PROGRAM TO HELP YOUTH MAKE DRUG-FREE CHOICES

LANCASTER - Drinking and illicit drug use by teens has continued to
decline, according to a recent survey of high school students in
Fairfield County.

However, parents still have cause for concern, officials say. But a
new program at Fairfield Medical Center is teaching parents how to
help their children make healthy choices when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

Results from the 2006 Youth Survey indicate that about 80 percent of
high school seniors have drank alcohol and about 40 percent have
smoked marijuana. Although fewer teens reported regularly using
alcohol and marijuana, most said those substances were easy to
obtain and not particularly harmful. Trisha Saunders says that is
the wrong attitude to have.

"The scariest thing to me is that alcohol and marijuana can be very
dangerous to youth," she said.

Saunders sees the effects of drug use firsthand as the director of
the Recovery Center, an outpatient substance abuse treatment
facility in Lancaster.

Now, FMC is offering a new class, which will make it easier for
parents to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol and
recognize the signs of abuse.

How to Drug Proof Your Kids is a six-week course designed to equip
parents with the tools needed to effectively steer their children
away from substance abuse.

"We need to get to kids before they make the choice (to use drugs),"
instructor Marilyn Booze said.

"Many parents think that (because) their children don't come from a
fractured home they won't be tempted (to experiment)."

But even kids from good homes use drugs, she said.

Booze found that out the hard way 15 years ago, when her son David
began experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

"I wondered if he would ever have a life. He lost 10 years (to
addiction), but he learned some hard lessons," she said.

Now, David, 30, who has been in recovery for four-and-a-half years,
is sharing his experience with others as a counselor at Teen
Challenge, a residential treatment program in Cincinnati, where he
was once a student.

That is why it is important for parents to establish and maintain a
healthy relationship with their children. Booze said that good
communication is essential to developing that bond.

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More Information

Fairfield Medical Center is offering a new class that better enables
parents to talk about drug use with their children. How to Drug Proof
Your Kids is a six-week course designed to educate parents on the
facts about drug use and give them practical techniques and
strategies to steer their kids away from the temptation of drug use
before they're tempted.

The class will meet, from 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday, with the
exception of Valentine's Day, at Fairfield Medical Center, 401 N.
Ewing St., Lancaster. There is a $20 registration fee.

For more information or to register, call 740-687-8007.