TIPS TO HELP TEENS AVOID DRUG USE

As a mental-health professional and a researcher, I am very pleased that
the Pacific Sunday News is bringing this topic to the fore and that it is
devoting several months of in-depth coverage on the topic of teenage drug
use. Using the daily newspaper as a tool to aid our community in
understanding and raising awareness for Guam' social ills is a proven,
substantive contribution. On Guam, we all read the paper, so choosing teen
drug use as a discussion topic is a prudent and excellent way to get the
message to the masses.

Substance abuse is a terrible affliction affecting all sectors of our
society. Countless millions of dollars are spent on the direct and indirect
effects of this scourge.

Substance abuse itself can be devastating for an individual and his or her
family, but more often than not drug abuse leads to other crimes -- crimes
like family violence, DUI, armed robbery, vehicular manslaughter and
homicide. In addition, many people have attempted suicide or have completed
suicide under the influence of illegal and legal substances.

In the United States, about three-fourths of all deaths among persons aged
10 to 24 result from four causes: car crashes; other unintentional
injuries; homicide; and suicide. Many middle- and high-school students and
young adults engage in high-risk behaviors, like use of alcohol and illicit
drugs, which increase their likelihood of death from these four causes.

For the purposes of this Sunday's forum, the question is what can we do to
keep our youths away from drugs. We first have to exhort youths to stay
away from drugs, which is what the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance
Education) program in the schools have been doing for years. Their "Just
Say NO campaign" is catchy and popular, but over the years drug use among
teens has not abated -- and it has become much more complicated, with the
advent of steroids, prescription painkillers, ecstasy and other "club
drugs" like GHB, Rohypnol, LSD and ketamine. Such a complex problem
requires more sophisticated methods and comprehensive approaches rather
than just telling kids not to do drugs.

The following sections will detail some suggestions for reducing and
preventing teen drug use in three categories of stakeholders: parents,
teenagers and the community at large.

For Parents

Begin early discussions and dialogue with your children about the dangers
of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and create a supportive environment that
allows for open questions.

Truly make an effort to understand what it means to be a teenager in 2005,
and the special stresses and pressures they face. As a follow-up
discussion, relate your own experiences being a teenager. Compare and
contrast the past and the present and you may find that you have more in
common with your teenager than you thought.

Practice communicating, at an early age, to your child your feelings,
wants, needs and expectations so that you can mirror to them what you want
from them, which is for them to clearly express their feelings, wants,
needs, and expectations.

As a parent, if you have done all you can and you still suspect drug use,
watch for emotional and behavioral changes that are uncharacteristic of
your child. You want to be the first to know, not the last. Confront the
problem. Listen, don't lecture, and ask for help.

Provide alternative, creative, constructive activities for the idle and
bored teenager, who could easily be pressured into untoward behavior. If
what your child desires is not found in the community, then create it
yourself, so that perhaps other teenagers could benefit from your efforts.

It is important to remember that the substance-using behavior of parents
and the attitudes that accompany it are associated with teens' starting and
maintaining smoking, drinking or using drugs. In addition, parents of
substance-using teens are notoriously poor in overall support, monitoring
and are either too harsh or absent discipliners. So, in short, parents must
clean up their act before trying to clean up their child's.

For Teens

Be acutely aware of the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in your community
and educate yourself about the gravity of the situation.

Be advocates for fighting the MTV drug-and-alcohol-worshipping culture in
your own peer groups and continue reminding us adults that not all youths
are drugged-out, lazy, lost, destructive, nihilistic and anti-establishment.

Like parents who have a strong influence in the direction that their
children will take, good or bad, research has demonstrated that peer
pressure, influence and attitudes are just as powerful motivators for good
and bad behavior in teenagers. Be the strong-willed individual who can take
stands against tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse.

For those teenagers already experiencing problems, there is help on Guam to
come clean. Find the courage to ask for help and you will find that people
will respond with trust, respect and dignity. For the community

Public and government entities must continue to offer assessment and
treatment services for the many addicts and substance abusers.

Support and donate to private facilities and nonprofit entities that help
addicts and their families, such as Sanctuary, Salvation Army, AA groups
and, to some degree, Catholic Social Service, so they all can continue
their divine-inspired work.

Report drug crimes and related activity in your community. Do not be
afraid. Take back control of your neighborhoods. Clean it up, literally and
figuratively, to make it safe and fun for all children. If adults are
scared at night to walk the neighborhood, then the children are probably
twice as fearful.

Complex problems call for collaboration, partnerships and innovation. The
above suggestions are not new and in no way comprehensive, but they are
just reminders of what we already know, so please take them to heart.