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Potomac Crossings
--By George Mason
Parent Power
It is within the power of parents to reduce the risk of drug addiction for their teenage
children significantly, says a new study released this week by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University (CASA). Joseph A. Califano, former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and current
CASA President, commenting on the research pointed out a good start is for "moms and dads to act like parents,
not pals."
The survey of 1,000 young people age 12-17 correlated each teenager's risk of substance abuse with a series of
12 possible actions the teen attributed to his or her parents. "Hands-on" parents (about 6.5 million
teens) accounted for about 27 percent of the universe. The "hands-off" parents accounted for about 18
percent or 4.3 million teens. The "hands-on parents consistently took at least ten of the 12 actions described
in the survey. The "hands-off" parents consistently took five or less. The teens who lived with "hands-on"
parents proved to be at just one-quarter the risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs as the teens living with
"hands-off" parents.
The 12 parental actions were:
- * Monitor what teens do on the Internet
* Set rules for watching television
* Restrict what CD's the teens may purchase
* Know where their teens are after school and on weekends
* Set weekend and weeknight curfews
* See that an adult is present in the home after school
* Teen is responsible for correctly performing regular chores
* Require teens to tell the truth about where they really are going
* Are "actively aware" of academic performance
* Make clear that they strongly disapprove of marijuana use
* Eat dinner with the children every possible night
* Turn off the television during supper
Psychologist Sylvia Rimm, quoted in The Washington Times, says that "many parents have lost control of
their children because they gave them too many choices - too much power - when they were small. That power is not
easily reclaimed when children become teens." "The goal," adds sociologist Michael Resnick, "
is to create clear expectations and boundaries and to provide reasons for the boundaries, not to promote rebellion
by running teen's lives."
"It is time," Califano continued, "for parents to look in the mirror and not out the window. Help
is not outside but in. Mothers and fathers can greatly reduce the risk of their children smoking, drinking or using
drugs. They can counter negative media influences and the prevalence of pot and other drugs in their teenager's
world. Whatever the family structure, whether the teen lives with both parents, a single mom or single dad, their
risks are dramatically lower in 'hands-on' households."
Despite the anxiety from some parents that they won't be liked if they enforce discipline, the survey indicates
that 47 percent of teens in "hands-on" households have an excellent relationship with their fathers.
That compares with just 13 percent of "hands-off" families. In the case of mothers, 57 percent report
and excellent relationship compared with 24 percent in "hands-of" households.
In the year 2000, 26 percent of the teens surveyed cited drugs as their biggest concern. The number is up from
23 percent in 1999. This past year, 51 percent of teens said that they never expected to try an illegal drug, compared
to 60 percent in 1999. With respect to their attitudes towards drugs, 31 percent said that they were concerned
because "drugs can ruin your life and cause harm." Some 17 percent acknowledged peer pressure to use
drugs but just two percent were concerned that drugs were illegal.
Some 14 million teens (60 percent of 12-17 year-olds) are at moderate to high risk of substance abuse. That means
they have friends who use pot or drink regularly; have a classmate or friend who use acid, cocaine or heroin; know
how to purchase marijuana quickly and expect to use an illegal drug in the future. The CASA surveys indicate a
disturbing connection between a teen's substance abuse and attendance at a school where drugs are kept, used or
sold. The risk is two to three times higher. The survey shows that 75 percent of private schools are perceived
by their students to be drug-free compared to 40 percent of public schools. "Parent-power is also the key
to drug-free schools," Califano added. "When parents feel as strongly about drug-infested schools as
they feel about asbestos-infested schools, we will have drug-free schools in America."
The drug Ecstasy pushed its way into consideration for the first time this year. Nearly 28 percent of teens knew
a friend or classmate who had used Ecstasy and 17 percent know more than one user. Ten percent of teens said that
they had been to a rave (unlicensed, underground, all-night nightclub) and that Ecstasy was available at 70 percent
of rave dance halls.
Another CASA survey indicates that state governments spend 113 times as much to clean up the devastation of child
substance abuse as they do on prevention and treatment. It is parents, not government, that create the first line
of defense for their children against the risk of substance abuse. To follow this subject further, check out updates
on CASA at www.casacolumbia.org.
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