As Grandparents Day nears, speak to your grandkids about drugs and peer pressure
Grandparents Day is this Sunday, Sept. 10. It's an opportunity to appreciate the grandparents who play an integral role in shaping the lives of their grandchildren. This could involve being a positive role model or influence and speaking to them about drugs and peer pressure.
Drug education is beneficial at any age, and grandparents can become informed and help their young grandchildren understand the risks.
Resources like the Seniors' Guide to Fentanyl and local drug education programs in Massachusetts play an essential role. They offer factual information and fill the void, helping everyone understand the risks of illegal drug use.
It begins with having conversations. When speaking to your grandkids about these topics, keep things age-appropriate and use language that is easy for a child or teen to understand. There are different ways to discuss the topic depending on their age.
When speaking to teens or young adults, ask open-ended questions like: What do you know about fentanyl? Or What are your thoughts on drug use? Are you concerned about someone offering you drugs?
Share personal experiences and examples of peer pressure and how it was managed. While the approaches to peer pressure are much different today because of social media, the practical methods of handling or avoiding it can still be applied.
Teens can often experience significant peer pressure online through their social media platforms. Social media also glorifies drug and alcohol use.
Please encourage them to speak to their parents or caregivers and help them create a trusting environment with the people they live with. Get them to ask questions and voice their opinions, as this becomes the best way to share ideas and gain knowledge.
Illegally made fentanyl, such as the powdered version, is commonly found in drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. It is also made into counterfeit pills that mimic common prescription pain medication. These pills are sold on social media platforms. Drug dealers use code words and emojis to advertise products.
In Massachusetts, opioid-related overdose deaths increased by 2.5% in 2022 from 2021. There were more than 2,300 confirmed opioid-related overdose deaths in 2022.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Drug prevention and education works. It’s never too late to begin having these conversations. Speak to your grandkids about drugs and peer pressure and encourage open dialogue.
Marie Garceau is website quality manager at Addicted.org. She has been working in the field of substance use and addiction recovery for more than a decade.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Grandparents Day Sept. 10. Talk to children about drugs peer pressure
