What Can Parents Do to Help Their Children Be Drug Free
The anti-drug education that children are getting in school today only begins to counter the street-level "education" they can pick up from their peers and popular culture. As a caring parent, you are probably asking yourself what you can do to help your children to stay drug free.
Parents are the most important role models in children's lives. What they say and do about drugs matters significantly when it comes to the choices children make.
Children who decide not to use alcohol or other drugs often make this decision because they have strong convictions against the use of these substances-convictions based on a value system. You can make your family's values clear by explaining why you choose a particular course of action and how that choice reflects your values.
When it comes to dangerous substances like alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, don't assume that your children know where you stand. Children want you to talk to them about drugs. State your position clearly; if you're not clear, they may be tempted to use. Tell your children that you forbid them to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs because you love them. Make it clear that this rule holds true even at other people's houses. Will your child listen? Most likely. According to research, when a child decides whether or not to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, a crucial consideration is, "What will my parents think?"
Also discuss the consequences of breaking the rules--what the punishment will be and how it will be carried out. Consequences must go hand-in-hand with limits so that your child understands that there are predictable outcomes to his choosing a particular course of action. The consequences you select should be reasonable and related to the violation. For example, if you catch your son smoking, you might "ground" him, restricting his social activities for two weeks. You could then use this time to show him how concerned you are about the serious health consequences of his smoking, and about the possibility that he'll become addicted, by having him study articles and books on the subject.
Contrary to some parents' fears, your strict rules do not alienate your children. They want you to show you care enough to lay down the law and to go to the trouble of enforcing it. Rules about drugs also give them reasons to fall back on when they feel tempted to make bad decisions.
Most importantly, always let your children know how happy you are that they respect the rules of the household by praising them. Emphasize the things your children do right, instead of focusing on what's wrong.
Talking With Your Children Effectively About Drugs
In today's complex and busy world, it is frustrating how few chances there are to have conversations about drugs with our children. To ensure that you have regular get-togethers with your children, try to schedule regular parent-child rituals and family meetings. Rituals, like having meals together at least once or twice a week, playing games, going to the library or to get ice cream together once a week, can be opportunities to help the family catch up and establish better and more open communication that is essential to raising drug-free children.
Family meetings held once a week can also be extremely valuable. Suggestions for making these successful include having a mutually agreed-upon time once a week and clear ground rules to make every one feel they get a chance to talk without fear of being criticized or punished. Ground rules that help are: Everyone gets a chance to talk; one person talks at a time without interruption; everyone listens; and only positive, constructive feedback is allowed. To get resistant children to join in, combine the get-together incentives such as post-meeting pizza or assign them important roles such as recording secretary or rule enforcer.
Another way to talk to your children about drugs is to take advantage of everyday "teachable moments."
If you and your child are walking down the street, and you see a group of teenagers drinking and hanging out, talk about the negative effects of drinking alcohol.
Watch TV with your children and ask them what they think.
Whenever you see an anti-drug commercial on TV, use it as an opening to talk with your children about drugs. Ask them what they think about the commercial.
Most importantly, you can take some simple everyday actions that can make a big difference in children's lives:
Listen to what they are saying
Look at them when you are listening--make eye contact
Find out how their day was, what happened in school or with their friends
Go to their events, i.e., sports games, plays, school shows
Play games with them
Talk with them
Know who their friends are
Know where your children are
Set clear expectations for their behavior
Be consistent in your training and discipline
Give them lots of encouragement
Create ways to have meaningful participation in their lives
Ask them for their opinions
Show them that they matter
When they do well, praise them
Talk to them about the dangers of substance use and abuse!
When There's A Family History Of Alcoholism Or Drug Abuse
If your family had a tendency for high blood pressure or diabetes, you'd tell your children they might inherit it. In the same way, they need to know about recurring patterns of substance abuse, particularly if you, your spouse, or their grandparents have had problems with alcohol or other drugs. Children of substance abusers are much more likely to become addicted if they use drugs: they may have inherited genes that make them react to alcohol and drugs differently, and they may have had more difficulty growing up.
