Parents these days can be frustrating, cognitive psychologist Alicia Farrell told more than 100 people attending a Valley Substance Abuse Action Council workshop last week.
They’re the greatest influence over whether their children use drugs, Farrell said, but at the same time say they’re often afraid to set strict limits on children, or are relieved to learn that while their kids might smoke marijuana, at least they’re “not doing other drugs.”
Don’t be so lax, Farrell, a parent herself, told her audience at Derby’s Grassy Hill Lodge Oct. 1.
“Our job is to make them miserable,” she said jokingly.
Farrell, who runs a private practice in Old Saybrook, said marijuana use among young people impedes brain development.
She said studies have found that smoking marijuana create changes in the physical structure of the undeveloped brain. Those changes lead to changes in behavior, Farrell said.
And those who smoke marijuana habitually often proceed to try other drugs.
Most children can get their hands on weed in less than an hour at middle and high schools, she said.
Some young drug users with whom she works tell her that smoking marijuana is “harmless and not addictive,” she said, which is just one reason why parents should be more vigilant about possible drug use by their children.
Shelton resident Cathi Kellett, a Valley Parish Nurse, agreed.
“As a parent and a member of the community I think this message of prevention needs to get out to everyone,” she said.
The message was relayed to more than 120 participants at last week’s “A Piece of the Prevention Puzzle” workshop presented by VSAAC, a program of BHcare, a behavioral health organization.
Pamela Mautte, VSAAC director, said, “When all sectors of the community work together on prevention efforts we create safe and strong communities in which children thrive and learn to resist the negative influences.”
The six-hour event at Grassy Hill Lodge in Derby included honoring seven individuals from the Valley and Greater New Haven as Community Champions.
They were:
- Ansonia Police Officer Mike Barry
- State Police Lt. Ken Cain
- Wayne Kowal
- Joni Nordstrom
- Sally Schwaller
- Carla Scinto.
VSAAC’s Community Champion Awards, created in 2006, are given to those who take action and effect change in the field of substance abuse prevention and/or intervention activities.
Retired Glastonbury Police Officer Scott Driscoll discussed Internet safety at the workshop. He has investigated Internet crimes, including possession and distribution of child pornography, enticement of minors, and cyber bullying.
Driscoll described some of the issues that surround use of social media by adolescents and young adults.
He said sexting, texting of sexually explicit messages, “has become a huge problem” at the middle and high school level.
Driscoll said when kids are asked what they think about texting, they usually say “I dunno.”
He showed a video about how to create a text message, which urged senders to use “sensitivity, sobriety, and subtlety.”
Driscoll said a state law passed in 2010 means even minors convicted of transmitting explicit photos could face a year in jail.
As to the increase in cyber-bullying in society, Driscoll said, “Our kids are mean when they hide behind a screen.”
Driscoll said victims of cyber-bullying should not respond to their tormentors, but instead should print out the message and show it to an adult they trust.
