NEW PROGRAM FOR KIDS WITH ADDICTED PARENTS

The federal government has launched a new program for the millions of
American children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs.

The program's message -- disseminated through print and radio ads,
brochures and the Internet - is simple: "You're not alone."

While children of substance abusers often feel they are the only ones
with such a problem, one in four American children under 18 lives in a
family where there is an alcoholic. Countless others have parents or
family member who abuse drugs.

"The first rule in such families is 'Don't talk about this.' This
campaign is designed to help kids break that rule," said Sis Wenger,
executive director of the National Association for Children of
Alcoholics, one of the groups and federal agencies sponsoring the new
program.

The program's sponsors also hope to convince children that they aren't
to blame for their parents' addiction and to seek help from trusted
adults.

A second component of the program is aimed at distributing information
to adults from whom children might seek aid, including teachers,
school counselors, religious leaders and officials of youth programs
like the YMCA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

"We are going to take this message to where the kids are," said Edward
Jurith, acting director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, lead sponsor of the new program. Others include the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Association
for Children of Alcoholics and the Child Welfare League of America.

Jurith noted that children whose parents abuse alcohol and drugs are
more likely to develop substance abuse problems than other children.
They also are at increased risk for depression, anxiety and other
mental health problems and may be physically neglected by parents.

"These kids do feel that they are alone, and they don't understand the
ways that they can be helped by other adults," Jurith said.

To get the message out, the ads, brochures and posters for the program
include a toll-free number and an e-mail address where children or
adults can get more information. The toll-free number is
(800)-788-2800; the e-mail address is info(at)health.org.

Information about the program also is available on two Web sites. One
of the sites, www.freevibe.com/talking, is aimed at preteens and
teens. The Web site has suggestions for ways to cope with
substance-abusing parents, recommends groups that might be able to
help and includes a moderated bulletin board where kids can share
their stories.

The other Web site, www.theantidrug.com, is focused on parents,
teachers and other adults who work with children. Here, by clicking on
a section titled "Children of Substance Abusers," adults can learn how
to spot children struggling with alcoholic or drug-addicted parents
and how to help those children.

"There is still a phenomenal amount of ignorance about what alcoholism
looks like, especially in the early stages," Wenger said. "Many of
these parents hold down jobs and are able to function. But they cause
a great deal of emotional pain to their children, who don't know the
name of what makes them feel so bad - addiction."

Helping these children today can save the federal government money
tomorrow, Wenger said. "This is tomorrow's generation of people with
mental health problems, with drug and alcohol addiction, people who
are heading for the divorce courts. Wouldn't it be great to do
something about it today?"