Created for a weekly Principal message or the PTSA newsletter or school web site post…
Consider this for the first message to launch your series of messages about teen substance use and abuse
By the time they are seniors, almost 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a non-medical purpose. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014.) Our school is not exempt from these troubling statistics. <insert your school’s statistics here>
I’m committed to reducing teen drug and alcohol use in our school via parent education and awareness, and that will be an area of focus in my future communications.
Research shows that the fear of losing their parents’ trust and respect is the greatest deterrent to adolescent drug use. Parents are the front line of defense in protecting their teens’ developing brains from drugs and alcohol, so I encourage you to use this helpful guide to become comfortable talking with your teens about mood and mind-altering substances. Remember, the most dangerous words in today’s teen drug world are not “Heroin” or “Binge drinking.” The most dangerous words are “Not my child.” For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
Your second message could include a link to a SurveyMonkey survey that assesses parent awareness of/attitudes towards marijuana, alcohol and prescription medication abuse.
Contact Pathway to Prevention to learn about using a parent awareness and attitude survey.
Additional messages:
#3 (subject line of message) Alcohol – the biggest killer of our teens
Did you know that alcohol kills more young people than all other drugs combined – through accidents, suicide and homicide? Even though underage drinking is illegal, many parents mistakenly think they can “teach” their children to drink safely, or that their children will be safer if they allow them to drink at home, rather than going out to party. Evidence shows that the more teens learn about the dangers of drinking and drugging, the less likely they are to use drugs or alcohol. Kids are sensitive to social norms, and if parents DON’T condone underage drinking, we can reduce this dangerous and potentially deadly behavior. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#4 (Subject line of message) Marijuana is a different drug today than you might expect
There is a lot of uncertainty about marijuana today. It’s legal in some states for adults. It’s legal in many states for medical use. So what’s the truth here? Today’s pot is not the pot of the 70s; it’s much, much stronger and can derail healthy brain development. In the teen brain, marijuana’s active ingredient disrupts the way critical neural pathways form. We see the result of that disruption in many studies that show marijuana interferes with attention, motivation, memory, and learning. Students who use marijuana regularly tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school than those who don’t use. Those who use it regularly – estimated to be at least 6.5% of teens – may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level most or all of the time. Get the facts about marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to understand how pot damages our teens’ brains and dims their futures. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#5 (subject line of message) Increasing your teen’s “protective factors”
Risk periods for drug abuse occur during major life transitions, such as graduating from middle school or heading off to college. Research shows that strengthening a child’s “protective factors” can help them deal with the social and emotional challenges of transition without resorting to drugs or alcohol. Protective factors that you can build or bolster include:
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- having a strong parent-child bond based on being a parent, not a “pal”
- creating opportunities where your teen can apply his or her natural gifts
- helping your child achieve academic competence
- clearly stating your expectations about behavior, and consistently enforcing consequences.
