Mobile High School
Substance Abuse Prevention Program
Goal 1: To educate parents and students and more importantly to enable Mobile students to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco.
Goal 2: To shield Mobile students from the growing drug threat in our communities.
Goal 3: To encourage and assist the development of community coalitions and programs in preventing drug abuse and underage alcohol and tobacco use.
Ten Steps To Keep Your Children Drug and Alcohol Free
Despite the grim stories that fill our newspapers and dominate the evening news, most young people do not use illicit drugs, they do not approve of drug use by their friends, and they share their parents' concern about the dangers posed by drugs.
Many schools in Newfoundland and Labrador struggle with issues of drug use in schools and on school grounds. In some cases the problem has reached epic proportions. Surveys completed by Mobile students suggest drug usage in our school or on our school grounds is not now a significant problem. That is not to say that is has not occurred or that it will not become a significant problem in the future. (See: http://mail.esdnl.ca/Schools/MobileCentralHigh/Surveys
Our success in keeping drugs away from Mobile High School can be attributed to a number of key factors:
1. A clearly defined school policy which views drug or alcohol use on school property as a criminal act with severe consequences.
2. Soliciting the cooperation and assurance of those students who admit to using drugs that they will not bring drugs to the school or the school grounds.
3. A climate and culture among many Mobile students who do not abuse drugs and who do not approve of drug use by their friends.
4. Close supervision of students by teachers during transition times ie recess, lunch, etc
Successful prevention efforts, whether in a family, school, or community setting, have many elements in common: a concern for the welfare and well-being of young people, dedicated adults who are willing to devote their time and energy, and an unwavering commitment to being drug free.The most promising drug prevention programs are those in which parents, students, schools, and communities join together to send a firm, clear message that the use of alcohol and other drugs will not be tolerated.The development of strong policies that spell out rules governing use,
possession, and sale of alcohol and other drugs is a key part of any school-based prevention program. Good school policies typically specify what constitutes an alcohol or other drug offense, spell out the consequences for violating the policy, describe procedures for handling violations, and build community support for the policy.
Section 7 of the Mobile High School Schoolwide Discipline plans states clearly that smoking, other than in the designated area, the use or possession of alcohol or illicit drugs on school property or at any school sponsored function or school trip is strictly prohibited. Our school has a responsibility to promote the health and well being of its students by ensuring student safety and developing and encouraging healthy lifestyles. When students are in violation of Section 7, parents will be informed and the student suspended. ~The school will deal with drug and alcohol abuse as a very serious matter. Offenders will be suspended and police agencies notified.
Keeping drugs out of our school is a positive step but it is not the sole solution to the problem of substance abuse among teens. While students may not abuse drugs on Mobile school grounds many still engage in drug use in their respective communities.
What's the biggest deterrent to your kids' using drugs and alcohol? It's you, the parents. If you want your child drug free consider the following:
Look at the facts: Kids who learn from their parents or caregivers about the risks of drugs are 36% less likely to smoke marijuana than kids who don't. 50% less likely to use inhalants. 56% less likely to use cocaine. 65% less likely to use LSD. Still think there's not much you can say or do? You are the most powerful influence in your child's daily life. The family is the social unit primarily responsible for child rearing functions
When families fail to fulfill this responsibility, the entire society suffers.
Families are responsible for providing:
–Physical necessities
–Emotional support
–Learning opportunities
–Moral guidance
–Building self-esteem and resilience
The tips that follow can help you turn your child away from the drugs that seem almost inevitable nowadays. You can do something. And you can start right now.
