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There is no “best way” to talk to teens about drug use, but there are approaches that work better than others.
It is very easy to be driven into the defensive. If teens ask, honesty is usually the best policy, but this is not about you. Admit that you made mistakes in the past, that you wish you knew then what you know now, that you are hoping they don’t make the same mistakes. Keep the discussion in the third person as much as possible.
It is important not to label or stereotype youth – they are diverse in their patterns and attitudes about drugs. Some will have negative attitudes towards substance use. Others will have family members who drink responsibly. Still others will have already experienced the effects of a family member’s alcoholism or drug addiction.
Students in grades 8 and 9 tend to fall into four categories of substance use:
- Non-users – some are principled abstainers with cultural or religious customs that proscribe non-use. Others simply do not use for other personal/family reasons.
- Occasional Users – A second group uses substances, most commonly alcohol, occasionally and in moderation. They tend to begin drinking later than their peers, to drink in controlled settings, to limit use to a few drinks per occasion, and do not use other substances.
- Regular Users – This group tend to use alcohol more often and/or to use other substances, mainly tobacco products and marijuana. Use tends to be in a “party setting” and may start earlier than for kids in the occasional user group.
- Heavy Users – These include heavy drinkers, daily smokers, or users of other substances on a frequent basis. Some already have a problem with substance abuse that is beginning to affect aspects of their lives. Some but not all of these students will “mature out” of this pattern. School performance is known to suffer more noticeably among this group.
Media coverage of impaired driving deaths, drug busts or celebrity misbehaviour often offer timely openings to discussions about the effects of alcohol and other drugs.
A student may disclose a personal or family problem with substance use.
Do’s:
- Be familiar with school policies, procedures and protocols for handling these disclosures.
- Wait until other students leave the room before discussing it.
- If the disclosure happens during class, gently ask the student to wait until after class to discuss it further.
- Focus fully on the student.
- Listen to the student and let him or her finish telling you their thoughts.
- Take the student to the school counsellor or make an appointment to do so.
- Follow up with the student and with the appropriate staff to ensure the student is getting the help they need.
Do Not’s:
- Allow it to be discussed with other students in the classroom.
- Try to act as a counsellor.
- Offer pat answers or treat the situation lightly.
- Make promises to tell no one.
- Display anger or disappointment.
- Discuss the situation with other teachers except within school procedures.
The school is a real community where teens spend much of their lives. The environment, particularly the social environment, is a powerful protective or risk factor, depending on the where the student is positioned in the social matrix. Work with other staff and the students themselves to build a supportive, caring school community.
Take “Grad Tips for Students” into the classroom and ask students to work together to improve on and customize their own grad tips for keeping grad activities both fun and safe.
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