HOPE - The Issues

Prevention Starts With YOU!

You and those around you have a major impact on your child’s decision not to use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs and on their decisions relating to sex, violence, bullying, eating disorders etc. Prevention of all issues faced by Nutley’s youth starts with talking with, and listening to them about these issues.

Abuse is much less likely to happen if you:

  • Provide guidance and clear rules.
  • Do not use tobacco or illegal substances yourself and talk about avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and drug use as part of ongoing safety conversations.
  • Correct any wrong beliefs your child may have. Ex. “Everybody drinks.” “Pot’s not bad.”
  • Avoid TV shows, movies, & video games that glamorize sex, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
  • Use a mix of praise and criticism, guiding behavior without saying your child is bad. This  builds self-confidence and leads to your child learning to make healthy and safe choices.
  • Check to see that the friends and neighbors your child spends time with are safe and have values similar to yours.
  • Remind your child that real friends do not:
    • Ask friends to do risky things like use alcohol, tobacco, drugs or engage in sexual acts.
    • Reject friends when they don’t want to do something that they know is wrong.
  • Help Your Child Learn Different Ways To Say “No!” Role play and practice! This way, it becomes natural to do at least one of the following:
    • Firmly say, “No!”
    • Give a reason—“No thanks, I’m not into that.”