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The reality of the epidemic

4 min read
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In recent years, we have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of overdoses in our community. You can hardly go a week, if not a day, without hearing of someone impacted by drugs. The truly scary part is how this epidemic cuts across all sexes, races, socio-economic classes and ages. As a parent, it’s the latter issue that brings forth a fear I cannot even describe.

As parents, we knew that we would have to discuss drug use with our kids someday. However, we never imagined that this talk would need to start when they were just 6 and 8 years old. Stories about candy laced with drugs forced our hand, and soon we were advising that our kids not accept any candy at school. It’s a sad state of affairs.

Having children these days goes beyond teaching them right from wrong. We all expect them to make mistakes, but we now live in a world where just one bad choice and one mistake can lead them to possible death. There are many factors which lead to addiction, (far too many for me to cover in this short article) but the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that nearly one out of four people who try heroin will become addicted. Add a second time and that number increases. The only way to make sure you don’t become addicted is by simply never trying this deadly drug. While there are other drugs, which can be equally as deadly, heroin is the most addictive drug there is. Add that to the fact that it is also inexpensive and widely available, and you have a recipe for disaster.

On the bright side, The National Institutes of Health 2015 Monitoring the Future survey of drug use and attitudes among American eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders continues to show encouraging news. Despite the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic, heroin use is at the lowest rate since the MTF survey began in all ages surveyed. There was a continued steady decline in the perception of availability of heroin among all ages surveyed despite increasing use among adults. There is a continued high rate of disapproval of taking heroin occasionally – 95.3 percent among 12th graders. Therefore, we must continue to keep educating our youth about the dangers of this drug. This may be our best way to stop this heartbreaking and devastating epidemic.

While talking to kids about drug use isn’t easy, there are tools out there, which can help. Sheriff Brian Tennant recently announced plans to bring DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) ‘Keepin it Real’ education to fourth and fifth grades at all five school districts in Greene County. Additionally, Representative Pam Snyder has also presented drug prevention education to many middle school aged children across the 50th Legislative District. Below is an abridged version from DARE on how to talk to your kids about drugs.

• Tell your children that you love them and you want them to be happy and healthy. Say that you do not find alcohol and other illegal drug use acceptable. Many parents fail to state this simple fact. Explain that drug use hurts people. Talk about positive, drug-free alternatives and explore them together. Some possibilities may include sports, reading, movies, bike rides, hikes, camping and games.

• Approach your children calmly and openly and do not exaggerate. Talk face to face. Be an active listener and let your child talk about fears and concerns while not interrupting or preaching. Establish an ongoing conversation rather than giving a one-time speech. It is also important that you set an example and avoid contradictions between your words and actions.

• As parents, be alert to changes in your child’s mood. Drug use may cause your child to become more irritable, secretive, withdrawn, overly sensitive, or inappropriately angry. In addition, your child may become less responsible by not going to school or coming home late. Watch for changes in friends or lifestyles. Physically, drugs may cause your child to concentrate less, lose coordination, weight and create an unhealthy appearance.

The current epidemic is scary for us all. While there are many adults struggling with addiction, the best thing we can do is to educate our children to reduce their risk of becoming addicted. We can hope that these numbers continue to fall and reflect positively among our youth. My kids are now 10 and 12. I tell them that just one time can lead to addiction and possibly take their life. I hope and pray I am getting through.

For more information, visit www.dare.org.

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