Talking to teens about drugs is challenging. It’s uncomfortable for parents and children, and teens tend to feel put on the spot when conversations of this nature arise due to the stigma around “taboo” subjects like drug use or just being annoyed if they think their parents are treating them as children.
But it’s a conversation you need to have. In 2021 alone, 66% out of the 107,000 total recorded overdose-related deaths in the United States involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
It’s not about accusing or scaring your children into sobriety but instead giving them the tools they need to make informed choices. This article will explore everything you need to know to have a productive conversation with your children about the risks of fentanyl.
Preparing for the Conversation
Given the stakes involved, parents need to take the time to discuss the fentanyl crisis with their teens openly. Yes, it will likely be an uncomfortable discussion, but it needs to be had. Avoidance only puts your child at risk, and information is the best defense.
Educate Yourself First
Gather up-to-date facts, statistics, and other resources from trusted sources like the CDC, DEA, and nonprofit awareness groups. Having solid knowledge allows you to speak authoritatively.
It also equips you with the necessary details to answer any follow-up questions your teen may have and prevents you from spreading dangerous misinformation or myths.
Choose the Right Time and Place
Pick a relaxed time when you both have breathing room and aren’t rushed. Find a private, comfortable space away from distractions where your teen will feel at ease. Try not to “ambush” your teen, as the topic of the conversation is already uncomfortable and may put them on edge.
Avoid bringing it up amid heated moments or conflicts with high emotions.
Also, make an effort to create an understanding and calm environment. Make it clear you aren’t questioning your child’s ability to make decisions about their own life but are trying to help them do so.
Be open to listening just as much as you want to get your point across—this is not an argument; it’s a conversation, and it has to flow both ways.
Set the Tone
No one likes to argue, so explicitly state that you aren’t there to lecture, judge, or interrogate them. If your child becomes defensive or avoidant, don’t push them to open up or see things your way. As scary as it is, you must show that you trust them and only have their best interests in mind.
Help them understand that your sole motivation is to have an open, honest dialogue about crucial safety information because you care about their wellbeing.
How to Talk to Your Teen About Fentanyl
Start with Open-Ended Questions
Rather than launching into a speech, begin the conversation by asking your teen what they’ve heard or know about fentanyl from friends, social media, or elsewhere.
They may surprise you, and meeting them where they stand is a good way to launch into the conversation. Instead of covering things they already know, help them fill in the blanks or correct any misinformation they might have heard.
Discuss the Facts
Provide factual data on what fentanyl is, why it’s so powerful and deadly, how professionals use it legally and safely, how it is manufactured illicitly, and the various forms it appears in. Go into age-appropriate detail on how it causes overdoses by suppressing respiratory function until breathing stops altogether.
Stress that there is no safe way to use any illicit substance given how frequently fentanyl is being laced into them. Sharing verified statistics on local and national overdose death tolls can underscore how ubiquitous and catastrophic this threat has become.
But remember that it’s not about fear. It’s knowledge.
Share Real-life Stories
While facts and numbers are important, stories can often have an even greater impact. Share profiles of real people, including young people, whose lives were suddenly cut short by accidental fentanyl overdoses after taking contaminated drugs they thought were safe.
Many people find it challenging to see statistics as a reflection of reality, so they try to humanize the crisis, driving home that every dose of an unregulated substance puts their lives at risk. It’s not just a theoretical concern elsewhere in the world.
Addressing Common Concerns and Questions
Myths and Misconceptions
Be prepared to directly confront and debunk any myths or misconceptions your teen might have about fentanyl.
For example, if they think they can reliably identify fake pills from real ones, counter that appearance is meaningless – there’s no way to identify contamination without chemical testing. For most people, there is no way to tell even legal, over-the-counter drugs from one another, much less substances with illicit origins.
If you sense they believe this crisis is only affecting certain areas or demographics, use local overdose data to underscore that fentanyl can impact anyone, anywhere, and without discretion.
Peer Pressure and Social Situations
While your teen may have no intention of experimenting with drugs themselves, peer pressure and enticing social situations can dangerously cloud decision-making.
Approach this reality with empathy and validate how intense those influences can be, but then strategize ways for them to remove themselves confidently.
An example would be role-playing scenarios where they assertively but politely opt out of being around illicit substances, which can be empowering.
Concrete tactics like these can make making smart choices under pressure easier.
Signs of Fentanyl Exposure
Beyond being forewarned about the risks, make sure your teen knows how to recognize the telltale signs of an opioid overdose unfolding, which include:
- Pinpoint pupils.
- Dizziness and confusion.
- Extreme drowsiness and sedation.
- Slowed or stopped breathing.
- Loss of consciousness/inability to wake up.
If they ever suspect someone has been exposed to lethal doses of IMF or any other illicit opioid, stress the importance of immediately calling 911 for emergency medical intervention. Minutes can genuinely mean the difference between life and death.
Providing Support and Resources
Create a Supportive Environment
Emphasize that this discussion is an ongoing conversation, not a one-and-done lecture. Ensure they know they can come to you with any other thoughts or concerns that arise without fear of judgment or repercussions. You aim to create an environment where they feel supported in protecting their safety.
Share Professional Help and Resources
Have information on drug counseling services, support groups, addiction treatment programs, and other resources available in case they need professional assistance navigating substance abuse issues themselves or among friend groups.
Treatment of substance use disorders is not any more shameful than seeing your doctor when you have a cold or other common ailment, despite many popular beliefs.
Find Educational Programs and Workshops
Look into community drug education initiatives like awareness assemblies, workshops, or peer counselor groups in which they can participate. These other voices can help reinforce your message in a different format, and becoming part of the solution can help them feel more confident even in the face of peer pressure.
Inform Your Teen About the Severity of Fentanyl
As parents, we must overcome our discomfort and have these difficult conversations with our children. Staying silent is risky in the face of this escalating crisis, claiming more young people every day.
Having thoughtful, empathetic discussions with our teenagers about the lethal risks of fentanyl contamination assures them they can come to us with questions and concerns.
It lets them know we see them as the young adults they’re becoming while still providing the guidance they need, building a foundation of open dialogue to help them protect their futures.
