Alcohol, drugs and teenagers
Current trends- A SNAPSHOT
One of the most commonly abused drugs in Ireland is alcohol. The excessive intake of alcohol is across all socio economic backgrounds and is seen by many young people as a way of life at the weekends. The number of girls excessively drinking from mid teens has increased greatly and now drinking is seen by some, as a waste of money if the person is not intoxicated by the end of the night.
Another drug young people have become heavily reliant on is cannabis. Young people are reporting smoking cannabis as a way to relax and forget any issues. However, once challenged a young people will usually not be aware of the dangers of cannabis on their mental and physical health. Young people also report cannabis as one of the most available drugs in their area.
Today young people are also experimenting with Benzodiazepines. Young people report craving the feeling of calm from the drug. Young people report stealing benzodiazepines from family members who have been prescribed the medication and sold it on as there is such a high demand for the drugs. One of the most abused benzodiazepine and sought after drugs is Valium. They are sometimes used to ease the comedown from stimulant drugs (‘uppers’) such as ecstasy, cocaine and speed or with other ‘downer’ drugs such as alcohol and heroin. Prescribed medications should be kept in a locked medication cupboard and only opened by a responsible adult.
How can I try and deter my son/daughter from experimenting with drugs?
Communication is essential. Talk and listen to your young person, make sure they are aware they can talk to you. Some young people fear getting in trouble or your reaction. Tell your young person you are there for them and will help support them.
Educate yourself, look up drug educational sites like www.drugs.ie this site has all information on drugs from the types, the dangers and the effects. Once you know the facts, talking to your young person about drugs will become a lot easier.
- Let your young person know the facts, dangers and effects of drugs. Have conversations and discussions about the dangers of drugs and very importantly what to do if someone offered them a substance.
- Know where and who your young person is friends with. Remember as their parent/guardian it’s your responsibility to know they are safe at all times!
- Discourage your young person from smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Set clear boundaries and consequences with your young person.
- Let them know how proud you are of them and encourage sports, music and other health protective activities.
What should I do if I find a drug in my young person’s room?
Remain calm as communication is essential, this situation can be very stressful and worrying for a parent/guardian. However, you must be calm when talking to your young person about the substance. This may be the time when the young person will share any worries or issues with you. You need to be supportive and listen very carefully to their reasons for experimenting with the drug. Help can be provided by the Foróige Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Education Programme for both the young person and their parents/guardians. Contact Cara Currid 086 0481977
What should I do if my young person returns home under the influence of alcohol/drugs?
Remain calm, try not to panic. Sit with the young person in a quiet room. If the young person’s state starts to deteriorate or the young person becomes unwell CALL 999 for medical help. If you know what they have taken, tell the medics. Save any pill bottles or other containers for the medics to help them know what they have taken. These situations can be extremely frightening and stressful for the young person and their parent/ guardian.
When the young person has recovered, discuss the incident in a calm and supportive way. Many services are available to help both parents/guardians and the young person.
Useful resource for parents:
http://www.drugs.ie/resourcesfiles/guides/DealingWithDrugUse.pdf
http://www.askaboutalcohol.ie/Parents/top-10-tips-for-parents/top-10-tips-for-parents.html
Foróige Alcohol/Drug Prevention and Education
Are you a parent of a young person aged 10-17 who would like more information on drugs/alcohol? Are you a concerned parent that your young person may be using or misusing drugs/ alcohol? Perhaps you would like someone to talk to / or have someone talk with your young person.
The Foróige Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Education Programme provide young people with information and skills to help promote health protective behaviours reducing risky incidents. We can help clarify information, dispel myths, challenge attitudes and provide factual information about tobacco, alcohol and drugs, relevant to the age of your young person and we can do this with parents or a young person on a one to one meeting or over the phone or as part of a group.
We can provide young people with a safe environment in which they can discuss their opinions and attitudes about drugs, develop and enhance their life skills to deal with situations in the future and make decisions which will improve their overall health and well-being.
For young people who are already having problems as a result of drug or alcohol misuse we can also help. We can explore with young people the risks associated with drug taking, identifying ways that they can reduce the risks of harm from drug misuse and the environment in which they may take substances. We can help young people to develop life skills such as being able to look at the risks involved, make positive decisions, control their impulses and improve their communication skill.
You can contact Cara Currid, Foróige Project Worker 086 0481977 for more information.
