Pubdate: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 Source: Quad-City Times (IA) Copyright: 2001 Quad-City Times Contact: 500 E. Third St., Davenport, IA 52801 Fax: (319) 383-2370 Feedback: http://www.qctimes.com/write_edletter/writeletter.html Website: http://www.qctimes.com/ Author: Judy Betts, Quad-City Times Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education) 'TAKE FIVE' TO FIGHT DRUGS Campaign Urges Parents To Talk With Their Kids Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is proclaiming today "Take Five Iowa" Day as part of a crusade to encourage parents to take five minutes to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs. The Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa has contacted the principals of every elementary school in the state. More than 40,000 flyers were mailed to the schools, to be distributed to all fifth graders. The flyers encourage parents to take just five minutes to talk with their children about drugs, and suggest age-appropriate ways to approach the subject. Suggestions are included for talking to children as young as 5 years old. "It's never too early as long as a child can understand what you're talking about," says Dale Woolery, associate director; Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. "Research shows that teenagers who learn about drugs at home are 50 percent less likely to use them. Parents are very influential in the livers of their children." The discussion doesn't need to be a serious, one-on-one thing, he adds. It can be informal - outdoors, around the dinner table or in the car. "Travel times are good time to have these discussions. One of the main reasons kids choose not to use drugs is that they don't want to disappoint their parents. But children need to know what their parents' expectations are." The "Take Five" campaign also includes public service media messages and other informational materials. Additional fliers and more information about drug abuse are available online from the Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center at www.drugfreeinfo.org or by calling toll-free, 1-(866) 242-4111. "the best thing we can do is to educate young people to never get involved in the first place," Woolery says. WHAT TO SAY According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, teenagers whose parents talk to them about drugs are significantly less likely to use drugs than teens whose parents say nothing about the subject. Here are some suggestions on how to talk to children of different ages: 5-8 Years Old * Now is the time to begin explaining what alcohol, tobacco and drugs are. * Discuss how anything you put in your body that is not food can be harmful. * Explain the idea of addiction - that drug use can become a bad habit that is hard to stop. * Praise your children for taking good care of their bodies and avoiding things that might harm them. 9-11 Years Old * Children at this age can handle more sophisticated discussion. Use their curiosity about traumatic events (such as car accidents or divorces) to discuss how drugs could cause these events. * Friends become extremely important at this time, and older children may expose your child to alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Rehearse scenarios in which friends offer drugs. * "Upsetting my parents" is one of the top reasons preteens give for why they won't use marijuana. Give them permission to use you as an excuse, such as, "My mom will kill me if I drink a beer!" 12-14 Years Old * Adolescence is often a confusing and stressful time as teens try to figure out who they are and how to fit in. Nearly nine out of 10 teens agree that "it seems like marijuana is everywhere these days." * Take advantage of a teen's concerns about social image and appearance to point out immediate, distasteful consequences of tobacco and marijuana use: bad breath, stained teeth, and smelly hair and clothes. Point out that drug use is not only dangerous, but also can lead to broken friendships, even prison. * Point out long-term consequences, such as brain damage, cancer, and the potential for accidents, coma or death. 15-17 Years Old * Older teens already have made decisions about whether to use drugs. Now is the time to help them continue to resist peer pressure. * Use specific reasons to reinforce why drugs are bad: addiction, birth defects, car accidents, prison. * These students are thinking about their futures. Remind them that drug use could ruin their chances of college acceptance or embarking on their career choice. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager