Parents are the most significant role models in children’s lives. What they say about the effects and consequences of drug abuse matters significantly when it comes to the choices their children make.
Children who decide not to use alcohol or other drugs often make this decision because they have strong convictions against the use of these substances – convictions based on a value system. You can make your family’s values clear by explaining why you choose a particular course of action and how that choice reflects your values.
Parents can:
State their position clearly; if you’re not clear, they may be tempted to use.
Tell their children that they forbid them to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs because the love them. Make it clear that this rule holds true even at other people’s houses.
Discuss the consequences of breaking the rules – what the punishment will be and how it will be carried out. Rules give children reasons to fall back on when they feel tempted to make bad decisions.
Let their children know how happy they are that they respect the rules of the household by praising them. Emphasize the things children do right, instead of focusing on what’s wrong.
