How do you talk to your kids about drugs

[Anonymous]

I don't spend much time discussing the dangers of cocaine, weed, heroin, etc.

I just show my kids real stories of kids trying oxy or any number of drugs, and getting something laced with fentanyl and the kid died on the first try.

Those stories scare us parents, but honestly, also resonate more with my kids. When they read about someone trying it once and dying on the first time (and more likely to die since they have zero tolerance), that is enough to scare them straight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every time there is an overdose in the news or in one of our local schools, I show them the article/coverage. We are in Arlington and there have been a handful already the school.

Yes! Real kids makes it feel more real to them.

This. My kids stopped laughing at me being stressed about drugs when someone they knew at school overdosed. I happily and factually answered all their questions [/quote

We live in the burbs but we were down near union station and saw a person under the effects of these drugs. and it definitely stayed with the kids for a while.

Seeing is believing

[Anonymous]

They watch on patrol live and I show them videos of roses from the streets and say you don’t want to end up like those losers. They at one point just spiked a little pot or took one pill and you can get addicted so quickly. Now, one pill can kill you. I tell them they absolutely cannot take any pill that hasn’t come from their doctor who prescribed in and we got it from a pharmacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids are athletes and have goals for their HS sports

So the threat of "you MIGHT DIE!" would get a laugh.

But the fact (not even a threat, just a basic cause/effect type of scenario) of "if you get caught, you will be off your team. and it won't be my decision; that is coach's policy. there will be nothing I could do to stop it" is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow

If you want to tie it to sports, maybe talk to them about Len Bias, the Georgetown University basketball star who died after trying cocaine one time (allegedly). I was in middle school in DC at the time, and it scared me silly. I've never tried drugs beyond pot (which I tried a few times and hated). My kids are a little young, but I'm definitely going to start talking to both of them about what to look out for--and to know that they can always call us and we will pick them up, no questions asked. That's what my parents did--I remember my dad picking me up at some crazy high school parties and never saying anything. Fentanyl is so scary to me and I need to figure out how to talk to the older one pretty soon.

Same about len bias. Also, a friend’s dad died of a heart attack in his 30s. I found out many years later that he had a cocaine induced heart attack. Such a waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't spend much time discussing the dangers of cocaine, weed, heroin, etc.

I just show my kids real stories of kids trying oxy or any number of drugs, and getting something laced with fentanyl and the kid died on the first try.

Those stories scare us parents, but honestly, also resonate more with my kids. When they read about someone trying it once and dying on the first time (and more likely to die since they have zero tolerance), that is enough to scare them straight.

Cocaine is a big problem in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't spend much time discussing the dangers of cocaine, weed, heroin, etc.

I just show my kids real stories of kids trying oxy or any number of drugs, and getting something laced with fentanyl and the kid died on the first try.

Those stories scare us parents, but honestly, also resonate more with my kids. When they read about someone trying it once and dying on the first time (and more likely to die since they have zero tolerance), that is enough to scare them straight.

Cocaine is a big problem in college.

I am sure it is...but the more important issue is that someone may give you cocaine laced with fentanyl. You won't just have a bad high...you will be dead on the first try.

It's just a very different discussion vs. pre-fentanyl. Yes, in the old days you could overdose if you literally took too much, or you could become addicted. However, you would never hear a story of someone dropping dead the first time they tried it because it was laced with poison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids are athletes and have goals for their HS sports

So the threat of "you MIGHT DIE!" would get a laugh.

But the fact (not even a threat, just a basic cause/effect type of scenario) of "if you get caught, you will be off your team. and it won't be my decision; that is coach's policy. there will be nothing I could do to stop it" is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow

If you want to tie it to sports, maybe talk to them about Len Bias, the Georgetown University basketball star who died after trying cocaine one time (allegedly). I was in middle school in DC at the time, and it scared me silly. I've never tried drugs beyond pot (which I tried a few times and hated). My kids are a little young, but I'm definitely going to start talking to both of them about what to look out for--and to know that they can always call us and we will pick them up, no questions asked. That's what my parents did--I remember my dad picking me up at some crazy high school parties and never saying anything. Fentanyl is so scary to me and I need to figure out how to talk to the older one pretty soon.

Same about len bias. Also, a friend’s dad died of a heart attack in his 30s. I found out many years later that he had a cocaine induced heart attack. Such a waste.

He went to MD. Btw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't spend much time discussing the dangers of cocaine, weed, heroin, etc.

I just show my kids real stories of kids trying oxy or any number of drugs, and getting something laced with fentanyl and the kid died on the first try.

