Tuesday, May. 19, 2009

Drugs 101: For parents only

Fuquay church test parents on drug dangers using a simulated teen's bedroom with 70-plus items referencing drugs.

“It’s out there, and parents need to be aware. We want to put all parents on the same page so they can keep up with the extensive knowledge their kids have about drugs and alcohol,” said Kristy Hochhalter.

Hochhalter, youth director for the Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church, organized the well-attended “Drugs Uncovered: What Parents Need to Know” presentation on May 13 in the church auditorium.

“It is my hope that bringing this program to the community will serve to help families make decisions on how to deal with drug, alcohol and tobacco issues based on facts,” Hochhalter said.

Karee Redman, health educator at the Raleigh-based Poe Center, gave the lecture.

Along with the two-hour, information packed PowerPoint talk, there was an interactive component that tested just how many referenced drug items parents could spot in a simulated teen bedroom.

Represented in the staged bedroom, complete with a bed, assorted possessions and dirty laundry on the floor, a boom box and computer were 70-plus items connoting references to drugs. The silk-screen bedroom wall held evidence of cocaine and marijuana reflected in posters of the mean “snowman,” mushrooms and grass.

The interested, but occasionally baffled parents were able to recognize approximately half of the items because many of them were seemingly harmless and common.

The audience was surprised to learn that the water bottle sitting on the bedroom floor was in fact a “dummy” bottle that, when separated at its center, was one among numerous hiding places for marijuana. As Redman went on to demonstrate an assortment of other paraphernalia, including rolling paper, pipe cleaners and Phillie blunt cigars, one could hear sounds of “aha” moments. Redman explained that many of these items are available for purchase over the Internet and sold under the guise of use for tobacco products, which makes them legal.

It may be old hat to some, but many parents became alerted to the fact that their toilet paper holder is one of the places kids hide marijuana.

Other red flags included facts about how the anatomy of the young brain, not fully developed until the early 20s, impairs judgment. Redman cautioned the need for paying attention to behavioral and attitudinal changes, which can be at the forefront of serious, dangerous and sometimes fatal situations.

Of particular concern to the parents were the hidden safes, which Vincent Neumann of Apex said he did not know about. Neumann, father of two girls ages 17 and 19, said, “I think this was a great program. I was not aware of the lingo; words such as ‘robotripping’ (the drinking of cough syrup) and ‘trailmixing’ (mixing drugs at parties, also known as ‘skittling’).

Apex mom Marcia Gallo, parent of an 8- and 12-year-old, said, “I was particularly amazed to learn about how prescription drugs are dumped in a bowl at parties and then swallowed randomly, without knowledge or worry of drug interaction. It’s unbelievable, but it seems that we have to be sleuths even thought we don’t want to violate the trust of our kids.”

An alcohol abuse video produced by Time-Warner Cable in association with the Wake County Sheriff’s office was shown. Did you know that the legal age for drinking alcohol is 21 and not 18? Did you know that you are breaking the law if you, as a parent, are serving hard liquor, wine or beer to underage children, even in the privacy of your home? The video depicted the consequences of such actions.

Caren Macentee, Cary mother of two sons and a former school counselor, thought that the program provided very good information that she will be able to share.

Thanks to funding from the Wake County ABC Board of alcohol control, the program was offered free through the Poe Center, a nonprofit organization providing comprehensive programs and resources in healthy lifestyle education for all youth in North Carolina.

For further information visit poehealth.org or abovetheinfluence.org.