The Chemical People; A Primer

<v Narrator>Primmer WQED, Pittsburgh. <v Narrator>This WQED Presents Community Outreach series was produced <v Narrator>in cooperation with the Coalition for Addictive Diseases in Southwest Pennsylvania. <v Narrator>It was made possible by a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. <v Sarah Purcell>I'm Sarah Purcell, and this is not real people, but I am here to help with a real problem <v Sarah Purcell>about teenagers and drugs. <v Sarah Purcell>I don't have any magic answers, but here with me from Mr. Maryland is Clark Brandon. <v Clark Brandon>We are both part of Pittsburgh tonight because some people care about what's happening to <v Clark Brandon>kids and their families because of drug and alcohol abuse. <v Clark Brandon>We don't mean casual use. We mean abuse, a real community problem. <v Sarah Purcell>We're here because we care and we want to help. <v Sarah Purcell>All of us working together can make a difference.

<v Clark Brandon>In just a few minutes, we'll be joined by Dave Darian and Liz Miles of KDKA. <v Clark Brandon>Evening magazine. Their report on an eye opening new survey commissioned by Pittsburgh <v Clark Brandon>magazine that reveals among many things that over one third of young people were <v Clark Brandon>stoned on marijuana and one half were drunk and alcohol in the past month. <v Clark Brandon>But we learn more about that later. <v Clark Brandon>This is an important show which launches an important project together. <v Clark Brandon>Those of us who care pledge to do something about the problem of chemical abuse among <v Clark Brandon>teenagers. Stay with us. <v Clark Brandon>If you care. [music plays] <v Sarah Purcell>This program is a primer to help us all learn a little bit.

<v Sarah Purcell>It's the first of a nine part series called The Chemical People. <v Sarah Purcell>Tonight, as you are watching this show, so we're over a hundred community groups in town <v Sarah Purcell>meetings all over western Pennsylvania in your town or neighborhood. <v Sarah Purcell>And every school system in Allegheny County is involved in this project. <v Clark Brandon>You know, it's not really very surprising that kids drink booze or take pills. <v Clark Brandon>Not only do most of the parents do it, but we all live in a fix it world, a world of <v Clark Brandon>chemicals where the magic of a drink or a pill cures all our problems. <v Guest>Some do it for the fun of it.

<v Guest>Gets them out of reality. <v Guest>Kids take it to avoid their problems. <v Guest>Drugs, you know, lift you up. <v Guest>They say if you get messed up and you feel good. <v Guest>And some do it to escape, but most people do it for fun. <v Guest>They're doing it. I've got to do it, too. <v Guest>Almost all the kids take drugs or have taken drugs. <v Guest>And it's a big part of society, a much bigger part going on, I believe, <v Guest>than [unclear] <v Sarah Purcell>Remember, back in the early 70s, we were frightened by visions of our children shooting <v Sarah Purcell>up and dying. We all overdosed on the big scare and then relaxed because <v Sarah Purcell>our kids didn't have hypodermic needles in their arms.

<v Sarah Purcell>After all, things weren't that bad in our neighborhood or school. <v Sarah Purcell>We denied the problem and hoped it would go away. <v Sarah Purcell>Well, it didn't go away. It got worse 10 years worse, because we <v Sarah Purcell>have a generation of kids who think booze and dope are just the order of the day and the <v Sarah Purcell>rest of us who hope it's just a phase. <v Sarah Purcell>Well, it's not just a phase. <v Sarah Purcell>The truth is that the problem of teenagers and drug and alcohol abuse has gotten so <v Sarah Purcell>big. None of us can solve it alone. <v Sarah Purcell>Not the parents, not teachers, not the police. <v Sarah Purcell>It's become a community problem of alarming proportion. <v Sarah Purcell>And if we don't try to find out more about our kids and drugs right now, someone <v Sarah Purcell>will think we don't care. <v Sarah Purcell>And it might be our kids. <v Sarah Purcell>That's unforgivable. <v Clark Brandon>To show we do care and confront parents and teenagers with the facts. <v Clark Brandon>We commissioned the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh to <v Clark Brandon>conduct a unique survey of a cross-section of high school seniors from public, private <v Clark Brandon>and parochial schools in Allegheny County.

