Excerpt from my book:

"Stay away from those who want you to sell drugs. Tell your family about this if it happens. If you cannot tell your family, tell a teacher or counselor. The people who want you to sell drugs have no hope for their lives .They have no dreams for their future." ( end of excerpt )

Communicate to your boy about drugs:

Be absolutely clear with your kids that you don't want them using drugs. Ever. Anywhere. Don't leave room for interpretation. And talk often about the dangers and results of drug and alcohol abuse. Once or twice a year won't do it.

Role-play with your teen and practice ways to refuse drugs in different situations. Acknowledge how tough these moments can be.

Be a better listener. Ask questions - and encourage them. Paraphrase what your teen says to you. Ask for their input about family decisions. Showing your willingness to listen will make your teen feel more comfortable about opening up to you.

Give honest answers. Don't make up what you don't know; offer to find out. If asked whether you've ever taken drugs, let them know what's important: That you don't want them using drugs.

Don't react in a way that will cut off further discussion. If your teen makes statements that challenge or shock you, turn them into a calm discussion of why your teen thinks people use drugs, or whether the effect is worth the risk.

Talk About The Risks Of Drugs
In conversations with your teen, steer the subject to drugs and why they’re harmful.
If you can ingrain this information in your children well before they are faced with making difficult choices, experts say they’ll be more likely to avoid rather than use. In fact, teenagers who say they’ve learned a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents are much less likely to try marijuana than those who say they’ve learned nothing from them.

You don’t need to fear that by introducing the topic of drugs, you’re putting ideas into your children’s heads any more than talking about traffic safety might make them want to jump in front of a car. You’re letting them know about potential dangers in their environment so that when they’re confronted with them, they’ll know what to do.

Children in late elementary school need to be warned specifically about not using inhalants. There are a number of common household substances that some young people of this age will try inhaling. Parents must be encouraged to warn their children that even one instance of inhaling can lead to severe brain damage or even death.

Parents should also use some of their good conversation time with children and adolescents to make it clear that they don’t want them to use marijuana. Parents should state clearly to their pre-teens and teens that they would be very disappointed if they started using marijuana. Parents may also want to explain that marijuana use interferes with young people’s concentration, memory, and motor skills, and that it interferes with motivation, leads to poorer school performance, and can cause users to disappoint the people most important to them. All of this can be communicated in a loving way: I love you and I want the best for you, so I hope you won’t try marijuana.

Introducing the topic of drugs
If you hear something you don’t like (perhaps a friend smokes marijuana or your teen confesses to trying beer at a party), it is important not to react in any way that cuts off further discussion. If he seems defensive or assures you that he doesn’t know anyone who uses drugs, ask him why he thinks people use them.
Discuss whether the risks are worth what people may get out of using them and whether he thinks it would be worth it to take the risks. Even without addiction, experimentation is too great a gamble. One bad experience, such as being high and misjudging how long it takes to cross a busy street, can change or end a life forever. If something interrupts your conversation, pick it up the next chance you get.

Conversations for Critical Times
What happens if you suspect that your teen is already using alcohol and drugs? What do you say to them? The conversation is the same: parents need to tell their kids that drug and alcohol use by teens is not allowed in your family. The issue won't go away until you do something. You will simply have to acknowledge that your teen has a problem — your teen is using drugs and that won't get any better until you take action on your teen's behalf. It is OK to ask for help. In fact, getting help may make it easier for you to have the conversation.
Practice the conversation ahead of time. You may have to have a couple of “practice runs.” These conversations are not easy but they are worthwhile. Talking it over with your spouse/partner beforehand will help you keep a level head and speak to the issue. (Review some key talking points and practice these sample conversations beforehand.)

Make Agreements with Yourself
Tell yourself that you won’t “lose it” with your child. Anger and hostility won’t get you anywhere in this conversation.  Stay as calm as possible. Remember, you are the parent and you are in charge. Be kind, simple, and direct in your statements to your teen. Above all, remember to tell your son that you love him or her! The conversation will not be perfect — no conversation ever is. Know that you are doing the right thing for your teen. That’s what matters most!

Dig deep into your patience:
Talk to them about the dangers and life changes that can happen if illegal drugs are put into their bodies. Peer pressure is easy for some of our boys to fall into.We can not be with them 24 hours a day. They have good friends and some who may have undesirable behaviors. This makes it extremely difficult to parent your son.Boys want to fit in with the group.They may think they will be isolated if they don't. Adults know better.We must present good choices and teach them what will happen if wrong choices are made.The following site gives good information on peer pressure that surrounds our boys.It is called :above the influence:
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/default.aspx?id=google     

 Prescription drugs: 

What motivates teens to engage in prescription drug abuse? Ultimately, their desire for getting high outweighs their perception of the risks.

• 12 to 17 year olds abuse prescription drugs more than they abuse ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined
• 60% of teens who have abused prescription painkillers did so before age 15
• There are as many new abusers age 12 to 17 of prescription drugs as there are of marijuana arijuana

View By Name  |View By Photo
Identifying Suspicious Items As a parent, what would you do if you found a suspicious item hidden in your child's book bag or in his room?  Or what if you saw something out on their dresser that looked normal but just didn't feel right?  You wouldn't be the first parent feeling surprised and shocked to learn about the wide variety of items that can be misused to abuse or hide drugs, or may be connected with drug related behavoir.
1 2 View By Name  |View By Photo   Identifying Suspicious Items As a parent, what would you do if you found a suspicious item hidden in your child's book bag or in his room?  Or what if you saw something out on their dresser that looked normal but just didn't feel right?  You wouldn't be the first parent feeling surprised and shocked to learn about the wide variety of items that can be misused to abuse or hide drugs, or may be connected with drug related behavoir.   1 2

What Are the Short-Term Effects of Marijuana Use?

