Yup, we know about peer pressure, about the technological age that aides our teenagers in finding out all sorts of debauched things we would rather them find out about when they actually leave the nest and yup, we know that drugs are easily accessible these days. But, at the same time, we don’t like to think that our teens would ever go down that route. Sorry, it’s time to be realistic folks, you can’t ignore the facts, teenagers have access to drugs and even if you think you have the most reliable child in the world – drugs can still get to them. The best way to prevent your child from actually experimenting with drugs is to sit them down and have ‘the drug chat’ (similar to the sex chat, but less awkward and a bit more honest.)
When it is time to have ‘the talk,’ sit your teen down and let them get comfortable (you are going to need to get comfortable too.) It is imperative that you do not come off as an authoritarian, Nazi figure when it comes to the chat. You need to leave way for an open and honest conversation so that your child is prepared to listen to your views, ask you questions without feeling judged and they should be able to give their opinion on the matter too and even if you do disagree with them, listen first and explain why you disagree as opposed to saying out right that they are completely wrong and their view doesn’t count (This will only fuel a teens rebellious side and fuel their innate desire to prove you wrong).
This is not a lecture you are giving your teen – leave that to the Life Orientation classes that they have these days in school, you are simply there to have a mature discussion about the impact drugs can have on a person’s life and the consequences that come with using them. Be honest about the effects of drugs and do not use scare tactics and made up horror stories…share the facts with them. Drug use can lead to lack of motivation, increased risk of dangerous sexual activity, certain drugs can lead to kidney, heart and liver failure and every drug can lead to the possibility of full blown drug addiction which is a lifelong disease and takes hard work to overcome. These are the honest facts, dish them out calmly.
You are also going to have to be prepared to get honest about your drug use and your past. This will only leave your teenager respecting you, not because you have used drugs but because you have been honest and open enough to share your experience with your teen thus showing your trust in them. Every teenager wants to be respected and feel like an adult, this will make them feel like you are giving them the respect that they deserve (and in fact, you are giving them the respect that they deserve by being honest with them). If your child is having trouble with drugs, make sure that you get them the drug abuse help that they need, sooner than later.
Read more about how to prevent teen drug use.
This needs to be a topic that is always open for discussion and should not just be closed once ‘the chat’ is over. Keep the lines of communication constantly flowing and you could prevent your teen from going down the horrible path of addiction. Your teen has a voice, has the facts and has the communication – it is now up to them to act on it or choose to ignore it. You have done what you needed to do.
We have to trust our children and trust that we raised them with the morals they need to exceed in life. However, we should also remember that teenagers are very susceptible to influences, and they are particularly vulnerable when it comes to peer pressure.
One of the best ways to prevent teen drug abuse is to just speak openly about the problems that they will be facing. Putting your head in the ground and hoping your children won’t be faced with the challenges of the day won’t ever be a winning strategy.
It is best to address it openly with your kids, and to discuss with them the dangers that drugs and drug abuse poses. Their bodies and mind is still developing in their teen years, and if this development is intercepted by drug abuse, it could very well be potentially devastating on their future development.
It is up to you as a parent to make sure that your children are armed with the knowledge they will need in order to effectively stave off the many temptations of potentially devastating temptations in life.
If you suspect that your teen is on drugs, it is up to you to get them the support and rehabilitation that they will need to kick this destructive addiction and to resume with their lives. Remember that a sense of shame always goes with an addiction, which might make it more difficult for your teen to reveal it to you and admit it. This might make it more difficult to get them to agree to go to recovery.
In this regard holding an intervention might work well, with all the family and loved ones of the teen there to tell them that they love them and don’t judge them, and that they need to do this to take back control of their life.