<v Clark Brandon>Twenty one thousand five hundred ninety seven high school seniors in Allegheny County. <v Clark Brandon>About half boys, half girls, and most are 17 and 18 years old. <v Clark Brandon>They come from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. <v Clark Brandon>These teenagers are your neighbors or your friends or maybe your children. <v Clark Brandon>And the survey makes clear they have a lot to teach us here to report the results are <v Clark Brandon>Katie Kaye's Evening magazine hosts, Liz Miles and Dave Darian. <v Dave Darian>This is a familiar setting. Most of us spend a lot of our growing up year in classrooms, <v Dave Darian>but whether we were in school 20 years ago or two years ago, things have changed. <v Dave Darian>We might not recognize it if we went back to school today. <v Liz Miles>In the survey, the seniors tell us some of the reasons why they are using or not using <v Liz Miles>drugs and how they feel about it. <v Liz Miles>The problem of teenagers and drugs is real, and it's everywhere. <v Liz Miles>There's no use denying it. <v Guest>Well, you know, just about everyone uses some kind of <v Guest>experiment because it's everywhere. You can get whatever you want. <v Guest>Kids buy 'em and just eat them up like candy it's just like vending <v Guest>machines.

<v Guest>There are kids all over that you would never suspect are using drugs are. <v Guest>And then all the kids you think are using drugs. <v Guest>No, they aren't. <v Guest>Well, now your scholars are doing it. You're considered smart people to society. <v Guest>Your future leaders are doing it. <v Guest>You know, it's a problem. <v Dave Darian>Let's start with the most commonly abused drug. <v Dave Darian>If you think that drug is marijuana, you're wrong. <v Dave Darian>The most commonly abused drug in America and by teenagers is alcohol. <v Dave Darian>Alcohol is a drug. And you'll learn more about it later in this program when we take a <v Dave Darian>lesson in chemicals. But right now, the facts. <v Dave Darian>Ninety seven percent of Allegheny County High School seniors have used alcohol. <v Dave Darian>Seventy four percent have used it in the past month. <v Dave Darian>Twenty five percent have used it six to 19 times in the past month <v Dave Darian>and six percent use it daily. <v Dave Darian>And when did these kids start drinking? <v Dave Darian>Some started in the sixth grade, by the end of the 10th grade, about eighty five percent <v Dave Darian>had started drinking. <v Liz Miles>Forty eight percent of all the seniors said that in the last two weeks they had five <v Liz Miles>or more drinks in a row on at least one occasion, five or more drinks

<v Liz Miles>in a row. That's a lot of alcohol and consumed in a short time. <v Liz Miles>It's enough alcohol to make almost anybody drunk. <v Liz Miles>That's about half of our high school seniors in Allegheny County probably drunk in the <v Liz Miles>last two weeks. Over ten thousand kids. <v Guest>Well, alcohol is around and people use it in a lot of times the parties have <v Guest>fun. You drink. <v Guest>A lot of kids are using it and they get it anywhere they want. <v Guest>Some parents, you know, they can get it from their house as parents can get it for them. <v Guest>Most of the local stores will let you go in and buy beer and they won't check your I.D. <v Guest>Alcohol is used on the weekends when kids are out of school because it's easier. <v Liz Miles>And remember, almost every one of them drives a car at just the age when teenagers <v Liz Miles>are learning to drive. They are teaching themselves to drink. <v Dave Darian>It can be a fatal combination. <v Dave Darian>Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States. <v Dave Darian>And over half of all highway deaths are directly caused by alcohol. <v Dave Darian>Since alcohol is legal, we tend to forget it can also be deadly.

<v Dave Darian>In Allegheny County, 16 percent of the seniors who drink got one or more traffic <v Dave Darian>tickets last year. But 38 percent of those who drink every day <v Dave Darian>got at least one ticket. That's more than twice as many. <v Dave Darian>Over one third of the daily users of alcohol had one or more traffic accidents last <v Dave Darian>year. Traffic accidents, not fender benders. <v Dave Darian>There is a direct relation between alcohol and accidents. <v Liz Miles>Any drug can be abused and any drug can get in the way of growing up. <v Liz Miles>So what about all those drugs besides alcohol? <v Liz Miles>How many high school seniors have used them next to alcohol? <v Liz Miles>Marijuana is the most common drug. <v Liz Miles>Sixty four percent have used it. <v Liz Miles>Thirty four percent have used it in the past month. <v Liz Miles>Twenty percent report being stoned three or more times in the past month <v Liz Miles>and eight percent use it daily. <v Guest>You can be sitting in a class any time of the day and the smell of drugs is just, you <v Guest>know, like pot just seep into the room. <v Guest>It's every place.

<v Sarah Purcell>Liz and Dave will be right back with more survey results after this message about the <v Sarah Purcell>next two programs in our Chemical People series. <v Narrator>Parents and teens seldom agree about drinking and drugs. <v Actor A>We're your parents. <v Actor B>You set the examples. <v Narrator>The Parents Underground Guide to Understanding Teenagers looks at keeping communication <v Narrator>lines open with your kids. <v Narrator>Then we'll give teams some tips on how to start talking from their end on a <v Narrator>teenager's underground guide to understanding parents. <v Actor A>and come out talking. <v Liz Miles>Alcohol and marijuana are not all that are being used at some time. <v Liz Miles>Forty percent have used stimulants, 20 percent have used sedatives. <v Liz Miles>19 percent have used cocaine. <v Liz Miles>Fifteen percent have used tranquilizers. <v Liz Miles>Fourteen percent have used hallucinogens.

<v Liz Miles>13 percent have used heroin or other narcotics in the last <v Liz Miles>month. <v Dave Darian>Seventy four percent have used alcohol. <v Dave Darian>Thirty four percent of used marijuana. <v Dave Darian>17 percent of use stimulants. <v Dave Darian>Seven percent have used sedatives. <v Dave Darian>Six percent have used cocaine. <v Dave Darian>Four percent have used tranquilizers. <v Dave Darian>Four percent have used hallucinogens. <v Dave Darian>Three percent have used heroin or other narcotics. <v Dave Darian>And 12 percent of the high school seniors use one or more chemical substances on a daily <v Dave Darian>basis. Two thousand six hundred thirty four students who don't go a day <v Dave Darian>without drugs. <v Liz Miles>And when did these students start taking drugs? <v Liz Miles>The first experimentation with most illicit drugs occurs during the final years of high <v Liz Miles>school. But for most of them, the first use of alcohol and marijuana took place <v Liz Miles>before entering the 10th grade. <v Liz Miles>How available are drugs and where do kids get them? <v Liz Miles>The unhappy answer is that the seniors tell us that most illicit drugs were very easy

<v Liz Miles>to get. <v Guest>They can get them from other students. <v Guest>Everybody has, you know, your friends have them you know, if you want something, you can <v Guest>get it. <v Guest>Oh, it's everywhere. People anyone can get it. <v Guest>I walk around school with your money. They'll see your money. <v Guest>They'll be up to you. <v Guest>There's a guy who comes around in a pink, some kind of burgundy car. <v Guest>And, you know, he asks, you know, do you want to make some money. <v Guest>Drugs? Just go out and just look. <v Guest>anybody is selling them, it's around, just gotta look. <v Liz Miles>Why they take drugs is a harder question. <v Liz Miles>But the survey results reports some of the reasons some tried drugs to experiment <v Liz Miles>or to fit in. A few said they were hooked, but most said they use <v Liz Miles>drugs to feel good. <v Dave Darian>They might take drugs to feel good, but do they feel good about taking drugs? <v Dave Darian>Many of these students using drugs are not really happy about it. <v Dave Darian>One third of the students using alcohol and over half of those who use marijuana wish to <v Dave Darian>slow down or stop.

