PARENTS MUST GET INVOLVED TO HELP STOP DRUG ABUSE

Consider some of these facts from the annual study by Columbia University's
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

The average age of first use of alcohol is about 12, while cigarettes is 12
1/2 and marijuana is almost 14.

More than 5 million children ages 12 to 17, or 20 percent, can buy
marijuana in an hour or less. Another 5 million can buy it within a day.

Kids at schools with more than 1,200 students are twice as likely as those
attending schools with fewer than 800 students to be at high risk for
substance abuse.

The survey is full of some shocking news about drug use among teens and
found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many kids can lead to
substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The study said 13.8
million teens, about 55 percent of all young people, are at moderate or
high risk of substance abuse.

Also, the study found that children ages 12 to 17 who are frequently bored
are 50 percent more likely to smoke, drink, get drunk or use illegal drugs.
And kids with $25 or more a week in spending money are nearly twice as
likely to smoke, drink or use drugs as children with less money.

Anxiety is another risk factor. The study found youngsters who said they're
highly stressed are twice as likely as low-stress kids to smoke, drink or
use drugs.

High stress was experienced more among girls than boys, with nearly one in
three girls saying they were highly stressed compared with fewer than one
in four boys.

While the study had plenty of alarming statistics like those above, there
was little new information on how to combat the drug problem among teens.
The best thing parents can do to steer their kids away from drugs and
alcohol is to talk to them and stay involved in their lives. It's also
important to know their children's friends. This is not new ground.

And while it all sounds bad, things actually appear to be improving.

For instance, for the first time in the survey's eight-year history, young
people said they are as concerned about social and academic pressures as
they are about drugs. In the past, drugs were by far the No. 1 pressure on
kids.

The study also found that 56 percent of those surveyed have no friends who
regularly drink, up from 52 percent in 2002. Nearly 70 percent have no
friends who use marijuana.

All the information is a bit scary and nice to have, but the bottom line
hasn't changed. Parental engagement in their child's life is the best
protection mom and dad can provide in the war against drugs.