Nine months after she resolved to get clean and sober after years of drug abuse, an 18-year-old recovering crack and heroin addict who introduced herself as Jessica told a roomful of people how it all began.

"I was 13 the first time I used marijuana," the Gibsonia area resident said yesterday. "I was with a bunch of friends at a party. Someone rolled a blunt and I started smoking."

Within a year, her cravings for more intense highs led Jessica down the dark hole of addiction to crack cocaine and before long, snorting and injecting heroin. Eventually, she said, "it became a chore because if I didn't use it, I'd get dope sick."

Jessica, who recently earned a General Educational Development certificate and is now studying cosmetology, shared her personal journey to recovery yesterday during a roundtable discussion with other Pittsburgh teens to help educate parents on the realities of teen drug use.

Organized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, or ONDCP, this teen drug awareness campaign is being held in cities across the country to remind parents of the important role they play in keeping teens drug-free and to offer tips that will help them accomplish that goal.

"A lot of parents want to be their child's friend rather than take parental responsibility," said Robert Denniston, director of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in Washington, D.C. "Parents must remain vigilant, continue to communicate the risks of drug use, set rules and enforce consequences -- even for older teens."

A recent survey done by ONDCP in Pennsylvania found that a significant number of 12th graders are using drugs and alcohol. It showed that 23 percent of high school seniors in the state had used marijuana a month prior to the survey, 54 percent had used alcohol and 34 percent were binge drinking, meaning they had consumed more than five drinks in a row during the past two weeks.

During much of the discussion, the panelists debated the fine line between parents respecting their teens' privacy and doing their job as a parent. Four local teens who took part in the discussion unanimously agreed that cellular phones, text messages, e-mail and instant messages are popular vehicles for teens to get drugs.

"I really wish my parents had checked more on me and been more intrusive on my privacy," said Mike, an 18-year-old recovering drug addict who said he started smoking weed at age 11 and soon progressed to heroin and crack cocaine.

When Mike, who lives in Penn Hills, overdosed on a combination of Xanax, alcohol and heroin at age 14, his parents realized for the first time that he was a junky.

Even while they were sending him from one treatment program to another, he said, all he could think about was getting high. He lied, schemed and manipulated everyone who tried to help him get clean.

Ten months ago, he made the decision for himself. He's been sober since then and plans to enroll at Community College of Allegheny County in January to study for a career as a drug and alcohol counselor, he said.

Dr. Pamela Murray, chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, told the audience one of the main reasons teens use drugs is for self-medication. She said children with mental health and emotional problems are more likely to use drugs to help them perform and feel better, more capable and more confident.

"You need to look at your children's friends, who they hang with, and their school performance," Dr. Murray said. "Look for any changes. That's critical. When drug use starts, other things get sacrificed."

While some drugs are a gateway to other drugs, Dr. Murray cautioned parents, cigarette smoking might not always be a predictor of future drug use.

"Mostly, smoking cigarettes is a gateway to smoking more cigarettes," Dr. Murray said.