Drug addiction is an epidemic of our century, which extends even to children. And the most “infected,” are teenagers.
Parents are those who suffer when seeing their kids hurt. However, there are ways to prevent and avoid teen drug abuse. The drug problem causes fear, negativity, pain, sympathy, but few people think that the advancing disaster can be eliminated if you notice it in time. The key to solving the problem is to recognize signs of drug use in teens and protect your child from difficult times.
Why are adolescents interested in drugs?
The pubertal period is the time of storms and passions, the formation and acceptance of oneself and the world. Teenagers do not understand life around, but they try to find a place in it. It is important for them to enter the society, already having a certain life experience. They want to have their own opinion about everything that happens in the adult world. Children experience personal dramas, develop their interests, receive lessons from the opposite sex, and then feel invaluable, disappointed.
And here the drugs enter into their lives. Substances that change the complicated mind remove the barriers to communication with their peers, force them to look at themselves and their appearance differently, feel attractive, confident, relaxed. Teenagers do not think about the consequences. They try. That’s the moment where disaster begins.
The main reasons for interest in narcotic substances
Internal:
· the desire for new feelings and adventures;
· the desire to join the company and become popular;
· search for methods of "disconnecting" from reality, avoiding troubles;
· aspiration to gain experience.
External:
In addition to deep internal incentives, there are many external circumstances, which may provoke drug abuse:
- · problems in school, especially sharp and profound;
- · family issues;
- · conflicts with teachers, peers, parents;
- · alcohol or drug addiction among parents;
- · overcare in the family;
- · emotional deprivation in the family (rejection by parents).
The listed problems can have a wide variety of configurations, but the important thing is that teens are not able to cope with them on their own. At the same time, children cannot be detached from the situation either, so they are looking for ways to avoid problems. Drugs give the illusion of such care. However, you can try to help them by creating a friendly atmosphere in the family, asking a high-quality help with assignments at college and simply by providing an example of a person they will admire.
How to tell if your kid is on drugs
Drug addiction is easier to prevent than cure. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to any changes in the behavior of adolescents. And, although their main feature, in this case, is secrecy, nevertheless, if you are vigilant, teenagers can easily detect some characteristic signs of substance abuse:
- · frequent changes in mood without obvious reasons;
- · irritability, aggression;
- · lying, secrecy;
- · frequent bouts of fatigue;
- · drowsiness;
- · changes in the sphere of communication: the loss of old contacts and the emergence of new strange friends;
- · lack of appetite;
- · apathy, loss of interest in past hobbies;
- · the emergence of material difficulties, overspending;
- · strange objects in the house (for example, teaspoons, which the child hides in a bag);
- · traces of injections or cuts on the kid’s body;
- · unusual stains on clothes.
Ways to protect your kid
If you notice signs of addiction, no need to start panicking. It is clear, it’s not easy to remain calm in a situation like that, but only poise will help you behave correctly. The task of the parent is to stop the catastrophe. Do not raise a stink, unless you want to aggravate the situation and alienate the child. Try to develop a clear plan of actions.
1. Analyze the situation. Understand what exactly is causing your anxiety (dilated pupils of the child, traces of injections on their body, etc.). Remember that the conclusion about drug abuse can be done if there is a set of undeniable evidence, that is, there should be several alarm signals.
2. Achieve a trusting relationship, do not push the child away from yourself applying aggressive tone. Promise your kid that you will try to understand them in any case and accept the truth.
3. Convince the child to visit a specialist to define the degree of addiction and find out which drugs the child is taking. Do not be afraid to seek help from psychologists.
4. Help your offspring develop new hobbies. New interests will accelerate the rehabilitation and socialization of the adolescent who has been treated for substance abuse. This step will help to distract from the addiction and change the circle of friends.
5. Together with the kid, decide on the method of treatment, if necessary. Be frank, choose a clinic and a doctor together, discuss various options for therapy, talk with a teenager, as an adult who is sick and who has to recover and live a free life.
6. Do not leave the child alone, provide constant communication with them, but not shadow. Show trust and attention. Do not control each step, give them a chance to make amends.
7. Demonstrate your love. Your kid should feel the support of every member of the family. Try not to judge, but create a favorable environment for successful treatment.
Keep in mind that teen’s substance abuse is easier to prevent than stop. And the best way of prevention is attention to the adolescent, to their life and problems. Be a friend to your kid. Ask yourself right now when the last time you discussed anything with your kid was. Help your offspring with piles of homework and order capstone project paper writing. Make your bonds stronger. You need your child.