Understand The Reasons Kids Use Drugs

A. Self-esteem: Self-esteem is the feeling a person has about himself/herself.

This will translate into a self-image in all areas of their lives. You can be confident in one area of your life and have a poor self-image in other areas of your life.

1. This self-esteem can start working when the baby is born. The loving and touching that parents give the baby will do that.

2. When the youngster is old enough to understand verbal communication, catch your kids doing something good, then use your personality to give them a compliment about their good behavior.

3. As a teenager, peer pressure has tremendous impact. They need a good positive self-image to resist this pressure.

4. Cultural influence.

5. "Feels good."

6. Escape from dysfunctional family.

7. Experimentation.
    

B. The greatest assurance your kids won't use drugs.

1. Be the model yourself. What you are speaks so loudly I can't here what you say.
   
   (ABSTAIN)
    

2. Be accessible - times during the day, Breakfast, after school, supper, bedtime.

3. High Academic expectations.

4. Send a clear message - avoid alcohol, drugs, sex, and guns - real communication.

C. You can only expect what you inspect.

1. When your kids go out at night, be there waiting for them when they come home.
   
   (SET A TIME)
    

2. Help your kids save face with peer groups. Example: When pressured by peers say something like this, "I can't do that, my parents are always up when I get home.  They will ground me for a month and I won't be able to use the car."

3. Give them a drug test when they get home. Here is how to do that! Hug and sniff.
   
   Guys, that means you too. (Alcohol and marijuana smells.)
    

4. Look them in the eyes: Pupils are very small with alcohol and marijuana. With stimulants the pupils are larger than normal.

5. Ask open ended questions: Listen for slurred speech, etc.

D. Stay involved with your kids during the teen years.

Parents Drug Conference

Drugs are the scourge of our society.

If you don't know much about drugs, how can you talk to your kids about drugs? A lot of parents grew up in the late 60's and 70's. If not parents, grand parents. We all know what was going on during that era and the war in Vietnam. Over 50 percent of the parents from that era did drugs themselves and don't know how to approach their kids.

Before we start talking about drugs to our kids, there is an important statement to be made... Dr. Christian Bernard was overseas to lead a conference about the abuse of cocaine, but before he said anything about cocaine, he did say, "Alcohol is the most powerful drug known to man."

Drug use is progressive (usage increases). We still have alcohol, and pot is flooding the streets, the workplace and the school house.

There are 4 levels of use of drugs.

1. Experimental: "It feels good."

2. Social use: "I want to feel good."

3. Regular or chronic use: "I need to feel good."

4. Habituation: "I need to feel normal."

What is drug use?

Alcohol abuse is going out drinking 3 times a week and having 5 drinks each time. Drug abuse is the use of just 1 drug.

 

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