TEACH BY EXAMPLE

After reading today's front-page story about drug use among our youths,
it's obvious parents need to hold a family meeting with their children.

According to a report earlier this week, youths in the Lower Mainland are
experimenting with drugs and alcohol at younger ages. Before we slough off
this information as a big-city problem, we had better give our heads a shake.

According to local drug and alcohol counsellor Bob Hughes, we have similar
problems here. In fact, he tells of an eight-year-old client who started
smoking pot when he was seven.

Yes, this is an exception to the norm but the fact remains - children are
experimenting with drugs and alcohol earlier.

This is not a matter which parents can shrug their shoulders and say, "kids
will be kids."

This is not an issue of teenagers stealing a couple of dad's beers and
heading off to the local park.

While the report doesn't necessarily describe drug use among Kamloops
youths, Mr. Hughes says it's a concern here, too. Worse, it's not just
alcohol and soft drugs they're experimenting with.

He notes there has been a wave of crystal methamphetamine and crack cocaine
use and those, dear reader, are hard drugs and that can lead our children
down a dark and dangerous dead-end road.

So, how, and why, are our children getting involved in this drug
experimentation?

Peer pressure is the simple answer.

According to the counsellor, Grade 8 is a prime age for youths to start
experimenting. This is because they move to secondary schools and come in
contact with older youths who can easily lead them astray.

That's a given - peer pressure can lead us into a lot of dangerous
situations, especially at a tender age. So, how do we resolve the problem?

Parents have to get involved - both through their words and their actions.
We must set good examples for our children and, as Mr. Hughes says, we must
realize how important a role we play in teaching our children appropriate
behaviour.

It is equally important we talk to our children about their partying habits
and the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. While it may not make us
popular, it's better than the alternative.

Finally, we cannot try to fool ourselves by saying: "Not my kid...."