Pubdate: Sun, 14 Apr 2002
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2002 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Author: Julie Holland, Special To The Los Angeles Times
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

TEACH KIDS WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

Public service announcements on TV about the drug Ecstasy, sponsored by the 
Partnership for a Drug-Free America, inform us that users take their lives 
in their hands. They show images of young people passed out on dance floors 
with oblivious, drug-addled revelers all around them. We hear voice-overs 
of a coroner's report giving the gruesome details of an Ecstasy-related death.

As is often the case with this organization's campaigns (remember "This is 
your brain on drugs" with a picture of two fried eggs?), the ads neglect to 
mention anything that can be done to prevent death from occurring, save 
complete abstinence.

Following the slogan coined by Nancy Reagan in the 1980s, the partnership 
wants our kids to "just say no."

As a parent, I know that saying no to my daughter does not always work. It 
sometimes encourages her to rebel.

The bottom line is this: Statistics show that Ecstasy use is on the rise, 
year after year. The kids aren't saying no.

In the same way that most adults see the sense in teaching safe sex instead 
of preaching sexual abstinence to teens, we need to adopt a more 
enlightened approach to educating our young people about drugs.

A true public service message would tell kids: If you choose to use drugs, 
here's how to be more safe:

. Mixing Ecstasy with other drugs or alcohol increases risk.

. Heatstroke is a major life-threatening concern with Ecstasy. Stay cool, 
take plenty of breaks from dancing and drink water.

. Over-hydration is another danger. Drinking too much water while on 
Ecstasy can cause serious, potentially fatal complications. Drink only 
enough fluids to replace what is lost through sweating. A pint an hour is 
plenty.

. "Less is more." Taking one tablet carries less risk than two and so on. 
This also goes for frequency of use. People who use Ecstasy repeatedly risk 
depression, panic attacks or other psychiatric complaints.

There are reports of correlation between high-dose repeated Ecstasy use and 
poor performance on memory tests.

. Testing the contents of Ecstasy pills may reduce the risks associated 
with impurities in tablets.

. As with all drugs, driving, operating machinery or making important 
decisions (such as whether or not to have sex) should be deferred until sober.

Many government agencies are wary that giving honest information about 
drugs "sends the wrong message" to today's youth.

Yet saying that a drug is dangerous or forbidden is simply not enough when 
dealing with curious, novelty-seeking adolescents who often see themselves 
as invulnerable.

- --Julie Holland, attending psychiatrist at Bellevue Hospital in New York,
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom