A report from Lifescope's "How2Win@Life" Series.

CHILDREN AND DRUGS: PART 3 - WHAT YOU CAN DO

To combat student drug use most effectively, the entire community must be involved: parents, schools, students, law enforcement authorities, religious groups, social service agencies, and the media. They all must transmit a single consistent message that drug use is wrong and dangerous, and it will not be tolerated. This message must be reinforced through strong, consistent law enforcement and disciplinary measures.

The following recommendations and examples describe actions that can be taken by parents, schools, students, and communities to stop drug use. These recommendations are derived from research and from the experiences of schools throughout the country. They show that the drug problem can be overcome.

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

* Teach standards of right and wrong, and demonstrate these standards through personal example.
* Help children to resist peer pressure to use alcohol and other drugs by supervising their activities, knowing who their friends are, and talking with them about their interests and problems.
* Be knowledgeable about drugs and signs of drug use. When symptoms are observed, respond promptly.

Recommendation #1: Instill Responsibility

Teach standards of right and wrong and demonstrate these standards through personal example. Children who are brought up to value individual responsibility and self-discipline and to have a clear sense of right and wrong are less likely to try drugs than those who are not. Parents can help to instill these values by:
* Setting a good example for children and not using drugs themselves.
* Explaining to their children at an early age that drug use is wrong, harmful, and unlawful, and reinforcing this teaching throughout adolescence.
* Encouraging self-discipline by giving children regular duties and holding them accountable for their actions.
* Establishing standards of behavior concerning drugs, drinking, dating, curfews, and unsupervised activities, and enforcing them consistently and fairly.
* Encouraging their children to stand by their convictions when pressured to use drugs.

Recommendation #2: Supervise Activities

Help children to resist peer pressure to use alcohol and other drugs by supervising their activities, knowing who their friends are, and talking with them about their interests and problems. When parents take an active interest in their children's behavior, they provide the guidance and support children need to resist drugs. Parents can do this by:
* Knowing their children's whereabouts, activities, and friends.
* Working to maintain and improve family communications and listening to their children.
* Being able to discuss drugs knowledgeably. It is far better for children to obtain their information from their parents than from their peers or on the street.
* Communicating regularly with the parents of their children's friends and sharing their knowledge about drugs with other parents.
* Being selective about their children's viewing of television and movies that portray drug use as glamorous or exciting.

In addition, parents can work with the school in its efforts to fight drugs by:
* Encouraging the development of a school policy with a clear no-use message.
* Supporting administrators who are tough on drugs.
* Assisting the school in monitoring students' attendance and planning and chaperoning school-sponsored activities.
* Communicating regularly with the school regarding their children's behavior.

Recommendation #3: Recognize Drug Use

Be knowledgeable about drugs and signs of drug use. When symptoms are observed, respond promptly. Parents are in the best position to recognize early signs of drug use in their children. To inform and involve themselves, parents should take the following steps:

* Learn about the extent of the drug problem in their community and in their children's schools.
* Learn how to recognize signs of drug use.
* Meet with parents of their children's friends or classmates about the drug problem at their school. Establish a means of sharing information to determine which children are using drugs and who is supplying them.

Parents who suspect their children are using drugs often must deal with their own emotions of anger, resentment, and guilt. Frequently they deny the evidence and postpone confronting their children. Yet, the earlier a drug problem is detected and faced, the less difficult it is to overcome. If parents suspect that their children are using drugs, they should take the following steps:

* Devise a plan of action. Consult with school officials and other parents.
* Discuss their suspicions with their children in a calm, objective manner. Do not confront a child while he or she is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
* Impose disciplinary measures that help remove the child from those circumstances where drug use might occur.
* Seek advice and assistance from drug treatment professionals and from a parent group. (For further information, consult the Resources Section)

CONCLUSION

Drugs threaten our children's lives, disrupt our schools, shatter families, and, in some areas, shatter communities. Drug-related crimes overwhelm our courts, social agencies, and police. This situation need not and must not continue.

Across the United States, schools and communities have found ways to turn the tide in the battle against drugs. The methods they have used and the actions they have taken are described in this volume. We know what works. We know that drug use can be stopped.

