DPYK, The Programme
DPYK is the acronym for How to DRUG PROOF YOUR KIDS. Daily we read more reports of the 'public health time bomb' that is being created through the eating, drinking , drug taking and smoking habits of this generation of teenagers.
The How to DRUG PROOF YOUR KIDS programme was developed by Focus on the Family Australia in response to the needs of parents and has now been adapted for use in Canada, the United Kingdom, France and here in New Zealand. This four 2-hour programme is based on sound research that clearly indicates the importance of a healthy family whanautanga environment, where high levels of parent connectedness can substantially reduce the risk of harmful drug abuse by their children. Better informed parents communicate more effectively, and a knowledge of available resources puts parents in a position to significantly reduce the risks. Easy availability, peer pressure and the perceived 'excitement' of drugs is a major concern for today's parents. There is a wide spectrum of drug use, ranging from abstinence to dependence, and parents need to understand and respond in a way most appropriate to their situation. To simply tell children who are already casual or dependent users to stop using drugs is naïve. As is lecturing young people that "all they have to do is say no".
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