AuntieM Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 So I have spent a lot of time over the past couple of years having these conversations with my kids about how even though things are legal, they are still things upon which you can gain a dependence. Things like Mountain Dew. And Red Bull. And even coffee, for my new college student. How do you view these things? Are there other items to add to the list? I'm not necessarily wanting to go into the whole health food arena, just wonderig about what other things are out there nowadays that perhaps I need to be aware of or about which I should initiate conversations with my teens. And you can share with me any energy drink horror stories you like. I *will* read them to my children (nefarious laughter...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 not food, but computer - gaming esp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 We once had a youth evangelist visit who wouldn't drink coffee because he considered it a drug. His reasoning was that it created an "altered state." I asked him if sugar, tea, and exercise were out as well ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakarimom5 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I have banned those drinks called Monster from my house. Anything that gets you that hyped up is bad for a teen IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Another non-food addiction - gambling. Online poker among teens has been on the rise. Alcohol plus energy drinks is a very bad mix. Some teens here just died because the energy drinks made the alcohol so much more potent. http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/HealthIssues/1043185105.html Edited February 14, 2011 by Jean in Newcastle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 We spend a lot of time talking about MODERATION. We talk about how most things ~ tv, computer, sweets, caffeine, alchohol, junk food, etc. are all ok in moderation. We've talked to them about knowing their own limits. My older dd knows she loves her computer time and if she has something else she needs to get done she will hold off on the computer until she's done with everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 dd was at a party and was saddened that most of the other girls were purposely consuming large amounts of sugar to 'get hyper'. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 dd was at a party and was saddened that most of the other girls were purposely consuming large amounts of sugar to 'get hyper'. :001_huh: How old? Another sort of food but non food related danger - dieting and food disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Mostly we talk about alcohol, since many people they know drink it at social events. It never ceases to amaze me how parents just "give up" and allow their 15, 16, 17yos to have alcohol at their b'day parties, and allow the kids to drink to the point of getting drunk. I now allow my kids to go to some of these parties because I trust they don't drink. But I have let go of the battle around energy drinks and coffee long ago now :) The more fuss I made, the more they wanted them. Dd16 is addicted to coffee along with dh, but it is a sweet bond they share of loving to go to coffee shops together or make coffee at home, or choosing the flavour of coffee to buy. Ds15 loves energy drinks but seems to be coming through that phase- they have lost their forbidden, naughty allure, and now that he is at school, he is really appreciating sleep :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyB Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Many of the kids around here drink alcohol and energy drinks so they can't tell how drunk they actually are. It's just so dangerous in so many ways. My "horror" story happened when my husband had a couple of Red Bulls for the first time. After he *finally* fell asleep, he started swinging his arms, like King Kong, and punched me in the head. I was finally able to wake him up after he knocked me out of the bed. He said he was having weird, technicolor dreams about stuff flying at him. I was afraid to go to sleep after that. :glare: I lived on Mountain Dew in high school, but I won't touch the energy drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 dd was at a party and was saddened that most of the other girls were purposely consuming large amounts of sugar to 'get hyper'. :001_huh: How old? girls from around 11-15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarmom Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 At the debate tournaments, the kids would drink several these a day to keep their energy up. And not eat because they were too busy. Drove me and the other moms crazy. But then of course the questions with highschooler is if you forbid it, then they just sneak. Try and talk about moderation, eating for energy etc, but as smart as these boys were they sure lacked common sense. Luckily my son (as far as I know) didn't drink the stuff. He's so hyper as is he doesn't need extra energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahansen Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 No Doze and other pill-style stimulants. These are in the same category as energy drinks, so maybe they've gone by the wayside, but they're bad news. When I was in college, they used to give little freebie promotional packs out a couple of times a year. They weren't bad, per se (it's how I found my favorite brand of razor!), but they were definitely targeting the college audience. I never would have bought No Doze, because I viewed it as a drug of sorts, but I had an all-nighter ahead of me during finals, and there they were... Just sitting there waiting to help me study... It was one of the worst nights of my life. I couldn't concentrate on anything. I felt like my mind was going 100 miles an hour. Forget studying. I couldn't relax, I was jittery, and -- when I finally gave up on trying to study -- I couldn't fall asleep, either. I laid in bed forever in some sort of hellish limbo state, exhausted but unable to rest. I think I finally fell asleep around 5 am, but I had an 8 am class. I was a zombie for the exam the next day. In retrospect, I'm kind of glad that all happened. It was the first semester of my freshman year, and it certainly cemented my resolve to leave those kind of crutches alone! --Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I have banned those drinks called Monster from my house. Anything that gets you that hyped up is bad for a teen IMO. They make my teen calmer!:lol: He doesn't drink them anymore because they are bad for you, but they were good for his focus.