For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#6 (subject line of message) Prevention in your home
Teens take risks, and that is an important part of their healthy development. But experimenting with drugs and alcohol can be deadly. Prescription pain pills (like Vicodin, Norco, Oxycontin, Percocet and Opana) or anti-anxiety pills (such as Valium or Xanax) can be snitched from the medicine cabinet by your teens or their friends. You can help prevent prescription pill abuse by disposing of medications properly. Check with your state recycling agency (such as CalRecyle) to learn where you can safely dispose of medications, and keep an eye out for county-wide drug take-back days in the spring and the fall. You can also dispose of prescription medications by mixing them into repugnant things in your garbage. DON’T flush pills down the toilet, where they pollute the water supply. And remember to keep any alcohol in your home under lock and key. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#7 (subject line of message) Spice, K2 or Fake Pot can kill no matter what you call it
I’d like to educate our families about the second-most popular drug after marijuana. It’s fake pot called Spice, or K2, or a myriad of other names. It’s popular among teens, particularly boys, because it is supposedly “natural,” although in reality it is a plant of some sort that has been treated with unknown toxic chemicals that can be poisonous. Spice can be legally purchased at gas stations or smoke stops, and one “hit” can kill. In 2014, a Roseville family lost their only son to one hit of Spice, and they are sharing their story to prevent other tragic losses. Spice is marketed in kid-friendly packaging to children as young as age 9, so it’s potentially poisonous to kids of all ages. Learn more about Spice here. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#8 (subject line of message) Prescription pill abuse hits home
Prescription pill abuse can take several forms. Teens might snitch Mom or Dad or Grandma’s pain pills (opioids) or anxiety medications, thinking they are a safe “high.” Or they might take more of their own meds than the doctor intended. Parents and teens alike tend to consider prescription medication “safe” because “it’s prescribed by a doctor,” but the reality is that even a legal medication can be dangerous or deadly when misused. The National Institute on Druge Abuse (NIDA) reports that over 2 million people in the United States suffer from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers. One tragic consequence of this epidemic is overdose deaths, which have more than quadrupled in the past 15 years. Most teens who abuse prescription pills get them for free from a friend or from the family medicine cabinet. Be aware that a legally prescribed medication (for a sports surgery, for example) can become addictive. Lock up your medications, and pay attention to medications prescribed to your teens. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#9 (subject line of message) Should you drug test your teens?
Drug testing can be a deterrent to “experimentation.” It can catch a problem in its early stages. And it can give your kids a face-saving “out” to peer pressure so they can say, “Sure, I want to party, but I can’t because my parents drug test me.” You can buy confidential and inexpensive drug tests here. If your teen refuses to take a drug test, consider that a huge red flag. And if you uncover problems with drugs or alcohol, this information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse is a great place to start looking for help. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#10 (subject line of message) Connecting with other parents
How can you make sure that your teens know the rules and stick with them outside of your home? Here are some basics: Start with constructive discussions with your teen about your non-negotiable rules. Pathway to Prevention’s Parent Awareness Report on Reducing the Risks and Talking with your Teens <insert hyperlink to PAR> can help make those conversations constructive. Stay involved in your teens’ activities, and touch base with the parents of your teen’s friends to let them know your expectations when they’re away from home. Be consistent, set clear limits and follow through with consequences. Your approval is very important to your kids, so don’t forget to praise them, and follow through with privileges for good behavior. Need some help with those concepts? Navigating the Teen Years offers quick and helpful guidance. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#11 (subject line of message) Tragic local football accidents implicate prescription drug abuse NOTE: THIS IS A LOCAL, TIME-SENSITIVE MESSAGE
Recently, two football players at Union Mine High School in El Dorado County took Adderall before playing a game, with tragic results. Both were hospitalized with head injuries they received during the game. According to the Sacramento Bee, one of the teens remains in critical condition, and another student has been arrested for allegedly furnishing the students with Adderall, a prescription stimulant. This story hits all too close to home and should remind parents that the misuse of prescription pills, a “national epidemic” according to the CDC, reaches into every corner of our community.
We developed Rio’s Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention program (ADEPP) to proactively address the drug and alcohol crisis that impacts young people everywhere. One of our goals is to increase parental awareness as we strive to reduce underage drinking and illegal drug consumption in our community. Several weeks ago, we conducted a Parent Awareness Survey to learn about your attitudes and levels of awareness of these issues. I’d like to share the quantitative survey results <link pdf here> , as well as several representative, anonymous comments that give you a sense of what parents are thinking:
- “I think many kids will drink before they are of age, but I find it terrifying.”
- “In speaking with my son, it appears to be a common practice that parents allow kids to come to their house to drink, which is absurd.”
- Regarding underage drinking: “I don’t condone it, but I also know that is likely to occur and it is, for good or ill, seemingly a rite of passage in our society”.
- “We know we probably need to start thinking about doing this (locking up alcohol in the home)”
- Regarding prescription pill abuse at Rio: “I don’t know if it’s a problem. If it is, tell us.”
Does Rio have more or less of a teen drug and alcohol problem than the rest of the nation? I don’t have any way of knowing how we stack up, but I do know that no community is exempt from the epidemic that is sweeping the country. And I know that awareness and knowledge are powerful weapons we can use to help keep our young people safe. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#12 (subject line of message) Follow these practices to reduce the odds that your child will use drugs or alcohol
You can help reduce the chances that your child will use drugs or alcohol if you maintain a close relationship with your child during the teen years. Encourage your teens while offering appropriate levels of independence. Know your teen’s friends, and know what they are doing and what is important to them. Trust your gut about their friends, and keep in touch with their friends’ parents. If they push you away, let them know that you are keeping tabs on them because you love them and want them to be safe. Stay connected with school – academics and activities – as a finger on the pulse of your teen’s performance, values, priorities and moods. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#13 (subject line of message) Keep the conversational door open if there is a drug or alcohol “event”
Let your kids know they can and should call for help in any crisis, especially those involving drugs or alcohol. Tragedies with teen drug and alcohol use often occur because teens are afraid they will get in trouble if they seek help. Their developing, immature brains can be incapable of making wise decisions. So instead of calling 911, they might hide their overdosing friend in the bushes to “sleep it off” or let a drunk friend walk home along a busy highway.
If they call for help, seek medical care if necessary and make sure the kids get home safely. Let things cool off before you talk with them about what happened. “You know, let’s talk about this later when we are a bit more cool headed. I don’t want us to have an angry conversation.” And keep the door open for future non-judgmental talks: “I am always here for you to talk about anything that is on your mind.” If you discover that your teen is in over his or her head, your school administrators can direct you to local resources, or you can find help here. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#14 (subject line of message) Being a great role model can protect your teens from drugs and alcohol use and abuse
Your children look up to you, so claim your power as a role model. If you drink, drink responsibly. Drinking in excess around your children increases the odds that they will develop alcohol or drug problems. Lead by example, and never drink and drive. Demonstrate healthy ways to manage your own stress, rather than relying on medication with drugs or alcohol. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#15 (subject line of message) Know the facts. How do drugs and alcohol impact the developing teen brain?
The New York Times bestseller The Teenage Brain casts a very disturbing light on how teen drug and alcohol use and abuse impacts brain development and function – now and in the future. Read it, and share those evidence-based facts with your teens when they insist that “Everyone is doing it, so it’s OK.” They (and you) probably didn’t know that heavy pot smoking in the early teen years is associated with a permanent drop in verbal IQ or a significant increase in the chances of developing schizophrenia. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#16 (subject line of message) “Experimenting” with drugs or alcohol – how bad can that be?
“Experimenting” with drugs or alcohol can cause serious immediate or long-term problems including accidents, drunk driving, unplanned sex, blackout drinking, aggression, other dangerous decisions, poor school performance, job loss, overdose or even death. Because of the way the teen brain develops, teens who start their drug or alcohol use at an early age are much more likely to face future challenges with drug addiction or alcoholism. And parents can be legally liable if teens who drink or take drugs while in their home cause damage or harm to others. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#17 (subject line of message) Understand the deadly potential of “Spice”
Between January and May 2015, Poison Control Centers reported 3,572 calls related to synthetic marijuana use, a 229 percent increase from the 1,085 calls during the same period last year. Connor Eckherdt, a young man from Roseville, California, died after inhaling just one hit of Spice. Spice abusers who have been taken to Emergency Rooms report symptoms including rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, reduced blood supply to the heart, vomiting, agitation, confusion and hallucinations. Your teens might think it’s “natural,” but it may be laced with deadly chemicals. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#18 (subject line of message) Keep medications out of sight and out of mind
The Centers for Disease Control considers prescription pill abuse an epidemic and a public health crisis. Here’s what you can do to keep prescription medications out of the wrong hands: Lock up or hide ALL prescription medications, and make sure Grandma and Grandpa do the same. Prescription medications can be attractive and valuable to your teens, their friends or even casual visitors. Even non-prescription medications can be abused, so pay attention to the use of non-prescription medications including cough syrup, mouthwash and even hand sanitizer or cooking extracts like Vanilla, which are very high in alcohol. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#19 (subject line of message) Teaching a teen to “drink safely” isn’t safe or legal
Don’t allow your teen to drink in your home with their friends or with you. Trying to teach teens how to “drink responsibly” has been shown to increase the binge drinking that goes on “out of sight,” as well as the risk of future substance abuse. And allowing underage drinking in your home “to keep the kids safe” fails to send the message that underage drinking is illegal, dangerous and should NOT be permitted. Keep your alcohol locked up, and check regularly it to see if it has been watered down or if any bottles are missing. Pay attention to alcohol-based food flavorings, such as vanilla extract. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#20 (subject line of message) What risk factors may increase the risk of teen drug or alcohol dependency?
