Being A Positive Role Model
As a parent, your habits, beliefs, and behaviors will be reflected in those of your child. The following questionnaire may help you focus on your own attitudes and behavior regarding your use of alcohol and other drugs. It may help you privately assess your use of chemicals and the reasons why you use them. There are no right or wrong answers!
When you have friends over, do you usually offer them an alcoholic beverage?
When you are feeling sad or nervous, do you usually take something to get rid of the feeling?
Are you proud of how much you can drink?
Have your children ever seen you drunk?
Do you joke about getting drunk?
Do you try other ways to handle minor aches and pains besides taking something?
Do you often take a prescription or non-prescription sleeping pill to fall asleep?
Do you smoke cigarettes?
Is drinking often the focus of conversation in your home?
Do you attend parties that involve a lot of drinking?
Do you attend/give parties where there is no alcohol? Do you stay as long? Are you as comfortable?
Do you drink and drive?
Have you ever tried to stop drinking for a week but could not do so?
Do you serve alcohol to minors in your home?
Has anyone in your family or a close friend ever expressed concern about your drinking ?
Do you use marijuana or any other illegal drug?
Do you use alcohol or any other drug in a way that you don't want your children to?
If you have any concerns after completing this questionnaire, it may help to share your concerns with a friend or health care provider.
Some Recommendations ...
If you use alcohol, drink moderately. According to the Dietary Guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this means no more than a single drink a day for adult women and two a day for adult men. On special occasions and holidays, find alternative ways to celebrate. Deal with stress by exercising, talking with a friend, or deep breathing.
If you use tobacco products and have difficulty stopping, talk with your children about how addictive nicotine is. Let them know that when you were young, you thought you could stop easily, but you have grown dependent on nicotine. Next, get help quitting. You can call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at (877) 270-STOP for help.
If you use illegal drugs, or if you are abusing prescription drugs, you are sending mixed messages to your children. Do you want to convey these messages? You can call the Alcohol and Drug Abuse 24 Hour Action Helpline at (800) 234-0420 for help with quitting.
When your child asks you about your past use of drugs, unless your answer is a clear "I never tried it," it may be difficult to know what to say. Here are some suggestions about how to keep the topic of conversation on your child, rather than on you:
"When I
was younger people didn't know as much about the harmful effects of drugs.
You're lucky to have all of this information. I wish I knew then as much
as you do now."
"I stopped
doing drugs (or smoking cigarettes, or drinking alcohol) because it was harmful.
I'm telling you this now because I don't want you to make the same mistakes
I did." (You might share a personal story of a negative consequence you
experienced because of drug use.)
When your child asks you about your past, he or she has just opened the door for an ongoing dialogue about drugs. Use this opportunity to talk with them about making good choices.
Adapted from:
McFarland Partners in Prevention, "It takes a whole community to raise a child." [Brochure].
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. (undated). Keeping Your Kids Drug-Free [Brochure].
U.S. Department of Education. (1998). Growing Up Drug Free.
Last Updated: Jan. 31, 2004
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