Drugs, Alcohol and My Children

There is no question that if alcohol was invented today it would be banned. Drugs and alcohol destroy lives, not just those taking them, but also all the family surrounding that person. So I believe in not burying your head in the sand,but talking about it. 

In today’s society drugs are readily available just about anywhere you go and alcohol is easily purchased by under age children usually by an older sibling or somebody they may know, also it can be purchased very cheaply. Making it very accessible to under-aged drinkers. 

Alcohol is a killer it kills more people in the UK than smoking. It’s also very addictive and tends to sneak up behind you and you can’t shake it off that easily. Like a lot people I have been drunk and theough a difficult divorce many years ago I used alcohol as a crutch. I am now tea total, but I have no issue with those people who enjoy a drink. As long as it doesn’t affect me people can do what they want. 

From when my older children became teenagers I tried my best to educate them on the use of alcohol, but in a very open and candid way. No point sugar coating it.

We have all been teenagers and are going to try alcohol, but it’s about sensible drinking. I always explained that your perception while drinking is dramatically reduced and you don’t always know what’s going on around you which leaves you open to all sorts of dangerous situations. On one such occasion my oldest daughter got very drunk when she was about 14 years old. I found her and her friend on a very busy road both of which were totally incapable. Thankfully that night a friend of theirs was looking after them and trying to get them home safely and nothing serious happened, but the situation could have been much worse. She always said that she has never been that drunk since and it taught her a lesson. 

I have always warned them that if you are on holidays or out in town for the night always look after your drinks because the the unacceptable face of society is people for their own gain spike your drinks with drugs and then you are in the hands of somebody’s else control and invariably it will be a stranger to you, which can lead to so many worst case scenarios. 

Which leads me on to drugs and talking to your children about drugs. I will be honest I have smoked weed on two occasions in my life. Of course I’m not unusual I know that, so many people have tried it at least once, it did nothing for me and actually the second time was not a good experience and put me off for life. 

I should imagine that all my older children have tried weed. Why wouldn’t have they? It’s there on every street corner in schools. It’s accepted by society as totally ok, but it’s not. In my humble opinion I have always believed and have always taught my children that smoking weed will eventually lead to bigger stronger drugs because you need that bigger high, and of course again all these drugs are readily available everywhere you go they know the dealers and where to get it. 

There is no way in this world that you will be able to keep your children in a bubble and they will I’m not saying all children, but a large percentage will try alcohol and drugs and in truth they will need to experience this to make an informed decision about the dangers that alcohol and drugs pose. 

I have always spoken openly about both and maybe I have been lucky with my older children or maybe they listened. Yes they like a drink, but I believe it’s on a social level, but they don’t do drugs. 

Should either of these substances be abused by your children the impact is not just on them, but it impacts the entire family and you will be left as a parent helping to put your child back together and the worst case senario is they get are addicted for years. 

The financial impact is huge too. Most teenagers don’t have money of any consequence so should they get hooked there is every chance they will start stealing to fund their habit or worse. 

I believe that educating your children from the end of primary school before entering high school. The reason I believe this is vital is because peer pressure is something they will have to deal with in a big way. High school is daunting enough for an 11 year old child without the added pressure of older children trying to encourage them to drink or take drugs because it’s clever and of course saying yes can make for an easy life but also to a life of ruin. We all need to teach our children to say no to drugs and alcohol. It’s difficult for them, but I will be instilling the strength of character in my four year old twins to say NO! Because you can.