The holiday season is long past and most parents together with their children are back to factory reset.

 In some families, children are just out of an escapade where they were openly exposed to endless partying involving alcohol and other substances of abuse by none other than their parents and immediate family. The merrymaking that marked the just concluded festive season was perfect ground for introducing children to alcohol and substance abuse.

A study by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada); Status of Drugs and Substance Abuse among Primary School Pupils in Kenya, published in 2019 directly attributes substance abuse among children, some as young as four years old, to their parents’ and guardians’ lifestyles. The survey revealed that pupils from families where both or one parent or guardian use drugs or abuse substances were more likely to use drugs or abuse substances as well as those accompanying parents to events where alcohol is served and also those who reported that alcohol was available in their homes.

Children of substance abusing parents are at risk for a wide variety of other negative outcomes, including emotional, social and behavioural adjustment problems as well as challenges in cognitive and academic functioning. Risk for poor emotional and behavioural outcomes among children living with a parent who has a substance abuse history are reported among those as young as two to three years of age.

Parental role shapes the behaviour, experiences and health of children. Most parents want to see their children succeed and live a long, healthy life. Thus, the devotion in involvement with presence and provision for the child.

Parents take pride as a child navigates from one stage in life to the other. In a way, the child’s perception of their parents is one that they are their heroes and this is what should guide most parents when the question of substance abuse pops up. According to a study by researchers in the School of Nursing and the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo in the United States, young children with parents with alcohol problems, those whose parents experience marital aggression and those with fathers who were more aggravated with their children in early childhood were more likely to have substance abuse problems as adolescents.

Further studies have also shown that parental alcoholism is consistently associated with lower academic functioning including lower grades in school and failure to pursue secondary education. The conclusion in most of them has been that on average, children whose parents evidence alcoholism show weaker performance in reading, spelling, and math during early and middle childhood compared to their peers.  The Nacada report, which saw more than 3,000 pupils from 177 randomly selected Government schools across 25 counties between classes Five and Eight interviewed, further states that role models are highly likely to influence children’s behaviour, including the use of drugs. Subsequently, pupils whose role models are parents, celebrities, teachers and even parents who abuse drugs are more likely to be negatively influenced by them. As a parent, you have a major impact on your child’s decision not to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Prevention starts when you start talking with, and listening to your child. Help your child make good choices and good friends and teach them different ways to say “No!”

Parents are the strongest influence that children have. There is no guarantee that your child won’t use drugs, but drug use is much less likely to happen if you provide guidance and clear rules about not using drugs. Spend time with your child and do not use tobacco or other drugs yourself.

— The writer is a Manager Corporate Communications-Nacada