
Promoting Constructive Awareness of Substance Use and Abuse in the Granite Bay High School Community

Citizens Advocating Safe & Healthy Youth supports the Granite Bay High School Community, in Granite Bay and Roseville, California

Our Mission is to advocate a Safe & Healthy, substance-free journey to adulthood for every youth in our community.

Teen Quotes

“Parents are in denial that their kids would do drugs and alcohol.”

What’s "normal" for teen drinking? "Four shots of hard liquor is for the ‘light weights’ and a whole bottle for more experienced drinkers."

Teen Quotes

“Teens think they’re invincible, lose sight of importance, think it can't happen to me. All they think about is now, they don't think about their future and how this could affect their future down the road.”

“It will tear your family apart. It becomes a family problem.”

Teen Quotes

“Teens think they’re invincible, think ‘it can't happen to me.’ All they think about is now.”

“Many kids who are addicted don’t know it, and they deny that they’re addicted.”

Teen Quotes

“Kids can change. Be consistent and talk with your kids.”

“Parents don't know what to do if there’s a problem. Parents should put their foot down.”

Teen Quotes

How often do teens drink? "Every weekend, every night, anytime they can get away from their parents."

"A wide variety of ages are partying together, 13-27.”

Teen Quotes

“Don't assume kids are not doing it or around it.”

“There’s an attitude that taking prescription drugs is ok.”

Teen Quotes

“Some kids think ‘how high can you get?’ It doesn't matter if it's safe.”

“It will tear your family apart. It becomes a family problem.”

Teen Quotes

“Drug's are everywhere. Students are asked more than parents think – no matter where – it’s not safe.”

"Most kids don't care how safe it is, they only care about how high you can get."

Teen Quotes

"Sometimes I want to do drugs because everyone else is doing it and I want to fit in."

"I thought I could use drugs and lead a normal life – but I couldn't."

Teen Quotes

"7th grade is the first time I saw friends using drugs and alcohol at school."

“It goes on in schools, happens in places you don't expect, with friends, hanging out, public parks.”

Teen Quotes

"Weekends is a common time to drink. I go to parties where there are 30 six-packs all over the table, along with hard alcohol."

"My parents trust me. They ask where I’m going and, 'Will I be drinking?' I tell them, 'yes.' They say, 'be careful. Let us know if you need a ride' . . . I drink a fifth of Yeager."

Teen Quotes

“Teens think they’re invincible, think ‘it can't happen to me.’ All they think about is now.”

“Many kids who are addicted don’t know it, and they deny that they’re addicted.”

Teen Quotes

“Numerous kids smoke weed and get straight A's. Parents think as long as they get good grades they’re fine.”

“Many good students who are active with school activities are into drinking and drugs, and they have a huge influence on others because of their reputation.”

Teen Quotes

“Drug’s are especially easy to get and available locally – kids get money from their parents.”

“Be alert to giving money – drugs are so accessible. Trust your instincts and don't second guess yourself if you think you had $80 in your purse, not $40.”

Teen Quotes

“Parents don't know how much kids are using.”

“Who teens hang out with is important – many don't do drugs because of the friends they hang out with.”

Teen Quotes

“Drugs can happen to anybody – even the ‘nice’ kids. Parents trust the ‘nice kids’ and don't know what they’re really doing.”

“Numerous kids smoke weed and get straight A's. There have been top students who both use and sell.”

Teen Quotes

“Teens think they’re invincible, think ‘it can't happen to me.’ All they think about is now.”

“Many kids who are addicted don’t know it, and they deny that they’re addicted.”

Teen Quotes

“Kids can change. Be consistent and talk with your kids.”

“Parents don't know what to do if there’s a problem. Parents should put their foot down.”

Teen Quotes

How often do teens drink? "Every weekend, every night, anytime they can get away from their parents."

"A wide variety of ages are partying together, 13-27.”

Substance Abuse Risk Factors

How Do We Keep Our Kids Safe & Healthy in a Substance Infested World?

Understanding the risks is a great place to start. And CASA (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) offers invaluable insights on the subject. CASA conducts annual Teen Surveys that provide a wealth of information on a wide variety of risk factors that may influence teen substance use and abuse. Many of the most salient findings are charted below for ease of reference. These findings confirm that no child is immune to the risks, for even under the most favorable circumstances too many of our youth are still being drawn into risky behaviors and many suffer the consequences. But more hopefully, these data also show that the choices we make, as parents, can have a tremendously positive impact on keeping our Youth Safe & Healthy.

"Parent power is the most underutilized tool in combating substance abuse."

CASA: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

"For the past 14 years, CASA has surveyed American teens to track their attitudes on drugs and alcohol. In that time, through its unique annual "back-to-school survey" CASA has identified factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of teen substance abuse."

Methodology

Some of CASA's findings correlate actual substance use to various risk factors, but most findings correlate a given risk factor with a "substance abuse risk score." The "substance abuse risk score" is a measure of the statistical probability for substance abuse relative to the average. In other words, a "substance abuse risk score" of "1" indicates a probability of substance abuse equal to the average teenager. Whereas a score of "1.5" indicates a 50% greater than average probability of substance abuse, and similarly, a score of "0.5" indicates a 50% less than average probability of substance abuse. Extensive analysis has shown that these scores track actual usage very well, and further information on the methodology can be found in each of the annual surveys. The following two examples on marijuana use by teens illustrate the difference between correlation to risk scores versus correlation to actual usage.


CASA Survey VIII:26		CASA Survey XIV:18

“Teens’ behavior is strongly associated with their parents’ behavior and expectations, so parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drink and use drugs.”

-- Joseph A. Califano, Jr

Proactive Parenting Works!

The single most compelling finding of the CASA Surveys is that Proactive Parenting can dramatically reduce your teen's risk of substance use and abuse.

"The more parents establish appropriate rules and standards of behavior and monitor their teens, the lower the teen's risk of substance abuse."

-- CASA Survey VI:ii

"The exercise of parental authority has a very strong relationship with the substance abuse risk score -- far greater than any other variable in the survey."

-- CASA Survey VI:9

One specific measure of Proactive Parenting is the CASA analysis of what they call "Hands-On" parenting practices. CASA evaluated 12 independent indicators of parenting practices, such as, monitoring where teens are, and sending a clear message that substance use is dangerous and unacceptable. Based on these indicators, parents were divided into three groups based on the aggregate tendencies of their parenting practices. The results, below, show what a powerful impact parents can have on keeping their Youth Safe & Healthy.


CASA Survey VI:8		CASA Survey VI:8

Parent/Teen Relationships Many parents take a low-key attitude to monitoring and setting limits for their teens, thinking this will maintain a good relationship. But surveys show just the opposite to be true. The best relationships occur in homes where parents do exercise their authority to set Safe & Healthy standards for their Youth. "Despite the conventional wisdom that many teens do not want their parents to establish rules and expectations, the survey found that teens with "hands-on" parents are much more likely to have an excellent relationship with their parents than teens with "hands-off" parents."
		CASA Survey VI:9