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THIS IS PENN STATE HEALTH

Drugs 101: What Parents and Kids Need to Know

Penn State Children’s Hospital presents this free program for middle and high school students and their parents that highlights various drugs and peer pressure to use them that students face.

Two women nurses sit at a table talking to two teenagers during the Drugs 101 program. The teens have their backs to the camera. On the table is a trifold display board with the words: “Your Brain and Drugs.” The nurse on the right is talking. Both nurses are wearing sweat suits with the Penn State logo on them.

The Brynes Health Education Center program educates parents about various forms of drugs and the peer pressures that students face. The program educates parents about various forms of drugs and vaping and helps teens learn healthy decision-making in a fun, relaxed format. A mock bedroom of a teenage drug user serves as the backdrop to the two-hour presentation. Parents enter the bedroom and are asked to identify drug and alcohol paraphernalia in the room. More than 80 trendy drug and alcohol indicators are unveiled to show how some adolescents hide drug and alcohol use from their parents.

Live role-playing demonstrations help parents learn how to initiate conversations with their child and help their child stand up to peer pressures. County agency representatives also explain the realities of living with addiction.