Fact Sheet

Are smart kids more likely to use drugs?

 An ambitious new study suggests a surprising link between a child's IQ and his use of illegal substances as an adult

previously posted on Alltop.com here

Photo: CORBIS
 
Classroom know-it-alls may be more likely to experiment with drugs as they enter adulthood, according to a new study.

Smart kids are more likely to use drugs such as marijuana and cocaine when they grow up — and the likelihood is stronger among females than males — according to a new British study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers have previously posited that children with a high IQ can grow up to be heavier drinkers. Now drugs, too? A concise guide to the findings:

What was the study's methodology?Researchers tracked about 8,000 people across three decades, recording their IQ scores at age 5 and again at age 10, says Makiko Kitamura at Bloomberg Businessweek. As adults, "participants were asked about use of substances including cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, crack and heroin."

And what did they find?
Subjects "who had high IQs when they were aged 5 and 10 were more likely to use certain illicit drugs at age 16 and at age 30," says Denise Mann at Web MD. In particular, women with high IQ scores at 5 years of age were "more than twice as likely" to have smoked marijuana or tried cocaine by age 30 than women with lower IQs. As for men who tested well as kids, 50 percent were more likely to use amphetamines like speed, 65 percent more likely to have tried ecstasy, and, overall, 57 percent more likely to have used two or more illegal drugs by the time they hit 30.

Why are smart kids more likely to use drugs?
While parents may find the results "surprising at first glance," intelligent children fit the "established" profile of drug experimenters in many ways, says Karen Kaplan at the Los Angeles Times. Among the social factors that can lead individuals to try drugs are boredom and a "tendency to be teased" by peers as a child. (Drugs could be used as a "coping strategy.") Moreover, smarter individuals are typically more willing to try new things. As the researchers note: "High-IQ individuals have also been known to score highly on tests of stimulation seeking and openness to experience" — which illegal drugs can provide.

What do you think? 
Sources: Bloomberg Businessweek, LA Times, Web MD

Wednesday blessings ~~ Our angels

~~~Joshua~~~

10/11/97 - 6/13/11  

Another Angel in Heaven because of the Choking or Fainting game, another kid dead, yes, he is really gone! This does not have to happen, Joshua was only 13 yrs old, his entire life was in front of him. News Article about Josh's death with a video

Each Wednesday instead of a senseless picture posting we will feature one of our Angels, kids that we have lost due to youth risk behaviors, poor choices and lack of knowledge. Hopefully this will be an important reminder to parents, teachers and kids that "games" that involve "risk taking behaviors" such as the "Choking Game" , Pharm or pill parties, Self Destructive or mutilation behaviors, Huffing and inhalant abuse, synthetic drugs such as "bath salts" or K2 are only a road that leads down a "dead end" street. Death is not selective, it can sneak up on you the first time you make a poor choice or the 100th time you do, so why play Russian roulette with your life?
Educate yourself, your kids, your students and save a life. Might even be your child's life.

More information and downloadable free educational materials available on our website here http://ed4ed4all.com 

Our New Website!!

 

 http://www.ed4ed4all.com

 

Our fabulous Lyndi Trost (Network Director of Ed4Ed) has created the new ed4ed4all.com website and it is awesome, page after page of great information, events, videos, alerts and news for parents, free downloadable materials, how to get involved and links to resources.

This organization is dedicated to those young people who have been needlessly injured or killed  as a result of participating in behaviors without adequate information concerning the risks they are taking.  We as a group are aware of about 1,000 such young people and the number is increasing steadily.  To prevent these senseless tragedies,

Education is the essential element:

• Understanding Choices

• Weighing Chances

• Evaluating potential outcomes - Benefits vs, Risk

in guiding our youth to healthy choices ushering in bright futures.

Scientific research and professionals concur:  Youth will take risks.  Scientific research based on youth studies conclude:  Knowledge is the single factor that determines the risks they will choose to take.  Risk experimentation ends in needless tragedy and experience is not the best teacher.

 

Many of our members have been personally affected by these behaviors which include but are not limited to "The Choking Game'. Emo, Dusting and Pharm Parties.

Mission Statement

The Ed4Ed mission is to provide an aid to be shared free of cost with all who care for youth.  The single goal is elimination of youth dying and suffering grave injury due to a simple lack of knowledge. These senseless tragedies can be prevented.  This will be accomplished through awareness of and education about emerging youth risk behavior trends. 

 

To be effective the program must be efficient, flexible, adaptable, accessible, easy to use and offered freely.   

So what are you waiting for? come on over and check out our new website and tell us what you think.

Follow us on Twitter @Ed4Ed4all and @ernursescare