teen-snorted-the-heroin-but.html#storylink=cpy

On Wednesday, January 12, 2011, Triad High School senior, Shannon Gaddis, passed away. Shannon was born on July 27, 1993, and was 17 years old at the time of her death.

 

Interactive Maps: The New York Times . "The Reach of Mexico's Drug Cartels"  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/22/us/BORDER.html

U R U Nique

"I am not like anyone else."

I believe and live by these words.

I believe God intends each of us to find purpose and to weave our unique threads into the fabric of humanity. As evidenced in our exclusive fingerprints, we are designed as a singular identity. Yet, our very existence is dependent upon other individuals who provide us sustenance and who nurture our independence. We all are essential pieces of a larger tapestry, and God has given us the free will to devote our particular assets to complete needed temporal works.

I think an adult who waits on an outside stimulus to effect change is stagnant. A human need only look within to find a spark of the purpose for his or her creation. The discovery of self allows us to become "a particular life" with a purposeful existence. In other words, to me, a person's diversity is a gift meant to become a means of strengthening social ties. Having bestowed a "piece of heaven" to every heart, the Maker expects every person to find, interpret, and spread this love to the best of his or her ability.


Many people resist the call. They live their lives believing that a purpose for their life will be clearly ordained by a heavenly source. Their "calling" is stalled or delayed by their own trusting faith and belief in providence. They believe they have to do nothing other than trust in God and good to live productively. Instead, I believe God intends these people to search "from the inside" and transfer their positive energy and action to the community to help insure the essential earthly delivery of the common good.

Many other individuals see their contributions to society to be unnecessary and unrelated to their intended purpose. As these people personally prosper or suffer, they see their lot as righteous earnings or circumstances of fate. They hoard the trappings of their lives in heaping accumulations of fortune or misfortune, and they believer the, themselves, are the engines of their own existence. Instead of discovering and nurturing their attributes to rise above their own greed or pity, they become faithless and introverted.

I have seen people who develop a love of money as a purpose for their lives. They actually believe their greatest gifts are acquisition, power and grandeur. They proudly store and carefully distribute their monetary assets within family bounds except for occasional shows of public generosity given as selfish tax write offs or as indications of their powerful political concerns. Their pride eventually leads to a "love" of money and the desire for all that it can do to make their lives pleasurable.


And, I have seen the exceedingly poor in their stubborn exaltation of "living on the dole" resist many efforts that could better their own independent existence, preferring instead to rant about inequality and poverty as if living in crippling conditions is a proud birthright. These people live their entire lives in a state of obligation to a society kind enough to provide the basics for human existence. Where is their interest in self discovery and their dogged determination to develop unique assets to assist others? They often feel powerless, so they develop weak wills and prejudices against those who have more than they do.

To be fair, I am not condemning the rich or the poor. Instead, I am purposely confronting anyone who has not looked to his or her soul to discover their spin on the planet is not a "free ride." I don't encourage people to attempt to change an individual because I believe the stimulus for action is within a person's own understandings and the key to unlocking the "ticket" that pays for existence lies in the acceptance and application of his or her own individuality.

We must use tolerance to cement our differences and strengthen our respect so that we may explore all possible solutions and, together, find new answers that represent the will to achieve the common good. It is our very difference that serves to unite us to make the work lasting and beautiful -- in the completion of such undertakings, we each see a reflection of ourselves, not standing alone, but standing together in harmony, a reflection from a wonderful construction created through individual gifts bonded by dependency.

We all learn valuable lessons of diversity as we share "building" experiences with each other. Lasting changes are products of cooperation and compromise. The people who effect these changes come from all walks and all backgrounds of life. They have found a voice they know as true, and they have become convinced that their opinions are necessary parts of the blueprints for a solid plan.

I believe too often we proceed with tunnel vision and belittle or ignore, for our own selfish reasons, the smaller voices of truth. Leaders decide that forcing a change is much more efficient than working through compromise, so they resist diverse planning and shrink back into old, accepted patterns of behavior that provide a temporary band aid.

As leaders become convinced they can control the minds of others by force, they can quickly find efforts to funnel humanity through a narrow channel of understanding into a sea of acceptance are fruitless. Forcing a change nearly always produces strong resistance. Bottlenecks develop as individuals discover personal, seemingly valid reasons to resist. And, isn't this just human nature? Force denies importance of self and stifles positive diversity.

If, however, humans are free to become active participants in decision making and are allowed to discover some personal benefit in change, they justify the movement as being "good for them." They willingly accept the possible benefits of the proposition. How many more of these same individuals then put their unique talents into effecting the new course?
I am not like anyone else, nor do I wish to be like anyone else. It is true that I am unique in the world, and this fact can cause me to have feelings of insecurity and loneliness. However, to understand the reason that I continue to breathe good air, I feel the need to develop and share any God-given talents I possess.

