Welcome to the High School Oasis BLOG for the upcoming week!

This Week

MIDWEEKS ARE ON! We meet on Wednesday nights at the COVE from 730-9PM.

We are continuing our Sex Series on Sunday with a special Panel addressing questions that I (chad) have prepared. We will have a married couple, my amazing wife, Megan, and a male leader in Oasis sharing their journey.

Next Week

Next week is GAG (Girls and God/ Guys and God) night! Your students will be doing something fun outside of Church. Stay tuned for details on where each group is going.

On the Radar

Be sure to download our whole FALL calendar. Please keep in mind that events are tentative and can change or things can be added to the calendar but this will give you a framework for what are some of the main things happening. Be sure to subscribe below to get this delivered directly to your inbox every week

Winter Camp Dates: February 14-17, 2020. 

Summer Camp Houseboats Dates: July 12-17, 2020.

Winning at Home

Every week I hope to provide you with something to help you win at home. Some weeks you will get a recap of the Sunday message with questions to continue the conversation at home. Other weeks I will share a blog or article I run into that I think may be valuable to you. Who knows, some weeks you’ll get both!!

E-Cigarette Use in Teens on the Rise

While teen cigarette use has declined by half since 2000, parents should be aware that three studies released in the fall of 2014 point to a significant rise in e-cigarette use by teenagers.

An e-cigarette is a device that turns nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals into an inhalable vapor. Many e-cigarettes are designed to resemble tobacco cigarettes, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 12% of high school students and 3% of middle school students have tried e-cigarettes at least once, and 4.5% of high school students use them regularly. The 2014 Monitoring the Future survey raises more red flags, finding that 8.7% of eighth grade students had used an e-cigarette in the previous month. The numbers for previous month use by 10th graders was 16.2%, and for 12th graders, it was 17.1%. Finally, a study of 1,900 ninth and tenth grade teens in Hawaii found that 29% of these had used e-cigarettes.

Why it matters:
– Adolescence is a season of experimentation for teenagers. With the rise of popularity in e-cigarette use by teens, it’s likely that teens will face increasing temptation to experiment with them. A teen’s closest friends are extremely influential during these years of experimentation. Parents should be proactive to know their child’s friends, as these provide a window of understanding into your teen’s values, behaviors, and temptations.

– Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug, and one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. It activates brain circuitry that regulates feelings of pleasure and provides the body with a “reward” sensation. Both cigarettes and e-cigarettes are nicotine delivery devices.

– Currently e-cigarette manufacturers are unregulated in the U.S., and many e-cigarette products are made outside of the country. Because of the variety of manufacturers and products, it has been very difficult to determine what chemicals other than nicotine are contained in e-cigarette vapor. These chemicals may or may not be harmful to the human body.

– Read more about the health risks of E Cigarettes by clicking HERE to read what Harvard Health has recently released in regards to vaping.

Thanks!

I am praying and rooting for you and your family,

Chad Richards

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