Are Parents Scared To Talk To Their Teens About Drugs?
Many parents are concerned that they cannot provide the right kind of support to prevent their teen from using drugs. Even though the teenage years are the time when counsel and guidance is most necessary, some adults start to lose confidence in their ability to influence their child’s choices about drugs and alcohol around the same time.
According to data from a study that tracked parent attitudes, half of all participants with kids in 6th-8th grade feel they lack the tools and information to prevent drug and alcohol use. In contrast, only 35 percent of parents of elementary school children feel they need more help. 37 percent of parents with kids in middle school feel they have little influence over their decision to try drugs.
Unfortunately, these reluctant parents are missing the opportunity to lead their child in the right path, as uncomfortable as the infamous “drug conversation” may be. The Partnership for a Drug Free America found that kids who learn about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use. This reinforces that parents are the most powerful influencers in their kids’ lives and can dramatically effect whether they choose to use drugs and alcohol.
The findings of the study demonstrate how many parents feel increasingly overwhelmed as kids become teenagers. “These vulnerable years are when teens and tweens are exposed to drugs and alcohol, and parents can’t let the normal turbulence and frustrations of raising teens interfere with their determination to keep their kids from risking their health,” Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of the Partnership. Science has helped us understand that the brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25, and while teens are attracted to experimentation and risk, they are simply not prepared to make good decisions about drugs, new social situations, sex and other tough issues that affect their futures. Parents have to step in and help their kids, no matter how challenging the conversation.”
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