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

Answers to real questions that teenagers ask about alcohol and drugs, and how parents can get the conversation started.* 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? * What can I do to make sure that a party I hold for my teenage child 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? Can ecstasy really kill? * Do energy drinks make the effect of alcohol much greater when you use them as a mixer? So many questions that need answers, but how do parents start the conversation? With government TV ads telling parents to talk to their kids about binge drinking and drugs, the question is what do you talk to them about? Asking 'Are you taking drugs?' won't do it, and nor is that approach going to give teenagers the information they desperately need to keep themselves and their friends safe. Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugshas been written in response to the questions and stories Paul has heard over 25 years in drug and alcohol education. It answers the questions he has been asked over the years by both young people and their parents and also includes solutions to the many scenarios he has heard about from freaked-out kids who haven't known what to do when things went bad. This book contains answers to questions continually asked by parents and young people about alcohol and drugs. It shows how to talk about these issues in a way that is respectful and reasonable, non-threatening and non-judgmental. It will help parents understand the issues their children are facing, and help them to help their kids negotiate a minefield of misinformation, peer pressure and confusing messages in a calm and sensible way. Parents need to tell their kids what they really want to know about alcohol about alcohol and drugs.

A former schoolteacher, Paul Dillon has been a drug and alcohol educator for 25 years, and appears regularly on television as a commentator on young people and drugs.

CONTENTSPrefaceIntroduction Chapter 1: The basicsDon't most young people experiment with alcohol and other drugs? Isn't it almost a rite of passage?When is the right time to start talking to my kids about drugs?Do shock tactics work? Will trying to scare my kids put them off experimenting with drugs?How can I reduce the influence of peer pressure?Does the area I live in determine the drug my child may experiment with?Where do young people get drugs from?What are recreational drugs?Chapter 2: Alcohol and partiesHow should I introduce alcohol to my child?What should I do if my child wants to attend parties where alcohol may be served?How can I make sure that a party I hold for my teenager doesn't get out of control?Why can't girls drink as much as boys?What is a standard drink and why is it important?Can you really overdose on alcohol?How do you get rid of a hangover?What does it mean if I don't remember things when I drink?Is t