Talking about drugs with our youth is important, but equally important is giving them Current information.  Things change from generation to generation.

Below is some information and tips on how to approach this topic.

As I observe people and their opinions, I wonder why drug use is so polarizing (people are very for or very against these substances and the sides happily fight or protest, whatever the chosen word, for their side).  People can totally lose themselves over debating this topic-

I think we should talk to kids like younger adults.  Consider their level of understanding and meet them on their level.  Then as they grow up, we can be more specific and direct.  Honesty helps to empower them.  If needed brush up on information, or look up the information together.

Things to remember and Information to talk to kids about:

• Burning any plant material produces carcinogens.
• Compounds in cannabis have been found to kill A Lot of different cancers.
• Research on Cannabis often contradicts.
• Group think (and group norms) may be more detrimental, than the drug. For example, a “good” time in Holland, may not be the same experience our teens are having in the U.S., with the same drug. To add, our teens drive.
• Group think and group norms go together with drugs.
• Talk to your kids about what to do or who to call (like 911) if another kid OD’s- no one should be left to die, even when someone might get into trouble. Even if our kids aren’t experimenting, they may still be exposed to difficult situations.
• Be careful how you talk about your “good” times. If you genuinely don’t want your kid to experiment, it doesn’t help to idealize your “good times” with drugs.
• Look for opportunities to start talking about drugs early.
• A lot of parents share their prescriptions with their kids- this can send mixed messages to kids.
• From what I’ve heard, kids experiment either from peer pressure, or as the learned way to cope. Actually, a lot of kids do feel hesitant about experimenting. Talk to your kids about ways to deal with peer pressure.  Talk about healthy ways to cope with life- hobbies, running, writing, reading, exercising, playing sports, learning about something we are interested in, are all ways to cope and keep our happy. Someone I know says video games helps to clear his mind- great, kind of like a meditation (never thought I’d say that)!
• No one trying a new drug, plans on forming a habit they will struggle to break, later.
• No one trying a new drug, plans on forming an addiction.
• In hearing the way people describe substances, I’ve observed that “Purity” is relative.
• “Natural” drugs aren’t safer. We can OD from Opium and it is from Poppy.
• It’s not that Marijuana is a “gateway” drug, it’s that a lot of kids have no idea what they are actually taking into their bodies.
• Drugs are substances that have chemicals which alter the naturally occurring chemicals in our individual bodies- we all react different to these substances.
• Drugs like LSD, may not kill people from overdose, but fatal accidents have occurred while people were under the influence of LSD.
• A person who has had too much to drink (to drive) may have a hard time knowing they can’t actually drive safely, because their perception has changed temporarily. They are not judging things the way they normally would, if they were sober. Many people realize their sober brain is no longer evaluating the situation, though they still allow the intoxicated brain to determine their next decision.
• Talk to your kids about having a discreet way out of a situation or let them use you as an excuse for not being around certain people or situations. Be a safe place for them.  So, if their friend who drives, becomes drunk or high, they can call you.  Or, maybe they can meet you somewhere away from the group they are with…make plans now, for a safe plan b.  Sometimes, accidents happen because our kids weren’t sure how to handle a situation or they didn’t intellectualize what other options may exist…

Personally, I’ve heard of marijuana being a great healer…As a recreational substance, well, I’m not into it.  In general, I’ve seen what habits can do to a person and I feel like we have too much to do on this planet.  I have seen some really creative people trapped in habits and addictions.

I’ve also never seen recreational drug use raise a person up, in life- being artificially high (I mean helped by something outside of ourselves) isn’t usually something that can be sustained over a lifetime.

Learning how we can maintain our happy is something that ideally starts in childhood.  Life is filled with magic and really rough situations.  Neither people nor substance can really make us happy without discovering and maintaining that light feeling on our own. I think that is something we do for ourselves and learning how to do that is a part of our journey.