Parents Can Play Role In Preventing Addiction
Alcohol abuse and drug addiction commonly starts before the age of 18. There have been numerous efforts made by the U.S. government to decrease the amount of underage drinking. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University state that these efforts are less effective then in the past. Alcohol tops the list of preferred and most abused substances among high school students. Reports also show that parents who have children who drink feel that they do not have control over the decisions that their children make. The truth is that parents who take more of an active role in their child’s life by being aware of their whereabouts, the friends that they are spending time with, extracurricular activities, and talking to their kids about making good and bad decisions. Whether or not substance abuse among teenagers and young adults is going up or down the truth is that the numbers are staggering. While the U.S. government spends billions of dollars on health-care costs for substance abuse and addiction the best prevention are parents educating their children about the harm and negative consequences that come along with alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Education is the best prevention for addiction. For parents who are aware of what their children are doing even if their kid does fall into addiction they will have a better chance at recognizing that a problem does exist. The sooner that addiction is recognized the sooner it can be addressed and the sooner it is addressed through the course of addiction treatment the better chance an individual has at achieving long term sobriety.