How parents can support their children’s abstinence from drugs This is true in the realm of children and substance abuse, which is why it is paramount for parents to discuss alcohol and drug use in an open, honest and informative way. Children who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are significantly less likely to use drugs, yet 20 percent report not hearing from their parents on the subject.
Parents often struggle with determining the appropriate age to discuss alcohol and drugs with their children. Parents may believe the misconception that if they talk with their child about alcohol and drugs, their child will become more interested in experimenting with them. Since it is common for school-age children to discuss alcohol and drugs with their peers, parents have to be ahead of the game by having these discussions and providing their child with accurate information. Children today can be exposed to illegal drugs as early as elementary school, so it’s never too early to talk with them about drug abuse. Although discussing alcohol and other drugs with your child may be uncomfortable, parents who discuss healthy living with their children help them grow to their full potential. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, drugs rank higher than social pressure, violence, crime, or any other issue for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. Drugs are everywhere, and they have no regard for ethnicity, economic status, or location. The most commonly used drugs by children ages 12 to 17 are alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and nonmedical use of prescription medications.
The facts about alcohol, marijuana and tobacco provide the solid grounding upon which to talk to your children about substance abuse.
— Alcohol
If your child does not yet consume alcohol, he or she may be subjected to peer pressure to do so. Keeping quiet with your concerns of your child’s potential alcohol use may give the impression that it’s okay for children to drink alcohol. It’s important to keep in mind that alcohol has different effects on young people than it does on adults, even though parents who drink may feel like they are being hypocritical by discussing it with their child. Between the ages of 18 and 25, the human brain reaches its full maturation. When alcohol is used prior to the brain fully developing, it may lead to long-lasting intellectual effects. The younger a person is when they first begin to drink increases their likelihood of developing alcohol dependence later in life.
— Cannabis Changes in perceptions and attitudes are reflected in the rise in marijuana use. The National Institute of Drug Abuse reported that marijuana use in American high schools are now at a higher rate than tobacco use. Recent public debates regarding “medical marijuana” may be to blame for this trend change. Movements to legalize the drug for adult recreational use in some states may be giving children the impression that marijuana is safe. Since the hippocampus is the part of the brain most affected by marijuana use, a teenager using marijuana may experience problems in decision-making, concentration, coordination, learning, memory and proper brain development.
— Tobacco
