When and how to start talking
Earlier than you think, and in many short conversations rather than one big talk.
2 min read
When to start
The conversation about alcohol and drugs can start naturally as early as age 10 or 11, in an age-appropriate way. Not as "the drug and alcohol talk," but as part of broader conversations about the body, relationships, pressure from others and well-being.
What protects most
- A solid family bond, where people can talk.
- Activities where they feel they belong and feel capable.
- Knowing how to say no to peer pressure.
- Real information about the effects of substances.
- Knowing they can go to an adult without fear.
Trying something isn't the same as having a problem
Most teens who try alcohol don't develop a dependence. The difference between trying and having a problem has to do with how often, how much, the context and, above all, whether the use is serving a purpose: to escape, to not feel, to be able to be around others.
What shuts the conversation down
- Starting with alarming facts.
- Talking about consequences before listening.
- Assuming they're already using, with no reason to think so.
- Turning the conversation into an interrogation.
- Ending with a threat.
What opens it up
- Starting with genuine curiosity.
- Sharing something from your own experience, honestly.
- Asking before drawing conclusions.
- Giving real information, without exaggerating the risks.
- Ending by reminding them they can call you without fear.
A question to take with you
How were alcohol and drugs talked about in the home where you grew up?
To go deeper
Raíces is a space to look at the place alcohol and other substances had in your own story, and at what was kept quiet.