It'll never happen to me ...

[Claybury]

How to make a teenager think it could be them ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25840535

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25840535

Such sad news. My heart goes out to his Mum, Dad and Brother-they must be devastated

My dd went to creamfields music festival with her friends last year .... I spent the whole time sending her and her friends links like this ....so scary and I will never stop telling them what may happen. ( I have two dds) They've promised me they never would ? I have to trust them

Very sad. :(
I don't think you can make them believe it, Clay. The ones who think they're invulnerable don't listen to their parents, IME, because they think we're just fussing. My DS used to say to me all the time "You worry too much. Nothing's going to happen. Even this poor boy's last words were "I'm not going to die"... :(

I think that what it takes, frighteningly, is for something like this to happen to someone they know. My DS was on the fringes of something 18 months ago that led to one boy being killed, another almost dying, and two people going to jail for murder, attempted murder and manslaughter. They were the people who were selling drugs to young people (14-18) in our area - including my son. It was a wake-up call for him and several of his peers - they finally realised it could have been any of them - and several of them made positive changes as a result. But it is truly awful that someone actually had to die before those boys realised the risks they were taking. :(

In fact I've just emailed this one to both of my dds

What a waste of a young life. I heard his distraught father on the radio urging other teens not to take drugs. It reminded me of Leah Betts' parents almost 20 years ago. Some children will experiment with drugs no matter what you tell them, they think they are immortal. Like another poster said it can take a tragedy close to home to make them wise up. My heart goes out to the family.

I agree with Flow, there is no way some will accept they are mortal.

It is such a tragic outcome for a teenager.
I can understand however the teen who would rationally deem there to be a 'low risk' of death - but there is the middle ground they don't consider , ie dangers other than death, the effect of drugs on your emotional well being etc not to mention then sanity of your worrying parents.
Flow - I agree with your post. I have secretly hoped that my DS may witness something scary first hand to put him off experimenting as the last time we discussed drugs he made it clear he did not believe us about the dangers. When a boy in London died after nitrous oxide use at a party DS 's response was that the boy must have had a 'weakness' , and that he'd heard that the boy had taken lots of other drugs the doctors didn't know about. I had to explain to him what a post mortem is and realised he is very naive, believing what he hears from his peer group and not believing what I say.

this is why Leah Betts' parents let her photograph (in a coma, brain destroyed) be used. Perhaps the new generation needs to see it.

Clay, I also "secretly hoped that my DS may witness something scary first hand to put him off". Until he did. It was unbelievably traumatic, for me as well as him. And since murder investigations and trials take a long time, the stress went on for almost a year.

It also made us both - yes, DS too - realise the dead boy could easily have been him. Because you don't witness something like that unless you are far, far closer than you should be... :(

Let go of that wish, Clay...

Flow that sounds immensely stressful. I meant something scary along the lines of being excluded and sent to a new school where you don't know anyone.

Special- you're right the Leah Betts photos did make a strong impression on lots of us who were just the right age.