Why Parents Need to Talk to Their Kids About Drugs

An young father talks to his son

While talking to your children about drugs sounds about as enjoyable as listening to nails on a chalkboard, it is something every parent must face. Ignoring the issue won’t make it go away, and only having one conversation about the issue simply will not be enough. Talking to your children about drugs and alcohol is something that should be done over the course of several years on multiple occasions for various reasons. Here are some of the top reasons it is so important to talk to your children about drugs and alcohol.

If you don’t, someone else will.

If you don’t talk to your children about drugs and alcohol, they will learn about it from their friends and the media. This is a very real topic that cannot just be swept under the rug and forgotten about. Ignoring this issue will not make it go away, if anything, it will make things worse in the long run. Children need to start learning about the risks of drug use from a very early age. It is also important to be honest with your children about drugs and give them all of the facts.

We are in the middle of a crisis.

There are people dying from drug overdoses and alcohol abuse in the United States every day. We have higher rates of addiction than ever before, and thousands of children are growing up without their parents. This is a serious issue that we are facing as a nation, and chances are your child has at least one friend with a family member who has been directly impacted by addiction. Children see and hear more than we realize, and it is important to be upfront with them and allow them the opportunity to ask questions and get honest answers.

Street drugs are more dangerous than ever before.

While there has always been a danger to experimenting with hard drugs, the fact of the matter is that street drugs today are extremely potent. With the increasing amounts of illicit fentanyl that are continually flooding into the United States, it has become even more dangerous to experiment with drugs. The thing is you never know what you are getting when you purchase drugs off the street. There are even counterfeit prescription pills available that look like the real thing but are actually fakes filled with deadly amounts of fentanyl. The odds of overdosing on drugs are higher than ever, and people are dying on a daily basis, not just addicts but casual users as well. Children need to know the dangers that come from experimenting with drugs and really understand the risks so they are armed with the facts and can make the right decision.

Young girl refuses to take drugs

Parents have a strong influence on their children.

Parents lay the foundation for their children’s emotional, physical and mental well-being. They are in charge of installing values, morals, and standards for their child. While each child will ultimately grow up and make their own decisions, the amount of influence that their parents will have on their life cannot be overstated.

There is a lot of misinformation out there.

There are a lot of dangerous myths floating around that could very well get your child into hot water if they do not know about them. Many people falsely assume that pills are safer than heroin, that you can’t get addicted if you only snort drugs instead of injecting them or that you can’t overdose on amphetamines. These are all examples of common misinformation that could lead to a serious problem later on. If you aren’t up to date on these sorts of things, then do your research so you can better educate your child.

So they won’t be caught off guard.

Most importantly, parents need to give their children enough knowledge so that they won’t be caught in a risky situation with no way out. If they are hanging out with friends and are offered drugs, they are more likely to say no if they understand what is being offered to them than if they don’t. Knowledge is power, and it is ultimately up to each parent to give their child enough knowledge to hopefully make the right choices later on in life.

As parents, we cannot rely on the school systems to teach our children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. It is up to each and every parent to have these types of conversations with their children on a continual basis because drugs these days are no joke. Who knows, one day it could very well save their life.

AUTHOR

Julie

After overcoming her own addiction in 2012 Julie went on to become certified as an addiction counselor in order to help others achieve a life of recovery. She worked in the addiction field for 8 years and now uses both her personal and professional experiences with addiction as an influence for her writing.

NARCONON COLORADO

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION