Your ADD/ADHD Child and Alcohol and Drug Abuse
by Jon Bennett
If your child is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, he is more than three times more likely to abuse and get addicted to alcohol and mind-altering drugs than other children. This statistic should make you aware of the special care your ADD/ADHD child needs. Of course, you cannot supervise a child 100% of the time, but you can help empower him so he does not succumb the next time someone (or something) tempts him to try alcohol or drugs. Here are a few things you can do…
1. Spend time with him, and make it happy A good relationship with a parent, and with both parents, empowers children emotionally. Your ADD/ADHD child might seem to trying to drive you away from him, but he desperately needs your support. He can get this support only if you take the initiative to spend time with him doing things he enjoys.
2. Discipline consistently You need to give your ADD/ADHD child a lot of freedom to touch and explore, but you also need to be careful to draw clear boundaries about what is acceptable and what is not. From the beginning, you have to make it clear that alcohol and drugs are unacceptable, and to enforce consequences when he or his friends violate this rule.
3. Help him excel In anything he chooses. If ADD/ADHD children find even one thing at which they are better than most others, it does wonders for their self-esteem and behavior. When you help your child develop his unique talents and make a contribution, you are empowering him to say no to drugs and alcohol.
4. Check out the drug scene at school and among friends Most schools have strict rules about keeping alcohol and drugs out of the premises. But if they are lax in how they handle ADD/ADHD medication, it leaves a window open for drug abuse. Keep track also of who his friends are and how they spend their time. If you suspect any alcohol and drug abuse among them, you need to immediately work out steps to protect your child (though he might insist he does not need any protection) and help him make new friends.
5. Help him make good friends This brings us back to the importance of making good friends. Begin with a goal of choosing and making just one sensible friend, rather than just waiting to be chosen. Also, build up your own social network, and especially build relationships with people who are good with your child, because he might get along better with adults than with other children.
6. Educate Beyond this, you need to make sure your child knows the dangers of abusing alcohol and drugs, and isn’t fooled by the superficial glamour that goes with these things. When your child is vulnerable, you need to work hard to protect him. Empowering him -with a sense of self-worth, a good social support network, and the development of his own unique skills – is the best kind of protection you can give.
About the Author
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