Addiction can be regarded as a disease which is no respecter of persons, culture, age, gender and the likes. An old man is likely to be susceptible to any form of addiction, in the same way a child could be.
There are various forms of addiction, with the commonest being substance abuse, which is drug and alcohol addiction. Now, as a parent, it is necessary that you play an essential role in ensuring that your children are not caught up in the web of addiction at a tender age, so that they do not grow with it.
Hence, you have to give all it takes to prevent it from happening. Preventing addiction in children is no easy task, and the points below should serve as a guideline for you:
- Be a good role model: The first step to achieving this, is to ensure that you are a good role model to your children. Ensure that you do not partake in substance abuse, or any form of addiction. When your children see you doing this, they are bound to pick up the habit and learn from you. Hence, make sure that they only emulate good habits.
- Advise against the ills: Also, as a parent, ensure you let your children understand the concept of addiction, and how it affects them. Do not be the type of parent who would not want their children to know how addiction looks like, or the various forms of addiction. Ensure that you sit them down, and teach them all they need to know.
- Prevent exposure and friends they keep: One of the factors which affect children, is the type of company they keep. Children who get addicted to one thing or the other, picked up the habit from their peers, and it is usually very hard for children to defeat addiction. Hence, you need to be careful of the kind of friends they keep
- Give them a chance to confide in you: Always remind your children that they can always trust you. Also inform them that, whenever they are at crossroads or they need someone to discuss with, especially when they are pressurized, they can always confide in you.