The Role of Peer Pressure
It is well known that peer pressure plays a role in a person starting to use any kind of drug. A child needs to be educated on how subtle this peer pressure can be. Sure, it can take the form of one’s friends bullying them if they don’t join in the drug abuse that’s going on. But it can also be more subtle than that. It can just be a desire to fit in, to be popular, to have the same kind of “fun” that one’s friends seem to be having.
The consequences of drug abuse must be clear to a young person. Then his (or her) own awareness of the dangers involved has a better chance of outweighing that desire to be liked or fit in.
Explaining the Consequences
This report will detail the consequences of abuse of each type of frequently-abused prescription drug. It is important not to overdramatize the dangers. If you only stress the possibility of overdose death, your child may see many friends using these drugs who do not die from an overdose. Unfortunately, while your information is accurate, your child may discount it if it does not match what he sees right in front of him.