Yes, parents can make a difference!

    Substance abuse and the addiction it leads to are complex problem influenced by multiple factors – including community environment, cultural values and norms, and family climate. Although the desire to conform to group norms that encourage substance abuse can be powerful for children and youth, ongoing and consistent use of specific parenting strategies can prevent or delay children’s use of substances.     According to Rick Kosterman from the University of Washington’s Social Development Research Group, these strategies include “having clear family rules, knowing where your kids are and who they are with, rewarding good behavior, and having consistent and moderate discipline.
    What can you do?
• Sit down with your children, tell them your hopes for their future and set clear expectations;
• set a no drinking/no drugs policy and explain why you have set it;
• monitor and keep track of you children in a non-intrusive way;
• communicate to your children that violating rules will have consequences AND that by following rules they will receive family recognition, and;
• do not give up on your standards and parenting strategies, even when your children express anger or distance in response.
    This article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), a countywide substance abuse prevention collaborative. For more information about ASAP and its prevention efforts contact Clare Desrosiers, Project Director, at 521-2408.