Article Is Continued After This...

[azlite]health,1,goldenbooks-20[/azlite]

Drug abuse among teenagers has reached epidemic proportions. No matter how vigilant you are, your teenagers are going to be exposed to drugs at school, the very place you believe to be a safe environment. Mrs. Reagan's 'Just say no to drugs' campaign fell flat on its face. The truth is that teenagers perceive adults as old stupid people that don't know their head from a hole in the ground. Adults, try as they may, face an uphill war in safe guarding their young ones from the devastating effects of drugs.

The challenge is made more difficult by the fact that most of us have prescription drugs in our cupboards. When confronting the issue of teenagers and drugs, you have to present a rational argument that differentiates between necessary prescriptions and street drugs. This isn't easy. Some well known prescription medicines are being sold at school as a way to get high. Teenagers don't know that these medications are issued in duplicate or triplicate, as a way to control the use of specific narcotics. Without having experienced a legitimate need for these drugs themselves, they could well come to the conclusion that their parents are enjoying some high that they are for some reason being forbidden.

Another problem with teaching kids about the issue of teen drug use is that our society does not make any distinction between drugs. Some pharmaceutical drugs have a place, but when it comes to teenagers and drugs, we tell them that every drug is bad. This is patently false. Some teenagers require medications for actual problems. Used improperly, that medication can get a kid high who doesn't need it. Sometimes, that drug can have disastrous consequences when used as a 'recreational' drug.

Article Continued Below...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Prices On Related Items From eBay - right Now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Continued...

Children are not capable of making those distinctions. For example, a patient with unbearable pain because of arthritis or cancer, could be prescribed codeine or another opiate to manage the pain. Kids don't comprehend that this patient doesn't get high. That pain killer only dulls the pain. However, in the world of teens and drugs, this narcotic becomes an opportunity toget high. They don't know the difference.

One big deception that encourages teen drug abuse is the fable of marijuana. This street drug is made out to be the first step to drug addiction, thrown in the same category as meth and mescaline. The second that high school child tries marijuana, the child sees that although it makes them feel good, they can hide this new habit from their parents and it doesn't make them crazy. They come to the conclusion that the rest of the warnings issued on kids and drugs are lies. That's the reason why they fall into the trap of the insidiosly dangerous drugs.

As a society, we need to educate our kids. Explain the effects of drugs. Ice, crack, heroin and drugs like 'ecstasy' can ruin their lives or kill them. Tell the truth. We can defend our children.Addiction is a terrible problem in our society today but with the "proper" education we can teach our future generations the realities of addictions and drug abuse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Invitation: Thanks for your visit, but after all the hard work (mostly unpaid) we put into this site - if nothing else - we would certainly welcome your comments on this article.

You can use the form below...

If you found this information really useful - please consider making a small donation into our 'Tip Jar' It would be much appreciated...