I sat in an assembly as a man spoke to a group of teens about their responsibility to their friends. His words were true and eloquent the student body was silent as he spoke. somehow i couldn’t help but wonder are they really getting it. do they understand that old phrase “friends don’t let friends do drugs”, are they willing to except that peers who expose them to dangers are not really their friends and they are not really a friend if they allow their friends to be involved in harmful activities?
As i left the meeting a student came to me and confessed she tried to discourage her friends but didn’t take it a step further to tell an adult. This sparked a conversation about the why behind the necessity to tell others when your friend is in trouble. It was beautiful for that moment and once again confirmed to me that teenagers really do want to do the right thing… some are more successful at it then others.
When you remove the “do this because i said so” or the don’t do this because i said so” and explain to them what the heart of the matter is and the how doing the hard thing (which is often the right thing to do) will actually be helpful and maybe lifesaving for their friends they will find the strength to do it.
Teenagers are often wiser then the are given credit for and if they truly believe they will be validated for it they will walk in that wisdom. Together we will do a better job of keeping their friends safe from drugs then either of us trying to fight the battle alone.
Equip your teen with the right knowledge and response, not just because you said so. help them understand the brokenness that follows drug addiction, and that drug addiction does not require long term use, and yes even marijuana is addictive to teens who use it as a sense of escape.
It’s true. When peers talk to peers about the WHY they shouldn’t do it, it can be profoundly effective. If friends were honest with each other about the fact that your personality changes when on drugs/alcohol, that you are endangering your future, etc., the conversation becomes about caring for someone, not judgment. The education model we use at Youth Partnership for Change is just that: peer to peer prevention education. After all, nobody can make decisions for anybody else, but they can always offer informed advice. Thanks for the post!