Welcome to April's Secondary PE section. To be frank, I'd much prefer writing about pedagogy than drugs and alcohol awareness. After all, I am not a health teacher, but a physical education teacher. I am, however, quite concerned about the widespread use of pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and "natural" substances by students today.

As a veteran teacher, I am no longer surprised to learn that kids I thought who had it together - kids I spent hours with - have turned to drugs "for fun." I was not worried about them in my early years of teaching, secure in thinking that my junior high kids had self-confidence, a sense of camaraderie, and lots of healthy outlets for their energy and curiosity. Apparently that wasn't enough. I never thought that they would join the "users" and "abusers" because I thought they knew how to have fun without drugs. However, they got older, went on to high school, and became curious and experimental. I was wrong, and it broke my heart to see and hear what had become of some of them.

Between peer pressure, outright curiosity, the general teenage belief that nothing can happen to them, and the desire to feel high and boost their athletic prowess, the fact that more kids don't abuse drugs and substances is amazing. With a click of a mouse and a proper credit card number, our kids don't even have to find pushers. Via the Internet, everyone can find a way to use.

Part of the problem is pressure. Sports are not simply for fun any more. Especially as parents envision scholarships, coaches see team victories as personal validation, and high school wins become stepping stones for students to better colleges, jobs, or prominent places in the community. As for the kids, they just want to be heroes, and many will do anything to achieve this. Steroids are their elixir. They make kids big, strong, and elite athletes. They help users lose fat and gain muscle, yet they are not the only substance to fear.

I am sure every secondary teacher has stories, such as the one about the kid who got so drunk he drowned in his own vomit, or the story about a car load of kids who got in a wreck after partying and drinking, or the story of a star student whose life went quickly downhill after entering the world of drugs. These are real stories about real people, and real stories help kids understand. They can relate to them.

Research can also be helpful for kids, parents, and teachers. The internet is often a good source, but unsupervised postings generally mean there is lots of information that can mislead intelligent and thoughtful people. Numerous articles post studies by manufacturers serving their agenda to sell. For instance, I recently came across an article about a creatine study that stated no known side effects were observed in a test group of individuals who used this substance. The article doesn't tell the whole story. It failed to highlight that the study focused on adults, not kids, and that the dosage studied was 1/6 the amount most teenagers ingest.

It's true, you are a physical education teacher not a health teacher, but find moments to talk about the drugs of the day. Keep up with the facts. Help kids develop a healthy skepticism about the claims sellers make. Speak of how sports organizations are banning substances for fear of their long term health risks. Let kids know that drug testing has become common place to discourage use. Teach them to think beyond the short term. Let them understand that short term gains often create long term problems.

All we can do is try. Trying is worth it.

Isobel Kleinman
Secondary Section Editor

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a number of useful tips for teachers and parents with questions about steroids. Below are a few examples.

Watch for: mood swings, severe acne, sudden and unexplained aggressive behavior, and physical changes.

Listen for: conversations with the following nicknames: 'roids, juice, hype and pump.

Watch for: physical side-effects: nausea and vomiting, headaches, aching joints and muscle cramps, high blood pressure, diarrhea, baldness. In females: increased facial and body hair, paranoia, anxiety, a deepened voice, and reduced breast size.

Emotional side-effects: increased aggression, severe mood swings, hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, and panic attacks and depression.

Youth in Action (YIA) is an organization that works to transform high school students into responsible advocates of drug and alcohol awareness. YIA takes a community-focused approach to solving drug and alcohol abuse.

Rather than simply attempting to educate students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, they work to engage everyone from store clerks who have the power to sell drugs and alcohol to minors, to irresponsible adults who purchase drugs and alcohol for minors.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers a number of valuable resources for students, parents and teachers. A number of links have been provided below for more information.

Marijuana: Facts for Teens
This site offers an abundance of information about marijuana, including usage statistics among teenagers, its effects on the body, and resources for conquering addiction.

NIDA for Teens
This site contains numerous facts about drugs, interactive advice from professionals, and true stories of teenagers with problems and solutions for drug abuse.

