Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs: What Your Kids Really Want and Need to Know About Alcohol and Drugs

When is the right time to start talking to my kids about drugs? How can I reduce the influence of peer pressure? How should I introduce alcohol to my child? How can I make sure that a party I hold for my teenager doesn't get out of control? Can you really overdose on alcohol? What does it mean if I don't remember things when I drink? How do I look after someone who has drunk too much? Is cannabis really 30 times stronger than it used to be? Do energy drinks increase the effect of alcohol when you use them as a mixer? Can ecstasy really kill? There are so many questions that need answers, but how do parents start talking to their kids about alcohol and drugs? Asking 'are you taking drugs?' won't do it. That approach won't give teenagers the information they desperately need to keep themselves and their friends safe. Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs has been written in response to the stories Paul Dillon has heard over 25 years in drug and alcohol education. It provides answers to the questions he has been asked by both young people and their parents and also includes solutions to the many scenarios he has heard about from anxious teenagers who haven't known what to do when things went bad. This book shows parents how to talk to their children in a way that is respectful and reasonable, non-threatening and non-judgmental. It will help them understand the issues their children are facing, and show them how to help their kids negotiate a minefield of misinformation and social pressure in a calm and sensible way to tell them what they really want and need to know about alcohol and drugs. Keywords: Age Groups, Parenting, Adolescence, Communication