TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
Siletz Tribal A&D
Programs
CEDARR
Community Efforts Demonstrating the Ability
to Rebuild and Restore
Nov. 7, 5:30 p.m.
Siletz Community Health Clinic Conference Room
We hope to see you there!
Ask Raven
Raven will answer your questions
about problems associated with alco
hol, tobacco and other drugs. You can
call in your questions to the numbers
below or mail them to:
Raven
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Dear Raven: My friend from school
asked me if I wanted to come over to
her house and play the pass-out game.
I told her drinking is not cool. She
said you don’t have to drink to pass
out. I am not taking drugs, drinking
or smoking anything, so how is it dan
gerous? (Unsigned)
Dear Friend: Thank you for writ
ing. The answer to your question is very
simple and easy to remember if you
ever see anyone do this. The “pass-out
game” shuts off oxygen to the brain and
people who do it can like the way that
feels. One young man said it was like
he was somewhere not on earth, like
dreaming. It only lasts for a few sec
onds so people will do it over and over.
If anyone offers to choke you
please, always say no. People have ac
cidentally died from playing this game
and some get addicted to the feeling.
I urge you talk with a parent and a
teacher about your concerns. If you have
friends who are playing this game, they
need someone to talk with them about
how dangerous it is. Your school can help
get information out to students and parents.
I am proud that you are staying
away from drinking, using other drugs,
and smoking, and proud that you
wrote to me for help.
Fondly, Raven
Parents: This “pass-out game” also
is called the “choking game, fainting
game, and space monkey.” Youth do it
by using their fingers, ropes or ties, or
other method of cutting off oxygen.
They may hyperventilate or have some
one else push them to knock the wind
out of them. There have been acciden
tal deaths that look like suicide as a re
sult of this.
The pass-out game is something
that usually appeals most to middle
school-aged youth but older youth are
also at risk. Signs can include neck marks
and redness around the eyes. If you
have any concerns that youth you
know might be involved in this, please
talk with them and help increase their
supervision to make sure they stop.
Our youth depend on us to help
keep them safe! Raven
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Siletz News
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Prevention, Outpatient Treatment,
and Women’s Transitional
Siletz: 1-800-600-5599 or
541-444-8286
Eugene: 541-484-4234
Salem: 503-390-9494
Portland: 503-238-1512
Underage Drinking Awareness
by Delina John
Facts that tell the truth about un
derage drinking - as the prevention
coordinator for the tribe, I want to share
this information with you so you know
how important it is for you as parents/
guardians to be active in your child/
children’s life!
Take a look at the information be
low and if you have any questions or
concerns regarding this topic or topics
relating to other drugs, please feel free
to call me at 1-800-600-5599 or 541-
444-8267.
While parent-child conversations
about drinking are essential, talking isn't
enough - you also need to take con
crete action to help your child resist
alcohol. Research strongly shows that
active, supportive involvement by par-
ents/guardians and family members can
help pre-teens/teens avoid underage
drinking and prevent later alcohol misuse.
The message is clear: Pre-teens/
teens need plenty of adult supervision.
Here are some ways to provide it:
•
•
•
Monitor Alcohol Use in Your
Home. If you keep alcohol in your
home, keep track of the supply. Make
clear to your child that you don’t
allow unchaperoned parties or
other teen gatherings in your home.
Encourage him or her to invite
friends over when you are at home.
The more entertaining your child
does in your home, the more you
will know about your child’s friends
and activities.
Connect with Other Parents. Get
ting to know other parents and
guardians can help you keep closer
tabs on your child/children. Friendly
relations can make it easier for you
to call the parent of a teen who is
having a party to be sure a respon
sible adult will be present and al
cohol will not be available. You're
likely to find out you’re not the only
adult who wants to prevent pre-teen/
teen alcohol use - many other par
ents share your concern.
Keep Track of Your Child’s Ac
tivities. Be aware of your pre-teen/
teen's plans and whereabouts. Gen
erally, your child will be more open
to your supervision if he or she feels
you are keeping tabs because you
care, not because you distrust him
or her.
November 2007
Develop Family Rules about Teen
Drinking. When parents establish
clear “no alcohol” rules and expec
tations, their children are less likely
to begin drinking. While each fam
ily should develop agreements about
teen alcohol use that reflect their own
beliefs and values, some possible
family rules about drinking are:
•
•
•
•
•
Kids will not drink alcohol until
they are 21.
Older siblings will not encourage
younger brothers or sisters to drink
and will not give them alcohol.
Kids will not stay at teen parties
where alcohol is served.
Kids will not ride in a car with a
driver who has been drinking.
Once you have chosen rules for
your family, you will need to establish
appropriate consequences for breaking
those rules. Be sure to choose a pen
alty that you are willing to carry out.
Liz Mulder from
EUDL (Enforce
ment of Under
age Drinking
Laws) presents
information at a
CEDARR com
munity gathering
in October. She
and fellow
volunteers
discussed their
experiences with
EUDL, how the
program can
work in Siletz,
and how people
can volunteer.
For more details,
please contact
Liz at
541-574-3305
or l.mulder@
newportpolice. net.
(photo by Laurel
V. Johnson)
Also, don’t make the consequences
so harsh that they become a barrier to open
communication between you and your
teen. The idea is to make the penalty “sting”
just enough to make your child think
twice about breaking the rules. A pos
sible consequence might be temporary
restrictions on your child’s socializing.
Finally, you must be prepared to
consistently enforce the consequences
you have established. If your children
know they will lose certain privileges
each and every time an alcohol use rule
is broken, they will be more likely to
keep their agreements.
This information was gathered from:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health.
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Some Web sites for parents
to check out are listed below:
www.parentingisprevention.org
www.health.org/nacoa
www.theantidrug.com (AOL Keyword:
Drug help)