31/10/2011 by admin.

With the increasing scurge of teenage binge drinking an MP who is also a doctor has recently called for an increase in minimum alcohol prices in an attempt to reduce the harm caused by alcohol in this vulnerable age group.

Another study has come out this week showing that some children as young as 12 years of age are already regular drinkers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15511018

In the area where I live the drink of choice for teenagers seems to be cheap vodka & cheap wine which are both readily and easily available in most supermarkets.

When alcohol was only available through off licenses and public houses was teenage drinking less of a problem ? 

Maybe alcohol is now too readily available to us all. It is so easy to pop a couple of bottles in your trolley when you are doing your grocery shop.

Maybe the teenagers are taking the alcohol from their parents without their knowledge.

Evidence suggest that increasing the prices of alcohol may help to reduce consumption but should we be going further and making alcohol less easily available to teenagers ?

Do we encourage responsible drinking in our youngsters or should we operate a zero tolerance ?

.  Maybe we need to bring back the locked drinks cabinet & the off license! Let us know your thoughts in comments

Posted in Teenage drinking, Alcohol prices, Teenagers & alcohol, Teenagers | 5 Comments »

28/06/2011 by admin.

 BBC news stories related to drugs and alcohol in the UK this month:

Plan to stop underage drinkers in Newquay BBC News Devon 27 June 2011 A project to stop adults buying alcohol for underage drinkers has begun in a Cornwall resort.Police said the scheme in Newquay was aimed at reminding people that it was an offence to buy under 18s alcohol.During the summer, teams of youth service workers will visit campsites to highlight the dangers. Police said the offence can lead to a £5,000 fine.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13935632

Health warning to festivalgoers BBC news 21 June 2011 Too much alcohol, drugs, and sex, coupled with poor hygiene, can be a health risk at festivals, an expert is warning.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13859236

Grampian drug deaths jump prompts warning to users BBC News NE Scotland 9 June 2011 Drug users have been warned of the dangers they face amid an “alarming” rise in the number of deaths in Grampian.” “In the majority of cases, people have taken a lethal cocktail of substances, ones which on their own present dangers but when taken together amplify these risks.”Combinations of drugs including alcohol, benzodiazepines, heroin, methadone and cocaine have been involved.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-13712503

Posted in Underage drinking, Teenagers & alcohol, Alcohol news, Drug and alcohol news, Drugs news, Drug news, Teenagers | 1 Comment »

23/11/2010 by admin.

A new smoking detection self test kit for nicotine is now available in the UK from www.drug-testing-kit.co.uk

The urine nicotine test kit detects cotinine, a 1st metabolite of nicotine as it is processed and excreted by the body.

The Nicotine test kit detects just 200ng/ml of cotinine, while this is a tiny amount, the level is set to exclude passive inhalation which would not result in excreation at this level.

The nicotine test kit will detect cigarette use within 60 minutes and should stay positive for between 48 and 72 hrs after nicotine use. This allows you to test for smoking simply & quickly.

Click here for more information or to buy the nicotine smoking detection test kit online

Posted in Smoking test kit, smoking testing kits, cotinine urine test, Test for smoking cigarettes, Smoking detection test, Teenagers & drugs, nicotine smoking test, Teenagers | 1 Comment »

29/09/2010 by admin.

As teenagers start to navigate the Friday night, Saturday night out and party scene, the risk of both alcohol and experimental drug use becomes a real issue for many parents.

Alcohol missuse and abuse amongst teenagers is a real problem in the UK , with unsupervised alcohol exposure often preceeding experimentation with party or recreational ilicit drugs. The effects of these are not always apparent, or specific enough to spot with certainty.

This often leaves parents with the suspicion that a problem exists, but no way of persuing the matter. Teenagers will rarely admit alcohol or drug exposure unless they consider the matter would be accepted by the parent, or the effects are so apparent as to effectively be a crisis episode, with parental confrontation inevitable and unavoidable.

