Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with Dustin Skipworth on ABC Radio, Radio afternoons about a really important topic. What do we do as parents and families if we know or suspect our kids are using drugs or alcohol?
We know it’s happening, statistics from 2019, 24% of young people aged 14–24 engaged in illicit use of drugs in the 12 months before the survey. Alcohol is still the most common substance used by our youth. A survey of Australian secondary students aged between 12 and 17 years, found that 74% had tried alcohol, 15% had used cannabis, and 17% had used inhalants at some time in their lives.
Have a listen for my top tips on why our kids are experimenting with drugs and alcohol, how to see the signs and what you can do to help.
At the RECODE-ME we thought we needed a separate program for the families but what we released very quickly was we needed to work alongside or parallel to the families in a holistic way.
By doing this we take the shame out of the drugs and alcohol and it allows everyone to take ownership of their part in the situation. This can be a very painful journey and it takes courage and bravery for everyone to look at their part they play in it.
Families often feel left out of the process of recovery. The reality of their child/or young person’s actions have on other member of the family of a real and tangible level it actually helps create change. The sad truth about addiction is that its not only the addict that suffers it’s the whole family.
They reality is that most kids will experiment with drugs or alcohol at some time in their life. With early intervention and positive role models the hope is that our kids and young people can make informed choices and stay kids as long as possible.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problematic alcohol or drug use please reach out to us at the RECODE-ME Program we can help.
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