Simply maintaining a relationship with your children and talking to them about their day could keep them off the path of drug addiction.

That was the message to parents that came for a workshop at Rockingham First United Methodist Church Thursday.

“If you pay attention to your child’s routine, you will be able to notice when things begin to change,” speaker Alcohol and Drug Services Substance Abuse Treatment Specialist Brenda David said. “I’m talking about things like going to the bathroom more often, always complaining things are hurting them, report cards not coming home the way they should or sleeping habits changing. These are all warning signs your child could be abusing over-the-counter or prescription drug medications.”

She used an analogy of the way her son’s behavior began to change around the onset of puberty, pointing out that substance abuse leads teenagers through a transformational process.

“The other thing you need to be aware of is what medications you have in your houses,” David said. “Not only how many there are, but what they are, because teenagers nowadays can switch prescription pills with an over-the-counter medication that’s the same color and shape, and unless you’re really paying attention you would never know.”

More than 30 people attended the hour and a half workshop, ranging from social workers to school system employees to members of the community.

Cardinal Clinic of Southern Pines Clinician Gene Reaves works with children who suffer from emotional and developmental problems as well as their parents. He said he picked up some information he looked forward to sharing with the parents he serves.

“Basically, to keep their medications locked away, and to learn to talk to their children,” Reaves said after the event. “You need to think things through before you ever go talk to them about it, because so often parents get upset and go off the deep-end but that only makes children withdraw and not want to talk.”

Dobbins Heights residents Mary Magee and Angeline David attended the meeting as concerned members of the community, and said they have witnessed abuse of medications by youth in Richmond County.

“This is a subject that I’m somewhat familiar with, because I see it in the neighborhood,” Magee said. “It seems that when you can identify it, you can begin to address it, and I’ve spoken to youth about it in church and just directly talked to them in the community - it’s important that you let them know what can happen to them if they continue down that path.”

Alcohol and Drug Services Moore County Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Emily Nicholson said teenagers often don’t realize the consequences of reckless behavior.

“That’s why you have to be the adult and explain the consequences to them,” she said. “My concern is awareness in the changes that happen in the child’s life - the signs and symptoms of what is going on.”

While parents need to remain aware of what their children are doing, Nicholson stressed the importance of also being aware of what their friends are capable of.

“It may not even be that they are doing it, but their friends may come over and use your child to ransack your medicine cabinet, or pressure them into using them,” she said. “Parents should also be aware of terminology like ‘farming’ and ‘farm parties,’ so that if you ever hear those words you know what they’re talking about.”

Nicholson explained ‘farming’ refers to pillaging medicine cabinets for materials to alter consciousness, and ‘farm parties’ are parties where abusers share their ill-gotten gains.

“You really just have to listen and be a nosy parent,” David said.

The same afternoon at the monthly meeting of the Citizens of Richmond for Responsible Living Board, Samaritan’s Colony Director Harold Pearson drove home what can happen to people if this behavior isn’t stopped.

He did so while sharing the background of the 12-bed treatment center on U.S. 220 between Rockingham and Ellerbe.

“When we first opened in 1975, it was exclusively for the treatment of alcoholics,” Pearson said. “Back then, that was all we saw. I’m sure there was some marijuana and cocaine, but we didn’t really see anyone asking for help with that, now it’s rare that we see anyone who only needs treatment for alcohol abuse.”

The fastest-growing drug of choice among those reaching out for help, according to Pearson, is prescription drugs.

“Over the past 12 months, that’s what we’ve been seeing more and more,” he said. “It used to be that I’d say as long as they keep the whiskey stills running, I’d have job security. Then, I said as long as they had cocoa bushes, I’d have a job. Now, I’m convinced that as long as the pharmaceutical companies keep producing these pills I’ll have a job.”

He said one troubling trend is that with alcohol or cocaine, an abuser might last decades before reaching a point when their life becomes unmanageable.

“What we’re seeing is people can do about a five-year run on opiates, and they are crying out for help,” he said. “That’s about as long as your body can take it, before your circumstances or legal issues force you to get help.”

He said that when dealing with addicts, pointing out the error of their ways shouldn’t be the greatest concern.

“They are well-aware of what the problem is, so what we want to discuss with them is the solution,” Pearson said.

For more information about preventing substance abuse among teenagers, or other issues for youth, David can be reached at Alcohol and Drug Services on Franklin Street in Rockingham at 997-7105, or by e-mail at bdavid@adsyes.org.

If you know someone who is in need of treatment for alcohol or substance abuse, the Samaritan Colony Inc. can be reached at 895-3243. The address is 136 Samaritan Drive, Rockingham.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.