I went to a talk tonight given by the Poe Center in Raleigh (http://www.poehealth.org/) . If you aren't familiar with them, they are a great non-profit which promotes health education in NC. Tonight they educated parents about drugs, alcohol, etc. so we can learn the warning signs of when our kids are into things they shouldn't be doing. I usually feel pretty young for my age, tonight I felt completely old and out of touch. The stuff kids are doing today is crazy. They can also get a ton of substances from the internet, which wasn't around when we were younger. I learned that they make chemicals to get high with and as fast as we make them illegal, they just come up with a new one, so that the substance isn't controlled. They also do stupid things like the choking game. They said kids as young as 11, engage in this "activity". I asked my 11 year old son, who is honestly clueless about most things, and he said one of his friends at school said his brother did it once, but he wasn't sure what it was. I was shocked he had even heard of it on his elementary school playground. We talked about it, he agreed it sound like a really stupid idea.
We learned that we as parents have a tremendous influence on the decisions our children will make regarding these behaviors, so set good examples, reinforce good behaviors/decisions and talk to your kids about these issues. Keep your prescription drugs and alcohol locked up. Educate yourself on the household items kids use to get high with, such as things a simple as a can of reddi wip. This website has more info to help educate you on what is going on today to help protect your kids.
http://www.theantidrug.com/
There is more to say, so we will "talk" more about this in the next post!
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