ADDICTION
Drugs are not picky. They do not dominate in anyone race, gender, ethnicity or social standing.
Drugs can affect any family and workplace and with endless resources out there, it may seem next to impossible to know where to start the prevention process. Drugs are a horror to which many families have thought them selves untouchable. Even if you've raised your kids well, illicit substan c es and the p r essure to ex p eriment with them can still influence your child's life. Experimentation with drug use is a slip pery slope, as it often leads to more frequent use and eventual addiction
For preventing drug use in the home, you will need a competent set of tools. The most powerful tool at your disposal is in formation. To help your teen stay away from drugs,you will need to:
- Know what signs to look for that may in dicate drug abuse
- Learn how to prevent drug abuse in your home and workplace
- Acquire knowledge about the latest in drug testing technology
- Understand the popular drug trends occurring among young people today
- Learn how to intervene should you discover your child or employee is abusing drugs
- Find much more infor m at i on and resources to keep you informed and ready to battle drug abuse
Never assume that your child cannot succumb to drug abuse. Regardless of race, gender or social class, drugs can affect your teen's life. In order to set up your plan of action,you must learn and recognize the signs of abuse.
Preventing Drug Use
Knowing the signs of drug use and which common substances are abused by young people today are important, and helps to lay the foundation for preventing drug use in your home. Once you’re informed, you are prepared to discuss the issues that concern your child and their biggest fears, worries, and peer pressure – and any other factor that may contribute to drug use.
In order to prepare your son or daughter for the world and for the offers of drugs they will most likely encounter, take an involved approach to parenting:
Talk: It may sound overly simple, but taking the time to talk to your child can make all the difference. Start a dialogue with your child about drugs and always keep the lines of communication open. Don’t talk with your child about drugs once, but many times. These don’t have to be formal, sit-down discussions, but even from an early age, talk about drugs, how you feel about them and remember to listen to their concerns. By establishing this communication with your child from the start, they are more likely to come to you in times of crisis, or when they are confronted with drug use for the first time. Likewise, showing that you know a lot about the subject shows your child how much you care and that you’re serious when it comes to drugs. Emphasize the health aspects of using drugs and their negative impact on quality of life. But most of all, just let your child know you understand the pressures they face as a young person today and try to help them work through these moments.
Make Your Position Clear: It is never too early to make sure that your child knows you are against drug use. They should know that you disapprove of any drug use and that you are serious about it.
Be Available: You can have sit down talks with your kid about the serious implications of drug use, but if you’re not there for them when they truly need you, talking won’t matter that much. Let your child know you’re there for them and will always be there for them. Let them know they can come to you when they need to. Reinforce the notion that even if they’ve broken the rules, you still love them and will help them through their issues. Oftentimes, the most insightful and helpful talks you will have with your child will be entirely impromptu, and initiated by your teen.
Act It Out: Telling your kid to “just say no” isn’t enough. If your child should actually be offered drugs, resisting peer pressure can be tough and overwhelming. So rather then sending your child out into the world unprepared, take the time to practice potential conversations they would have. Visit http://www.drugfree.org/parent for some great scenarios that can help you teach your child just how to say “no.”
Drug Testing
If necessary, part of preventing drug use in the home lies with drug testing. Sometimes verbalizing a no drug policy isn’t enough. In fact, opting to perform drug testing on your child or teen can greatly reduce the likelihood of their trying drugs or succumbing to peer pressure. Whether or not to establish drug testing in the home is an important decision and there are many factors to consider. Your child may be hurt or upset by your decision, even if it is made with their best interests in mind. It is important to let them know your reasons and listen to their opinions and concerns.
There are several questions you need to think about in regards to drug testing:
What type of drug testing?
Each drug testing method, as we will talk about more in detail below, has advantages and disadvantages. Weighing the pros and cons of testing methods for you and your child’s case is the best way to decide. You may want to download “Choosing A Drug Testing Method: Which One is Right for Me," available at http://www.TestCountry.com.
Which drugs should I test for?
There is a wide variety of drugs that you need to be concerned about. In one of the following sections, we will talk more about different drug types and that should give you an idea about which drugs are more important. Also keep in mind that depending on the state or city you reside in, different drugs might be more popular than others. It would be a good idea to ask around the community and school district for advice. At a minimum, here are the most popular drugs that you should consider drug testing your child for: Marijuana, Amphetamines, Ecstasy and Cocaine.
When to drug test?
Frequent and random drug testings are important factors for a successful drug-free home. With all the test adulteration methods and materials available to purchase on the Internet, drug testing your child on a predictable schedule is not a good idea. Even if your child is not successful in their attempts to cheat the drug test, there is no reason why you should give them the chance.
What will be the consequences of a positive result on the drug test?
It is a good idea to be prepared for what to do, in case of a positive test result. You need to be sure that the test is indeed positive. We recommend either having the positive test result reconfirmed in a lab or taking your kid the next day to a lab nearby to be retested. At TestCountry.com, we can help you with these options. In the case of a confirmed positive result, you may want to discuss your child’s drug use with them (possibly with the help of a counselor). If you don’t get a positive result in the lab, then we recommend that you continue drug testing to help monitor your child.
