Parents, Kids, & Drugs
Ten Tips for Parents
What Every Parent Should Know
Warning Signs
Ten Tips for Parents
1. Get educated.
Know what your kids are facing, the risks of alcohol and drug use for kids, and the signs and symptoms.
2. Talk with your kids.
In a safe, supportive environment, discuss what they know, how they feel, and the pressures they face.
3. Provide structure.
Have clear expectations, rules, and curfews and give consistent appropriate consequences and rewards.
4. Be an example.
If you think you might have a problem, get help. If you make excuses, they will too.
5. Stand up to kid pressure so your kid can stand up to peer pressure.
Follow through on the limits you set. Do it with love, but do it.
6. Know where your child is and with whom.
7. Resolve family conflict.
If you can’t resolve communication problems or conflicts, get help.
8. Be a team.
Whoever is involved in parenting (spouses, step-parents, grandparents, nannies, friends) needs to be on the same page. If you can’t get together, get help.
9. If you think your child might have a problem, get an assessment.
You wouldn’t try to diagnose cancer, don’t diagnose substance abuse.
10. Don’t violate your values.
It is our values that best protect our kids as they go out into the world. So don’t let your kids “party” where you can “keep an eye on them.” It won’t stop them from drinking elsewhere, and it tells them you think it is okay to drink and use. If you think it is okay, read “What Every Parent Should Know.”
What Every Parent Should Know
• Kids who talk to their parents about the risks of drug use are 50% less likely to use drugs. (PATS Study, 2009)
• Alcohol is the most used and most abused mood altering substance among pre-teens and teenagers. (NHSDA, 2000)
• A high percentage of preteens are drinking.
40 % of ninth graders report that they used alcohol prior to age 13 and within the past month (NHSDA, 2000)
• Preteens who drink are far more likely to abuse alcohol as adults: More than 40 % of individuals who start drinking before age 13 will develop alcohol abuse problems later in life (Grant and Dawson, 1997).
• Kids can get drugs easily, even at school.
30.2 % of students had been offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property in the 12 months before the survey. (NHSDA, 2000)
• Heavy alcohol and cigarette use correlates with illicit drug use
65% of youths who are heavy drinkers are also current illicit drug users compared to only 4.2 % of nondrinkers. Also, 42.7 % of kids who smoked cigarettes had used illicit drugs in the past month, compared with 4.6 % for nonsmokers. (NHSDA statistics for 2000)
• Many kids (41%) mistakenly think prescription drugs are safer than illicit drugs and 19% report abusing prescription drugs. (PATS Study, 2009)
• Adolescent alcohol and drug use can impair intellectual development and school performance; increase risky sexual behavior, vehicle accidents, assault, suicide attempts and drowning. (Zeigler, et al, 2009)
• Great kids with good parents can have serious alcohol and drug problems.
• Substance abuse and dependency is treatable.
Warning Signs
Physical Signs
• Changes in sleep
• Bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils
• Slurred or agitated speech
• Sudden or significant weight loss or gain
• Poor hygiene, unusual smells on clothing or breath
• Accidents, injuries or bruises
Behavioral Signs
• Hiding, lying, or secretive behavior
• Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
• Changes in mood or emotional instability
• Hyperactivity or aggression
• Depression or increased irritability
• Changes in friends
• Changes in grades
• Money or valuables missing
• Alcohol or prescription drugs missing
• Running away or staying out late
• Hidden stashes (“keeping it for a friend”)