Teens Talk

I think a lot of kids. . . would say they share the opinion that they are definitely puppets on a string, that they really don t have any say. They don t really get to do anything outside of Takeyour damn meds and that is about it. You don t have a choice. I am just going to say that either way the adult always wins. Yeah, the adult always has the last word. 

Teens must differentiate themselves from their parents and establish their own identities. They face the formidable task of negotiating a balance of independence and dependence, autonomy and reliance on others, distance and closeness, change and stability. Yet their efforts to discover their authentic selves are circumscribed by an educational system that dictates where young adults must be and when, how their after-school time is structured, and what life expectations and aspirations they ought to have for themselves. 

The ways adolescents view illness and medication make sense only in the context of the social structures that define their lives. Each of the ten stories collected for this chapter involves students experiences at school. As their conversations will show, teenagers today struggle with a sense of powerlessness, alienation from adult authority, and competition for respect. 

I remember hearing the claim that the most dangerous place to be is in your own home. Once you factor in child 

The students I talked to often described themselves as overwhelmed by the workload, the constant pressure of standardized exams, the arbitrariness of some teachers, and, of course, the anxiety associated with getting into college. Complaining about the constant battery of exams, one young man told me  

---

If you would like information about how to talk to your children or students about drugs and alcohol, or to learn more about drug abuse in teens, please visit the following Websites ... 

A high school student s perceived risk of harm in taking Ecstasy is generally formed mostly by popular opinion and gossip and not by current scientific or medical research. That is, students mostly know what they are told, and what they are told about Ecstasy is mostly from their peers. It stands to reason, then, that teens usually hear more positives than negatives about Ecstasy use, simply because their friends may not have all of the facts, and because their friends are much more likely to talk about good experiences than bad ones. Forces among adolescents that help spread the use of a... 

Connie Cass. Candidates Past Pot Use No Big Deal Dems Seeking Presidency Talk Frankly About Inhaling. San Francisco Chronicle, November 29, 2003, p. A2. Quoted in Marianne Lavelle. Teen Tobacco Wars An Antismoking Ad Blitz vs. New Cigarette Marketing Ploys. U.S. News ir World Report, February 7, 2000, pp. 14—16. 

Ryan, Elizabeth A. Straight Talk About Drugs ir Alcohol. Revised Edition. New York Facts On File, 1995. The author provides clear and practical advice to teens who are facing questions about their own drug or alcohol use or that of peers or even parents. The effects and risk of drugs are presented without being preachy. ... 

Remember that young children who are depressed typically have different symptoms (e.g., restlessness, excessive motor activity) than older school age children or teens who are depressed (e.g., sad or withdrawn affect, difficulty sleeping or eating, talking about feeling hopeless). Anger can be a sign of anxiety in children and teens. 

The Teen Drug Abuse Web site (http //www. teendrugabuse.us/) has several helpful tips for talking to a friend or family member about addiction. First, you should trust yourself. If you feel certain that something is wrong, you re probably correct. Even if you have some doubts about the situation, it can t hurt to talk to... 

Talking to Teens About Addiction,"Teen Help LLC. Available online. URL http //www.teendrugabuse.us/teen addiction.html. 

Simply put, declarative memory is knowing what we know. By paying conscious attention, we can easily recall it in words. We remember with whom we hung out in our teens and wonder how we ever ate the cheese-broccoli soup in the high school cafeteria. We remember the name of the president of the United States and the hugs of our favorite uncle Dave. We are aware of and remember people, events, and objects. Usually declarative memory is what people are talking about when they say they have a lousy memory. 

---