On its second year, the “Candid Discussion” event, made possible by the Community Connections group in partnership with the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) L-S Chapter, will take all the barriers when children and parents talk about drugs, alcohol and risky behaviors.

The event will have ten student volunteers chosen by the SADD. Their identities will be kept confidential, even their parents and school authorities will not be able to know who they are. This is what the organization will give them in exchange for their honesty with regards to issues of substance abuse.

The students and parents will be in separate rooms, with the students speaking via a voice modulator to avoid any identification. The volunteers will talk honestly about their lives, their activities, how they deal with relationships, and just about any other teen issue that are hard to discuss in a home setting.

“The only people who know who these kids are the SADD kids who asked them to do it. Even the teachers don’t know. It’s all very confidential, which allows the kids to be honest,” adds Kathy Howd from Community Connections.

“Quite frankly, I think a lot of parents have no clue what’s going on,” Howd said. “And the kids have so many ways, especially with technology, to mislead them.”

Sarah Greely, who teaches at the L-S wellness department and an adviser for SADD, hopes that their initiative will help both parents and kids to discover everything about the truths on substance abuse.

Organizers of “Candid Discussion” made it clear that they aren’t trying to portray teenagers of today as substance abusers or risk takers. They instead want to put kids and parents on the same level when it comes to the issue of drugs and other substances so that both parties will be able to work together in promoting healthy living and safe environments.

One of the most common teen problems is substance abuse and dependency. But are parents equipped and ready to deal with this difficulty? Here are some ideas on how the habit develops among teens and some warning signals for parents.

The first stage could be difficult to notice especially when kids try hard to hide it from their parents. When children are into some kind of substance abuse, they do it on their own in the beginning which allows them to keep it from their parents and other persons. In this case, parents should be on the lookout if kids become curious as to the effects of drugs and alcohol in the body.

The second stage involves friends and groups. The need to fit in and have fun with friends could become the driving force why children do these dangerous habits. At this time, kids will have control on the amount that they take, usually just enough to be accepted by their peers.

At the third stage, signs of substance abuse and dependency can be more obvious to parents. Parents can see changes in their child’s behavior and problems begin to pile up. During this stage, teens become more tolerant to the effects of drugs or alcohol and so their consumption increases. They might get into trouble with the law too if the situation isn’t controlled.

Finally, the fourth stage is the most complicated and difficult time to deal with teens. At this point, extreme situations occur such as getting suspended or expelled from school, having eating and sleeping disorders, stealing money from parents and other people, and collapse of overall physical health. This is where kids already have the need to take drugs or alcohol daily and the boundaries between right and wrong vanish.

Deputy Director Steven Cline had the opportunity to talk with school counselors and police officers on drug abuse issues mostly focusing on the recent prescription drug abuse scare. Though marijuana and alcohol are still the top substances abused by teens, prescription medications are making their way into the top of the list.

In a feature on The Daily Item, Cline and fellow advocate Amy Bloustine stressed that parents play the biggest role in disciplining children and keeping them out of harm’s reach. They said that discussions on substance abuse should start at home, with parents and children having good communication in such a way that they could interact when talking about these problems.

With prescription drug abuse becoming a trend in circles where teens often belong, parents would have to equip themselves about the subject and know the possible steps they could take whenever they encounter a situation as such. Parents should include other dangerous drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana if they intend to educate their kids about drug abuse.

At present, the Lynn Police Department is doing their best to help reduce prescription drug abuse in their area. Citizens are encouraged to surrender any unused medications they have at home and make sure that their medicine cabinets at home are properly locked and strategically put in places where kids and even some visiting friends could not have easy access to.

In a report from the Daily Item, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Anthony Pettigrew says that in the 26 years that he has been in service, he has seen a substantial increase in the amount of prescribed medications being abused. He says that prescription drugs are sold illegally from $0.50 to $1 a milligram.

It’s unfortunate that one student had to die before these developments on school policies were done. For Steve Stuban, everything was too late, and his son’s life was already taken before he could do anything to save him. It was just after Nick confessed to buying drugs from another student at Woodson High School and that Nick was already advised to transfer to another school when his dad, Steve, got notified by school authorities. By January of this year, Nick took his own life, and his father believed he could have done something before the school decided on his son’s case, and prevented his death.

Today, aside from the earlier notification, other changes are being put in place, such as principals handling cases of students bringing their medications in school. Students who are caught with illegal drugs will be required to undergo a five-day drug and alcohol abuse program. Emotional issues, if any, will also be tackled together with the guidance and aid of professionals.

The involuntary transfer of students who get into trouble is one rule that will not be revised though. Instead, there is a proposal of providing a case manager for students suspended for 10 days or more to help them cope up with their academic activities.

The school board will be spending an additional $500,000 for all the changes that they have implemented in their expanded intervention program. The amount involved includes the collection of data to find out if the new system works, and just how efficient it is in helping parents and kids fight off drug and alcohol abuse.

1. Let family members know that you are concerned with his or her drinking and drug use and that you’re willing to help. Make them see the damage that his or her actions brought into the family. If the person does not heed your words, let him know you’ll do whatever it takes to protect the rest of the family from him.

2. The best time to talk about your child’s problem is when he is sober and both of you are calm. It would be wise to open up about recent family arguments that have happened due to his drug and alcohol problems and even fresh incidents that occurred when your child got into his bad habits.

