Search Results for: blog talking to your kids about alcohol abuse

When To Seek Help for Your Teen

It really comes down to a judgment call, but there are some specific situations that require immediate action when parenting a teenager: * Self-injury, such as cutting or burning * Tobacco/nicotine addiction * Shoplifting/stealing * Violence/aggression * Anxiety * Eating disorders * Alcohol abuse/dependency * Illicit/prescription drug use These are cause for a full-blown fire alert. You need to get help for your teen immediately, no matter how much resistance your encounter. Allow me to add a few more that have long-term consequences and need to be immediately addressed: Academic difficulties. Your teenager has another primary identity: student. It’s not … Continue reading →

Teen Drug and Alcohol Use on the Rise Again

Decades of “just say no” and other campaigns have had teen drug and alcohol use on the decline… until now. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the MetLife Foundation sponsored a survey of teens in grades nine (high school freshman) through twelve (high school senior). More than 3,200 teens returned anonymous questionnaires about drug use, alcohol use, and other risky behaviors. Both alcohol and marijuana use are up from 2008. Thirty-nine percent of teens reported drinking alcohol in 2009 — up from thirty-five percent in 2008. That works out to nearly six million teens across America. A quarter of … Continue reading →

Talking to Your Kids about Alcohol Abuse

When I was getting ready to go away to college, my parents sat me down and said something to the effect of “you’re probably going to drink when you’re at college, just do it responsibly.” They didn’t know that I’d already been faced with offers of alcohol and turned them down without hesitation. But then, I wouldn’t consider myself a typical teen with a typical curiosity about drinking. I had already seen up close what serious drinking could do to a person, and was not at all interested in alcohol. I never had more than a sip to taste until … Continue reading →

Would You Drug Test Your Child?

Would you drug test your own child? As parents, we want to think that if we equip our kids with the necessary information about the evils of drug and alcohol use, they will always make the right decision and just say “no”. However, the reality of the situation is that no matter how effective you are as a parent, the possibility that your child will say “yes” is very real. It’s not a reflection on your parenting skills. Drug abuse affects families both rich and poor. It crosses all ethnic backgrounds and affects males as well as females. So would … Continue reading →

Teenage Drug Abuse Statistics

Although the use of many drugs have recently declined among teenagers there are still a significant number using illegal drugs. In the National Institute on Drug Abuse 2005 Monitoring the Future survey researchers found that 50% of high school seniors report some use of an illicit drug during their life. Many parents do not realize the signs of drug abuse or realize the prevalence among teenagers. Alcohol is the most common substance used, with 75% of seniors having at least tried alcohol and 23% within the last month. Few teenagers truly understand the risks associated with drinking alcohol and often … Continue reading →

Happy National Margarita Day!

Do like Pink and raise your glass. Today is National Margarita Day! (Thanks for the reminder CBS News.) For some parents every day should be National Margarita Day… for others it is. We all know some moms and dads who joke that their children drive them to drink, but is the statement really something to laugh at? If you are neglecting your kid because you are too busy imbibing in an all-day happy hour, then you have major issues that reach well beyond a day that recognizes a popular alcoholic beverage. However, if you are like most parents, then lubricating … Continue reading →

Teens Rule if You Don’t Set Teen Rules

In recent articles I asked the questions, Are you a strict parent? and What does Strict Parenting Look Like. In these articles I mentioned rules but was never specific. The reason is that rules that work for one family will not work for others. My lack of specificity of rules does not mean that I don’t set strict rules… not in the least. I know very well that teens will rule if they don’t have rules. In other words, you can set rules for your teens, or you can lose all control of your home. If you don’t know where … Continue reading →

What Does Strict Parenting Look Like?

Yesterday I asked, Are You a Strict Parent? Realizing, of course, that “strictness” is highly interpretable. What some people think of as strict parenting, other parents think of it as lax parenting. So what does strict parenting look like? To me strict parenting is… Setting Rules: Rules would include cleaning up behind themselves, taking care of their belongings, asking permission before touching another’s belongings, being kind to others, following household rules for computer, television, and going out. While this may sound a little abstract, one must realize that rules change based on age appropriateness, maturity, and trust worthiness. Where one … Continue reading →

Are You a Strict Parent

There is a TV show called The World’s strictest parents that takes teenagers with serios attitude and behavioral issues and places them in the home with no-nonsense parents for a period of time. These strict parents then whip these kids into shape to the astonishment of their parents. I caught this show a couple of times and got the impression that the show was saying that the “bad” kids were that way because they did not have enough structure at home. By applying structure and strict rules, a child will then alter his or her ways and become more respectful … Continue reading →

Teachable Moments in Protective Play.

Protective play is about finding teachable moments, during play, to introduce the five BITSS elements of protective behaviors. BITSS play can help you to protect your child by introducing talk about Body Ownership, Intuition, Touch, Say No and Support Networks before anything horrible happens to your child. I run Protective Play parties to teach parents how easy it is to do. I take a stock of everyday toys with me and we sit and play as if kids would. During the play I coach in how find and grab that teachable moment and mentor the participants through play tutoring. It … Continue reading →