I think all humans are alone/together. We desperately need each other, and the only way we can fit all the untold pieces together is to spread love. I feel every human is capable of feeling and giving love. As I better understand how to add my little piece to the puzzle, I know others must fill in missing portions to make a complete, magnificent accomplishment -- a true work of love.

"When we allow ourselves to exist truly and fully,

we sting the world with our vision

and challenge it with our own ways of being." 

- Thomas Moore

Drug Abuse -- I Talk Too Much

I have spent much time in the last three years learning about drug abuse. In order to acquire a decent understanding of the epidemic that chokes our communities, I have promised myself to keep an open mind while continuing to find information, both first-hand and published, that will make me better equipped to help in some small ways. It is not always easy to grapple with an enemy with so many tentacles that reach deeply into businesses, professions, and homes. I feel I have taken my fair share of criticism for being fervent about my ideas and openly active in my efforts.

Indeed, I have expressed some staunch opinions and spoke out with undue emotion during meetings and gatherings where I should have been silent. I understand this fault; when it happens, I am regretful of these actions.

I so admire the silent type that speaks eloquently with a few well-chosen words. I wish I had the temperament and the patience to be more calm and to hold my tongue. I really do try to work on my annoying behavior, but I am certainly a slow learner when it comes to changing habits.

Meeting and discussing drug abuse with so many people over the years, I feel the urge to communicate information and ask questions that trouble my understanding. To be quite honest, I still need to listen much more and speak a lot less. I need to tone my emotions. Though I do believe we all have talents that we should tap, unfortunately, most of mine are head-on and pointed. I only hope that God allows me to use my skills in the correct manner. I so believe that education is the hope for saving lives from drug abuse. More than anything else, we need the strong bedrock of an informed mind to make large strides.


I am also prone to see continued action as the proof of convictions. Many believe in the cause and are content to work within their own families to help end abuse. Nothing is wrong with that effort. We desperately need people to do that. And, with most problems, the family-centered approach would work wonders. But, I feel, those who really want to induce large-scale changes must reach beyond their own families and be missionaries to all -- family, friends, and strangers. I have grown to love and respect the warriors who consistently put their feet in the muck and keep slogging along.

I feel disheartened when people claim nothing has changed for the better. I understand how they feel that way as they evaluate any progress against abuse. It seems a new drug always takes the place of another that becomes better controlled, or another tragedy occurs despite the work people do to stop them. Many times I, myself, feel that the dragon is just too big to be slain, but then I think of one life that has been saved or one family that has been bettered through the united efforts, and I have faith that these miracles will continue to occur. I know right will prevail if enough effort is expended.

I also feel selfish at times. So many good people support so many good causes that save lives. I become so focused on drug abuse that I tend to forget the problem is just one of many. I have to remind myself that I have chosen to work on a particular danger, certainly not the only danger. If others did not put their boundless energy into fighting other diseases and curing other problems, we all would suffer greatly. I do not mean to be prejudiced against other worthy causes.

As people are paying for their criminal behaviors with prison time, fines, and lost licenses, I know I face a great deal of hatred. I have been threatened, as many others I work with have. I am sure there are many who want to hurt me by any means possible. More than a few would like to see me dead.

I have been faced with lawsuits by crooked lawyers who work for criminal enterprises. I and my family have endured numerous printed and uttered statements that defame our character. To say that threats are reason enough to sit this fight out may be wise advice. I understand the reluctance of people to put themselves in harm's way.

Believe me, I have healthy fears. I am not significantly brave by any means. But, I have to live with myself, and I wholeheartedly believe that unless more people unite to fight this evil soon, the future will not be worth living as Scioto County becomes a haven for abuse.

So, as you can probably tell by now, I feel guilty. I have spoken out, and perhaps, at times, I have spoken out too loudly. I sincerely apologize to those I have offended who fight in a different, more controlled manner. To those greedy individuals who continue to spread the disease of drug abuse in my county, I offer no apology. I will continue to become better educated and make every attempt to hone my skills. I so wish you would add your unique talents to stopping abuse. The life you save may prove to be your own loved one.

    

"It is well that there is no one without a fault;

for he would not have a friend in the world."

-William Hazlitt

Teens and College Preparation: What Are the "Good Old Days"?

I have often stated that I wish high schools would concern themselves more with high school level curriculum than with putting so much attention upon "get a leg up for college" manic behavior. As a teacher, I believed strongly in college preparatory classes for those students who were attending post-secondary schools, but I thought the pressure on students to take college classes during high school and to build an extensive resume with scads of extracurricular activities meant to impress college recruiters actually hurt their emotional development as it robbed them of innocence and stripped them of social contact with their peers.

