Monthly Archives: October 2011

Teens Don’t Drink Normally – Parents Beware

Adolescents drink for different reasons than adults. Adults drink to socialize and may have a few glasses of wine or beer while attending a social event, watching sports or sitting on the patio enjoying the summer.

Adolescents tend to “binge drink,” that is they drink for effect and to get drunk quickly. This can also be accompanied by mixing alcohol with energy drinks, a dangerous concoction that energizes and removes inhibitions at the same time. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90% of teens who drink engage in binge drinking, defined as 4 drinks or more per occasion for women, and 5 drinks or more per occasion for men.

Emergency room physicians routinely find that teens admitted to the ER have extremely high Blood Alcohol Levels, many times the legal limit for driving (.08). For example, over 200,000 adolescents are admitted to emergency rooms every year for alcohol related reasons.

Colleges and a few private substance abuse counselors now offer alcohol awareness classes online to help reduce the consequences of binge drinking. One online site offers a series alcohol awareness classes that  allows the adolescents to compare their drinking to the general public. This has proven to be a promising approach because the adolescent is not confronted, but rather, provided with useful feedback about his or her drinking and where it fits in with others.

Colleges are starting to see improvements in their student’s drinking patterns, as measured by frequency, amount and consequences of alcohol use once they complete online alcohol awareness classes.

Online Anger Management Classes Popular with Courts; Saving Time, Money and Hassle

Court ordered anger management classes have been standard requirements for a lot of defendants who have lost their temper and gotten into legal trouble. After attending a few sessions, the charges were either reduced or dismissed.

However,  courts in almost every state have suffered huge cutbacks in funding, staffing and time to deal with compliance. Like the courts, defendants are overwhelmed with fines and legal fees so attending in -person anger management classes has hidden costs that the courts never see.

In addition to the tuition for the class, there is the cost of transportation, lost wages from missed work, babysitting and time away from family and friends because of attending in-person classes.

Online Anger Management Classes have gained in popularity with both the courts and the defendants required to attend classes. One chief advantage is that these classes can be taken over the Internet, anytime of day or night, and they are monitored by state approved and licensed treatment professionals.

Secondly, online anger management classes allow defendants to complete their class on their own schedule, without having to leave their  homes or family. One online anger management program reports that clients increasingly use mobile devices, such as Tablets or Smart phones, to work on their classes in their spare time. 

Unexpectedly, courts find these clients spend more time on line than required, often commenting on the usefulness of the content. Courts who get positive feedback are also more likely to embrace this form of  E-counseling in the future.      

California DUI Offender Programs for Out of State Residents are Online

Got a DUI in California, but live out of state? Complete the DUI Class Online.
California courts now allow non-residents of California to complete their classes online. DUI offenders must be complete California’s AB541 DUI class requirements in order to have their license reinstated in their home state. Approved providers now offer 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 18 month online DUI programs that meet court requirements. As usual, the CA DMV does not recognize any class outside of California, online or not. However, the CA courts seem to like the licensed substance abuse course provider who is able to help the out of state defendant navigate and complete CA court requirements.

Colleges make Alcohol Awareness Classes Mandatory for Freshmen

College freshman are just starting their first semester all over the US.  They face the pressure of new classes, living in the dorm or on their own, and navigating a new social network.  College administration knows that means some students will use – and sometimes abuse – alcohol and other illegal substances. The UW Marathon County want their students to make the right choice. This year Campus Coordinators focus on reducing the number of high risk activities related to alcohol abuse and other substance abuse. The university will also help students with problem gambling and prescription drug use.

The alcohol awareness class  for the University of Oregon class of 2015 is already under way. It’s part of an online course designed to discourage underage and binge drinking.  The first part of the class takes about two hours. Students complete a series of online lessons that  help them evaluate their alcohol use and and compare it to other students their age. After students have been on campus for a week or two, they complete a short follow-up module. The university signed a four-year contract with a private company at a total cost of $80,080, so students do not pay to take the course.
For non-students who receive a minor in possession of alcohol or drug charge, private online alcohol awareness classes are available.