CHAPTER 2: Health Habits and Prevention

Accidents, Homicides, and Suicide

The most common killers and "injurers" of teens are accidents, murders, and suicides. Three-fourths of all death in teens come from these three causes. Guns are involved in over 50% of murders. Most of the murders are not planned. Keep guns locked up and unloaded so they can be used only for hunting and target practice. (See Violence)

About half of the deaths from car accidents and homicide involve alcohol or drugs. Most kids are now being smarter about not drinking and driving. Seat belts reduce fatalities from car accidents. Helmets keep your brains in your skull if you you ski, skateboard, ride a bicycle or motorcycle. But serious neck injury can still happen if you are going fast.

Suicide can be reduced if the person thinking about it can have a good talk with an adult as soon as possible. (See the Feelings Chapter) As many as 1 in 50 teenagers make a suicide attempt that requires medical attention.

Violence and Abuse

Violence kills more kids than all diseases of adolescence. See the Chapter on Violence and Abuse.

Alcohol and Drugs

There is very little margin of safety for teens who "want to get drunk" or binge drink. Lots of kids overdose and die from alcohol or drugs. You will generally pass out if you have 8 shots of hard liquor of hard liquor or eight beers. Once you pass out you are at risk to inhale vomit or stop breathing. The margin of safety is even smaller for hard drugs - small doses of impurities can cause big problems fast. Hard drugs include cocaine, heroine, MDMA-ecstasy, LSD, GHB, methamphetamine, ketamine. All of these really cause troubles when mixed with others or with alcohol. Only 2 shots or two beers are enough to cause impairment. Impairment increases the chance of a serious accident and can cost you your driving license.

Once you start using alcohol or drugs regularly, stopping is very difficult. Less than 5 of 100 users of amphetamines, cocaine, or narcotics can quit without help; 9 of 10 alcohol users will need help and 7 of 10 marijuana users. If a family member has been "hooked" this makes your chances of becoming hooked even higher.

Sexual Diseases and Pregnancy

Having sex without birth control produces babies quickly. Half of all teenage pregnancies occur within six months of the girl's first sexual activity. Having sex with several partners greatly increases the chances of sexual diseases. See the Chapter on Sexual Questions.

Home Safety

Falls and fires hurt a lot of persons. Think about your safety and the safety of your family at home. Do you have smoke detectors? Are there things in the hall or near the stairs that can trip or cut you?

Nicotine

When most people think of tobacco- related problems, they think of adults. Yet, adolescents who use tobacco suffer from a number of health problems.

Huge amounts of money are spent each year to promote cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and e- cigarettes (vaping). E-cigarette vapor potentially contains harmful substances not found in tobacco smoke. The reverse is also true: toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke and smokeless tobacco are absent in e-cigarette vapor. But all contain nicotine and are addictive. Almost all people addicted to nicotine began as teenagers.

Aside from bad breath and discolored teeth, adolescent smokers will experience addiction, decreased ability to exercise, a persistent cough, frequent sinus headaches plus problems with breathing. They will also notice their money disappearing rapidly as they spend several dollars on each pack of cigarettes.

Chewing tobacco, cigars, and snuff are just as addictive as cigarettes and also causes mouth sores, discoloration, and cancer.

Think about dating? About 70% of teenagers say they would not date a smoker.

Think quitting is easier for teenagers than adults? Think again. Half of the kids who smoke only 1-5 cigarettes a day will feel bad when they try to stop. Over 70% of kids are still smoking 5 years after they start.

Alcohol

One-time drinkers can quickly develop alcohol problems.

If you answer yes to any of the questions below, you have, or will probably have, a drinking problem:

• Do you find you need to drink every day?
• Have you tried to cut back on your drinking and not been able to?
• Have you ever blacked out after drinking?
• Do you ever drink secretly?
• Do you get into fights when you are drunk?
• Do you miss school or work because you are drunk or hung over?
• Have you ever been in trouble with the law because you were drunk?
• Do you have problems with your friends or family because of drinking?

Sexual Diseases and Pregnancy

Some sexual diseases, like AIDS and chlamydia cause bad things to happen slowly. See the Chapter on Sexual Questions.

TV Watching and Computer Playing

You have heard that TV watching and too much time on a cell phone or computer can be bad. Well, maybe it is for other kids. But do these “electronic habits” really matter for you? Place your bets.

More than 3 in 10 teens have an “electronic habit” that uses 4 hours or more a day.

If you have an “electronic habit” that uses more than 1 hour a day during the school week, you are at risk for a large number of problems. It gets worse with every increasing hour. For example, those who feed their “electronic habit” 4 hours or more a day are twice as likely to have school problems, pain, and tiredness; 3-5 times more likely to have bad health habits, trouble with physical activity, and poor social support; and many times more likely to be bothered by asthma or breathing problems. Worse still, they are twice as unlikely to be able to discuss problems about school work, feelings, and family problems with anyone else.

Eating/Sleeping/Exercise

In the long run, the habits established in the teenage years will carry over into your adulthood. For example, if you are overweight and SERIOUSLY exercise and change you diet, you can CUT YOUR CHANCE FOR HAVING (SUGAR) DIABETES OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE BY ONE-HALF! Read the Chapters on Exercise and Eating and Tired and Fatigue if you want to know some interesting information about these things.

Skin Protection

The amount of skin wrinkling and skin cancers doctors find in older age can be reduced if kids protect their skin from the sun by:

• Not being in the sun from 10am - 2pm.
• Wearing wide brimmed hats and protecting as much skin as possible from the sun.
• Protecting the skin and wearing at least UVA/UVB SPF 15 sun block when in the sun. HOWEVER, THIS MAY NOT PREVENT MELANOMA SKIN CANCER.

Disease Risks

By the time you read this section you should have had the following "shots" (immunizations) to protect you from hepatitis, diptheria/pertussis/tetanus, polio, measles/mumps/rubella, and varicella. Also strongly recommended are vaccines for HPV and meningococcus. If you are not sure about your immunizations check with your parents. You should also have your blood pressure checked and, if you have a family member with high fat or hardened arteries before they were aged 60, a blood cholesterol checked.