Have you been trying to talk to your child about addiction? While parents have been encouraged to talk to their children about drugs, alcohol, and addictions for years, it can be a hard conversation to have. Parents are often unsure about how to approach the subject, what to say, how much to reveal to their children, and when to start the conversation. It can feel awkward and uncomfortable to bring up conversations about addiction, and this can cause parents to put it off until it’s too late. Here are some tips for talking to your child about addiction:
Get Professional Help if Needed
If your child is struggling with addiction, or if you think they may be at risk, seek the help of a professional counselor or addiction treatment Scottsdale, Arizona. Children and teens are susceptible to addiction and mental health concerns and parents are often the first ones to notice the behavioral and emotional changes that accompany them. Don’t be afraid to seek professional help for your child if you are worried about them or aren’t sure if something dangerous is going on in their life.
Be Honest and Open
Explain addiction in a way that is age-appropriate and easy for your child to understand. When you are talking, be honest about the dangers and consequences of substance abuse. When children are shielded from the impact of addiction and the struggles of those who are trying to fight it, they may not understand how powerful and dangerous it can be. It is better for your child to see people who struggle with addiction as sick rather than to see them as bad because it will help them to understand that addiction can happen to anyone.
Listen to Your Child
Encourage your child to ask questions and express their feelings and concerns. Talking about addiction can be hard for children, and they may be confused, scared, or worried. Make sure they feel free to ask questions and come back to you later if they think of anything new they want to say. Bring up the topic frequently so they have a chance to express anything new they want to say or any concerns they have. As they get older, their questions and comments will change, so it’s important to talk about hard things frequently.
Emphasize Healthy Habits
Talk about the importance of developing healthy habits, such as exercise and good nutrition, and how these can help prevent addiction. Children and teens who have full lives and a lot of interests, hobbies, and healthy relationships are less likely to experiment with drugs or other substances. Join in your children’s lives and interests to show support and help them feel valued. Encourage them to keep up with their favorite hobbies and friendships, and help them eat healthy food and get plenty of activity and time outside. The best way to encourage healthy habits is by modeling them.
Set a Good Example
Children learn by example, so it’s important to lead by example and demonstrate healthy behaviors yourself. Show your children the value of setting good boundaries in your relationships, how to eat healthy food, moderate your alcohol intake, and take care of your mental health. Children who see their parents as hypocritical or who think they preach behaviors they don’t model are less likely to listen to their advice.
Discuss Peer Pressure
Discuss the challenges of peer pressure and help your child develop strategies for saying no to drugs, alcohol, and other things they may not want to do but feel pressured into. Make sure they can always call you any time they need you, and develop a coded way for them to ask you to come to get them if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Some families even practice role-playing scenarios to help their children feel more comfortable being assertive and saying no when they need to.
Encourage Open Communication
Let your child know that they can always come to you with any concerns or questions they may have. When your child is talking to you about their life, fears, and dreams, listen actively and respond with empathy. If your child feels like you are a safe person to talk to and that you will listen to them during their ordinary conversations, they will come to you with hard things, as well.
Make sure your child knows that they can talk to you about addiction or other concerns without judgment or censure, and help them feel like there are no taboo subjects in your family. It might feel awkward to initiate conversations about these topics, but over time you and your children will feel comfortable talking about hard things.
Focus on Mental Health
People who have one mental health diagnosis or issue are more likely to develop others, especially if they aren’t receiving support. Teens and adults with better mental health are less likely to develop addictions later. Help your kids learn healthy mental health habits when they are young, such as developing good boundaries, learning how to say no when they need to, and how to practice self-care.
Children and teens who learn coping strategies and know how to create margin and stress-free times in their lives will be better prepared to face the stresses and challenges of high school, college, and young adult life. Children who have healthy relationships modeled for them are less likely to fall prey to unhealthy, abusive, or manipulative relationships.
Start Young
Don’t wait until your children are teens or young adults to talk to them about drugs, alcohol, and other addictions. Children often get exposed to these things or hear about them from their friends, and this can happen when they are much younger than parents expect. If you approach the conversation while your children are still young, before they have had a chance to learn about it from friends, you will have the opportunity to teach them about the topic from your point of view first.
Final Words
Talking to your child about hard things like addiction, healthy habits, and relationships can be difficult, but it’s worth it. The more times you have these hard conversations and the more open you are about discussing these things, the better off your child will be.