Parents Can Help Stop Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction

Among those things that can help prevent teen drug abuse and drug addiction, what is tne thing that has helped the most?

Parental guidance and open communication.

“It has long been recognized that parental guidance and parental influence go a long way in helping children stay off drugs and live drug-free, happy lives,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab, Georgia. “While many parents have thought schools  were the place for drug education, it takes a team effort to drive the message home. A new study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) shows that parental discussion is having an effect on what their children do.”

The Associated Press reported Feb. 26 that the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study found that 37 percent of teens surveyed said they had "learned a lot" from discussions with their parents about drugs, up from 32 percent in 2007 and the first time the measure has noticeably improved since the study began 20 years ago.

"Parents are talking, and what you see in the study, particularly among the girls, is the willingness of kids to listen. They're more open to talking about the drug issue than kids in the past," said PDFA President and CEO Steve Pasierb.

Pasierb said that past research indicates that kids who say they benefited from drug discussions with their parents are 50-percent less likely to use drugs.

The survey also found that 33 percent of teens surveyed reported using marijuana, down from 37 percent in 2005, with past-month marijuana use down 30 percent since 1998.

Parents were most likely to discuss alcohol and marijuana use with their kids than other drugs -- more than three-quarters did so -- while only one in four teens surveyed said their parents had talked to them about prescription-drug misuse. "Parents don't think it's a problem and they think it's safer than illicit street drugs," said Pasierb.

“This is an area that needs attention,” comments Ms. Rieser. “Prescription drugs are dangerous if used improperly, and too many children think that since it came from a doctor, it is safe. Prescription drugs can be very addictive and dangerous. Talk to your children about drug abuse and drug addiction. It could save their life.”

*Source: Join Together

For more information on drug rehabilitation,  prescription drug abuse, or drug education, call Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.
 
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