The Importance of Parental Education Towards Drug Abuse
Drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, are readily available to kids and teenagers. Parental education plays a formidable role in your kid’s decision not to abuse these drugs. Most probably, kids in grade school have not yet started to use tobacco, alcohol, or any other drug. This critical fact makes grade school a perfect time to begin educating children about the risks of drug use. Drug abuse prevention begins with parents, equipping themselves with skills for talking with their kids concerning difficult topics. Then, the programs provided by the school, religious groups, sports groups, and other relevant groups supplement what you have begun.
Top Preventive Measures for Protecting Your Kids from Drug Abuse
1. Communicate
Having conversations with your kids concerning drug abuse while they are still young is an essential step towards keeping them healthy and safe. Make the conversation more relaxed and open-minded. Start the discussion after a TV commercial, program, or over a family activity. You may talk about messages about alcohol and other drugs that your kids are exposed to from TV, commercials, music, and Internet. Discuss the meaning of these messages and differentiate myths from reality. Ensure that your kid feels that you have a clear understanding of this topic and you are comfortable discussing it. Stress the importance of responsible drinking for people above 19 years. Let them know that drug abuse is harmful to children.
2. Come up with Family Behavior Policies
Parents should show a proper level of concern when it comes to drug use. It is crucial to spell out your anticipations for your children regarding behavior in all aspects, including drug use, instead, wait to introduce the topic when your teen has started experimenting or after they have become addicted. Hold a family meeting and clearly state your position concerning issues like drug and use of alcohol. Spell out the do’s and don’ts, and then explain the consequences for breaking the rules.
3. Lead By Example
Teens look up to you and learn a lot from how you carry yourself around as a parent. If alcohol and heroin abuse is a major aspect of your social life or you heavily rely on it, you could be teaching your kids’ detrimental habits. Research reveals that kids with parents who overindulge in alcohol drinking have a high likelihood of spree drinking. If your teens see the presumably positive effects brought by alcohol to your life, they may try to experiment to see if they will realize similar effects.
4. Be Available
As you talk to your kids and come up with family behavior policies, make sure they know that they can always turn to you when faced with any problem. Enforcing stringent rules upon your children would be useless if they won’t inform you when they are faced with problems. Let them know they can always call you when in trouble, even if there are drugs and alcohol involved. This way, you will protect your teen from driving drunk or boarding a vehicle driven by a drunk driver.
Parental education is instrumental in safeguarding children from alcohol and drug use. Gather as much information as possible concerning the topic of drug use before talking to your kids. Ensure your children feel that you are comfortable discussing the topic with them.