As summer approaches, we want to alert families once again to the trends in teen substance use and abuse. Summer can mean more unstructured, unsupervised time for teens leading to more boredom and more susceptibility to dangerous entertainments like prescription drugs obtained from the medicine cabinets of family and friends.

This new and disturbing abuse of pharmaceutical drugs by teens has revealed itself more and more as preteens and teens come up to talk with me after LEGACY OF HOPE® assemblies across the country. Middle school teens, in particular, have expressed concern over friends using “Zani’s” (Zanax), Oxy (Oxycontin) and other pharmaceutical drugs. 7th and 8th graders are letting me know that these drugs are popular and in vogue.

As the teens tell me about their families and life circumstances, the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs often correlates with teens who are experiencing feelings of alienation, neglect, verbal abuse and/or are the victims of or are witnessing physical abuse in the home. From conversations with thousands of teens each year, it appears that teens that live with anger, fear, depression, loneliness, self-loathing, and/or hopelessness are more susceptible to alcohol use, pharmaceutical drugs, illicit drugs, sexual relations at a younger age, self-harm, and poor choices.

As a “messenger of hope” to these emotionally troubled teens, I am convinced that the emotional and social well-being of our youth is a critical factor in their choices and life outcomes.

In communities with a high level of low income families and/or a scarcity of jobs, parents are financially and emotionally stressed, fearful, and hopeless as well. Parental alcohol and substance abuse increases as well as the subsequent verbal and physical abuse in the home. As parents turn to destructive and inadequate methods of emotional coping, they become role models of poor coping skills as well as the source of their children’s pain, PTSD, and emotional wounds.

This past month, I had the privilege of working Family and Children Services in Battle Creek, Michigan in collaboration with the United Way of Greater Battle Creek. LEGACY OF HOPE® was presented for the community and for local providers of various youth and family services. I also participated in a collaboration breakfast of local agencies where I was thrilled to experience a mutual recognition of how critical it is to reach both youth and parents with tools to increase emotional coping skills – what I call “Emotional Wisdom.”

This group of creative providers included representatives from the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, high school nursing, Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, the United Way and more. They shared a mutual consensus that to address a particular issue such as teen pregnancy requires attention to related and influential issues including familial alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, gangs, economic problems, and more. I was rewarded to find that everyone agreed that the lack of “Emotional Wisdom” was severely lacking in families with these problems and was a root cause.

In months to come, you will hear me speak more about “Emotional Wisdom.” It is a core message that both youth and adults respond to in LEGACY OF HOPE® . I am HOPEful that we are entering a time of greater awareness and new and creative ways to reach parents, other adults and youth about their own emotional awareness and coping skills.

We at LEGACY will remain devoted to carrying a message about the critical need to improve parental and teen communication, role modeling emotional responsibility, and guiding both teens and adults to good choices.

Your comments are welcome ---