<v Dave Darian>Over half of the seniors surveyed think that smoking marijuana regularly is a great risk. <v Dave Darian>About the same number that think smoking cigarets is a great risk, but very few <v Dave Darian>associate great risk with having one or two drinks every day. <v Dave Darian>Only about a third think that binge drinking on a weekend is dangerous, and very <v Dave Darian>few feel that a person runs a risk by trying a drug once or twice. <v Liz Miles>The seniors were asked if they had ever received professional counseling outside of <v Liz Miles>school. Thirteen percent had and 17 percent of those who <v Liz Miles>hadn't wished they had. <v Liz Miles>When asked why they didn't seek counseling when they felt they needed it. <v Liz Miles>About a third said that they were afraid. <v Liz Miles>And another third didn't know where to go. <v Liz Miles>Some students were afraid of what their friends would think, but more were afraid of what <v Liz Miles>their parents would think. Maybe it's time for parents to take a lesson from their kids. <v Guest>The big problem is kids are unaware of the harm that it could do to them. <v Guest>I think they should have more programs to help people with them. <v Guest>Help young kids.

<v Guest>I think drugs are always going to be around. <v Guest>I mean, the way it is now. I don't think they're ever going to eradicate it, but <v Guest>I think there should be more programs to try to give kids more confidence in themselves. <v Guest>There's no solution for people my age or older. <v Guest>It's too late. <v Dave Darian>It's time to start paying attention to what these students can teach us. <v Dave Darian>And we all need to do our homework. <v Sarah Purcell>You've now heard some of the survey results. <v Sarah Purcell>If you'd like a printed version of the survey, we'll tell you how you can get it at the <v Sarah Purcell>end of the show. Remember, this isn't some place else. <v Sarah Purcell>This is Pittsburgh. Kids, these are your friends, your classmates, <v Sarah Purcell>maybe you and parents. <v Sarah Purcell>These are your kids. Parents and teenagers have a lot in common. <v Sarah Purcell>We all need to know more. <v Sarah Purcell>The place to start is with a basic lesson in chemicals from the Allegheny County <v Sarah Purcell>Laboratory. But first, this message about the fourth program in our Chemical People <v Sarah Purcell>series. <v Narrator>The Chemical People's Series continues with good news about the teenage drug and alcohol <v Narrator>abuse problem.

<v Guest>You consider yourself to be chemically dependant? <v Guest>I'm just like a social user, 12 beers a day. <v Narrator>Successful prevention and treatment effort here at home and around the country. <v Guest>Things you did. It's tought, it hurts, it's painful. <v Narrator>Watch alternative answers. Community programs that work. <v Clark Brandon>Toxicology is a study of poisons. <v Clark Brandon>And Dr. Charles Winnik is professor of toxicology at Duquesne University and chief <v Clark Brandon>toxicologist for Allegheny County. <v Clark Brandon>In his work, drug abuse is often a life or death question. <v Clark Brandon>Dr. Winick believes that knowing the facts about chemicals can help both parents and <v Clark Brandon>teenagers. So he gives straight information, not advice. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>The drug that we encounter most frequently here in the department laboratories, <v Dr. Charles Winnik>the test that we run most frequently is that of ethyl alcohol or common beverage alcohol. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It is a drug that depresses the central nervous system from beginning to end. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It is a drug that acts on our cerebral cortex, removing our inhibitions so that we begin

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>to do and say things that we would not normally do and say. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>As the level of alcohol increases in our body, it interferes with <v Dr. Charles Winnik>nerve transmission that we don't see as well. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>We don't hear as well. We lose control over our our muscles. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Our reaction time is impaired. These are the acute short term effects <v Dr. Charles Winnik>of alcohol, the long term effects, the chronic effects of <v Dr. Charles Winnik>alcohol use lead, of course, to alcoholism with irreversible <v Dr. Charles Winnik>damage to both the liver and the brain. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Marijuana is the second most popular drug of abuse in this <v Dr. Charles Winnik>country. Marijuana is a ubiquitous weed. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It has a worldwide distribution. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It contains a chemical called Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is found in highest potency <v Dr. Charles Winnik>in its juice, essentially called hasheesh

