Drug Abuse Prevention Starts with Parents

Drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, are easily available to children and adolescents. As a parent, you have a
major impact on your child’s decision not to use drugs.

Most likely, children in grade school have not begun to use alcohol, tobacco, or any other kind of drug. That is
why grade school is a good time to start talking about the dangers of drug use. Prepare your child for a time
when drugs may be offered.

Drug abuse prevention starts with parents learning how to talk with their children about difficult topics. Then,
the programs offered by school, sports, and other groups can support what you have started.

Prevention Starts With Parents

As a parent, you have a major impact on your child’s decision not to use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

Prevention starts when you start talking with, and listening to, your child.

Help your child make good choices and good friends.

Teach your child different ways to say “No!”

Parents Are Powerful

Parents are the strongest influence that children have. There is no guarantee that your child won’t use drugs, but
drug use is much less likely to happen if you:

Provide guidance and clear rules about not using drugs.

Spend time with your child.

Do not use tobacco or other drugs yourself.

Last Updated 11/21/2015

Source Connected Kids: Safe, Strong, Secure (Copyright © 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics)

How Can Family Hurt Or Help Prevention And Treatment

When it comes to prevention, it usually goes one of out of many ways which can include the following.

Prevention usually starts with the parents. The first thing to note is that if you do not want your child to use
drugs then you should not use it yourself. Children notice how their parents relate and react to drugs. They form
their first opinions about drugs based on that. Parents should also be clear and consistent about their values.
Children should know that they can trust their parents’ words and actions.

Teaching children health and productive ways to manage stress and emotional pain. Parents should teach their
children not to turn to substance use when they are experiencing emotional hurt or feeling stressed. They should
show them other ways of managing stress which will have no negative side effects. It goes without saying that
parents themselves should manage stress without turning to the use of substances too.
Parents having productive engagement on substance use with their teens. Teens with parents who have engaging
relationships with each other- reassuring them of their love for each other and confidence in them, are less
likely to develop substance abuse. Parents should have productive and open talks with their children about
substance use- at the same time not lecturing or cajoling them. This will empower children and help them to
make better and informed decisions.

On the other hand, there are parents who believe that their children can engage in substance use as long as they
do not take it too far. The danger with this is that it is hard to find that point where it becomes ‘too far’. Also,
parents are not with their children 24/7 and cannot monitor their usage. Some of these parents used substances
when they were teenagers without becoming addicted or dependent and believe that their children can do the
same thing. This is a very risky approach because the process of substance dependence is different for everyone.

In relation to treatment, the family of a teen who is undergoing treatment for substance abuse is advised to go
through the treatment with the teen. Family can either help or hurt the process of recovery and this is why they
are incorporated into the process so that they learn how to help the process.

Family therapy is a main treatment approach for involving the family. It not only helps the teen struggling with
substance dependence but provides support for the family members and help them learn how to help their loved
one. Family therapy also helps discover if there is any co-dependent behaviour within the family unit that is
aiding the teen’s substance abuse- thereby improving the overall mental health of the entire family. Besides
family therapy, joining a support group or attending 12-step meetings with the family member who is struggling
with addiction is also advised.

-2016 RU Thinking

WHY DO TEENS USE DRUGS?: 8 REASONS PARENTS SHOULD CONSIDER

Adolescence can be a time of making irrational, impulsive decisions. It can be a time of living in the now,
without consideration for the consequences that may follow. As a result, it is a time in which many teens try
drugs and alcohol for the first-time. The average age of substance use initiation is between 13 and 14 years old,
in seventh and eighth grade, before one even enters high school.

This is a harrowing reality to face. It is difficult to believe that our youth are developing dangerous, addictive
habits at such an early age, especially right under our nose. We want to believe it is just a phase. We want to
blame experimentation, or the other kids at school for our children’s early drug use. The last thing we want to
uncover is that our children are in danger, or that this substance use is something our sons and daughters have
brought upon themselves.

Sometimes, though, it is. As parents and educators, it is crucial that we uncover the root of drug use in teens and
young adults as soon as it starts to grow. In order to prevent deep-seated drug habits later on in our children’s
lives, we have to take action now. We have to ask questions. We have to understand the problem at hand. We
have to have some insight into if, and how badly, this problem could progress.

There are many reasons that teens and young adults get involved with drugs, and unfortunately, there are many
instances in which the root of substance use goes much deeper than “experimentation.” Consider the following
reasons that adolescents and young adults use drugs.

 In attempt to fit in: Making friends and establishing oneself at school can be difficult for adolescents.
The teenage years often come with many insecurities, low self-esteem, and fear of not being accepted. In
 order to fit in, to feel “cool,” or join an older, more seductive social circle, many teens will start buying
and using drugs.

 To feel good: Many adolescents abuse drugs or alcohol to get high. They are looking for a thrill, an
intensified feeling that they cannot obtain through simple pleasures like food or exercise. This is where
the addiction cycle starts to kick in. Drugs interact with the way our brain produces, and the way our
body experiences, pleasure. When drugs are used, the brain creates up to ten times the normal amount of
dopamine and euphoria a person should experience. It is unnatural chemistry that takes place, but our
brain remembers it. It craves it.

