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ENCOURAGING YOUR KIDS TO
BE DRUG FREE

There is a definite link between drug use and crime. Data collected in New Orleans indicates that 78.4% of adult male and 59.8% of adult female arrestees tested positive for one of the following drugs: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine or PCP.1


Children are being exposed to drugs earlier and earlier. Among New Orleans high school students surveyed in 2005, approximately 34.6 percent of students reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime and 29.4 percent of students had been offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property.2


The biggest deterrent to your kids using drugs and alcohol is you. Kids who learn about the risks of drug abuse from their parents or caregivers are less likely to use drugs than kids who don’t.3


You are the most powerful influence in your child’s life.

 

These tips can help you keep your child from using drugs:

 

  1. Set a good example for your child. You should be the best role model of the values that you teach. If you are abusing alcohol or drugs, get help. Be absolutely clear with your kids that you don’t want them to use drugs. Talk about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse often.
  2. Establish a regular routine for spending time with your child. Know what your children are doing – their activities and who they spend time with. Occasionally check to make sure that your kids are where they say they are going to be. Try to be there after school when your child gets home. If your child is meeting friends, make sure there will be an adult with them, not just an older sibling.
  3. Eat meals together as often as possible. Use that time to communicate with your children. Praise and reward good behavior. Show your child affection and respect. Set limits with clear rules and consequences for breaking them.

Getting Help For Substance Abuse


If you or your child needs help, call the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Greater New Orleans (CADA) Help Line at 1-800-749-7444 to speak confidentially to an Information and Referral Specialist or to obtain information about local treatment facilities for adults or adolescents.


Greater New Orleans area substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation facilities include:

Help Get Drug Dealers Out Of Our Neighborhoods


The FBI is working with the New Orleans Police Department to locate violent crime and drug offenders who are terrorizing our city. If you know the identities of drug dealers or the location of crack houses, please call the Help Stop Violent Crime Hotline at (504) 816-3000. You don’t have to give your name.

 

Notes:

1. National Institute of Justice, Drug and Alcohol Use and Related Matters Among Arrestees, 2003, 2004.
The Ultimate Guide to Identity Theft Prevention

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Online Comprehensive Results: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/

3. Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, PDFA, 2003, Office of National Drug Control Policy