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>or pot. It is a drug that over a long period of time <v Dr. Charles Winnik>can produce some cumulative effects related to the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol is <v Dr. Charles Winnik>a fat soluble substance and will indeed concentrate in body tissues. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It has some undesirable effects in that it does interact with other drugs <v Dr. Charles Winnik>generally potentiates the effects of those other substances. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Any number of research reports indicate that it has an effect on short term memory, <v Dr. Charles Winnik>that it affects certain endocrine systems in the body, and that it also affects our white <v Dr. Charles Winnik>blood cells. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Another general group of central nervous system depressant type drugs are those <v Dr. Charles Winnik>of the sedatives and the hypnotics, the sleeping pills and the tranquilizers. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>The muscle relaxants. The I don't care type drugs.

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>These drugs have both these groups of drugs have both become street drugs. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Drugs like Quaaludes and reds, barbiturates. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>These are all known on the street as as downers, also known as love drugs. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>They have the potential to produce physical dependency. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>That is, they can produce a true addiction. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>They can produce a withdrawal syndrome that can result in death. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>There is a high risk of overdosing with these drugs producing an irreversible <v Dr. Charles Winnik>type coma. The love drug aspect of these, particularly the drug <v Dr. Charles Winnik>known as Quaalude or soakers, has been called a love drug. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It's also known on the street as a lemon 714. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>That's one of the reasons for the popularity of this drug. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Librium and Valium are two common tranquilizers that also can lead to physical <v Dr. Charles Winnik>dependance with chronic heavy use. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Specifically, a narcotic is an addicting painkiller.

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>That is that it has the potential for producing both physical and psychological <v Dr. Charles Winnik>dependency. That is, you think you need the drug and your body also reminds you that <v Dr. Charles Winnik>you need to drug. Heroin is the principal narcotic <v Dr. Charles Winnik>substance and illegal substance that has been used in this country for many <v Dr. Charles Winnik>years. It is a street drug of abuse. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>It has a high risk involved with its use in that it can cause <v Dr. Charles Winnik>acute overdose and respiratory arrest. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Narcotic addicts will use other sorts of narcotic substances like Demerol, Dilaudid <v Dr. Charles Winnik>and Percodan. Those really are becoming favorites, <v Dr. Charles Winnik>principally because they are of known potency. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>These drugs produce addiction as their their main effect. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>They also can produce any number of diseases, including hepatitis. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>This is related principally to their manner of use. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>That is, they are injected. An individual infects his body with <v Dr. Charles Winnik>microorganisms leading to diseases, which is one of the manifestations of

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>chronic use of the narcotic substances. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Cocaine is a central nervous system, stimulant type drug <v Dr. Charles Winnik>similar to amphetamine, not similar to heroin or other narcotics. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Cocaine is a drug that is obtained through processing a southamerican <v Dr. Charles Winnik>plant. It is a white crystalline type material. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>This is a drug that is either injected under the skin or move <v Dr. Charles Winnik>most frequently, snorted or snuffed, if you will, into the <v Dr. Charles Winnik>nasal passages. It is commonly called coke or snow related <v Dr. Charles Winnik>to its physical appearance of a white fluffy type powder. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Overdoses of cocaine lead to convulsions, followed by fatigue <v Dr. Charles Winnik>and coma and death.

