5 Year Rule Every Parent Should Know

We live in an age of information overload, including information available to parents about drug prevention. Sometimes we parents need some good ol' practical advice. A world of thanks belongs to Mike Merchant, therapist with the Anasazi foundation for sharing his "Five-Year Rule" with Drug Free AZ many years ago.

The rule is simple. Just count backwards five years from the age when the drug is introduced into your child's world. The age you end up with is the age you need to start discussing that specific drug with your child. For example, the average age of first-time Marijuana use is thirteen years, so you should begin talking to your child about Marijuana at age eight. Alcohol prevention should begin at age seven. See the chart below for the ages in which each drug is introduced into your child's world.

Eight years old might seem young for a discussion on marijuana. After all, an eight-year-old is much less sophisticated than a thirteen-year-old, right? True, but an eight-year-old is open to hearing information about marijuana from his parents. Waiting until your child is 13 to discuss the drug is too late. Perhaps he knows kids at his school who are using, or worse, has been asked to "smoke" with some of the guys. His attitudes toward marijuana use are being shaped by influences other than you: his peers, his favorite movie, music and his best friend's older brother. Your window to deliver this important message has closed. Your child might still refuse to use, but are you comfortable leaving it up to chance?

It is important to have these "drug dialogs" often. The conversation should be natural, not forced. Long, formal lectures make the situation unnecessarily tense. Elementary age kids love to learn about brain functions and how the body works. Use this to your advantage and relate the effects of marijuana on the brain. Older teens want facts about each drug and are dissuaded to experiment by testimonials from former users. Open the lines of communication with a newspaper article discussing illicit drugs. Ask your teen what she has heard about the drug in the article at school. How does she feel about that drug? Or sit side-by-side with your teenager and do some internet research. Our resource section lists some of the most popular drug prevention sites.

Let the five year rule be your guide to starting conversations about the risks of using specific drugs when your child needs to hear them.

Note: The ages above are estimates of first use and Arizona School Survey results.