Oblivious Parents Deliver Teen Substance Abuse Message

Here's a new approach to teen substance abuse: blame the parents. A new campaign from Energy BBDO for the Partnership at DrugFree.org called Emotional Drugs features two spots, Denial and Enabling, that center on the things parents don't (and, of course, should) do when their children are on - or at risk of using - drugs.

In Denial, a mother wonders why so many prescription pills are missing from her medicine bottle. Later, as she gets ready to leave the house, she opens her son's bedroom door to witness him and his friend acting suspiciously. Instead of connecting both activities, she denies that her son could possibly be responsible for her missing medicine. Enabling depicts a mother hosting an underage party at her home and later turning a blind eye to teens engaging in drug and alcohol use.

The message, of course, is that parents must be vigilant and take a determined and caring interest in their children's lives. They can start by reading more information about teenage addiction at ProjectKnow.com and other similar sites that deal with drug addiction issues.