But we cannot expect the schools to do the job without the help of parents, police, the courts, and other community groups. Drugs will be beaten only when all of us work together to deliver a firm, consistent message to those who would use or sell drugs: a message that illegal drugs will not be tolerated. It is time to join in a national effort to achieve schools without drugs.

RESOURCES

Sources of Information

The Department of Education does not endorse private or commercial products or services, or products or services not affiliated with the Federal Government. The sources of information listed on this and the following pages are intended only as a partial listing of the resources that are available to readers of this booklet. Readers are encouraged to research and inform themselves of the products or services, relating to drug and alcohol abuse, that are available to them. Readers are encouraged to visit their public libraries to find out more about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, or to call local, State, or national hotlines for further information, advice, or assistance.

TOLL-FREE INFORMATION

1-800-COCAINE -- COCAINE HELPLINE

A round-the-clock information and referral service. Recovering cocaine addict counselors answer the phones, offer guidance, and refer drug users and parents to local public and private treatment centers and family learning centers.

1-800-NCA-CALL -- NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM INFORMATION LINE

The National Council on Alcoholism, Inc., is the national nonprofit organization combating alcoholism, other drug addictions, and related problems. Provides information about NCA's State and local affiliates' activities in their areas. Also provides referral services to families and individuals seeking help with an alcohol or other drug problem.

1-800-662-HELP -- NIDA HOTLINE

NIDA Hotline, operated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a confidential information and referral line that directs callers to cocaine abuse treatment centers in the local community. Free materials on drug use also are distributed in response to inquiries.

VIDEOTAPES

The following drug prevention videos were developed by the U.S. Department of Education. They are available for loan through the Department's Regional Centers listed on pages 78 and 79 and the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20852; (301) 468-2600.

Elementary School

The Drug Avengers. Ten 5-minute animated adventures that urge caution about ingesting unfamiliar substances; encourage students to trust their instincts when they think something is wrong; and show that drugs make things worse, not better.

Fast Forward Future. A magical device allows youngsters to peer into the future and see on a TV screen what will happen if they use drug, and what will happen if they remain drug free.

Straight Up. A fantasy adventure that features information on the effects of drugs, developing refusal skills, building self-esteem, and resisting peer pressure.

Junior High

Straight at Ya. Tips on peer pressure, saying no, and building self-esteem.

Lookin' Good. A two-part series based on actual incidents that convey the dangers of drug use and promote the use of peer support groups.

Straight Talk. Teens discuss why they won't use drugs and ways to avoid drugs.

High School

Hard Facts About Alcohol, Marijuana, and Crack. Offers factual information about the dangers of drug use in a series of dramatic vignettes.

Speak Up, Speak Out: Learning to Say No to Drugs. Gives students specific techniques they can use to resist peer pressure and say no to drug use.

Dare to Be Different. Uses the friendship of two athletes in their last year of high school to illustrate the importance of goals and values in resisting pressures to use drugs.

Downfall: Sports and Drugs. Shows how drugs affect athletic performance and examines the consequences of drug use, including steroid use, on every aspect of an athlete's life -- career, family, friends, sense of accomplishment, and self-esteem.

Private Victories. Illustrates the effects of drug and alcohol use on students and the value of positive peer influences in resisting peer pressure to use drugs.

SOURCES OF FREE CATALOGS OF PUBLICATIONS

Hazelden Educational Materials. A source for pamphlets and books on drug use and alcoholism and curriculum materials for drug prevention. Telephone 1-800-328-9000. In Minnesota, call (612) 257-4010 or 1-800-257-0070.

National Council on Alcoholism. A source for pamphlets, booklets, and fact sheets on alcoholism and drug use. Telephone (212) 206-6770.

Johnson Institute. A source for audiocassettes, films, videocassettes, pamphlets, and books on alcoholism and drug use. Offers books and pamphlets on prevention and intervention for children, teens, parents, and teachers. Telephone toll-free 1-800-231-5165. In Minnesota, 1-800-247-0484 and in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, 944-0511.

National Association for Children of Alcoholics. A source for books, pamphlets, and handbooks for children of alcoholics. Conducts regional workshops and provides a directory of local members and meetings. Telephone (714) 499-3889.

Acknowledgements:
A heartfelt thanks to the many individuals within the U.S. Department of Education, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who variously conducted the research, compiled this information, and made it publicly available.

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