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>The amphetamines belonging to the same category, central nervous system stimulation <v Dr. Charles Winnik>are the drugs that have been used for years for obesity <v Dr. Charles Winnik>have been used as a stay awake drug. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>The amphetamines, like cocaine, produce a state of alertness. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>A state of a state of hyper activity of individuals using <v Dr. Charles Winnik>amphetamine type drugs have an increase in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Amphetamines are a group of drugs that, with constant <v Dr. Charles Winnik>heavy use, can lead to tolerance and can lead to <v Dr. Charles Winnik>physical withdrawal. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Amphetamine deaths are rather similar to cocaine deaths. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>They produce and overstimulation of the central nervous system, followed by <v Dr. Charles Winnik>fatigue and coma.

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>There are hundreds of chemical hallucinogens, both synthetic and natural. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>The three most common hallucinogenic substances are <v Dr. Charles Winnik>mescaline, a natural substance PSAP and SYK Ladine, <v Dr. Charles Winnik>known on the streets as Hogger Angel Dust or the animal tranquilizer. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>And that is a synthetic substance. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>And LSD, which is also a synthetic substance, probably the most notorious of the <v Dr. Charles Winnik>hallucinogenic substances. The hallucinogens are all very similar in <v Dr. Charles Winnik>their effect on the central nervous system. They differ with regards to how much you have <v Dr. Charles Winnik>to use. And their safety. That is the side effects, the adverse effects, their toxicity. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>LSD is known to produce chromosomal splitting. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Most young people are very much concerned about that and avoid this type of a drug. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>PDP is probably the most popular hallucinogenic substance today.

<v Dr. Charles Winnik>This is a drug that produces a dreamy, floaty kind of hallucination, <v Dr. Charles Winnik>a desirable kind of state on the part of the user. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>And that's essentially why they attempt to use the drug. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>Except it's probably the most toxic of the hallucinogenic substances in that the <v Dr. Charles Winnik>dose required to produce hallucinations is not that far removed from the toxic dose. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>And the lethal dose of PSAP can produce a catatonic state <v Dr. Charles Winnik>and it can also produce a schizophrenic state. <v Dr. Charles Winnik>If one were to summarize, P, C, P would say that it is a <v Dr. Charles Winnik>drug that indeed makes you crazy. <v Sarah Purcell>If you want more information about these chemicals, stay tuned and we'll tell you how to <v Sarah Purcell>get it at the end of this program. <v Sarah Purcell>Dr. Winnecke teaches the facts to keep young people from making themselves crazy or <v Sarah Purcell>killing themselves. The truth is a strong weapon.

<v Sarah Purcell>I'd like you to meet Tom Connolly. <v Sarah Purcell>He's a consultant to the Center for Substance Abuse and Circle C Group Homes. <v Sarah Purcell>Ten years ago, he beat his own drug and alcohol problem and has since then been <v Sarah Purcell>chemically free and working as a psychotherapist specializing in chemical problems <v Sarah Purcell>with young people and their families. <v Tom Connolly>I've dealt with thousands of alcoholics and drug addicts over the last 10 years, and I <v Tom Connolly>never met one yet who, when they had their first drink or drug of choice, decided <v Tom Connolly>to be an alcoholic or drug addict. <v Tom Connolly>That's not the way it goes. <v Tom Connolly>Kids as well as adults begin to use chemicals for a variety of reasons. <v Tom Connolly>But kids basically use chemicals to escape just as adults do. <v Tom Connolly>They need to escape their problems. They need to escape reality because there's a lot of <v Tom Connolly>pressure involved in that. Kids become addicted to the mood change that altered <v Tom Connolly>state of consciousness that helps them avoid dealing with reality. <v Tom Connolly>Our social systems have to start dealing with it. <v Tom Connolly>The churches have got to get involved. They have a shot at kids all the time, every <v Tom Connolly>Sunday. Sure. Not all kids, but the ones they have a shot at.

