Do Parents Really Know Enough About Drugs To Help Their Kids?

2009.05.03

 Now that there are studies coming out that indicate that marijuana is actually addictive and affects performance, perception and attitude, the old myths about cannabis being a harmless way to wind down are being exploded systematically – so, in light of all of this new information, the question arises, Do parents really know enough about drugs to help their kids?

With all the new information that is coming out, it is hard to say if parents really do know enough about drugs to help their kids. There are so many different kinds of drugs that are out there now that it is almost impossible to keep on top of it all. One study says one thing and another can say something very different, making you wonder if the researchers already had an angle toward a certain point of view so that they could get funding.

  The best solution after all is said and done is the simplest, education, and not fear seems to be the best weapon to use. I remember watching my brother talking to his daughter when she asked him about hash and what it did, and he simply replied, “It makes you stupid”, and that hit home. Mostly, people don’t want to look stupid or be embarrassed in front of their friends, but there will come a time when the temptation will arise, and that is the moment of truth.

 When I mentioned about education being the best weapon, I didn’t mean just the kids, I also meant the parents. The kids will watch how their parents react to something like drugs, and different kinds of people will react in different kinds of ways. If the kids pick up from you that you are terrified and you are going to try to scare them as a way to get them to stop even thinking about it, then you have lost even before you get started.

 Rather than knowing, what each drug is and what it does, it is best to know your child. The teen years are awkward and they want to fit in, but if they know that a certain group is doing drugs just for fun, and they see another group who are doing better in life by not doing drugs, then, a teen who wants to belong can be guided into the better group.

 I’m not saying that it’s going to be very easy all the time, but constant communication is the key to knowing your teen, and all the aspects of their personality. I don’t mean either, that parents take the psychological approach, because that tends to put everything into a box, and attempt to make everything fit into that box. To my mind, the best way is to use some common sense, and look at a situation for what is, rather than looking at it for what you want it to be, and working out from there.