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Megan Ledet, LCSW, Vice President of Adolescent Services at Lightfully Behavioral Health, discusses the dangers of teen substance use, how to talk to your teens about the dangers of experimenting with drugs, and how parents can get help for their teens in a live interview with KNBC. While many parents grew up with the “just say no” campaigns, Ledet explains that these were not the most effective ways to discourage drug use and that they largely backfired. Instead, parents should talk to their teens about the dangers and the ways that teens use drugs to prevent overdose and death. Teens, who have so much information at their fingertips, can be difficult to talk to. In those cases, the best approach is to stay curious, which is difficult because parents are often scared and want to be proactive. Instead, a non-confrontational approach where the parents can let down their defenses can help get real answers and allow the parents to problem-solve with their teens. Parents should be upfront about the dangers of drugs and the reality of what’s out there when talking to their teens. Most importantly, parents should avoid siloing off into their own corner, and instead be open and honest about their own fears.
