If your child is using drugs, some of the dos and don'ts. You know, first thing I did was go into denial mode, so the first thing I tell you is don't deny it. You have a problem, you're going to need to get proactive for that problem. If your child had any other disease, let's say diabetes, you'd begin to start educating yourself on that disease, what you needed to do to keep your child from getting worse, looking at maybe the sugar that you're using in your baking or cooking or carbohydrates. You'd be doing all these things because you're getting proactive about it. When you're looking at drugs and substance abuse issues, you need to study. First thing I studied and learned that was the most helpful to me was how drugs affect the brain. Once I understood that, it took a lot of the guilt off of me thinking I was a bad parent that my child turned to drugs, so I could understand how picking up and using a drug actually changed the brain chemistry in my child's brain, and I needed to get proactive on how to turn that around, how to get them to a point of not being an addiction but getting them to a point of recovery. So learning those steps is crucial. When you're trying to save your child's life, don't go into denial, don't scream and holler. You know your child's feeling bad enough as it is even though you may look at their reactions and think not. I know my daughter told me, "You know, mom, I need drugs. I need heroin like I need the air to breathe." I didn't understand this. If I had educated myself, and even though I'm saying the ifs, but if I had educated myself, I would have known how to intervene quicker, how to get her help, how to look for the right answers, look for an appropriate treatment program and be able to get her in. That's what you're fighting for. It's a disease, and you're fighting the best you can to stop it and intervene and be able to save your child's life. Talking to your children's so important. Parents have more influence than they think they do.