Preventing substance use

November 22, 2017|Pediatric News

Susan D. Swick, MD;Michael S. Jellinek, MD

Prevention efforts you can make: To the parents

Your other prevention strategies should include parents. Studies have shown that when parents have clear rules and expectations about drug and alcohol use, and are consistent about enforcing consequences in their home, their children are significantly less likely than their peers to have experimented with drugs or alcohol by their senior year in high school. Parents of children headed to middle school should hear about this fact, alongside accurate information about the risks associated with alcohol and specific drugs for the developing brain.

Parents also benefit from practical strategies on how to talk about drugs and alcohol with their children. Letting parents know that 5th or 6th grade is not too early to have a conversation in which they introduce their rules around drugs and alcohol. Parents should look for opportunities to talk often with their kids in less proscriptive ways about drugs and alcohol. Such opportunities can arise around stories in the news about sports stars, musicians, or television stars and drug or alcohol use. Or they may occur when watching a favorite television show or movie together. Talking about these issues in a less confrontational way, when the subject is a celebrity or character rather than your child, can make the conversation more open, comfortable, and useful for everyone.

Finally, parents need to hear that they can be effective disciplinarians, while also making clear to their children that safety comes first, and that their rules should have clear exceptions for safety. If the parents have a rule against any use of alcohol or drugs, there should be an exception if their child is out and feels unsafe. If they are drunk, or their driver has been drinking, they can call for a ride and will not be in (much) trouble. Rules don’t have to be draconian to be effective; they should always support honesty and safety first. This is a lot of territory to cover, and you do not have to be the only resource for parents. Reliable online resources, such as NIDA’s and SAMHSA’s websites, are full of useful information, and others, such as teen-safe.org, have detailed resources for parents in particular.

References

1. Hum Genet. 2012 Jun;131(6):779-89.

2. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013 Jan;37(Suppl 1):E281-90.

Dr. Swick is an attending psychiatrist in the division of child psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and director of the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) Program at the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital, also in Boston. Dr. Jellinek is professor emeritus of psychiatry and pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston.