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Drug Dilemma
Teens share their thoughts on drug abuse By Carma Haley
Yet knowledge isn't the only shield against drug abuse, says Dr. Paul Coleman, author of "How to Say It to Your Kids." Various factors play a role in a teen's choice to use drugs.
"One is simply age," Coleman says. "When teens enter middle school and especially high school, they meet many new classmates -- some of whom use drugs. And as they enter their teenage years, there is an increased need to feel accepted by peers."
Accessibility is also a factor.
"In teen years, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes become more readily available," Coleman says. "Inhalants -- glue, solvents, cleaning chemicals -- are easily accessible."
The American Academy of Pediatrics claims parents can be the number one force against their child's drug use. But how do parents talk to their teens about drugs without offending them or making an already uncomfortable situation worse?
Start by establishing rules within your home, says Coleman.
"Teaching about drugs and alcohol and how to resist peer pressure without being clear about the guidelines -- such as drug use will not be tolerated -- is evading responsibility to make clear what is right and wrong," he says.
Yet, Coleman warns, you must couple this approach with lessons about how to handle peer pressure.
"Stating the guidelines without teaching about drugs and how to resist them is like sending your child into a danger zone unprepared," he says.
You must also reinforce the lessons over time. "Just as children change on the outside they change on the inside, and the lessons will need to change, too," Coleman says.
Teenagers are smart. They listen. They learn. And they can apply what they hear and know to situations they face.
But they won't listen until they know they have been heard.
"I don't think a parent can really teach their kid to stay away from drugs," Mallory says. "I think that the best way for a parent to keep their kids away from drugs would be to spend time with them, love them, cherish them and protect them. It's as simple as that."