Mind Over Matter
This site has been specifically tailored for 5th through 9th graders. It contains information on the effects of different drugs on the body, such as opiates, inhalants, hallucinogens, nicotine, and methamphetamines.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is a valuable resource for both parents and educators concerned with alcohol abuse and alcoholism among teenagers and young adults. In this site you will find printable brochures, fliers, and posters for presentations to students. There is also a wealth of research-based materials for facts and trends of alcohol problems among students. The FAQ section is an excellent resource for quick answers to questions about alcohol problems.

Schedule the Day to Utilize Each Minute Purposefully: Too much free time and directionless activity can lead to many unwanted behaviors. Students need a sense of freedom, but it should be guided so that their social environment does not encourage aimless and wanton behavior.

Help Students Set Realistic Goals

All too often, students have unrealistic expectations. When it comes to setting goals for themselves, students want to be as skilled as their high performing classmates who have specialized in an activity for years. They also want to consider themselves effective team players, but mistakenly equate this with being the high scorer or the person who carries the ball most of the time.

Teachers must help the class, as well as individuals set realistic goals. Teachers must lead their class in expressing appreciation when these goals have been reached. Success is a great motivator. It breeds confidence, a willingness to try more, and a sense of satisfaction that frustration and failure only erase.

Encourage Personal Values and Ethics: Students must be encouraged to do their best without resorting to "tricks." They must learn to understand that achievement gained through cheating, bullying, unsportsmanlike behavior, the use of chemical enhancers, and/or outright dishonest behavior is no achievement at all.

Create Student Circles that Affirm Each Member's Self Worth: Teachers must protect students who cannot make it on their own by putting them with groups that will encourage and appreciate their effort. There are leaders in every class who encourage, rather than pressure, their teammates. These groups usually turn out a winning record despite having the weakest classmate on their team.

Reinforce, Encourage, Praise and Laugh as Often as Possible: Honest praise, hardy laughter, and lots of encouragement are the cornerstones of a wonderful learning environment. They motivate success and build self-confidence. They affirm effort and make the process of learning and growing and being oneself good fun.

Be Honest, Not Brutal. Be Positive When Dealing with the Negative: Students know when they've erred. Ignoring the error in pursuit of making them feel good about themselves is useless. Focusing on what was good while correcting what was bad works wonders.

Share True Stories of Kids Your Students Know to Make Your Point: Students either learn from their own mistakes or the mistakes of their peers. Rarely do they learn from the mistakes of their teachers or parents since they are so busy resisting advice from figures of authority.

When the above is Not Enough ... Consider Drug Testing

In 2005, an extensive survey of 275 junior and senior level high school students was conducted at Baldwin High School in Kansas. Below is an excerpt from this survey that may be helpful in understanding students' decisions about drugs.

Questions no. 9 of the survey asked: If you are NOT a controlled substance user, what influences most cause you to not be?

Most kids claimed that it was their own decision to stay off drugs, but mathematically, the greatest influence on their decision making was attributed to their parents, and the rules that their parents set down for them. The influences of coaches, teachers, and school anti-drug programs did not have nearly the effect on each responder as did their relationships with family, and their personal reaction to seeing or hearing of friends or family members who had had a negative experience with drugs. Read the whole survey.

Students with credit cards can access steroids and other illegal compounds via the internet. Parents should be encouraged to keep close supervision of credit card use. Below are a few relatively recent news stories about this problem.

Steroid Use among Teens Troubles Web Investigators

Web Sellers Bring Steroids Out of the Shadows

Steroids Shadow Looms Over Sports

To read more about drug use, kinds of drugs, psychological factors and health effects, scan the Web sites listed below.

How Performance-Enhancing Drugs Work offers an interesting and thought-provoking look at the world of steroids, and why so many athletes are unfortunately drawn to them.

Performance Enhancing Drugs and Your Teen Athlete is a great resource for acquainting oneself with the various terminology and performance enhancing drug names. This site also explains how each drug works and its harmful side effects. Read also these Tips for Teens.

What Are Your Children Learning: The Impact of High School Sports on the Values and Ethics of High School Athletes. Released in February of this year by the Josephine Institute of Ethics, this report takes an in-depth look at the factors behind high school student performance-enhancing drug use. The research is based on surveys administered to 5,275 high school students between 2005 and 2006. Here is a printable version.

