As a parent, one of your most difficult tasks may be having to talk to your kids about drugs. To make matters worse, this is a conversation you’ll have to have more than once. In fact, you may need to have it again and again. As children develop, they have different levels of comprehension and different levels of social awareness. What you tell a preschooler about drugs is very different than what you might tell a junior in high school. Learn to talk to your child about drugs at different ages.

Elementary School
Play it by ear when it comes to talking to your young child about drugs. Chances are, she’ll encounter some form of drugs on television, in advertisements or in person. Use that as an opportunity to bring up drugs like alcohol and cigarettes. Distinguish them from the types of drugs your child may take when she is ill or as a preventative measure. Don’t beat around the bush. Kidsheath.org recommends talking to kids about how drugs can make a person feel, the potential dangers of using them, and the possibilities of very dangerous effects like drug overdose.

Middle School
D.A.R.E recommends watching kids for mood changes and different behavior. You may chalk these things up to becoming a teenager, but it’s important to understand that even middle school kids can begin using drugs and alcohol. As a parent, you have the ability to recognize potentially harmful behavior. Now is the time to discuss drugs in earnest, not just once, but often. Ask your child openly if he has seen someone using drugs or heard someone talking about using drugs. If you see news involving teens and young adults using drugs, being arrested for using drugs, or being injured or killed as a result of using drugs, share the news with your middle schooler and use it as an opportunity for discussion.

High School
According to DrugFree.org, parents have more influence over children than friends, music, TV, the Internet and celebrities. This is your time to make a difference. During this period of your child’s life, he or she is more likely to be offered drugs. You teen probably has friends who use drugs regularly. Drugs are no longer a mystery. Now, more than ever, you need to talk to your child about the dangers of using. Your teen has the smarts to understand dangers. Give your teen solid facts, including information about drunk and drugged driving, overdose, and addiction. Help them focus on the aspects of their life that are positive and fulfilling. Make yourself available as a sounding board so that your teen can express fears and can open up to you.

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Unlike designer clothes, designer drugs are easy to obtain and inexpensive. Referred to as designer drugs because they’re created in labs, not because they’re upscale, these synthetic drugs are not regulated and are often laced with dangerous chemicals. In recent years, designer drugs have become more of a problem thanks to drugs that aren’t regulated because they’re sold as bath salts or incense and are labeled as "not for human consumption." Older synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy and Methamphetamine have recently given way to drugs that can be purchased legally in convenience stores and gas stations in many states.

Unknown Ingredients
It’s impossible to know exactly what chemicals are in drugs like bath salts and synthetic marijuana products, sometimes  referred to as incense or spice. It’s also impossible to know the potency or how relatively safe a dose might be. According to drugabuse.gov, these unknown mixtures can cause dangerous side effects, such as seizures, memory loss, coma and even death.

False Marketing
How can drugs be legal?  These substances are sold legally as incense, cleaning products or bath products, allowing teens to easily skirt the law. A popular “incense” called Jazz recently contributed to a teen’s death in Safety Harbor, Florida. 19-year-old Logan Kushner drowned after smoking the incense and swimming. Jazz can cause side effects like hallucination and dizziness.

Bath salts, marketed under many names, is an amphetamine-like chemical that may have long term side effects similar to meth, making it a highly dangerous yet not always illegal substance. It has the potential to cause overdose, severe hallucinations, and even death. Over the past few years, emergency rooms have seen an upswing of patients suffering intense side effects from snorting these so-called “bath salts.”

Dangerous Combinations
Because these drugs are created in labs, they can be changed easily to avoid government bans on certain chemical formulations. This also makes it difficult for drug tests to accurately detect these drugs in the body. The combination is creating a dangerous situation ripe for substance abuse, overdose and accidental death due to intoxication from designer drugs. This presents additional danger in cases of overdose, because hospitals aren’t always aware of the specific toxicology in the synthetic drugs, making it difficult to diagnose and treat overdose appropriately.

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Not all drugs are difficult to obtain. Over-the-counter medications, or OTC drugs, can be found at local pharmacies and supermarkets. They're easy for teens to obtain and easy for teens to abuse.
                   
Impairment
According to Abovetheinfluence.com, The most commonly abused OTC drugs include those that contain the ingredient dextromethorphan, or DXM. This is often found in drugs to treat cold, cough and flu. Teens may believe that because cough medicine is available over-the-counter, it’s safe. But a large dose can cause serious effects like hallucination, vision problems and loss of coordination. Teens have been killed while impaired with high doses of DXM.

Drug Interaction
When combined with alcohol and other drugs, OTC drugs become even more dangerous. Side effects are enhanced, and can often lead to hospitalization for breathing problems, severe vomiting and heart problems.

Overdose
When taken in large doses, DXM can cause death or brain damage. According to DrugAbuse.gov, hypoxic brain damage has occurred due to the combination of DXM with decongestants often found in the medication. Talk to your teen about the potential of never recovering from severe brain damage due to abusing simple cough syrups.

Long Term Health Concerns
Even OTC drugs can cause dependence. Addiction leads to further unhealthy behaviors and impaired judgment. Kids with addictions to OTC medications may suffer long term health problems and may be more at risk for injury or death from accident or overdose.

Unhealthy Weight Loss
Diet pills, diuretics and laxatives can quickly become habit-forming, especially in teens with body image issues. The feeling that weight can be lost easily with the help of a simple pill can quickly enticing. This type of weight loss isn’t healthy, and in many teens with eating disorders, weight loss isn’t healthy or necessary. If you suspect your child has a problem with using OTC drugs to diet, intervene with the assistance of your child’s doctor.

Problems at Work and in School
Teens who abuse OTC drugs may begin to have problems in school, at work and with friends. Because the high associated with these drugs can cause severe impairment, it’s especially dangerous for kids who get behind the wheel or operate machinery of any kind.

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Is Your Friend Using Drugs?

When you suspect that a friend or classmate is using drugs or alcohol, it may be hard to sit back and watch if you know that it is wrong. Sometimes it’s best to get an adult or counselor involved, but if you decide to talk to your friend on your own, you should be prepared for the situation. Pay attention to the signs of drug use, and make sure your friend knows you are trying to help because you care.

How to Know If Someone Is Using

If someone is using drugs or alcohol, there may be some warning signs you can look out for. According to an article from Listen Magazine, the following signs may mean your friend is using drugs or alcohol:

• Lying about where he is going or what he is doing
• Pressuring others to try drugs or alcohol
• Dropping out of activities he used to participate in
• Acting or feeling depressed or hopeless
• Acting selfish
• Not coming to school
• Showing a drastic change in mood or behavior
• Showing up drunk or high at school
• Missing class often
• Borrowing or stealing money

How You Can Help

Speak your mind! Approach your friend and ask to have a conversation in private. Assure him that you only want to help and that you won’t share your conversation with anyone. If he admits to using drugs or alcohol, give him some recommendations for help. Above the influence recommends waiting until a time when the person is not drunk or high to talk to have this conversation.

• Have your friend call a hotline
• Show your friend the facts
• Get your friend to visit the guidance counselor
• Listen to your friend and what he has to say
• Remind him that it isn’t his fault
• Notice your tone of voice; remember not to sound critical
• Have a plan: know what you are going to say

If you have a friend or classmate who may be using drugs, refer him to a counselor, an adult or someone else. Our website also has a wealth of resources for substance abuse prevention and rehabilitation.

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