<v Tom Connolly>They've got to deal with. The schools, need to start a kindergarten and move on <v Tom Connolly>through the 12th grade level with curriculum designed to bring to our children <v Tom Connolly>the facts that are available today, in their terminology, something that they <v Tom Connolly>can understand and make conscious good decisions out of when they get to a <v Tom Connolly>point where someone offers them a chemical. <v Tom Connolly>I would hope that over time we can look at the problem as realistically as possible <v Tom Connolly>and realize that it's our problem, not just a kid's problem. <v Clark Brandon>Drug and alcohol abuse by teenagers is our problem. <v Clark Brandon>And although none of us can solve the problem alone, working together, there's a reason <v Clark Brandon>for hope. This television program is a first of the Chemical People series. <v Clark Brandon>In addition to the four programs you'll see this week, there'll be five nightly two hour <v Clark Brandon>live programs next week, which will bring together experts, performers and studio <v Clark Brandon>audiences. We'd like you to join us in the studio at WQED. <v Clark Brandon>Come and be a part of the solution. Ask questions and share ideas. <v Sarah Purcell>You can help, but these television programs are just a start. <v Sarah Purcell>As I said in the beginning of this program, right now, in over 100 communities and 12

<v Sarah Purcell>counties of southwestern Pennsylvania, there are town meetings being held and task <v Sarah Purcell>forces being formed to bring together the people who can do something parents, <v Sarah Purcell>teenagers, clergy, government and law enforcement officers, counselors, <v Sarah Purcell>business and labor representatives. <v Sarah Purcell>It's not too late for you to join them. <v Clark Brandon>There are people in these towns and school districts already organizing permanent <v Clark Brandon>community groups to look for solutions to the problems of teenage drug and alcohol abuse. <v Clark Brandon>We can help our teenagers discover that the magic is not in the bottle or the pill, <v Clark Brandon>but in themselves. <v Sarah Purcell>We hope this program has helped all of us learn a few things about kids and drugs. <v Sarah Purcell>But, you know, knowledge is only the beginning of wisdom. <v Sarah Purcell>Now it's time to do something to help WQED and the coalition <v Sarah Purcell>have put some information together. <v Sarah Purcell>If you'd like to get the material about the survey and chemicals we told you about <v Sarah Purcell>earlier, or would like a copy of the parent teacher guide, we've prepared to accompany <v Sarah Purcell>the series. Or if you'd like to join the community effort, call for one two

<v Sarah Purcell>six two one five eight 0 eight. Or write The chemical people WQED. <v Sarah Purcell>Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one five two one three. <v Clark Brandon>We are pleased to be involved in the chemical people. <v Clark Brandon>And we'll be back tomorrow night with the next program and a series of parents <v Clark Brandon>underground guide to understanding teenagers. <v Clark Brandon>We'll see you then. <v Guest>Everybody is doing this [unclear] I don't like it, but you can't stop <v Guest>people from using it. <v Guest>You know, like you could be with a group of people and they'd all be doing it and you <v Guest>wouldn't want to be uncool or anything like that. <v Guest>Some of it's peer pressure, I think. <v Guest>And to get away from reality, if they have problems, it's a quick <v Guest>way to you know, solve them. <v Guest>It's just like movies and TV and pornography. <v Guest>It's all escapism. And a lot of times when you're in school, especially, I <v Guest>know a lot of people who get stoned in school because they just can't handle it or they <v Guest>get sick of classes or they don't want to put up with their teachers. <v Guest>And so they get stoned, sit around and everything's nice and fine.

<v Guest>And they think of it as a solution to their problems. <v Guest>There's so many kids, they come to high school and they want to fit in because <v Guest>immediately there are all these great kids all over and they have to fit in somewhere. <v Guest>And if you don't have any friends right off, the only way sometimes to fit in to take <v Guest>drugs. <v Guest>There's pressures in school. There's a lack of communication. <v Guest>Parents want you to. <v Guest>They want- they treat you like children, but they want you to act like adults. <v Guest>It's a problem anywhere. Any school you go to problem in life that there's drugs around. <v Guest>It needs to be stopped. someone has got to stop it. <v Guest>And no one's trying hard enough. <v Narrator>This WQED Presents Community Outreach series was produced <v Narrator>in cooperation with the Coalition for Addictive Diseases in southwest Pennsylvania. <v Narrator>It was made possible by a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.