TIPS FOR TALKING WITH YOUR KIDS

Talking with your child about drugs and addiction can be challenging. It’s hard to know where to start. You might worry that if you raise the topic, it will somehow encourage your child to experiment. You might feel unsure about the subject. Sometimes it seems kids know more about drugs than you know.

Get the Facts: Take time to learn a little about the substances you think may be a part of your child’s life. It’s important to know the facts about alcohol and drugs and speak to your child truthfully. Kids are smart; they will see through attempts to scare them away from drugs and alcohol with exaggerated consequences and they will lose trust in you.

Encourage questions: Think of ways to open a conversation about the topic. Notice opportunities to discuss alcohol and other drugs. Help your children make sense out of what they see on television, in the news and in the community. Try asking what they think of kids who use alcohol and drugs. By responding to questions in a non-judgmental and reasonable way, you will encourage your child to get in the habit of talking with you, and relying on you as a source of accurate information.

Listen: This may be the single most important thing you can do for your child. By really listening to what they have to say, you will learn more about what your child needs, what worries them, and what is important to them. This will help you respond in a way that is meaningful to them, and that builds trust.

OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:

• Look at life through your child’s eyes. Help your kids try to make sense of the lifestyles they see in advertising and on TV shows. Use examples from the media as openings to talk about drugs and decision-making.
• Set guidelines for behaviour in discussion with your child. Be prepared to renegotiate these guidelines from time to time.
  Be clear about the consequences of both appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
• Practise what you preach. Demonstrate responsible decision-making in your own use of drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs.  Keep in mind that your child looks up to you. If they see you making healthy decisions about alcohol and other drugs, they will be more likely to make healthy choices themselves.
• If you have used illegal drugs in the past, decide, before your kids ask, whether and how much you want to tell them.
  If you decide to tell them, your experience might help you to be specific and believable about drug use. You may also want to remind your kids that some things about drugs have changed. Marijuana and hash, for example, are usually many times stronger today than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Sharing needles can pass on AIDS and other diseases such as hepatitis.
• Help your kids to feel good about themselves by recognizing their efforts.
  
• Encourage and participate in a variety of activities with your children. Help them to become independent and to choose challenges that are neither too difficult nor too easy.
  
• Let your child know that it is natural to have problems and to make mistakes.
• If you suspect an alcohol or other drug problem may exist, stay calm and consider your response. It’s best to intervene early and talk about your suspicions with your child. If there is a pattern of problems, you may want to seek professional advice.
  

< back