KNOWLEDGE IS THE BEST WEAPON IN WAR ON DRUGS

I had the opportunity to participate on the City of Penticton Task
Force on Substance Abuse this past year.

I feel the crux of the substance abuse issue in Penticton was voiced
by the RCMP representative on the committee when he stated "Most of
our efforts are focused on the supply, of which there is no end. The
only way to change things is by reducing the demand. Then the supply
will go away."

It is relatively easy and visible to go after the suppliers since
more police presence and high profile busts makes good press. However
controlling the demand, that is changing behaviour; now we are
talking something that is really difficult.

We talk to young kids now and try the usual techniques on teenagers
these days but how well are these approaches working? If we go by
recent statistics, it might be inferred that a different approach is
warranted. It would appear that Penticton has a very serious cocaine
use problem and it is my opinion that we need to employ different
tactics to attempt to stem its growth.

As I was sitting on the committee, I came upon a book called The
Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are
Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids by Dr.
Madeline Levine (Harper Collins). Dr. Levine has a practice in Marin
County, California which is a wealthy suburb of San Francisco.

She found that the affluent teenagers have become a new at-risk
cluster. Despite their material resources, such teenagers experience
among the highest rates of depression, substance abuse, and anxiety
running as high as 22 per cent or three times the national rate.

Girls are more prone to suffer internally, while boys tend to act out
with drug abuse and conduct problems.

Dr. Levine noted two key factors leading to dysfunctional teens among
the affluent: The first is achievement pressure. The second is
emotional isolation from parents. She observed that parents are over
involved as far as grades and performance go, but they are often too
busy for down to earth conversation with their teens that would help
their inner self growth.

Levine has warnings for over-intrusive 'helicopter parents',
so-called because they constantly hover over every aspect of their
children's lives, for example going into their school to challenge a
teacher about a mark their child has received. Although they are
trying to help, they are actually damaging their offspring's development.

She suggests leaving children alone so they learn how to handle
difficult situations which may help them acquire independence, coping
skills, a sense of right and wrong, and a sense of who they are. The
hope is these healthier children may be more resistant to the lure of
illegal drugs and this will reduce the demand for these drugs.

As the relatively more expensive drug cocaine seems to be the drug of
choice here, I started thinking that perhaps her research may be
relevant to us in Penticton. Perhaps our rising land values and lack
of affordable housing may be skewing our child rearing population
into a more affluent group.

Cocaine use is popular as it is harder to detect and conforms to the
image of keeping body weight down and being "cool." This image has
been glamorized by Hollywood and use is now being seen in younger
teenage stars.

Dr Levine's top tips:

- - Appreciate your children as they are. Don't waste time trying to
create the perfect child you wish you had;

- - Don't damage their self-esteem by criticizing their efforts too
often. Don't reject them -- that feeds self-hatred;

- - Basic warmth between a parent and child -- hugs, kisses, listening,
words of empathy -- is the first pillar of parenting;

- - Discipline is vital. Be consistent; that helps kids develop self-control;

- - Spend time together. Eat your evening meal together as often as
possible, and involve your children in as many rituals as possible,
such as worship or sport.

As I mentioned, controlling demand is much more difficult but I am
convinced this is the only way to truly improve the substance abuse
situation here, especially cocaine use.

I have contacted Dr. Levine personally and she has expressed an
interest in helping us if there is an interest. I think parents in
this community may benefit from having her visit here to tell us
personally what her research has found and what we can do to avoid
putting our kids at risk.

If you would like to hear what Dr. Levine has to say, please contact
the City Hall (490 2400) reception to express your interest and we
will endeavour to bring her to town.

Our only defence against this scourge is knowledge.

Brian Hughes,

Penticton