PUNISH, BUT ALSO EDUCATE TEENS ABOUT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE

The Issue: Teen alcohol and drug abuse -- what are the community solutions?

We Suggest: The education of parents is critical and parents must teach
children about the choices teens make and the consequences.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following editorial is the view of The Sun's Community
Editorial Board, made up of 12 members of the community and newspaper
representatives.The following was a general discussion with no vote.

The Edmond Sun Community Editorial Board discussed the issue of teen
alcohol and drug abuse, particularly in light of The Sun's recent series,
"A Stranger in the House."

For this discussion, the board included two Edmond teens. Their comments
were particularly enlightening.

"I think it's more a nurture thing than a nature thing," one teen editorial
board member said. "... (The abusers') conscience doesn't tell them it's
wrong, and is that the home?"

"My brother got caught skipping school. There was punishment, but also he
and my parents turned it around to figure out the problems. It's not as
much about punishing (the teens) as about showing them by example what's
right and that you really do care."

That sentiment seemed to cover the thrust of the comments made recently by
the board on this issue, although the discussion ran the gamut from
students shouldn't be body-searched for drugs to 'Is the problem any worse
than 25 years ago?'"

One board member said when she was 13 years old, she was sitting in class
and a desk mate asked her to hold something for her. It was a bottle
containing alcohol. "Are today's problems much different than when I was
young?" she asked.

And, she continued, "I still go to grown-up parties where a bunch of the
folks are doing drugs. ... Is it just a teen problem?"

But the board's discussion usually returned to solutions within the home
environment.

"I think you empower the kids to make their own decisions (and) to start
practicing (such decision-making) early on. (When it's time,) they'll make
the right decisions."

The teen board members said they can tell when a classmate is high. "It's
obvious because of how they act." The students have observed that when the
"drug dogs" search the school lockers, the students have become "programmed
to that" and put the drugs in their pockets. They suggested that the
schools should always keep surprising the students and not have a set
schedule for drug checks. One student was definitely opposed to anybody
searched for drugs.

Another board member suggested a central resource for teens in trouble with
drugs and alcohol.

A recent Ruff Draft advertisement for teens states 'Are you pregnant?
There's someone who can help.' Young adults need to know more about
resources they can call anonymously or meet with. Another help would be
some kind of list of support groups.

One board member offered a personal insight:

"A lot of it is self esteem and self confidence. ... Part of it could be
what they feel about themselves. ... I did things I'm not proud of, because
I didn't have enough self-esteem. In growing up, both parents worked, Mom
wasn't there and Dad didn't participate with me."

With parenting his own children, this board member has made it a habit to
coach soccer and attend all of his childrens' games.

Education of parents is critical, the board agreed. "It's easier to educate
than to fix it," one member said.

"My parents were there when I was learning, when I was trying to establish
my own sense of self worth ..." so that when the first decision comes up,
it might be a little thing, but with a correct choice, eventually, you'll
end up on the right side.