Addiction & Recovery 9.14.25 - Flipbook - Page 13
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, September 14, 2025 13
Talking to your college freshman
continued from page 10
and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
To help combat the growing problems from vape use among young
people, the Maryland Department of
Health recently sent a letter to local
physicians advising them to be aware
of patients who may be experiencing
acute reactions after using vape/e-cigarette devices; these reactions can
include loss of consciousness, agitation, nausea/vomiting, neurological
symptoms, and altered mental status.
While older teens (and adults)
might decide to stop vaping on their
own, younger kids most likely will
need the help of their parents. Fortunately, there are many helpful resources online to help you speak with
your kids about vaping. Don’t be shy
about getting your child’s pediatrician involved, too. The University of
Maryland Medical Systems (health.
umms.org) offers these tips on getting the conversation started:
• Don’t lecture: Be open-minded
and ready to listen to your kids
about why they vape and how
they think it might be helping
them.
• Emphasize the effects vaping can
have on their health. Answer any
questions they may have. (There
are many sources of information
online to help you learn.)
• Don’t be judgmental. If they have
tried vaping, or are vaping regularly, ask them why and ask them
what they like (or don’t like)
about it.
• It’s your house and your rules.
Be clear about what your expectations are regarding vaping, especially at home, and especially
if there are younger children at
home. Also be clear about the
consequences of not following the
rules.
• Above all, be a resource and a support. Teach your children how to
say no when others try to pressure
them into using vapes or tobacco.
Model healthy activities you can
all take part in. And if you’re also
vaping or smoking, consider quitting yourself (it can be a family
affair).
Additional Resources:
American Lung Association,
“Talk About Vaping,”
www.lung.org
Partnership to End Addiction,
“How to Tell If Your Child is
Vaping,” www.drugfree.org
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, “E-Cigarettes
(Vapes)”, www.cdc.gov
National Library of Medicine,
“Nicotine Gateway Effects on
Adolescent Substance Abuse,”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
talk about being around drugs and
alcohol in college.
Earlier in the summer, they opened
the conversation with questions
about what Alex thought when it
came to drinking alcohol or trying
drugs like cannabis. Alex hadn’t decided one way or another, so Brian
talked about safety tips, like not accepting a drink you didn’t see opened
or poured and not leaving a drink
unattended.
“We got a few eyerolls, but Alex
did ask a few ‘what if’ questions,”
Brian says. “Hopefully, that means
we’ve established ourselves as people
they can come to with questions in
the future.”
Parents are a good source of safety
information. Hitchens suggested the
following safety tips:
• Have a plan before you go out. If
you decide to drink, set a limit on
the number of drinks you’ll have at
the event. Communicate your limit
with trusted friends.
• Don’t walk home alone. If you go
with friends, leave with friends.
• Don’t leave your drink unattended
and open it yourself. Avoid shots
as it is too easy to get too drunk
too fast.
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with
non-alcoholic beverages.
• Don’t mix alcohol and prescription drugs. If you take prescription
medications, talk to your doctor to
understand how those will interact
with alcohol.
The landscape around recreational
drugs has also changed from when
parents were in college. Cannabis is
now legal in many states, and students need to decide how to navigate the drug and know their limits.
Testing drugs for fentanyl is a critical
safety step. Hitchens says this can be
done using testing strips, which are
available on some campuses.
How should parents address questions they may be asked about their
behavior regarding drinking when
they were younger? “Be honest and
talk about how you feel about those
decisions now,” Hitchens suggests.
“Talk about what you would have
done differently and why.”
The conversation doesn’t have to
end after dorm move-in day. How
parents keep in touch differs with
every child, as some may be more
responsive to texts while others may
like a short FaceTime walking home
from class.
“The first six weeks of college are
crucial, as students may feel stressed
as they navigate their new environment and attend large party events
like homecoming or Halloween,”
Hitchens says. “Simple check-ins to
let them know you’re thinking about
them and asking about classes is
a good start. Even if they don’t respond, you’re planting the seed that
you’re open to a conversation if they
need to talk in the future.”
There are resources available to
provide helpful information. The student counseling center is a good place
to start, or you can call the Dean of
Students’ office for resources.
If, as the year goes on, there are
concerns about your child’s drug and
alcohol use at school, Hitchens recommends the website www.collegeparentsmatter.org. Hosted by The
Maryland Collaborative, a network
of Maryland colleges and universities
working together with community
partners to reduce excessive alcohol
use in their campus communities, it
is devoted to equipping parents with
tools and resources to engage in effective communication with students
about alcohol and drugs in college.
Colleges and universities are committed to serving as engaged partners
with parents to help their children
thrive on campus.
“We care deeply about our students and want to help them maintain their health and well-being to see
them succeed,” Hitchens says.
