Issue #7

August 22, 2019

Protecting Your Children From Drug Abuse

Republished with permission from American Addiction Centers.org

Here are a few tips on how to protect your child from drug abuse.

1. BE AWARE OF POTENTIAL SUBSTANCES THAT CAN BE ABUSED IN YOUR HOME

These days, many children are turning to their parents’ medicine cabinet for prescription drugs. More than 4.5 million children have reported abusing prescription drugs, the NYS Department of Health reported. Know what is in your cabinet and lock it. The same goes for alcohol. Be aware of what you have and keep it out of sight and in a place your child cannot access it.

2. BE A PART OF YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

As children get older, it may be harder to stay involved, but it is important for a parent to be there physically as well as emotionally. Attend events that involve your child, like a sports game or a recital. Also, lend your emotional support by asking about your child’s day and letting him or her know that you are there for support if your child seems upset. Your presence will allow for open lines of communication, making your child feel more comfortable discussing problems and asking questions. It will also allow you to see what is going on in your child’s life and get to know the friends and other children he or she is socializing with.

3. BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL

Though you may not realize it, your behavior impacts your child more than you know. Set examples of having fun without alcohol. Do not discuss stories of alcohol or drug use when you were young unless they come with a lesson. If you take a lighthearted approach toward stories involving you, your child may think that he or she should follow suit, or that you would not be upset if he or she abused substances.

4. CREATE A CLEAR SET OF RULES

Sometimes parents make rules unclear or enforce them too harshly, causing children to react negatively or rebel. Set warranted ground for bad behavior and talk about the rules with your child to make sure he or she understands them. Like any behavior, reward your child for acting appropriately and enforce punishment if he or she behaves poorly. If a child understands and respects your limits, he or she will be less likely to push them.

5. TALK ABOUT DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Aside from setting a good example, it is imperative to address the topic of drugs and alcohol early on. Be informed and clear. Discuss the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on the body as well as the legal consequences associated with them. The Partnership at Drugfree.org reported that children who learn about the dangers of substance abuse from parents are  up to 50 percent  less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Let your child know your feelings about using drugs or alcohol and share an example of a time when you refused drugs or alcohol. Outline what you said and what good came out of the situation. A clear example may help a child understand what to do when a situation presents itself. If you suspect your child is abusing drugs or alcohol, seek guidance and get help through an  addiction treatment center .

Virtus ® Account Activation Policy

It is our policy at St. Charles Borromeo Parish to inactivate Virtus ® user accounts if the account holder gets 4 months behind on reading their Child Protection bulletins. Upon request, the Safe Site Coordinator (Steve Morris) will reactivate user accounts provided the account holder is no more than 6 months behind. If an account holder requests to be activated again and they are behind by more than 6 months but less than 12 months the account holder will be required to take a 90 minute online refresher course to be activated again. Account holders that are more than a year behind will be required to take our 3 hour class again to be activated. Maintaining an active Virtus account is required to be an approved adult volunteer at any diocesan location and it is a condition of employment for ALL St. Charles employees.

We Take Child Protection Seriously!

Thank you for keeping your Virtus ® accounts "current" and for being a key part of keeping our children safe!

Approved Volunteers

When organizing an official St. Charles activity involving children, please check the list below to make sure that your adult volunteers are approved to serve with children. For legal reasons, St. Charles Parish cannot publish a list of people who are prohibited from volunteering around children due to abuse. If an adult volunteer is not on the approved volunteer list, it could be for a variety of reasons. Most of the time it means that the person got behind on their bulletins and became inactive. Please have your volunteer contact Steve Morris and he can help resolve the issue. If your volunteer has not attended a Virtus ® class, please have them visit Virtus Online to create a Virtus ® account and sign up for a Child Protection training class. Training times and locations can be found under the training tab by clicking on the Live Training link.

Approved Volunteers (pdf)

Approved Volunteer (xls)

The next Virtus bulletin will be published on September 2, 2019

Linking to third party websites referenced herein does not constitute endorsement of the third party organization by St. Charles Borromeo Parish, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, or the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.