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According to new information obtained through a survey by Liberty Mutual Holding Co. and a safety group, our teens might have some startling misinformation when it comes to their perception of the impact of drugs and alcohol. The survey found that 34% of teens feel marijuana improves their driving skills.
Additionally, it’s also an eye-opener to be very aware of what your kids and teens are up to, as the survey results also found that “23 percent of teens had driven under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or prescription drugs used illegally.” (Check out the full article.)
So what can parents do to have an impact on their family’s decisions before substance abuse and dangerous behavior becomes a problem?
Here are a few starting points:
- Learn more about your kids: Spend some time each day learning about their day, listening to who they mention as their friends and being aware of what activities are on their agenda.
- Tackle the tough conversations: Discussing drugs and alcohol can be a big hurdle, but let us help you through those conversations with these conversation starters.
- Educate yourself: Parents can build up their knowledge and become aware of what to look out for and how to foster a good relationship with their kids, ultimately leading to better communication. Some starting points include familiarizing yourself with the drugs out there, adding to your parent toolkit by checking out DrugFreeAz.org’s upcoming parenting webinars and improving overall family bonding by attending or hosting one of our many free community workshops.
