As a parent, we know you worry about your child all the time, including if they’re using illegal substances.
While you may feel like the conversation will be awkward, it’s necessary, even if you don’t think your child is being exposed to drugs and alcohol.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly 26 percent of young people were offered, sold or given a drug on school property and more than 60 percent of high-school students reported that they believed their school was “drug infected,” meaning drugs are used, kept or sold on school ground, in 2011.
So, your child likely has access to drugs, and even if you think that your child wouldn’t use them, it’s still important to have that conversation with them, as more than 4,000 teens try an illicit drug for the first time every day.
You can change your child’s future, even if you think they aren’t listening to you. Teens that learn about the risk of alcohol and drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to use than those whose parents don’t talk to them about it.
And, if you set clear boundaries regarding drugs and alcohol, your child is more likely to avoid illicit drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that children ages 12 to 17 were less likely to abuse a substance if they believed their parents would disapprove.
If you’d like to learn more about how to start the conversation with your child, visit www.waltoncountyprevention.org/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-underage-drinking.