3. Be sure that you’re equipped with the proper information about treatment options when you do tell your kids that you will help them deal with their addictions. You can both seek the help of organizations or treatment programs that will be happy to be of service to you.

4. There are times when the more people — professionals and relatives alike — working together in confronting a troubled child can improve success rates. With the help of therapists and experienced persons, it could very well let your child see that he indeed needs help right now.

Before parents can do their part in helping children solve their problems, there might be a need to first resolve issues of their own. Parents should know that when children live in difficult situations where violence and substance abuse thrive, their children can be easily swept away into the same paths of life when they become adults themselves.

Again and again, it has been proven that domestic violence greatly affects how a child perceives his life. Most of the time, when they see and hear the violent actions that their parents manifest in their early childhood stages, chances are very high that they too will adapt the same violent ways that the family had. Drugs and alcohol abuse by parents also result to children with the same dangerous and lethal habits in later years.

When these situations occur in the household, values and roles of parents are put in a muddled condition. Teens in troubled families feel isolated and alone, making them turn to drugs or alcohol and in turn create violent behaviors. This is why we hear of reports involving teens in petty crimes like shoplifting to more serious cases like robbery and assault.

Parents should therefore put things in order before they can become effective in what they are supposed to do. Only then will they be able to help their children in troubling situations such as that of an alcohol and drugs addiction. There are many ways to help a child accept that he or she needs treatment.

According to a study by Dr. Michael P. Marshal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, compared to drug and alcohol abuse rates for heterosexual teens, LGBT teens are likely to be affected by the problem by almost 190% more than the other group. In some cases, subgroups within the LGBT group even perform worse, like that of the bisexual group which has a 340% more drugs and alcohol abuse prevalence and the lesbian group with almost 400%.

The main culprit why LGBT teens turn to alcohol and drugs is the pressure brought about by the society’s discrimination of their sexual preference. An oppressed group of people usually suffer by not having equal opportunities as others, making them turn to such dangerous vices as drugs and alcohol. This is clearly manifested in the gay youth community and only proves that the problem does exist in their society.

There have been alarming findings about LGBT teens with respect to their involvement in drugs and alcohol. The U.S. Department of Health has previously released a study showing most LGBT teens attempt to commit suicide and that 30% of all successful acts are by gay, lesbian, or bisexual teens. It was also found out that one in every LGBT teen is under severe drugs and alcohol problems.

What these studies are trying to tell people concerned is that there is a continuous growth of drugs and alcohol problems within the youth of America. This problem is much more magnified for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens. While it may not be true in all cases (as there are many LGBT teens living happily and healthily), there is still a need for authorities to address such conditions to protect the younger generation.

If this situation ever comes in the family, they would have to adopt measures to treat kids of drug and alcohol addiction. When it becomes too hard to deal with the problem by yourselves, you can always enlist the aid of rehab facilities. Within these institutions, the needs and concerns of drug addicted teens are addressed through the guidance of medical and professional experts.

A child is into drug abuse when he or she uses illicit substances (for teens, alcohol and tobacco are still illegal) for purposes not related to health development. Drug abuse can easily turn into drug addiction. When a person becomes an addict, he or she becomes physically and psychologically dependent on any drug. An individual makes decisions based on his cravings and are into activities where drugs are included. This is the time when a drug rehab is crucial.

The hardest task comes in when you would have to convince your child to get into rehab. Before anything else, parents need to confront their kids on their drug addiction. As parents, you should expect denials as kids will just say they’re fine and will not own up to their mistakes. It’s up to you now to determine the necessary steps that you would have to take to find the remedy to your child’s problem. Families should act fast regarding drug addiction; every second counts and the need to control long-term damage is pivotal.

School officials from the Springfield High School and director for Secondary Teaching and Learning Dr. Monica McHale-Small presented a report on the survey that they commissioned in order to see if students from grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 become affected with drug and alcohol addictions the same way that students in the same level were affected in 2005.

McHale claims that survey results were accurate and that they were kept confidential. Among the 788 students that participated, only 22 were deemed invalid and were taken out of the total survey results. The survey concentrated on questions connected to but not limited to illegal drugs, prescription drugs, use of alcohol and inhalants. The specific time frame also took into consideration their whole lifetime which translates to whether respondents, at any given point in their lives, used these illegal substances, used them in the last 30 days, or just in a matter of few days.

Results showed that adolescents tend to look for support and guidance in making decisions through their family, school and the community. Their set of friends also helps influence them in making the right or wrong choices in life’s most important issues such as drugs and alcohol.

In their district, drug and alcohol abuse information are included in their school’s health education. Unfortunately, budget constraints make it difficult for third party organizations, which are on the same advocacy as their schools, to be in their district for added sources of information on the subject.

Open Communication

If you suspect that your child is using drugs, you should discuss it with your spouse or partner immediately. You need to discuss your concerns as parents to your child, but be careful not to sound accusing. You should listen to what your kid has to tell you. It is important that once you suspect something, take an action immediately so it won’t get worse.

House Rules

You must discuss with your child that you should impose rules that they should follow. Tell them the things that you do not allow, like using drugs.  Explain clearly what the consequences will be when they break the rules.

Professional Intervention

When it comes to teen drug addiction, it would be best to seek the help of the professionals. You should find the right medical professional or treatment center that can help your child. Make sure it is accredited and is run by qualified professionals.