Teaching Young Ones About Effects of Alcohol and Drugs

Teens are bombarded by peer pressure today. Not only are they pressured by friends while they are at school or while hanging out, they are now faced with a non-stop type of peer pressure, where pressure comes through text and other social media outlets.

Parents need to be aware of the dangers that come along with peer pressure to drink alcohol and take drugs. The peer pressure epidemic youngsters are faced with today is astounding, and more and more children are falling victim to being pressured into using alcohol and drugs.

Youngsters must be taught how to deal with peer pressure and how to say no to using alcohol and drugs. Children need to know the characteristics of a good friend to help prevent them from being pressured into doing something they do not want to do. A good friend will want to take care of another person, listen to them and respect when someone is telling them they do not want to do something. Provide examples to your child of what a good friendship looks like. Furthermore, parents need to provide them with examples of how it looks to say no if someone is pressuring them to use alcohol or drugs and help them to learn how to change the subject if they are being pressured into drinking or taking drugs. Additionally, parents should teach them to walk away from situations where they feel uncomfortable or pressured. Parents must also teach them to be assertive, not passive or aggressive. Children need to be encouraged to always stand up for what they believe, and parents should praise when they are seen doing it appropriately. Parents should help them to not have feelings of guilt after saying no or standing up for themselves. These conversations do not need to be long and drawn out speeches. Alternatively, they can be short conversations happening here and there, just to let the child know you are open to talking about this topic whenever questions or concerns arise.

Parents should be committed to constantly teaching their young ones about the different types of drugs and the effects as well. It is suitable to teach your youngsters these things. Research shows teens, whose parents talk to them about alcohol and drug use, are actually less likely to use these substances than peers whose parents do not talk to them about this topic at all. Ask your child questions. Figure out what they know, and then correct the inaccuracies of what they have previously learned from others. However, make sure you are educated on this topic before talking to your kid about it. Teenagers use all sorts of new lingo related to alcohol and drugs, so make sure you are up to date on those as well, so you will be aware of what they are talking about when you talk to them. If you do not understand their lingo or they believe you do not know what you are talking about, they will not listen to what you have to say.

Parents also ought to be teaching youngsters about the dangers of drinking and using drugs and how addiction begins. Explain the physical effects boozing and drug use have on the body. Teach them of all the diseases they can contract from using certain types drugs, such as intravenous drugs. Explain to them that underage drinking and using drugs are against the law and the legal ramifications of engaging in these behaviors. Teach them that sometimes people have big problems, so they take substances to try to make them feel better, but it actually leads to addiction and does not improve their problems in the long run. In fact, it typically ends up making them worse.

Today’s youth are learning about drinking and drug use at a younger and younger age. It is preferable for youngsters to learn information concerning alcohol and drug use from their parents than from others, such as their peers. Teaching your children age appropriate information about alcohol and drugs is the best way for them to learn about this topic. Talking to them regularly about spirits and drugs fosters an open relationship to communicate in the future about these topics, especially when issues arise in their life. Furthermore, when issues arise, they will be willing to come to you with their questions and concerns if you have encouraged them to talk about these topics with you in the past.