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DRUG-PROOFING
YOUR CHILDREN
«THE
SELF DESTRUCTIVE USE OF DRUGS»
«A DRUG
AWARENESS PREVENTION AND EDUCATIONAL
GUIDE
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
EDUCATION IS SELF-EMPOWERMENT. SHARE THIS KNOWLEDGE
WITH YOUR CHILDREN. IT WILL NEVER BE TOO EARLY TO
DRUG PROOF YOUR CHILD.
Current statistics show
that virtually every child has or will be exposed
to the reality of illicit drugs by the time they
graduate from elementary school. Ages of
experimentation and addiction are dropping. Violent
crime among youngsters is increasing as a result.
Uncertainty about your own child may only lead to
fear. Silence is no answer. It is part of the
problem. Do not allow your silence to speak louder
than the truth.
For parents and teachers
alike, finding the correct words to help young
people understand the many dangers related to drugs
and other controlled substances may be more
difficult than finding an appropriate time to
discuss the facts presented in this poster. Beyond
words, this unique visual presentation is to help
adults and youth join together over an educational
experience that can help forge a bond of protective
awareness.
Contract into a united
front against substance abuse of all kinds. Make it
part of your declaration of independence from the
allure of drugs and other dangerously addictive
substances. Affirm the choice to make every child
drug proofed and armed with preventative knowledge.
Every day in America over
300 minors are arrested for alcohol offenses and
violent crimes, whereas an even larger number are
cited for drug offenses alone. Unquestionably, drug
abuse prevention has become a priority of every
parent, educator and community leader.
The CHALLENGE:
In previous generations,
there was more community involvement in the rearing
of children, even in the case of discipline. Today,
children are more likely to challenge the
institutions and authority figures with whom they
come into contact. Complex social trends may fuel
this attitude and while it remains just an
attitude, little or no harm may be done. However,
we cannot ignore that parenting in today's world
has become a frightening challenge.
The SOLUTION:
FOR PARENTS - The First
Line of Defence Is Prevention
On their own, drug
awareness campaigns, school programs and
counselling agencies do not create the climate
required to halt abuse, addiction and dependency.
The consequences of
substance abuse are best expressed to children by
their parents.
Parents need to know the
hard facts to discuss them with their children.
PREVENTION PROGRAMS:
Prevention programs are
generally designed to enhance « protective
factors » that reinforce the reduction of
known «risk factors».
Parents need to play a
decisive role in developing effective protective
strategies that will reduce the risk of a child's
involvement in substance abuse.
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
include:
- positive social bonds
within a pro-social family unit
- parental monitoring
- clear rules of conduct
that are consistently enforced within the family
- parental involvement -
active interest in the lives of their children
- encouraging a child's
interest and success in school performance
- creating strong bonds
with other pro-social institutions such as
schools, religious organizations and community
groups
- adoption of
conventional norms about drug abuse
RISK FACTORS increase with
- lack of positive
parent-child attachments and nurturing
- chaotic home
environments - i.e. homes in which parents are
themsleves addicts, substance abusers or suffer
from mental illnesses
- ineffective parenting
strategies - i.e. delivery of mixed messages to
children from parents, extended family and
primary custodians
SIGNALS THAT A CHILD MAY
BE AT RISK include:
- conduct disorders
among children who display difficult
temperaments and resist parental authority
- inappropriately shy or
aggressive behaviours in the classroom
- failure in school
performance - disinterest or despair in
achieving acdemic success
- affiliation with
deviant peers - peers displaying deviant
behaviours
- perception of approval
regarding drug use among family, work, school,
peer and community environments
HARD FACTS ABOUT
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
- The very perception of
risk connected with the use of many drugs has
dropped dramatically, especially among young
people.
- According to a recent
survey, drug use among American youth rose
dramatically form 1992 to 1996, more than
doubling among 8th to 12th graders.
- Thirty six percent of
those aged twelve and older have used an illegal
drug in their lifetime.
- Researchers have noted
a strong correlation between underage use of
tobacco and later life use of cocaine and
heroin.
