How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol

De: Sharon Levy, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Sharon Levy

Every parent or caretaker wants their children to thrive as happy, independent adults. But the transition from childhood to adulthood is riddled with dangerous obstacles and tricky situations, and one of the most detrimental can be the peril of substance abuse. The easy availability of various substances, coupled with the increasing stresses of everyday life, peer pressure, and the very nature of their still-developing brains, can make kids extremely vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse.

Discussing drugs and alcohol with your kids can be difficult for any number of reasons and applying too much negative pressure can have the opposite effect that you may be hoping for. In the eight lessons of How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol, Dr. Sharon Levy brings her years of expertise as a pediatrician specializing in childhood development and behavior to show you the best way to present this crucial information to the young people in your life. Along the way, Dr. Levy will walk you through the development of the brain in childhood and reveal why the young mind is so susceptible to addiction.

With this knowledge of brain development as your foundation, Dr. Levy presents the major substances likely to present addiction and abuse issues: alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, opioids, and more. As you journey through these difficult topics and learn how to discuss them with your children, Dr. Levy stresses the difference between prevention and harm reduction and helps guide you to a better understanding you can pass along to your kids. As you will see, these challenging but vital discussions can help them grasp the very real dangers of substance abuse—and carry that knowledge with them throughout their lives.

©2023 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

nice listen

I agree that it is a good listen and a 1 page pdf or summary would be nice to have. it reassured me that talking early and being open are really important.

Great content, hard to listen to

Absolutely great content. However, I wish someone else would’ve read it. Over time the lady’s voice becomes hard to listen to.

Wish there was a summary sheet

This is packed with info about alcohol & drugs, but for me, the key messages to relay to your children got lost in the information. Because this is an audio book, I hoped there would be a 1-page pdf summary of key points to tell your children but there wasn't. That would be really helpful to have.

Very Informative

How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol by Sharon Levy (2023)
The Great Courses
2h 58m narrated by the author - Sharon Levy

Genre: Lecture, Nonfiction, Health and Wellness, Relationships, Personal Development, Parenting & Families, School-Age Children, Teenagers

Synopsis: Discussing drugs and alcohol with your kids can be difficult for any number of reasons and applying too much negative pressure can have the opposite effect that you may be hoping for. In the eight lessons of How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol, Dr. Sharon Levy brings her years of expertise as a pediatrician specializing in childhood development and behavior to show you the best way to present this crucial information to the young people in your life. Along the way, Dr. Levy will walk you through the development of the brain in childhood and reveal why the young mind is so susceptible to addiction. With this knowledge of brain development as your foundation, Dr. Levy presents the major substances likely to present addiction and abuse issues: alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, opioids, and more. As you journey through these difficult topics and learn how to discuss them with your children, Dr. Levy stresses the difference between prevention and harm reduction and helps guide you to a better understanding you can pass along to your kids. As you will see, these challenging but vital discussions can help them grasp the very real dangers of substance abuse—and carry that knowledge with them throughout their lives.

Featuring: Brain Development, Reward System, Dopamine, Recognizing Addiction, Alcohol Use, Protecting Your Kids From Drinking, Facts About Cannabis, Nicotine and Addiction in Teens, Tabacco, Vaping: How E-Cigarettes Changed the World, Opioids and Overdose, Dealing with Addicted Kids, Treatments

Memorable Quotes: Promoting an addictive substance as a medication or health aid is a classic industry maneuver and should always raise eyebrows.

Rating as a movie: PG

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🚬🚭🍻💊💵

My thoughts: It took too long to get to the kids but it was very informative about drugs from recreational to pharmaceutical, and it seems like she's upset with that industry, and rightly so.

Recommend to others: Yes. You and your kids should read it.