Families in Recovery

The Center for the Advancement of Health recently published a study indicating the following:

Although national health guidelines call for physicians to discuss topics such as substance use, safety and nutrition with adolescents, new research suggests that these talks do not occur as often as they should.

“The guidelines say that adolescents should have an annual visit that provides screening and guidance about high-risk health behaviors,” said lead study author Sally Adams, R.N., Ph.D. “If teens can get preventive care to avoid risky behavior, it may impact their health not only in adolescence, but also throughout their lifetime.”

In a word, doctors are not talking to our kids about a range of important topics that they should. At the same time, parents are less likely than ever to talk to their kids about drugs as well. And programs such as DARE and other school based programs are coming under fire, with their long-term effectiveness questioned.

So if doctors, parents, and the schools are failing to teach our kids about drugs and alcohol, who is? You guessed it - they are talking to each other. Kids frequently cite peers as their source for information on drugs and alcohol - especially kids who end up experimenting and using.

For alcoholic families, where communication issues are particularly difficult, and where drug and alcohol messages are mixed ("Do as I say, not as I do"), this is very worrisome. If the parents are falling down on communicating appropriately, it would be nice to think that the family physician or the schools can at least take up some of the slack.

If we are going to end the terrible cycle of abuse and dependence, it seems the most basic starting point is open, honest, and candid discussions with teens on drugs and alcohol. If the adults in their lives don't do it, there are plenty of teens ready to fill the gap.