Alcohol and other drug misuse and abuse can
be a personal as well as a family problem for a child. Alcohol continues
to be the most commonly abused substance among youth. Though it is
important to educate all children about the hazards and consequences of
drug abuse, there are certain characteristics* that could make a young
person a high risk for substance abuse. Some of these include:
-
Children of parents
with alcohol and drug abuse problems
-
Children seen by health
care providers because of abuse, numerous injuries, or psychosomatic disorders
-
Children seen by various
school personnel because of frequent absenteeism, poor academic standing,
signs of depression, withdrawal, or behavioral problem
-
Youths in an institutionalized
setting
Once again, children need to be taught very early on about the dangers
of substance abuse. Children are quite impressionable. Therefore,
it is important as role models, we "practice what we preach." We
set the example and our students learn from this example.
For more information
on substance abuse prevention, try the following resources:
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Drug Abuse Prevention