Parenting for Prevention
Below is a questionnaire to help parents assess their use of chemicals and the reasons why they use them. There are no right or wrong answers! Despite what parents or others say, these are the attitudes and behaviors that the children will copy. It is important to answer the questions HONESTLY!
- When you have friends over, do you immediately offer them an alcoholic beverage?
- When you are nervous or upset, is your immediate response to “take something” to get rid of the feeling?
- Have your children ever seen you drunk?
- In your home, is it considered “manly” or “macho” to be able to drink a lot?
- In your home, do people joke about getting drunk and doing crazy things?
- Do you know about and use methods to cope with minor aches and pain other than “taking something?”
- Do your children ever hear their parents arguing about one or the other having had too much to drink?
- Is drinking often the topic of conversation in your home?
- Have you ever warned your children about smoking while you were smoking? How about drinking?
- Do you know the difference between a social drinker and an abusive drinker?
- Do you use alcohol or other drugs to comfort yourself when you’re depressed or feeling down?
- Do you unconsciously gravitate toward social functions where there is a lot of drinking and away from social functions where there is little or no drinking?
- Do you handle alcohol or any other drugs in a way that you would not want your children to?
- Do you drive your car when under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering drugs, even when it’s just one or two drinks?
Who’s Raising the Family by: John K. Kelaine. Wisconsin Clearinghouse, 1981.) As reprinted in ProjectCARE Newsletter, April 1991
