Spartan Task Force

The mission of the Task Force is to develop a proactive response to issues confronting today’s youth.

Membership
North Schuylkill Spartan Task Force membership includes NS students, faculty, staff and administration as well as representatives from the State Correctional Institution at Frackville, Good Samaritan Counseling, Schuylkill Access Management (SAM), Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol, Schuylkill County Emergency Management, Schuylkill County Intermediate Unit 29 and Schuylkill County Juvenile Probation.

Teenagers and Drugs

Teenagers may be involved with legal or illegal drugs in various ways.  Experimentation with drugs during adolescence is common.  Unfortunately, teenagers often don’t see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow.  They also have a tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience.
Using alcohol and tobacco at a young age increases the risk of using other drugs later.  Some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems.  Others will develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others.
Adolescence is a time for trying new things. Teens use drugs for many reasons, including curiosity, because it feels good, to reduce stress, to feel grown up or to fit in.  It is difficult to know which teens will experiment and stop and which will develop serious problems.

What is a Drug?

A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect in the body.
Chemicals, on the other hand, are a broad class of substances (including drugs) that may or may not produce noticeable effects in the body.  Many chemicals (such as tin, lead, gold) have harmful effects on the body, especially in high doses.  Most foods are not drugs.  Alcohol is a drug, not a food, in spite of the calories it provides.  Nicotine is a chemical that is also a drug.  The group of "illegal" drugs includes dangerous chemicals that have only toxic actions, such as inhalants.

Unfortunately teenagers abuse a variety of drugs, legal and illegal. Teenagers at risk for developing serious drug and alochol problems include those:

  • with a family history of substance abuse
  • who are depressed
  • with low esteem
  • who feel they don't fit into the mainstream

The following drugs are commonly abused:

+ Alcohol
The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls.  The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.
+ Tobacco
Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.  Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviors, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.
+ Prescription Medications
These include drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall,  and OxyContin.
+ Inhalants
Known by such street names as huffing, sniffing and wanging, the dangerous habit of getting high by inhaling the fumes of common household products is estimated to claim the lives of more than a thousand children each year.  Many other young people, including some first-time users, are left with serious respiratory problems and permanent brain damage.
+ OTC Cough, Cold, Sleep, and Diet Medications
This includes medications such as Coricidin.
+ Marijuana
About one half of the people in the United States have used marijuana, many are currently using it, and some will require treatment for marijuana abuse and dependence.
+ Stimulants
The possible long-term effects include tolerance and dependence, violence and aggression, malnutrition due to suppression of appetite.  Crack, a powerfully addictive stimulant, is the term used for a smokeable form of cocaine.  In 1997, an estimated 1.5 million Americans, age 12 and older, were chronic cocaine users.
+ Club Drugs
This term refers to drugs being used by teens and young adults at all-night dance parties such as "raves" or "trances," dance clubs, and bars.  MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, Rohypnol (Rophies), ketamine, methamphetamine, and LSD are some of the club or party drugs gaining popularity.  Because some club drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless, they can be added unobtrusively to beverages by individuals who want to intoxicate or sedate others.  In recent years, there has been an increase in reports of club drugs used to commit sexual assaults.
+ Depressants
These are drugs used medicinally to relieve anxiety, irritability, tension.  There is a high potential for abuse and, combined with alcohol, effects are heightened and risks are multiplied.
+ Heroin
Several sources indicate an increase in new, young users across the country who are being lured by inexpensive, high-purity heroin that can be sniffed or smoked instead of injected.  Heroin has also been appearing in more affluent communities.
+ Steroids
Anabolic steroids are a group of powerful compounds closely related to the male sex hormone testosterone.  From 1998 to 1999, there was a significant increase in anabolic steroid abuse among middle-schoolers.

The use of illegal drugs is increasing, especially among young teens.  The average age of first marijuana use is 14, and alcohol use can start before age 12.  The use of marijuana and alcohol in high school has become common.

Drug use is associated with a variety of negative consequences, including increased risk of serious drug use later in life, school failure, and poor judgment which may put teens at risk for accidents, violence, unplanned and unsafe sex, and suicide.

Warning Signs of Teen Substance Abuse:

+ Physical
  • fatigue
  • repeated health complaints
  • red and glazed eyes
  • lasting cough
+ Emotional
  • personality changes
  • sudden mood changes
  • irritability
  • irrepsonsible behavior
  • low self-esteem
  • poor judgment
  • depression
  • general lack of interest
+ Family
  • starting arguments
  • negative attitude
  • drop in grades
  • many absences
  • truancy
  • discipline problems
+ Social
  • new friends who make poor decisions and are not interested in school or family activities
  • problems with the law
  • changes to less conventional styles in dress and music

Some of the warning signs listed above can also be signs of other problems.  Parents may recognize signs of trouble but should not be expected to make the diagnosis.

Consulting a physician to rule out physical causes of the warning signs is a good first step.  This should often be followed or accompanied by a comprehensive evaluation by a psychiatrist or mental health professional.

Important Links
North Schuylkill Board Policy 210
North Schuylkill Board Policy 222
North Schuylkill Board Policy 227
North Schuylkill Board Policy 227.1
The Schuylkill County MH/MR and Drug and Alcohol Program
Schuylkill County Dare
Parents In the Know Zone
Parents: The Anti-Drug

Task Force Billboard

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