Are you are a parent who worries about your child getting into bad situations? Maybe, you are concerned that they will develop an addiction, get in with the bad crowd, drink and drive or get into other types of trouble with drugs and/or alcohol. These are all normal concerns for parents. The good news is that October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and it is the best time to stop addiction before it starts. During this month, it is a good idea to educate your children on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. Talk to them about what addiction means and what they can do if they need addiction treatment already.
Addiction Can Hit Anyone
Have you avoided talking to your children about alcohol and drug abuse because they are too young? If so, it is important to know that addiction can hit anyone – yes, even children who are minors.
It is crucial that we, as parents and adults, help to protect them as much as we can against these harmful substances. Addiction isn’t going to discriminate against anyone – it doesn’t matter if you have a straight A well-behaved student, they could still fall into the path of addiction.
Do you already know your child is abusing alcohol and/or drugs? If so, you are past the point of prevention, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help them to overcome substance abuse and addiction. If this is happening with your child, our Better Tomorrow team wants you to reach out to us today. We have treatment programs for your child that can help them to get their life back.
Preventing Addiction Before it Begins Starting During National Substance Abuse Prevention Month
If you are trying to protect your children from substance abuse and addiction during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month (or at any other time during the year), there are numerous coping, relationship and self-care tips, you can share with them to help in this process. The tips here today can help your child to improve their mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health, so they don’t feel the need to abuse alcohol and/or drugs.
Youth Education
One of the primary ways you can help to prevent addiction in your children is to educate them on the risks and dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. There are many professional and educational resources out there on this topic. You can get books, newsletter, pamphlets and help from addiction treatment professionals. Some doctors and nurses can even help to educate your children on the dangers and risks of using harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol.
Teaching Them Better Coping Skills
During National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, especially, it is vital to help teach our children better coping skills. With all that is going on in this world and in your kid’s life, they probably need to learn better ways to cope.
Children don’t just automatically know how to cope with difficulties in life. They will need guidance from their parents, teachers, peers and other adults in their life. By teaching your children healthy coping skills, it can help to reduce their risk of depression, anxiety and stress. By doing this, you are lowering their risk of developing an addiction, too.
If your child already has been abusing drugs or alcohol, learning coping skills during recovery can help them to stop using these substances and create a better, healthier life for themselves now and later in their life.
Getting Them Involved in Something Great
If you want to help prevent an addiction in your child’s life, you will want to start by getting them involved in something they can truly enjoy. Having something you are passionate about in life is one of the keys to living a happy, fulfilled life.
Unfortunately, there are many teenagers and kids who don’t feel satisfied with their life. They will turn to just about anything that makes them feel good or happy from day to day or moment to moment. For a lot of these kids, alcohol and drugs let them hide from negative feelings and these substances give them something fun to do for a bit, too.
When it comes to addiction or substance abuse prevention, you should try to help your kids find something they are passionate about. This may take some time and it may change over time, as well, but doing so can greatly lower their risk of having a substance use disorder.
Connecting with Family and Friends
Another way that you can help to stop addiction before it starts, especially during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, is to make sure your kids are connecting with their family and friends.
Having healthy relationships in life is so critical to the happiness, joy and health of a person. Not only can family and friends support your kids during the tough times, but they can be there to celebrate and have healthy fun with them during the good times, too.
It should be noted that if there are addicts in the family, these probably aren’t the best people for your kids to be hanging around right now. In fact, spending time with those people could greatly increase your kid’s risk of developing an addiction.
Practicing Better Self-Care Tips
It is vital that kids learn early on in life how to care for themselves. This doesn’t mean they need to cook for, clean up after and take care of themselves. It is more a referral to their emotional and mental well-being. They can and should still be able to look up to their parents and other adults in their life for support with this, but some self-care tips that can help your child to prevent an addiction include:
- Spending time with family and friends
- Journaling through art and/or writing
- Getting a massage or spa day
- Eating nutritiously
- Treating their mind with new, healthy information
- Taking daily relaxing breaks
- Exercising regularly
- Following a spiritual path
If your children need to learn better self-care tips, don’t wait longer to teach these to them. The sooner they start practicing some or all of these self-care tips, the better it is going to be for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Improving all these areas of health is going to lower their risk of substance abuse issues, as well.
Prevent Addiction Now or Get Help Today
Since October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, it is a perfect time to educate our children on the risks and dangers of substance use and abuse. The tips noted above can be ones you use with your children to help prevent them from using or abusing alcohol and/or drugs.
If your child already has been using these substances, don’t judge them. Support them, be there for them and most importantly get them the help they need here at our Better Tomorrow Treatment Center as soon as possible. Contact us today to help your child get the substance-free life they deserve.