Forum: Parents must put in time
By Kathi Keys
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - Parents hold the key to ensuring alcohol-free and drug-free
children.
"If children's time is unaccounted for, they're going to get in
trouble," said Asheboro High School Principal Dr. Larry Riggan.
Based on his more than 20 years in education "watching kids getting
into trouble," he said he has found that alcohol and drug problems
affect all socioeconomic groups.
Riggan added about a parent's role, "You need to account for your
kids' time ... you need to know where they are going and who they are with.
... Raising kids is difficult, but you need to put in the time."
"A lot of time," added Joe Goldston of Goldston Substance Abuse
Services, Asheboro, who counsels individuals addicted by drugs and/or alcohol.
That message was among many delivered at Monday night's Asheboro City
Schools' parent forum devoted to the topic of "Alcohol, Tobacco and
Other Drugs, Help and Resources." It was held at Asheboro High School.
The 13 individuals, mostly school employees, in attendance also saw a
video about the "Parent to Parent" drug prevention program available
to help parents.
The video dispelled "parents' fatal beliefs" like "I don't
have time," "Let the school take care of it," "My kids
won't listen to me," "There's nothing I can do" or "Everybody
is doing it."
And Goldston talked about the chemical affects of alcohol and drugs on
the body when a young man or lady, as young as 11 or 12 years of age, wants
to experiment with alcohol or drugs when with peers.
"They get a buzz and they don't forget where it started or how it
made them feel," he said.
"They don't drink for the taste, but the effects. They start having
problems in school, with their parents, with the neighborhood kids and say
'you don't understand.' "
Marijuana, cocaine and meth are the most common drugs because "they
can get it pretty simple," Goldston said.
And it's not uncommon to see a youngster become a drug dealer - "a
14- to 15-year-old with $1,000 in his pocket" who's not interested
in his parents' requests for him to get a job at a fast-food restaurant.
Goldston said it's easier, but not always successful, helping someone
with an alcohol addiction than helping a drug user. "Cocaine is a totally
different monster ... a 28-day (rehabilitation) program probably won't help
much. On the 23rd or 24th day, there will be a psychic change with flashbacks
and they'll go right back to it."
He also related that parents have told him that they'd rather have their
children on drugs than alcohol because they're not on the highways "killing
someone."
Goldston also noted that a survey of the jail population would show that
all but a couple of those confined have been addicted to drugs of some type.
Riggan pointed out that a common denominator is probably also reading
problems. "Those who can't read didn't have a lap to sit on and be
read to" when they were young.
Goldston agreed Monday afternoon to participate in the forum which was
originally to have representatives from the Partnership for a Drug Free
North Carolina in Durham. The partnership informed school officials over
the weekend they couldn't attend.
Goldston was presented with a T-shirt stating "Comets don't need
drugs to fly high."
The parents forum was the second in a series hosted by the city school
system this school year at the request of parents.
The next topic will be "Bullying, Violence and Gangs" to be
presented by William Lassiter of the Center for the Prevention of School
Violence on Monday, Feb. 21. The final forum is planned for Monday, April
4, on a topic requested by the forum participants.
Both forums will be held at 7 p.m. in the AHS Performing Arts Center,
122 S. Park St.
* * *
For further information about the Parent to Parent drug prevention
program, for which videos are available from Asheboro City and Randolph
County school systems, contact Charles Spivey, city schools' director of
special programs, at 625-5104, or an Asheboro City Schools social worker:
Lisa Cheek, Asheboro High School, 625-6185; Judy Ebanks, South Asheboro
Middle School, 629-4141, or Melanie Mize, Charles W. McCrary Elementary
School, 629-1817.
Copyright 2002, Stephens Media Group
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