What to do if your child has problem drugs - Parental action
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Last year in the United States, 36 percent of 12th-graders smoked marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Fifteen percent used prescription drugs illegally, and more than a fourth had gotten drunk within the past month.
Area experts implore parents not to treat underage alcohol use lightly, what with 5,000 people younger than 21 dying each year of injuries related to underage drinking.
The age of trial continues to drop: It is now as early as 10 or 11, Maryhaven's Coleman said.
"No one should assume that because they live in one place or another, their children are immune to this," he said.
Denial is usually the first barrier that parents must overcome, said Rochelle Dunn, a mental-health coordinator for the Gahanna-Jefferson school district.
"The hardest thing for us as schools is to be in the long haul with the parents as they get past the denial - and, then, we can serve as a resource," Dunn said. "The first time substance abuse comes up, parents almost always say 'Not my kid.'"
Parents who suspect that a child is using drugs, experts say, shouldn't hesitate to talk with teachers or the child's pediatrician - or to have the child evaluated.
If parents find hard evidence, Coleman said, they should seek outside help and not downplay the seriousness. Grounding or other forms of punishment won't help, he said.
"If you find it, chances are it's been going on a long time. There are very few diseases that get better when you do nothing."
A number of places in town, he said, offer inpatient and outpatient services - including his facility, Maryhaven; Children's; Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center; and smaller venues.
Such programs, Matson said, give adolescents someone to talk with beyond a parent. He stresses confidentiality with his patients.
"I approach them as improving their health, not telling them what to do as an adult," Matson said. "I help them understand their spectrum of use. If they're smoking three blunts a day, we show them that they're way, way far off the spectrum."
Besides treatment, other resources are available to help those with less-serious abuse issues.
Dunn recommends that parents take their teen to an Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
"Sit with them and let them hear people's recovery stories," Dunn said. "Let them see what this path could have for them."
The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio offers the High School Saturday Family Workshop, to which schools can refer students and their families.
And the Franklin County sheriff's office offers Street Smart, a drug-education program that teaches parents and other adults who work with teens what to look for, where to go for help and how to broach the subject of drug and alcohol abuse with children.
"The key is talking," Sheriff Scott said. "It's not fun. It can make the children mad. Although it's uncomfortable and you want to back away from it, you can't back away from this."
In order to protect our children better, we need to take measures.
1. Early detection
2. Advanced signals
3. Parental action
4. Treatment options
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