NO EASY ANSWER, BUT PARENTS MUST FACE DRUG REALITIES

What goes through a young person's mind when he or she makes the decision
to take drugs? Is there this internal dialogue?

"Not me."

"Didn't you hear about that senior? He died after overdosing."

"Yeah, but that's not going to happen to me. These are safe drugs. They
aren't going to kill me."

"But did you hear about the girl who got kicked out school, lost all her
friends, and got busted."

"Yeah, but she couldn't handle it. I'm not that dumb."

And what goes through parents' minds when they hear about kids messing up
their lives doing drugs?

Not my kid. Not me.

But that bulletproof shield youngsters think they have to protect them is
easily penetrable. So is the shield of denial that makes parents think that
their own kids could not possibly be vulnerable.

And though most youngsters do not use drugs, parents can't be deluded into
thinking that their children won't be offered drugs and tempted to take them.

All kinds of drugs are out there, and more kids are using them, including
drugs that addict and can kill. Drugs that are putting youngsters on a path
to self-destruction.

As detailed in the Daily Herald's series "The hidden scourge," club drugs
and snortable high-grade heroin have become drugs of choice in a segment of
the suburbs' teen and young adult population. These drugs have contributed
to at least 13 suburban deaths in just the past two years.

In asking what we do about this, let's insist on not making the same
mistakes we tend to make in reacting to drug abuse crisis after drug abuse
crisis.

While laws have to be tough enough to deter use and dealing, we can't be
naive to believe lawmakers, cops, courts and prison wardens are the
messiahs that will deliver us from drug abuse misery.

First, it's important to build awareness that dangerous drugs like Ecstasy
and heroin are out there and being used by suburban kids.

And after parents stop kidding themselves about this threat, they have to
talk with their children. They can't be afraid to do this, and should
strive to conduct honest conversations in a forceful but non- threatening
way. They can't come off as hypocrites or naive in the eyes of teens who
have their own interpretation of the drug scene. While discouraging the use
of any drug, parents also must be honest enough to acknowledge that some
drugs are more threatening and dangerous than others. Many teens know that
and will discount advice from adults who aren't willing to draw distinctions.

When parents do think their children may be using drugs, they need accurate
information to act on their suspicions. They should find out all they can
about drugs like heroin and Ecstasy and know the signs of drug abuse.

And when parents make the discovery that their children are on drugs, they
shouldn't ignore the problem, either thinking it will go away or shrinking
from action because of embarrassment about what friends and neighbors will
think if they find out.

Nor should parents think they have to solve the problem by themselves. They
should seek professional guidance.

In fact, treatment must be a priority in any broad-based anti-drug policy.
We'd like to see more drug rehabilitation programs of the kind being run by
Kane County Judge James Doyle. In his court, drug offenders get the help
they need while being kept under intense supervision to assure compliance
with rules aimed at getting them off drugs. Of the 84 participants in the
program, only 10 have relapsed after completing treatment.

But the first line of defense against drug abuse is in the home. Parents
constantly have to be talking to their children and intruding in their
lives constructively - all the way through adolescence - no matter how much
the kids tell parents to butt out.

Saying not me, not my kids, is not going to help anybody but the drug dealers.