Your kids probably will not come right out and ask you this question. Most kids are going to believe what they hear from other kids and see happening right in front of them: Their friends are smoking pot or drinking and seem to be having fun. Or maybe a friend suggests that they sniff some markers and get goofy or someone has some pills that they say help you “chill out.”
It’s unfortunate that in today’s world, keeping kids safe from drug abuse is very close to the top of the list of a parent’s responsibilities. Many parents may not be well prepared to carry out this education. Or they may count on schools to do the job. Different drug education presentations have different levels of success. Plus a drug education presentation may not fully reflect a parent’s beliefs. So even if a school offers drug education classes, it’s really up to a parent more than anyone else to do this job.
We want to make it easier for parents to keep their kids safe from drug abuse. While I wish that all parents would have a zero-tolerance policy toward drug abuse, I know this isn’t true. If a parent feels like smoking a little pot or drinking a few beers is harmless, they should realize how quickly this low level drug use can (and often does) escalate into something deadly.
Get the Facts About Teen Drug Abuse
Here at Narconon, we create materials such as these below to help parents understand the scope of today’s problem:
Free online booklet explains the top ten facts parents should know about marijuana: http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/marijuana-facts.html
Similar booklet about prescription drugs:
http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/10-things-prescription-drugs.html
On the Drug-Free World website, there are a number of documentaries and PSAs that tell the real story about the risks of drug abuse in the words of people who lived through it: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/#/documentaries
You can find other help in our parent center:
http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/parent-center.html
My greatest wish is that by helping you educate your children on the dangers of drug abuse, you never, ever need to look for a rehab center.
