Unfortunately, the perception that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are a normal rite of passage has become common even among children in their pre-teen years. Many parents of 11- to 13-year-olds would be shocked to learn how plentiful, and often free, these substances are in their child's world.

Young people in all areas of Franklin County are being exposed to alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs at an alarmingly young age. Among middle school children surveyed in the 2003 Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude and Use Survey (PPAAUS) conducted by The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Consortium, a program of the Educational Council of Franklin County:

• The average age of first use of alcohol and tobacco was 11.
• Four times as many children in 7th and 8th grade report drinking
  alcohol at least once a week as compared to 6th grade students
• Three percent report smoking tobacco at least once a month.
• Four times as many children in 7th and 8th grade report smoking cigarettes daily as compared to 6th grade students.
• The average age of first use of marijuana was 12.
• Smoking marijuana once a month or more increased from one percent of 6th graders to five percent of 7th and 8th grade children.

Know! It Could Be Your Child

Knowing the facts about the risk of exposure to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs is the first step in keeping your child substance-free. Consider the following from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information:

• The younger someone starts to use alcohol, tobacco and drugs, the more likely he or she is to become addicted and develop problems associated with such use.
• Young people who use alcohol and drugs also are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence, engage in unplanned and unprotected sex, experience school failure, and be seriously injured from driving or engaging in other risky behavior while impaired.
• Young people who use tobacco are more likely than others to drink heavily later or use illegal drugs. If we can successfully keep our young people from smoking, we may help prevent other drug use.

The statistics are so startling that it's tempting to think, "My child would never do anything so risky at that age." But that belief is risky in itself. Studies show that many more teens report being offered these substances - and using them - than their parents are willing to believe. When polled, the number of parents who thought their children had tried marijuana, for example - about 20% - represented only one-half the number of teens who said they had actually tried it.

When your children enter middle school, it is both an exciting and challenging time for them. They're little fish in a big pond and desperately want to fit in. Because they likely will see older students using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and may think they are cool and self-assured, your children may be tempted to try these substances, too. Drug use goes up dramatically in the first year of middle school or junior high. Despite the fact that four out of five eighth graders have not used drugs in the past month, your child may well believe the myth that "everyone is doing it."

No matter where you live, your children will be exposed to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs from the middle-school years on, so you need to be familiar with all the information about these substances that they may be receiving.

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