Talk About The Risks Of Drugs
In conversations with your teen, steer the subject to drugs and why they’re harmful.
If you can ingrain this information in your children well before they are faced with making difficult
choices, experts say they’ll be more likely to avoid rather than use. In fact, teenagers who say they’ve
learned a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents are much less likely to try marijuana than those
who say they’ve learned nothing from them.
You don’t need to fear that by introducing the topic of drugs, you’re putting ideas into your children’s heads
any more than talking about traffic safety might make them want to jump in front of a car. You’re letting them know
about potential dangers in their environment so that when they’re confronted with them, they’ll know what to do.
Children in late elementary school need to be warned specifically about not using inhalants. There
are a number of common household substances that some young people of this age will try inhaling. Parents must be encouraged
to warn their children that even one instance of inhaling can lead to severe brain damage or even death.
Parents should also use some of their good conversation time with children and adolescents to make it clear that
they don’t want them to use marijuana. Parents should state clearly to their pre-teens and teens that they would
be very disappointed if they started using marijuana. Parents may also want to explain that marijuana use interferes with
young people’s concentration, memory, and motor skills, and that it interferes with motivation, leads to poorer school
performance, and can cause users to disappoint the people most important to them. All of this can be communicated in a
loving way: I love you and I want the best for you, so I hope you won’t try marijuana.
Introducing the topic of drugs
If you hear something you don’t like (perhaps a friend smokes marijuana or your teen confesses to trying beer at a party), it is
important not to react in any way that cuts off further discussion. If he seems defensive or assures you that he doesn’t know
anyone who uses drugs, ask him why he thinks people use them.
Discuss whether the risks are worth what people may get out of using them and whether he thinks it would be worth it to take the
risks. Even without addiction, experimentation is too great a gamble. One bad experience, such as being high and misjudging how long
it takes to cross a busy street, can change or end a life forever. If something interrupts your conversation, pick it up the next
chance you get. |
