JastaPlace Drug Rehab

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the drug of choice among children is alcohol. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that prescription drug abuse among adolescents is on the rise.

Instill Family Values

There are several ways you can ensure that your children remain drug and alcohol free. The key is to build a strong foundation through family values. Children who decide to remain drug or alcohol free often base their choice on the strong values and convictions they were raised with. Community and family values provide children with reasons to stay away from drugs and give them the strength to stick to their choice in the face of peer pressure.
In order to provide your children with a foundation of values and beliefs, communicate your expectations.

Communicate Openly

Talk about the importance of virtues such as honesty, responsibility, and independence. Discuss how these virtues mold individuals into good citizens with strong character. Explain to your children how good decisions make a person feel good, while bad decisions have quite the opposite effect in the long run. Discuss the negative aspects of drugs with your children, and provide them with a code of conduct in regards to drugs and alcohol that everyone in the family must abide by.

Monitor Your Own Behavior

Evaluate your own values and virtues. If you use tobacco, alcohol, or prescription medication, consider how your own actions may shape your children’s decisions about using alcohol or other drugs. This is not to say that you are no longer allowed to consume wine with dinner or drink an occasional beer or cocktail. Rather, explain to your children what appropriate behavior is for an adult versus what is inappropriate for children. Be certain that your children understand that distinction by not allowing them to taste your wine or bring you a beer.

Be Consistent in Your Teachings

As well as focusing on drugs and alcohol, make certain your children learn the virtue of honesty by setting an appropriate example. Be consistent with your own teachings by showing your children that you follow this value system. If a telemarketer calls at an inappropriate time, do not tell your children to say that you aren’t home because in effect, you are then teaching your children that being dishonest is okay. By monitoring your own behavior, you will strengthen those same behaviors in your children

Test Their Values

Above all, be sure that your children understand the virtues that your family values. Rather than assuming that your children understand these values because you raised them that way, test your children’s understanding by discussing hypothetical situations that question their own values. For example, you could ask them "What would you do if the child ahead of you in the lunch line at school dropped a dollar and didn’t notice?" Make sure your children understand what the right decision is and why that decision is a good one.