When you use the example of a family member to illustrate why your children should be careful about trying alcohol and other drugs, you make a compelling argument. Try to find a positive perspective. If substance abuse is a persistent problem in your family, you might tell your children that being aware of the challenge that the future holds will better equip them to plan ahead and avoid potentially unhealthy situations.
In addition, it is important to be able to know what to say if your child ever asks you or your spouse about your own history of use or abuse.
Specific Drugs and Their Effects
Drug Name:
Alcohol
Drug Type:
Depressant
Facts for Parents:
25% of 8th graders have admitted to being intoxicated at least once.
Other Names:
Beer, wine, liquor, cooler, malt liquor, booze
How Consumed:
Orally
Effects:
Addiction (alcoholism), dizziness, nausea, vomiting, hangovers, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, impaired motor skills, violent behavior, fetal alcohol syndrome, respiratory depression and death (high doses).
Drug Name:
Amphetamines
Drug Type:
Stimulant
Facts for Parents:
Chronic use can induce psychosis with symptoms similar to schizophrenia.
Other Names:
Speed, uppers, ups, hearts, black beauties, pep pills, capilots, bumble bees, Benzedrine, Dexedrine, footballs, biphetamine
How Consumed:
Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked
Effects:
Addiction, irritability, anxiety, increased blood pressure, paranoia, psychosis, depression, aggression, convulsions, dilated pupils, dizziness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, malnutrition. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.
Drug Name:
Metamphetamines
Drug Type:
Stimulant
Facts for Parents:
Some users avoid sleep 3 to 15 days.
Other Names:
Speed, meth, crank, crystal, ice, fire, croak, crypto, white cross, glass. "Ice" is the street name for the smokeable form.
How Consumed:
Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked
Effects:
Addiction, irritability, aggression, hypothermia, stroke, paranoia, psychosis, convulsions, heart and blood vessel toxicity, hallucinations, arrhythmia, formication (the sensation of insects creeping on or under your skin).
Drug Name:
Ecstasy
Drug Type:
Stimulants
Facts for Parents:
Ecstasy is popular at all-night underground parties (called raves) and is the most common designer drug.
Other Names:
XTC, Adam, MDMA
How Consumed:
Orally
Effects:
Psychiatric disturbances, including panic, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, sweating, increased heart rate, tremors, hallucinations, fainting, chills, sleep problems, and reduced appetite
Drug Name:
Ritalin
Drug Type:
Stimulant
Facts for Parents:
Some children buy or steal from their classmates
Other Names:
Speed, west coast
How Consumed:
Tablet is crushed, and the powder is snorted or injected.
Effects:
Loss of appetite, fevers, convulsions, and severe headaches. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infections. Paranoia, hallucinations, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, tremors, muscle twitching.
Drug Name:
Herbal Ecstasy/Ephedrine
Drug Type:
Herbal Ecstasy, Cloud 9, Rave Energy, Ultimate, Xphoria, and X
Facts for Parents:
The active ingredients in Herbal Ecstasy are caffeine and ephedrine.
How Consumed:
Orally
Effects:
Increased heart rate and blood pressure. Seizures, heart attacks, stroke, and death.
Drug Name:
Designer Drugs
Drug Type:
Stimulants
Facts for Parents:
Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates Designer drugs.
Other Names:
Synthetic heroin, goodfella
How Consumed:
Injected, sniffed, or smoked.
Effects:
Instant respiratory paralysis. Potency creates strong possibility for overdose, many of the same effects as heroin.
Drug Name:
Cocaine
Drug Type:
Stimulant
Facts for Parents:
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Heavy use may produce paranoia, hallucinations, aggression, insomnia, and depression.
Other Names:
Coke, snow, nose candy, flake, blow, big C, lady, white, snowbirds.
How Consumed:
Snorted or dissolved in water and injected.
Effects:
Addiction, pupil dilation, elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Increased respiratory rate, seizures, heart attack, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, increased body temperature, death from overdose.
Drug Name:
Crack
Drug Type:
Stimulant
Facts for Parents:
A cheaper form of cocaine that may be more addicting.
Other Names:
Rock, freebase
Effects:
Same as cocaine
Drug Name:
Heroin
Drug Type:
Opiates
Facts for Parents:
Heroin users quickly develop a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of it to get the same effects, or even to feel well.
