5 Tips to Talking to Your Kids About Drug Use
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s Time To Talk campaign, middle school is the best time to try and talk to your kids about drug use and abuse. Here are a few tips as you attempt to make those conversations as smooth and clear as possible:
–Be Clear. In no unequivocal terms, make it clear that you do not think that your son or daughter should even try drugs or alcohol. Make sure they know that this includes cigarettes, inhalants, cough syrups and prescription pill medication, some of the most commonly abused substances among middle schoolers. This is not the time for stories about your experimentation as a child. This conversation is about your child and your child is too good for this kind of thing.
–Be A Part of Your Child’s Life. If your child writes a blog, read it. Take them and their friends to their activities and host the overnight sleepovers and after school get-togethers. Know the music they listen to. The shows and movies they watch you should also be watching. If you don’t know the context in which drugs and alcohol are being introduced to them then you don’t know how to successfully combat it.
–Be Open. Don’t assume that you know what your child’s experiences or thoughts are concerning drugs. Ask questions and be open to the answers. Finding out more information first hand will only make your bond stronger and your arguments against drugs hold more water.
–Make Family Time a Priority. If the only time you ever talk to your kid is when you want them to do something then your drug talk is only going to come off as another chore that they have to get around. Include them in the fun things that you do and make time to spend with them.
–Don’t Just Do It Once. Talking about drugs and alcohol, like asking them to finish their homework, is not something that happens once in a lifetime. When the topic comes up, seize the opportunity to explore it fully with them and when you feel like it might be an issue in your child’s life, bring it up on your own. When you don’t feel like it’s an immediate issue, talk about it anyway. Learning happens through repetition.
Studies show that kids whose parents talk to them about the risks involved in drug, alcohol and tobacco use are about half as likely to use drugs. However, only 31 percent of kids who were polled said that they learned about drug use risk from their parents. If you need more tips on how to start the conversations and what exactly to say, check out TimeToTalk.org for more information.
If it’s too late and your child is already using prescription painkillers or using heroin to the point of addiction, there is a way to get them the help that they need without stigmatizing them further at school. If your child is 15 years of age or older, they can get a prescription for Subutex or Suboxone to help them break their physical dependence on the drug while staying in school and reconnecting with family and positive friends. Contact Meditox for more information.
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