Periodically ask your kids what they think about certain drugs. If they say all drugs are bad, ask them to rank drugs in order from least risky to most risky. You may be surprised what they consider to be least risky. For example, teens in the US feel that prescription drugs are “safer to use” than street drugs, since are prescribed by a physician.
What to Say if your child’s favorite celebrity—the one he or she really looks up to—has been named in a drug scandal:
I think it must be really difficult to live a celebrity life and stay away from that stuff. Being in the public eye puts a ton of pressure on people, and many turn to drugs because they think drugs will relieve that stress. But a lot of famous people manage to stay clean – like [name others who don’t do drugs].
The thing is, when a person uses drugs and alcohol—especially a kid because he’s still growing—it changes how his brain works and makes him do really stupid things. Most people who use drugs and alcohol need a lot of help to get better. I hope [name] has a good doctor and friends and family members to help him/her.
What to Say if you find out that kids are selling prescription drugs at your child’s school. Your child hasn’t mentioned it and you want to get the conversation about it started:
Hey, you probably know that parents talk to each other and find things out about what’s going on at school… I heard there are kids selling pills – prescriptions that either they are taking or someone in their family takes. Have you heard about kids doing this?
Make sure that what you say matches what you do. If you tell kids not to use drugs (and you use drugs), they’re going to learn more from your actions than your words. If you’re taking medication to deal with an illness or disease, talk about that honestly and how you use the medication under a doctor’s orders.
