Goal – The Creation of a Community

6 Questions to Ask your Child about Drug Abuse

i Jul 24th No Comments by

Before you say anything to your child, take a deep breath. Remember that hope and optimism are key components to restoring health. And that 50% of a problem is resolved once we know what the problem is.

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Have the conversation with your loved one about drug abuse. And ask about their friendships too. Credit: Shutterstock.

The best way to find out just what is happening is to remain calm and ask what’s going on. A lot of times, kids will tell us. Next step might be an intervention in which the parents address a behavior change, describe what happens when the behavior changes, and ask again for an explanation. The best tools to get you ready for the conversation start here:

Questions to Ask When Confronting Your Child – The CRAFFT Assessment

CRAFFT is a rapid assessment you can ask your teen to take. It is an acronym of first letters of key words in the 6 screening questions. The questions should be asked exactly as written.

  1. Have you ever ridden in a CAR driven by someone (including yourself) who was “high” or had been using alcohol or drugs?
  2. Do you ever you ever use alcohol or drugs to RELAX, feel better about yourself, or fit in?
  3. Do you ever use alcohol or drugs while you are by yourself, or ALONE?
  4. Do you ever FORGET things you did while using alcohol or drugs?
  5. Do your family or FRIENDS ever tell you that you should cut down on your drinking or drug use?
  6. Have you ever gotten into TROUBLE while you were using alcohol or drugs?

CRAFFT is a 2009 MassHealth insurance provider-approved behavioral health screening tool for use with children under the age of 21 from 2009. It was recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Substance Abuse for use with adolescents.

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Start the conversation. Now. Credit: Shutterstock.

There are more questions to ask when confronting your child about drug abuse. Learn different approaches and decide what is right for you.

Immature Brains

Arrested development is behind a lot of teen substance abuse. This will help you understand why the problem is not specific to your teen. And P.S., Hazelden Programs can help you with a phone assessment of your family’s drug problem.

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