Okay, so let's dive right in now and talk about how your kids classmates could be affecting their drug and alcohol use. Drug Abuse education has gotten a lot of flack over the years, especially in America with the failed war on drugs and the failed dare program. If you are a child of the 90s, you probably remember dare and the abstinence based approach, and the figures were proven that the program was just not effective. It doesn't matter what school your kid goes to, they will encounter their peers talking about drugs, and this could make a big impact. Your child might hear about these really fun experiences their classmates are having and may try to get their own friends even to dabble. Or your child could be that friend, their friend who was on the pretty straight and narrow now might have an interest in experimenting.

There's not much you can do about this and that The most frustrating part is a parent. However, what you can do though, is continue to have the conversations about drugs and alcohol and ask questions like, Hey, does anyone in your class drink? Or has anyone in your class ever mentioned marijuana or cocaine, continue to talk and continue to ask a lot. Once you start getting information, it can then lead to a deeper conversation. So for example, here's something that happened with my own son. I was talking to him about alcohol and he mentioned that a boy in his class is always having parties and everyone goes out with him on the weekends.

First off, I made a mental note of the boy just in case he suddenly wanted to become friends with them. Then the conversation led to hearing a rumor about one of the girls getting too drunk and had to have her friends carry her home. We then had a long conversation about blackouts and not being in control and hanging overs with headaches and vomiting the stuff kids don't see. So just remember, you can't control what they see or hear but you can control the conversations you have. And if you steer those conversations strategically, you could be the one that helps them make smarter decisions as they progress through their teenage years.