HOW PARENTS HELP FIGHT DRUG USE

Highly encouraged but not comfortable. That's what our region should
feel after reviewing results of the newest survey of local teens' drug use.

Use of beer, tobacco and marijuana has declined by nearly a third
among teens since 2000, according to a survey of 52,000 teens by the
Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati.

It's an amazing number and one we hope, most of all, will provide
encouragement to teens who want to avoid alcohol and other drug use
and the illegal behavior that goes with it. Clearly, they're not alone.

The survey should be encouraging to all of us because it follows a
pattern of declining drug use among teens nationally and statewide.
And it continues a local drop that put usage rates in our area lower
than those of Ohio and the nation.

That said, there are two important ways to use the survey results.
One is, with caution. The second is as a source of lessons learned.

It's only fair to keep in mind that this is self-reported behavior,
from a survey taken at school. It includes validity checks and high
accuracy ratings, but it also admittedly misses those students who
are absent, have dropped out of school or are in residential
treatment programs.

As a counterpoint, officials at Talbert House, which runs several
treatment programs, say their treatment numbers are running steady
and that they have seen some increases in heroin, cocaine and
methamphetamine use among teens. They are encouraged by the survey
findings, and say they reflect the behavior of many teens who hear
and are receptive to adults' warnings against drug use. But they say
a significant number of local young people still have serious
substance abuse problems.

What is perhaps most useful about the survey is the light it shines
on what helps - the things adults can do to keep kids from using drugs.

Since a similar 2004 survey, 3 percent more teens say their parents
disapprove of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, and 8 percent more
say their peers disapprove. Additionally, 5 percent more say their
schools set clear rules against substance abuse, and 11 percent more
say those rules are consistently enforced.

Talking to kids about drug dangers, setting standards for their
behavior and then following through if rules are broken are crucial
steps for parents and schools. It's also important to realize that
substance abuse usually isn't a stand-alone problem. Addressing
mental health concerns and family crises is a sure way to help kids
avoid turning to alcohol or other drugs, and so is getting them
involved in positive social interaction.

According to the coalition, teens whose parents get involved in
prevention efforts are 55 percent less likely to use alcohol or other
drugs. Roughly the same percentage holds true for teens involved in a
religious organization or in school clubs or sports.

Make no mistake - keeping kids off drugs is a fight.

This survey shows it's a fight we can win, and it begins to show us how.