Merced County Alcohol and Drug Services Prevention Unit
Prevention Paradigm
Hot Summers and Alcohol– Think before you Mix
It's a sweltering Saturday afternoon in July, and you've just finished a
pickup basketball game at the park. A friend suggests that you hit a
Summer 2009 bar for a few drinks and then head to the local beach for some tanning
and swimming. Images of cold beer and cool lake water dance in your
head for a minute, but you decide to cool off at home with some ice
Inside this
water instead. Smart choice. Alcohol and hot weather activity can be
issue:
a dangerous mix. The risks include accidents and heat illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that
alcohol use is a factor in up to 50 percent of adolescent and adult
deaths associated with water recreation. Nearly one-third of boating
2
Merced County
fatalities involve alcohol use. Alcohol interferes with balance, coordi15th Annual
nation and judgment. These effects are heightened by sun exposure
Youth 2 Youth
and heat. This means that you can put yourself at risk during hot
Conference
weather activity even if you don't have much to drink.
In the United States, a driver with a 0.08 blood alcohol concentration
4/20 What’s the 3 (BAC) is legally defined as drunk. But even at 0.02 BAC, your abilistory behind the
ties to track a moving target and perform two tasks at the same time
Stoner Holiday
can be impaired. At 0.05 BAC (about 2.5 drinks in one hour), you can
lose some small-muscle control (such as the ability to focus your
eyes) and take longer to respond to emergencies. And at 0.08 BAC,
Prevention Unit 4 alcohol's effects on your speech, vision, balance and reaction time
Youth Programs;
make it nearly impossible for you to steer a boat or swim safely.
Update
Impaired judgment caused by alcohol increases the risk of injury.
Alcohol causes a loss of inhibitions and leads to reckless behavior.
People impaired by alcohol misjudge swimming distances, how cold the water is, and when it's safe to operate a motor
vehicle. An added risk during all forms of hot weather activity is heat illness. Alcohol is a diuretic--meaning that it
promotes dehydration--and interferes with your body's ability to regulate its own temperature. Alcohol also dilates your
blood vessels, as does warm weather, and therefore makes you more susceptible to passing out.
To protect yourself during hot weather activity, take steps to cool down. The CDC suggests the following:
• Drink plenty of fluids. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise, drink 16 to 32 ounces of
cool fluids each hour.
• Choose fluids carefully. A sports beverage can replace the minerals you lose while sweating. Avoid liquids that
contain large amounts of sugar, which can lead to dehydration. Also stay away from very cold drinks, which can
cause stomach cramps.
• Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen. Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. When you go
outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, putting on sunglasses, and by using a
sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully. Take advantage of cooler morning and evening temperatures.
• Pace yourself. Rest often in shady areas, especially if you feel lightheaded, confused, weak or faint. If you find
yourself gasping for breath or feel your heart pounding, immediately stop all activity and get into a cool area.
Prevention Paradigm
Y2Y H.S. Staff Training
On March 27th, over 70 High School students
volunteered their time to learn how to become peer
facilitators at the 2009 Youth 2 Youth Conference
hosted by Merced County Department of Mental
Health/ Alcohol and Drug Services Prevention
Unit. The event was sponsored by the County’s
Friday Night Live programs. The training was host
to a wide variety of youth from Merced County.
Students from all school settings; Traditional
schools, Charter schools, Alternative Education
campuses, and Independent Studies all came
together to form a team of peer mentors that would
lead some 180 Middle School students through the
Anti Drug, Youth 2 Youth, conference the
following day.
Volume 1, Summer Issue
Page 2
70 High School youth from
around Merced County
gather at the 2009 Youth 2
Youth Conference staff
training to prepare for the
Youth 2 Youth Conference
on March 28th. High
School youth are trained as
conference leaders in areas
of group facilitation,
confidentiality, energizers,
group activities, and peer
mentoring.
15th Youth 2 Youth
Conference
This year the County’s Alcohol and Drug Prevention
Unit hosted the 15th annual Youth 2 Youth
Conference and it did not disappoint! On March 28th,
Cruickshank Middle School was filled by over 250
High School and Middle School youth from every
community in the County.
Many very important members of the community
welcomed the youth and applauded them for their
decision to live healthy lifestyles, abstinent from
drugs and alcohol.
Workshop presenters from many community, non
profit, and government agencies were in attendance
to present on such topics as drinking and driving,
peer relationships, eating disorders, parenthood,
study habits, choreographed dance, and how to be a
disk jockey.
A Drug Free panel was produced from the High
School staffers. This panel consisted of students that
had experiences with complete abstinence, some drug
or alcohol experimentation, or experiences with
violence. All the panel chairs did a wonderful job!