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I allow coffee, and green and black tea, but not the green tea drinks with a long list of chemicals, or energy drinks. I wasn't thrilled when my son ordered a Dr. Pepper at a lunch yesterday, instead of unsweet tea or water, but I decided it was a rare enough occurrence that I would not comment on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Believe it or not, you can get a high from smoking nutmeg. Weird, huh? There's also that stuff that Miley Cyrus did--can't recall the name and don't feel like googling. Just talk to them about "natural highs" from legal products. Oh, and whippets--inhaling the stuff that makes whip cream "whippy"--nitrous oxide. They ARE dangerous. But legal. Inhalents are most prevalent with younger kids. just fyi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Believe it or not, you can get a high from smoking nutmeg. Weird, huh? There's also that stuff that Miley Cyrus did--can't recall the name and don't feel like googling. Just talk to them about "natural highs" from legal products. Oh, and whippets--inhaling the stuff that makes whip cream "whippy"--nitrous oxide. They ARE dangerous. But legal. Inhalents are most prevalent with younger kids. just fyi This made me think of the canned air that you use on computers. Kids inhale that and it has led to death in some situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Thanks for the discussion, everyone, sorry I bounced away for a bit. Jean and others, excellent point, I have to agree that media (computers, iPod touch, video games and the like) is the prevalent drug of our teens' era. I think it will be good to have a nice conversation asking them what they think about that. Give 'em a new context for it's overuse, kwim? I did hear of Miley and the salvia. Complete foolishness. But nutmeg? I would never have guessed. Inhalents, I think we've not touched on that, thanks for the reminder. So people are using these energy drinks to mix with alcohol for cocktails? That is insane! I can see how bad that could be, a person could be completely inebriated yet not passed out. Really, really bad.... We should probably do a unit study on the liver. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I try to set an annual example for my teen of the dire effects of caffeine dependence. Lent is coming: time for detox!:eek::willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 I try to set an annual example for my teen of the dire effects of caffeine dependence. Lent is coming: time for detox!:eek::willy_nilly: Nothing like successful modeling. :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I make a point not to completely disallow things because I feel that it tends to make their hearts grow fonder. However, I do a lot of talking about the effects of things like too much sugar, junk food, soda, HFCS and energy drinks. I wouldn't ever purchase an energy drink because I truly feel that they are very bad for the body. So I start when they are young, talking about how it effects the system. I think it's something you have to start doing when they are young and still think you know everything. Once they hit the 'invincible' age they just start looking at you like you are speaking alien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 This article talks about the combination alcohol/caffeine drink, Four Loko, which has since been told by law makers to reformulate without the caffeine or get kicked out of state stores. It talks about some pretty dreadful side effects, and also about the fact that some bars will just replace it with a combination of Red Bull and vodka. http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-32592-popular-drink-packs-high-power-risky-kick.html Perhaps teens might pay more attention to this article since it is from a "hip" newspaper reporting from a college town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) We discuss caffeine as an addictive drug with our dc. I was able to "get clean" a few years ago by going cold-turkey, and I can now have a bit of chocolate or a soda every once in a while. Dh has really struggled, though, and openly discusses how he feels better when he is able to steer clear, but how the habit drags him back. We allow dc no caffeinated beverages at all. When they are older, they can choose whether they want to abstain from caffeine or not. Oldest dd never had a soda when she was little, so she hates the taste. Second two dc will drink a Sprite if they are offered one, but middle dd prefers water and youngest prefers milk. We are against gambling of any sort, so that's out. Gaming, sugar, and junky foods are allowed as a social treat (family Wii night, sweets at a party, etc.) We have alcoholism in both our families, so dh and I don't drink at all, but we discuss with dc that alcohol is a decision they will need to make for themselves someday after they are the legal age to comsume it. I worry most about the habits dc are forming. We have never had a problem with them wanting something we told them we are against, as they tend to trust our decisions, and we discuss everything instead of just "laying down the law." Edited February 15, 2011 by angela in ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Has anyone mentioned tobacco products yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Has anyone mentioned tobacco products yet? That's an easy one here. My dad smoked from age 12 until a few years ago. he is horribly sick from it, and it has been a huge lesson for our dc. They think of tobacco as gross and dangerous with little prompting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I keep hearing about this little 5 hour energy bottle. Sound pretty nasty for a kid too. (maybe for anyone) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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