Talk to your children about drugs as early and as often as possible. Make sure you speak to them about the range of drugs available, with an emphasis on those they are likely to come into contact with at their particular stage of development. For the very young, including primary school-aged children, most of the conversations you’ll have will centre around prescription or over-the-counter medications. It may be useful at this time to talk to them about how you use drugs, whether they be prescribed by a doctor, or alcohol and tobacco.

Don’t wait for a crisis to occur to start the conversation, and try to avoid turning the discussion into a lecture. Also, you should never push the subject. If your child makes it clear they don’t want to discuss an issue with you at that particular time and there is no crisis that has to be dealt with, respect their wishes and try again later. Let them know that you are willing to talk about the subject and that you are always available should they need information or help.

Excerpt from “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” by Paul Dillon.
Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.