By Michelle Grisales

Free drug testing kits, and a lot of useful advice and information were offered  at a drug awareness forum at Brookhaven Town Hall on Feb. 10.

The workshop, “The More You Know… Substance Abuse Education,” was open to anyone and was presented by The Town of Brookhaven’s Department of General Services Youth Bureau Division. 

The forum attracted parents, some with their children, and focused on topics such as adolescent behavior and development, reasons adolescents experiment with substances and trends in adolescent drug use.

As attendees arrived, they were handed a folder filled with informative sheets specifically directed towards parents on how to approach conversations of drug use with their children. There were also pamphlets, a printed-out version of the slideshow used and a pen and paper to take notes.

Hayden Cruz, a clinical social worker at the Youth Bureau Division, led the presentation and explained in great detail what adolescents go through when experimenting with drugs and showed the most commonly used ones. He gave advice to parents in attendance whose children struggle with this on how to approach the conversation and effectively seek help if needed.

“I just want us to keep in mind that there’s a lot of change going on and there’s a lot of unknowns for a person throughout this time period … there’s only so much that [parents] can control, but there is a way of voicing concerns and hoping that your child, the teenager, stays more focused on their own treatment and their own well being,” he said. “That takes a lot of time, a lot of trust [and] a lot of work in communication and trying to find that middle ground.” 

Michelle Grisales is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism Working Newsroom program for students and local media.