It’s not hyperbole to say that prevention is easier than treatment. No parent is thrilled with their child being addicted to drugs (unless they’re a bad parent), and it truly breaks your heart when you find out. Here are 7 ways that you can easily help your child stay away from drugs.
1. Substances
Children are more likely to abuse prescription drugs than street drugs, according to the NYS Department of Health. It makes sense: the drugs and painkillers found in your medicine cabinet can be taken by a curious child or teen. That’s why it’s important to make sure your medicine cabinet is locked. You can go a step further and keep your prescriptions in a suitcase or other storage system away from everybody else in the household.
2. Support
It is hard to prevent a problem that hasn’t happened yet. This is why you need to stop the opportunity of a problem blossoming at all. Support all the positivity in your child’s life. Encourage them to continue getting good grades. Inspire them to reach for the creative stars in their artistic spirit. Notice the positives in their lives and acknowledge them. Be a support system in their life.
3. Abuse
We’ve seen time and time again that people who are abused in childhood are more open to turning to drugs. This is because of self-coping methods for getting over the pain. That’s why it’s important to watch out for signs of physical or mental abuse by friends or relatives. Children rarely open up verbally about being abused: it’s up to you to see if they act strange or distant around certain people in their lives. By the same token: be careful about doling out punishments or neglecting your child.
4. Be Involved
Be involved in their life, their sports and their hobbies. Take an interest in who they are as people. Teen drug abuse can be caused by emotional problems they don’t know to deal with. Being involved in their lives can help them.
5. Build self-esteem
Self-esteem issues found in children tend to evolve into teenagers that require therapy and counseling. You alone are responsible for helping them learn how they can increase their self-esteem. Teen drug abuse
Every one of us has positive qualities that make us who we are. Help your kids bring out the best of themselves.
6. Sit down
Address drug use and alcohol early on in their lives. Talk with them about the harmful effects of these substances. Drugfree.org found out that children who learn about the dangers of abusing substances are 50% less likely to abuse them. Whether you’re talking about blow, base, casper, red bullets, China town, Molly, H, Lucifer’s lettuce or any other ridiculous street name people have for drugs.
7. Set a good example
Our children see what we do every day and try to emulate our actions and behaviors. That’s why a large percent of parents who are bad with money end up raising financially illiterate children. If you want them to stay away from drugs and drink, you need to avoid them seeing you taking drugs or drinking. Be the type of behavior you want to see them grow into.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve noticed a trend: being present in your child’s life and being there for them when they need you. Sadly, this may not be realistic in a lot of cases. Even so: alcohol and drug addiction can tear apart lives in more ways than one and preventing that destroyed world is priority one.
