DRUG PREVENTION STARTS EARLY AND IT STARTS AT HOME

In this contest-crazy world, you'd think Canadians would be jumping
for joy at being ranked number one at anything, even pot-smoking. But
when the news broke that we top the list of cannabis-using countries
in the developed world, not everyone giggled and sparked a spliff in
celebration. Some people--notably parents of young children--let out a
different kind of laugh. The nervous kind. The kind that masks
deep-seated concerns about the world our kids are growing up in.

Fortunately, there's no need to panic yet. The cannabis study showed
only that 16.8 per cent of Canadians used pot at least once in the
past year. Still, the study does bring to the table some questions
that parents might want to think about sooner rather than later. For
instance, if using cannabis is increasingly acceptable in mainstream
society, how can a parent prevent their child from using marijuana (or
tobacco and alcohol, for that matter)?

The first thing parents need to realize is that preventing problem
drug use in the teen years begins in early childhood, and the
"preventing" part has less to do with drugs themselves than one might
think.

Kids experiment with drugs for a variety of reasons--boredom, stress,
curiosity--so parents need to deal with the "reasons" before they rear
their ugly heads. We need to teach children how to handle things like
boredom and stress when they're young. Or, better yet, we need to
teach them how to become "unbored" and "unstressed" human beings.
(This doesn't mean throwing them in a room full of electronic gadgets.
It means helping kids use their brains in interesting and creative
ways so they can problem-solve their way through adolescence with
confidence and a sense of adventure.)

Parents have to lead the way here because children pick up the habits
of those who care for them. Children with parents who are lifeless,
restless or stressed out all the time will learn themselves how to be
bored, unsettled or anxious.

The same goes for substance use habits. Children with parents who lean
on cigarettes for comfort are twice as likely to become smokers themselves.

Those with parents who need alcohol and other drugs to take the edge
off or to have fun are likely to grow up with a similar appreciation
for substances.

One of the keys to prevention is to monitor for mental health issues
early on in a child's life, and to not be afraid to address the issues
right away. Mental health problems are often the root causes of drug
dependence and addiction. According to researchers, one in five
Canadian children suffers from mental health problems such as
depression or anxiety.

Unfortunately, 38 per cent of parents say they'd be too embarrassed to
even admit their child had an emotional problem, let alone get them
help for it.

Another tip is to be clear about the harms associated with early drug
use. The younger a person begins using substances the greater their
chances of developing problems later on. Kids under 16 are especially
vulnerable to the negative effects of drugs because they're still
developing physically, mentally and emotionally. Even early
cigarette-smoking can increase a kid's chances of having problems in
adulthood. Research shows that teenaged smokers are 14 times more
likely to drink alcohol, 20 times more likely to use cannabis, and 10
times more likely to use harder illegal substances, such as cocaine.

Prevention starts at home. It begins with teaching children how to
express their emotions in a natural, healthy and functional way.

It's also about teaching kids to identify when they are repressing
their feelings and to become conscious of why they're doing this. It's
not about shielding kid from every dude who's carrying a bag of weed.

Indeed it's not about anything that exists outside a child's mind and
spirit.

Article courtesy of the Centre for Addictions Research of BC.