Other Names:
Smack, horse, mud, brown, sugar, junk, black tar, big H, dope.
Effects:
Addiction. Slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, nodding off, respiratory depression or failure, dry itching skin, and skin infections. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.
Drug Name:
PCP
Drug Type:
Hallucinogens
Facts for Parents:
Marijuana joints can be dipped into PCP without the smoker's knowledge.
Other Names:
Angel dust, ozone, rocket fuel, peace pill, elephant tranquilizer, dust.
How Consumed:
Snorted, smoked, orally, or injected.
Effects:
Hallucinations. Out-of-body experiences, impaired motor coordination, inability to feel physical pain, respiratory attack, disorientation, fear, panic, aggressive behavior. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected. Death.
Drug Name:
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide)
Drug Type:
Hallucinogen
Facts for Parents:
LSD is the most common hallucinogen. LSD tabs are often decorated with colorful designs or cartoon characters.
Other Names:
Acid, microdot, tabs, doses, trips, hits, sugar cubes.
How Consumed:
Tabs taken orally or gelatin/liquid put in eyes.
Effects:
Elevated body temperature and blood pressure, suppressed appetite, sleeplessness, tremors, chronic recurring hallucinations.
Drug Name:
Mushrooms
Drug Type:
Hallucinogens
Facts for Parents:
Many mushroom users purchase hallucinogenic mushroom spores via mail order.
Other Names:
Shrooms, caps, magic mushrooms.
How Consumed:
Eaten or brewed and drunk in tea.
Effects:
Increased blood pressure, sweating, nausea, hallucinations.
Drug Name:
Inhalants
Facts for Parents:
Hundreds of legal household products can be sniffed or huffed to get high. All inhalants can be toxic. Other Names: Laughing gas, whippets, aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, solvents.
How Consumed:
Vapors are inhaled
Effects:
Headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, severe mood swings and violent behavior, nausea, nose bleeds; liver, lung, and kidney damage; dangerous chemical imbalances in the body, lack of coordination, fatigue, loss of appetite, decreases in heart and respiratory rates, hepatitis, or peripheral neuropathy from long-term use.
Drug Name:
Marijuana
Facts for Parents:
The average age of first use is 14. Can be smoked using homemade pipes and bongs made from soda cans or plastic beverage containers.
Other Names:
Weed, pot, reefer, grass, dope, ganja, Mary Jane, sinsemilla, herb, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, kif, gangster, chronic, 420.
How Consumed:
Smoked or eaten.
Effects:
Bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, impaired or reduced comprehension, altered sense of time, reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination --such as driving a car, paranoia, intense anxiety attacks, altered cognition, making acquisition of new information difficult; impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment; difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving.
Drug Name:
Steroids
Facts for Parents:
Steroid users subject themselves to more than 70 % potentially harmful side effects.
Other Names:
Rhoids, juice
How Consumed:
Orally or injected into muscle
Effects:
Liver cancer Sterility, masculine traits in women and feminine traits in men, aggression, depression, acne, mood swings.
Drug Name:
Tobacco
Facts for Parents:
1 in 5 12th graders is a daily smoker. How Consumed: Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco (chew, dip, and snuff).
Effects:
Addiction, heart disease, cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, kidney, and mouth. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight.
Sarah and Tecoa are 25-year-old twin sisters who had a normal childhood until their mom and stepfather divorced, and their world changed forever. Sarah and Tecoa say to fill the void, they turned to drugs and sex. Now, Sarah lives minute to minute on the streets, consumed with her quest for heroin and crack cocaine, and selling her body to pay for her drugs. Tecoa is currently clean, but not by choice. She’s been in jail, unable to do anything but think about drugs. She’s also six months pregnant. Joani, a former Dr. Phil guest and recovering addict herself, found Sarah on the streets and documented her days and nights for a month. Dr. Phil shows video footage to the twins’ mother, Cindy. How did she let her daughters’ lives get so out of control? Dr. Phil gets the twins off the street and into The Dr. Phil House to detox, and to get their lives back. With surprise visits from their past, a terrifying look into their future, and Dr. Phil helping them through it all, will Sarah and Tecoa commit to rehab and stay clean? Talk about the show here.
