Web sites:








Because You Do Have An Options

Legal Service Plans
For anyone who need or wants legal counsel about anything















http://www.health.org/

Kentucky Office for Drug Control Policy http://www.odcp.ky.gov/

NIDA for Teens www.teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/mom_inha1.asp

The NIDA sponsored University of Michigan Monitoring the Future http://www.monitoringthefuture.org

Family and Corrections Network http://www.fcnetwork.org/

Advent Home Youth Services, Inc. http://www.adventhome.org/

The 40 Developmental Assets www.search-institute.org/assets

Coronary Health Improvement Project - CHIP www.adventistchip.org

U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

What Works Clearinghouse www.whatworks.ed.gov

Teen Challenge USA http://teenchallengeusa.com/

Teen Challenge of Illinois http://www.teenchallengeil.com/

Teen Challenge of Indiana www.indianatc.org

Vanderburgh County Substance Abuse Council www.drugfreecounty.org

Youth First, Inc. www.youthfirstinc.org



Be sure to look at the new links at the bottom of the page

Excellent article on how to determine if a friend may have a drug or alcohol problem, plus straight facts on lots of street drugs. www.soundvision.com/info/teens/drug.asp

Real stories, real info, from real teens. www.drugfreeamerica.org/kids_teens

If a friend has run into trouble with the law: Legal info for teens, a service of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. www.chicagoteenlaw.org

An excellent glossary of legal terms and a description of the juvenile justice system for teens from Focus Adolescent Services. www.focusas.com/JuvenileJustice.html

Narcotics Anonymous: www.na.org

Alcohol:
Alcoholics Anonymous is probably one of the most well-known support groups. www.aa.org

Incredible stories of people who’ve been there, done that! www.highbottomdrunk.com/stories.html

A great resource on alcoholism, with quite a few sections for teens. http://www.alcoholism.about.com/od/about/

Narconon Southern California has suggestions for children of alcoholics. www.alcoholism2.com/children-of-alcoholics.htm

Quotes from the "famous and not-so-famous." www.randomterrain.com/favorite-quotes-alcohol.html


Organizations:
Al-Anon/Alateen: www.al-anon.alateen.org

Children of Alcoholics Foundation: www.coaf.org/default.htm

National Association for Children of Alcoholics: www.nacoa.org/kidspage.htm

Do It Now Foundation: www.doitnow.org/pages/808.html

Books:
Alateen—Hope for Children of Alcoholics (New York: Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 1980).
Children's Place, by Jerry Moe, M.A., and Ross Ziegler, M.D. (Petaluma, Calif.: Acid Test Productions, 1998).
Something's Wrong in My House, by Katherine Leiner (New York: Franklin Watts, 1988).
The Grieving Teen: A guide for Teenagers and Their Friends, by Helen Fitzgerald (Fireside Books, 2000).

Drugs: (General)
To learn more about OxyContin and other prescription drugs, check out the following:

Books:
Degrees of Guilt: Kyra’s Story, by Dandi Daley Mackall (Tyndale House Publishers, 2003).

Prescription Drug Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic, by Rod Colvin (Addicus Books, 2002).

Smoking
Some resources to help you quit smoking:

American Cancer Society
Quitline Service: 1-877-937-7848

American Heart Association
1-800-AHA-USA1

American Lung Association
Quitline Service: 1-800-548-8252

National Cancer Institute
Quitline Service: 1-877-44- UQUIT

Online support to help you quit smoking:
www.quitsmokingsupport.com/

While there are a number of suggestions on how to quit smoking (check out www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit/IQuit.pdf), if you’ve already started, quitting may be difficult. But it’s not impossible. The organizations below offer programs – many free of charge – to help you stop smoking.

The American Cancer Society has a wealth of information to help you kick the habit, including information on smokeless tobacco, surviving withdrawal, and ways to help a friend stop smoking.
www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_10_3.asp?sitearea=PED
To find a Quitline in your area, call 1-800-ACS-2345.

The American Lung Association offers Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T), a smoking cessation program especially for teens.
www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22931&
To find a local chapter, call 1-800-LUNGUSA.

