How Can We Empower Our Kids to Make Smarter Choices About Drugs?
Today, I came across a heartbreaking story in the local news about a woman who discovered her son had died from a fentanyl overdose after unknowingly taking a painkiller laced with the drug. It got me thinking back to when I was around 11 or 12 years old. I remember some of my friends experimenting with sniffing paint fumes, gas, or oil cans. Although I was surrounded by this behavior, I never joined in. I wasn't the smartest kid in the room, and I don’t recall my parents ever discussing the dangers of drugs or chemical highs with me. But somehow, I knew enough to be afraid—afraid that something might go horribly wrong, like my brain rupturing or something equally terrifying.
I loved my friends; they were fun to be around. But after witnessing these situations a few times, I began to distance myself. I wasn’t comfortable with the peer pressure, so I sought out new friends. Now, fast-forward 40 years, and I’ve learned that many of those same friends—whom I’ve reconnected with on Facebook or heard about through mutual contacts—ended up as meth addicts, homeless or nearly homeless, or even dead.
On the flip side, there are kids and adults today who unknowingly buy medications, vitamins, or other products online, only to discover they’re laced with fentanyl. No parent or child should have to bury a loved one because of an overdose, whether intentional or accidental.
So, how do we empower our kids to make smarter decisions? When I was young, the fear of what I saw around me kept me from experimenting with drugs. I didn’t understand the appeal. But what about those who think it’s cool or fun to try? How do we counter that mindset? Scare tactics don’t seem to be working. We can make drugs illegal, but that doesn’t stop them from being out there or from people using them.
The real question is: How do we teach people to protect themselves? How do we help them build the strength to say no?
- Feeling the need to protect those unable to do so themselves.
Be happy, healthy and safe!
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