1. Get Involved
Kids who are close to their parents are least likely to engage in risky behaviors. The more involved you are in your children's lives, the more valued they'll feel, and the more likely they'll be to respond to you. Establish "together time." Establish a regular weekly routine for doing something special with your child - even something as simple as going out for ice cream. Don't be afraid to ask where your kids are going, who they'll be with and what they'll be doing. Get to know your kid's friends - and their parents - so you're familiar with their activities. Try to be there after school when your child gets home. The "danger zone" for drug use is between 4 and 6 pm, when no one's
around; arrange flexible time at work if you possibly can. If your child will be with friends, ideally they have adult supervision - not just an older sibling. Eat together as often as you can. Meals are a great opportunity to talk about the day's events, to unwind, reinforce, bond. Studies show that kids whose families eat together at least 5 times a week are less likely to be involved with drugs or alcohol.
2. Learn to Communicate
Do you know your kids' favorite music group? What's cool at school? The more you communicate, the more at ease your child will feel about discussing drugs and other sensitive issues with you. Be absolutely clear with your kids that you don't want them using drugs. Ever. Anywhere. Don't leave room for interpretation. And talk often about the dangers and results of drug and alcohol abuse. Once or twice a year won't do it. Be a better listener. Ask questions - and encourage them. Paraphrase what your child says to you. Ask for their input about family decisions. Showing your willingness to listen will make your child feel more comfortable about opening up to you. Give honest answers. Don't make up what you don't know; offer to find out.
If asked whether you've ever taken drugs, let them know what's important: that you don't want them using drugs. Use TV reports, anti-drug commercials, news or school discussions about drugs to help you introduce the subject in a natural, unforced way. Don't react in a way that will cut off further discussion. If your child makes statements that challenge or shock you, turn them into a calm discussion of why your child thinks people use drugs, or whether the effect is worth the risk. Role play with your child and practice ways to refuse drugs and alcohol in different situations. Acknowledge how tough these moments can be.
3. Walk the Walk
Be a role model; the person you want your kid to be. What stronger anti-drug message is there? Be a living, day-to-day example of your value system. Show the compassion, honesty, generosity and openness you want your child to have. Know that there is no such thing as "do as I say, not as I do" when it comes to drugs. If you take drugs, you can't expect your child to take your advice. Seek professional help if necessary. Examine your own behavior. If you abuse drugs or alcohol, know that your kids are inevitably going to pick up on it. Or if you laugh uproariously at a movie when someone is drunk or stoned, what message does that send to your child?
4. Lay Down the Law
Kids between 11-13 - ages highly at risk for drug experimentation - are increasingly independent. Despite their protests, they still crave structure and guidance; they want you to show them you car enough to set limits. Create rules - and discuss in advance the consequences of breaking them. Make your expectations clear. Don't make empty threats or let the rule-breaker off the hook. Don't impose harsh or unexpected new punishments. Set a curfew. And enforce it strictly. Be prepared to negotiate for special occasions. Have kids check in at regular times. Give them a phone card, cell phone or even a pager, with clear rules for using it.
Call parents whose home is to be used for a party. On party night, don't be afraid to stop in to say hello (and make sure that adult supervision is in place).
Make it easy to leave a party where drugs are being used. Discuss in advance how you or another designated adult will come to pick your child up the moment he or she feels uncomfortable. Later, be prepared to talk about what happened.
Listen to your instincts. Don't be afraid to intervene if your gut reaction tells you that something is wrong.
5. Know the Indicators of Drug Abuse
One of the questions asked increasingly by parents is "How can I tell if a child is using drugs?" This is a most difficult question when signs and symptoms associated with behavior are used as a basis for (knowing) suspicion. It is difficult to separate the typical adolescent behavior from the drug induced behavior, but the parent should consider the following behavior suspect:
· Poor coordination, erratic judgement quality, and delayed decision making
· Significant decline in school grades
· Frequent discipline notices sent home from school
· Fatigue, frequent sleeping, slow or slurred speech, and loss of concentration
· Refusal to accept authority, careless and impulsive actions, and/or a lackadaisical 'I don't care' attitude
· Secretive behavior, difficulty interacting with former friends.
· Sudden change in work performance, appearance and personal hygiene.
