Back to school can be a crazy time for parents and teens. It often means the start of a new school year, hectic scheduling, new friends, maybe a new school, football games, dances, extracurricular activities, and the possibility of peer pressure and/or risky behavior. So I’ve compiled some basics on how to help steer your teens away from drugs and alcohol as they head back to school.
Top issues facing teens as they head back to school (this is especially true for teens making the large leap from junior high to high!):
- Peer pressure. Talk with your teens about the types of situations they might encounter. It helps to have a code word that teens can send you to help get out of a situation, or a code word they use among their friends to help get out of risky or uncomfortable situations.
- Bullying can be devastating to teens. It can happen at school or online. Know the warning signs, monitor their online activity, talk to them often, and get to know their friends.
- Be aware of the dangerous trends among teens. Getting high from cough medicine, bath salts, and inhaling alcohol are some of them.
Here are a few tactics to help prevent peer pressure or risky behavior among teens as they head back to school:
- Develop trust. Trust is built when a teen feels that a parent listens to them without interruption. Encourage your teen to feel comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns.
- Set boundaries. It’s important to clearly communicate what you expect of their behavior and what is unacceptable behavior, such as the use of drugs or alcohol.
- Remain consistent. Talk to your teen regularly, maintain boundaries, and enforce consequences if rules are broken.
- Develop strategies together. Help your teen devise ways to walk away from situations that involve drugs, alcohol or other risky behavior. Remind them that you can help even if you aren’t physically there.
- Discuss technology. Teens need to be reminded just how powerful technology can be. Explain that once something has been shared via social media or text, there is no taking it back, and this includes inappropriate behavior at a game, dance or party.
