Talking to your child about drugs and alcohol (part 1)
No one: child, parent, grandparent, or family is immune to the effects of drugs and/or alcohol abuse. Good kids can end up in trouble, even when they have made an effort to avoid drugs and alcohol and have had great guidance from their parents.
The issue of drug and alcohol use can be very confusing to kids. For instance, they may think, “If drugs are dangerous, then why do we take so much medicine for headaches or coughs? And, if drugs are so bad, then why does the media make them look or sound so cool through TV, movies, or music?
Beginning the conversation with kids about drug use early is key. Open, honest talks can prevent drug and alcohol abuse and can help answer the many questions kids have. Kids need to know what is true and what is not. Childrennow.org reports that, “National studies show that the average age when a child first tries alcohol is 11; for marijuana, it’s 12. And many kids start becoming curious about these substances even sooner.” This shocking statistic shows how urgently we need to get started in talking to our kids about drugs and alcohol.
Listening and communicating are extremely important when it comes to talking to your child about drugs and alcohol. When parents listen to their children’s feelings and concerns, their kids feel comfortable talking with them and are more likely to stay drug-free.
Another strategy often discussed when talking to your kids about drug and alcohol use, is role-playing. Role playing can help your child be prepared with responses when difficult situations arise. By practicing these conversations, you enable your child to have the power to say “no” in a way that they are familiar and comfortable with.
Knowing your children’s friends and encouraging good friendships will go a long way with drug prevention. Certain groups of kids may be more likely to use drugs than others. It’s a fact that kids who have friends who use drugs are likely to try drugs themselves. Also, those who feel socially isolated-or like they have no friends- are also at risk for turning to drugs or alcohol. So, it’s important to know your child’s friends and their parents and their friend’s siblings. Be the “question-asker” in your child’s life. Know what’s going on, where they are, who they are with, what they are doing. Be involved. Recognize if your child has friends who are not making good choices or are not building your child up in a healthy way. Be aware if your child seems friendless or lonely.
Providing information to your children about the dangers of drugs can also empower them to make the right choices. While pointing out to younger children that we take care of our bodies so we can be healthy, we can also add that things like smoking harms our bodies and we shouldn’t do that. Older children need to know the dangers of drugs and the risks involved. You may want to specifically talk with them about how smoking can affect them in the long term. They may want to know what drugs look like or what their street names are. If your child has questions, answer them the best you can. If you don’t know all of the answers, do your homework and follow up with them. Quick conversations that happen often are much more effective than one long talk in your child’s developing years.
Next week’s post will include information on talking to your child specifically about the dangers of marijuana. There will be future posts about talking to your child about other specific drugs as well.