The youth were very receptive to each others
experiences in life and forged long lasting, supportive
friendships that will last for years to come. From 127
conference evaluations, 124 youth expressed their
desire to continue to abstain from drugs and alcohol!
Over 250 young
people between the
ages of 11 and 18
came together to
learn about the
importance of
staying alcohol and
drug free, and living
a healthy lifestyle at
this years Youth 2
Youth Conference
Prevention Paradigm
Volume 1, Summer Issue
Page 3
PARENTS BEWARE of the
"420" -- POT SMOKERS' HOLIDAY
Parents, are you aware?
Unlike our teen children, few
parents will immediately
recognize the number
“420” (pronounced “fourtwenty”) as drug culture code for
“April 20,” the annual PotSmokers’ Holiday. But this selfproclaimed “holiday” has
become an underground tradition
within the drug culture, and has
developed quite a following over
the years. (Last year, a 4/20
"celebration" at UC Santa Cruz
reportedly drew 2,000+
"stoners.") There are numerous
stories purporting to explain the
origin of this dubious holiday.
One, for example, says that
“420” goes back to the 1960s
when a group of California teens
developed a habit of getting
together every day to smoke pot,
shortly after school at “4:20”
P.M. “4:20” then became code
for “smoking pot” and evolved
into an annual “holiday.”
Marijuana generally stays in the
body for 30 to 40 days after
being smoked. If you suspect
your teen may have had plans to
celebrate 420 this year, test them.
Test kits are fairly cheap and can
be purchased at most drug stores.
If your teen tests positive it can
mean a few things;
1. The test result was a false
positive and the test
malfunctioned
2. Your teen was with the wrong
crowd and gave in to peer
pressure for the day.
3. There may be a more serious
issue with drugs than you may
expect.
If your teen tests positive for any
substance, the Prevention Unit
suggests seeking a professional
assessment. You can schedule an
intake assessment at the R.A.F.T.
(Recovery Assistance For Teens).
They will assess whether or not
your teen has a need for treatment
to address substance use.
If you suspect your teen is using
or abusing alcohol or other drugs,
call the RAFT at
(209) 381– 6860.
For more information on 4:20 go
to,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_
%28cannabis_culture%29
“4:20” became code
for “smoking pot”
and evolved into
an annual
“holiday.”
Merced County Alcohol and
Drug Services Prevention Unit
The Center
658 West Main Street
Merced, CA. 95340
For more information contact:
FNL Programs County CoordinatorChristopher Jensen 209– 381– 6809 x 3614
[email protected]
Phone: (209) 381– 6809
Fax: (209) 723– 6220
Email: [email protected]
AOD Prevention Unit
Building partnerships for
drug- free communities
AOD Prevention Unit Program Updates
FNL/ Office of Traffic Safety CoordinatorRicardo Gonzalez 209– 381– 6809 x 3085
[email protected]
FNL Voices/ Club Live CoordinatorKathy Wright
209– 381– 6809 x 3655
[email protected]
Livingston Middle School’s Club Live Chapter hosted a “Kids Day”
newspaper sale to raise money to donate to Valley Children's Hospital. They
decorated paper bags as donation bags and distributed them throughout the
campus classrooms to collect various items for the children admitted to Valley
Children's Hospital. Items included teddy bears, crayons, coloring books,
puzzles, books, pens and pencils. Congratulations Livingston Club Live for
raising over $800.00 for Valley Children’s Hospital!
Gustine High School Friday Night Live/ OTS Chapter has been very active in
the Gustine community, raising awareness around underage drinking, and
drinking and driving. The Gustine FNL Chapter presented information about
peer pressure in High School and the consequences of drinking and driving at
the High Schools Parent Orientation for incoming Freshman.
They also hosted “Spring Breaks a Killer”, a campus lunch rally, to inform
students on the risks of underage drinking and the importance of having a safe
spring break.
Keep the information coming Gustine H.S. FNL!
Livingston Middle School Friday Night Live Mentoring program was busy
having a petition signed by peers, teachers, and parents that they drafted
addressing the National Basketball Association (NBA) Owners Association
and their decision to lift an 18 year ban on hard liquor court-side
advertisements. They presented information to their City Counsel about the
affects of alcohol advertisements on youth. The presentation was well received
and supported by the City Counsel of Livingston. Mayor Varela addressed the
Mentoring Chapter and applauded them for their stand against these types of
decisions and the action that the youth took by creating a petition and having it
signed by their community members. Way to go Livingston FNLM!