Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 Source: Columbian, The (WA) Copyright: 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.columbian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/92 Author: Roberta Uhland Note: Roberta Uhland, of Vancouver is a member of the Clark County Substance Abuse Advisory Board and the Clark County Substance Abuse Youth Task Force. A LOCAL VIEW: ARE YOUR KIDS ON DRUGS? THINK AGAIN You don't need a calendar to see it's back-to-school time. Armed with school lists, families wander bewildered through stores. Parents try to figure out what is required while negotiating pleas for zippered athletic shoes and lace-front jeans. While school is still about the business of education, we know that when groups of children gather, they exchange more than homework assignments. The education your children receive from their peers can have grave consequences. Parents need a clear understanding of the substance abuse epidemic among school-age children. The extent of the problem is staggering. If you think you are immune with a child in elementary school, think again. The youngest alcohol-addicted child to receive in-patient treatment in Clark County was 9 years old. Elementary-age children usually begin drinking with their parents. Children living with adult alcoholics have a 50 percent to 60 percent risk of drinking alcohol weekly. The Vancouver Police Department often responds to incidents of substance abuse involving children younger than 12. If Sonny's new schoolmate has an odd penchant for road flares, he may live where methamphetamine is manufactured. News flash: National law enforcement says Clark County has the second-largest meth problem among counties in the entire United States. Partnership for a Drug Free Washington says middle school students regularly engage in high-risk drinking. Among eighth-graders, 15 percent report binge drinking. In this group, 22 percent admit drinking monthly. Local mental-health facilities report that 25 percent of their child- related issues are attributable to substance abuse. Among high-school students, substance abuse statistics are sobering. Cigarette smoking has reached such alarming proportions that schools offer smoking- cessation programs. Another survey of teens by the Partnership for a Drug Free Washington reveals that 47 percent drink monthly; one in 16 drinks every day. These students scored significantly lower on standardized tests, and teens that drink regularly have a higher risk of school failure, assaults, unintended pregnancy and suicide. Fourteen high school students are killed daily in alcohol-related car accidents, on a national average. Statistics offered by Roberts, Fitzmahon and Associates demonstrate that 38,000 Washington teen-agers are treated alcoholics. Who knows how many are untreated. Initiation Time Wait a minute, you say. My teen is not among the 40 percent who have abused drugs. You concede that he or she attends rave parties, but you consider these legitimate events with ticket sales handled by well- regarded agencies. Did you know that each year tens of thousands of teens (and younger) are initiated into the drug culture at "rave" events? Rave events are marketed on fliers depicting signs, symbols or pictures indicating "Chocolate chips," "E-Bomb" or "Roll" will be available. Sounds harmless until you recognize that those slang terms are synonymous for Ecstasy, the designer drug responsible for thousands of overdoses and dozens of teen deaths. Washington State Patrol drug enforcement officers lament that if you want illegal drugs in this metro area, go to a rave. Feeling a little dazed? September is National Drug Prevention month, and you can make a difference for your children. Local school districts are working diligently on quality substance-abuse programs, but they need your help. Contact the drug counselor at your child's school and find out what you need to know about school programs. Knowing more about drugs than your kids do, and keeping kids active with school and family activities is your best line of defense. That, and really talking to your kids about substance abuse cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. Find out what they know and how they know it. A survey released in July 2002 by National Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education Inc. showed that children who said that parents who warn them "a lot" about drugs reported lower drug use than those who said parents never do so. More information and tools are available at www.co.clark.wa.us. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth