Why Do I Need to Talk to My Kids about Drugs?
A. What are the statistics of drug use in teens and children?
B. What are the benefits of parent/ child interaction?
C. Why will it help my child to talk to me about drugs?
D. What do I do if I think my child is on drugs?
A. What are the statistics of drug use in teens and children? (Back to top)
All the evidence points to the fact that drugs are now embedded in our society and have thus become part of almost everyone's life. A Washington Post and ABC News poll conducted in early 1997 produced the following findings.
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More than eight out of ten teenagers and their parents said illegal drugs are a major problem for teenagers nationally.
- An overwhelming majority of teenagers and their parents agreed that alcohol use is a greater problem than the use of other drugs.
- Six out of ten teenagers said at least some students at their schools use drugs. Among high school students, the number was to eight out of ten.
- Four teenagers out of ten reported having friends who use drugs; more than a quarter said someone has tried to sell them illegal drugs.
- More than 55% of the parents interviewed acknowledged that they had smoked marijuana sometime in their lives, and one out of five admitted using other illegal drugs.
These results reflect the overall negative findings of other recent surveys. The steady decline in teen drug use that prevailed through the eighties has been sharply reversed in recent years. Adolescent marijuana use, in particular, has risen dramatically. Between 1992 and 1995, the number of 12- to 17- year olds smoking marijuana doubled. More than one in five eighth graders report having tried an inhalant, and during the mid-nineties, the use of LSD by these young teens rose 67% in just three years.
Underage drinking remains a consistent problem, with two-thirds of eighth graders reporting alcohol use during the preceding year. More than two million teens drink enough to be called "heavy" drinkers. One hundred thousand children age 10 or 11 admit getting drunk once a week.
As adult smoking has declined, youthful tobacco use has rebounded to levels last seen in the 1970's. More than one-third of high school seniors now smoke, and more than one senior in five smokes every day. These findings are cause for alarm. For parents, they should be a call to action.
http://www.drughelp.org/parents/fact.htm
B. What are the benefits of parent/ child interaction? (Back to top)
CASA 2000 Teen Survey
Only One in Four Teens Live with "Hands-on" Parents: Nearly 20 Percent Live with "Hands-off"
Only one in four teens in America (27 percent, about 6.5 million) lives with "hands-on" parents--parents who have established a household culture of rules and expectations for their teen's behavior and monitor what their teens do: such as the TV shows they watch, the CD's they buy, what they access on the Internet, and where they are evenings and weekends. These teens are at one quarter the risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs as teens with "hands-off" parents, according to a new survey of 1,000 American teens ages 12-17 released today by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).
The 2000 CASA National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VI: Teens for the first time correlated each teen's risk of substance abuse with a series of 12 possible actions the teen attributed to his or her parents. "Hands-on" parents consistently take at least 10 of these actions. "Hands-off" parents take five or less. Nearly one in five teens (18 percent, about 4.3 million teens) lives with "hands-off" parents and is at four times the risk of substance abuse as teens with "hands-on" parents.
"The loud and clear message of the survey is this: moms and dads should be parents to their children, not pals," said CASA President and former US Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph A. Califano, Jr. "Mothers and fathers who are parents rather than pals can greatly reduce the risk of their children smoking, drinking and using drugs. They can counter negative media influences and the prevalence of marijuana and other drugs in a teen's world. Whatever the family structure, whether the teen lives with both parents, a single mom or a single dad, their risk of smoking, drinking or using illegal drugs in "hands-on" households is dramatically lower than that of the average teen."
The 12 actions against which parental conduct is measured are: monitor what their teens watch on TV; monitor what they do on the Internet; put restrictions on the CD's they buy; know where their teens are after school and on weekends; expect to be and are told the truth by their teens about where they really are going in evenings or on weekends; are "very aware" of their teen's academic performance; impose a curfew; make clear they would be "extremely upset" if their teen used pot; eat dinner with their teens most every night; turn off the TV during dinner; assign their teen regular chores; and have an adult present when the teen returns from school.
"Hands-on" Parents Have Better Relationships with Their Teens
Despite the conventional wisdom that many teens don't want their parents to establish rules and expectations the survey found that teens with "hands-on" parents are much more likely to have an excellent relationship with their parents than teens with "hands-off" parents:
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47 percent of teens living in "hands-on" households report an excellent relationship with their fathers, only 13 percent living in "hands-off" households do.
- 57 percent of teens in "hands-on" households report an excellent relationship with their mother, only 24 percent living in "hands-off" households do.
"Hands-off" Parents
"Hands-off" parents consistently fail to set rules and monitor their teen's behavior. Teen risk goes up when parents fail to:
- monitor their teen's television and Internet viewing, and restrict the CD's they purchase. These teens are at twice the risk of those teens whose parents monitor these activities.
- know where their teen is after school and on weekends or expect their teen to tell them where they are going at night or on weekends. These teens are at twice the risk of teens whose parents do these.
- have dinner with their teens seven times a week. These teens are at one and a half times the risk of teens who have dinner with their parents every night.
- give teen a clear message about marijuana use. Parents whose teens think they would "not be too upset" about their teen smoking pot have teens at more than three times the risk of teens who think their parents would be "extremely upset."
"It is time for every parent to look in the mirror rather than look outside to what everyone else can do," said Califano. "Parents should ask themselves: do I know where my teen is after school and on weekends? Have I set a curfew for my teen? Have I made it clear that I would be extremely upset if my teen used marijuana? Do I monitor what my teen watches on television and on the Internet, what CD's he or she buys and listens to? Do we have dinner together as a family six or seven times a week--without the television on? Parents need to ask themselves every day: 'What am I doing today to keep my kids drug-free?'"
http://www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/studies_casa_handsoff.html
C. Why will it help my child to talk to me about drugs? (Back to top)
The most effective deterrent to drug use isn't the police, or prisons, or politicians - it's you. Kids who learn about the risks of drug use from their parents are 36% less likely to smoke marijuana than kids who learn nothing from them. If you talk to your kids about the dangers of drug use, they are also 50% less likely to use inhalants, 56% less likely to use LSD - just because you took the time to talk to them. Research has also shown that kids want to hear what their parents have to say - in fact 74% of fourth graders wish their parents would talk to them about drugs.
Source: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's Behavior Change Expert Panel.
http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/tips_truth.html
D. What do I do if I think my child is on drugs? (Back to top)
If warning signs point to a child on drugs, it's time to take action. If you deal with possible drug use head-on, there's a very good chance your child can be helped. Don't spend time hiding from the problem. Spend your time helping your child. The faster you act, the faster your child can start to become well again.
Sit down with your child for an open discussion about Alcohol and drug use. Openly voice your suspicions to your child but avoid direct accusations. Do not have this conversation when your child is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and make sure you sound calm and rational. This may mean waiting a day if he comes home drunk from a party, or if her room smells like Marijuana . Ask your child what's been going on in her life. Discuss ways to avoid using alcohol and other drugs in the future. If you need help during this conversation, get another family member, your child's guidance counselor, or physician involved.
Remember to reinforce your no-drug policy during the conversation. Be firm and enforce whatever discipline you've laid out in the past for violation of house rules. You should discuss ways your child can regain your lost trust: calling in, spending evenings at home, or improving grades.
Just like many adults, many young people deny their alcohol and other drug use. If you have strong evidence that your child is lying, you may want to have her evaluated by a health professional experienced in diagnosing adolescents with alcohol- and drug-related problems. If you decide to go this route, remember that you're trying to help your child. Don't make the doctor's appointment seem like a threat or a punishment.
If your child has developed a pattern of drug use or an addiction, you will probably need to seek professional help. If you do not know about drug treatment programs in your area, call your doctor, local hospital, state or local substance abuse agencies, or county mental health society for a referral. Your school district should have a substance abuse coordinator or a counselor who can refer you to treatment programs, too. Parents whose children have been through treatment programs can also provide information.
Drug addiction is now understood to be a chronic, relapsing disease. It may require a number of attempts before your child can remain drug-free. Don't despair if your child's first try doesn't produce long-lasting results. Even if it's not apparent at the time, each step brings your child closer to a healthy life.