KEEP LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH KIDS: DRUG EDUCATOR

It's never too early to start talking to your children about drugs.
That's the message a retired police officer-turned-drug-educator told
delegates attending the annual spring meeting of the Georgian Bay
Conference of the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada).

"We give our kids medicine and tell them it's safe . . . what we have
forgotten to tell them is that drugs are safe only if you follow the
rules," Heather Hodgson-Schleich said.

"As soon as a child starts talking, start talking to them, at age
appropriate levels, about drugs. Make sure they understand the rules
about medicine use. We don't wait for them to be hit before we tell
them about traffic safety or talk to them about stranger awareness.
It's the same with drugs. The more they know, the better prepared they
will be."

With increased use of over-the-counter products being used for crystal
meth production and the growing popularity of "pharm parties" (where
participants bring leftover pills from home, mix them all together and
then consume them), Hodgson-Schleich says there's "no such thing as
giving kids too much information."

"In order for your children to be safe, they need to be aware," she
said, stressing the importance of open and regular communication with
your children.

And grandparents, she said, can also play a key role. "Sometimes kids
will say things to their grandparents that they won't, or feel they
can't, say to their parents."

Hodgson-Schleich has been an educator with the Council on Drug Abuse
since 1998 and often does drug awareness programs for four to
eight-year-olds, as well as substance use/ abuse, bullying and
personal safety presentations for elementary, secondary and
post-secondary schools across the province.

She and her husband also run Tales By The Brook, their retirement farm
near Paisley which they have turned into a story centre, with nature
trails and critter village they open to individuals, families, school,
church and community groups and where Hodgson Schleich will spend time
doing customized presentations which blend with the Ontario school
curriculum.

A strong believer that information is powerful, Hodgson-Schleich's
presentation included information on how the brain works, how it
changes as one ages and, perhaps most importantly when dealing with
teenagers, the delay in the maturing of the pre-frontal lobe of the
brain that controls decision-making and critical thinking.

"Thirteen and 14-year-olds are risk takers," she said, "who are
searching for their independence. Many become rebellious and they have
a lot of self-doubt and mistrust. What they need most at that age is a
supportive environment."

She added, "A supportive family, church and community is critical to
helping teens get through those difficult teenage years. The more you
can get kids involved in their community, the better it is. Being part
of something, feeling you belong, is critical to one's overall mental
health."

She also stressed the importance of knowing your children's friends,
where they are going and what they are going to be doing.

Some drugs, Hodgson-Schleich pointed out, can remove that
decision-making sense "almost immediately." Drugs are a chemical and
when that chemical gets in the brain it changes you mentally,
emotionally and physically.

Addiction, Hodgson-Schleich stressed, is a health problem, not a legal
issue, although she pointed out selling drugs is a different story.
"Almost any drug can be abused," she said, sharing statistics that
showed in 2002 it cost Canadians $40 billion per year -that's $167 for
every man, woman and child in Canada -to combat drug abuse problems.

Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs account for 20 per cent of all
acute care hospital days.

Hodgson-Schleich said youth who smoke tobacco are 14 times more likely
to drink alcohol and youth who smoke tobacco are also 20 times more
likely to smoke cannabis.

The reason, she pointed out, is due to risk taking and the different
crowd of friends that smokers, and eventually drinkers, hang around
with.

The earlier a child starts using drugs, the more addicted they become,
she said, saying national surveys now point out teens are starting
drug use earlier than ever before.

"Start before the storm hits," Hodgson-Schleich said.

"Keep lines of communication open, maintain realistic rules and
remember that although adults often believe the most influence on
their kids seems to be from their peers, in surveys children report
that the biggest influence in their lives is still their parents."