Children are imitators, so it is important to give them something healthy to imitate. Drugs are a harsh consequence of a person’s bad decisions, and if your child has an early education on the consequences of drugs then the chances of them staying away from drugs are higher. These days, children have access to a wide range of sources that are not monitored and could expose them to drugs and other inappropriate material. These materials include the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and even music. Yes, some of our new-age music is littered with reference to drugs and if you do not educate your children about what these drugs actually do to you, they will seek to find this out themselves.
It is therefore important to start the education f
rom a young age. Be aware of all your actions- when handling medication one must ensure open communication. Teach your child not to use medicine without consent, and explain that some medicine can help whereas others should never be taken, perhaps even start teaching them about what ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ are. Don’t make drugs a taboo subject in your home… this will make them more curious about what drugs actually are. Strike up conversation and ask them what they want to know about drugs and what they do to your body etc. Let them feel ok about asking you such things… it is natural to be curious… just not natural to indulge in illegal and life-threatening situations – explain this to them.
From there you can lead on to educating your child about smoking and drinking. It will not be hard to do considering they are exposed to it at restaurants, in your home or on the TV. If your child has enough insight to make a well-informed decision later on in life you are solving a potentially life threatening problem.
Some of the youth end up in jail or dead, and some in the less harsh but still serious rehabilitation centre. Prevention is a great method of treatment, so educate your children, this is not something you should just avoid because you believe it won’t happen to you or your family. Addiction can happen to anyone, at anytime, it does not discriminate… keep your children safe by being open about everything…
It’s not always a pleasant experience having to having to address drugs and drug abuse with our children, but in this instance being forewarned is definitely forearmed. You need to educate your children on the dangers of drugs and why they should avoid it at all costs.
It is difficult to beat a drug addiction, but not impossible. However why would you want to put yourself or your children through recovery and rehabilitation in the first place? It is always better to avoid drugs in the first place, and not expose yourself to the hurt and destruction that it can cause.
It never helps to just hide your head in the sand and believing that it wouldn’t happen to your family is not an effective strategy to protect your children against drugs. It is unfortunate that the times we live in have become so sick and twisted that many people now have to deal with addiction in their family.
More and more rehabilitation facilities have to take in children as young as nine for alcohol related addiction. This is tragic, and should and can be avoided by concerned parents who take an interest and active role in their children’s lives.
It will be up to you to make sure that your kids are educated about the dangers that drug and drug addictions pose to them. Also teach your children never to handle or take any medicine without consent, and explain to them why certain medicines should never be taken. Don’t make drugs an off limits topic in your home. Talk freely and open about it so that your children will feel like they are able to engage you in an open dialogue about the issue.
These are only some of the many ways you can go about protecting your children and educating them on drug use and abuse. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, then you have recourse to take. There is help available, and you just need to look for it. The help is there, you can access it and start rebuilding and reclaiming your life.
