BATTLE DRUGS WITH COMMUNICATION

Parents who think that their kids will never take drugs are making a
mistake by closing their minds to the possibility.

"If you think it can't happen to your son or daughter ... you're sorely
mistaken," Scott McDonald said.

McDonald ought to know. He is a son who had it happen to him. The 24-
year-old St. Charles man is a recovering heroin addict. By his own account,
McDonald had the archetypal suburban upbringing.

So why did McDonald, and several others who told their stories of their
personal battles with drug abuse at a forum on drugs sponsored Tuesday
night by the Daily Herald, turn to drugs?

They didn't blame their parents. There was just a need to "fill an
emptiness inside." There was something "missing" in their lives.

Sometimes parents can do their best, and still their children will use
drugs. It's a frightening thought. But it doesn't mean parents shouldn't
try to stop their children from taking a wrong turn.

Parents have to find out whether there is something missing and fill that
hole in their children's souls with shovel full after shovel full of love
and concern.

Parents can't ignore the fact that drugs are out there, being offered to
their children. They have to be aware of what kind of drugs are out there.
The have to be aware of the signs of drug abuse. They should know where
their children are going when they leave the house, and who they are going
out with.

And it is not enough to just say "drugs are bad, they are illegal, don't
use them." Parents should have honest discussions about drugs with their
children, not lectures. And they should do this early on, well before their
children reach adolescence.

If they find their children are using drugs, they should follow the good
advice a parent offered at the forum: Don't "react" but "respond." Don't
block the road to recovery with rigid rage, lingering guilt or rejection.
Don't just get angry. Get help.

Parents are on the front line in the battle against drug abuse. But they
need assistance from the community as whole. There needs to be more
dialogue of the kind that unfolded Tuesday night.

And it is essential that more emphasis be placed on treatment. A fine
example is Kane County Judge James Doyle's drug court, where drug offenders
get the help they need while being held accountable. They are kept under
intense supervision to assure compliance with rules aimed at getting them
off drugs. Such programs need to be implemented regionwide and be
adequately funded. This should be an urgent mission.

Last year, the Daily Herald reported that at least 13 suburban young people
have died from heroin. So far this year, we have learned of at least two
other young people in the suburbs who have overdosed on illegal drugs.

"While we have the chance to do something about it, I pray we do before we
lose anybody else," McDonald said.

Let's answer McDonald's prayers.