A community forum and youth rally is being organized and has been scheduled for April 13, at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. It will be a day-long event that will feature information for educators, public health providers, law enforcement professionals, church leaders, elected officials, and any resident who is concerned about how substance abuse is affecting the community.

Experts in the fields of criminal justice, counseling, health care, education and prevention will be on hand for discussions the entire day, starting at 9:30 in the morning. There will also be educational presentations that will provide participants with more opportunities to learn more and become more aware about substance abuse.

A youth rally will then be held in the evening, from 6 to 8 p.m. Teenagers and college students will be able to enjoy band performances, as well as listen – and learn from – testimonials regarding the dangers of drug abuse; there will also be a memorial for young people who lost their lives due to drugs.

Deaths due to heroin overdose in Will County have increased to around 30 each year over the past three years, while deaths due to any drug overdose are pegged at around 57 per year.

Drug overdoses have been described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an “epidemic.” Paul Lauridsen, clinical director for Stepping Stones Treatment and Recovery Center in Joliet, shared: “Everyone must join together to fight substance abuse and prevent overdose deaths… The upcoming community forum and youth rally will put solutions on the table and inspire a grass-roots effort to educate our community.”

The new program is the result of a partnership between the St. Joseph County police, the prosecutor’s office, Juvenile Court, Community Mental Health substance abuse services, and the Human Services Commission.

The Sturgis Police Department and Juvenile Court have been working on an initiative that focuses on helping reinforce parental responsibility in order to reduce drug use among local youth in the past year. Efforts included the development of a user-friendly and easily-understandable brochure, companion information, and drug test kits.

Judge Thomas Shumaker of the Juvenile Court shared, though, that there have already been programs in the past that were aimed at helping parents talk to their children about drugs; but he said that this new effort is being backed by local support groups and substance abuse services. The goal of the new initiative is to give parents the opportunity to keep their children drug-free in the privacy of their homes. The test kits included in the program also has information for parents regarding how to talk to their children about drug testing.

The sample test kits will be available at the Juvenile Court, and through the police department, for $5. These will be able to test for marijuana, pills, and cocaine, among others.

Shumaker shared further: “The police are the contact point, but we will work with schools to make the test kits and information available… Parents need to be more observant of the signs of drug use and help their children make good choices on the road to being successful citizens.”

Debbie Boniface, principal at Sandburg High, says that teens don’t usually listen to warnings. Enlisting the help of parents is very important in their fight against drug abuse.

“It’s very important for parents, community members and kids to know that the point is not to get someone in trouble, but to get them help and support,” the principal said. “This is about making healthy and appropriate choices, and whatever we can do to ensure that is important.”

The letter, which was sent by Superintendent James Gay, appealed to parents to talk to their kids about drug abuse. Also contained in the letter are useful information sites and which could help parents with the task.

A part of the letter reads:  “…disturbing stories about dangerous and sometimes deadly behavior in which teens in the south suburbs have been engaging. News reports include underage drinking and law enforcement concerns over the increase in availability of drugs, particularly heroin.”

Boniface added that breaks in school can be factor in promoting dangerous habits of students. It possible for kids to take advantage of these periods when nobody in authority is around them. Even during long school breaks, kids often succumb to drug-related activities.

“When kids are away from school for a while, their guard is let down,” she said. “They don’t have to be somewhere the next day, don’t have to get homework done. Sometimes bad things happen.”

The event was originally scheduled last December 6, but an unfortunate turn of events took place the day before the workshop which prompted the organizers to move the event this February.

According to Jennifer Weigle, a guidance intern and Student Assistance Program counselor for the school, it was on the 5th of December last year that five teens from the New Oxford High School were killed in a car crash, which is why the event was immediately rescheduled.

The workshop will keep its original format on preventing and identifying teen drug and alcohol abuse which will be very valuable for parents in the area.

A local detective will be talking to parents on how to detect teen drug abuse as well as of the latest trends in drug and alcohol abuse among the youth. Resource speakers will also be at hand to give tips on how parents can talk to their children about drugs and alcohol as these are important steps to ensure kids remain safe and healthy.

Weigle said that there is a need for parents to be correctly informed about drugs and alcohol use or abuse. “To me, knowledge is power. And even if you think your child isn’t using and their friends aren’t using, just to have the information and be aware can be very helpful to parents and students. We want to reach parents before there’s a problem.”

The workshop will be open to all parents from Hanover and Adams County areas and they will be assisted by child care if they bring along kids 14 years old and younger. Snacks will also be served during the event.

Parents often refuse to acknowledge what is happening to their kids until everything becomes too late. This is because parents and kids feel uncomfortable discussing marijuana and other drug abuse issues. Yet in keeping kids away from pot and other drugs, parents are key factors as they serve as their children’s role models and source of information.

Here are some suggestions as to how parents can keep teens safe and in a healthy environment:

1. The talk about drugs should start early and should be consistent through the years. Remember to include issues like addictions, impaired driving skill and learning capabilities, and other risky behaviors associated with drug use. Cooperate with your child’s school on the matter as they can very well influence your child on his decision making.

2. Parents should serve as role models, so if you are a pot smoker, you must cut the habit immediately and without hesitation.

3. If you have experiences on pot use or other types of drug abuse, be honest and tell your kids you’ve done it. It’s the best way for you to share the destructive effects of your past habits and it will no doubt have a great impact on your kids.

4. Make sure you know your child’s activities without invading their right to privacy. Give concrete guidelines to them when it comes to drinking and drugs and at least ensure that adults are present during teen parties or gatherings.

