A week ago, Sue in Queens asked us all How many kids do drugs? Well, if you’re talking about Australia, the answer is, a lot more than you want to see, and more children are developing health-threatening proclivities, according to this article in today’s The Age. Excuse me for doing a blatant cut-and-paste job, but the statistics are summed up as follows:

CHILDREN as young as 12 are seeking help for alcohol abuse as new figures from a major Melbourne drug treatment centre reveal a six-fold increase in cases of young people with drinking problems.

Some are drinking a slab of beer [NB: a slab is 24 cans of beer]Rachel or a bottle of spirits a day and have developed serious health problems such as cirrhosis of the liver or hepatitis C. Cannabis dependency has also risen sharply, with some children smoking it to block out the pain of abuse.

Youth workers from Victoria's biggest drug treatment service for under-21s, the Youth Substance Abuse Service, say alcohol and cannabis dependence are now more common than heroin addiction.

The new figures from the service come ahead of a separate report to be released today from the Australian National Council on Drugs, which will warn that 20% of 16 year-olds are drinking to harmful levels in any given week, while one in every 200 children aged 12 are drinking at harmful levels.

The ANCD report combined several major statistical studies on substance abuse for the first time. It warned that extra support for the family members of young substance abusers — including siblings — was needed.
Figures released to The Age show that the Youth Substance Abuse Service treated 776 cases of alcohol problems last year — up from 136 in 2002.
Cannabis cases rocketed from 608 to 1213, while heroin cases plummeted from 824 to 286.

The inhalation of toxic substances such as spray paint, glue and petrol (known as chroming) has also doubled.

And users are getting younger, with 12 to 15-year-olds accounting for 12% of all drug treatments — up from 9% in 2002

I love me some advice columns, from Irma Kurtz in Cosmo (anyone remember her? Is she still doling out advice?) to the classic Dear Abby to the awesome Carolyn Hax. I've been reading them since I was a young girl. Sometimes I nod my head in approval, sometimes I pump my fist in solidarity, and sometimes I shake my head in confusion as the columnist gives what I consider crappy advice.

But this reader question to Dr. Joyce Brothers just left me puzzled:

DEAR DR. BROTHERS: I am up against a rather delicate situation as a new parent at a nursery school, and I've decided to ask your opinion. Perhaps you have heard it all before! Anyway, my child is an adorable little boy (yes, I know it's not proper to brag, but it is true), and in his rather upscale school, he has been asked for a play date with a little boy who is there mostly because of his very famous mom, a film actress. She wants my child to go over to her house for some reason (she says he is so cute). But I'm afraid she just wants to use my son, and the whole thing feels almost abusive to me. What do you think? -- B.N.

Um...whaaaa?

After parsing the question a few times, here's all I could come up with: this woman thinks she, and by extension her son, are better than said movie star and her little son. Therefore, if movie star invites them over for a playdate, movie star clearly wants to exploit her precious little boy.

Does that sound right?

Dr. Brothers gave advice that was thoughtful and kind:

At any rate, exposing your son to all sorts of people would be a good thing right now -- and that includes the son of a movie star. You may be feeling vulnerable about being seen as "sucking up" to the lady through her kid. If the two boys end up despising each other, at least you will have tried. Ask your son if he wants to play with this boy. Unless the answer is a horrified refusal, it's possible that a lifelong friendship could arise from this situation.

Me, I would make a crappy advice columnist. My advice would have been, "Lady, get OVER yourself! It's a freakin' playdate!"

Am I missing something dear MTs? Because I just can't figure out what's so objectionable to having someone--even a "film actress"--invite your kid over to play with theirs. Thoughts?