Calvert Library "In the News": Yes, You Need to Talk to Your Children about Drugs (press release)

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Yes, You Need to Talk to Your Children about Drugs (press release)

November 21, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291

You can’t open the newspaper or listen to the radio without hearing something about the drug abuse epidemic here in Calvert County and across the nation. No matter how protective we are of our children, there is still the chance that they or their friends will encounter drugs. Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Calvert Library, Calvert County Public Schools and Calvert County Health Department are teaming up to help parents learn how to talk to their children about drugs. On Thursday, November 30 at 6:30pm at Calvert Library Prince Frederick, they will show Chasing the Dragon: Life of an Opiate Addict where you’ll learn that addiction can strike any family. The film will be followed up by a conversation with experts about how to give your children the tools to be safe and successful out in the world beyond home.

According to Scientific American, the “Just Say No” campaign didn’t work because it didn’t teach kids how to handle peer pressure and it didn’t give them a chance to practice refusing drugs. The other criticism of the “Just Say No” campaign was that it made kids think that drug use was the norm and that saying “no” made them “not cool,” when in fact, most kids do not use drugs. That doesn’t mean that most kids are not offered drugs. A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that 81% of teens say that they had the opportunity to use illicit substances. We all need a little help parenting. We can help children understand the impact drugs and alcohol can have on a developing brain. We can go an extra step and role-play so that children have a script they can easily recall if they are approached with an offer of drugs or alcohol. To learn more about how to keep your child safe and to share strategies with other parents, please come to this workshop. Registration is requested but not required.

For more information, call Robyn Truslow or Juanita Anderson at 410-535-0291.

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