Or Ami addresses parenting issues

Congregation Or Ami's Center for Jewish Parenting is currently offering a series of lectures that cover a wide range of parenting issues. Last month, Or Ami invited representatives from Beit T'shuvah and Malibu's Visions Treatment Facility to help parents understand some of the reasons why children turn to drugs and how the abuse can be prevented.

Or Ami's Partners in Prevention program also invited former addicts who spoke about how they ended up becoming addicted to drugs. More than 180 adults from the Conejo and San Fernando valleys attended the three sessions.

Recovering addicts spoke about the many challenges that children face today. There are demands to perform academically, athletically and creatively in the community, while navigating what might be awkward adolescent years, wanting love and acceptance.

Youths are susceptible to experimentation, whether at parochial or secular, private or public school. The drugs available are not only chemically stronger than in years past, but the range of what is available has expanded. Prescription drugs are being sold on campuses, sometimes as "study aids."

The combination of pressure and awkwardness at a time when children may not have strategies for coping with the feelings which may arise makes them vulnerable to curiosity about drugs. In the absence of alternative methods for managing these age-appropriate stresses, children are at risk of substance abuse.

Partners in Prevention organizes youth peer groups and also provides parent support and education. Steps to prevent drug abuse include providing parents with insights into young people's social needs and pressures, and identifying the drugs that are available in local schools.

Keeping lines of communication open is important. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, who is trained in addiction counseling and spiritual care from Hazelden Treatment Center, said that knowing a child's friends is essential.

Monitoring Internet, text, and call activity may be warranted. Providing adult supervision at parties and gatherings is crucial. Noticing changes in a child's behavior, whether it is grades, new friends, or energy levels, is another possible barometer of drug use.

More information about talking to children about drugs can be found on the rabbi's blog at www.rabbipaul.blogspot.com.