You may also like
Safer Internet Day takes place next Tuesday, 7th February 2023. Sadly more than 1 in 4 young people in Ireland have experienced cyberbullying, yet only 60% of victims tell their parents. As teenagers and children spend more time on the internet, ensuring it's a safe space is ever more important. To encourage conversation about life online and help parents keep their children safe, I'd like to share a free resource created by Switcher.ie. It's a comprehensive guide which includes things like:
I thought it may be useful to share the link to the guide - https://switcher.ie/broadband/guides/how-to-keep-your-children-safe-online/ - which you can include on your website ahead of Safer Internet Day, to help parents and children who may need some extra support. We've also put together some handy top tips you can use on your website: 10 tips to keep your children safe online
- How to reduce the risks online
- How to recognise cyber bullying and grooming
- How to educate children on cyber safety
- How to set up parental controls on devices
- Talk about it:Make time to chat about online risks and how to use the internet safelyas soon as they're old enough to go online. Encourage your children to speak to you about what they view online and empower them to act if they're worried about anything.
- Recognise the risks: Educate yourself about the potential dangers children could face online so it’s easier to spot warning signs. Get to know what platforms your children use, and learn about dangers such as phishing, grooming and cyberbullying.
- Teach the do's and don'ts: Be clear about the non-negotiables. For example, teach your child not to share personal details or photos with strangers and instruct them not to click on links to unknown websites or texts. Do encourage your child to question what they see and only accept friend requests from people they know.
- Spot the signs: Pay attention to your children's behaviour whilst on and off their devices. Being alert to changes in your child can help prevent problems from escalating. Some warning signs are withdrawing from friends or family, sleeping and eating problems or losing interest in previously loved hobbies or interests.
- Set boundaries:Let your children know what they can and can't do on the internet from the get-go. Agree on what devices they can use, when, and how long they can spend online. As they get older, explaining and negotiating boundaries may be more effective.
- Take 'parental' control: These ready-made boundaries put parents in control of what children can see online. They can be set up through your internet provider at device level to block specific websites and filter out inappropriate content.
- Be social media savvy: The popularity of social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat makes it harder to keep track of what your child is accessing online. Fortunately, each social media platform has its own privacy settings and safety tips for parents. Check them out before you let children have their own accounts.
- Protect from harm:Install antivirus software on family devices to minimise the risk of cyber attacks or scams. Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for extra security on your online accounts. This can also stop children from signing into services they're not allowed to use.
- Set a great example: You're the greatest 'influencer' in your children's lives when they're young. Limiting your time online, discussing dangers you've come across, and questioning what you view can help reinforce the rules you are setting for your children and, in turn, influence their online behaviour.
- Seek support:The more you learn about online dangers, the better equipped you'll be to handle them. There are some great resources like webwise.ie, internetmatters.organd cybersafekids.ie to help you recognise and reduce online dangers and seek advice if you think your child is experiencing cyberbullying or is at risk online.
Short videos on the Importance of Play have recently launched which was a collaboration between North Central CFSN and Lifestart Services. Volume 1 https://youtu.be/xl2F2vZXhbg Volume 2 https://youtu.be/OOy4lmWggtM Volume 3 https://youtu.be/tmv40--l7fA Volume 4 https://youtu.be/Wr9bfTWddts Volume 5 https://youtu.be/7HLkBXvVTFE Volume 6 https://youtu.be/NuUXb51qZY0
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs from June 13th-19th.
This week provides an opportunity to focus attention on the wellbeing, social and emotional development of our babies and young children. It highlights the importance of early relationships and a relationship based approach to interventions with infants and families. As our understanding of IMH and its evidence base develops, so also does our knowledge of how to apply this knowledge and an ‘IMH lens’ to interactions with infants, parents and caregivers in health and social services.
What is infant mental health?
Infant Mental health (IMH) refers to the healthy social and emotional development of Infants starting at conception up to three years of age.
The first 1000 days of life are recognised as a critical period of opportunity to support infant mental health. Decades of research have shown that it is the quality of the early caregiver relationship that is a significant determinant of the infant’s healthy social and emotional development and in turn physical health, right up to adulthood.
The National Healthy Childhood Programme has embedded IMH as the foundation of the development of its resources and in the approach of the delivery of the universal child health service. This embedding of key messages can be seen in the My Child suite of books (www.mychild.ie/books) and also on www.MyChild.ie where key messages around bonding and relationship building have been embedded for the parent/caregiver.
In clinical practice the topic of IMH has been included for the first time in the National Standardised Child Health Record. To build on this, the National Healthy Childhood Programme have just completed a suite of three eLearning units which are now available on HSEland for healthcare practitioners / caregivers who are working with children and families.
Throughout the week you will see videos and key IMH messaging being promoted on the HSE MyChild social media pages ( Facebook / Instagram ). Keep an eye out in the National Newspapers for articles from our experts also. (IrishTimes article)
In addition The National Healthy Childhood Programme have developed a series of ten practical videos with HSE expert advice which are now available on YouTube and on the relevant pages on the www.mychild.ie website.
These videos (2-3 minutes each) are aimed at parents/guardians of children (0 – 3 years).
These new video resources are available here while lots more expert advice for every step of pregnancy, baby and toddler health can also be found at www.mychild.ie
There are a suite of posters available focusing on the promotion of IMH messaging to order from healthy.childhood@hse.ie