Friday, October 26, 2012

What to do when confronted with the probability that a child uses drugs?

If you are experiencing with suspicion that your child tryied some of psychoactive drugs (most likely marijuana, or ecstasy), the first reaction is probably disbelief, shock, disappointment and anger. All these reactions the child should see and experience, you have the right to express their feelings and show their aversion to drugs. Do not take in the story that it was "for someone else" or "that it only keeps for a party on Saturday." Although you are not easy to keep the conversation open, trying not to insult but also not to be impressed by the imaginative efforts of justification.

Do not attempt to cover up the situation, either before him or before a child, trying to find an easy excuse to believe that this is a passing episode. Do not think that will solve everything by itself, although you should try to weigh the true gravity of the situation.

Of concern, risk awareness and intergroup trust. Try it now (if not earlier) to find out more about the environment in which it moves and how it came to drugs. Do not be overcome panic and hysteria, but do not think that this is just a trivial episode. Do not fall for the argument "everybody is doing it." Young people use that argument every time you move in the negotiation of a parental permission - go to the disco until the morning, sleeping away from home, trips, etc.

If you are trained in other requirements, you know that ordinary search lists "that we all", they are easy to refute these "arguments". But the perception of young people about certain behaviors among their peers is indeed higher than the actual frequency of specific behaviors. They only selectively recognize only those behaviors that are important to them and to which are invited. Therefore it is essential that you have genuine arguments based on real facts, and it is important that they know to interpret their experience of peer environment.

Deny or severely limit the pocket money, because money for drugs derived from those money that you give him for a sandwich, juice, cinema or disco. Explain that you do not want money spent on drugs and that the allowance be able to resume when you show responsibility towards themselves and towards money. You can reduce television viewing, the length of telephone calls, internet use (just pay the surplus account of the child's pocket money). You can restrict outings, employ any child activities for home or school, or intense sport that requires frequent training (in the early stages it succeeds). But also, you have often, very often go to school and to control absences and grades. If you can, talk to the parents of his friends. Although they say that it all means, ask him about all the harmful effects of drugs (not just their own statements, ask about the web site, please bring appropriate information home).
Tell him that the new findings more serious than was assumed - all drugs affect brain function and can cause permanent damage. Also you'll need to change your daily schedule of commitments and spend more time with your child, come to terms with the team to delay or minimize the travel and being away from home, and constantly monitored, supervised and talk, talk ...


Testing
Testing, as a measure of early detection followed by vocational intervention and appropriate treatment of only a link in the chain of professional procedures in the joint efforts of the community and professionals to prevent the development of drug abuse.

Today is about the drug testing and possible organized the testing procedure knows little or insufficient, and opens the possibility for different speculation, doubt, and half-truths. Therefore, on testing, its advantages, disadvantages, concerns, legal and ethical aspects, should also be reliable and accurate information.

The testing procedure requires the obtaining of bodily samples (urine, saliva, hair, sweat, blood). The most common method of testing urine. Just taking the cause must be strictly monitored to avoid substitution, dilution or other manipulation. for all minors, written consent for testing must be granted by the parents.

For each test can be up and false positive and false negative results. Conventional methods of negative results are considered negative, while positive (if it is the first test) require confirmation or additional confirmation, sophisticated methods.

Urine testing will be done only if the person has taken psychoactive substances for which the test is scheduled, and whether it took a period of time prior to testing. Testing will show whether the person took the instrument ever in my life, even if it took that much time before testing that it was impossible to determine.

A key problem with that before any decision about testing should face is what to do in case of positive findings. For such a situation should be exactly worked out the algorithms of behavior and conduct, that is the very fact that someone had taken psychoactive substances would not be manipulated in terms of repression, the pressure on parents and school, inadequate involvement of individuals and families into the program, etc.

Taking into account all the limitations of urine drug testing as a screening of the entire population has no technical justification. Just testing does not solve the problem.

1 comment:

  1. As a parent, I always make sure to ask my children how they did at school every day. That's how I find out that they have problems, or that they have issues with other students. Aside from that, I also let them watch documentaries and movies about drug abuse so that they are aware of its harmful effects, as well as the ways to seek treatment and rehabilitation.


    Carolin Newmeyer

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