This post brought to you by National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content and opinions expressed below are that of this mama loves.
With one child becoming a teenager this year and another in a couple of years, not to mention 3 toddlers who will follow in several years, the concern of drug and alcohol abuse is on my mind. It’s not that I have any reason to believe any of my children might have a future problem with drug or alcohol abuse but let’s face it, how many parents do think that about their kids? I’m sure no parent imagines that their children would go down that road.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week SM
This week is National Drug & Alcohol Facts WeekSM , an annual week-long observance that brings together teens and scientific experts to shatter myths about substance use and addiction. This observance is from January 23rd – January 29th, 2017. The National Institute on Drug Abuse wants to SHATTER THE MYTHSTM,SM by counteracting the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens often hear from the Internet, TV, movies, music, or friends.
It seems that often teens don’t think of drinking alcohol as a problem. The stigma tied to drinking is different than that tied to drugs, even though it shouldn’t be the case. Drinking alcohol has a major impact on teens.
On average, alcohol plays a role in the deaths of 4,358 young people under age 21 every year. These deaths include 1,580 deaths from car crashes, 1,269 from murders, 245 from alcohol poisoning, falls, burns, and drowning, and 492 from suicides. In addition to these deaths, drinking alcohol can cause injuries. In 2011 alone, about 188,000 people under age 21 visited an emergency room for injuries related to drinking alcohol. Young people who drink are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a physical or sexual assault after drinking than others their age who do not drink. That is A LOT of preventable deaths, injuries, and trauma of young people. Thankfully alcohol use in teens is declining.
Alcohol is just one problem facing teens today. There are so many drugs out there that teens are hearing about and many are using. Educating our young people and having open conversations about drug and alcohol abuse is the only way to prevent these deaths from alcohol and other drugs. I know that having that conversation may be hard or maybe you’re not feeling educated about the facts and what’s out there. You can test your knowledge by taking the interactive National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge.
I took the quiz and I have to be honest, I did terrible! I scored a 33%, only 4 questions correct out of 12. I can only imagine if I did this poorly how my kids would score. Kids, teens especially, are typically exposed to more myths than truths. I’m not ashamed of my score. I learned quite a bit by taking this quiz and I can take what I learned to start a conversation with my kids. I can also have them take the quiz and we can learn together.
Parents want what’s best for their kids. They want them to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. As parents we can play an active role in preventing our kids from using alcohol and drugs that have a negative effect on their lives. Parents are often concerned about whether their children will start or are already using drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and others, including the abuse of prescription drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Family Checkup is a great resource for positive parenting to prevent drug abuse. The Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon developed a series of questions to highlight parenting skills that are important in preventing the initiation and progression of drug use among youth. Each question includes a video clip showing positive and negative examples of the skill. Additional videos and information are provided to help you practice positive parenting skills.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers many resources for helping teens who are abusing drugs including the SHATTER THE MYTHSTM,SM booklet, a publication that answers teens’ most frequently asked questions about drugs and abuse with scientific facts and engaging images. They also have a page on their site dedicated to What to Do If Your Teen or Young Adult Has a Problem with Drugs with lots of great information on how to know if your teen has a problem as well as how to help them.
Don’t wait to talk to your teens about drug and alcohol abuse. Use the resources available to find a comfortable way to have this conversation. Make sure they have knowledge of all important drug and alcohol facts. It may save your child’s life or the life of someone else.
The Cubicle Chick says
It’s important that we speak with our teens about drug and alcohol abuse that goes beyond scare tactics. Thank you for sharing. – yolonda
Amber Killmon says
In today’s world this is a topic that sadly needs lots of discussion. I don’t think people understand just how serious it is now unless they have first-hand experience.
Karissa @WithOurBest (@withourbest) says
It is a very important topic for the whole family to hear about. You have to set boundaries and let your kids know where you stand.
Lynndee says
This is such a great post! We’ve talked to our son about drugs and alcohol before because we do believe it is important to let him know about the danger of those things.
my teen guide says
i grew up in a very religious and conservative family and i have learned not to do drugs and alcohol, i will surely keep this in mind for my children
Stephanie Pass says
It’s definitely important to keep this dialogue going with your kids so they aren’t afraid to tell you things. My teenager has told us her good friend has started smoking e-cigarettes and offered her drugs and alcohol. Thankfully, my teen has a good head on her shoulders and feels comfortable telling her no.
rika says
This is such an important conversation! We must remind our kids to stay away from these two: drug and alcohol.
uprunforlife says
I am often worried about my kids getting accidentally involved with either drugs or alcohol. I do my best to keep open communication with them. As a mom, I have talked to my kids about drinking and they have seen me drink. I do it so that they can see healthy boundaries with alcohol.
Deborah Cruz says
Great talking points. I have been talking to my girls about drugs and alcohol since they were toddlers. They know that people can drink responsibly and that, for so many reasons, alcohol and drugs are bad for you because they alter your mental capacity and that leads to so many poor choices that can endanger then and others.
We all want to believe, not our kids, but it’s always somebody’s kids. We’re not special. That’s why we need to educate our kids. Denial won’t help them or us and it leaves them susceptible to other children’s pressure and counseling. The want my girls to have the facts so that they can make informed decisions and hopefully, walk away when the option is offered but at least if they do partake, they know not to drive, not to leave their drinks alone, to call us, to never go into a room alone with a guy after they’ve been drinking. They are young but I’d rather discuss this stuff now, then after the fact.
Ann Bacciaglia says
I think it is so important to keep the conversation going about the dangers of Drugs and Alcohol. I will have to share this great information with my friends.
Rebecca Swenor says
The National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week is something I will have to share with my niece and sister for their kids. It is so important to talk to our children about drugs and alcohol. Breaking the myths is something I feel is so important and something every parent should be able to share with their children. Thanks for sharing the information.
Emma Spellman says
This is such an important subjec to discuss with kids. My kids are only toddlers now, but I plan to talk to them all about it when they get older. You are doing an awesome job!
Debra @ Traveling Well For Less says
It’s so important to have that talk with your kids. My boys know they can call me at any time of night, no questions asked and I will come get them if they find themselves stuck in a bad situation.
Dogvills says
This is a very important topic to talk about with your teens. My son was already in his late teen when he tried alcohol. That’s when we found out he is allergic to alcoholic drinks.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I think this is so important. My kids aren’t quite at the age where drugs and alcohol will be readily available, but they’re getting there. I’ve already started talking with them about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. I’ve also made sure they know the dangers if I EVER find out they’ve been into anything like that. LOL