I am saying that tough classes with appropriate subject applications can prepare students for college; however, on top of a good, challenging high school college prep curriculum, many parents and advisors now put too much emphasis on the importance of making Johnny and Susie look like ace college prospects by encouraging (often forcing) them to engage in a huge quantity of programs and offerings. To me, this idea that quantity, not quality, will somehow make Johnny and Susie better prepared is simply ridiculous.

Let me give you an example or two of college-like behaviors now popular in high school. When I was in school, I loved sports. For many years I would play three sports -- football, basketball, and baseball. It was common for athletes then to put down one ball once the season ended and take up the next one -- a natural progression that offered variety and welcome change. I enjoyed sports, loved the challenges of each different sport, and looked forward to advancing my skills as each sports season changed. We practiced to play high school games, not to impress college scouts or to overemphasize our role as young athletes. I, for one, had fun playing sports and viewed them as simple games, not all-consuming activities.

Today, high school sports put so much demand in terms of time and resources on participants that few who want to excel play more than one sport. Why? High school sports, like college sports, have become year-round activities. Workshops, camps, training programs, and targeted conditioning occur all year long. Also, with new laws allowing students to change districts, some schools recruit the best players in the area. Of course, these players are usually those who specialize in one sport while in high school. Gone are the days when little towns and villes produced good teams comprised of homegrown products.

Let me give you another example of rushing students to college. The senior prep class I taught, Advanced Composition, obligated students to write many papers. They were always busy prewriting, writing, and revising compositions that required time to prepare in order to meet exacting standards. Not only were they writing, but also they were learning writing theory that stretched their reasoning skills. My purpose was to prepare the students with strategies, processes, and exercises they could actually use to help them write during their college years. Those students who were so involved with a mountain of other activities often found little time to devote to writing.

Now, I understand that teens who are busy are less likely to feel bored and to engage in negative activities such as drug-related behaviors, but a teenagers who feel overwhelmed by a stressful life will often seek risky measures to relieve pressure. Dealing with anxiety, many even take stimulents to complete assignments or cram for exams. It is very important to know the child and his or her limits and needs. I found many top students to be so driven that they bought into the "quantity" formula for extracurriculars even though they constantly complained about out-of-class activities consuming all of their time.

College admissions counselors have a number of data points at their disposal from an application. They have an applicant’s SAT scores, Subject Test scores, AP scores, grades, courses, extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation, and high school profile, to name a few. Demographic information including ethnicity, occupation of the applicants’ parents, geographic region, and parents’ highest level of completed education are also significant information that college admissions counselors consider.

In Crossing the Finish Line, Winner of the 2010 Pierre Bourdieu Book Award from the Sociology of Education, co-authors William Bowen, Matthew Chingos and Michael McPherson analyzed the educational records of more than 200,000 students who entered four-year colleges in 1999. Among their findings: The grades students achieve in high school are the best predictor of how well they will do in college. Of course it is understood that the quality and intensity of a student's high school curriculum is very important also.

Other studies conclude that high-school grade point average (HSGPA) is consistently the best predictor not only of freshman grades in college, the outcome indicator most often employed in predictive-validity studies, but of four-year college outcomes as well.
A student in a good high school with an up-to-date, challenging curriculum should concentrate on making top grades if he or she seeks to be deemed "college ready." When a student's activities interfere, in unreasonable degrees, with his or her ability to achieve good grades, then the student would benefit from dropping some extracurriculars. To me, "quality," not "quantity," becomes the determining factor in time best spent.

Some Findings On "The Average Teen"
I wish high school could return to being just high school. I believe teens have so many pressures and time-consuming studies these days that "extras" can occupy too much of their time. If they have an interest in being totally consumed by "quantity," they run the risk of making lower grades. Perhaps, parents should encourage their children to limit activities that may consume too much time.

In any case, I believe a high school needs to have a strong curriculum to produce good college-ready students. Taking advantage of all the fringe programs and activities does not necessarily better prepare a student for the future. I definitely believe many of these offerings take up too much precious time. They may look impressive on a resume, but colleges know good grades in tough high school classes indicate future success. 

So, what does the so-called "average teen" have on his plate these days? They do a lot more than go to class. In fact, they have many concerns. Let's look at some profile for the average American teen:

1.  The average teen sends out 60 texts a day.

A new poll (2011) from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that number to be up from the 50 texts they were sending daily in 2009.

2.  Most teens are reading books at a 5th grade level.

“The single most important predictor of student success in college is their ability to read a range of complex text with understanding,” David Coleman, contributing author of the Common Core State Standards writes. “If you examine the top 40 lists of what students are reading today in 6th–12th grade, you will find much of it is not complex enough to prepare them for the rigors of college and career. Teachers, parents, and students need to work together to ensure that students are reading far more challenging books and practicing every year reading more demanding text. Students will not likely choose sufficiently challenging text on their own; they need to be challenged and supported to build their strength as readers by stretching to the next level.”

