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Myth #1: all adolescents experiment with
drugs. Statistics show that the rate of teenage drug use remains
at a very high level. According to a yearly study conducted by
the University of Michigan and the Institute for Social Research,
illicit drug use among eighth, tenth and twelfth graders rose
from 1991 through 1996. For twelfth and tenth graders, use continued
to rise in 1997 with a slight decline in 1998. Use among eighth
graders dropped gradually in 1997 and 1998 (Johnston, O'Malley
and Bachman). However, that does not mean that every adolescent
has tried or will try drugs. Part of the myth of experimentation
is that drug use is a "rite of passage" for teens into
adulthood. This implies that all adolescents will pass through
it.
In addition, not all adolescents will pass through their drug
use without negative consequences. Drug use is risky and unhealthy
behavior. In today's society even "experimentation"
can lead to car accidents, driving while under the influence,
unplanned sexual activity, date rape, and sometimes death.
The word "experimentation" can be misleading. When
we get calls from parents seeking counseling for their adolescent
we often hear the words, "I think my child has been experimenting
with drugs." When asked how long the parent has been aware
of the drug use, the reply can be anywhere from weeks to years.
This implies that experimentation is a phase, when it is not
a phase at all. In fact, it is a one-time event.
Once intoxication has been experienced, the experiment is over.
The next intoxication indicates that the adolescent has gone
past experimentation to a different stage of use. As with a scientific
experiment, once the results have been achieved, the experiment
is over. Once intoxication has occurred, the user knows what
effects the chemical has on him and then decides (consciously
or subconsciously) if he likes it and will do it again.
Myths #2 & #3: These myths go hand in hand: drug use is a
phase in an adolescent's life and I used drugs when I was a teenager
and grew out of it. There are no guarantees that your child will
grow out of it as you did. Chemical dependency is a biochemical
genetic disease. Your child might be genetically predisposed
to chemical dependency even if you, as the parent, do not have
the symptoms of dependency. There is no test available at this
time to determine whether a person has the brain chemistry of
dependency. Therefore, a adolescent who is putting chemicals
into his body and brain is playing Russian roulette. Some people
will not become chemically dependent, while others will. Still
others will have a life-long relationship with chemicals that
will affect many areas of their lives. These people might never
become addicted, but will abuse drugs. The difference between
addiction and abuse will be explained in detail in chapter three.
Are you willing to take the chance of your child "growing
out of it"?
(contd.)
Myth #4 It is just marijuana. Marijuana
is perceived by many as a harmless drug, because it is not believed
to be addictive. However, marijuana is psychologically addictive
for many people and can be physically addictive. Psychological
addiction is preoccupation that becomes an obsession
For example, there might be a preoccupation to use drugs on weekends.
The marijuana user spends time and energy thinking about and
planning for the weekend. As the illness develops, the preoccupation
might include putting up drug-related posters or drawing pictures
of marijuana leaves on backpacks or in notebooks.
It is also argued, by some of the adolescents that we see, that marijuana is a "natural herb" that God put on this planet for our use, so it can't be bad. There are also natural but deadly poisonous mushrooms (not to be confused with the mushrooms some adolescents use for intoxication) that we would not think of taking, nor would we allow our children to "experiment" with them. You or your friends might have smoked marijuana in your teenage years and remember the drug as being "not as bad as the others." However, the marijuana that you or your friends might have smoked in the 1960's was approximately 0.5% THC. THC is the chemical in marijuana that produces intoxication. The marijuana smoked in the 1970's was between 1.5 and 3% THC. The marijuana that your child is smoking today is most often a minimum of 10% THC. This is an entirely different drug than you or others smoked as teenagers. It is much more addictive than the marijuana of the 60's and 70's.
Myth #5: adolescents are going to drink
alcohol, so I want them to do it in my home under my supervision.
At first glance this might seem to make sense. After further
investigation, this is not the case. To allow them to drink in
your home gives them the message that you think "it is only
alcohol" and that it is okay. From their point of view,
you are giving them permission to use one kind of drug, alcohol.
This assumes that alcohol is the only drug they will use. We
have found that this is not the case. Rarely do adolescents relate
an accurate drug history that lists alcohol as the only drug
ever used. Alcohol, of course, is a legal and accepted drug for
adults. However, research shows that the earlier a person begins
to drink, the more likely he is to become an alcoholic. When
an adult starts to drink (with no other drug use involved) after
age 21, it can take many years to develop the symptoms of alcoholism
if the person is genetically predisposed.
However, an adolescent who frequently drinks
develops alcoholism much more rapidly, whether or not he is genetically
predisposed. Also, the chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters)
do not know the difference between a "legal" drug,
alcohol, and other illegal drugs.
Allowing your child to drink in your home assumes that he will
not drink outside of your home. This is just not the case. If
they like the taste or effect produced by the alcohol they have
at home, why would they not want to achieve that same effect
when they are out with their friends having fun? We encourage
you to think of this in terms of another scenario. If you had
a child who you knew was going to have sex anyway, would you
give him a condom and allow him to have sex in your home? Would
you consider that "good parenting"? Would you really
believe he would not have sex anyplace else or that giving permission
for a thirteen-year-old to have sex is acceptable? The same is
true of alcohol. Drinking "under my roof and only under
my roof" is a myth!