Biggest Takeaways from 5Ws Event

To those who attended the 5Ws of Teen Drug & Alcohol Use event at MBMS, thank you for coming and sharing your thoughts with Families Connected by completing the survey. Please click here if you’d like to see any of the videos (and scroll to the bottom of the parent resources page). 

The three biggest takeaways that parents shared with us in the survey are as follows:

1) Substance use, abuse, and addiction can happen to anyone. Just because a kid seems to be doing well, like being varsity soccer captain, doesn't mean that they're not at risk, so it's important to check on a kid's internal state as well as the external. 

2) The human brain isn't fully developed until age 25, which can lead to more reckless and risk-taking behavior as well as damage if substances are introduced before age 25. 

3) It's never too early to start talking to your kid about these issues, and the more you talk about it, the less taboo it becomes. Be sure to set boundaries, establish consequences, and follow though with those consequences if your teen disobeys. 

Have any other takeaways from the event that you want to share with us? Post in the comments below!