PARENTS BEST ANTIDOTE FOR TEEN CURIOSITY

When young kids die of drug overdoses - like the three ecstasy deaths
in Alberta in the past month - we yearn for reassurance that a lesson
will be learned.

Close friends of 14-year-old Cassie Eyre, who died Saturday after
popping six ecstasy pills at a party, may very well have been scared
away from street drugs forever.

Likewise, the girls who took ecstasy along with Leah House, 14, and
Trinity Bird, 15, last month on the Paul Band, west of Edmonton, may
never experiment with an illicit substance again. Instead of getting
high, Leah and Trinity fell ill and died several days later.

Society and those who knew and loved these girls would like to
believe something good can come out of such terrible tragedies.

The truth is, we live in a world where drugs are as easy to get as
ordering a pizza and, in some circles, it's considered odd if you
don't get high.

And while school-based drug education seminars are better than
nothing at all, we're kidding ourselves if we think they play a
prominent role in shaping teens' behaviour.

"We have to adjust our expectations for these types of programs,"
says Cameron Wild, a professor in the University of Alberta's school
of public health.

"There's no way that any kind of drug prevention program ...
(offered) in the schools is going to provide a bullet-proof solution to this."

Why? Because such programs don't address the other problems related
to student drug use, like kids' relationships with their parents and
peers and their overall environment, says Wild.

"One of the strongest protective factors for kids is having an open
and trusting relationship with one's parents," he explains.

Similarly, parents need to realize that imparting a realistic safety
message to their kids is as important as saying "don't do (drugs)"
because some teens will experiment even though they know they
shouldn't, says Wild.

In other words, parents, have an honest conversation with your kids
about the risks of illicit drugs (no one knows what's in ecstasy
pills), tell them how to lessen those risks if they do use and let
them know you're always there for them if they get into trouble.

"Maintaining that open relationship is not only protective for
preventing kids from using in the first place, it's also protective
if kids do decide to use (drugs) for getting them out of tight
spots," says Wild.

He likens that approach to the safe-sex message. A teen fully
informed about sexual matters is more likely to manage the risks
responsibly than a teen who has only been told to abstain. It's the
same with drugs, says Wild. It's important to be upfront enough with
your kids to talk about not taking unnecessary risks.

The bottom line is with drugs so ever-present, teens will flirt with
illegal substances no matter what.

"It has a lot to do with subculture and identity formation and
cultural status. But also, the youthful desire to experiment with
things that are fun and a bit adventurous and sometimes even deviant
and illegal," says Benedikt Fischer, a public health expert at Simon
Fraser University. "The best we can do is honest education and that's
not necessarily delivered by DARE or comparable programs."

And let's keep things in perspective. The deaths of these teens are
tragic. But there have only been 27 deaths of Albertans who'd taken
ecstasy since 2006. In contrast, scores of people succumb to
prescription drug-related deaths every year.