Grow Up Safe -- Talk with Your Child About Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol abuse is the number one substance problem affecting teen health. When it comes to discouraging your child from using alcohol and drugs and strengthening his or her resolve when faced with peer pressure, the most compelling source of information is you, the parent.
Research shows that children whose parents communicate openly and frequently about the dangers of drugs and alcohol are less likely to use these substances while they are young, and therefore are less likely to abuse substances later in life.
It is never too soon to talk with your children about alcohol and drugs. In order to encourage lifelong responsible behavior in your child, regularly engage in open and honest discussions about the risks of substance abuse. Keep these things in mind:
- Listen carefully.
- Let kids make choices; help them become a confident decision-maker.
- Establish a clear position on drug and alcohol use.
- Set a good example. Show your kids what responsible behavior looks like.
- Repeat the message.
Remember, information and lessons about drinking and drugs are important enough to repeat frequently. Be sure to answer your children's questions as often as they ask them, and initiate conversation whenever the opportunity arises. If they have questions you can't answer, go online together. Seek accurate, reliable information, and help them distinguish fact from fiction.
Using scare tactics hasn't proved to be an effective way to get kids to avoid substance use. However, kids need to understand the real consequences that can result from drugs and alcohol use. These include being arrested, paying fines, serious illness, or even death.
Physically, studies show, adolescents and young adults who drink may risk long-lasting effects on brain development, especially in the frontal lobe, which influences personality, and the hippocampus, which is important in memory, learning, and critical thinking. Kids who start to drink at a young age increase their lifetime risk for substance abuse and other serious health and social problems.