The short-term effects of marijuana include:

• problems with memory and learning
• distorted perception
• difficulty thinking and solving problems
• impaired coordination
• increased heart rate

11 Points for Parents to Protect Their Kids

11 Points for Parents to Protect Their Kids

Drug abuse can be prevented and addiction is a treatable illness.

1. Substance abuse is a preventable problem.  We, as parents, are much more powerful than we think.  Upsetting us is the number one reason why kids do not use drugs, and kids who learn about drug risks from parents are only half as likely to start using.
 
2. Get and stay closely involved with your kids’ lives as they head through middle school and into high school. You won’t connect well with your kids about serious health issues if you haven’t been interested in the day-to-day events of interest to them – which test caused half the class to flunk, which of their friends got a part in the play, who lied to their parents and went down to the city with older kids…
 
3. Begin the dialogue when your kids are young. Talk early and often. It doesn’t have to be a formal “birds and bees” type discussion, but should springboard off “teachable moments” -- like an incident in their town or school, a problem in your extended family, a popular music video or movie, or something on the news.  Set a “no-use” expectation, including for alcohol, and make it explicit. 
 
4. Monitor your kids.  Kids whose parents supervise them closely are only half as likely to develop a drug problem.  Know the “who, what, why, where, when” of their activities, compare notes with other parents, and continue this practice as kids hit middle school, even when you no longer know all their friends, and friends’ families. 
 
5. Be the parent, not just the pal.  Your kids already have friends, but they need parenting.  Consistently enforce boundaries for your family that apply even when kids are in other settings, or with families that have different rules.  Teens like to be trusted, and will feel supported by clear and consistent boundaries that are explained in advance and are based on our love and concern for their well-being.
 
6. Addiction is a health problem.  It does not happen because someone is “a bad person,” but is an illness that is in fact the number one preventable adolescent health problem.  (The American Academy of Pediatrics).  It is not your fault.  Stigma and shame due to past ignorance and stereotypes about the problem are unwarranted.  A drug disorder can take over your life, and cause you to lie, steal and act badly toward even those you love.  However, addiction has a physiological basis; chronic alcohol and other drug use change the brain and body chemistry, making it hard to stop.  Thirty years ago, families were told: your son needs to develop will-power to stop using cocaine… Now we know better.
 
7. There is hope, help and healing available for your family if someone develops a substance abuse problem.  There are objective ways to assess the problem, and many new treatments.  Millions of people recover their health and turn their whole lives around, even though they tend not to be as visible as the public struggles of celebrities addicted to substances.
 
8. Don’t wait -- know the warning signs and act early.  If you suspect your child has a drug or alcohol problem, you are probably right, and need to learn more about the problem and steps for helping:  Intervene early, find the right type of help, and be persistent.  Warning signs include sudden changes (which are otherwise unexplained) in personality, irritability and mood swings, habits and friends,  excessive secrecy, and finding drug paraphernalia. There are objective “screener” short questionnaires that you can answer to determine the sort of problem you’re facing.  It’s a myth that someone has to hit “rock bottom” before seeking and getting help. Without help, addiction tends to progress and can even, eventually, be fatal. Although earlier intervention is best, it is possible to get help at any stage of addiction, and success rates with quality treatment are comparable to those for other illnesses like diabetes, asthma, or hypertension.
 
9. Help is not just “rehab.” Most people recover from addiction without formal, in-patient treatment, or “rehab.”  There are many paths to wellness, including out-patient medical help, and sometimes a combination of treatment and a 12-Step, self-help program, which holds free meetings any time during the week, near enough to get to.
 
10. Addiction runs in families, similar to illnesses like cancer or heart disease.  Kids who have a family pattern are at much higher risk of addiction if they use drugs or alcohol at all; no recreational use can stay safely under control, particularly during the formative years of adolescence. Families with a history of alcoholism or drug addiction should talk about this, so their kids are aware. If there is a problem developing, family involvement and support makes treatment work better. Everyone – the addicted child and the parents and siblings – need strong help and mutual support to solve the problem.
 
11. You are not alone.  Substance abuse is common among teens, and drug addiction doesn’t discriminate.  It cuts across race, gender and economic lines, every region of this country, and every walk of life.  Most people now know someone who has struggled with addiction, and one in four teenagers is now living with an addicted parent.  Take heart.  More than anything, families need confidence that recovery is possible, and encouragement and information and professional support to heal this problem.

(Source:  PDFA:  http://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/external.aspx?url=http://www.drugfree.org/Parent/KeepingTabs/11_Points_for_Parents)

Annual Drug Report Praises Mexico, Chides Venezuela
March 3, 2009

 

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News Summary

 

Mexico remains a major drug production and transit route but is making progress against cartels and gangs, concludes the U.S. State Department in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

Reuters reported Feb. 27 that the report named 20 countries with major drug trafficking problems, including Afghanistan, Mexico, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Venezuela, Myanmar and Bolivia were singled out as having failed to comply with international anti-drug accords.

The U.S. was among 60 nations that had financial institutions involved in money laundering for drug cartels, the report said.

The State Department credited the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon for success in fighting the country's violent drug gangs, saying that Mexico's cartels were "fighting among themselves for now diminishing profits" as a result.

"The restructuring of security forces, coupled with the military's strong engagement in the fight to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations, has proven to be effective," the report said. "These efforts led to numerous arrests of key narcotraffickers, the discovery of clandestine drug laboratories, and a dramatic decline in the importation of methamphetamine ... into the United States."