Question

Chances are, you will one day have children. What can you, as a parent, do to help prevent your children from drug use? List positive methods/approaches you will use. BE REALISTIC and have backup information to your rationale. Cite your references.

Answer 1

Drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, are easily available to children and adolescents. As a parent, we have a major impact on our child’s decision not to use drugs.D rug abuse prevention starts with parents learning how to talk with their children about difficult topics.

As a parent, you have a major impact on your child’s decision not to use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

• Prevention starts when you start talking with and listening to, your child.
• Help your child make good choices and good friends.
• Teach your child different ways to say “No!”

Parents are the strongest influence that children have. There is no guarantee that your child won’t use drugs, but drug use is much less likely to happen if you:

• Provide guidance and clear rules about not using drugs.
• Spend time with your child.
• Do not use tobacco or other drugs yourself.

Children notice how parents use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs at home, in their social life, and in other relationships. This includes how parents deal with strong feelings, emotions, stress, and even minor aches and pains.

Talk honestly with your child about healthy choices and risky behaviors. Listen to what your child has to say. Make talking and listening to a habit, the earlier the better. Talk with your child about the negative effects alcohol and drugs would have on their brains and bodies and their ability to learn or play sports.

It’s a parent’s job to use love and experience to correct mistakes and poor choices.

By using a mix of praise and criticism, you can correct your child’s behavior without saying your child is bad. This helps children build self-confidence and learn how to make healthy and safe choices. In time, making smart choices on their own will become easier.

A good sense of self-worth and knowing what is right and wrong will help your child say “No!” to drugs and other risky behaviors. Help your child by

• Noticing efforts as well as successes.
• Praising for things done well and for making good choices.
• Check to see that the friends and neighbors your child spends time with are safe and have values similar to yours.
• Find ways to get your child involved in sports, hobbies, school clubs, and other activities. These usually are positive interactions that help develop character and lead to good peer relationships.
• Look for activities that you and your child or the entire family can do together.

• Teach your child how to respond to someone offering drugs. It is much easier to say “No!” when prepared ahead of time.

  It helps if you role play and practice.

* EB Robertson, SL David, SA Rao,(2003), Preventing drug use among children and adolescents: A research-based guide for parents, educators, and community leaders, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

* Preventing drug abuse among children and adolescents, A Research Base Guide for parents, educators, and community leaders, 2nd edition, National Institute of Drug abuse