Fleetwood’s Tiger Assistance Program (TAP) and the Caron Foundation invited parents to join them in the middle school library for Parenting for Prevention, an educational program to provide information on prevention of drug and alcohol use in teens, on Dec. 4.
Terrie Taylor, LSW of the Caron Foundation flipped through slides on the projector, informing the about 30 parents in attendance about the latest drug trends, what to look for and how to prevent their children from using drugs and alcohol.
Parents’ eyes widened as Taylor shared shocking statistics.
“The average age of first time drug use, in 2014, is 8 to 10 years old,” she said. “The average age of ongoing use is 13 years old. The prefrontal cortex in the brain continues to develop until about 25 years old, so using these substances can permanently affect those pathways and set them up for addiction.”
Taylor warned parents and administrators to be on the lookout for new trends. Kids are starting to turn to other easily concealable outlets: snorting powdered alcohol, hookah pens that look like ballpoint pens and even marijuana candy.
“Probably the biggest drug we see in the area, even in middle schoolers, is marijuana,” said Taylor.
Parents in the session wanted to know more about prescription pill abuse and heroin, due to its recent prevalence in the area.
“Heroin use has become more prevalent in this area, and that use usually begins with prescription pill abuse,” said Taylor. “Your brain does not know the difference between a little white pill and injecting heroin. It affects the brain the same way, which is why so many people are getting addicted.”
Mayor Tammy Gore intervened to urge Fleetwood residents to drop their unused medications in the Community Center drop box.
“Please, please take them there. The box is monitored under a security camera, and the medications are literally incinerated,” she said.
Unfortunately, according to Taylor, one in four teens reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, which is a 33 percent increase over a five-year period. Of those teens that said they used these medications, one in five has done so before age 14.
Despite these daunting statistics, Taylor offered the parents solutions and preventative tips for protecting their children.
“Believe it or not, one of the best things you can do is have family dinners,” she said. “Studies showed that the percentage of use in teens was significantly lower if they sat down for dinner with their families more often.”
Other ideas Taylor offered included monitoring your own medications, choosing the right times to talk, utilizing teachable moments, consistently relaying messages of parental disapproval of substance abuse, establishing clear rules and boundaries, having positive expectations of your child’s behavior, knowing your child’s friends and their parents, checking in and monitoring your child’s social media and mobile phone use.
“The average teenager sends 3,700 texts per month and spends 7.38 hours a day on some type of electronic device,” said Taylor. “Facebook has more personal information than the CIA computers. Make sure you know what they are doing on these social media sites. It’s not about being a snoop, and it’s not about mistrusting your child. It’s about making sure they’re being safe.”
After the presentation, Gore commented on the turnout.
“As mayor, I know a lot about what’s going on, and I meet with the other mayors to discuss it,” she said. “I’m glad to see this many people here because in the past there was only a handful of people.”
New Middle School Principal Gangi Cuciuffo had a similar experience in his last district.
“I’ve done this in Ephrata, a district that’s twice this size, and had four parents,” he said. “It’s good to see this many people come out.”
SAP is a mandated program that is carried out in every district in the state. It offers education, awareness and support to struggling students, as well as parents and administration. Jen Moyer, Fleetwood’s liaison from the Caron Foundation, is in district twice a week.