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Are we drug-knowledgeable? We want, at all costs, to keep kids away from drugs, but in another way, we protect them too much by never again talking about or looking at pictures of drugs.
One good example for the need of clear, concise instruction is Barbara; a normal, semi-happy teenager in high school who wanted to fit in. She began hanging with kids that partied.
Her parents talked to her about drugs and ‘drug pushers’ and she thought she knew what all kids knew about it. She was aware that drug pushers gave drugs to good kids and they got addicted and had problems for the rest of their lives. If she ever saw a drug pusher she knew to leave.
Sometimes Terms Misguide Kids
Later on, she was at a party and someone pulled out a baggie of pills and a large group of kids gathered around him. Everyone took a white tablet they called ecstasy and Barbara’s friend gave her one. Soon she felt like she was happy and drunk.
The next day Barbara saw the headline on the front page; “Teen Dies of Overdose at Party.” It stung when she read that it was the party she’d been to, and was glad she hadn’t been there at the same time the pusher had come through.
Barbara’s parents did their part; they’d talked about drugs with her. However, Barbara didn’t completely understand the terms used, and she’d put herself in danger when not correctly informed. To Barbara, that guy at the party wasn’t a ‘drug pusher,’ it was just a guy who had pills and sold some to her friends.
