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
The variety of so-called “energy drinks” being offered has become staggering. Available everywhere from grocery stores to convenience stores and gas stations, these oversized caffeine-filled drinks, which are formulated to keep you going at a rate that would make the Energizer Bunny look like a slacker, have infiltrated our everyday lives. Coffee is no longer the stimulant of choice for the young person on the go; instead, it has been replaced by cans of instant liquid energy going by the names of “Monster”, “Full-Throttle”, “Rockstar”, and “Burn”.
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.
Remember, parents, your teens really DO want to have open communication with you about sex, and they are just as nervous as you are (probably more so) at the thought of starting the conversation. Here are some valuable articles, tips and even scripts to help you make this exchange as positive and painless as possible: 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.
Before deciding to embark on the challenging task of approaching your teen with “THE TALK,” pack your tool kit with some valuable background information. These two articles tell it like it is, as well as give you hope that you can indeed have a positive impact on your teen’s well-being and choices: 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.
Teen sex is more prevalent than you think …
A popular, and potentially dangerous, habit among young people is mixing alcohol with caffeine-laden energy drinks. From the Red-Bull-with-vodka cocktail commonly ordered at bars, to energy drinks that are available with alcohol already added, consumption of these stimulant/depressant combos can result in a variety of health risks. Read More
In this podcast, Straight Up talks to young people who chose NOT to drink in high school. What are some of the factors that would enable a young person to resist the temptation and pressure to drink while underage?
Straight Up interviews local young people to hear their experiences and opinions on how and why they chose not to drink. Read More
The dangers of underage drinking can surface in unexpected ways. Take for instance the death of Santa Paula youth Samuel Travis Reeves. Reeves would have been 21 years old this year, ironically, the legal drinking age, had he not been killed at an “out of control” party back in 2003. Ventura County detectives recently closed this “cold case” after DNA evidence helped them convict a gang member, now 29, for the killing. See Ventura County Star article
John McCardell just won’t go away. In fact, he’s gaining more visibility. (see “An Amethyst in my Side” blog post)
The former Middlebury College president, and creator of the Amethyst Initiative, has founded a non-profit organization with the ironic name of Choose Responsibility. The goal of this organization is to lower the drinking age to 18, stating that the 21 drinking age law is “an abysmal failure.” Read More
As we move quickly towards the winter holidays — and parties – - many parents are aware that our teens will be facing a lot of social pressures. This is an ideal time to check in with our children and have a talk about important issues like alcohol use and other risky behaviors. Whether it’s your first talk about these issues, or a “booster talk”, we encourage you not to put it off.
In the latest issue of Straight Up CONNECT (the e-newsletter for parents and adults), we’ll share a very useful Parent Tool Kit for talking with your teens, details about a Reality Party for Parents event to help you understand the culture of teen parties, and information about programs available for parent groups.
A parents need to address the Teen Drinking situation
The poem referenced in Shawn McMaster’s blog post Poetry for a Cause on the Straight Up blog, goes, in part:
[read the poem in its entirely here]
This girl’s powerful poem is saddening in itself, but ultimately, a reality check. Read More »