Our children are growing up in an era where there is a lot of discussion about drugs.  It has become necessary to have this topic at the forefront of our minds as parents, professionals and members of society.  Our world is now so bombarded with the illicit drug-trade, making them more readily available to our children, that we must educate ourselves as well as them, in drug facts.

Sadly, it is a reality that drugs can have such an adverse effect on an individual’s system that ingesting just one or two can cause a fatal reaction.  Death can be an imminent and immediate reaction for some.  None of us knows how our body will react to a drug, and certainly not one that is perhaps ‘packed’ with all sorts of cheap and nasty ‘prepare at home’ commodities. 

Children who are already immuno-compromised or who suffer from a heart condition can be particularly at risk!

I want to help you familiarise yourself with some basic ‘drug’ terminologies and information, so that you can help your children understand more about drugs and fight the good fight with them!

Pharmacodynamics is the study of physiological effects of drugs on the body or on microorganisms or parasites within or on the body and the mechanisms of drug action and the relationship between drug concentration and effect.  Whereas pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to a drug.

There are 5 main drug responses/actions:

• depressing
• stimulating
• destroying cells (cytotoxicity)
• irritation
• replacing substances

When administering drugs in a controlled environment such as a hospital, doctor’s surgery, or other medical facility, we think about the ‘therapeutic window’ involved.  This is the amount of a prescribed medication between the amount that gives a desired and safe effect (effective dose) and the amount that gives more adverse effects than desired effects. For example, medication with a small pharmaceutical window must be administered with care and control, e.g. by frequently measuring blood concentration of the drug, since it easily loses effects or gives adverse effects.

‘The Therapeutic Goods Administration was created ‘to be a regulatory framework  based on a risk management approach designed to ensure public health and safety, while at the same time freeing industry from any unnecessary regulatory burden.’ 

With this in mind, we realise that even prescribed drugs have their issues.  While they have their place, they must be administered under a strict regime for the safety of all; not just for the patient, but also for the sake of the medical staff who have the another person’s life in their hands.

It is frightening that drugs are now so readily available on our streets and there is no regulatory body that can or would control this.  It is unfortunate we cannot quell this epidemic.  Our only weapon in this war is to drug-proof our children.  Arm them with knowledge!

One of the things that can make an impression upon the young is to tell them why!  Not much changes between the ages of 2 and 20.  Our children are always asking why!  “If you’re going to tell me drugs are dangerous, at least tell me why!” 
Some children are impervious to explanations, granted.  However, in many cases forearmed is forewarned.  Sometimes something you said years ago will stick with them, and they will reflect upon it at a later date, often when they most need it.  It is never too late, or too early, to begin conversations that are drug related, and inspire their feedback.  You can get an impression of where their mind is at on the subject of drugs, by the responses engendered.

Being  cautionary about drug use is certainly your catalyst for your conversations, however, these days you can delve a bit further.  Often explaining the body’s physiological reaction to drugs can have a significant impact upon impressionable minds.  While you don’t need to be medically trained or completely technical in your explanation, it is an excellent idea to be a little educated on the subject so that you can better explain the significant changes and damage drugs do to your body, when not administered in line with the guidelines of Doctor’s prescription and the  Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Drugs are never safe to self-administer, must always be prescribed or given under the guidance of your pharmacist if not under a GP’s or specialist’s prescription or permission.

Of important note is how the ‘receptors’ in the body respond to over-use and mis-use of drugs.  I am fond of educating children on this particular topic.  The receptors in our body that drugs work on, or bind to, are a particular shape and structure.  Certain prescribed drugs are created in line with these receptors and the actions and responses that are required from that drug;  do they need to be depressing or stimulating, or take on some other effect?  When we take drugs over a long period of time, particularly of the ‘street variety’ or mis-use prescribed medication, our receptors alter.  When this happens, the drugs we ingest are no longer having the therapeutic effect they were intended for, and higher doses are required.  The resultant outcome is often an over-dose and death!  In some cases, the receptors not only alter temporarily, they can alter permanently and irrevocably!  There is the very real chance of liver damage, that again, cannot be reversed.  There is a very real correlation between drug-abuse and lack of response to every day medication, over-the-counter medication. 

When our receptors alter in shape or size, or experience necrosis (cell death) , we put ourselves in danger in more ways than one.  Not only is the threat of addiction and death now a very real issue but the future of our body’s health is in jeopardy.  In a situation of an accident where someone is severely injured, and drugs are administered in a hospital, the patient may discover that the ‘general dose’ does not work well for them.  Not only is their drugs history/use very quickly determined and revealed, the risk of the therapeutic dose required not working on them is an issue that now needs to be managed very carefully.  If there is an ongoing physical issue for the patient after the accident, for e.g they now have a back problem that needs to be managed with strong medication, their drug history needs to be given careful consideration.  Typical drugs used in these scenarios may be out of the question due to their lack of effectiveness, or their toxicity to the patient.

Drug abuse affects so many corners of a person’s life that in the future, something as simple as a headache becomes a minefield to manage when simple paracetamol fails to reduce their pain levels  and they end up searching for more ways to cure their problem, only to create a bigger one.

What is the cure for drug-abuse?  Don’t ever start taking them!

If we can utilise drug information at our finger-tips – initiatives available from Government departments, research conducted on the internet, visiting a professional for more advice or even by watching documentaries of families who have suffered through the death of a loved one due to drug abuse, we can be alert, rather than alarmed. 

If you suspect your child is, or could be on drugs, you can take steps to manage this by visiting your local GP who can advise you further.  Go alone for the first visit and get the support and information you need before you approach your child.  This is a sensitive issue and is often not received well by the person who is ‘using’. 

We can show our children healthy ways to find their ‘highs’ and ‘arm’ them with knowledge so that saying ‘NO!’ becomes easy!  When our children have the confidence to say no, they have a bright future ahead.  It is important to give our children the tools to be able to walk away from danger. Drug use rarely has short-term  results, and our children need to understand this.  There are often only two outcomes from drug-use – death or rehab.  As harsh a reality as this is, driving this home to them is sometimes the only way to ensure they stay strong.  However, it is also important to warn them against getting drunk in public and leaving their drink unattended for someone else to spike.  There are far too many incidences of people ending up in hospital due to this problem and our children need to be just as aware of this as they about illicit drug-use they take part in willingly! 

Your drug conversations with your children can be extended to alcohol consumption, and being safe in public.  Talking to them about ensuring they have a ride home should their friends fail them, or if they should not be capable of driving, is also worth exploring!

Many schools these days are also taking the initiative to discuss drug and alcohol abuse at length, and having their students construct assignments around these issues so that they are knowledgeable and prepared.  Use this as an opportunity to address these topics with your children.  It opens the door to communication and is your best defense against this challenge!