CAMPAIGN TEACHES PARENTS TO WATCH FOR TEEN DRUG USE

Nine months after she resolved to get clean and sober after years of
drug abuse, an 18-year-old recovering crack and heroin addict who
introduced herself as Jessica told a roomful of people how it all began.

"I was 13 the first time I used marijuana," the Gibsonia area
resident said yesterday. "I was with a bunch of friends at a party.
Someone rolled a blunt and I started smoking."

Within a year, her cravings for more intense highs led Jessica down
the dark hole of addiction to crack cocaine and before long, snorting
and injecting heroin. Eventually, she said, "it became a chore
because if I didn't use it, I'd get dope sick."

Jessica, who recently earned a General Educational Development
certificate and is now studying cosmetology, shared her personal
journey to recovery yesterday during a roundtable discussion with
other Pittsburgh teens to help educate parents on the realities of
teen drug use.

Organized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy,
or ONDCP, this teen drug awareness campaign is being held in cities
across the country to remind parents of the important role they play
in keeping teens drug-free and to offer tips that will help them
accomplish that goal.

"A lot of parents want to be their child's friend rather than take
parental responsibility," said Robert Denniston, director of the
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in Washington, D.C. "Parents
must remain vigilant, continue to communicate the risks of drug use,
set rules and enforce consequences -- even for older teens."

A recent survey done by ONDCP in Pennsylvania found that a
significant number of 12th graders are using drugs and alcohol. It
showed that 23 percent of high school seniors in the state had used
marijuana a month prior to the survey, 54 percent had used alcohol
and 34 percent were binge drinking, meaning they had consumed more
than five drinks in a row during the past two weeks.

During much of the discussion, the panelists debated the fine line
between parents respecting their teens' privacy and doing their job
as a parent. Four local teens who took part in the discussion
unanimously agreed that cellular phones, text messages, e-mail and
instant messages are popular vehicles for teens to get drugs.

"I really wish my parents had checked more on me and been more
intrusive on my privacy," said Mike, an 18-year-old recovering drug
addict who said he started smoking weed at age 11 and soon progressed
to heroin and crack cocaine.

When Mike, who lives in Penn Hills, overdosed on a combination of
Xanax, alcohol and heroin at age 14, his parents realized for the
first time that he was a junky.

Even while they were sending him from one treatment program to
another, he said, all he could think about was getting high. He lied,
schemed and manipulated everyone who tried to help him get clean.

Ten months ago, he made the decision for himself. He's been sober
since then and plans to enroll at Community College of Allegheny
County in January to study for a career as a drug and alcohol
counselor, he said.

Dr. Pamela Murray, chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, told the audience one of the main
reasons teens use drugs is for self-medication. She said children
with mental health and emotional problems are more likely to use
drugs to help them perform and feel better, more capable and more confident.

"You need to look at your children's friends, who they hang with, and
their school performance," Dr. Murray said. "Look for any changes.
That's critical. When drug use starts, other things get sacrificed."

While some drugs are a gateway to other drugs, Dr. Murray cautioned
parents, cigarette smoking might not always be a predictor of future drug use.

"Mostly, smoking cigarettes is a gateway to smoking more cigarettes,"
Dr. Murray said.