Drug abuse is a scourge that hits children at younger and younger ages. Illegal drugs are available freely and easily in this country, and many children have to run the daily gauntlet from pushers to addicts in order to get to their classes at the local schools. Drugs are actually so common now that they have been absorbed into the children’s language by newer and more different terms than what you might have learned as you were growing up. Yet in spite of this easy access, it is surprising that drug information is not as readily available. Sure, drug facts are all over the Internet, yet it appears that in the homes of the American family there reigns a somewhat surprising silence.

Drugs are here to stay and the sooner a parent will muster the courage to address this issue with the children the better their chances of staying away from drug addiction will be. Take for example the specter of prescription drugs. When you go to the pharmacy to get your prescription filled you receive a pamphlet with drug interactions and also a little bit of information on how to do positive drug identification to ensure that you do not receive a bunk bottle of pills. Yet unless you only take the drugs as prescribed, you will probably not reap the benefits of the medicine.

This issue can be addressed with your children as you are walking to the drug stores to pick up the prescription. The sooner the child learns that these legal drugs are a means to an end and will only properly work if they are taken in the way they are intended, the sooner the child will understand that while choices are available, it is only the right choice that leads the healing.

A similar conversation should be held about illegal drugs. Perhaps you visit a store where a “now hiring” sign is right next to one that warns that the company performs drug testing. Ask your child about the meaning of the sign. For younger children, you may need to explain more while older children will be able to give you an accurate answer already. Ask the child what they have heard about why drugs are good. Simply listen. Do not judge and do not preach. Thank your child for the information and then ask pointed questions that show – without coming across as self-righteous – that the good qualities that have been attributed to the drugs actually pale in comparison with the bad consequences.