Drug use among teenagers has reached epidemic proportions. It Doesn’t matter how vigilant you are, your teens are going to be introduced to drugs at school, the very place you think should be a safe environment. Mrs. Reagan’s ‘Just say no to drugs’ campaign was a complete failure. The truth is that teens perceive adults as old fuddy-duddies that don’t know anything. Parents, try as they may, face a bitter battle in safe guarding their children from the devastating effects of drugs.
The challenge is made more difficult by the fact that most of us have prescription drugs in our medicine cabinets. When confronting the issue of teenagers and drugs, you have to present a rational argument that distinguishes between necessary prescriptions and street drugs. This isn’t easy. Some common prescription medications are being sold at school as a way to catch a buzz. Teenagers don’t know that these prescriptions are issued in duplicate or triplicate, as a way to control the use of specific narcotics. Without having experienced a legitimate need for such drugs themselves, they could well conclude that their parents are experiencing and liking some buzz that they are for some reason being denied.
One more problem with educating children on the issue of teen drug abuse is that society does not differentiate between drugs. Some medicinal drugs have a place, but when it comes to our youth and drugs, we tell them that every drug is bad. This is incorrect. Some teenagers need specific drugs for actual problems. Not used as prescribed, that medicine can produce a high in a kid who doesn’t need it. Sometimes, that medication can have lethal consequences when used as a ‘recreational’ drug.
Kids are not able to make those distinctions. For example, a patient with unbearable pain due to arthritis or cancer, could be prescribed codeine or another opiate to ease the pain. Kids don’t understand that this patient doesn’t get high. That drug only eases the pain. However, in the world of teens and drugs, this narcotic becomes an opportunity toenjoy a different reality. They don’t realaize the difference.
One big deception that encourages teen drug use is the fable of marijuana. This street drug is made out to be the first step to drug addiction, thrown in the same category as pcp and crack cocaine. The same houy that middle school kid tries marijuana, the kid sees that although it gets them high and they like it, they can hide this new habit from their parents and it doesn’t make them crazy. They make the conclusion that the rest of the warnings issued on teenagers and drugs are deceptions. That’s why they step into the jaws of the truly dangerous drugs.
As a society, we need to teach our teenagers. Explain the effects of drugs. Mescaline, crack, heroin and drugs like ‘ecstasy’ can devastate their lives or kill them. Be honest. We can defend our kids.Addiction is a serious problem in our society today but with the “proper” education we can teach our future generations the realities of addictions and drug abuse.