Image Courtesy of Susan Sermoneta

When someone mentions “HIV/AIDS” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

—Something you learned about in health class?
—Or saw on TV?
—Or recall a friend who recently got tested for HIV?
—Or a celebrity who raises awareness about HIV/AIDS around the world?

Here’s some of the science behind HIV/AIDS that you may not know;

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), a disease of the immune system. Currently, there is no cure, but there is treatment. The good news? HIV/AIDS is preventable, and you can protect yourself by knowing how it is spread and using good judgment. Here are some typical questions that you might have, which research has helped to answer:

• How does someone get HIV? HIV is transmitted when an infected person’s blood or other bodily fluid comes in contact with the blood, broken skin, or mucous membranes of someone who is not infected.
• Isn’t HIV just a problem in foreign countries like Africa? It’s true that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is worse in certain foreign countries, but it is also prevalent in the United States. Every nine and a half minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV, affecting people of every age, race, and creed. Even teens.
• How many teens really have HIV? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 50,000 young people 13 to 24 years old were living with the virus that causes AIDS in 2006, and nearly half didn’t even know they had it.
• What does drug abuse have to do with it? You’ve probably heard that needle-sharing among injection drug users can spread the disease, which is true. However, using drugs and alcohol also puts people at risk. That’s because when someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, their judgment is impaired, and they’re more likely to make impulsive decisions they normally wouldn’t, like having sex. Since HIV is sexually transmitted, unprotected sex can lead to getting HIV or giving it to someone else. And since so many teens don’t even know they have HIV, they can pass it on without even knowing.

So, now what? Make healthy choices and protect yourself and your friends. For more information about HIV/AIDS, check out our friends over at AIDS.gov.

Image Courtesy of Chris Phillips, ICF Macro

NIDA’s annual DRUG FACTS CHAT DAY, held November 10, was a huge success. The computer-filled room where it happened vibrated with excitement, as more than 40 NIDA scientists eagerly tried to answer as many questions as they could. And questions they got. Teens from around the country sent in some 13,000 questions about drugs–wow, so nice to hear from you!

So what was different about Chat Day this year? Well for one, there seemed to be twice as many questions on marijuana. Maybe that’s because the news lately is full of talk about marijuana (how confusing—some adults say it’s bad for you, and others say it can be used as a medicine!). If you want to know how our scientists answered these questions, check out the CHAT DAY transcript, coming soon to http://www.nida.nih.gov/chat/.

What happens with the questions we didn’t have time to answer? In the next few days, we will be reviewing all of the questions so we can learn more about what teens want to know about drugs. We’re planning on adding what we find out to our teen Web site and we will blog more about it, too. If you think DRUG FACTS CHAT DAY sounds like fun, ask your school to sign up for next year.  Schools will be able to register this summer. We’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, here’s a list of some topics and the percentage of kids who asked about them this year.

30%:   General questions (like “What’s the worst drug?” or “Why do kids take drugs?”)
20%:   Marijuana
10%:   Nicotine
8.5%:  Alcohol
8.5%:  Illegal street drugs like cocaine, meth, LSD, PCP, and ecstasy
5.0%:  How do I get help for a friend or family member?
< 3%:  Steroids, Inhalants, Rx Drugs, Pregnancy (questions like “Are drugs bad for the baby?”)

Ok, so what would you or your friends have asked about?

Here’s how it’s going to work. Each month, we’ll post a specific question on the blog asking for your feedback. The first question is:

Question #1: What would you like to talk about, or know more about, on the topic of drug abuse?

To answer the question, you can either submit a comment by writing your response in the “Leave a Reply” box below, or send us a message. As always, we will read all comments and consider all feedback. The following month, check back with the SBB to see how we’ve addressed your suggestions and to answer the next question.

Your comments and suggestions will help guide the future development of the Blog. For example, if you think there are too many blog posts on nicotine addiction or not enough videos, or if you want to read more about real teens’ stories or see videos on the consequences of prescription drug abuse, we want to know.

We look forward to hearing from you, so let’s get started.

What do you think the most popular questions were? Last year teens asked a lot of questions about marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol (yes alcohol and cigarettes are drugs too).  They also wanted to know what the “worst” drugs are, and what happens if someone who’s pregnant uses drugs. There were also lots of questions about the effects of drugs on the body, and teens asked how they could find help for friends who had problems with drugs.

The most important thing to know about NIDA’s DRUG FACTS CHAT DAY is that the scientists just want to give teens the scientific facts about drugs— no lectures.

So if you’re near a computer (which you are if you are reading this!) take a look at NIDA’s DRUG FACTS CHAT DAY webpage.  See if the question you would ask is being asked by someone else. And next year, ask your teacher to register, so your class can post questions directly to NIDA scientists!

At the last Drug Facts Chat Day, soccerstar0 asked:

“On average how old are kids who start using drugs?”

Research shows that drug use often starts in the teen years. You might have heard that, but here’s something you may not know—the science shows that the younger you are when you start using drugs, the more likely you are to get addicted later on. Doing drugs can also cause problems with friends, in sports, and in school.

Let’s face it—when someone tells us not to do something, that sometimes makes it seem more exciting. But drugs can really do some not-so-exciting things to your body. NIDA researchers discovered that drugs can literally change the way your brain works. And since your own brain won’t finish growing until you’re 25, you probably don’t want to mess with that process by doing drugs.

Overall, students said they got a lot out of the experience, but some said they would have liked more time for questions about addiction and the health effects of drugs. So to follow up, here are some answers to common questions about drug use in college.

-Is everyone using illegal drugs in college?

No. Many college students drink alcohol, but most of them are not using other drugs.

-How common is drug use in college?

It really depends on the drug. The most common drug used in college is alcohol (yes, it’s a drug).  A survey asking college students about their past-month drug use found that about 2 out of 3 drink alcohol, and about 1 in 5 students smoke cigarettes.  Marijuana comes in third, with about 1 in 6 students smoking it in college.  (Interesting fact: full-time college students actually use less tobacco and marijuana on a regular basis than people of the same age who don’t go to college.) As for other illegal drugs, very few college students are using them. For example, fewer than 1 in 100 college students have ever used heroin or steroids.

-How do you know?

NIDA’s Monitoring the Future Survey asks middle school students, high school students and high school graduates about drug use. If you want to see the real data for yourself, you can go to the Monitoring the Future website and look at all the 2007 results for college students.

-Stay tuned…

If you’re studying for a journalism career in college, or planning to study journalism when you go, stay tuned! We’ll announce the next college journalist roundtable here at the Sara Bellum Blog.

Our word for today is: Cerebellum

Cerebellum: A portion of the brain that helps regulate posture, balance, and coordination during activities such as playing ball, picking up objects, and balancing.

Why do I like this word so much? Say it again: “cer·e·bel·lum” (sĕr’ə-bĕl’əm)—yup, it’s my namesake!

When we walk down the street or concentrate on keeping our balance, our cerebellum is guiding us. The cerebellum coordinates our voluntary muscle movement as well as our posture and balance, like a puppeteer helping us put one leg in front of the other.

Suppose you’re playing ball? Picking up your pet? Playing a musical instrument? Your cerebellum is hard at work inside your head so you can slam dunk that basketball, hold onto the cat, and play each note on your electric guitar perfectly. And these are just a few of the activities that the cerebellum handles for us.

The cerebellum is located just above the brainstem, where our brain connects to our spinal cord. The average teen’s cerebellum weighs about 6 ounces. That’s about one-eighth of the total weight of our brain, which weighs about 3 pounds. Hmm…who knew something so little could be so powerful?

You can look up more words in the NIDA for Teens glossary.

Taylor took his own life on July 15, 2003, as a result of abusing steroids. With Taylor’s death came the Taylor Hooton Foundation formed by his parents, family, and friends to honor his memory, after they became aware of the growing problem among high school athletes across the country.  Not too long before Taylor’s death, NIDA noticed a sharp increase in the use of steroids among male teens in the late 1990s (Monitoring the Future Survey, 2008).

Unfortunately, I never met Taylor-wish I had gotten the opportunity-but I have met his dad, Don Hooton. Don is the type of guy that many of us aspire to be. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him and the Taylor Hooton Foundation on behalf of NIDA. The picture to the right is us at a Nationals game in DC. I’m sitting with pitcher Garrett Mock (L) and center fielder Willie Harris (R) (Who said work can’t be fun?) We’ve been working together with the goal of sharing Taylor’s story and helping teens help one another.

In memory of Taylor, please share his story with a friend. With your help, we can prevent another tragedy.

Learn more about the science behind steroid use and how it can affect your body.

Bio: Brian Marquis is a Public Liaison Officer at NIDA who connects with organizations across the country to prevent drug abuse among youth with the help of NIDA publications and Web sites.  In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, working out, going to the beach, and playing baseball with his son.

Answer: Inspiration!

SBB was part of the team that went with NIDA Director Nora Volkow last month to march across the Brooklyn Bridge as part of Recovery Month.  Celebrated every September, Recovery Month honors the thousands of Americans who have kicked their addictions. Recovery Month is sponsored by government and other organizations dedicated to fighting substance abuse.

Image Courtesy of A&E Entertainment

The event at the Brooklyn Bridge was an amazing experience. People in recovery came from every state. Some had been sober for only a few months, others for many years. You could see their stories on their faces, and many of them had been through a lot.  But you could also see their hope that came from hard work. On this day, they all came together to walk across one of the most famous bridges in America, the same bridge that many American immigrants helped build more than 100 years ago to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The bridge is a great symbol of hope and incredible achievement, since the technology behind its design seemed nearly impossible a century ago.  It was so difficult to build that many people were injured and died during the construction - but it was eventually completed and still stands today.  For the 10,000 people who had the courage not just to get treatment for their addictions, but to go public with their struggles to inspire others, their victory is a major achievement, like the bridge.

The Recovery Rally at the bridge was sponsored by A&E Entertainment, which produces the TV show Intervention. Counselors on the show work with families to help convince their loved ones to seek treatment for their addictions. Many of the counselors on the TV show led the way at the march across the bridge, along with Dr. Nora Volkow, holding a banner that says “A&E Recovery Rally.”If you watch the show Intervention, you might recognize some of the counselors in the photo.

One thing is for sure: you can’t be “good to go” when you’re taking drugs.

For you, the workplace might be school or your summer job. If you’re not “good to go,” it could mean a bad grade on your chemistry test or getting benched on your football team. But for our men and women in uniform, drug use threatens their ability to protect one another and defend our Nation. A lack of concentration or a wrong decision could put everyone in danger. It could even cost someone their life.

That’s why the Department of Defense is taking steps to create the largest drug-free workplace in the world. Its zero-tolerance policyon drugs means that servicemembers will have the best mental and physical health necessary to do their jobs.

At the same time, many of our servicemen and women are young and need as much support as they can get. Just like when you had to move to a new school or find a new group of friends, life in the military can be stressful. The day-to-day grind of combat, the effects of injury, or being apart from family can cause people to be depressed. And depression can lead to drug use. Just like you, service men and women sometimes need help getting through those tough periods - using healthy ways to cope without turning to drugs.

The Real Warriors Program is aimed at wiping out the stigma associated with getting mental health care in the military. The campaign uses the stories of servicemembers who admitted they needed help and now are pursuing successful military careers. From October 23-31, the Defense Department will honor these real warriors during Red Ribbon Week, an event to raise public awareness about the negative effects of drugs on military personnel, civilians, and their families.

Now, more than ever, we need good role models. Whether you are serving in the military, working at a desk job, or going to school, don’t hesitate to offer help to someone in need. When’s the last time you asked someone, “Are you good to go?”

Do you have a personal story about the importance of role models and encouraging one another to overcome life’s challenges?  If so, please comment on this blog post - we’d love to hear your story!

This is a guest post from Dr. John Ohab, host of the Defense Department’s weekly science radio show, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”