5. Kids should be able to approach parents when they are in doubt of anything related to substance abuse. As parents, you should be the first persons kids run to when they need proper education and correct information on the subject matter. In short, communication lines should be kept open between you and your children at all times.

Circuit Judge Phillip Whiteaker together with the Lonoke County Juvenile Department and The Bridgeway made the “Teen Abuse of Bath Salts and Spices” event happen last week. Featured speakers included state drug director Frances Flener and chief illicit lab chemist for the Arkansas Crime Lab, Chris Harrison.

Flener informed the community that prescription drugs abuse is the fastest growing type of drug abuse today, and parents unknowingly become the suppliers of the drugs that kids use through their medicine cabinets at home. There is a need then for parents to limit the availability of such medicines especially at home.

The circuit judge encouraged the crowd to take advantage of drug take-back events. She said that the last time they had an event on Oct. 29, they collected nearly 6 tons of unused prescription medications. “That is a lot of pills. That is 11,926 pounds taken out of the reach of Arkansas youth.”

She also added that kids get their meds three-fourths of the time from people they know. “If medicines cannot be secured, get them out of the house.”

On the crime lab’s part, Harrison informed parents and school officials that the Food and Drug Administration does not list all of the designer drugs that are equally dangerous.

In a report from the Lonoke Democrat, he asked for the community’s involvement in controlling the proliferation of the said drugs in the area. He warns parents that there are some sellers that tolerate the sale of new drugs because of money.

Harrison presented examples like K2 (which is now banned in Arkansas) and bath salts which are still making their way through ‘head shops’ that most teens go to get their drugs.

There are many ways that parents can spoil their kids. By not giving kids regular household chores to accomplish, by not making them wait for the things that they want, and by not setting limits on their activities, parents think they are making their kids happy. What parents don’t realize is that this kind of behavior towards children could lead to dangerous behaviors like substance abuse.

According to experts, two thirds of parents say their kids are not responsible and lack the appropriate manners that children their age should have. Studies have shown that kids who are given everything they want become adults faster, and they will reach a point of difficulty in dealing with life’s challenges which could lead them to substance abuse and other inappropriate behaviors. Psychologists have confirmed that overindulgent parents become the key for their children to head towards the wrong path in life.

The American Academy of Pediatrics say parents nowadays don’t have enough quality time to spend with their kids. This is why they choose to compensate for the lack of time by giving in to every whim that their children have. In order to avoid complicated relationships with their children, they simply say ‘yes’ to everything.

What is important is that parents learn how to balance between love and discipline to raise good children.

One of the growing trends in teen substance abuse is the role social networking sites play in increasing drug and alcohol abuse cases among the youth. It has been reported by the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse that a study made by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at the Columbia University showed that social networking sites increased risks of smoking, drinking and drug use among kids aged 12 to 17.

In a typical day, about 70% or 17 million teens go online and visit these networking sites. Compared to teens who don’t use social networking sites, those who do are five times more likely to use tobacco, twice as likely to use marijuana, and three times more likely to drink alcohol.

This is why the Bedford community shared some ideas on how parents can avoid having troubled teens.

1. Parents have no other choice but to adapt to technology to better monitor their child’s activities online. Inform kids that their use of the internet is something that matters to you.

2. To have better access on your child’s online activities, strategically place the computer in a public area of your home. You will be able to check the sites they visit and control the amount of time they spend on the net.

3. Let your kids know that sharing personal information on the internet is not a good idea at all. It could endanger their lives as what they share in the community can easily be made available all over the world. Parents should also check their kid’s online friends to protect them from cyber predators.

4. Parents should be consistent in implementing time limits for Internet and cellphone use. As much as possible, adults should be around each time kids use the computer.

There are so many much lesser-known chemicals that teens use to get a high, and these are what parents like Marjorie Trummel should be aware of. Seemingly harmless bath salts, over-the-counter medications and just about any household chemical that could give teens the high were exposed and introduced to the community gathered.

Mrs. Tummel’s daughter is a sophomore at Hamilton Southeastern High School and when she saw I-Team 8’s initial report on bath salts and how children are abusing and overdosing on such substances, she joined the discussion to get as much information as she needed. “I want to know what in my house is dangerous,” says Mrs. Trummel.

Members from the Hamilton County Fatal Alcohol Crash Team were present and became the resource speakers for the more than 100 parents who came to the event. The group informed parents of the most popular drugs of choice of most kids, and how to detect drug abuse even if kids are trying to hide it from them.

Hamilton County Deputy Prosecutor Amy Summerfield stressed the importance of parents as the key factor in preventing drug abuse among teens. Parents were then taught to be on the lookout for signs that their kids are having substance abuse problems. Among the most common symptoms are: pupil dilation, almost incomprehensible speech, red or irritated nose.

The advisory, which is published in Pediatrics, emphasized that developing brains are very vulnerable to addiction, which is why a doctor should be one of the first to know if a kid is in trouble with drugs or alcohol.

Dr. Sharon Levy, director for the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and co-author of the new policy, stressed the fact that screening of adolescents has always been a part of the process that keeps children healthy and safe.

What drove their group to issue such statement is due to the reality that doctors don’t usually ask their adolescent patients about their drug or alcohol activities.

Screening teens can be very helpful in keeping kids safe, or putting a stop to any developing behavior they may have towards addiction or dependence.

Doctors are now prescribed to ask their young patients if they are using drugs or alcohol, and find out under what circumstances these kids take the dangerous substances. After getting their answers, doctors should be able to give the age-appropriate and correct responses and encouragement. If there are any cases that need extra treatment, they should also provide treatment options to their patients.

Levy adds that adolescents are “an ideal group to screen. The risk of this is very low, the cost of this is trivial… and the potential benefit is huge.”