August 23, 2007

Teen Drug Addiction - It CAN Happen to Your Family!

Parents, Pay Attention to this Book!

The biggest parenting fallacy in the world lies in thinking that we can somehow protect our children by living in nice houses, in nice neighborhoods, in quiet little towns: by thinking the walls of our houses will protect our children from making big decisions! They won’t! Our children will make ALL of the big decisions in their lives. I simply cannot say it any more forcefully! If you have not yet realized that the decision about using drugs poses a threat to every single child, wake up!

Over the past 10 years as I have taught parents HOW to teach their children to make good decisions via my Parenting with Dignity curriculum, I have told these parents the one thing I know to be the absolute truth: “Your children will make all the big decisions in their lives, not some, all. When they make the decision about whether they will use cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines, alcohol, or any other drug, you will not be present and therefore you will be unable to protect them. The person offering the drug will make sure you are not there!”
If you need a wake up call, and most American parents do, please read Christy Crandell's book titled, "Lost and Found". It will open your eyes about what can happen to you if you do not teach your children to make good decisions.

What our children will use to make those decisions will hopefully be what we have taught them. However, our failure to teach them how to make those decisions does not mean they will not make them! It just means that they will use ideas someone else has taught them about using illegal substances! And believe me, what some of the other people will teach them, is not what you want them using to make that life or death decision.

I wish that I could get every parent to read this book. My wish is that every parent would read "Lost and Found" at the time their first child is born! Then, maybe they could see, first hand, how the tragedy of drug addiction can strike any child who is not completely and totally well prepared with good decision making skills. Christy's book is proof positive that parents cannot protect their children with what the parents know. It is only what your kids know and use that can protect them!
Parents Must TEACH Children HOW to Make Good Decisions!

Living in a home with loving parents who have strong morals and ethics is not the same as teaching a child how to use those ideas to make good decisions! As I tell parents over and over, “Talking is not teaching. Telling is not teaching. What you are doing does not become teaching until you see change as a result.”
A Wake Up Call!

This book should serve as a wake up call to every parent who is raising a child. Most of life’s good decisions are made in our heads BEFORE we are in the situation. Our children are no different and they cannot be allowed to wait until they are in a situation like this family, before they are taught how to make good decisions for themselves based upon sound morals, values, ethics, and principles.

Hopefully this book will help parents realize that, without proper awareness and a sound plan for teaching their children, drug addiction, and the pain and misery associated with it, is a very real possibility for their children and their family.

Please read this book and learn from the heartache and pain this family experienced.

Then, please share the book with every parent you know so that they can be aware of what may be waiting for them if they do not act now to teach their children how to make big decisions.

6 comments:

linda J. said...

I agree this sickness can effect the whole family. Why some families keep it secret I dont know?As a parent I found I needed to start a new form of communication with my child.One that would keep him talking about his drug use with out worry of punishment.This was very hard.Together we started to develop a plan of action.He is 4 months sober today.For more great ideas check out www.myteenoffdrugs.com Thanks Linda

Anonymous said...

Glad you left this post. I found that web site really great.

Mac Bledsoe said...

Dear Linda,

I must say that my bias strongly favors preventing children from ever putting drugs into their bodies rather than attempting to stop them once they have begun to abuse drugs.

At the same time, I am enough of a realist to see that many children are involved in drugs and many families are torn apart by the devastation brough on by drug abuse. Those families with drug abusing children are crying out for help. I wish that I could be more help... but traditional methods for helping drug and alcohol addicts are woefully ineffective; with failure rates running as high as 85-90%! That does not give one much hope and it does not give parents much help.

ONE POSSIBLE BRIGHT SPOT

There is ne treatment program that has caught my eye. I have not done extensive research into the program or their methods... but I honestly beleive that if I were in the situation of having a child hooked on drugs, it is the treatment program I would try first!

Their title is Rational Recovery and their website is:
http://www.rational.org/faq.html

Their approach is different from most other treatment programs. It is built around a similar sort of belief to our Parenting with Dignity Program. We say, "The ideas in your head will rule yolur world!" They say, "To be rid of drugs one must change the way that they think." I think that I agree!

Take a look and let me know what some of you think.

Mac Bledsoe

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda: I acually read the guide book on that site and have to agree , bringing the problem out in he open is the only way we can help our kids find recovery.As a parent I can only hope that I can develop the bridge with my kids. Dennis k.

Anonymous said...

The article teen drug addiction - it can happen to your family is tells about the drug sickness can affect the whole family. so everyone have to know how to bring out thiers child from the addiction without giving punishment.
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adamgilcrist
Comprehensive resources for those looking for recovery from addiction.
http://www.addictionrecovery.net

Unknown said...

Parenting With Dignity has not only served to better equip parents on how to raise reponsible, independent children but has been a wonderful outreach tool to the unchurched community.
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pandreson
alcoholism treatment