How to talk to your kids about drugs...

There were many episodes of televisions shows in the 80s and 90s devoted to teaching us about the dangers of drug abuse. Some were done terribly.

Take the, now classic, Jesse Spano "I'm So Excited" freakout episode of Saved By the Bell.



However, sometimes anti-drug episodes can be done right. For example, the "Just Say Yo" episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

In this episode, Carlton takes way too many of his cousin Will's amphetamines because he assumed they were Vitamin E pills. After Carlton ends up in the hospital, Will needs to confront the issue of why he had them in the first place. That's right...Carlton was on speed...as opposed to Jesse who was on CAFFEINE PILLS. If you're going to talk about drugs...actually use real drugs as examples!

It's interesting how both these episodes deal with drug use as a way to stay focused and balance school with extracurricular activities instead of as an answer for boredom and/or depression.

NOTE: Neither of these shows alone can educate your children about drug use and abuse. Anyone who expects them to is a lazy parent and is doing their kids a disservice! Please show them films like Trainspotting, Basketball Diaries or Requiem for a Dream.