TEEN URGES ALL PARENTS TO DRUG TEST THEIR KIDS

by Anonymous

September 25 2003--Is it wrong to drug test your teen? Does this kind of testing promote distrust and cause friction between parents and teens? "Parents need to know if their children are using drugs, but most don't like to imagine that it could be 'their child' using drugs." says Linzy Hildreth, a 17 year-old North Dallas girl who believes the pluses greatly outweigh the minuses when it comes to drug testing teens. "Studies show that while only 18% of parents believe that their teens have tried drugs, 53% of teens admit use of drugs. By drug testing at home, parents are not only confronting the problem but also are doing something about it." To help parents and teens, Linzy has created a website (www.drugtestyourteen.com) where parents can learn more about teen drug use, get information on how to talk with their teens, and can even purchase drug tests-- all in the privacy of their homes.

    Most would agree that no topic is more frightening to parents than teen drug abuse. Each year thousands of lives are lost or ruined by this nationwide epidemic. Linzy contends that when teens and pre-teens use drugs, they will usually deny it to their parents. On the other hand, the same parents who say they want to know everything going on in their kid’s lives often avoid such subjects as teen sexual behavior, underage drinking and drug abuse- hoping these issues will simply “ go away”. The fact is- they don’t- and putting on blinders to the problem never resolves it. Now that the technology is available for parents to get honest answers, she believes they should not be afraid to take advantage of it. Teens may object to being tested, saying that their parents don't "trust" them. This is understandable, but a teen that has overcome the peer pressure to use drugs should be proud and anxious to prove it to their parents. Executives, professional athletes, truck drivers, and policemen have to prove that they are drug-free. Why not teenagers? Fearing drugs and their effects on her friends inspired her to approach her laboratory professional mom with the idea of offering easily used and inexpensive drug, alcohol, and tobacco tests to parents of teens.

    Linzy has already known kids who have been involved in terrible car wrecks, been expelled from school, received jail terms, and even died as a direct result of drug and alcohol abuse. She says adults would be amazed if they knew how easily teens can obtain drugs and how many actually use them, even some of the so-called “goody-goody” kids that no one would ever suspect are using drugs. John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, speaking about teens who use drugs said "If our schools and parents were to utilize recognized, successful intervention techniques, including drug testing, we would be able to identify these youth and get them the counseling and treatment they need to turn away from drug use".

    Linzy is convinced that these tests give kids another reason to “say no”, one that their peers will understand. These tests are extremely accurate, FDA approved, and parents can see the results in just minutes. They are easily performed at home using a small amount of saliva or urine. With their home tests, there is no more wondering if your teens are drinking and driving. If a parent suspects alcohol use, they can know in just minutes by swabbing the inside of the mouth. The “street drug” test screens for THC (marijuana, pot, hash), Cocaine (coke, crack), Opiates (heroin, oxycontin, morphine, opium), Amphetamines (speed, uppers), Methamphetamines/mdma (ice, ecstasy, crank, crystal), and Benzodiazepines ( t-bars, valium, librium, xanax)- all of the common drugs of abuse today. Tests for nicotine are also available, so that you can know for sure that your kids aren’t smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes and alcohol really are “gateway” drugs.

    When parents have drug tests in their home, it opens the lines of communication, and helps parents and kids to start talking freely about the problem. Linzy hopes that everyone will make their household policy – NO DRUGS – and let their kids prove it. She believes testing is a better way than smelling their kids breath, checking their eyes, looking through their clothes, or listening in on their phone conversations. Parents won't have to sneakily invade their teen’s privacy, because everything about drug testing puts the subject out in the open.

Their company is called Drug Test Your Teen. Visit them on the web at www.drugtestyourteen.com, or call 214-797-TEST.