Talking to your kids about drugs? (teenage, child, natural, schools)

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Lucidkitty

Just google 'meth mouth for them'

Hah! These are my two favorites -- my kids rather enjoyed them also:


Drug addicts in Russia - YouTube


Bath Salts Craze Caught on Tape - YouTube

And of course the Miama face eater that was high on pot only makes an impression.

[Lucidkitty]

Originally Posted by malamute

Hah! These are my two favorites -- my kids rather enjoyed them also:


Drug addicts in Russia - YouTube


Bath Salts Craze Caught on Tape - YouTube

And of course the Miama face eater that was high on pot only makes an impression.

[somebodynew]

Originally Posted by malamute

Pretty much -- everyone I know who uses drugs is addicted to them. And I have known a lot of drug users. Except for the rare person who does a drug once or twice to see what drugs are like and decides they didn't enjoy them enough to waste money on them. I know pot heads who cannot get out of bed without smoking some pot first, I've known people who never left their apartment for 3 weeks straight but just sat and got high.

That is interesting. That is a completely different reality than I have experienced. I know addicts. And I know folks who do recreational drugs occasionally. I know more of the latter than the former.

Since to get a job, you generally must pass a drug test, anyone who risks a job or employment because they cannot give up their drugs really is addicted

Where do you live? Generally have to pass a drug test? I have never heard of mandatory drug testing for work except the security jobs. Maybe this is a blue collar thing? Though I don't disagree with you that if you can't keep or get a job because you are using, that that is a pretty strong indicator of addiction.

-- whether they admit it or not. Anyone who insists that all drugs are perfectly harmless or not as dangerous as coffee has to be addicted to them because that's not true at all -- only something someone trying very hard to justify their addiction would do.

Do you really know anyone who would insist that all drugs are completely harmless? I think you might be a touch ... overly dramatic on this topic, and it is impacting your judgement.

[somebodynew]

Originally Posted by malamute

Pretty much -- everyone I know who uses drugs is addicted to them.

One more thing to think on, for what it is worth. I don't remember how old your kids are. But if you tell your kids that the use of drugs is an automatic addiction, you are likely to lose all credibility with them. They will see the wake and bakers. But they will also see the folk who smoke weed on occasion with no ill effect. They will see the kids struggling with alcohol. But they will also see the kids who seem to be able drink, even to excess, and be able to be sober for long periods of time. They will have every reason to discard your supposed knowledge on drugs because it is wrong. While marijuana offers good emotional escape, and some rely on it for that, it has almost no physiological addictive properties. If you lump that in the same category of "drug" with say crystal meth or heroine, then your credibility will and should be gone.

[Lucidkitty]

Originally Posted by somebodynew

Where do you live? Generally have to pass a drug test? I have never heard of mandatory drug testing for work except the security jobs. Maybe this is a blue collar thing? Though I don't disagree with you that if you can't keep or get a job because you are using, that that is a pretty strong indicator of addiction.

I agree there, it's not as pervasive as people make it out to be. One of my friends just got a job as a teacher and is not required to get one.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by somebodynew

One more thing to think on, for what it is worth. I don't remember how old your kids are. But if you tell your kids that the use of drugs is an automatic addiction, you are likely to lose all credibility with them. They will see the wake and bakers. But they will also see the folk who smoke weed on occasion with no ill effect. They will see the kids struggling with alcohol. But they will also see the kids who seem to be able drink, even to excess, and be able to be sober for long periods of time. They will have every reason to discard your supposed knowledge on drugs because it is wrong. While marijuana offers good emotional escape, and some rely on it for that, it has almost no physiological addictive properties. If you lump that in the same category of "drug" with say crystal meth or heroine, then your credibility will and should be gone.

I live where drugs are extremely common, they've removed all the lockers from the high school and middle school because kids bring and sell drugs at the school. My kids see the kids who are addicted, they know who they are. They laugh at how the teachers don't even know that some kids are sitting in class stoned and passing out from drugs they took during lunch.

I absolutely think it's stupid to tell middle school kids and high school kids that there is nothing to fear with drugs and that casual use of drugs is perfectly fine and harmless and that addiction to drugs is not likely. I want my kids to understand how difficult it is to have an addiction and how tough recovery is. They see it first hand -- the kids using drugs are also the ones that are dropping out early -- one son told me that a lot of kids at the school dropped out after 8th grade and a lot more in 9th grade and so that the situation actually got much better because most of the losers who come to school high on drugs are no longer there after 10th grade.

I really cannot see the point in downplaying the dangers of drugs.

[imcurious]

Whatever you think you should be doing, do it ten times more intensively . . .talk, talk, talk - then take them to experts who can talk to them . . .get them involved in church and teach them how to solve problems and handle stress . . .and teach them life skills, respect, and make sure they have strong characters.

[lauramc27]

Originally Posted by malamute

But having your child relate to your real life experiences with drugs was because you did drugs. My parents were never addicted to drugs, so they could not have related real life experiences to us, and same here - I don't have real life experiences to relate except to warn them about leaving a drink unattended or that when someone tries to get them to do drugs, not to be stupid and just do it.

If I do run across a good youtube video of someone on meth or bath salts or some weird drug, I'll usually make sure they see it so they can see that way what drugs do to someone.

I understand some people don't have real life experiences to tell, but the comment I was relating to was to just tell them no and that is plain and simple. I was trying to say that just saying No, don't do drugs doesn't work all of the time and that there needs to be more to the conversation than a simple don't do it.

[lauramc27]

Originally Posted by somebodynew

One more thing to think on, for what it is worth. I don't remember how old your kids are. But if you tell your kids that the use of drugs is an automatic addiction, you are likely to lose all credibility with them. They will see the wake and bakers. But they will also see the folk who smoke weed on occasion with no ill effect. They will see the kids struggling with alcohol. But they will also see the kids who seem to be able drink, even to excess, and be able to be sober for long periods of time. They will have every reason to discard your supposed knowledge on drugs because it is wrong. While marijuana offers good emotional escape, and some rely on it for that, it has almost no physiological addictive properties. If you lump that in the same category of "drug" with say crystal meth or heroine, then your credibility will and should be gone.

Very true^^ I've known in the past quite a few people that smoked occasionally and had no ill effect on their daily lives. To tell your children if you take a toke you will be addicted is ridiculious.

[lauramc27]

Originally Posted by malamute

I live where drugs are extremely common, they've removed all the lockers from the high school and middle school because kids bring and sell drugs at the school. My kids see the kids who are addicted, they know who they are. They laugh at how the teachers don't even know that some kids are sitting in class stoned and passing out from drugs they took during lunch.

I absolutely think it's stupid to tell middle school kids and high school kids that there is nothing to fear with drugs and that casual use of drugs is perfectly fine and harmless and that addiction to drugs is not likely. I want my kids to understand how difficult it is to have an addiction and how tough recovery is. They see it first hand -- the kids using drugs are also the ones that are dropping out early -- one son told me that a lot of kids at the school dropped out after 8th grade and a lot more in 9th grade and so that the situation actually got much better because most of the losers who come to school high on drugs are no longer there after 10th grade.

I really cannot see the point in downplaying the dangers of drugs.

I don't think it's downplaying. I believe this was in response to another post that said everyone who uses drugs is addicted, which is not the case. They were pointing out that there are the occasional users, who aren't addicted and can live productive lives and there are the hard core drug users.

Drugs should never be downplayed to our kids. They need to know that drugs lead to nowhere and trouble.