What Is Cutting? - Injuring yourself on purpose by making scratches or cuts on your body with a sharp object - enough to break the skin and make it bleed - is called cutting. Cutting is a type of self-injury, or SI. Cutting is more common among girls, but guys sometimes self-injure, too. People may cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs, or bellies. Some people self-injure by burning their skin with the end of a cigarette or lighted match. Find out more.

Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation (Paperback) - Read the reviews. Appears to be a pretty good book on this subject.

Educators and Parents Respond to New Threat: Cutting - Educators and parents are seeing something develop in teens that is a great concern. It's a secretive and dangerous behavior called cutting, where kids will often slash their skin with knives or other sharp objects. Read more.

Cutting: The New Teen Anorexia - Bizarre. Worry. Pain. Shame. They're just a few of the words that come to mind to describe the past few weeks in our stepfamily. We found out recently that my 14 year-old stepdaughter is cutting herself. It's been very hard for her and for all of us. I'm writing this column because we hope it will help other families dealing with this problem seek help and treatment. Also, you may benefit by reading personal experiences and advice.

Cutting through the pain - It's not just a nervous habit but rather a serious disorder. The information becomes more interesting the further down the page you read. Also read Cutting: Self Injury by Teens. It's a very good article based on personal experience, and worth reading.

Emotional Health/Cutting (TeenFX) - Questions and answers on what to do about cutting.

Getting Help: Hurting Yourself (GirlsHealth.gov) - Some good advice here on when your behavior controls you.

I Keep Cutting Myself and I Can't Stop! (CoolNurse) - Here is some straight talk about cutting and other harmful habits.

SUBSTANCE USE DURING PREGNANCY: TIME FOR POLY TO CATCH UP WITH RESEARCH

ABSTRACT: The phenomenon of substance abuse during pregnancy has fostered much controversy, specifically regarding treatment vs. punishment. Should the pregnant mother who engages in substance abuse be viewed as a criminal, or as someone suffering from an illness requiring appropriate treatment? As it happens, there is a noticeably wide range of responses to this matter in the various states of the United States, ranging from a strictly criminal perspective to one that does emphasize the importance of the mother's treatment.

This diversity of dramatically different responses illustrates the failure to establish a uniform policy for the management of this phenomenon. Just as there is lack of consensus among those who favor punishment, the same lack of consensus characterizes those states espousing treatment.

Several general policy recommendations are offered here addressing the critical issues. It is hoped that by focusing on these fundamental issues and ultimately detailing statistics, policymakers throughout the United States will consider the course of action that views both pregnant mother and fetus/child as humanely as possible. Read this article.

Smoking & Pregnancy - When young women who smoke start to think about having children, they also need to think about quitting smoking. The best time to quit is when a woman is planning to get pregnant in the near future, or after she finds out that she is already pregnant. Here are some questions that are often asked about smoking and pregnancy.

Unfortunately, the rise in drug and alcohol use among teenagers and young adults has also resulted in an increase in unplanned pregnancies among this group. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is working to solve this problem through activism, education, and support. There's a lot of good information to be found at this site.

Teens Court Danger with Risky Behavior - Today's American teenagers get a kick out of filming themselves doing crazy, dangerous stunts and posting them on the Internet. The fad was kick-started by a now-canceled MTV program, but the show wasn't called "Jackass" for nothing. Read more.

Many Teens Who Take 'Virginity Pledges' Substitute Other High-Risk Behavior for Intercourse, Study Says - Although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" begin engaging in vaginal intercourse later than teens who have not committed to remain abstinent until marriage, they also are more likely to engage in oral or anal sex than nonpledging virgin teens and less likely to use condoms once they become sexually active, according to a study. Read more.

What Every Teen Needs to Know About HIV and AIDS - There are so many misconceptions surrounding HIV and AIDS; myth and misunderstanding fueled by the media, by fear, and by ignorance. Let's take a look at the truth; five things every teen should know about HIV and AIDS.

Dysfunctional family - Very good information on this topic at Wikipedia.com. You might also be interested in this book at Amazon. The reviews are 5 stars - Adult Children: Secrets of Dysfunctional Families.

Teens seek 'safer' high, get hooked on pain pills
Study finds drop in smoking, drinking as more kids abuse prescription drugs. Teen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize. Read more.