Friday’s Morning Zone: Kids-At-Risk, Wyo. Perspectives, and Dr. Patricia Farrell

Today On the Show:

7:07AM MDT: Kids-At-Risk. Dr. Scott Wylie and John Frentheway join host Dave Chaffin. Today we will continue our focus on the teen alcohol use topic towards a discussion about what needs to be done in order to begin to reverse the progression of alcohol use-related problems with Wyoming youth.

1. The absolute worst way to affect behavioral change in humans is to post a sign or placard in our direct environments (work, public places etc..). However, this seems to be standard medium, and often very little in the way of follow-up when bureaucracies, with good intentions, try to change, alter or otherwise affect behavioral changes within a population of people. Why? The answer is face validity (AKA "it looks good so it must be") despite the powerful data showing virtually no lasting effects on behavior. Wyoming needs more than fancy flyers or posters, signs by the roadside, or junk mail; we need early, scientifically sound, and consistent education to be provided to all children 7 and older, on the risks and dangers of alcohol use/abuse directly and indirectly.

2. Scare tactics such as the infamous "this is your brain on drugs" simply do not work for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they rely on dogmatism, and are not based on facts or science. We quickly lose the smartest children with such tactics due to our own need for oversimplification, and thereby lose the battles and the war respectively. What does Etho (ethanol) or "alcohol" really do? How does it affect the body, and how does our body affect it (important)? Is it different for kids than adults, men or women, people from certain cultural backgrounds? I have heard more mis-information than correct information, in some of these basic areas, on a routine basis from many individuals including professionals and politicians. If we don't know the answers to basic questions ourselves, how can we help our youth?

8:07AM MDT: Wyoming Perspectives: Steve Klein and Jason Gay from Wyoming Liberty Group will be discussing the latest gun restrictions from the White House.Late last week Vice President Joe Biden announced two new executive orders from the Obama Administration on top of the 23 it issued early this year following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. The new orders supposedly focus on crime, and certainly expand gun control. According to Biden, the new orders (1) will close a “loophole” that felons have used to evade background checks by registering firearms with a trust or corporation and make provisions for (2) “denying requests to bring military-grade firearms back to the United States for private entities.” Like the 23 executive orders before them, and the failed attempt to reinvigorate the “assault” weapons ban in the (Democrat-controlled) U.S. Senate, these policies will do nothing but add red tape to constitutional firearms ownership.

9:07AM MDT: Dr. Patricia Farrell returns to talk about her latest book, "Fired Up: A Shrink's Musings." She'll also be discussing her experiences in the field and why she believes we need to be careful about any medical and psychiatric care we receive.