It’s that time of year again. I’m referring to the crisp fall day when my daughter returns home from elementary school sporting a red ribbon and asks me, “Mommy, what are drugs?”
The pamphlets that she brings home from school explain that it is time for the annual Red Ribbon Week: an alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention awareness campaign. It was launched in 1985 in reaction to the brutal torture and killing of a DEA agent working undercover to bring down an extensive drug trafficking operation in Mexico.
A wave of consciousness of the far-reaching and horrific effects of the international drug trade was swelling in our country. From this awareness spawned the iconic American phrases: “war on drugs” and “just say no.” With all due respect to the many tireless anti-drug crusaders, such slogans may have become a bit outdated in today’s society.
Drugs are a very touchy and complex topic. When talking about them to schoolchildren, it’s tempting to take a black or white approach and paint all drugs as all bad. But, let’s be honest: We all take them or have taken them in some form at some point in our lives.
Nor can the conversation be one of simple legality. Although originally intended to rally against only illegal drugs, in the Red Ribbon campaign of today, “drugs” also refers to alcohol and tobacco. Not only are these substances legal, but we are regularly inundated with messages about their enticing characteristics. The marijuana legalization movement currently sweeping the nation is further muddying the water.
Perhaps what we should be campaigning for is not absolute avoidance of the substances themselves, but rather encouragement of individual self-confidence and the construction of community support systems around our youngsters.
Promote awareness of social issues including peer pressure and bullying — factors that are known to increase the likelihood of drug use in young people. Identify students at risk of encountering these circumstances, then provide appropriate tools and resources to fit their particular situation.
How do I answer my daughter when she asks me this question?
Even though it’s a difficult conversation to have, I’m glad my kids’ school forces me to a have it, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Most of life’s important conversations warrant some hesitation and deep thought before they are initiated.
Here is the message about drugs I hope to impart to my young children: “Coping” is the term for the human desire to accept and deal with life’s ups and downs. For some people, this includes drugs. What becomes concerning, dangerous even, is when a person becomes chemically dependent upon the relief drugs provide.
More important to me than preventing my children from using is instilling in them the trust that their parents will love them no matter what. It is my job to encourage and model healthy coping skills.
“Love yourself. Be drug free.” That is the theme of this year’s Red Ribbon Week campaign. It is an encouraging step away from the “war on drugs” rhetoric. God knows the last thing our country needs right now is to be at war with yet another ambiguous enemy.
Suzie Whitman of Highland Village is an accounting assistant and a Community Voices volunteer columnist. Her email address is zuzy23@yahoo.com.
