Ciroc? Check.
Marijuana? Check.
VIP guest? Check.
For today’s hot, rich, modern teens, this pretty much sums up a fun night on the town.
Living in a celebrity-centric community, it’s nearly impossible to make sure your teen stays away from drugs and alcohol. As your children get older, these “mood enhancers” naturally become more accessible within their social circles. As a concerned parent, you may find yourself performing routine checks of your car, bedroom, and even sniffing your clothing for traces of drugs or alcohol; anything you think will save them from spending their younger days in a medical and rehab facility. It helps to be proactive. However, instead of sneaking around behind their back, it helps to be more vocal.
Without a doubt, healthy communication is one of the best ways to ensure that your teen chooses a drug-free path to a successful future. Children who are not properly informed are likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol, or seek answers about these substances from the wrong people. And as the popular saying goes, “children live what they learn”, it is only fair that they learn from you.
The importance of parental influence
You don’t have to be a communication specialist to know that most teens prefer to spend time talking with their parents and beyond than with or with them. Chalk it up to hormones, high school stress, or fear of your parents. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: many teens don’t like to communicate with their parents. However, as a parent, it’s important to be able to talk honestly and openly with your teen to help them manage stress, deal with peer pressure, self-doubt, and build self-confidence.
As stated by the National Crime Prevention Council, “Young people are less likely to become involved with drugs when caring adults are a part of their lives.” Extensive research has also shown that teens who communicate with their parents regularly are 50% less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than those who hardly communicate with their parents.
Teen drug addiction is a growing problem, and as a parent, there is much you can do to help prevent teen drug and alcohol abuse. Fostering close and supportive family relationships, having open and honest conversations, teaching responsibility, fostering positive attitudes, and letting them know that their actions and choices have consequences can help determine whether or not they end up spending time in a medical and rehab facility.
start while they are young
It’s never too early to start! This is the attitude to have when it comes to talking to your teen about drugs and alcohol. Teenagers go through several stages as they approach adulthood, and what is appropriate to say to your 18-year-old and 13-year-old may differ in some ways. However, the sooner you start talking to them, the more influence you will have on their life choices. Curiosity is a natural part of being a teenager, and keeping them informed can prevent them from experimenting with drugs or alcohol.
More than their peers or the Internet, they strive to be your primary sources of reliable (and objective, too) information about alcohol and drugs from an early age. Take advantage of teachable moments, whether you’re watching a movie, the news, or reading about drug-related topics in the newspaper, try to start a conversation that gets them talking. It is not necessary to have all the answers; You just need to be there to listen to their concerns and foster good attitudes. By doing so, your teen will feel more comfortable talking to you about drugs and alcohol rather than relying on friends or the media that glorify substance abuse with little attention to the negative effects it can have. Here are some things to keep in mind when talking to your children about drugs and alcohol.
Listening is important: You may feel the need to always tell your teen what to do. And, because of this, you can spend less time listening to their concerns. As parents, it’s important that your teens know that you’re listening and care about what they have to say.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions – talk to your teen about their interests, peers, and feelings, and remember that listening is important. Do everything you can to engage them in conversations that require much more than a yes or no answer.
Set rules and expectations: Make your expectations clear to your children when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Let them know that you hope they don’t abuse drugs or alcohol and that you trust they won’t. Inform them about the serious emotional and medical effects of substance abuse and set out the consequences for breaking the rules.
Be a role model: “Research shows that children with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to try alcohol or drugs and develop alcoholism or drug addiction,” according to the National Institute on Substance Abuse. Drugs for Adolescents. Although most of these children do not develop alcoholism or addiction, many have behavior problems that can lead to regular substance abuse.
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is be there for your teen. Be there for them when they need to talk about these issues or confide in someone. And if they’re still not comfortable confiding in you, try to make sure there’s a trusted adult nearby that they can confide in. If necessary, try to involve them in trips to a medical and rehab center where they learn more about alcohol and drugs. Your goal is to give them the support they need to say no to drugs.