It’s never too early to start teaching your kids about drugs. It can be hard, but it’s important for them to know the risks involved with drug abuse. You may not feel like you have enough time or energy to talk with them about this sensitive topic, but it is crucial that you do so. If you don’t teach your children how harmful drugs are at a young age, they could end up abusing substances without realizing the potential consequences of their behavior. Here are 8 do’s and don’ts of talking to your kids about drugs.
Don’t Make Assumptions
If you feel like your child is doing drugs, but he or she is not willing to admit it to you, there are a few things that you should do right away. You shouldn’t accuse them of drug usage – instead, let them know that you’re concerned and ask if they need help. Don’t assume that your child is taking drugs if they seem like they’re not doing fine, as there may be other explanations for their behavior and mood swings.
Do Ask Questions
Parents often avoid asking questions about drug usage with their children because they fear that it will encourage them to take drugs. However, not asking questions can actually do more harm than good. If you’re worried about your child, ask them specific questions about what they know about drugs and their effects. This will help you to gauge how much information they’ve been given about drug abuse.
Don’t Say It’s No Big Deal
If you’re talking with your kids about drugs, it’s important for them to know that no illicit substance is safe to take. Even though it may seem like a harmless or normal thing to do, drug abuse can have long-term consequences on both their physical and mental health. Let them know that the substances they take affect their bodies and minds, even if it only happens the first few times.
Do Show That You Care
You should never avoid having a conversation with your kids about drugs because you don’t want to scare or upset them. Your goal should be to show that you care and that drug abusers end up hurting themselves. When they know that you’re concerned about their well-being, your children are more likely to discuss drug usage with you in the future.
Don’t Threaten Your Child’s Safety
Threatening your child or threatening to place them in a dangerous situation will not make them listen to you or follow your rules. If you tell them that they have to stop abusing drugs or else, your kids are likely to respond by doing the opposite. If they know that their behavior is hurting themselves or others, this will encourage them to make different choices.
Do Educate Yourself
Parents need to educate themselves about drug abuse and addiction. If you’re not familiar with the different types of drugs, their effects, and how to get help for addiction, you will not be able to properly talk with your children about drug abuse. There are many resources available to help parents learn more about drug addiction, including counseling and support groups.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
If you wait until your children are already abusing drugs, it will be much harder for you to help them. Although it can be hard for parents to get involved when their kids make bad decisions, doing so before the situation is out of hand will benefit everyone in the long run. Let your kids know that you care about what they do so that they are more inclined to listen to you in the future.
Do Get Involved
If your children are abusing drugs, you need to take steps to prevent them from continuing their negative behavior. One way that many parents handle this situation is by getting involved with their kids’ lives. You should be a positive presence in your children’s lives so that they’ll want to stay away from drugs and remain under your care.
Drug abuse is more than just a ‘phase’ that many teens go through. However, parents need to get their children to open up about drug usage so that they can offer them help and support. If you’re looking for drug addiction treatment for your kid, click Here to learn how rehab works and its benefits.
