Welcome to the Straight Up blog! We are excited about this opportunity for teens and young adults to share their view points, opinions and experiences and to help facilitate important community dialog around the issues of underage and binge drinking and impaired driving. Read More »
With all the noise about Tiger Woods and his multiple indiscretions this year, another story involving another athlete seems to have gotten buried. Basketball star Ron Artest, currently an LA Laker, has admitted to drinking cognac (a strong alcohol) during games. According to an interview with Sporting News Magazine in January, Artest admitted that he drank the liquor while playing for the Chicago Bulls (1999-2002), and kept it in his locker. At half-time, apparently, he would hit the bottle. Read More »
By Denise G.
Denise received an Honorable Mention for this essay in the 2010 “Say It Straight Up” writing contest, age 12-17 division. Denise is a student in Camarillo.
In today’s society there are a lot of teens drinking alcohol. I am not a hypocrite because I’m a seventeen-year-old female who has abused the use of alcohol. Drinking alcohol was one of my favorite things to do. I’d get up and out of my house by eight in the morning, walk to a liquor store and “fish” someone to buy me alcohol, that’s when you stand outside the store and ask someone to buy you alcohol. I drank a lot. I drank one or more 9.9% alcohol tall cans. Read More »
Heather O’Neill, coordinator for Straight Up’s Let’s Talk program, presents a series of helpful posts, resources, and articles on a regular basis for the Straight Up blog.
Parents, do you know what your teen is doing on their cell phone? A recent survey shows that 15 percent of teens are “sexting” these days, which means texting sexually explicit messages or photos of themselves or others using their cell phones. Teens do this for a variety of reasons, and it can have serious and far-reaching consequences. Find out more by reading the article here: “Survey: 15 percent of teens get sexual text messages” Read More »
Posted in adult author, article, link, parent, resource | Tagged parents, resources, risktaking, sex, sexting, teens, texting |
What are the factors and influences that drive a young person to drink in high school? Straight Up speaks with Ventura County young adults about why they chose to consume alcohol. Interviewees include Mario, a highschooler who describes in detail his battle with alcohol, and where he is today in his struggle. Read More »
Chicago blogger Matt Maldre posted a link to attention-getting prevention literature about impaired driving. The unique aspect to these publications is that they are nearly 80 years old. As Maldre points out “I often think of the battle against drunk driving to be an effort in the past 20 years,” a sentiment that many people may share, but these articles and illustrations bring home the fact that alcohol consumption and driving have been an issue since the early days of motor vehicles. Read More »
Written by Straight Up youth volunteer and Ventura County resident David Seemiller. David will be attending college in the fall.
Straight Up Ventura recently chose the winners for the “Say it Straight Up” writing contest for youth advocates.
The contest consisted of writing an essay which addressed subject matter such as about how alcohol affects teens and families. The contest was designed to raise awareness of underage and binge drinking and impaired driving within Ventura County. Essay submissions were required by April 30th, and the winners were notified on June 2nd. Read More »
by Haley Paul
This essay was the first prize winner in 2010’s “Say It Straight Up” Writing Contest, in the 12-17 age division. Haley will be entering the 12th grade this fall in Ventura. She will be attending a Cal Arts program this summer.
Today, your son read a story of a little prince with a great imagination. He liked it today because the prince knows that grownups cannot understand anything alone, and children cannot stand to explain it all. He feels this. Later, he will love the story for its acknowledgment of the unquestionable truth that language is the source of misunderstanding. He will love it then because it will encompass the painfully inexplicable nature of your conversations with him, but he has not yet discovered this principle. He would like to tell you this, but knows, with certainty, that you will not understand. Read More »
by Emily Arndt
This essay was the first prize winner in 2010′s “Say It Straight Up” Writing Contest, in the 18-25 age division. Emily just graduated high school in Thousand Oaks and plans to attend college in the fall.
To Change and Be Changed: A Reflection
In a city like Thousand Oaks, with an abundance of white picket fences and perfectly cut, green lawns, it has always been hard for me to remember that I live in only a small, sheltered piece of this large world. Rarely would I think about the outside world – a place of unknown mysteries. Until I reached middle and high school, words like drugs and alcohol were foreign to me. I only knew them as vague and distant ideas that were unfathomable to my lifestyle. Yet as I grew up, abandoning the child-like mentality, and developing a sense of independence, I realized that these dangerous substances lurked in every corner. From the kids at school whispering about drug deals, to the parties I heard about from friends of friends, I soon began to open my eyes to the hazards these substances provided. And with such easy access, an invitation into their mysterious world seemed almost impossible to avoid. Read More »
I’m sure many of you have seen the “Above The Influence” ads on television, but have you been to the website? Read More »
Death by Media
By Shawna Swicegood
Shawna received an Honorable Mention for this essay in the 2010 “Say It Straight Up” writing contest, age 18-25 division. Shawna is a student in Camarillo.
Alcohol is involved in 31% of teenage car accident fatalities. However, that doesn’t seem to stop kids from drinking and driving or getting in the car with someone under the influence. Teenagers have a false sense of invincibility that eventually leads to injury or death. But they can’t be held solely responsible. How are these underage teens getting a hold of alcohol and why isn’t anyone doing anything about it? Read More »