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"Talk to your children on a daily basis. Find out what is going on in their lives, and most importantly, listen to them." — A Parent
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Are You Setting A Good Example?
Whether you realize it or not, as a parent you set an example for your
kids. Before you can help them address their drug or alcohol use, you
must examine your own relationship with substances. You may even feel
like a hypocrite because you drank alcohol in high school or tried marijuana.
Realize that in order to help your son or daughter with their problem,
you’ll first have to address yours.
One in four youth under
age 18 lives in a family where a person abuses alcohol or suffers from
alcoholism.
The toll addiction
takes on these children can be extensive. Children of addiction (COAs)
are at significantly greater risk for:
- Mental illness
or emotional problems, such as depression or anxiety
- Physical
health problems
- Learning problems, including difficulty with
cognitive and verbal skills, conceptual reasoning and abstract
thinking
- Verbal, physical, sexual abuse and neglect
- Their own addiction
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Children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs are almost
three times more likely to be verbally, physically or sexually abused;
and four times more likely than other children to be neglected. Strong
scientific evidence also suggests that addiction tends to run in families.
COAs are four times more likely than non-COAs to develop alcoholism or
other drug problems.

Take the Test: Drug Use 

Don’t put your kids at risk. Take
this self-test to assess your attitude and behaviors concerning drug use. Keep in mind
the test is anonymous, so please answer each question honestly. Once you
have completed this test, please return to TheAntiDrug.com to seek out
more information and resources on this topic if you need them.
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Take the Test: Alcohol Use 

Take
this self-test in order to assess your attitude and
behaviors concerning alcohol so that you can understand how you can
make changes that will help you live
a more healthy lifestyle. Keep in mind the test is anonymous, so
please answer each question honestly.
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For a complete list of resources and organizations that can help, visit
our Get Help section.
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