Pubdate: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 Source: Clearwater Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Clearwater Times Contact: http://www.clearwatertimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1448 Author: Carrie DeJong DON'T WAIT TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS Editor, The Times: This is in response to recent articles surrounding crystal meth. While it seems that the motive for the advertisement is to provide information about a very damaging drug trend, it starts the discussion at the wrong end of the spectrum. "You've had a lifetime to talk to your kids about crystal meth. What are you waiting for?" You also have a lifetime to talk to your kids about healthy choices. You have a lifetime to help prevent them from ever picking up a drug like meth. We live in a culture that normalizes alcohol and drug use for teens. The use of mood-altering substances becomes a means of "entertainment" for them. Binge-drinking becomes a "right of passage" for many kids on weekends and during holidays. Experimentation with drugs becomes an acceptable way of getting an adrenaline rush. You have a lifetime to help your child develop talents, abilities, and interests that will challenge them and keep them interested in pursuing healthy alternatives. Research indicates that adolescence is a time when significant brain development is still occurring. Dr. Aaron White of Duke University states "there is mounting evidence that repeated exposure to alcohol during adolescence leads to long-lasting deficits in cognitive abilities, including learning and memory." Regular use of pot and other drugs are believed to be responsible for an increase in mental health concerns among young people. You have a lifetime to encourage your child to value their intellect and to use their cognitive abilities to the best of their abilities. Personal difficulties such as family or relationship issues and mental health concerns (such as anxiety or depression) are often underlying reasons that teens turn to drug use. Some teens use drugs and alcohol as a means of coping rather than simply for "fun". You have a lifetime to help your child learn healthy ways of dealing with difficult things. While no one can argue about crystal meth being a horribly destructive drug, the real concern begins long before a teenager begins to experiment with meth. No one wakes up one day and decides to become a meth addict. They have likely been well on their way to addiction for a while. And alcohol and pot are most often where they started. You have a lifetime to learn about the risks and hazards that are associated with using any kind of mood-altering substance and you have a lifetime to communicate what you have learned. We should not be focusing time, energy, and money on the wrong end of the spectrum. By the time a young person is using crystal meth, there is significant damage done in their lives. We need to focus on doing more in order to prevent teens from ever using mood-altering substances that rob them of their potential, their health, their minds, and, too often, their very lives. We live in a community that cares about our young people. Let's work harder at investing in their lives in ways that help them remain drug-free. Carrie DeJong Addictions Counselor Orchard Recovery Center, Kelowna - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman