DRUGS, 'GAMES' ARE NEW THREATS TO A NEW GENERATION

Preparing young people to cope with the temptation to become involved
in unhealthy behavior has probably always been one of the hardest
tasks for parents. But in today's world, it must often feel
overwhelming. The range of potential hazards to their health covers
the spectrum: eating too much fast food, Internet predators, becoming
involved in gangs, and any number of dangerous ways to get high.

Risky New Behaviors

The deaths of at least three Western North Carolina young people in
recent months, victims of their efforts to obtain an altered state of
consciousness, is a tragic reminder that parents best hope is to
spend as much time as possible with their young people, to find
opportunities to talk with them about their activities, to warn them
about risky behavior and to be vigilant in watching for changes in
their behavior that could mean trouble. In February, a 12-year-old
Macon County girl accidentally killed herself playing the "choking
game," a method of creating a high that's apparently increasingly
common among adolescents. The participants either choke each other or
use a noose to choke themselves to near unconsciousness before
releasing the grip to achieve a euphoric state.

Last October, the 12-year-old son of Smoky Mountain High School
football coach Dale Galloway was found dead after apparently choking
himself to death during the night.

Grim Tally From 'Game'

Since 1995, at least 82 children have died
from playing this "game" according to a recent study by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's Injury Center, which based its
findings on media reports of individual cases.

Last week, we felt the heartbreak again when 17-year-old Matt
Chapman, an Erwin High student, died after using two patches of the
powerful painkiller fentanyl and drinking a bottle of alcohol.

His father, Will Chapman, had noticed changes in his son's behavior
and was rallying family and friends to intervene when his son died.
Matt Chapman wasn't the only WNC student abusing prescription drugs.
About 25 percent of WNC high school students said they have used
medicine such as OxyContin, Percocet, Adderall or Xanax for
recreational use one or more times during their life, compared to
about 17 percent in the central and eastern regions of the state,
according to a 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by N.C.
Healthy Schools.

It's hard to say why the reported abuse is greater in Western North
Carolina. It may be, as Dr. Paul Martin suggests, that there's a
greater availability because WNC has a higher proportion of people
over 65, who may be more likely to need and use prescription
painkillers. Martin is head of the Asheville Buncombe Drug Commission
and a specialist in addiction medication.

Bombarded by Ads

It should come as no surprise that young people are
abusing prescription drugs. They are bombarded with television and
magazine advertisements for them. "I think that the teenagers, they
honestly believe these drugs can provide a medically safe type of
high," said Debbie Bryant, safe and drug-free schools coordinator for
Buncombe County Schools. "Their concept is, 'How bad can these be if
a physician is prescribing them for some type of illness?' They think
that these are much safer than the ... illegal drugs they get off the
streets." Conflicting messages Young people have always dealt with
pressure to make good grades or excel at sports, the yearning to be
liked and accepted, and the hard work of finding their place in the world.

These days that's made all the harder by the confusion they must feel
as a result of all the conflicting messages with which they are
bombarded. In many cases, they haven't yet developed the judgment to
know what's hype, what's misleading and what's true. They need
parental or other adult guidance to sort through it all.

Parents can't keep their children safe from everything. But they can
take precautions such as making sure they destroy old prescriptions
and safely store prescriptions that could be abused.

More importantly, they need to regularly talk with their young people
about what's going on in their lives and watch for changes in
behavior that might indicate they are engaged in dangerous activities.

The conversations may be awkward at first, but most young people will
respond to genuine interest that shows them they are loved, no matter
how clumsy the endeavor.