Various risk factors can influence whether your teen is the one out of ten who tries a drug or alcohol and then becomes “hooked.” Risk factors include a family history of addiction or alcoholism; mental health issues including depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety or ADHD; a lack of impulse control; or traumatic experiences such as bullying, severe illness or the death of a family member. To reduce these risk factors, you can strengthen the 40 building blocks of child development that can help children grow up healthy, caring and responsible. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#21 (subject line of message) Talking with your teen often and honestly can reduce the odds of drinking and drugging
Talking with your teen has been shown to significantly reduce their drug and alcohol use and abuse. Here are some ways to have those difficult conversations.
- You might want to start the conversation by talking about teens other than your child. “You know, I am hearing a lot about kids bringing alcohol to your school in water bottles. I am wondering what you might be hearing about that.”
- Use “I” messages. “I am concerned that some kids are taking their parent’s pills.”
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- Listen and be engaged in the conversation. Don’t interrupt. Don’t blame. Don’t judge.
- Empathize: “It must be really hard to be left out because you chose not to drink.”
- Validate their feelings by reflecting back what you think you heard, and then ask for confirmation. “It sounds like you felt really embarrassed when your friends teased you for not smoking pot.”
- Talk honestly and often with your teens about their dreams and how drugs and alcohol can derail their plans. “How do you think a DUI would impact your plans to become a lawyer?” “What impact would smoking pot have on your plans for college?”
For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#22 (subject line of message) Give your teen the confidence and tools to say “No” to drugs and alcohol
Role play with your teen. Let your teen know that he or she can “save face” by using you as an excuse for not participating in dangerous behaviors. “I can’t. My parents will ground me if they find out” or “Of course I want to party, but my parents drug test me” are sentences they might use when feeling pressured by others to try drugs or alcohol. Give your child the confidence and room to solve his or her problems. “I bet you have some ideas about what to do differently next time. What are some possible solutions?” For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#23 (subject line of message) Be a parent, not a pal, to help your teen make wise choices about drugs and alcohol
It’s important to have a strong backbone to help your teens make wise decisions about drug and alcohol use. Be your child’s parent, not your child’s best friend. Let your children know that your rules and your decisions are intended to protect them and help them grow up safely. They may not like your rules, but they will understand why you made them. Clearly discuss the rules in your home, and make sure your child knows that you will enforce consequences if those rules are broken. This applies to every area of responsibility, such as curfews, driving, chores, homework, drugs and alcohol. Make sure you stick with the consequences that you discussed. Don’t waffle or give in. For more resources to help reduce the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.
#24 (subject line of message) Dependent on drugs or alcohol? Not MY child!
Fact: one out of ten kids who tries drugs will become addicted. The younger a person is when they have their first drink or drug, the more likely it is that they will become dependent on drugs or alcohol. It’s hard to believe that your child might have problems with drugs or alcohol, but acknowledging that there may be a problem is the first step to getting help. Like asthma or diabetes, a teen’s drug or alcohol issues are not a reflection of your parenting skills and should not keep you from getting the help you need. If you are concerned, your school administrators can direct you to local resources, or you can find help here. For more information about reducing the risks of teen drug and alcohol use, check out Pathway to Prevention.