More and more young people are using drugs, and parents are becoming increasingly tolerant

More and more young people are using psychoactive substances, and parents are becoming increasingly tolerant towards drugs. This was stated by Rositsa Stanulova, a psychologist at the Prevention and Information Center on Drug Addiction in Sofia, during a meeting with parents of students from the capital's 51st school "Elizaveta Bagriana" on March 14.

The initiative is part of the BNT campaign "Don’t Breathe Death," with the municipal preventive drug addiction centre as a partner. The idea is to make parents aware of the consequences of drug use in children.

The risks associated with the use of various psychoactive substances are often underestimated by parents. At the meeting in the 51st School in Sofia, a film was shown depicting the alarming reality of drugs today.

"On one hand, there are many substances now, the advertising is quite aggressive, and the substances themselves are presented as harmless. Parents tend to believe these ads, but the truth is, there's another aspect to this. In the 90s, children were the users, but now those who use drugs already have children, and this also reduces the critical perception of the problem," said Rositsa Stanulova, psychologist at the Preventive Information Center for Drug Addictions in Sofia.

Prevention should start as early as 1st grade because there are already many cases of children using substances as early as 4th grade. This trend is concerning, and that's why it's good for parents to teach their children to share openly.

"Parents should talk more often with their children about the dangers – how it can happen, where it can happen, and maintain a close relationship with their children. In our busy daily lives, while focused on work, we sometimes forget about our children," commented Tanya Milova, a pedagogical advisor at the 51st School "Elisaveta Bagryana."

The bodies of adolescents are extremely vulnerable. In addition to immediate dangerous conditions, drugs can lead to long-term damage to mental health and brain development.

Was what you heard today helpful?

"Extremely helpful. Perhaps not enough attention is paid to children, and we don't talk enough about how harmful these vapes are. Children in 5th grade shouldn’t be using them, and these things shouldn't be allowed to be bought," said Nadia Kurteva, a parent of a 5th-grade student.

Designer drugs, which are chemical variants of classic drugs, are becoming increasingly used today. These can have unpredictable effects even without long-term use, warned the specialists at the meeting with the parents.