Finished another day of talks to students at Basehor Linwood High School. First of all, Thank You, Susan Mayberry for allowing me into your classroom. This is much more important to me that it is to all of you that listen. I'm sure every POA would understand what I mean by that and would side with me on that one.
The beginning of each talk these last two days I opened with a video that was produced for The Medicine Abuse Project. It is the story of 5 teens that abused prescription medication. I couldn't believe the impact this video had on the students and the parents that attended.
I asked and The Partnership has posted the video on their website.
It's hard to talk with your children about drugs. Studies show parents would rather talk to their kids about sex than drugs. Mostly because they don't know what to say and they are afraid of THE QUESTION. You know the "question", "Dad, Mom, have you ever used drugs?" You know what I tell these kids in class, you start the conversation with dad and mom. I also tell them don't be afraid of putting dad and mom on the spot. I explain to them the very best conversation they can have with dad and mom about drugs is a honest one, no secrets.
I am asking a favor from all that read this blog. I know many of you are POA's. The favor I am asking is for you to watch this video. It's only 11:43 minutes of your life. After you watch it PLEASE forward a link to a parent of a young teen. Ask them to watch and beg them to talk with their children about drugs. If they don't know how to talk about drugs to their child send them a link, The Partnership has an entire section about how to talk to your child about drugs.
Here is the link: PARENTS360 Rx Click on the video link on that page.
If you need help talking to your kids about drugs: PREVENT
Leave me a comment.......Watched & Talked
That is all the fuel I need to keep fighting the monster.
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22 comments:
Good Lord! I had to get myself together to be able to comment here. What an extremely powerful video. I ordered my own toolkit....if you read my blog today, maybe it will come in use in that arena in some way. Thank you Ron for sharing this and for all that you are doing! Bless your heart....you are a good man.
I have Watched & Talked.
My cousin is a youth minister and I have sent him the link and ask him to please talk with his youth congregation and their parents.
I Watched & Talked
I left messages for two more friends asking them to watch the video and talk to the young people in their lives.
I Watched & Talked
I left personal messages for 2 more of my Facebook friends that I know both of them work with lots of kids.
One person I left a message for has already responded that he going to watch the video and do what he can.
I Watched & Talked
I am a school teacher. I will be sending the video link to all my staff and our addictions worker. An absolutely excellent video.
I Watched & Talked
Sent a message to a teacher friend and ask her to watch the video and please share it with her colleagues.
I Watched & Talked. We've all got to keep talking. To anyone who will listen and those who will not!
A very powerful video! I want to weigh in on this topic, from the other side of the fence. I am a heroin addict in recovery, clean 5 years. Some of you may know me as BMelonsLemonade. Now, my son is only 3, so this conversation is still a ways off, for me, as a parent. But, I have thought about this conversation many times already. And I have thought about my response to his question, wondering if I have ever used drugs. Of course, I will be honest with him, and maybe my story alone will be powerful enough for him to stay away from drugs. With published book, detailing my addiction, I often wonder now how that could impact him down the line. I pray that when he reads my story for the first time, he will know that person is not the mother he ever knew. I know that he has the genetic risk factor for addiction, so I make sure that he does not have any of the risk factors that I can control. I strive hard to keep him as far away from addiction as I can. It helps that I know alot about the disease, and also recovery, and now even prevention. But, I, too, still dread that talk with my child, and I am not sure how I will respond to his questions. But, education is the key. Thankfully, I am quite educated about the topic of addiction, and I really do wish that all parents were more educated about addiction. Hell, I wish everyone was more educated about it...it would help to distigmatize addiction. And it would laos make a dent in the prescription pill problem that has swept the country. Did you know that most doctors are hardly educated about addiction? We need to educate our children, and the world...Thanks for letting me share from the other side of the fence!
I Watched & Talked
I sent a message and links to a reporter friend of mine in Lawrence KS and school board member in McPherson, KS.
I Watched & Talked
I sent a message about the video and talking to young people to the Mayor of KC KS. I don't know the mayor personally but when I was in school I had his father for a teacher. The mayor is young with 2 young children. He is a good leader and I hope he is able to pass this message on to other parents in our community.
I think it is ironic that Purdue Pharma backs the Partnership at Drug Free.org when it was the drug that THEY created, Oxycotin, and LIED about stating it was not addictive which has led to the demise of so many people in our lives. I will never support anything that has to do with that company.
Love your blog, love your passion, love your posts Ron but
I HATE Purdue
I Watched & Talked
I sent a message to a former co-worker that has two beautiful little children and I sent a message to a person I went to high school with that is a radio personality in Topeka, KS
Thank you Ron for a beautifully written post. I think it resonated with many. I am thrilled that you like the video and have used it so successfully. You are an angel to help so many other parents find hope and healing. We couldn't do this nearly as well without folks like you in our corner. And just for the record, I watched and talked and would have done so whether or not I worked in this field. Bless you!
I do not allow advertisements for rehabs masqueraded as comments on my blog.
I respect and admire any efforts to inform youth of the perils of drug use.
Unfortunately, many kids will succumb to peer pressure, ignoring DARE and other programs.
Having operated a sober home for 11 years, I can attest to the fact that we can't scare youth away from drugs. Regardless of varied efforts, kids will continue to experiment and 10% will become addicted to a substance.
I watched this video. I am the mother of 4, ages 19, 17, 7 and 5. My 19 yr old son is a drug addict. I have been wanting to write about it, my experience with him and trying to deal with him. He does not live with me, but comes to visit his younger siblings only if he is not high. I will read your blog in hopes of figuring out things. Thank you
I sent the link to my two brothers who both have kids in their late teens, early twenties. One of my brothers is a Lt at the Madison, wis police department and forwarded it to the entire department. He has received a lot of positive response and one of his colleagues was planning to watch it with his kids.
Btw, I did watch this myself And it choked me up, i was that clueless parent, my son2 tried every medication he could find in the house before going on to heroin.
Thank you for sharing this!
Great video with some very important points such as where to look for drugs -which is everywhere-torn linings in clothes, picture frames, slits in the mattress, inside anything that can be taken apart. Showing what the eye looks like when someone is high is helpful. Parents need all the tools they can get. Also which I don't think they mentioned in the video is to know your child's friends. Invite them over, spend time with them, know their parents.
And one other point - be aware of what your doctor or dentist is prescribing to your child. Tell your doctors that you prefer a different pain killer or ask if it is necessary - would Advil do? I'm not kidding, so many times it's your own doctor or dentist which is putting drugs in your child's hands.
If you find pills check on the internet at sites like http://www.drugs.com/identification.html to see what they are.
And thank you to Eliza Player for commenting here. Parents need to hear from those who have been there done that. God bless those who do this!
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