How do I answer when my 11 year old son asks if I 've ever taken drugs?

The first time my father came across some pot I forgot in my pants, he went straight to me, bring me outside to a park near my home and we had a man-to-man conversation about drugs.

He told me : * “I know what it is, I have many friends who did drugs and I took some as well. It is nothing good and mostly something that brings people down. You can enjoy it, then it will not last long. It is also very expensive. “* Pretty standard answer first but I felt like we were part of the same world and he actually wasn ‘t so remote from my teenager life.

Also he told me my about my grandfather who hasn ‘t been sober for last 40 years or so. Then he told me about all those things around us that we could do to forget ourselves and our problems :  sport, job, money, drugs, etc. It didn ‘t prevent me from taking some drugs after that but I never crossed the line and it was more to have fun with friends.

Now if one day I have a son or a daughter, what I will say to him/her will be very similar : * “I did experiment some drugs myself and I chose to not go further because it harmed many people I love(d).  There is so many other things in life that are worth a try. Every one of us will eventually depend on something, so better keep it under control and chose one that really matter for yourself and the people you love. “*

Oh, my father kept my pot (he may have smoked it) but I knew he will never support me doing drugs but I could talk with him at any time. At that time, a good friend of mine was turned in to the cops by his parent for some weed. Today he is deep into alcohol and other stuff. As Karla said, no need to talk details about you, just be frank and trust your son.

This text was originally published in quora.