Community Impact Team Notes Parents/Guardians Make a Difference

While it’s true that children often idolize sports heroes and celebrities, they also idolize YOU. As a parent or caregiver, you have the power to help shape their attitudes about drugs. One way to do that is by talking to them regularly about what is going on in their lives. Kids who learn about the risks of drugs and alcohol from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use than those who do not.

Talking to your child about drugs and alcohol doesn’t mean lecturing. In fact, there are many things you can do (or may already do!) to provide the type of environment that may keep your child from experimenting with drugs or alcohol. One is to spend more time with your child. A national survey about the importance of family dinners revealed that 18 percent of teens said they would like to spend more time with their parents.

Time outside, reading together, and even car pool karaoke rides are an excellent way to spend time with your child. And make no mistake—those family dinners matter. Teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are almost four times as likely to have used tobacco, more than twice as likely to have used alcohol, and two and-a-half times as likely to have used marijuana. More science is showing that spending time with your children may make them less likely to try drugs or alcohol.

Simply being there for your child—day or night—is also helpful. A child who feels you are available will be more likely to come to you with questions about drugs, or challenges with peer pressure or other situations that make your child feel uncomfortable. It is especially important to be there for your child during times of transition, such as changing schools, moving, military deployment, separation or divorce.

Remember, delaying the age of first use prevents abuse, and preventing abuse prevents addiction. You can change your child’s future. For more information, check out Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Dr. Gordon Newfeld and Dr. Gabor Mate.

Source: Drug Enforcement Agency