Abuse
If you, or someone you know is being abused by a parent, get help. It’s not your fault, and you can make it stop. The following is excerpted from "Finding My Way," by Tamra Wear (Listen magazine, March 2006):

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: www.ndvh.org

National Toll-Free Hotline for Victims of Domestic Violence: 1-800-799-SAFE (799-7233)

Teen action campaign, "See It and Stop It": http://endabuse.org/programs/teens/

Be ready. Have a personal safety plan. Take the time to create a safety plan in case you need it. Information on your safety plan could include:

*Local numbers for police and a safe house.
*How you will get away if you are assaulted.
*What you can do in your home to stay safe.
*How to work toward removing yourself from the situation.

The following sites will guide you through creating your own safety plan.

http://endabuse.org/resources/gethelp/personal_plan.php3
www.acadv.org/safety.html

Help Hotlines
National Teen Emergency Hotline: 1-800-448-3000
www.girlsandboystown.org/kidsteens/index.asp

National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
www.childhelpusa.org/hotline.htm

Family Violence Hotline: 1-800-996-6228

National Crisis Hotline: 1-800-233-4357

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

Stay safe by educating yourself. Start here: www.acadv.org/dating.html

Rape
What to do if you are raped (excerpted from "What Every Teen Should Know About Rape," by Elizabeth Donovan, Listen magazine, March 2006):

*Go to a place you feel safe and secure.
*Tell someone you trust.
*Preserve physical evidence. Try not to shower, drink, eat, or change clothes. These activities may destroy evidence that could be used to prosecute your attacker.
*Seek medical help. Even if you do not want to report the rape to the police, you may have injuries that require medical attention.
*Consider contacting the police.
*Seek counseling/call a rape crisis hotline. The following counseling services are free and confidential.

RAINN – National Sexual Assault Hotline (24 hours a day): 1-800-HOPE. RAINN will be launching the nation’s first live, secure counseling service online.
Your school guidance office.

The National Center for Victims of Crime: 1-800-FYI-CALL, www.ncvc.org.

Depression/Suicide:
American Association of Suicidolgy: 1-800 784-2433

National Institute of Mental Health: 1-866-615-6464

National Hopeline: 1-800 Suicide (1-800-784-2433)

Web sites for more information about depression/suicide:
http://suicidehotlines.com/
www.save.org
www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/letstalk.cfm
www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/teens.htm
www.heartsandminds.org/self/depression.htm

Eating Disorders
Want more info? Check it out:
www.something-fishy.org has a "treatment finder" option.

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org has "treatment referrals" option.

www.mentalhelp.net has a "treatment" link for both anorexia and bulimia.

Bullying
For more information, go to www.bullyonline.org or www.safeyouth.org.

Abstinence
Here’s how to deal with the pressure to have sex (excerpted from "Everybody’s Doing It: How Far Should I go?" by Elizabeth Donovan, Listen magazine, November 2006):
* Share you desire not to have sex early in your relationship. Make sure the other person understands and respects your feelings.
* Avoid putting yourself in uncomfortable situations where there is pressure to have sex. For example, avoid being alone with your date, which may put you in a compromising position. Instead, date in a group or go to a public place like the mall.
*Develop supportive friendships with teens who share similar beliefs about sex.
*Talk to a trusted adult about your feelings. They’ll be able to give you reliable information about sex that your peers cannot.

Gambling
For more information, log on to Gamblers Anonymous at www.gamblersanonymous.org or the National Council on Problem Gambling at www.ncpgambling.org.

Another site that has been designed to help individuals and families recover from a gambling problem is www.stop-gambling.com.
You Might have a Problem if . . . (National Council on Problem Gambling’s 10 Questions About Gambling Behavior)

1. Have you often gambled longer than you had planned?
2. Have you often gambled until your last dollar was gone?
3. Have thoughts of gambling caused you to lose sleep?
4. Have you used your income or savings to gamble while lettings bills go unpaid?
5. Have you made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling?
6. Have you broken the law or considered breaking the law to finance your gambling?
7. Have you borrowed money to finance your gambling?
8. Have you felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses?
9. Have you been remorseful after gambling?
10. Have you gambled to get money to meet your financial obligations?