How to discuss addiction

We’d like to give you some info about how to bring your kids to the table for this year’s Night of Conversation: Facing Addiction Over Dinner on Nov. 15. That’s when you can sit down together to talk about alcohol and drug abuse — and when you’ll discover the remarkable power of the family to help kids confront and deal with these tough subjects.

According to a Safeway Foundation report sponsored in part by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Dr. Oz’s Columbia University, frequent family dining is associated with lower rates of teen smoking, drinking, illegal drug use and prescription drug abuse.

Alcohol is the most widely used and abused substance among youngsters. Among young adults, binge drinking in particular is linked to risky behaviors.

Opioid misuse among kids ages 15-19 is a problem: The rate of opioid-related overdose death tripled between 1999 and 2015, from 0.8 to 2.4 per 100,000.

So, how do you pull off the Night of Conversation?

Let your kids know what you are planning; no “gotcha!” moments allowed. Tell them their voice is an important part of the conversation about avoiding alcohol and drug abuse. You want to hear what they have to say about what goes on around them and what they are concerned with. Then just listen. This dinnertime conversation is a FIRST step, and you want to keep the door open.

Explore your options: The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids offers detailed descriptions of conversations you can have with kids from 2 to 25. (Google the phrase “Prevention tips for every age.”) And, yes, even at age 2 a conversation may be necessary if you have an addict in the family. Children need to sort out bewildering, scary and emotionally hurtful interactions with adults. And at 25, your son or daughter may find it hard to break out of harmful peer groups without help from you.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.