Contents

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: THE BASICS

• Don’t most young people experiment with alcohol and other drugs? Isn’t it almost a rite of passage?

• When is the right time to start talking to my kids about drugs?

• Do shock tactics work? Will trying to scare my kids put them off experimenting with drugs?

• How can I reduce the influence of peer pressure?

• Does the area I live in determine the drug my child may experiment with?

• Where do young people get drugs from?

• What are recreational drugs?

CHAPTER 2: ALCOHOL AND PARTIES

• How should I introduce alcohol to my child?

• What should I do if my child wants to attend parties where alcohol may be served?

• How can I make sure that a party I hold for my teenager doesn’t get out of control?

• Why can’t girls drink as much as boys?

• What is a standard drink and why is it important?

• Can you really overdose on alcohol?

• How do you get rid of a hangover?

• What does it mean if I don’t remember things when I drink?

• Is the story about ‘breaking the seal’ true? Once I’ve gone to the toilet during the night is that it—I won’t be able to stop?

• Should I let my child go to Schoolies Week and is it really as bad as the media paints it?

CHAPTER 3: LOOKING AFTER YOUR FRIENDS

• How do you look after someone who has drunk too much?

• Why do you vomit when you’ve drunk too much? Should you encourage vomiting and when should you seek medical help?

• How can you help someone sober up?

• I think a friend of mine might be using drugs. What should I do?

• One of my friends drinks far too much. What can I do?

• If I call an ambulance because a friend gets into trouble, will the police become involved?

• Would the hospital call my parents if I was hospitalised after drinking too much?

CHAPTER 4: CANNABIS

• If my child has used cannabis, does this mean they will go on to use harder drugs?

• Is cannabis really 30 times stronger than it used to be?

• Cannabis is natural. Doesn’t that mean it is safer than man-made drugs?

• Isn’t cannabis legal in some parts of Australia?

• Does cannabis really cause mental health problems?

• Are bongs safer than joints? What about eating cannabis?

• When I’ve started to talk to my child about cannabis he has pointed out that it can be used as a medicine. What do I say to that?

CHAPTER 5: OTHER DRUGS

• Can ecstasy really kill?

• What are ecstasy testing kits and are they helpful?

• What is a bad trip and how can you look after someone who is having one?

• What drugs are most likely to be used in drink spiking and how can I protect myself from the crime?

• Are we really in the middle of an ‘ice epidemic’?

CHAPTER 6: WADING THROUGH SOME URBAN MYTHS

• Is it true that drug pushers are now targeting very young children by adding strawberry flavouring to their products, or selling tattoos with LSD on them?

• Do energy drinks increase the effect of alcohol when you use them as a mixer?

• Do illegal drugs sometimes contain things like laundry powder, bleach and ground glass?

• Does mixing over-the-counter painkillers with alcohol (or cola) have a ‘special’ effect?

• Does drinking milk before you drink alcohol really line your stomach? What about eating bread to sober you up?

• Is the saying ‘beer then grass, you’re on your arse; grass then beer, you’re in the clear’ really true?

• Is it true that one of the drugs used in drink spiking sterilises the victim?

CHAPTER 7: THOSE REALLY TOUGH QUESTIONS NO ONE WANTS TO ANSWER

• What should I tell my child if they ask me if I ever used illegal drugs?

• If I find drugs in my child’s room, can I get them tested? Could I be prosecuted for having illegal drugs on my property?

• A lot of famous people talk about their drug use and they don’t seem to have had any major problems. Are drugs really as bad as they are made out to be?

• Does all drug use lead to addiction?

AFTERWORD