What Can You Do

Care and support

Love openly and unconditionally. Do not judge your children. Let your children know that you are on their side, that you love them...tell them...say it out loud. Your children are the most important people in the world.

Communicate

Talk to your children and more importantly listen to your children. Give them the respect you would give a friend. Their problems are real and important to you. Encourage them to be open and honest by being so with them. Provide special, consistent times to talk.

Break cycles

Help your children discover the situations, friends, and reasons that lead to using alcohol and other drugs. Be careful not to blame friends or events. Be objective. Talk about ways to avoid these situations or people. A real friend wouldn't want you to harm yourself. Talk about ways to help friends in trouble. Schedule some time alone with each of your children each week. Talk about ways they can help their friends and avoid people and situations that could get them into trouble. Avoiding people, places and activities associated with abusive behaviour can help to get to the real reasons behind problems.

Alternative activities and interests

What do your children like to do? Take your child to museums, cultural or sporting events. Expose them to the arts. Sign them up for a class. Encourage them to keep a journal, join a club or find a hobby. Let them get a part time job. Positive activities make people feel good about themselves as well as make better use of their time.

Discipline

Discipline doesn't mean punishment. It means knowing what your children are doing and setting realistic limits. Discipline should be positive. Help your child establish long-term goals and dreams and find ways to work together toward making their dreams come true!