So…coffee. The drink most people say starts their day off right. Most people drink regular, caffeinated coffee – the primary reason being that it elevates their mood and energy in the mornings. But for some of us, it’s against medical … Continue reading Substances: Decaf Coffee and Teens
Hey! Welcome to the next entry…let’s talk about teens and caffeinated drinks. Now, I feel like a lot of us wouldn’t think of caffeine as a traditional substance, because it isn’t thought of as something that usually harms people. But recently, I learned in Driver’s Ed that caffeine is a stimulant, so it can raise your blood pressure/epinephrine level and make you feel lightheaded or dizzy (which can be harmful while driving). But I was curious to learn whether there are any, possibly more harmful side effects to drinking caffeine (for both adults and teens)…and it turns out that unfortunately, … Continue reading Substances: Caffeine and Teens
Hey there – in this series, I hope to explore the different substances teenagers are known to be using, and dive into the big question of why. The past 20 years have seen massive growth; with the boom of the tech industry, to the rise of social media. While these changes have definitely brought numerous benefits to people around the world, allowing us to connect in a way that we couldn’t before (namely stay in touch during a global pandemic this year) like anything, they also have their downsides. Social media has brought increased pressure on teens, to look and … Continue reading Substances Series
Hello again! I’ll be continuing my substances series here by talking about the effects of alcohol on teens. Here’s the TED Ed video I watched to get a quick intro into the topic: Now, the CDC says that underage drinking is a serious health problem in the US – where overdrinking is responsible for 3,500+ deaths in people under 21 per year. In 2013, there were about 119,000 visits to the emergency room made by people ages 12 – 21 for conditions linked to alcohol consumption. In the US, Alcohol is the most commonly used substance in minors. Historically, underage … Continue reading Substances: Alcohol and Teens
Happy Thursday! I’m starting a new series called Substances. In this series, I plan to tackle all different types of substances, specifically targeting their effects on teens. As a teenager myself, I think educating myself about all of the substances out there is definitely important – and my hope is that for all of the readers out there, these short blog posts will help them learn a little more about substances too. The video linked above will give you a brief overview of possible side effects of marijuana in teenagers. For more information, this article by the CDC goes more … Continue reading Substances: Marijuana and Teens
History/Philosophy of Science with Gabi 