Talk to Your Kids About Alcohol and Other Drugs

Yes, research shows that kids do listen to their parents. Even though it may be challenging, talking to your child about alcohol and drugs is important. When you talk to your child about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, you help prepare them to deal with the issue when they are faced with it as they get older. That happens sooner than you may think.

• Having open and honest discussions with children helps support a positive parent/child relationship.
• Children who learn about the risks of alcohol and drugs from their parents are less likely to start using these substances.
• Making the decision not to talk about alcohol and drugs also sends kids a message. If you do not talk about it, they might assume that alcohol and drugs are harmless and may be more likely to experiment with them.

• Ask them what they know or what they have heard about alcohol and drugs.
• Use everyday events to start a conversation. For example, if you have just watched a TV show in which people were drinking alcohol, talk to them about how alcohol affects the body.
• Give them your full attention. Turn off your phone and eliminate other distractions. Don’t just talk; really listen to what they say as well.
• Reinforce why you don’t want them to drink alcohol or use drugs – because you want them to be safe, healthy, and happy. They are more likely to listen when they know you are concerned about their well-being.
• Make it a discussion, rather than a lecture. Encourage them to ask questions. And be prepared to answer those questions.
• Teach them the facts, including correcting false information that they may have heard. Get the facts beforehand so you can provide reliable information. You want to establish yourself as a trustworthy source of information. They should be making informed decisions. You don’t want them to learn about alcohol and other drugs from unreliable sources. Here are a couple of links with information on the health effects of substances: Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol – Parents | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (nih.gov) Parents & Educators | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (nih.gov)
• Help your child to come up with a plan to avoid alcohol and drug use. Don’t simply tell them to “say no”. Help them practice different ways to turn down substances offered to them. They might like to have a “code word” they can text a family member to help get them out of an uncomfortable situation.
• Don’t forget to talk about prescription drugs and steroids. Misuse of these drugs is a growing problem.
• Keep it low-key. And don’t worry about getting everything into one talk. Plan to have many short talks over time.
• Explain your rules regarding alcohol and drug use. Let them know what will happen if they break the rules, and follow through on those consequences if they do.
• Don’t forget that you are a roll model, and they are watching you from a very young age. If you drink alcohol, explain the reasons why drinking responsibly as an adult is different from underage drinking. Their developing brains (up to age 25) are different from adult brains.