Students and Drug Abuse

Do you remember when the “good kids” were the “clean cut” kids, the athletes, on the pep squads and student council, and the “bad kids,” the ones involved in drinking and drugs, wore duck tails, long hair, or dressed radically for their times? Well, this is the 1980s, and, boy, have times changed.

During this school year alone there have been several school functions that the students have attended, and here is a recap: Homecoming--they drank beer, wine coolers, “partied hardy.” Winter formal--they had to outdo homecoming, so they added smoking pot, and “partied hardier.” The prom--How do they outdo the other things?--they added cocaine, and “partied the hardiest” yet. What will they do to celebrate graduation or the last day of school? I hate to think.

How do I know this has happened? Some of the kids are concerned about their friends and have opened up about it. Some of the children have been caught (too few).

So, you ask your child if they participated in any of this, and they say “no.” (What did you expect them to tell you?) When questioned further, they indicate they saw this happening, but not in their group. Sounds good, huh? Should you leave it at that? No.

Don’t expect the school to “catch” these children. That’s your job. So, now you ask yourself, what can I do? A lot. Stop being afraid. Take your child in for a blood and urine test. If the test comes back clean, won’t you feel better? If it comes back positive, tackle the problem before it’s too late.

Parents, stop thinking “not my child.” Don’t wait until your child is a loser in life. You’d be surprised who does drugs in the 1980s. We were.

C.A. COLE

Irvine