Prevent your children from  drug problems

INSTITUT SUISSE DE PRÉVENTION DE L'ALCOOLISME ET AUTRES TOXICOMANIES (The Swiss Institute for  prevention of alcoholism and other drug addictions)

Like most parents, you are preoccupied with the issue of drugs

Do you have questions in this regard?

Do you want to adopt a preventive approach with your children? 

This little guide will provide you with useful information thanks to concrete examples.

Just like you, we feel convinced that the prevention of drug addictions starts at home, through the  relation between adults and children, by strenghtening self-esteem.

The findings of recent studies clearly show that "the earlier the prevention, the most efficient it is."

You do not necessarily need to be a specialist in drug addictions to talk over this issue with your children.

The most important thing lies in dialog, in attentive listening, in reciprocal confidence.

Only everyday gestures and words will help you forge a relationship capable of preventing them from drug problems.

You want your child to have a successful life, to increase her/his intelligence, her/his talents as well as her/his skills, and eventually to find a job that suits her/him.

But do not forget that school is already putting strong pressure on her/him and that some children do not manage to put up with it.

A child sometimes gets the feeling that we are asking her/him too much and that school is no place for him.

She/He may devalue herself/himself or even be at the end of her/his tether.

After which, it will be up to you to back your child, to give her/him confidence.

When your child behavior is obviously worrying, it might be related to drugs.

Yet, there is no manifest warning sign marking the beginning of a consomption or a real dependence, and neither are there obvious indicators showing that someone is involved with drugs.

Some striking facts, such as unexplained bad results at school, some little robberies or repeated actes of delinquency are not systematically synonymous with drug use or drug dependence.

Similar behavior problems can also be linked to puberty or other momentary difficulties (for instance, overwork or the end of a relationship).

The best way to know is to talk directly with your child about this major concern.