We all need to have a party every now and then. I enjoy having a good thrasher more often than not. However, something which has been of a concern of mine for quite some time is the dramatic increase in drug usage amongst teens and young adults nowadays and the general ignorance of parents when it comes to this subject. I have experienced a variety of various drugs and I have a very good knowledge in the different varieties, ingredients and origins across the broad spectrum of these controversial indulgences. I had the privilege of having an open and honest relationship with my parents and there were no holds barred on my quest for knowledge and my interest in the subject of drugs.
I can go on at length on the effects, differences and objectives for using these drugs, but in this article I would just like to draw attention to the fact that it is highly likely that your child might be using recreational drugs when they are” going out”, “camping” or going to “music festivals”. I am in no way suggesting that your child cannot be trusted, I am bringing light onto a subject I feel is often labelled taboo in the average household and parents do not feel comfortable discussing it with their children. Either that or the parents are just plain ignorant.
Something which I noticed as a trend amongst my friends is that parents would often threaten their children or make up ridiculous stories relating to drugs in hope that by instilling this fear into their children they would be too scared to give them a try. This is mostly because parents think that if a person does a drug just once they are very likely to become a drug addict. Unfortunately, you couldn't be further from the truth. The amount of information readily available to us thanks to the internet and unbiased television can disprove your theories and stories in an instant. This then puts you in the category of either being a liar, a prude or just plain ignorant.
The truth is that drugs are easily accessible and if your child wants to try/use a drug there really isn't much you can do about it. By making up these stories or giving misinformation to your children, they then feel that they are more educated on this specific topic, therefore they can do as they please because you do not know what you are talking about. Many of my friends hide the fact they regularly take drugs from their parents, it is quite easy. Even if they were having a heavy downer, bad trips or blowing excessive amounts of money their parents would be oblivious to it.
So what can YOU do to prevent your child from exposing himself to the harsh realities of the big world out there? The answer is quite simple. You have to start educating yourself on all the different types of drugs out there. Not education by means of what your friends, the church or what schools say about drugs. I mean education by YOU taking the initiative to understand everything in an unbiased way. So that when the time comes when you can help your child with proper information, you might be able to prevent some nasty situations. If you suspect that your child is using anything whether it is a minor or major narcotic, scaring, bullying or punishing them will only make the situation worse as you really are not qualified to address the situation if you don’t know what you are dealing with.
Another important thing is to tell your children that you will always be there for them and if they ever wanted to discuss anything with you, you are there to help them no matter what. I feel that a parent having an open relationship with their child is the greatest gift they can give besides the gift of life which you have already blessed them with. I hope that this article has not fallen on deaf ears and has enlightened you or has brought to your attention the serious increase of drug usage amongst the youth nowadays. Remember being honest with your children is not in any way giving your consent or encouraging them to do the things you don’t want them to do. It just establishes that you are putting an effort to be honest with them, in which would make it more likely for them to reciprocate.
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