Love, Truth, Trust & Communication

Spending time with your kids is a proven deterrent to drug use. Listening to them. Talking about their friends, school, activities. Asking what they think about anything. Love. Music. Dreams they may have. Research shows that knowing your kids, who they hang out with and their parents as well, dramatically reduces the likelihood that they will get into trouble with drugs. Another effective deterrent is praising and rewarding them for good behavior. Tell your kids you love them. Go out for pizza instead of watching TV. Get to know the music your kids like and talk to them about it. Keeping kids drug-free is achieved in a series of small, personal ways.

The most effective deterrent to drug use among kids isn't the police, or prisons or politicians. One of the most effective deterrents to drug use among kids is their parents. Kids who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are 36% less likely to smoke marijuana than kids who learn nothing from them. They are 50% less likely to use inhalants. 56% less likely to use cocaine. 65% less likely to use LSD. So if you're a parent, talk to your kids about drugs. Research also shows that 74% of all fourth graders wish their parents would talk to them about drugs.

Your kids ask if you ever used drugs? What do you say? You want to be honest. It's a very difficult question. But remember, the issue isn't your past. The issue is their present and future.

Studies have shown that in general, kids believe their parents trust them. Where kids get into trouble with drugs is when they assume this trust implies that they're mature enough to avoid the dangers. Trust is essential. Yet they must understand that trust comes with responsibilities. That's why you need to talk to them about drugs and give them clear, consistent rules. Monitoring your kids' activities doesn't mean you don't trust them. It means that you care about them enough to be involved. Between 4 and 6 PM is when kids are most likely to try drugs. So keep them busy. Encourage them to try out for the basketball team. Or the school play. Or band. What matters is your involvement. Teenagers want their independence, yet need the stability provided by routines.

A loving relationship cannot exist without communication. Research shows that kids believe they have valuable things to say. When parents ask them and listen genuinely, it helps build self-esteem and confidence. Also it demonstrates that you support their burgeoning independence as well as their ability to make intelligent decisions. The important thing to remember about drugs is that it's not a five minute talk about sex. It's a dialogue. As kids grow, they will need more information relevant to their exposure. In general, smoking marijuana is harmful. The younger a kid is, the more it may be. Research shows that people who smoke it before age 15 are 7 times more likely to use other drugs. It also shows that people who didn't smoke marijuana by age 21 were more likely to never smoke it.

Community Drug and Alcohol Council

803 North Palafox Street

Pensacola FL 32501

(850) 434-2724

(850) 432-1136 fax