How to Prevent Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is a scary thing. Unfortunately, we live in a society where drug use is becoming more and more common. Children are beginning to experiment with drugs and alcohol at younger and younger ages. We also live in a time where there is a great deal of single parent homes, which can lead to less supervision for our children. Additionally, peer pressure can be a hard thing for a young person to stand up against when it comes to experimenting with drugs. It is a good idea to put certain practices in place to help prevent your child from abusing drugs.

Instructions

• 1

  Avoid drugs in your own life. Children watch what we do more than we are probably aware. If you have a drug dependency in your own life, chances are your child will be comfortable around drugs. If they watch you experiment and yet still lead a relatively normal life, they will be unlikely to believe that drugs can be really damaging. It is a good idea to avoid drug use yourself if you want your son or daughter to do the same. If you already use drugs, get some help so you can stop.

• 2

  Spend time with your child. You will not have much influence on your child if you are never around. Make time with her a priority by eating meals together and spending time doing leisure activities. Encourage your child and compliment her often. If you want to be a positive influence, you should have a positive attitude.

• 3

  Tell your child not to use drugs and explain the dangers involved in doing so. Many people take for granted that their child knows right from wrong or that he learns about drugs in school. This is not a chance you should take, and it is critical that your child knows where you stand. Make it clear that you do not support drug abuse, and you expect your child to make wise decisions in this area. If your family has a history of addictions, let your child know. Also explain that experimenting with a drug even one time can have serious consequences including addiction and even death. Let them know that certain drugs that appear less serious, such as cigarettes, can be the gateway to more serious drugs such as marijuana. You may also want to look at some resources about talking to your child about drugs. KidsHealth has information on this topic (see Resources).

• 4

  Get to know your child's friends. Allow your child to have his friends over and get to know the type of people he enjoys spending time with. Have his friends over for dinner and be around when they are all just hanging out together. It is a good idea to get to know his friend's parents as well, if the opportunity presents itself. Plan a barbecue and invite friends and parents in order to do so. If a certain child or parent makes you uncomfortable, let your child know.

• 5

  Make extracurricular activities a priority. Oftentimes, drug experimentation is conjured up to fill gaps of boredom. An easy way to help prevent this is to make sure your child's schedule is full. Encourage her to play a sport, get a job, volunteer or join a club. The busier her schedule is, the less likely she will have long blocks of time to waste away.