Freedom from Chemical Dependence

Hello Everyone,

 

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend.  The warm temperatures are certainly making it clear that spring is around the corner!  February has been a busy month with many different activities and visitors on campus.  I know with myriad evening commitments to choose from, it is difficult to make every event.  And the weather a couple of weeks ago made it even more difficult.  Thus, I found myself among a relatively small group of parents on Wednesday, February 3 to hear from a representative from FCD, Freedom from Chemical Dependence.  Given that I’m sure many more folks would have turned up were the weather better and were it not a crazy week, I thought I would share a bit of what she said with you here.

 

FCD has been coming to Dawson for the last three years, and it’s been a great partnership.  Educators from FCD are all former addicts, so they share their stories with students as one way to inform them and help them make healthy decisions.  But unlike drug programs I remember from when I was young, the goal is not to scare kids into sobriety.  While the personal stories are certainly a way to get kids’ attention and help them see the potential consequences of repeated drug and alcohol use, the organization’s main message focuses on the idea of social norms.

 

As it turns out, kids (and adults, too!) are often very misinformed about drug and alcohol use, namely how many kids are partaking.  If you ask a high school student (and, in fact, the FCD rep did ask our students) what percentage of college-age students have drunk alcohol or used marijuana in the last 30 days, that student will typically guess a fairly high number.  And similarly, if you ask a middle school student about alcohol and drug use in high school, they also guess a high number.  The perception in each case is that “everyone does it,” and so somehow if you choose not to partake, you are a party of one.

 

In reality, though, the vast majority of kids in college and in high school are making healthy choices, choosing to avoid drinking or using drugs at all.  This is really surprising for students to hear, but research shows that this corrected perception is key in persuading students to make good decisions for themselves.  When students believe that the norm is to drink and use drugs, they are more likely to do so, but if they recognize that in fact only a minority of students are in fact drinking alcohol or using drugs, they will be less likely to do it themselves.

 

During the parent presentation, the FCD rep also talked about misconceptions that parents sometimes have around drug and alcohol use.  Again, parents often feel that the majority of kids will experiment with drugs and alcohol, and so some choose to let their children do so in their house, thinking that they would rather have this happen in a controlled environment.  Or sometimes parents think it’s helpful to let their kids drink so that when they go to college, they will have already built up a tolerance and won’t go crazy with drinking.  Again, research combats both of these assumptions.  There is an abundance of research that indicates that the longer a person goes without drinking alcohol or using drugs, the less likely that person is to become an addict.  But it’s not just about addiction – there are so many other things that can happen with drug and alcohol use, even in the safety of your home.  So while it may seem like the safe choice, the safer choice is to have conversations with our kids and make clear that our expectations are that they will not drink alcohol or use drugs.

 

The FCD rep also talked about protective factors, things we can do as parents to support our kids make positive choices.   She talked about having regular family meal times, of setting clear expectations and consequences, and of staying up until our kids come home.  If your kids know that when they come home each night, you will be there to give them a big hug (and a “sniff test,”) they will be more likely to avoid drinking and using drugs. 

 

Parenting is tricky, and it can feel lonely.  How many times has your child told you that you were the only parent who didn’t allow something, whether it’s having a phone, watching an R-rated movie, or going to parties unsupervised?  The reality is you are not alone.  Most parents are setting appropriate limits and creating safe environments for their kids.  The more we can communicate with each other, the more we can educate our students to make good choices.

 

Here is a link to a document that FCD shared with us, providing more tips on what parents can do to support their kids in making healthy decisions.

 

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

Take care,

Heather