Those stories scare us parents, but honestly, also resonate more with my kids. When they read about someone trying it once and dying on the first time (and more likely to die since they have zero tolerance), that is enough to scare them straight.

Cocaine is a big problem in college.

I am sure it is...but the more important issue is that someone may give you cocaine laced with fentanyl. You won't just have a bad high...you will be dead on the first try.

It's just a very different discussion vs. pre-fentanyl. Yes, in the old days you could overdose if you literally took too much, or you could become addicted. However, you would never hear a story of someone dropping dead the first time they tried it because it was laced with poison.

You said you don’t talk to them about cocaine. So your just hoping they won’t do it because it might have fentanyl?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids are athletes and have goals for their HS sports

So the threat of "you MIGHT DIE!" would get a laugh.

But the fact (not even a threat, just a basic cause/effect type of scenario) of "if you get caught, you will be off your team. and it won't be my decision; that is coach's policy. there will be nothing I could do to stop it" is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow

LOL you do not live in reality.

Athletes do drugs just like the rest of the HS population. Drinking ie alcohol is also a drug.

[Anonymous]

No one can stop their kids from taking drugs even the best of the best parents.

However, giving them knowledge is a great thing.

Mine were told since 5th grade we would not bail them out if they were caught by police with drugs or alcohol. They believed me. My side of the family major drug use. I talked about the criminality a lot.

We were the lucky ones. I firmly believe that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't spend much time discussing the dangers of cocaine, weed, heroin, etc.

I just show my kids real stories of kids trying oxy or any number of drugs, and getting something laced with fentanyl and the kid died on the first try.

Those stories scare us parents, but honestly, also resonate more with my kids. When they read about someone trying it once and dying on the first time (and more likely to die since they have zero tolerance), that is enough to scare them straight.

Cocaine is a big problem in college.

I am sure it is...but the more important issue is that someone may give you cocaine laced with fentanyl. You won't just have a bad high...you will be dead on the first try.

It's just a very different discussion vs. pre-fentanyl. Yes, in the old days you could overdose if you literally took too much, or you could become addicted. However, you would never hear a story of someone dropping dead the first time they tried it because it was laced with poison.

You said you don’t talk to them about cocaine. So your just hoping they won’t do it because it might have fentanyl?

Uhh...just saying the most effective message to not have them do it is that it might have fentanyl. I mean, why prattle on about all the other evils when you can deliver a super-effective message quite succinctly that does the trick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear ya OP. The movie Gia in the 90s was enough to scare me to death to never touch that stuff!

Is there something on that same level that they can watch nowadays?

Beautiful boy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids are athletes and have goals for their HS sports

So the threat of "you MIGHT DIE!" would get a laugh.

But the fact (not even a threat, just a basic cause/effect type of scenario) of "if you get caught, you will be off your team. and it won't be my decision; that is coach's policy. there will be nothing I could do to stop it" is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow

LOL you do not live in reality.

Athletes do drugs just like the rest of the HS population. Drinking ie alcohol is also a drug.

Plenty of athletes looking at steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. I mean, there is no HS testing. Sure, it's not a recreational drug, but they are dangerous in their own right.

[Anonymous]

If have a relative who is/was recovered drug addict, anyone share that info with their teens? What id relative is well-off/functional? Does that make it personal to not do it or does it make less of a deal because “uncle/aunt did it.”

[Anonymous]

Well, my kid was 14 when an older teammate died of a drug overdose / fentanyl poisoning. So that took care of any feelings of invincibility or laughter/jokes about drugs.

The nature of my messaging didn’t really change with that event, but my kids take it a lot more seriously now. It’s not just a theoretical discussion anymore. We talk about:
- You really don’t know what is in any substance you get from a non-official source. Unless you (or your parents) get it directly from a pharmacy, it’s suspect.
- That includes pills in official-looking prescription bottles.
- Each time you take an unknown substance, it’s a roll of the dice. The first one might kill you. It might not. The second one might, or might not. And the third. And so on. My kids know enough about statistics and probability for this to make sense.
- For older kids, especially girls, this includes a conversation about consuming drinks that were handed to you already open.
- We talk about the power of addiction. Their first question about the points above is always, WHY would someone do that?
- Strategies for saying no and getting out of high-risk situations, and resources for when they need help.
- We haven’t provided our kids with Narcan yet, but they know what it is and who is likely to have it (school resource officer, nurse, emergency responders, etc). They know who to go to for help if it’s needed, or how critical it is to call 911 and get responders there asap.