Prescription drugs may not seem like an immediate threat to your children when there are more obvious things to worry about, like crossing the street safely or not talking to strangers. But these potentially addictive substances are a quickly growing problem among today’s teens.

According to the Partnership Annual Tracking Survey, 19 percent of today’s teens use prescription drugs to get high. It is much more dangerous to avoid the subject rather than talk about it with your children. With teens being 50 percent less likely to abuse these drugs after having a discussion about it, parents could be the very thing that prevents eventual drug rehab.

The best way to approach the subject is to talk about the consequences that come with abusing these drugs. Describe in detail the risks and side effects of abusing prescription drugs and discuss with your kids how drugs can impede their dreams.

For teenagers especially, help them understand how ending up in need of drug rehab can not only ruin future job opportunities but also sabotage friendships. At a time when friends are everything, this persuasion technique holds power to dissuade.

However, the most important part of having a conversation with your kids about drugs is actually having that conversation. Avoiding the subject can only drive them to other sources out of curiosity. Get there first and make sure they know that prescription drugs should never be misused.

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