The Dangers of Pharm Parties

Teenagers today are living in a dangerous world of temptation and bad influences. You flip on the television and you see someone lighting up or popping pills. Or you look at the latest entertainment magazines in your local grocery store and see another celebrity going to rehab. We have popularize drugs in the media to an extend that we are destroying today youths. Most of them think drugs are cool and hip. And if they get sent to rehab, then they will be even more popular. Some kids do drugs because of either peer pressure, stress at home and school, or depression. Most of these kids get introduce to drugs at "pharm parties."

Pharm is short for pharmaceuticals. Pharm parties are also known to be called pill parties. Kids gather pills from their parents' medicine cabinets and bring them to the parties. They called it pharming. At the parties, the kids mix all different kinds of pills in bowls or bags which they call "trail mix." Kids as young as twelve are known to attend these parties. The most popular pills at these parties are Ritalin, Xanax, Vicodin and Oxycontin. The kids don't even know the names of the drugs they are consuming at these parties. They refer to each drug by the color instead of the brand name. It makes it more difficult to save them if they overdose because they don't know the names of the pills they consumed.

Kids are attending these parties all over the United States. Make sure your kid is not one of them. Talk to your kid about drugs and the dangerous of them. These kids are at risk of overdosing and being addicted to these pills. When talking to your kid, you have to remember that you are their parent. You are not their best friend. This is such a serious and touchy subject that your kids might not even want to listen to you. So to make this as comfortable and beneficial as possible, do not get angry at them no matter what. Once you start getting angry at them, then they will rebel against you. Its important to understand them and to care for them with your love.

Ten Tips for Parents

1. Talk to your kids about drugs. Sit down with your kids and tell them your experiences with drugs. You might be able to reach them if you share some of your own knowledge about this subject. Don't talk to your kids like you just read a textbook about drugs. Just be real with your kids. But don't act like you're their best friend either. Tell them the truth.

2. Ask your kids if they have any problems or stress at school. Or if they might be feeling depression or anxiety all the time. You can solve their problems before they seek illegal drugs for their solutions.

3. Find out who your child is hanging out with. Invite your child's closest friend to dinner and get to know who they really are. Get to know the friend's parents so you will be connected at all times.

4. Set a curfew for your child. When I was twelve to fourteen my curfew was 8 o'clock. When I was fifteen it was 9 o'clock. When I was sixteen to eighteen it was 10 o'clock. Setting limits for your kid will reframe them from doing any illegal activities.

5. Make your child get a job. Most jobs do drug tests before hiring anybody. And most jobs will do random drug tests even after they hire your child. The job will give your child focus and drive to succeed in life.

6. Know the facts about drugs. Search online and find out about teenage drug abuse.

7. If your kids are being legally prescribe drugs from their doctor for depression or physical pain, make sure they are taking the correct doses. If your kids are asking for refills all the time then maybe there is something wrong. They might be overtaking or selling their pills to other kids.

8. Make your child join a community youth group, after school club, or sport. If your kid is busy with something they really enjoy, then they won't have time to think about drugs or doing illegal activities.

9. Keep a record of what medicines you have in your medicine cabinet. If one day you notice a bottle missing or a few pills missing from a bottle, then its time to worry. If you have prescribed painkillers, sedatives, or anxiety medicine, you might want to keep them locked up.

10. The most important thing is to love your children no matter what. Express how much you love your children. Take them out to lunch or spend a day with them. Love is the most important thing in the world and if you show them you love them then it may one day save them.