Parenting 

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Children and drugs

A recent survey found that 45% of 11-35 year-olds had taken at least one drug; the highest usage was amongst the 16-22 age group. It doesn’t matter how bright they are, which school they attend or what kind of background they are from. All children are tempted to try drugs at least once in their life. When it comes to the subject of drugs, some parents panic, refusing to acknowledge there may be a problem. This often results in the belief that it if they ignore it, it will go away. However it is difficult to give hard and fast rules about drugs use, as there are many factors to be considered. Each child is different and has a different reaction depending on their state of mind at the time, the type of drugs used, the amount taken and the company in which they are taken.

Reason children try

• Some try out of curiosity and to feel the ‘high’ that drugs give.
• The associated ‘buzz’ of doing something illegal or dangerous.
• Peer pressure to join in.
• To escape from problems at home or at school.
• As an act of rebellion against their parents.
• It appears to be the fashionable thing to do.
• Boredom.
• Some children and young people see it as a way of gaining self-esteem.
• Some types of drugs are cheap.

Why are there no hard answers?

• There are many kinds of drugs. Tobacco is a legal drug but cannabis and cocaine are not. Drugs also include solvents like glue and butane gas.
• Different drugs affect people in different ways and some of the effects are more dangerous than others.
• Although no drugs are totally safe, some are used in safer ways than others. Injecting drugs can be more dangerous than sniffing or smoking.
• The side effects cannot be determined beforehand for any user. Mixing drugs is very dangerous.
• Because each individual’s reasons for drug taking varies, their responses to help will vary also.
• Parents react in different ways to their children’s drug use. Some appear to be tolerant depending on the type of drug used, others are totally opposed.

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