Published October 27, 2005
Doctor, judge warn high school parents of dangers of methamphetamine at PHS "Parents Night Out"

By Michael Moore
A local superior court judge and an emergency room physician spoke Saturday night at Pickens High School about the prevalence of illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine, among Pickens County's youth and families.
        Doctor Sheryl Vickery of Piedmont Mountainside Hospital and Appalachian Judicial Circuit Judge Brenda Weaver both stressed to the assembled parents the need to talk to their children about drugs and be involved in their youngsters' lives.
  The presentation was billed as PHS "Parents' Night Out." About 100 people, mostly parents of PHS students, attended the event which took place in the school's cafeteria. It was hosted by Pickens High School Parent Parners, Pickens County Family Connection, and the Jasper Family Steakhouse.
      "We should start talking to our kids about drugs in pre-school," said Judge Weaver, herself a mother of five.
   To illustrate how bad the drug problem is getting in Pickens County, Weaver described a recent session of truancy court. In one morning she said seven children had to be removed from their homes because the parents tested positive for methamphetamine (meth) in court.
     "There are times you want to give up," said Weaver.
     In some cases entire families, including grandparents, are on drugs, further limiting the options of where to send the kids.
        Weaver also pointed out that methamphetamine addiction is not only a low-income problem. She said "doctors', lawyers', professionals' kids are testing positive" on court administered drug screens.
        She said many crimes in Pickens County such as burglaries, thefts and forgeries are meth-related, as the offenders were either on meth when they committed the crime, or they were stealing to buy or trade for more meth.
      "The craving is so intense they'll do almost anything to get drugs," said Weaver.
       To respond to the growing problem, Weaver said the judicial circuit will soon be starting a family drug court, which will set out strict treatment and reporting guidelines a parent must meet before they get their child back.
        Weaver said it is crucial that the community "reach out" to those who are struggling with substance abuse problems.
     "Let them know we care about them and we want them to succeed," she said. "It's the people we know and love who are having these problems. Watch what your children are doing, be good neighbors, and be alert. Or you'll make a mistake and it will hurt someone you love."
    The keynote speaker at Parents' Night Out was Dr. Sheryl Vickery of the Piedmont Mountainside Hospital Emergency Room. She is also the medical director of Mill Creek Family and Urgent Care.
   Vickery has 21 years experience in emergency rooms and primary medical care. She said she has always worked in ERs that have a high rate of meth-related incidents.
     She presented a slideshow presentation entitled "Just One Dose."
        "Just one dose can addict you, or just one dose can kill you," explained Vickery.
       Various facts and figures about drugs and alcohol, and their effects on children, were shown to the parents. She noted that children are 60 percent more likely to drink alcohol if their parents exhibit irresponsible drinking.
       "Children mimic their parents," said Vickery.
   Parents should not hesitate to regulate their teenagers' behavior, and even screen them routinely for drugs, if they are discovered using illegal substances.
   Signs of drug use in children include mood changes and dropping grades in school, Vickery said. Specifically, extensive meth use can produce obvious physical changes such as rapid weight loss, open sores on the skin, and rotting teeth.
     The most common time of the day that kids get into trouble is between the hours of three and six p.m., between the end of school day and when parents get home from work, she said.
     Vickery told the story of her adoptive son who overdosed on cocaine at a party where a variety of drugs was present. She said before he started using drugs her son was a "star soccer player" and a model student with good grades.
        Despite Vickery's attempts to regulate her son's behavior and his efforts to quit drugs, one night she got a phone call from the local hospital saying he had been dropped off in front of the ER, and had been without a heartbeat for 30 minutes.
     "Usually when they tell us someone's heart hasn't been beating for that long, they're dead," said Vickery. But her son was alive and in a coma when she arrived at the hospital. He spent the next several months on a ventilator, in intensive care, and then in physical rehab where he had to learn how to walk again.
       Vickery called meth "the worst drug I have ever seen." She cited a recent survey which showed 1.4 million kids over the age of 12 had used meth in the past year, and 600,000 had used in the last month.
       Furthermore, 60 to 80 percent of those who use meth one time are addicted for life, she said. And the drug is so hard to quit that the recovery rate is less than one percent. "And it's a long recovery," said Vickery.
        "If you have teenagers they're probably seeing this stuff," she cautioned the parents.
  Vickery said the key to keeping children free of drugs is "communication."
      "Children don't do things if they know it will disappoint their parents," said Vickery, who urged the parents to be involved in their children's lives.
Encouraging kids to play sports is an effective deterrent to drug use, she said. Also, if kids have multiple groups of friends they will have someone to hang out with if one group turns out to be the wrong crowd.
    "Be a positive role model. Teach your children to choose their friends wisely," Vickery concluded.