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| Family Bonding: Our Best Weapon Against Substance Abuse |
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Lisa writes, "On the heels of Red Ribbon week and just beginning the week of National Drug Facts week, I thought it might be helpful to look at resources for parents as well as give a few tips on what we can all do to address youth alcohol and drug use."
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One report from NIDA states that, "Family bonding is the bedrock of the relationship between parents and children. Bonding can be strengthened through skills training or parent supportiveness of children, parent-child communication and parental involvement." It really does begin with us. There are many things that we as parents can do.
Research states that for elementary children, prevention efforts should focus in the areas of:
- Self-control
- Emotional awareness
- Communication
- Social problem-solving
- Academic support, especially in reading
This can be as simple as talking to your children about how to proactively resolve playground disputes and helping them to understand that they are responsible for their choices and actions. Read to your children. Have them read to you.
Research states that for middle, junior high and high school students, prevention efforts should focus in the areas of:
- Study habits and academic support
- Communication
- Peer relationships
- Self-efficacy and assertiveness
- Drug resistance skills and reinforcement of anti-drug attitudes
- Strengthening of personal commitments against drug abuse
As parents we need to be talking to our teenager about what might be happening in their lives and guiding them to make smart choices. There is an old Spanish proverb that says, "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." This can be so true for teenagers. Know who they hangout with and even better, make your home a safe home. Safe Homes/safe Parties is an initiative developed by Informed Families at CASA and implemented by parents of teens and preteens to ensure that drugs, alcohol and cigarettes will not be permitted at parties held in their homes and will be actively discouraged at parties in the community. You can sign up at their website to receive newsletters.
A thoughtful and easy way to make your home a Safe Home is to eat dinner with your children. Created by CASA in 2001, Family Day - a Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is a national effort to promote family dinners. It is an effective way to ensure family bonding and encourages parent-child communication. Research by CASA consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families; the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illicit drugs. Here are some ideas. Start the pattern of family dinners when your children are young. Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation. Turn off the TV and put all cell phones in a bowl on the counter. Talk about what happened in everyone’s day: school, work, extracurricular activities or even current events. Establish a routine to start and end each meal. If you are not a family that begins with prayer, instead, light candles or tell a story. Continue the evening by playing a game after dinner or serve dessert to continue the conversation and bonding time. Remember, parental engagement is the single most potent weapon in preventing substance abuse among our precious youth.
Helpful websites to visit to find more information about drinking and drug use:
www.nida.nimh.gov (the national institute on drug abuse)
www.teens.drugabuse.gov
www.CASAfamilyDay.org (Center on addiction and substance abuse at Columbia University)
www.nfp.org (national family partnerships)
www.samhsa.gov (substance abuse mental health services administration)
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Posted on Oct 28, 2011 13:47pm.
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