Drug Abuse

There is a reason people use the term, “War on Drugs,” to describe America’s drug abuse problem. It is a war and the victims are ourselves. The worst thing is that it affects our children. You don’t have to be eighteen or older to become a casualty in this war. Yet, there are some things that parent’s can do to keep their children safe.

The first thing to remember is that your children are going to be in combat at some point. What I mean is that your children are going to be offered drugs at some point. In fact, even high school or middle school can be a battle ground. Don’t leave your kids unarmed. Like the commercials say, “Talk to your kids.” It doesn’t have to be a serious, sit-down talk. All you have to do is mention a few times how dangerous drug abuse is and let them know that they can talk to you.

Telling your kids that they can talk to you about drug abuse doesn’t mean they really can. You have to do more. You have to give them opportunities to talk to you by making yourself available. Many parents today have hectic schedules which make it very hard to find one on one time with your children. You have to make time even if it is once a day, or once a week.

Not, only do some children find it difficult to find time to talk with their parent’s about drug abuse, but many children don’t feel they can. You can tell they that you won’t be mad and that you will understand, but they are going to look at your actions and not your words. If you have a habit of jumping to conclusions or being angry they aren’t going to feel like they can talk to you.

If you have a bad temper or have had a troubled relationship with your child, it is not too late to improve your relationship or to prevent drug abuse. Work on your faults and if you need help get family counseling. In the meantime, tell your child that just because you get angry at them it doesn’t mean you don’t love them and it never it should never mean that you won’t be understanding if they want to talk about drugs. If you find your child out of control with drug abuse, seek the help of a professional drug rehab center to help get your child back on track.