· Increased absenteeism and lack of attachment to school and school programs
· Physical signs of substance abuse including; blood-shot or watery eyes, hand tremors, swaying or staggering gait, runny nose, confusion, unusual weight loss or gain, and odor of alcohol or marijuana.
· more irritable, less affectionate, secretive, unpredictable, hostile, depressed, uncooperative, apathetic, withdrawn, sullen easily provoked, oversensitive.
· refuses to talk about details of friendship, group activities, refuses to discuss "drug issues," become defensive when negative effects of drug use are discussed, strongly defends occasional use or experimental use of drugs by peers, insists that adults hassle their children, begins to defend "rights" of youth, prefers to talk about bad habits of adults.
· disordered thinking or ideas and thought patterns that seem out-of-order, heightened sensitivity to touch, smell, and taste, increased appetite from marijuana smoking (known as the "munchies"), loss of ability to blush, decreased ability in rapid thought process, weight loss
· demands right to drink alcohol, refuses to spend additional time on studies even though grades are down, insists that teachers are unfair, becomes extremely irritable, refuse to do chores, uses bad language, come home late with alcohol on breath, claims people are telling lies on him/her, claims never to have smoked pot, not want to eat with or spend time with family, acts very secretive on telephone?
· takes money from parents, brothers, or sisters, steals objects from home that are easily converted to cash, lies chronically, and had brushes with law enforcement.
6. Praise and Reward
What encourages a kid more than his or her parents' approval? The right word at the right time can strengthen the bond that helps keep your child away from drugs. Reward good behavior consistently and immediately. Expressions of love, appreciation and thanks go a long way. Even kids who think themselves too old for hugs will appreciate a pat on the back or a special treat. Accentuate the positive. Emphasize the things your kid does right. Restrain the urge to be critical. Affection and respect - making your child feel good about himself - will reinforce good (and change bad) behavior far more successfully than embarrassment or uneasiness.
7. Parent Support Groups
Help your child to grow up alcohol and drug free by supporting school and community efforts to give young people healthy alternatives. Other parents can be valuable allies in your effort to keep your child drug free. Get to know the parents of your child's friends. Share expectations about behavior and develop a set of mutually agreed upon rules about such things as curfews, unchaperoned parties, and places that are off-limits. Helping youngsters stay out of trouble is easier when rules of conduct are clearly known and widely shared.Build a network of other adults with whom you can talk. Form or join a parent organization in your community, or talk informally with your friends about common concerns in rearing children. Sharing experiences can provide insights that help you deal with your child's behavior.
It also helps to know that other parents have faced similar situations.
8. Get The Facts
As parents, we need to know about alcohol and other drugs so that we can provide our children with current and correct information. If we have a working knowledge of common drugs - know their effects on the mind and body, and the symptoms of their use - we can discuss these subjects intelligently with our children. In addition, well-informed parents are better able to recognize if a child has symptoms of alcohol or drug-related problems: The Mobile High School website can help in this regard. We have posted a number of videos including:
· Teens and Underage Drinking
· GHB-Date Rape Drugs
· Kids, Drugs, Crime and Consequences
· Marijuana-Reading The Smoke Signals
· Helping Addicted Youth Find Recovery
· The Agony of Ecstasy
We have also posted on a number of articles on specific drugs including:
· Marijuana
· Cocaine
· Hallucinogins
· Inhalants
· Heroin, Opiates & other Analgesics
· Amphetamines and other Stimulants
· Depressants
· PCP and Ketamines
At a minimum parents, you should:
know the different types of drugs and alcohol most commonly used and the dangers associated with each;
be able to identify paraphernalia associated with each drug;
be familiar with the street names of drugs;
know what drugs look like;
9. Teach Values
Every family has expectations of behavior that are determined by principles and standards. These add up to "values." Children who decide not to use alcohol or other drugs often make this decision because they have strong convictions against the use of these substances - convictions that are based on a value system. Social, family, and religious values give young people reasons to say no and help them stick to their decisions.
