Dr. James Strawbridge
Expert in Alcoholism & Addiction Prevention · 4 more topics
Answered questions(2)
Socializing Your Children: Quality vs Quantity
My wife and I both come from families that with a lot of addiction and alcoholism. Neither she nor I drink alcohol or do drugs because of what we saw growing up. We now have 2 young children and the oldest one is about ready to start pre-kindergarten. My wife was a legal assistant prior to taking maternity leave and eventually taking a few years of to be with the kids while they were very young. Money is tight for us and now that the kids are approaching school age we are discussing when, or if, she should go back to work. If she did, the kids would obviously spend a good part of the day at school and in daycare. I am concerned and have read that when children begin spending a lot of time without their parents they become more socialized by their peers, rather than mentored by an adult. In a daycare situation, there are obviously adults present, but the level of supervision does not equal that found in a family home. I have read that children in such situations grow up to be more susceptible to things like addiction and to other behavioral problems. I realize that without really knowing our situation it is difficult for you to comment on our particulars, but in general, would you say that there is any truth that having one parent remain in the home as a stay-at-home parent offers any long term protection against the problems that kids can run into when they become teenagers, like drinking, and drug use and promiscuity and criminal acts etc.? Although money would be tight if my wife or I chose to stay home, money is not the only or most important thing for us.
Read answer →Drug Abuse Can Be Prevented
Hello Dr. Strawbridge, As of September 2012 I will start taking classes in the field of Alcoholism and Drug abuse counseling. Can you tell me in what area there is the most need and demand; either in the field of prevention or cure? Also, how is the field of drug and alcoholism prevention utilized?
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