MARQUETTE -- They say it takes a village to raise a child.  Fortunately for local parents, their village is very proactive.

Thursday evening, the Peter White Public Library held a forum teaching parents about youth substance abuse.  Mary Schneeberger, the library's teen services coordinator, said the event was in high demand.

"They wanted more information," said Schneeberger, "and they really wanted other parents to have more information about the signs of that, and we're the education center of the community and so it's just natural for the library to have this forum tonight."

Experts on tonight's panel included Caroll Ann Swanson, a substance abuse consultant, youth officer Craig Marker, and Margaret Olesnavage, the director of juvenile court services.  The experts' primary concern:  parents just aren't speaking up!

"We live in the Upper Peninsula," said parent Joy Bender Hadley.  "People think that we don't have a problem like bigger cities when I know that's not true; so I think really it's great that we're drawing this to the attention of the community."

An even sadder statistic--the Partnership for a Drug-free America has said that one in five teenagers today have tried prescription painkillers.  Painkillers are a simple way for kids to take drugs under the radar, since they are found right in their home medicine cabinets.

So when should you confront your teen about substance abuse?  Panel experts said not to look for isolated signs, but rather a pattern.  Some indicators of drug abuse include a change in your teen's physical appearance, their performance at school, and a change in attitude.

Experts say that the first step that parents can take in solving a drug problem is admission.