Drug abuse is not restricted to illegal substances that
teenagers see on television. In fact, prescription drugs and items they can
find on the shelves at a drug store are more of a threat because of how easy
they are to get their hands on. Knowing how to talk to your teenager about
these dangers is extremely important.
Make sure when you have this talk with your teen that you
are not accusatory. You need to be calm and honest to avoid having the talk turn
into a fight. Do some research about the dangers and let them know what you
have learned. Do not pretend that you are an expert on the situation or they
will be likely to tune you out.
Also, try to incorporate them into the talk. If
you sit there and lecture, it can become uncomfortable for them. You want to
have an open dialogue about drugs with your teenager during this talk and going
forward. Now is the time to build that relationship.
You also need to talk to your child about the dangers of
peer pressure. Prescription drugs are easy to get a hold of. Teenagers can take
them from their parents or grandparents. They can purchase them from dealers
more easily than illegal drugs. They may have even been prescribed them for a
legitimate purpose. When you are talking with your child, the most important
idea to get across is that prescription drugs are just as dangerous as illegal
drugs. This is true even if a friend is experimenting with them.
In order to be honest with your teenager, you cannot shelter
them from the truth. This means that you have to give them specific knowledge
about the drugs. Be honest about what prescriptions are in the house, from the
family pet’s medication for arthritis, to antibiotics that were taken for an
ear infection. Cover what they’re used for and what adverse effects they have
if they are abused or even consumed just once in some instances. Be sure to
also touch on the subject of their friends not needing to know what is kept in
the cabinet, as their friends will be more likely to abuse prescription
medication when they won’t be the ones to suffer consequences when found that
medication is missing.
To avoid this, just be honest. Talk about why someone would
enjoy talking them, but also why it is such a bad idea, that there is potential
that they could overdose, be hospitalized and could cause long term damage to
the organs in the body. Touch on the subject of getting caught with the drugs,
and how it could mean spending time in jail.
Prescription drugs are not something that should be taken
lightly. Just as you would talk to your child about other dangers in the world,
you need to teach them about dangers that are legal in the right circumstances.
Author Bio
Melisa Cammack has been freelance writing for several years
and loves writing for parenting blogs the most. She is the busy mother of three
even busier boys, wife to one over-sized and honorary “boy” and is kept
entertained by their two golden retrievers, and the constant kicking from the
child in her belly.
Melisa is currently promoting the Delray Recovery Center in Florida; learn more about their facilities and what programs they offer.
Melisa is currently promoting the Delray Recovery Center in Florida; learn more about their facilities and what programs they offer.
