A mock teen bedroom used by experts to help educate parents about warning signs of drug and/or alcohol abuse in young people will be hosted by the Lower Saucon Township Police Department as part of a public event later this month.
As a parent, you may think you know every trick a teenager has up his or her sleeve. After all, parents were once teens. However, law enforcement authorities say many parents can overlook the signs of drug and/or alcohol abuse hidden in plain sight in their own homes.
To help combat the consequences of addiction, Lower Saucon Township Police in partnership with the Center for Humanistic Change will be hosting the popular and awareness-raising “Mock Teen Bedroom” exhibit Thursday, April 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event is free to attend and kids will receive a tour of the police station while their parents visit the bedroom.
The Mock Teen Bedroom is a mobile educational resource. Parents are presented with a realistic-looking teen bedroom, which they are invited to search for contraband, including mock drugs and drug paraphernalia, seemingly everyday containers that are actually “stash safes” and common household items that can be indicative of drug use.
Examples of items that can actually be stash safes are hairbrushes and water bottles, according to a flyer promoting the event, which is being funded through a Northampton County grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
On the same night, the Lower Saucon Township Police Department will also host a 30-minute Narcan training at 7 p.m.
Narcan (naloxone) can reverse a potentially fatal opioid overdose, which attendees will learn how to recognize.
Attendees will also learn how to administer Narcan and receive a free Narcan kit. (Free medication lockboxes will also be available.)
For more information about these events, call the Lower Saucon Township Police Department at 610-317-6110 or visit their Crimewatch site.
The events will be held at the township police’s headquarters at 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, Pa.