Your children today are exposed to drugs from a very young age. Drugs in this day and age are portrayed everywhere; in movies, television shows, music videos, and on the Internet. Even in songs, the lyrics include talking about drugs and their use, as well as in movies. Unfortunately, when drug use is depicted, it is given off as a fun hobby or a way of relaxation. Thus, your children do not clearly understand or picture the harmful implications caused by drug abuse.
Awareness towards drug abuse and addiction could be done in several ways. Simply having a conversation about the risks of drug abuse can make a difference in your teen’s life. During this conversation make sure that it goes both ways, that you listen as well as talk. What that means is, it is important that you listen and answer any questions that your child has in order to avoid curiosity towards the drug growing in your child’s head. There are several tips for raising awareness to drug abuse and addiction.
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Mention the facts about the dangers of drug abuse.
This will help to get rid of or at least lull the interference of curiosity, and thereby your children will not be eager to know them through experience or trial.
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Empower them to tolerate and say no to peer pressure.
Depression and peer pressure can easily trap your children into drug abuse and may sometimes lead to addiction. Preparing them to stand up to peer pressure will definitely be helpful.
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Discuss the guidance and support of how to have a happy and healthy life.
The more your children know about how harmful drug abuse and addiction is, and how severe its risks are, the more they will cherish and appreciate having a happy and healthy life.
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Encourage them to always come to you as their parents if any problem arises or if they any questions.
If you are not open with your children to talk about such a big issue, then how do you expect them not to fall in to its trap? This is why it is important for you as parents to be open with your children, and find ways to communicate with and encourage them to come to you if there are any problems to help them out and so that they are not vulnerable to dragging themselves into dangerous and risky situations that promote drug abuse and addiction.
If parents came together and decided to take the awareness to a bigger scale, beyond the four walls of their households, then they could do outdoor campaigns or have meetings and gatherings. It would also be a great idea to let the children participate in these gatherings to be fully aware of what they are talking about.
Proper education about drug abuse is crucial for kids and teenagers. If your children are not properly educated on the harmful effects of drugs, they may be more at risk, merely by the overwhelming curiosity to know more about drugs and their effects. And all it takes is one event of exposure. It all starts with a cigarette, and before you know, you’re dealing with a teen that has marijuana addiction, which is really a gateway to all kinds of hardcore drugs.
When kids decide to learn about drugs through trial, they place themselves at risk of developing drug tolerance, dependence, and inevitably, addiction. The best awareness your children can get is from you, their parents. You need to be the pool of knowledge and information so that they have the right kind of exposure to help them battle the temptations that life will throw at them.
