Know! the Five Reasons Young People Give for Using Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs

Reason 4
To Take Risks and Rebel

All children need to learn how to take risks. This is part of growing up. There are risks of all kinds that we take everyday - and we take more when we are young. We want to push the limits. The goal is to teach our kids how to take risks - but not with their health and not with their life. As children approach their teen years, virtually everything holds a small amount of risk, because everything feels so new and unexplored. As greater levels of risk are achieved, many young people will continue to look for opportunities to expand their horizons and grow. Therein lies the allure of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.

When all other reasons are discounted, substance abuse may provide some youth with the chance to prove they can "handle it." Combined with a strong desire to be a grown-up and images of people on TV and elsewhere drinking, smoking or taking drugs, it's easy to understand why some young people want to take these risks. Some youth, however, take more risks than others. They are unclear about boundaries. They may be unsure of rules and expectations. If they have an idea that they want to try everything in life and are not clearly guided into making smart and healthy decisions about risks, they may think it's okay to include alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as part of that risk-taking.

Follow these action steps:

> Again, this is a time to get lots of input from your child. It's okay to talk about taking risks and what it means. Ask them what it means to them. Talk with them about all types of risk-taking and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each one. Kids and parents both need to acknowledge the consequences of taking risks.

> There are some children who seem to NEED lots of sensation or thrills in their lives. They like loud noises. They need a lot of stimulation to keep their attention. They seem to thrive on chaos. These young people are at particularly high risk for alcohol, tobacco and other drug problems. You may want to seek the help of a professional if you believe that your child may have this type of temperament. There may be biological reasons as well as psychological reasons for this high sensation-seeking or thrill-seeking behavior.

> And, there are also some young people who really want to rebel against society by engaging in antisocial behavior, juvenile delinquency, treating others poorly, and so forth. These young people often have not received the warmth and acceptance they needed while growing up. Children who experience rejection from their parents or other caretakers also appear to be at greater risk than other children for alcohol or drug problems. In addition, parents who have unrealistic expectations about their children's abilities, communicate with them in abusive ways (threatening, chastising, belittling, and criticizing), and use coercive limit-setting and disciplinary methods may increase the likelihood that their children will use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.

Research also suggests that supportive parenting patterns have the opposite effect. Parents who are warm and accepting, who express realistic expectations about their children's abilities, who are diligent and effective in supervising and monitoring children, whose limitsetting methods are noncoercive, and who spend time with their children, are much less likely to raise children who use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.

Exercise 4
Role-playing a conflict

The main point of this exercise is to have some fun with the child in your care and provide an opportunity to play an unfamiliar role. Role-playing involves performing, which is a risktaking experience for many of us! You can either have a one-on-one role-play or you can involve your whole family in the experience. The fun comes in determining who plays which part. For example, you might have the child play the parental role while you play the part of the child. You could make the topic one that relates to several of the themes in this book:

• Peer pressure (you play the drug user) to test how the child would respond in this situation.
• The child (you) asking about why you should stay away from alcohol and drugs.
• The parent (the child) giving advice on what it means to be a grownup.

Evaluting Risk
Most parents, grandparents and caregivers have a strong sense of the level of risk-taking for each child in their care. You may know parents who had to call a poison control center five times in a year for one child and never had any concern with another. Some children put everything in their mouths, climb up to the highest cabinet, and can't be alone in the backyard. Others seem to be born with an innate sense of responsibility and caution. You probably have a good idea of your child's level of risk. This will be helpful in determining the activities that will appeal to the child's sense of fun and pushing the limits.

What is Risk?

Only you can determine the level of risk that your child is comfortable with and which activities would be at that level. Listed here are a number of different levels of risk-taking activities. You may want to share this list with your child to determine which activities have the most appeal.

• Talking with someone you like but don't know
• Taking lessons on a musical instrument
• Performing at a recital
• Answering questions in class
• Joining a sports team
• Riding a bike
• Joining in a talking circle
• Walking to the park
• Going on a scavenger hunt
• Changing a hairstyle or color
• Piercing body parts
• Staying up late on a Saturday
• Going to a friend's house after school or spending the night
• Going to overnight camp
• Learning to rollerblade
• Playing a video game
• Learning to ski on water or snow
• Going to the mall unsupervised
• Asking someone out on a date
• Learning to cook
• Babysitting
• Giving a speech
• Being a volunteer
• Tutoring a younger kid
• Going to a dance
• Attending a pow-wow

Taking Risks
Teenagers feel almost immortal. Although they worry about what their friends think about them and about who is going to say what about them at the cafeteria table, they don't believe they are physically in much danger in the world. One of their growing-up tasks is to become involved in risk-taking behavior. This behavior may get them into trouble, but it also may help them learn to face the world as more mature adults. Here is where we face a dilemma: how can we help them take risks without encouraging dangerous, even life-threatening, behavior?

Drug abuse is a risk for today's youth that existed on a much smaller scale in past generations. Teenagers must take risks of some kind to learn their own boundaries. But we must convince them that using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is not acceptable risk-taking behavior.

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