 To feel better: There is the desire to feel good and there is the need to feel better. These are two very
distinct entities when evaluating teen drug use. Teens looking to “feel better” are in truth, self-
medicating. They are battling something deeper than peer pressure or a failed homework assignment.
Some adolescents are suffering from deep-seated conditions like depression, social anxiety, and stress-
related disorders. They use drugs to forget or replace their negative feelings with substance-induced
pleasure.

 Experimentation: The brain does not finish developing until the age of 25. The last part of the brain to
develop is the one that controls rational decision making, self-control, and judgment, making
adolescents more prone to trying risky and daring activities. Drugs and alcohol are often easy, accessible
outlets for experimentation that can severely impact the developing teenage brain.

 Competition: The need to perform, to impress, and to make proud is a great pressure for adolescents
and young adults. Whether in school or on the field, young people consistently want to prove they are
the best to their peers and parents. The competition to be outstanding, however, can be intense. In
academics, for example, teens and young adults often rely on the misuse of prescription stimulants as
“smart drugs” or study aids to improve academic performance.

 Attention: Teens often experience a lack of purpose or talent. They feel like they are not good enough
to shine or are lacking something to make them special. These feelings may drive them toward
substance abuse. Some youth do not know how to become the best, so they choose to become the worst
in hopes of getting their parents’ and teachers’ undivided attention.

 Lack of education: Some adolescents and young adults grow up thinking drug and alcohol use is
normal. Their favorite musicians are singing about it, the movies are glamorizing it, the TV ads are
selling it. Whether you are sad, can’t sleep, or have a headache, there is a drug for you. Our culture has
adopted the “pill cures all” mentality, leading our youth to feel the same about drugs. Many do not
understand the consequences of drug use. Many teens do not know how it can harm their minds, bodies,
and relationships. They need proper education. They need someone to tell them the truth about drugs
and alcohol.

 Addiction: Some teens and young adults are stuck amongst the cycle. At such a young age, they are
more vulnerable to developing dependence and addiction. They get in over their heads at an early age
and do not know how to get out. They need you to extend a hand. They need us.

 -There are many reasons that teens and young adults get involved with drugs, and unfortunately, there
are many instances in which the root of substance use goes much deeper than “experimentation.”
Consider the following reasons that adolescents and young adults use drugs.

 In attempt to fit in: Making friends and establishing oneself at school can be difficult for adolescents.
The teenage years often come with many insecurities, low self-esteem, and fear of not being accepted. In
 order to fit in, to feel “cool,” or join an older, more seductive social circle, many teens will start buying
and using drugs.

 To feel good: Many adolescents abuse drugs or alcohol to get high. They are looking for a thrill, an
intensified feeling that they cannot obtain through simple pleasures like food or exercise. This is where
the addiction cycle starts to kick in. Drugs interact with the way our brain produces, and the way our
body experiences, pleasure. When drugs are used, the brain creates up to ten times the normal amount of
dopamine and euphoria a person should experience. It is unnatural chemistry that takes place, but our
brain remembers it. It craves it.

 To feel better: There is the desire to feel good and there is the need to feel better. These are two very
distinct entities when evaluating teen drug use. Teens looking to “feel better” are in truth, self-
medicating. They are battling something deeper than peer pressure or a failed homework assignment.
Some adolescents are suffering from deep-seated conditions like depression, social anxiety, and stress-
related disorders. They use drugs to forget or replace their negative feelings with substance-induced
pleasure.

 Experimentation: The brain does not finish developing until the age of 25. The last part of the brain to
develop is the one that controls rational decision making, self-control, and judgment, making
adolescents more prone to trying risky and daring activities. Drugs and alcohol are often easy, accessible
outlets for experimentation that can severely impact the developing teenage brain.

 Competition: The need to perform, to impress, and to make proud is a great pressure for adolescents and
young adults. Whether in school or on the field, young people consistently want to prove they are the
best to their peers and parents. The competition to be outstanding, however, can be intense. In
academics, for example, teens and young adults often rely on the misuse of prescription stimulants as
“smart drugs” or study aids to improve academic performance.

 Attention: Teens often experience a lack of purpose or talent. They feel like they are not good enough to
shine or are lacking something to make them special. These feelings may drive them toward substance
abuse. Some youth do not know how to become the best, so they choose to become the worst in hopes of
getting their parents’ and teachers’ undivided attention.

 Lack of education: Some adolescents and young adults grow up thinking drug and alcohol use is normal.
Their favorite musicians are singing about it, the movies are glamorizing it, the TV ads are selling it.
Whether you are sad, can’t sleep, or have a headache, there is a drug for you. Our culture has adopted
the “pill cures all” mentality, leading our youth to feel the same about drugs. Many do not understand
the consequences of drug use. Many teens do not know how it can harm their minds, bodies, and
relationships. They need proper education. They need someone to tell them the truth about drugs and
alcohol.

 Addiction: Some teens and young adults are stuck amongst the cycle. At such a young age, they are
more vulnerable to developing dependence and addiction. They get in over their heads at an early age
and do not know how to get out. They need you to extend a hand. They need us.

 2017 Turnbridge