To enpower parents faced with these common issues, we have created a simple drug testing kit for parents pack suitable for instant home drug & alcohol testing. The drug testing & alcohol testing pack gives parents immediate access to accurate alcohol detection, using a state of the art digital hand held breathalyser the DA5000. This breathalyser unit can be re-used indefinately by replacing the pre-calibrated sensor module (good for about 300 tests per module @ around £16.00 replacement cost) The teenager drug testing pack also contains a pack of 5 multipanel saliva drug screening tests which detect exposure to Cannabis (marijuana, skunk etc) and Cocaine (including crack) and Amphetamines (speed and meth, crystal ice etc)

With this drug & alcohol screening pack a simple quick and non invasive breath and saliva test, taking under 10 minutes to complete fully can exclude exposure to a range of common recreational drugs and alcohol.

The parent’s ability to test their teenagers for drugs and alcohol , becomes a powerful motivational tool, empowering the teenager to say no under peer pressure to experiment.

Click here for more information on the drug & alcohol testing pack for parents of teenagers

Click here to see more drug testing kits suitable for parents to use at home

Posted in Drug Testing at Home, Drug testing kits for parents, Teenagers & drugs, Drugs & teenagers, Drug testing teenagers, Teenagers | 1 Comment »

24/02/2010 by admin.

Just read an interesting article in the news in brief section of this months edition of Drink and Drugs News. (DDN)

Recent research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) indicated that nearly 80% of young people questioned can get hold of Cannabis in under 1 hour.

They found that most of the 11-19 year olds questioned buy Cannabis from friends with only 6% using what is traditionally regarded as a dealer.

The JRF found on questioning that most of the teenage friends questioned were sharing the cost of Cannabis rather than profiting from the onward distribution.

Conclusion, in the 11-19 age range at a local level cannabis supply is more social than commercial.

Posted in thc, Cannabis use, Drink & Drugs News, Teenagers & drugs, Cannabis & teenagers, Cannabis, Cannabis Skunk, Teenagers | 1 Comment »

02/12/2009 by admin.

BBC Radio1 Newsbeat yesterday reported this worrying emerging trend in USA

 Click here to read Newsbeat article & see video footage of any interview with one New York teenager

Posted in Drugs & teenagers, prescription drugs abuse, Teenagers | No Comments »

27/11/2009 by admin.

Breath tests for alcohol are widely available and work to set cut off levels, These are 0.02%BAC,(HSE occupational cut off) 0.05%BAC(European driving level) and 0.08%BAC (UK drive prosecution level)

The breathalyzer test kits are used once and then disposed into normal waste services.

Breath alcohol tests are available in packs of 3 and 6 and 20 tests. no specialist training is required to use the tests as a simple colour change confirms if the alcohol level is below the cutt off level or above it, making result interpretation simple.

The accuracy of breath alcohol test disposable breathalysers is very high at over 99% they are also stable and come with long expiry dates, making them ideal for users who may only need to test a few times a year or for a single event.

They are also the first choice for parents, wishing to police underage alcohol use.

Click here for single use alcohol breath tests & alcohol drug tests

Click here for more info on digital alcohol breathalysers

Posted in Alcohol & driving, DIY Breathalyser, breath test alcohol, breathalyzer Kits UK, Alcohol Test Strips, Breathalyser, Breathalyser Limit, Single Use Breathalyser, Breath Test, Alcoholism, Teenagers | 1 Comment »

24/09/2009 by admin.

New Home Office figures show the rates of Cocaine use in 16-24 year old increasing for England and Wales.

6.6% report cocaine use within the previous 12 months, a rise from 5.1% on the year.

The rise mirrors a rise in the adult rates to 3% for cocaine and 10% (all drugs) for 16-59 year olds

Lower prices and no overal decrease in supply contributed, with a move towards wider use of cocaine powder.

Test for cocaine use cocaine detection tests

Posted in Cocaine use, Cocaine Testing Kits, Cocaine test kits, Cocaine, Teenagers | No Comments »

11/09/2009 by admin.

Are you the parent of a teenager or partner of someone who is taking drugs ?

Are you confused & worried & need to find out more about drugs ?

FRANK is a completely confidential & FREE UK service for anyone who has concerns for themself or for someone else taking drugs.

Click here to visit the FRANK website to find out more

Posted in Frank, Talk to Frank, Teenagers | No Comments »

04/06/2009 by admin.

Click on this link below to read how one police forces in Wales is dealing with the problem of underage drinkers on the streets this summer.

http://www.gwent.police.uk/news.php?a=2146

Posted in Underage drinkers, Alcohol & Teenagers, Teenagers | 1 Comment »