Kids don’t learn everything they need to know about life in school. It’s up to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, pastors and other adults involved in a child’s life to spread the word about important lessons kids need know in order to understand how to function in the world.

Teachable moments – those brief, spontaneous periods of time when individuals are most open to collecting wisdom. They really are all around us, at almost any given time, in any imaginable place; you just have to keep your eyes and ears open to what your child is paying attention to at the moment.

Silence is Acceptance When It Comes to Drug and Alcohol Use

When your kids learn that their favorite actress, sports star, or musician has been arrested for drunk driving or is in rehab trying to kick their drug habit again, saying nothing sends a strong signal that these behaviors are alright with you.

Speaking up and voicing your concern about using drugs and alcohol, citing the risks and the inherent dangers of intoxication may be the only voice of reason your kids hear about these things.

If You’re Not Talking about Drugs and Alcohol, Celebrity Conduct Speaks for You

Sensationalism sells when it comes to the tabloids. It turns a deadly habit into a glamorous pastime – is that the message you want your kids to get out of reading about it?

Talk with them about what they’re seeing in the magazines or hearing on the news, just like you would talk to your spouse or adult friends. Kids need to know that what they see or hear from the media isn’t the only way to live their life.

Ask Your Kids What Their Views of Drugs and Alcohol Are Before You Bash Them

Idolizing a particular celebrity that has a drug or alcohol problem may not mean much to your child – then again, it might. Overbearing criticism of his choices in role models or outlook on drug use won’t get you anywhere, though.

Take the time to ask what he thinks about a movie character with an alcohol addiction or rap star who promotes drug use. If he seems unconcerned or laidback about it, don’t attack his viewpoint. Teachable moments take advantage of educational opportunities to impart little known truths. Stick with the facts.

If you’re not sure about specific facts or comfortable enough to take the conversation to the next level, visit your local library and check out books about drugs and alcohol use, biographies and documentaries about addicts, rehab, treatment centers, and the like. Start a family book club and discuss what you read about. Allowing children to form and express their own opinions while being open to hearing yours brings a sense of mutual respect to a family – and gives you something interesting to talk about at the dinner table.

Does waiting to discuss drugs and alcohol until kids start asking questions make more sense or less sense to you than being proactive about the subject? How did you learn about drugs and make the decision to use or not?

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"Teachable Moments Turn Everyday Events into Constructive Conversations about Drug and Alcohol Use" posted in Addiction, Friends and Family.
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