This sadly coincides with a report from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which showed that only 34 percent of students were rated in reading as “proficient.” National 12th-grade reading scores were lower in 2009 than they were in 1992.

3. The average prom spending has risen to a whopping $1,078 for families with teens.

This spending is up $807 from last year. Hair, makeup, shoes, jewels, flowers, limos, manicures --and all this before even discussing the dress. Dresses average out to $231 these days, with shoes at an average of $45, bags for $23, jewelry for $32, and hair, makeup, and manicures coming out to an average of $226.50.

"This is social-arms-race spending. It's extreme," says Jason Alderman, director of Visa's financial education programs.

4. Teens feel that school is boring, and they are tired.

Gallup recently asked U.S. teenagers* (aged 13 to 17) to select three words from a list of adjectives that describe how they usually feel in school, and found that "bored" is the word chosen most often, selected by fully half of teens. That was followed by another negative word, "tired," chosen by 42%.

Only as many as 31% selected any one of the positive feelings provided -- such as happy and challenged. Educators and parents would undoubtedly prefer that those were the first words that popped into teens' minds when asked about their day at school.

The data suggest that boredom may be a sign of the times for teenagers. Kids spend so much time with colorful, fast-paced TV shows and other stimulating media that it has become difficult for teachers -- who still often have little more than a chalkboard to work with -- to keep them focused.

But it's not impossible. "I have to change direction every 10 or 15 minutes to hold their attention," says Telma Gonzalez, a high school Spanish teacher in New York. "[But] even though kids say they are bored in school, they don't really act that way in my class. It may just be, too, that the inflexible routine of daily classes seems boring to kids."

5. Speaking of "tired," only 20 percent of teens get the recommended nine hours of shuteye on school nights, and more than one in four report sleeping in class.

These were finding to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation.The Sleep Foundation poll interviewed 1,602 adult caregivers and their children aged 11 to 17. It had a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points. School-aged children and teens need at least nine hours of sleep a day, according to the National Center of Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health.

Among the findings:

Some 28 percent of high school students said they fell asleep in class at least once a week. In addition, 22 percent dozed off while doing homework, and 14 percent arrive late or miss school because they oversleep.

More than half of adolescent drivers (51 percent) have driven while drowsy in the past year.

Eighty percent of students who get the recommended amount of sleep are achieving As and Bs in school, while those who get less sleep are more likely to get lower grades.

More than one-quarter (28 percent) of adolescents say they're too tired to exercise.

Just 20 percent said they get nine hours of sleep on school nights; 45 percent reported sleeping less than eight hours.

Nearly all youngsters (97 percent) have at least one electronic item, such as a television, computer, phone or music device, in their bedrooms. Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms are much more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night. They are also almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework, the Foundation reported.

What's more, the poll finds that parents are mostly in the dark about their adolescents' sleep habits. While most students know they're not getting the sleep they need, 90 percent of parents polled believe their adolescents are getting enough sleep on school nights.

"Sleep serves not only a restorative function for adolescents' bodies and brains, but it is also a key time when they process what they've learned during the day," said Jodi Mindell, associate director of the Sleep Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

6. The average American teen spends about 20 hours a week watching television, with the heaviest viewers coming from low-income households.

Television viewing increases in pre-teen years and declines after age 12. Adolescents aged 9-14 spend over 20 percent of waking hours watching television, compared to 9 percent on hobbies and 3.5 percent on homework.

7. Although only 13% of teens have had sex by age 15, most initiate sex in their later teen years. By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 female and male teens have had intercourse.

The Guttmacher Institute reports, "On average, young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but they do not marry until their mid-20s. This means that young adults may be at increased risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs for nearly a decade or longer."

Some good news: Teens are waiting longer to have sex than they did in the recent past. In 2006–2008, some 11% of never-married females aged 15–19 and 14% of never-married males that age had had sex before age 15, compared with 19% and 21%, respectively, in 1995. However, after declining substantially between 1995 and 2002, the proportion of teens who had ever had sex did not change significantly from 2002 to 2006–2008.

In 2006–2010, the most common reason that sexually inexperienced teens gave for not having had sex was that it was “against religion or morals” (38% among females and 31% among males). The second and third most common reasons for females were “don’t want to get pregnant” and “haven’t found the right person yet.”

A sexually active teen who does not use a contraceptive has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

The majority of sexually experienced teens (78% of females and 85% of males) used contraceptives the first time they had sex.

8. The average seventeen year old spends over 100 dollars each week.

Well, at least teens are contributing to the economy. More and more are now getting jobs and, in addition to their salaries, are receiving hefty allowances from their parents. In fact, it is estimated that teens will spend close to 155 billion dollars this year. That's an increase of more than fifty percent in five years. Hot on the trail of these passionate purchasers are marketing trackers. For many marketing people, their job is almost as fun as being a teen.