Here are some ways to help make your family's values clear:
· Communicate values openly. Talk about why values such as honesty, self-reliance, and responsibility are important, and how values help children make good decisions. Teach your child how each decision builds on previous decisions as one's character is formed, and how a good decision makes the next decision easier.
· Recognize how your actions affect the development of your child's values. Simply stated, children copy their parent's behavior. Children whose parents smoke, for example, are more likely to become smokers. Evaluate your own use of tobacco, alcohol, prescription medicines, and even over-the-counter drugs. Consider how your attitudes and actions may be shaping your child's choice about whether or not to use alcohol or other drugs. This does not mean, however, that if you are in the habit of having wine with dinner or an occasional beer or cocktail you must stop. Children can understand and accept that there are differences between what adults may do legally and what
is appropriate and legal for children. Keep that distinction sharp, however. Do not let your children be involved in your drinking by mixing a cocktail for you or bringing you a beer, and do not allow your child to have sips of your drink.
Make sure that your child understands your family values. Parents assume, sometimes mistakenly, that children have "absorbed" values even though they may be rarely or never discussed. You can test your child's understanding by discussing some common situations at the dinner table; for example, "What would you do if a person ahead of you in line at the theater dropped a dollar bill?"
Child rearing is one of the most important tasks anyone ever performs, and the one for which there is the least preparation. Most of us learn how to be parents through on-the-job training and by following the example that our parents set.
Today the widespread use of alcohol and other drugs subjects our children, families, and communities to pressures unheard of 30 or 40 years ago. Frankly, many of us need help to deal with this frightening threat to our children's health and well-being.
Recent surveys show that we are making progress in our national battle against some drugs. Casual use is declining, attitudes are changing, and we know more about what works to prevent drug use by our young people.
As parents, we can build on that progress in our own families by having strong, loving relationships with our children, by teaching standards of right and wrong, by setting and enforcing rules for behavior, by knowing the facts about alcohol and other drugs, and by really listening to our children.
10. Summary-Talking With and Listening to Your Child
Many parents hesitate to discuss alcohol and other drug use with their child. Some of us believe that our children couldn't become involved with illegal substances. Others delay because we don't know what to say or how to say it, or we are afraid of putting ideas into our children's heads.
Don't wait until you think your child has a problem. Many young people in treatment programs say that they had used alcohol and other drugs for at least two years before their parents knew about it. Begin early to talk about alcohol and other drugs, and keep the lines of communication open.
Don't be afraid to admit that you don't have all the answers. Let your child know that you are concerned, and that you can work together to find answers.
Be a good listener. Make sure your child feels comfortable bringing problems or questions to you. Listen closely to what your child says. Don't allow anger at what you hear to end the discussion. If necessary, take a 5-minute break to calm down before continuing. Take note of what your child is Not saying, too. If the child does not tell you about problems, take the initiative and ask questions about what is going on at school or in other activities.
Be available to discuss even sensitive subjects. Young people need to know that they can rely on their parents for accurate information about subjects that are important to them. If your child wants to discuss something at a time when you can't give it full attention, explain why you can't talk, set a time to talk later, and then carry through on it!
Give lots of praise. Emphasize the things your child is doing right instead of always focusing on things that are wrong. When parents are quicker to praise than to criticize, children learn to feel good about themselves, and they develop the self-confidence to trust their own judgment.
Give clear messages. When talking about the use of alcohol and other drugs, be sure you give your child a clear no-use message, so that the child will know exactly what is expected. For example, "In our family we don't allow the use of illegal drugs, and children are not allowed to drink."
Model good behavior. Children learn by example as well as teaching. Make sure that your own actions reflect the standards of honesty, integrity, and fair play that you expect of your child.
Seek help. Mobile High School can help. We can assist parents who are struggling with their teen’s drug issue. Call the school in confidence. Share the burden and help your child on the road to recovery.
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