Talking to Your Children About Drugs

One of the most frightening things about parenting is wondering if your child is using drugs. Start talking to them about the dangers of drugs when they’re young. Here are a few ways to get the discussion started and keep it going.

Opportunity

Take advantage of each and every opportunity to talk to your child about drugs. These opportunities may come up when watching a television program, when walking down the street, when hearing about a driver that gets in a wreck and was high. Talking to your child about how dangerous these choices are will go far in educating your child against drugs.

Shelter

Next time you drive by that homeless shelter and your child is with you, stop. If possible go inside and talk to the people that run the shelter. You can ask them about volunteer opportunities, why most people are there and so on. Your child will be listening to every word and observing the people around him or her. When you get back into the car discuss with your child what he or she heard and saw.

Role Play

Practice with your child. Pretend you’re a drug dealer trying to convince him or her to buy drugs or even just try them and have your child practice saying no, walking away and so on. Remind your child that saying no doesn’t make him or her a chicken, it makes him or her smart and if someone tries to make fun of him or her for this that that person isn’t very smart.

Facts

Research some facts on how the drugs act on the body. Read things together about first time users and how some people die the first time they try a drug. Read about long term effects on the body from using drugs. Show photos of how drugs age people in just a few short months of usage. The more your child sees the less likely he or she is to ever want to try drugs.

Rules

Have family rules such as if the child is at a party and drugs are being used the child calls you for a ride immediately. Remind the child that it’s not their fault someone else is using drugs and you won’t be mad at them.

If for any reason your child tries a drug tell them they can come to you and you will get them help. Promise them you won’t berate them but rather that you love them and want the best for them so encourage them to come to you even if they’ve made a poor choice.

Rehab Center

Take your child to a rehab center if he or she has been using drugs. Talk with the admissions about what sort of program your child could be in. How long the program would last and how you can be involved in the recovery program. Remember there are inpatient and outpatient programs.

If your child isn’t using drugs consider taking them to a rehab center as you took them to a homeless shelter. Discuss with the center about how young most people are when they start using drugs, how long most people have used drugs and so on. Allow your child to ask questions.

Everyone wants what is best for their child. It’s terrifying to even think that your son or daughter might be tempted to use drugs. One of the most serious jobs in parenting is teaching your children to avoid the dangers of drugs. Don’t wait until it’s too late, start when they’re young and take advantage of every teaching opportunity.


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