- In 1997 there were
13.9 active users of any illicit drug in the
total U.S. households aged 12 and older,
representing 6.4 percent of the total
population.
- Marijuana continues to
be the illegal drug most frequently used by
young people; among high school seniors, 49.1
percent reported using marijuana at least once
in their lives.
- About 45 percent of
Americans report knowing someone in their family
or a close friend who has used illegal drugs.
- A total of 73 percent
of working age Americans who are current users
of illegal drugs are employed.
- In 1999 there were an
estimated 4 million chronic drug users in
America: 3.6 million chronic cocaine users and
810,000 chronic heroin users.
- Drug-related hospital
admissions for the 18-23 age group increased by
6 percent in 1997.
-
- ILLICIT DRUGS ARE:
-
- INFECTIOUSLY ADDICTIVE
:
- Drug abuse infects
every form of community and defies rigid
stereotyping.
-
- INCREASINGLY POPULAR:
- Children are
experimenting with controlled and illicit
substances at younger ages.
-
- INCREASINGLY
AVAILABLE:
- Drugs invade the
community as a whole, although the cure is
always individual
-
- A PEDESTRIAN PANDEMIC:
- Cigarette and alcohol
experimentation can lead to other forms of
harmful addiction
-
- THE DYNAMICS OF
COMPULSIVE DRUG ADDICTION
- Most illicit and
designer drugs are instantly attractive to first
time users. This is a major factor contributing
to their popularity.
-
- The use of illicit
drugs can create a tightening spiral of
attraction, addiction and dependency.
-
- Experiment does not
necessarily lead to severe addiction.
Nevertheless, experiment is the open door
through which individuals risk the enhanced
probability of acquiring a dependency that can
lead to compulsion.
-
- The prime directive of
compulsive addiction dictates that at all costs,
addicts will ensure that they have the means to
purchase their next fix and ready access to a
source of supply.
-
- The dynamics of
compulsive addiction:
- are similar to those
of any chronic, relapsing illness
- relate directly to
compulsive criminal acts and irrational displays
of violence
- extol a culture of
uncertainty, depravity and fear
- THE SCIENCE OF
DEPENDENCY
- Mind and body are
intimately connected to one another.
-
- Drugs interfere with
normal brain functioning, create short term
feelings of pleasure and long term effects on
brain metabolism.
-
- The physical effects
of various types of drug abuse are often
debilitating.
-
- THE SOCIAL COSTS OF
DRUG DEPENDENCY
- Illegal drugs cost
American society approximately $110 billion each
year.
-
- It is estimated that
the international illegal drug trade generates
$400 billion per year, equivalent to 8% of all
world trade.
-
- THE SOCIAL OUTCOME OF
DRUG DEPENDENCY
- A U.S. Government
agency reported 14,843 direct drug induced
deaths for 1996 (excluding indirect causes such
as accidents, homicides, AIDS etc.).
-
- An all time high of
more than 1.5 million Americans were arrested
for drug law violations in 1997.
- Over 20,000 road
deaths are attributed to alcohol abuse every
year in North America.
-
- One-fourth to one-half
of men who commit acts of domestic violence have
substance abuse problems.
- Women who abuse
alcohol and other drugs are more likely to
become victims of domestic violence.
-
- Substance abuse causes
or contributes to seven of ten cases of child
maltreatment and accounts for some $10 billion
in federal, state and local government spending
on child welfare systems.
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- THE TOBACCO-ALCOHOL
CONNECTION:
- Researchers have noted
a strong correlation between underage use of
tobacco and later in life use of cocaine and
heroin.
-
- Each day, more than
6,000 young people under nineteen years of age
try their first cigarette, and more than 3,000
youths in the same age group become daily
smokers.
-
- If current trends
continue approximately 5 million Americans now
younger than eighteen will die an early
preventable death from a smoking-attributable
disease.
-
- Tobacco use is the
single leading cause of preventable death in the
United States.
-
- Important links to
visit :
- The
Self Destructive Use of Drugs
- To
order
Please
submit all comments, questions, or suggestions to :
info@idarf.org
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