Letter: Are we listening to our children?

When a child turns to alcohol, prescription drugs, or substances, we often ask, “Why would they do that?”
A better question is: “What pain are they trying to escape?”
The data from St. Mary Parish tells a heartbreaking story.
According to the 2024 Communities That Care Youth Survey, 14.6% of sixth-graders have seriously considered attempting suicide.
Nearly one in four (24.4%) have been bullied at school, 19.8% have skipped school because they felt unsafe, and 49.1% are very worried about suicide by another student.
These are not isolated statistics — they are warning signs of children carrying burdens no child should bear.
As they get older, that pain often becomes self-medication. 44.4% of our 12th-graders reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days.
Even more alarming, 16.7% of sixth graders reported purchasing prescription drugs online, exposing them to counterfeit pills that can be deadly.
In 2023, the Louisiana Opioid Data and Surveillance System recorded 113 stimulant poisoning-related emergency department visits involving children and teens ages 1–17 in St. Mary Parish.
These numbers are connected. Bullying, isolation, fear, and untreated mental health struggles can lead young people to seek relief in dangerous places.
We cannot simply tell our youth to “just say no.”
We must give them something to say yes to: safe schools, trusted adults, accessible mental health care, strong families, meaningful connections and hope.
Every statistic represents a child with a name, a family, and a future.
Our children are asking for help—not always with words, but through their struggles.
The question is no longer whether we see the warning signs.
The question is whether we will act before another child believes that a bottle, a pill, or suicide is their only escape.
Jazmin DuBois
Morgan City