Drug abuse prevention

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Drug abuse prevention

Addictive behaviour

Any activity, substance, object, or behavior that has become the main focus of a person’s life to the exclusion of other activities, or that has begun to harm the individual and others physically, mentally, or socially, is considered addictive behavior.

The adolescent stage is usually the time when the first contacts with drugs occur. Various studies show that the earlier the age at which this experimentation occurs, the more likely it is that this consumption will end up being problematic and its abandonment will be more difficult.

School is a powerful socializing agent in childhood and adolescence, therefore, it is a key element in promoting the prevention of drug use and addictive behaviors.

Increasing protection factors and reducing risk factors are a key and effective model. Then main objectives are:

As parents, the basic keys you should pay attention to are the following:

The general objective is to increase the awareness of parents regarding family risk and protective factors, which are related to drug use in the early

adolescence, and to encourage them to use an authoritative parenting-style. With this style we mean the integration of high control and positive encouragement of the

child’s autonomous and independent strivings. Such an approach needs a comforting and protecting attitude of parents, merged with acceptance and even encouragement of the child’s own independent choices.

The main objetives:

To inform parents on family’s influence regarding the adolescent’s substance use.
To help parents understand the changes their children undergo in terms of development and identity formation during their adolescence and to understand substance use in this frame

To help parents to set clear rules in the family and enhance their negotiation skills.
To sensitize parents in strategies that would increase family attachment

EDUCATIONAL GUIDELINES
WHAT CAN WE DO?

To offer clear, general educational guidelines.
expressed in one or two lines, easily memorizable

At school:

Development of affectivity through increased self-esteem, the capacity for empathy and the improvement of emotional self-expression.
- Intellectual development in favor of health and, therefore, incompatible with drug abuse, learning skills for decision-making, change of attitudes and information about drugs, development of self-control.
- Social development of students, increasing social competence for interaction with other people, relating and communicating better with others.
- Developing Life Skills involves the ability to appreciate and respect other people, to create positive relationships with them, to listen and communicate effectively, to trust other people and to take responsibility.

At family.

Understanding better the teenagers Issues: Information about psychological and social characteristics of adolescence
Information on drugs – Substance use as part of the experimental risk-behavior of teenagers the influence and role of family functioning during this developmental stage.
Parenting a teenager means growing up together Issues: Autonomy process and identity acquisition of teenagers – the generation conflict and the necessary development of the family – parental assertiveness
A good relationship with my child also means setting up rules and limits