DRUG USE

Acknowledging Is Not Accepting

Conway school officials say they aren't really surprised by a survey
showing seventh-through 12th-grade students in the school district use
alcohol and other drugs at about the same or a slightly higher rate than
national averages.

Their statement should not be taken as acceptance of the findings, but more
that they know the reality of what they are facing as they try to teach
young people the importance of living a life that does not include
dependence on foreign substances.

Teen-agers in Conway take drugs. It's that simple. Anyone who thinks
otherwise or thinks it's only "somebody else's kid" is fooling himself.
Drug and alcohol use among young people crosses all socioeconomic, racial
and gender lines. Just like the school officials, though, acknowledging the
fact is not the same as accepting it.

It also must be remembered that just because a student answered
affirmatively to this survey, it does not mean he or she is destined to be
tied to drugs from here on out. Some of the questions did not differentiate
between regular and one-time use, meaning the person who experimented once
and realized it was a bad choice is in the same column as the regular user.

School personnel can use this information to develop programs on several
levels. The most important is to emphasize to students -- especially those
in the lower grades -- the dangers of drug use in an effort to convince
them there is no reason to start, or to even experiment. For the older
students who may be showing more of a pattern of drug use, the challenge is
finding a way to get him or her to realize the dangers and senselessness of
their behavior.

Just as important as how school officials or others in the community
respond to this information is how parents react to it. Any effort to
educate children that has the active support of parents has a much better
chance of success. This does not mean that the son of a man who has a beer
after mowing the yard is going to become a drunkard, but that man does have
the obligation to talk to his son about the dangers of abuse of alcohol, or
the use of other drugs. The positive message sent through abstinence or
even moderation is just as strong as the negative message that comes from a
parent who drinks too much or, worse yet, provides alcohol for his
children.

The news is not that some Conway teen-agers are making poor decisions when
it comes to drugs and alcohol. The news will be how the schools, parents
and all the community react to improving these numbers.