'TAKE FIVE' TO FIGHT DRUGS

Campaign Urges Parents To Talk With Their Kids

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is proclaiming today "Take Five Iowa" Day as part of
a crusade to encourage parents to take five minutes to talk to their
children about the dangers of drugs.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa has contacted the principals of every
elementary school in the state. More than 40,000 flyers were mailed to the
schools, to be distributed to all fifth graders.

The flyers encourage parents to take just five minutes to talk with their
children about drugs, and suggest age-appropriate ways to approach the
subject. Suggestions are included for talking to children as young as 5
years old.

"It's never too early as long as a child can understand what you're talking
about," says Dale Woolery, associate director; Governor's Office of Drug
Control Policy. "Research shows that teenagers who learn about drugs at
home are 50 percent less likely to use them. Parents are very influential
in the livers of their children."

The discussion doesn't need to be a serious, one-on-one thing, he adds. It
can be informal - outdoors, around the dinner table or in the car.

"Travel times are good time to have these discussions. One of the main
reasons kids choose not to use drugs is that they don't want to disappoint
their parents. But children need to know what their parents' expectations are."

The "Take Five" campaign also includes public service media messages and
other informational materials. Additional fliers and more information
about drug abuse are available online from the Iowa Substance Abuse
Information Center at www.drugfreeinfo.org or by calling toll-free, 1-(866)
242-4111.

"the best thing we can do is to educate young people to never get involved
in the first place," Woolery says.

WHAT TO SAY

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, teenagers whose
parents talk to them about drugs are significantly less likely to use drugs
than teens whose parents say nothing about the subject.

Here are some suggestions on how to talk to children of different ages:

5-8 Years Old * Now is the time to begin explaining what alcohol, tobacco
and drugs are. * Discuss how anything you put in your body that is not food
can be harmful. * Explain the idea of addiction - that drug use can become
a bad habit that is hard to stop. * Praise your children for taking good
care of their bodies and avoiding things that might harm them.

9-11 Years Old * Children at this age can handle more sophisticated
discussion. Use their curiosity about traumatic events (such as car
accidents or divorces) to discuss how drugs could cause these events. *
Friends become extremely important at this time, and older children may
expose your child to alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Rehearse scenarios in which
friends offer drugs. * "Upsetting my parents" is one of the top reasons
preteens give for why they won't use marijuana. Give them permission to use
you as an excuse, such as, "My mom will kill me if I drink a beer!"

12-14 Years Old * Adolescence is often a confusing and stressful time as
teens try to figure out who they are and how to fit in. Nearly nine out of
10 teens agree that "it seems like marijuana is everywhere these days." *
Take advantage of a teen's concerns about social image and appearance to
point out immediate, distasteful consequences of tobacco and marijuana use:
bad breath, stained teeth, and smelly hair and clothes. Point out that drug
use is not only dangerous, but also can lead to broken friendships, even
prison. * Point out long-term consequences, such as brain damage, cancer,
and the potential for accidents, coma or death.

15-17 Years Old * Older teens already have made decisions about whether to
use drugs. Now is the time to help them continue to resist peer pressure. *
Use specific reasons to reinforce why drugs are bad: addiction, birth
defects, car accidents, prison. * These students are thinking about their
futures. Remind them that drug use could ruin their chances of college
acceptance or embarking on their career choice.