The information in this book has been provided to assist families to have a positive dialogue about alcohol and other drugs. Pretty much every parent knows that it is important to talk to their kids about drugs, but deciding what to actually talk about (and how to bring it up) can be extremely difficult. Some of the questions in this book are simply conversation starters for you and your children; others give background information for you as a parent to help you work out how to deal with a particular issue should it arise. I hope you have found these suggestions useful.
Last week I was invited to speak to a school community (the students, staff and parents) about alcohol and young people. The day went extremely well. When I finished speaking to the student groups, I asked one of the teachers about the larger school drug-education program and where my presentation fitted into the overall philosophy of the school. His answer really had an impact on me and illustrated why I had had such a wonderful response from the students throughout the day.
‘Drug education is a process at our school, not an event,’ he said quite simply.
Let’s look closely at this statement: in particular, what does it mean for families dealing with this complex subject?
Too often I get asked to go to a school and give a one hour talk to a group of students and then walk away. The idea is to bring in an outside speaker who has some expertise in the area to give a presentation about the topic, and then the teacher can tick the box and say that they have covered the drug issue. Drug education becomes an ‘event’.
Unfortunately this can happen in the home as well. Discussions around alcohol and other drugs often arise only when an incident occurs. They are reactive, usually involve warnings and threats of punishment, and hardly ever end up well for either the parent or the child. If parents could try to make drug education more of a ‘process’, with regular positive conversations where your children are informed of your views and opinions on alcohol and drugs, perhaps there would be a better chance of more healthy and successful outcomes.