6d Keep Child AWAY from Drugs

C.E.P.T.A.

The CAMPAIGN for EFFECTIVE PREVENTION and TREATMENT of ADDICTION.

5d. How to Help Keep YOUR Child Away from Drugs

Regrettably it is now an acknowledged fact that children are being introduced to drugs - mainly cannabis and pharmaceutical substances - at ages as low as 6 and 7 years, although the biggest users of illicit drugs are in the 16 to 22 year age group, with 25% of this older group having taken a drug in the last three months.

However, receiving a lot less publicity is the fact that children below 18 years of age are today drinking more alcohol and at lower ages than ever before in our history. And it's not just a little more - its a gigantic amount more. Not only because they are getting through more drinks, but also because on average the drinks themselves today contain more than twice as much alcohol as they did 50 years ago. Beer at 5%, 6% and even 9% is available everywhere today, but in 1948 it was usually 2% to 2½%.

But whilst most licensees can occasionally be careless about illegally serving the under- aged drinker, the real 'pushers' of illegal alcohol usage are . . . . parents!

We find alcohol in well over 90% of British homes, and research shows that the vast majority of under-age drinking is done at home, which is pretty obvious if you think about it. Daren’s house one night, Tony's the next, then Mary's, Jane's, Peter's, Clint's and Sharon's on the following nights. Virtually no chance of police intervention. Also fewer driving problems. T.V. or a video in the lounge or bedroom and: "whose round is it?" Well in most cases, they're drinking Dad's supply straight out of the pantry or fridge, supplemented by what they have been able to wangle out of the local off-licence or supermarket.

In fact, from age 13 to 15 onwards, you can even find many of them sharing a six pack or bottle of wine with one or both of their parents. And in families where Dad and Mum drink regularly, it is also increasingly regarded as "normal" for young children to have 'one or two' drinks - initially on 'special occasions' but later, on an increasing day to day basis.

Even in homes where parents don't themselves drink regularly and offer no encouragement for their offsprings to drink, there is usually little or no dis-couragement. "If he's not drinking here, he'll be doing it down the road and coming home at God knows what hour. If he's here, at least I know where he is and I can see that he gets to bed at a sensible time".

If we were talking just about alcohol, many parents, as a justification of their own drinking habits, would say: "Doesn't sound bad to me". But we're not talking just about alcohol. We are talking about cannabis, and how youngsters get started on it.

Well over three-quarters of teenagers admitted that, when "trying" cannabis for the first time, they had been drinking alcohol when they were coaxed into it by their "friends". Most of them also said that they had several times been offered it before - when sober - and had refused. Similar statistics applied to the second time they smoked cannabis, and again they said they probably wouldn't have if they hadn't been drinking first.

Responsibility and judgement are the first things to go out of the window when a person is drinking alcohol. So . . . . if you really do want to help keep your child away from drugs, then you must first keep them away from alcohol. If that means cutting back a bit on your own drinking: . . . . "Doesn't sound bad to me".

If you would like further confidential advice or information on effective drug prevention education for you and your family, phone or fax: (01342) 811099..

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