Why Talking to Teens About Drugs Should be an Ongoing Conversation

One of the biggest problems with drug and alcohol abuse and addiction in the United States today has been with the very prevalent factor of a lack of education and awareness on the subject. What a lot of people do not realize is just how serious this problem of teens and drug abuse is. Many young people start abusing addictive substances at early ages because they do not know how to say no effectively. This could be one of the first topics when you are talking to teens about drugs. In many cases, teens simply do not know of the severe risk factors abounding from drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.

Education and prevention are key now. When parents take the time to educate their kids and when schools and colleges take the time to educate students, they start to learn why they would want to say no to drugs and alcohol. By talking to teens about drugs, they learn very quickly why they would want to stay away from any kind of substance abuse.

When it comes to addressing teens and drug abuse or addiction in this country, education is without a doubt the single most effective, yet the least utilized approach for preventing substance abuse from occurring. In fact, only a third of all parents discuss substance abuse with their kids, and only twenty percent of schools make it a key focal point of students’ studies. Because of this, kids growing up often do not learn what they need to learn about addiction or about drugs and alcohol in general. The result? The number one cause of an individual’s first experience with substance abuse, which is a simple ignorance of the risks involved.