The “Uniting Forces to Eradicate the Pest” campaign focuses on empowering families with educational skills to protect their children

The National Anti-Narcotics Agency is keen to organize national community councils for the prevention of drugs, to strengthen the community prevention system and integrate roles between the concerned authorities, to protect the family and the youth group from the dangers of drugs and psychotropic substances, and to focus during them on the subject of Emirati values ​​and their impact on shaping the behavior of children, the impact of parents’ behavior on shaping the personality of children, and the role of worship in developing discipline and strengthening family values.

To this end, the Council emphasizes the impact of parental role models in shaping children’s personalities, as the daily behavior of parents represents the first reference from which children acquire their values ​​and attitudes, and that building a family environment based on open dialogue, inclusion, and enhancing trust contributes to the development of a balanced personality capable of making sound decisions and resisting negative pressures.

Adolescent awareness
Despite the great effectiveness of government efforts, awareness campaigns, and family oversight to prevent the scourge of drugs from leaking into society, these efforts require a real partnership from the family and society to educate the teenager and arm him with the courage to say the word “no” in the face of the temptations and pressures of bad company, and to categorically reject drug use under what is known as “peer pressure,” which is based on exploiting the teenager’s social weakness or his lack of awareness about the effect of the first dose, which is the first rung on the addiction ladder.

The word “no” may seem easy in the face of a dose of drugs, but it requires systematic and thoughtful strengthening of awareness by the family and society of the teenager so that he can practice it consciously, and protect himself from negative habits or ideas that are alien to our society. This requires concerted efforts at all levels to provide this intellectual immunity and social immunity and ensure its continued effectiveness even in the absence of family or legal control, and it turns into a self-motivation that allows the young person the ability to consciously distinguish between right and wrong.

The greatest risk is for young people and adolescents, according to what recent studies have shown, as these two groups are among the segments most at risk of starting to abuse and become addicted to narcotic substances, for many reasons, such as weak parenting skills, neglect of the child’s emotional needs in early childhood and adolescence, and family problems, in addition to the lack and weakness of social and life skills. Many studies also point to the role of negative peer pressure in increasing the likelihood of starting to abuse.

Due to the importance of community solidarity in protecting our children from the danger of falling into the trap of addiction, the National Anti-Drug Campaign came under the slogan: “Uniting ranks to eradicate the scourge,” which was launched by the National Anti-Narcotics Agency, in cooperation with the UAE Government Media Office, within the framework of the comprehensive strategic vision of the state aimed at protecting society and preserving its national gains, the most important of which is youth, and emphasizing the utmost importance of empowering families with the educational skills that constitute a decisive factor in protecting children from the danger of drug abuse by refining their personalities to be responsible individuals. In society and able to face various pressures.

Awareness programmes
The competent authorities are working to provide thoughtful awareness programs based on the best foundations of social education targeting young people and adolescents by organizing summer courses and community councils that work to develop social skills among adolescents, such as emotional and social intelligence, how to make the right decision and deal with peer pressure, calling for filling young people’s free time with useful things, promoting the concept and importance of volunteering in them, educating them about the harms of narcotic substances and their negative impact and risks on the life of the individual and society, and teaching the young person to refuse to be led by destructive habits such as taking even a single dose of drugs. It is courage and manhood, not weakness and childishness. It also reflects distinct social intelligence and is not a sign of withdrawal and isolation. True friends are the ones who will be pillars of assistance to you and not shovels of demolition of your future.

Peer pressure on young people
The danger and power of the influence of peer pressure on the young man and teenager can never be underestimated. The relationship that governs young people at this age is based on excessive trust between friends, which may be misplaced sometimes. It is also governed by constant challenges due to the age factor to prove oneself and not appear among peers as inferior to them, and the desire to gain their admiration, which sometimes pushes him to agree to actions that he may not be convinced of, such as smoking, skipping school, and experimenting with risky behaviors, especially with the dominance of the adolescent’s belonging instinct. The fear of exclusion, along with the desire of young people at this age to escape from the grip of family control and feel independent, and their belief that saying the word “no” to friends will spoil their relationship with them or cause them injury and loss.

From this standpoint, the danger of peer pressure emerges, which may infiltrate those who harbor a harmful idea or bad habit that makes everyone captive to it.

Educational strategies
In order to ensure that adolescents are protected from falling into the trap of peer pressure, community autoimmunity programs must be implemented by resorting to many educational strategies recommended by educational specialists, the most prominent of which is assessing the adolescent’s relationships with his peers. This is not done by isolating them from their surroundings or bullying them, but rather by monitoring their behavior and relationships indirectly, constantly evaluating them, and reviewing their daily activities. Whether on the ground or on social networking sites, and developing their social communication skills to learn how to choose good friends and stay away from bad companions.

Family educational strategies also include effective communication and building a strong relationship with the teenager, making him feel that his family and parents are a safe haven for him, with whom he shares his fears and ideas without hearing them grumble, complain or criticize, and the importance of parents comprehending and understanding the nature of the teenager’s changing and unstable emotions, which are part of the formation of his personality, and adopting the method of dialogue and persuasion and making him feel in a calm manner that he is the decision maker and then chooses to take responsibility for his decision and thus he will feel self-confident and that we respect and appreciate him, and work must be done. It also helps strengthen the teenager’s personality and enhance his self-esteem, in addition to teaching him how to make the right decision in accordance with his values and principles.

It is also important to keep the teenager busy with useful hobbies and activities, because they contribute to distracting his focus from the negative influence of peers, and may even increase the respect and appreciation of others for him, in addition to strengthening religious faith and good moral upbringing based on authentic customs and noble social values.

Self skills
At the level of the teenager himself, it is necessary to work on giving him a set of personal skills that help him practice smart positive rejection. The goal is not to put the teenager in a closed bottle or turn him into a confrontational young man who alienates his friends, but rather to make his communication intelligent, and this can be established through simple mechanisms, such as saying “no” and offering an alternative to anyone who offers him something that he does not accept, or resorting to the “parents’ trick” in high-pressure situations, where the teenager can hold responsibility for the household rules to reduce social embarrassment, and among these mechanisms is also the use of the “broken record” method by repeating the rejection with a simple and firm phrase without entering into an argument or argument. Long justifications, with an emphasis on the use of firm body language through direct eye contact, and a confident and calm tone of voice, which sends a signal to peers that this decision is final and non-negotiable, while always remembering the golden rule that confirms that whoever loves you will not harm you. A true friend respects your limits and personal decisions without blackmailing you emotionally. He also pushes you to do better, protects your interests, and accepts the word “no” without changing his treatment of you, or threatening you with distance or ridicule. If you refuse to share it.